By Olukorede Yishau
LET ME welcome you this way: There is something poetic about seasons, about one man leaving the stage after years of carrying the weight of an institution on his shoulders and another man walking in, not with empty hands, but with expectations piled so high they almost become visible.
They are the sort of expectations that cannot be measured in files or official handover notes. We can see them in the eyes of anxious parents, in the trembling fingers of candidates refreshing admission portals, and in the silent prayers whispered before every Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination.
Prof. Segun Aina, welcome to that season.
Congratulations on your appointment as the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board. Congratulations, too, for becoming one of the youngest Nigerians entrusted with leading one of the country’s most consequential public institutions. Yours is not merely another government appointment. It is an invitation to become a custodian of dreams.
Every year, millions of young Nigerians gather at the same crossroads. They come from the dusty villages of Kebbi, the creeks of Bayelsa, the bustling streets of Lagos, the rocky hills of Plateau and the quiet communities of Ebonyi. Some arrive in polished shoes. Others wear sandals that have seen better days. Some are children of privilege. Many are children of sacrifice.
Yet, before JAMB, they all become equal. At least, they should. That is why the office you now occupy is sacred. It is easy to think JAMB is merely about examinations, admission letters and registration numbers. It is much more than that. It is one of the few institutions that can either deepen a young person’s faith in Nigeria or quietly destroy it.
A candidate who believes he lost admission because the system failed him may never trust public institutions again. Another who sees fairness despite failure learns that integrity still has a home in this country. Institutions shape nations long before politicians do. Your predecessor, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, understood this.
When he assumed office, JAMB was an institution many Nigerians approached with suspicion. Somewhere along the line, that narrative changed. Leakages reduced, accountability improved, technology became more central, financial prudence became a recurring headline instead of a rare occurrence and JAMB gradually stopped making news for the wrong reasons.
That is no small inheritance. So, don’t just protect it, improve it. Do not allow history to remember your tenure as the period when excellence took a holiday.
There is another reason your appointment deserves attention. Nigeria is a country where young people are repeatedly told they are leaders of tomorrow, even when tomorrow seems permanently postponed. Every election cycle, every board appointment and every leadership transition revives the same conversation about whether this country truly believes in its youth. Then your appointment came.
Without saying a word, it challenged an old assumption. You have become more than a Registrar. You have become evidence. Evidence that competence can find room. Evidence that age need not be an obstacle. Evidence that preparation sometimes meets opportunity. Do not waste that evidence.
The temptation in public office is rarely dramatic. Corruption seldom arrives wearing a mask. It often introduces itself as compromise. It calls itself expediency. It whispers that one exception will hurt no one. It promises convenience today and leaves regret tomorrow. Ignore that voice. Nigeria has heard it for too long.
The young people watching you need another story. They need to see that public office can still be occupied by people who fear God more than they fear politicians, who respect the law more than they respect influence, and who remember that public institutions belong to citizens, not office holders.
Your academic background in computer engineering should naturally excite those who believe technology can strengthen education. But technology is only a tool. Character is the real operating system.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) can detect irregularities. Only integrity can prevent injustice. Digital platforms can process applications. Only fairness can earn public confidence.
Sophisticated software can identify examination malpractice. Only transparent leadership can convince Nigerians that every honest candidate stands an equal chance.
As you settle into office, remember that every policy you sign will eventually find its way into someone’s living room. A mother in Osogbo will discuss it over dinner.
A father in Kano will calculate whether he can afford another registration fee. A secondary school teacher in Enugu will explain it to anxious students. A commercial bus driver in Benin City will argue about it with passengers.
Public policy never remains inside government offices. It travels. Ensure it travels with hope. Listen to universities. Listen to parents.
Listen to candidates. Listen even to your critics. Sometimes, the loudest complaints hide the most valuable lessons.
Above all, remember that leadership is not measured by how loudly one speaks during inauguration ceremonies. It is measured years later when strangers mention one’s name without bitterness.
There will be difficult days. Examination glitches may occur, technology may fail, public criticism may become harsh and social media may pronounce judgment before facts arrive.
When those moments come, choose honesty over image management. Nigerians forgive mistakes more easily than they forgive deception.
Your generation has often complained about the failures of those before it. That complaint is justified. But every generation eventually reaches the point where excuses expire and responsibility begins.
Yours has arrived. History has quietly placed a pen in your hand. What you write with it will outlive your tenure. Many years from now, when another
Registrar is being appointed, Nigerians will mention your name either as a benchmark or as a warning. The choice belongs to you.
Carry this office with humility. Wear authority lightly. Guard fairness jealously and lead courageously.
My final take: Prof. Segun Aina, whenever the burdens of office become heavy, remember the millions of young Nigerians who wake before dawn, travel long distances to examination centres, clutch their registration slips like passports to a better future, and still believe education remains their safest bridge across poverty.
Please do not allow that bridge to collapse. The dreams of a generation now pass through your office. Handle them with clean hands. Nigeria deserves no less.
Sincerely yours,
Olukorede
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Prof. Segun Aina, whenever the burdens of office become heavy, remember the millions of young Nigerians who wake before dawn, travel long distances to examination centres, clutch their registration slips like passports to a better future, and still believe education remains their safest bridge across poverty. Please do not allow that bridge to collapse. The dreams of a generation now pass through your office.
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