UniAbuja governing council appoints Prof Fawehinmi as new VC

The eleventh Governing Council of the University of Abuja (now Yakubu Gowon University) has approved the appointment of Professor Hakeem Babatunde Fawehinmi as the substantive Vice-Chancellor of the University.

Fawehinmi’s appointment was announced by the Council under the chairmanship of Senator Dr Olanrewaju Tejuoso during its 80th Extraordinary Meeting of Council on Friday, 7 November 2025.

The appointment takes effect from Tuesday, 10 February 2026, and is for a non-renewable tenure of five years, according to a statement by the Acting Director, Information and University Relations, Dr Habib Yakoob.

Fawehinmi is currently the pioneer Vice-Chancellor of the Nigerian British University, a conventional private university located in Asa, Abia State.

Meanwhile, the Council has approved the extension of the tenure of the Acting Vice-Chancellor of the University, Professor Mathew Adamu, till 10 February 2026.

Adamu was first appointed on 11 August 2025 by the Federal Government.

The Council’s decision followed due deliberation during its 80th Extraordinary Meeting on Friday, 7 November 2025.

Professor Hakeem Babatunde Fawehinmi is a Professor of Clinical Anatomy and Biomedical Anthropology. He is well rooted in the finest academic traditions and has a wealth of experience in institutional administration, having been a two-time Head of the Department of Anatomy (2005–2007; 2007–2009), Associate Dean (2010–2012), and Dean (2012–2014), Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, as well as a two-term Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) (2016–2020) of the University of Port Harcourt.

He has served in several statutory and ad hoc committees and boards, attributes which have equipped him with the requisite skills to provide leadership to a well-informed, articulate, and growing academic community.

He has been an active member of national and international professional associations, where he served as Secretary-General and Member of the National Executive Council of the Nigerian Medical Association, Rivers State, from 1999 to 2000; Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Anatomical Sciences; and President of the Society of Experimental and Clinical Anatomists of Nigeria (2014–2016).

He has received many academic and community service awards and prizes and is a Fellow of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland (FRAI) and a Fellow of the Academy of Medicine Specialities of Nigeria (FAMedS).

Professor Fawehinmi has over 100 articles in reputable, peer-reviewed, mostly indexed journals visible in conventional academic search engines, and 37 conference abstracts to his credit.

He has participated in and served as a resource person in 78 conferences, workshops, and training programmes in Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and North America. He has supervised over 100 BSc projects, 15 MSc, and 13 PhD/MD dissertations and theses, and delivered the 111th inaugural lecture of the University of Port Harcourt in 2014 titled “Different Tailors for the Same People; Same Surgeon for Different People.”

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