By Anamati Inyang
December 23, 2025
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has appointed the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Ikot Abasi (FUTIA), Professor Leo Daniel, as the 2026 Chief External Examiner for Akwa Ibom State.
The appointment was communicated in a letter signed by the JAMB Registrar, Professor Is-haq Olanrewaju Oloyede, CON, FNAL, NPOM, and dated December 11, 2025. The appointment takes immediate effect.
According to the letter, Professor Daniel will oversee the conduct of the 2026 Mock Examination and the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) in Akwa Ibom State. JAMB said the appointment is in recognition of his sound academic background, outstanding professional pedigree, and proven integrity within Nigeria and beyond.
The Board outlined the responsibilities attached to the position, which include providing overall leadership to all examination officials in the state, ensuring the hitch-free conduct of the examinations, monitoring examination centres through random personal visits, receiving daily summary reports from all centres.
Other duties include responding promptly to challenges requiring critical decisions, representing JAMB in the state throughout the examination period, liaising with the Akwa Ibom State Government and relevant agencies to facilitate the smooth conduct of the examinations.
Professor Daniel is also expected to appoint three proctors per examination centre from FUTIA and other tertiary institutions in the state.
The proctors must be computer literate, academically qualified, responsible, and punctual in order to enhance the credibility and efficiency of the examination process.
Professor Leo Daniel is the pioneer Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Ikot Abasi, and Nigeria’s first Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics. He is widely respected for his contributions to aerospace education and academic development in the country.
Notably, he designed the Benchmark Minimum Academic Standards (BMAS) for Aerospace Engineering programmes in Nigeria at the request of the National Universities Commission (NUC), a framework that has since been adopted for tertiary education curricula nationwide.
The appointment has been welcomed by stakeholders in the education sector, who see it as a significant boost to the integrity, effective administration of JAMB examinations in Akwa Ibom State.
With his extensive global, national, and sub-national academic experience, Professor Daniel is expected to bring added value, professionalism, and excellence to the conduct of the 2026 UTME and Mock Examinations in the state.
