By Abdul Lauya
The Governing Council of the University of Abuja has approved the appointment of Professor Hakeem Babatunde Fawehinmi as the substantive Vice-Chancellor.
The announcement was made at the 80th Extraordinary Meeting of Council on Friday, November 7, 2025.
The appointment takes effect from Tuesday, February 10, 2026, for a single non-renewable tenure of five years.
The decision was ratified under the chairmanship of Distinguished Senator Dr. Olanrewaju Tejuoso.
Professor Fawehinmi is currently the Vice-Chancellor of the Nigerian British University in Abia State.
The Council also approved an extension of the tenure of the Acting Vice-Chancellor, Professor Mathew Adamu, until February 10, 2026.
Professor Adamu was appointed by the Federal Government effective August 11, 2025.
The appointment of a substantive Vice-Chancellor comes amid a prolonged leadership crisis at the nation’s unity university that saw the office occupied in acting capacity by multiple leaders in quick succession.
In the recent episode of the crisis the institution was led by Professor Aisha Sani Maikudi (female), followed by Professor Patricia Manko Lar (female), and the incumbent Professor Mathew Adamu (male) as acting vice-chancellors.
Professor Patricia Manko Lar, who hails from Langtang North in Plateau State, served as Acting Vice-Chancellor after the removal of Professor Aisha Maikudi in February 2025.
Stakeholders say the repeated changes at the top, with two females and at least one male acting VC in the latest cycle, have disrupted policy continuity and slowed academic and infrastructural programmes.
University insiders and observers have expressed hope that Professor Fawehinmi’s substantive appointment will end the cycle of interim leadership and restore stable governance.
Professor Hakeem Babatunde Fawehinmi is a Professor of Clinical Anatomy and Biomedical Anthropology with extensive experience in university administration and research.
He served in senior academic and administrative roles at the University of Port Harcourt, including two terms as Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic).
Professor Fawehinmi has published over 100 articles in peer-reviewed journals and has supervised numerous postgraduate theses.
He is married to Dr. Hadeezat O. Fawehinmi, a lecturer at the University of Port Harcourt, and they have five children.
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