Former Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, has blamed parents—not students—for the growing rate of examination malpractice in Nigeria, saying many parents are the real force behind the illegal practices.
Speaking during an interview on ThisDay Live shortly after completing his 10-year tenure as JAMB Registrar, Oloyede described parents’ involvement in exam fraud as the most painful experience of his time leading the examination body.
According to him, many parents go as far as arranging cheating schemes for their children in a desperate bid to secure admission into higher institutions.
“The most painful period of my experience in JAMB had to do with the level of involvement of parents in the organisation of examination malpractice. They are introducing their wards, their children to the world of criminality,” Oloyede said.
The former JAMB boss insisted that candidates are often unfairly blamed, arguing that many students are merely following the direction of their parents.
“Most of the candidates are not problematic. They are not the problem. The problem are the parents,” he stated.
Oloyede said he often became emotional whenever he came across cases where parents actively encouraged examination fraud.
“Every time I was confronted with the reality of what parents were doing, I became very emotional because I just felt, how on earth will people hate themselves, hate their future to this level?” he said.
He added that even parents who have made mistakes in life should not pass such negative values on to their children.
Reflecting on one of the biggest controversies associated with JAMB—the widely publicised “snake swallowed money” incident—Oloyede clarified that the incident happened before he became Registrar.
According to him, his role was simply to investigate and address the matter after assuming office.
“The snake matter did not occur when I was there. It happened before I assumed office. I only had to deal with it as the Registrar,” he explained.
He disclosed that the narration was officially recorded because officials found the claim unbelievable.
“There was no snake… Many people took it literally and believed that a snake swallowed money in JAMB, but that never happened,” Oloyede added.
The former registrar also dismissed claims that universities can legally admit undergraduate students without JAMB.
“It is not possible. By law and regulation, no institution can admit students into undergraduate programmes without going through JAMB. If that happens, it is illegal and improper,” he said.
Oloyede served as JAMB Registrar from August 2016 to July 31, 2026. During his tenure, the examination body introduced several technology-driven measures to combat examination malpractice, uncovered multiple impersonation and result-falsification syndicates, and repeatedly warned parents against aiding candidates to cheat during the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
Source: ThisDay Live
