Ishaq Oloyede's Biography: Age, Career, Wife, Net Worth

Ishaq Oloyede’s Biography: Age, Early Life, Wife, Net Worth

Ishaq Oloyede is a respected leader and scholar in Nigeria. He is not just your regular public figure.

Over the years, this man has built a positive reputation for himself, demonstrating that anything can be achieved through discipline, hard work, and resilience, as evident in the impact he has made.

He has also shown that applying these attributes, in conjunction with securing a solid position in any institution, can lead to positive change, drive meaningful impacts, and yield good results. This biography will look at his inspiring story.

Table of Contents

Early Life and Education

Born in October 1954 in Abeokuta South, Ogun State, Is-haq Olanrewaju Oloyede spent the early years of his life in the city of Lagos, embracing each phase of life steadily, with love and passion for education.

His education was quite different. He combined both Western and Islamic schooling styles, which he experienced when he attended both primary and secondary school.

Between 1969 and 1973, he attended the Progressive Institute, located in Agege, Lagos, before going to the Arabic Training Center (also located in Agege), where he studied Islamic and Arabic subjects. He was in this place till 1976.

As 1977 rolled by, he moved to the University of Ibadan (UI). He majored in Arabic and Islamic studies, after which he earned a certificate, building his foundation in both Islam and academic learning.

Ishaq Oloyede’s Age

As of 2025, Oloyede is 70 years old

Leadership Role at University of Ilorin

Ishaq was not just a leader at the University of Ilorin; he also took up different leadership roles, enabling him to build experience while making an impact.

In 2003, he became the Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Academics, a position he held until 2005. He then became the Vice-Chancellor of the university in 2007, a role in which he made a significant impact.

His position as Vice Chancellor provided him with valuable experience, and he made a concerted effort to leave a lasting impact, striving to introduce innovative initiatives and effect meaningful change during his tenure.

He made several significant moves, including curbing cultism, reducing strikes, ensuring the stability of the academic calendar, and implementing the installation of ICT systems in exams and learning locations.

It was under the leadership of this man that UNILORIN gained recognition, making it one of Nigeria’s best public universities that was admired because of virtues like discipline, academic excellence, and modern facilities.

Roles in National and International Education

The influence of Ishaq wasn’t limited to UNILORIN. It went far beyond that.

Between 2009 and 2017, he played some international roles:

Association of African Universities’ President (2009-2011)
International Association of Universities’ Deputy Chairman (2008-2011)

In Nigeria, he has also held some critical positions. He became the co-secretary at the National Political Reform Conference in 2005.

Other notable positions include: a consultant to the National Universities Commission in 2006, Executive Secretary of the National Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) in 2007, and Secretary General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), a position which he has held since 2013.

Becoming The JAMB Registrar

In 2016, Ishaq Oloyede secured a position that would make him popular: he became the registrar for the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB).

Upon joining, he encountered numerous challenges, including exam malpractice, poor records, and very low revenue returns to the government.

This was when he decided on the next big step to take. He eventually got it. Computer-based Test (CBT) was introduced. At this time, a new model for examining students was introduced.

Not only that, he also introduced the use of CCTV cameras in almost all JAMB centres around the country, making it easy to catch students involved in any form of malpractice, most especially during examinations.

The use of biometrics was introduced for easy student registration, a method that helped prevent complications during the registration process.

Recent JAMB Error

Many technical issues were experienced by students across Nigeria during the 2025 UTME, primarily due to a lack of system upgrade, which affected the scores of over 380,000 students nationwide. Ishaq Oloyede took the blame for this. He made a public apology on TV.

In fact, some associations opined that he should resign from his position, but he didn’t; instead, he made it known that he couldn’t just ignore what was going on at the time and do nothing.

He promised that all affected students will retake the exam, and an appropriate upgrade will be made on JAMB systems to prevent future issues, which might be worse than the one that occurred in 2025.