Tinubu Appoints 39-Year-Old Prof Segun Aina as New JAMB Registrar

Aina’s Tech Background Points to Digital Reforms

President Bola Tinubu has appointed Professor Segun Aina, 39, as the new Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), making him the youngest person ever to lead the examination body.

The appointment was announced Thursday by Bayo Onanuga, the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy. Aina will take over from Professor Is-haq Oloyede, whose 10-year tenure expires on July 31, with the new registrar expected to assume office on August 1.

Aina is a Professor of Computer Engineering at Obafemi Awolowo University in Ile-Ife, where he became one of Nigeria’s youngest academics to reach the rank. He holds a Bachelor’s in Computer Systems Engineering from the University of Kent, and both a Master’s in Internet Computing and Network Security and a PhD in Digital Signal Processing from Loughborough University in the UK.

Oloyede’s Legacy

Oloyede, who took over JAMB in 2016, is credited with transforming the board from a troubled agency into one of Nigeria’s more functional public institutions. Under his watch, JAMB rolled out Computer-Based Testing at scale, plugged massive revenue leakages, and brought unprecedented transparency to the admissions process. The board regularly remitted billions in operating surpluses to the government — something unheard of before his tenure.

Aina is no stranger to JAMB. His National Youth Service Corps posting was with the board, giving him firsthand exposure to national admissions and data management systems. He has also spent over 15 years consulting for NECO, NABTEB, and several State Ministries of Education on ICT systems and examination integrity.

The appointment signals that the administration is betting on a digital-first approach to JAMB’s next chapter. Aina’s background in computer engineering and digital signal processing puts a technologist in charge of an institution that processes millions of candidates each year.

Sources: Punch, Pulse, ThisDay