By: Sefiu Ajape
The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), an Islamic human rights organization, has condemned the call by the South East caucus of the House of Representatives and an academic group from the region for the resignation of the embattled JAMB registrar, labeling it as callous, absurd, and unpatriotic.
This was stated in a press release issued on Friday, May 23, 2025, and signed by MURIC’s Founder and Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola.
The full statement reads, “The South East caucus of the House of Representatives this week called for the resignation of the embattled registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board (JAMB) over the examination glitches which occurred during the 2025 examinations in some parts of the country (https://www.thisdaylive.com/2025/05/20/alleged-jamb-glitches-house-south-east-caucus-demands-oloyedes-resignation/).
“A similar move was made by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) branch which also threatened to sue JAMB yesterday (https://leadership.ng/asuu-threatens-to-sue-jamb-over-utme-mass-failure/).
“MURIC finds this calls callous, ridiculous and unpatriotic. It is also parochial, myopic and condescending. It smirks of ethnic buccaneering and suffers from intellectual poverty. The idea is a willing partner in the desertification of analytical, critical and objective thinking. Our lawmakers and academics should rise above articulated tribal jingoism.
“Why does the South East desire to kill the goose that lays the golden egg? It is on record that Nigeria, particularly JAMB, has never had it so good. For whereas JAMB had been a consuming and wasteful institution in the pre-Oloyede days, the incumbent has turned the institution round, refunding billions to the coffers of the Federal Government (FG) on an annual basis since he took over.
“Record shows that JAMB under Professor Ishaq Oloyede has returned more than N50 billion to FG in the past seven years (https://www.thisdaylive.com/2022/12/15/oloyede-jamb-remitted-n50bn-to-fg-in-six-years/).
“Exempli gratia, it remitted N3.51 billion in 2021 (https://www.thetorch.ng/jamb-remits-n3-5bn-to-government/), more than N2 billion in 2023 (https://businessday.ng/news/article/2023-utme-jamb-remits-over-n2bn-to-fg/) and N6 billion to FG in 2024 (https://punchng.com/jamb-remits-over-n6bn-to-fg-in-2024/). Yet in contrast, the cumulative amount refunded by JAMB over forty years before the emergence of Oloyede was a paltry N52 million (https://osundefender.com/jamb-remitted-n52m-federal-government-40-years/).
“Things got to an astounding climax this year that Oloyede told FG that JAMB under him does not require any allocation as its internally generated revenue (IGR) was enough for its functions (https://www.thecable.ng/jamb-seeks-exclusion-from-budgetary-allocation-wants-registration-fee-increased/).
“Is this the man the South East caucus of the House of Representatives wants to resign? Is this how we should treat our heroes? How many government agencies have returned money to the government in this manner? Why should our lawmakers seek to destroy a performer primus inter pareil? We contend that this is an attempt to demonise transparency while idolising corruption. They want to sacrifice excellence on the altar of mediocrity. Who did this to Nigeria?
“MURIC charges Professor Oloyede to ignore calls for his resignation coming from least unexpected quarters like the Academic Staff Union of Nigerian Universities (ASUU) of one of the South Eastern universities. The rantings of institutionalized kleptomaniacs, political shenanigans, academic chalartans and ethnic demagogues is not worth being glorified with any attention. The call for Oloyede’s resignation is most unpatriotic.
“Our message to Oloyede is this, ‘Strive on in the glorious path which you have chosen. Ignore detractors, the envious and sworn enemies. Their desire is to rubbish you in order to justify their waywardness. They wish to make you regret your honesty. They are on a campaign for the recruitment of thieves like them from the infinitesimally small group of saints. Continue your good work. Resignation will send the wrong signal to good Nigerians who consider you their model. Aluta continua, Victoria ascerta”, it concluded.
