The Governing Council of the University of Abuja (recently renamed Yakubu Gowon University) has approved the appointment of Professor Hakeem Babatunde Fawehinmi as the institution’s substantive Vice-Chancellor.

Fawehinmi, who currently serves as the Vice-Chancellor of the Nigerian British University, was announced as the new helmsman during the 80th Extraordinary Meeting of the Council held on Friday.

This was disclosed in a statement by the Acting Director of Information and University Relations, Dr. Habib Yakoob.

According to the statement, Prof. Fawehinmi’s appointment will take effect from Tuesday, February 10, 2026, for a single, non-renewable five-year tenure.

The Council also approved an extension of the tenure of the Acting Vice-Chancellor, Professor Mathew Adamu, who will continue in the role until February 10, 2026, when the substantive Vice-Chancellor assumes office.

In a related development, the Governing Council of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE) yesterday announced the appointment of Professor of Soil Ecosystem, Joshua Olalekan Ogunwole, as the new Vice-Chancellor of the institution.

Ogunwole, who is the current Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Strategic Partnership, Research, Innovation and Linkages), will succeed Professor Abayomi Sunday Fasina as the fifth substantive head of the institution.

Addressing reporters at a press conference on Thursday at the headquarters of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) in Abuja, Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, SAN, insisted that due process was followed in the appointment of the new V-C.

His appointment takes effect from February 11, 2026, following the expiration of the tenure of the outgoing Vice-Chancellor on February 10, 2026.

Senator Ndoma-Egba, who advised all applicants to sheathe their swords and join the new Vice-Chancellor to build the university, disclosed that the process was fully digitalised.

The senior lawyer defended the decision of the Governing Council to hold the meeting outside the confines of the institution, arguing that no law prohibits the school from doing so.

“The process was fully digitalised. The applications were launched online, and the assessments were done by the system. However, to ensure transparency and accuracy, we still carried out a manual review,” he said.

He thanked the outgoing Vice-Chancellor for finishing strong, noting that he towers above his predecessors in terms of infrastructure development of the university.