The Governing Council of the University of Abuja, under the chairmanship of Distinguished Senator Dr. Olanrewaju Tejuoso, has approved the appointment of Professor Hakeem Babatunde Fawehinmi as the new substantive Vice-Chancellor of the institution.
The announcement was made during the 80th Extraordinary Meeting of the Council held on Friday, November 7, 2025. According to the resolution, Prof. Fawehinmi’s appointment takes effect from February 10, 2026, for a single, non-renewable term of five years.
Until his appointment, Prof. Fawehinmi served as the Pioneer Vice-Chancellor of the Nigerian British University, a private institution in Abia State.
Meanwhile, the Council also approved the extension of the tenure of the Acting Vice-Chancellor, Professor Mathew Adamu, until February 10, 2026. Prof. Adamu was first appointed to the role on August 11, 2025, by the Federal Government.
The Council’s decisions followed extensive deliberations during the meeting, which focused on ensuring continuity and stability in the university’s leadership transition.
Professor Fawehinmi is a Professor of Clinical Anatomy and Biomedical Anthropology renowned for his contributions to medical education, institutional development, and research in Nigeria and abroad.
He has held several key academic and administrative positions, including two-time Head of the Department of Anatomy (2005–2009), Associate Dean (2010–2012), Dean of the Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences (2012–2014), and two-term Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) (2016–2020) at the University of Port Harcourt.
A distinguished scholar, Prof. Fawehinmi has authored over 100 peer-reviewed journal articles, 37 conference abstracts, and has participated in 78 conferences, workshops, and training programmes across Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and North America. He has supervised more than 100 undergraduate projects, 15 master’s theses, and 13 PhD/MD dissertations.
He is a Fellow of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland (FRAI) and a Fellow of the Academy of Medicine Specialties of Nigeria (FAMedS). He has also served as President of the Society of Experimental and Clinical Anatomists of Nigeria (2014–2016) and Secretary-General of the Nigerian Medical Association, Rivers State branch (1999–2000).
Prof. Fawehinmi’s academic excellence has earned him multiple national and international awards. Notably, his invention — the AMRG Anthropometry Chair for Dimensional Body Measurements — received a Federal Government patent. He has also contributed to numerous Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) and town-gown partnerships with institutions in Nigeria and abroad.
He was cited in the 2021 Africa Scientist Rankings by the Alper-Doger Scientific Index and has served as External Examiner and Assessor to several Nigerian and foreign universities, including the University of Exeter, UK.
Prof. Fawehinmi is married to Dr. Hadeezat O. Fawehinmi, a lecturer at the University of Port Harcourt, and they are blessed with five children.
