Oloyede Exemplifies Leadership Through Integrity, Courage, Service, Says Prof Adedimeji

Professor Emeritus Is-haq Olanrewaju Oloyede has been described as an exemplary leader whose life of integrity, competence, courage, discipline and service offers a model for present and future leaders in Nigeria.

The Vice Chancellor of the African School of Economics, Professor Mahfouz A. Adedimeji, made the assertion while delivering a presentation titled “Professor Emeritus Is-haq Oloyede: The Exemplary Leader” at the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) on Monday, August 17, 2026.

The presentation was part of the homecoming celebration organised in honour of Professor Oloyede, alongside the investiture of distinguished alumni and UNILORIN ambassadors. The event also coincided with the opening of the 37th annual conference of the Committee of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities (CVCNU), hosted by the University.

Adedimeji, who described Oloyede as “a man of all moments,” said the recognition was appropriate given his contributions to scholarship, university administration, public service and the development of Nigeria’s education sector.

He recalled that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had, in 2024, described Oloyede as an “uncommon scholar and exceptional administrator,” while saying that Nigeria owed him “a debt of gratitude.”

According to Adedimeji, Oloyede’s influence extends beyond the institutions he has led, noting that his leadership has affected individuals, the university system and Nigerian society.

Leadership Beyond Authority

Defining exemplary leadership as the ability to guide others through personal integrity, clear actions and strong values, Adedimeji said Oloyede had demonstrated the qualities associated with effective leadership throughout his career.

He identified five core leadership behaviours associated with exemplary leadership: modelling the way, inspiring a shared vision, challenging existing processes, enabling others to act and encouraging the heart.

He said Oloyede demonstrated these qualities during his tenure as Vice Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, his leadership of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), and his activities within the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA).

Adedimeji particularly cited Oloyede’s introduction of the Researcher of the Year award at UNILORIN as an example of his commitment to recognising excellence. He also noted that, during his tenure at JAMB, exceptional staff received cash awards, while a JAMB Computer-Based Test centre in Ogba, Lagos, was named after a distinguished staff member.

Purpose and Service

The African School of Economics Vice Chancellor identified purpose as the first of ten qualities that make Oloyede an exemplary leader.

He referred to the Japanese concept of “Ikigai,” which centres on discovering one’s purpose in life, and said Oloyede had consistently identified sacrifice and service as the purpose guiding his personal and public life.

According to him, Oloyede’s commitment to teaching and service explains his simplicity, humility and willingness to devote his intellect, time and energy to the development of society.

Adedimeji said Oloyede had previously expressed his willingness to become a teacher again if given the opportunity to live multiple lives.

Integrity and Transparency

He described integrity as another defining quality of Oloyede, citing his reputation for honesty, transparency and adherence to ethical principles.

Adedimeji recalled Oloyede’s declaration that he had never taken a bribe and pointed to his handling of public funds as evidence of his commitment to financial accountability.

He said Oloyede returned billions of naira to government coffers after assuming leadership of JAMB, stressing that the agency’s responsibility was not to waste public resources even though it was not established primarily as a revenue-generating organisation.

He also cited Oloyede’s practice of publishing revenue and expenditure records during his tenure at the University of Ilorin and subsequently at JAMB.

Adedimeji quoted former President Olusegun Obasanjo as describing Oloyede’s life and work as examples of “scholarship, integrity, commitment and service.”

Competence Over Sentiment

According to Adedimeji, competence is another defining characteristic of Oloyede’s leadership.

He described the professor as a cerebral scholar and first-class graduate who understands how to identify and deploy capable people to achieve institutional objectives.

He said Oloyede places competence above personal relationships and primordial considerations, recalling an instance in which the professor trusted an individual with an assignment despite knowing that the person did not like him, because he considered the individual capable of doing the job.

Adedimeji also recalled that when Oloyede assumed office at JAMB, he carefully studied the agency’s enabling laws, rules and policies before accepting the entitlements presented to him.

He said the exercise enabled Oloyede to discover that some of the proposed benefits were inflated and could have constituted a trap for the new Registrar.

Courage to Challenge Wrongdoing

Adedimeji also highlighted courage as a major feature of Oloyede’s leadership.

He recalled Oloyede’s willingness to confront security threats while serving as Vice Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, including an incident involving gunshots around the university’s Mini Campus.

Rather than joining others in fleeing the scene, Adedimeji said Oloyede went towards the source of the disturbance and subsequently returned to reassure those who remained behind.

He also recalled an occasion when Oloyede personally confronted a criminal who was allegedly harassing female students around their hostel at night.

According to him, the former Vice Chancellor’s courage was further demonstrated by his campaign against examination malpractice, admission racketeering and the activities of so-called “miracle centres.”

