Professor Hakeem Fawehinmi has been named the substantive Vice Chancellor (VC) of the University of Abuja by the Governing Council of the institution. The appointment was announced following the Council’s 80th meeting, held on Friday, November 7, 2025.
The University’s acting Head of Information, Dr. Habib Yakoob, stated that, “The appointment takes effect from Tuesday, 10 February 2026 and is for a non-renewable tenure of five years.”
Fawehinmi is currently the VC of the Nigerian British University, and his confirmation as substantive Vice-Chancellor of the University of Abuja follows several months under the leadership of acting Vice-Chancellors appointed by the Federal Government, after controversies trailed the appointment of the former VC, Prof. Aisha Maikudi.
Professor Fawehinmi is a renowned scholar of Clinical Anatomy and Biomedical Anthropology, deeply grounded in the finest academic traditions. He possesses extensive experience in institutional administration, having served twice as Head of the Department of Anatomy (2005–2007 and 2007–2009), as Associate Dean (2010–2012), and subsequently as Dean (2012–2014) of the Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences. He also held the position of Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) of the University of Port Harcourt for two consecutive terms (2016–2020).
He has also served on various statutory and ad hoc committees, as well as several boards, and remains an active member of both national and international professional associations. His leadership roles include serving as Secretary-General and Member of the National Executive Council of the Nigerian Medical Association, Rivers State (1999–2000), Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Anatomical Sciences, and President of the Society of Experimental and Clinical Anatomists of Nigeria (2014–2016).
In addition, 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 as well as a Fellow of the Academy of Medicine Specialties of Nigeria. Fawehinmi has attracted some National and International Competitive Grants as Principal Investigator.
Notably, his invention won the Federal Government Patent for the Design of the AMRG Anthropometry Chair for Dimensional Body Measurements.
Meanwhile, the Council has extended the tenure of the Acting VC of the university, Professor Mathew Adamu, who was originally appointed on August 11, 2025, to serve until February 10, 2026.