The University of Abuja has appointed Professor Hakeem Fawehinmi as its substantive Vice Chancellor, marking a decisive end to months of leadership uncertainty within the institution.
The announcement came during the university’s 80th Extraordinary Governing Council meeting on Friday, where the appointment was ratified following a competitive selection process.
According to a statement released by the institution’s Acting Head of Information, Dr. Habib Yakoob, Fawehinmi will assume office on February 10, 2026, for a single, non-renewable five-year tenure.
Professor Fawehinmi, who currently serves as the Vice Chancellor of the Nigerian British University, brings decades of academic, research, and administrative experience to his new role.
His appointment follows a turbulent period in the university’s leadership, which saw federal intervention and successive Acting Vice Chancellors after controversies surrounding former VC Prof. Aisha Maikudi’s appointment.
To ensure continuity, the Governing Council also approved the extension of Acting Vice Chancellor Professor Mathew Adamu’s tenure until February 10, 2026, the date Fawehinmi is expected to fully assume office.
Adamu, appointed by the Federal Government in August 2025, has been overseeing the institution’s transition period.
A distinguished scholar in Clinical Anatomy and Biomedical Anthropology, Professor Fawehinmi’s academic career spans multiple leadership roles. He previously served twice as Head of Anatomy at the University of Port Harcourt, later becoming Associate Dean and then Dean of the Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences.
His administrative trajectory continued with a two-term tenure as Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic) between 2016 and 2020, where he contributed to reforms in research structure, faculty development, and curriculum modernisation.
Beyond his university roles, Fawehinmi has been influential within Nigeria’s medical and scholarly community.
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He is a former Secretary-General of the Nigerian Medical Association (Rivers State chapter), a past Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Anatomical Sciences, and a former President of the Society of Experimental and Clinical Anatomists of Nigeria.
His contributions earned him fellowships with the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland and the Academy of Medicine Specialties of Nigeria.
A respected researcher, Fawehinmi has attracted several competitive national and international grants as a Principal Investigator.
His innovation in anthropometric science—the AMRG Anthropometry Chair—was patented by the Federal Government, highlighting his commitment to research that solves real-world problems.
The Governing Council expressed optimism that Fawehinmi’s wealth of experience, international exposure, and leadership record would usher in a new phase of growth for the university, especially as it expands its academic footprint under its new identity as Yakubu Gowon University.
