NAPS Announces "Oloyede-Must-Go" Protests Over "Evil Policies Against Polytechnic Students"

By: Abdulwasiu Akintunde 

The National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS) has set a date for a nationwide protest, demanding the removal of the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Professor Ishaq Oloyede, over what they describe as "evil policies" targeting polytechnic students. 

In a State released by the student body sighted by OPEN TELEVISION NAIJA (OTN) News, the protest is billed to commence on September 12, 2024 with students gathering at the proposed venue, Eagle Square by 7am before marching to the JAMB office all together. 

NAPS, through its Senate arm, has voiced strong opposition to recent JAMB policies affecting Part-time National Diploma (ND) students who transition to Full-time Higher National Diploma (HND) programs. 

For the records and reference purposes, OTN News recalls that Prof. Oloyede assumed duty as the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) on the 9th of August, 2016 and in the space of three years, revamped the entire operation of the Board. The Board which had remitted to the Federal Government coffers a cumulative sum of less than N50m between 1978 and 2016, remitted N7.8b in 2017 and has between 2016 to date paid operating surplus of N20.7b to the Federal Government, in addition to the massive physical and human development being undertaken from the Internal Generated Revenue (IGR) of the Board, a fact that made the Federal Government reduce the application fee into tertiary institution by 30%.

Professor Oloyede who is a globally acknowledged scholar of Islam, who was promoted to the rank of Professor in 1995, has published close to one hundred publications in reputable outlets and attended numerous academic fora within and outside Nigeria.

Professor Oloyede is a recipient of the Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON) which he received in 2022, he was formerly honoured with the Officer of the Federal Republic (OFR) in 2014. He received the National Productivity Order of Merit (NPOM) Award in 2019 and the Nigeria Excellence Award in Public Service (Education Category) in 2022. The National Executive Council of the Nigerian Association of Christian Journalists honoured him with the Integrity Public Servant Personality of the Year 2021 award (NACJ). In February 2023, he was presented with an Icon of Education Transformation and Peace award and was also made a life member of the NANS Hall of Fame. Prof. Is-haq Olanrewaju Oloyede is married with four adult-children and ten grandchildren.

As OPEN TELEVISION Naija gathered this, the association claims these policies are detrimental to the academic progress and opportunities of polytechnic students and reflect a lack of vision and empathy on the part of the JAMB Registrar.

The association has issued a 14-day ultimatum to Professor Oloyede, urging him to either withdraw the controversial policies or resign. 

Failing this, NAPS has vowed to mobilize polytechnic students nationwide to converge at the JAMB headquarters in Abuja, where they plan to stage a mass protest and shut down operations.

OTN News revealed that NAPS has called on all Students' Union Government (SUG) Presidents, Senators, and the entire polytechnic student body across Nigeria to participate in the protest to ensure their voices are heard.

NAPS leadership emphasizes the need for a JAMB Registrar who not only understands the educational challenges faced by polytechnic students but also has the humanity to address these issues with fairness and equity. 

They argue that Professor Oloyede's current policies lack this balance, and his removal is necessary to safeguard the interests of polytechnic students across the country.

As the protest date approaches, NAPS is intensifying efforts to circulate the information and mobilize students from all six geopolitical zones of Nigeria, aiming for a unified and powerful demonstration in the nation's capital.