The Governing Council of the University of Abuja (UNIABUJA) now Yakubu Gowon University, has approved the appointment of Professor Hakeem Fawehinmi as substantive Vice Chancellor (VC).
The appointment was announced during the 80th Extraordinary Meeting of Council on Friday, according to a statement by the institution’s acting Head of Information, Dr Habib Yakoob.
‘The appointment takes effect from Tuesday, 10 February 2026 and is for a non-renewable tenure of five years’, Yakoob said in the statement.
Fawehinmi is currently the VC of the Nigerian British University.
His appointment as a substantive VC of the university comes after months of the university being under the leadership of acting VCs who were appointed by the Federal Government as a result of controversies which trailed the appointment of the former VC, Prof. Aisha Maikudi.
Meanwhile, the Council has approved the extension of the tenure of the Acting VC of the university, Professor Mathew Adamu, till 10 February, 2026.
Adamu was first appointed on 11 August, 2025, by the Federal Government.
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 two-time Head of Department of Anatomy (2005 – 2007; 2007 – 2009), Associate Dean (2010 – 2012) and Dean (2012 – 2014) Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences and two terms Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic) (2016 – 2020) of the University of Port Harcourt.
He has served in several statutory and ad hoc committees and boards.
He has been an active member of his National and International Professional Associations, where he served as Secretary-General and Member of the National Executive Council of the Nigerian Medical Association, Rivers Stat,e 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 and a Fellow of the Academy of Medicine Specialities of Nigeria.
Fawehinmi has attracted some National and International Competitive Grants as Principal Investigator.
His invention won the Federal Government Patent for the Design of the AMRG Anthropometry Chair for Dimensional Body Measurements.
