Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Professor Is-haq Oloyede, has condemned the allegation by the Ibadan zone of Academic Staff of Universities (ASUU), linking him with corruption scandals when he was vice-chancellor of the University of Ilorin.
Oloyede in a press statement signed By JAMB’s head of public relations, Fabian Benjamin, stated categorically that he “has never collected bribe from anyone”.
The union had recently petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged corrupt practice and fraud amounting to N2billion in the University of Ilorin, pre-dating when Oloyede was vice-chancellor.
Other allegations leveled against Oloyede and the incumbent vice-chancellor, Professor AbdulGaniyu Ambali, include pension fraud, unremitted deductions, extortion from students, contract inflation and kick-backs; as well as unlawful payments to ex-principal officers of the university.
In his reaction, Oloyede denied all the allegations. The don said he has never taken bribe,
extorted anyone, inflated contracts nor accepted gifts from any contractor.
The JAMB registrar assured that he was operating a transparent system within the period he served the university as vice chancellor, saying: “I am extremely selective in accepting gifts from even personal friends. My needs are limited and my legitimate income is sufficient to spend on my volunteer work.
“I have never, in my life, collected bribe, inflated contracts, extorted anyone nor accepted gifts beyond “Thank You greeting cards” from any contractor, dead or alive.”
In August 2016, President Muhammadu Buhari appointed Oloyede the registrar of JAMB, but ASUU kicked against his appointment, stressing that the former vice chancellor should be probed.
The union also alleged that Oloyede’s era as vice chancellor at the University of Ilorin was characterised by anti-democratic and anti-union activities.
But, in his response to the union’s petition sent to the EFCC, Oloyede said that his response to the allegations was necessary because “there is need to “thwart the satanic objective of distracting me from the national assignment which they protested against but failed.”
The JAMB boss however called on the anti-graft agency, EFCC, to investigate the allegations and take necessary action after establishing the truthfulness of the case brought before it by the union.