He said Oloyede was prepared to confront powerful interests whenever necessary to protect the integrity of the education

Commitment to Institutional Reform

Adedimeji described commitment as another defining characteristic of Oloyede’s leadership, saying the professor treats every assignment as a responsibility that must receive his full attention.

He recalled that, as Vice Chancellor, Oloyede was known for clearing his desk before retiring for the day and sometimes continued working late into the night.

He cited an occasion when he found Oloyede working around 1 a.m., explaining that the professor was concerned that delaying the processing of a memo could affect someone awaiting an approval.

According to Adedimeji, that same commitment drove Oloyede to introduce Computer-Based Testing for post-UTME and large-class examinations at the University of Ilorin.

At JAMB, he said, Oloyede deepened the nationwide CBT system and introduced or strengthened measures including biometric verification, National Identification Number (NIN) linkage, CCTV monitoring of examination centres, the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS), remote authoring tools and systems for detecting examination irregularities.

Contentment and Freedom from Material Pressure

Adedimeji also identified contentment as a quality that has helped preserve Oloyede’s integrity.

He argued that greed is one of the major drivers of corruption, while contentment provides individuals with the freedom to maintain their dignity and moral principles.

According to him, Oloyede has remained modest in his lifestyle and has not allowed material considerations to determine his decisions.

He said the professor’s contentment is connected to his sense of purpose and his understanding of himself primarily as a teacher and public servant.

Welfare of Workers and Candidates

The presentation also highlighted Oloyede’s emphasis on the welfare of employees and other stakeholders.

Adedimeji said welfare featured prominently in Oloyede’s leadership agenda both at the University of Ilorin and JAMB.

He disclosed that at JAMB, Oloyede strengthened employees’ retirement savings, introduced a 13th-month salary, increased examination duty allowances and provided daily meals for staff.

He also said retiring staff received financial packages, while examination candidates benefited from reductions in application fees and enhanced provisions for candidates with special needs.

Adedimeji argued that Oloyede’s approach was based on the belief that motivated workers were essential to building efficient institutions.

Kindness Behind the Tough Exterior

Despite Oloyede’s reputation as a strict and uncompromising administrator, Adedimeji said the professor was also exceptionally kind and protective of those working under him.

He cited the controversy surrounding the release of the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) results as an example.

According to him, although the incident generated widespread criticism, Oloyede accepted responsibility rather than publicly identifying the individual whose actions contributed to the problem.

Adedimeji said he later asked Oloyede why he had chosen to protect the staff member.

He said Oloyede explained that exposing the individual would have subjected the young employee to overwhelming public condemnation.

For Adedimeji, the episode demonstrated Oloyede’s willingness to personally bear criticism in order to protect a subordinate.

Discipline as a Leadership Principle

Adedimeji described discipline as perhaps the most important quality underpinning Oloyede’s leadership.

He said the professor demonstrates discipline in academic, moral, financial, social, personal and professional matters, with particular attention to punctuality and adherence to rules.

He recalled that as Vice Chancellor, Oloyede institutionalised dress codes and maintained firm disciplinary measures against students who violated university regulations.

At JAMB, he said, the Registrar pursued disciplinary and legal measures against individuals involved in examination malpractice and other forms of misconduct.

Lifelong Learning and Continuous Improvement

The final quality highlighted by Adedimeji was Kaizen, the Japanese philosophy of continuous improvement.

He described Oloyede as a lifelong learner who continually reads, studies, consults and seeks better ways of doing things.

According to him, Oloyede’s willingness to return to formal education even after becoming a professor demonstrates his humility and recognition that leadership requires continuous learning.

Adedimeji said the professor does not pretend to know everything but instead consults widely and refines his ideas as he gains new knowledge.

A Model for Future Leaders

Concluding the presentation, Adedimeji said Oloyede’s exemplary qualities were too numerous to exhaust within the available time.

He recalled that one of Oloyede’s teachers, Baba Yusuf Kolawole Jumuah, had described him as almost angelic and belonging to a “super-human level.”

He prayed that Almighty Allah would preserve Oloyede for many more years and multiply his kind among Nigerians.

Adedimeji then adapted a famous statement attributed to Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro about Che Guevara to present Oloyede as a model for future generations.

“If we wish to express what we want the men of future generations to be, we must say: let them be like Is-haq Oloyede,” he declared.

He added that if Nigerians wanted a model of how children should be educated and how a man should conduct himself, Oloyede’s spirit and example offered an appropriate standard.

The presentation formed a major highlight of the University of Ilorin’s homecoming celebration for the professor emeritus, an event that also featured the investiture of distinguished alumni and UNILORIN ambassadors and coincided with the 37th annual conference of the Committee of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities.