President Bola Tinubu has announced a sweeping overhaul of leadership across several federal universities, including the renaming of the University of Abuja to Yakubu Gowon University.
This was disclosed in a statement signed by Bayo Onanuga Special Adviser to the President.
The changes, which take effect immediately, include the dissolution of governing councils and the removal of key administrators.
Among those affected is Professor Aisha Sani Maikudi, who has been relieved of her duties as Vice-Chancellor of Yakubu Gowon University.
She will be replaced by Professor Lar Patricia Manko as Acting Vice-Chancellor for a six-month term, though Manko will not be eligible to apply for the permanent role.
At the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), President Tinubu has dismissed Professor Polycarp Emeka Chigbu from his role as Acting Vice-Chancellor ahead of his tenure’s scheduled conclusion on February 14.
Professor Oguejiofu T. Ujam will assume the role for six months, also without eligibility for permanent appointment.
The shake-up extends beyond vice-chancellors, affecting pro-chancellors across multiple institutions. Senator Lanre Tejuoso, who previously served as Pro-Chancellor of the University of Agriculture, Makurdi, has been appointed Pro-Chancellor of Yakubu Gowon University. His former position will now be held by Senator Joy Emordi, the former Pro-Chancellor of Alvan Ikoku University of Education.
What to know
- Other key appointments include Engineer Olubunmi Kayode Ojo as Pro-Chancellor of UNN, replacing Gen. Ike Nwachukwu, who has been reassigned to the University of Uyo.
- Ojo, in turn, is succeeded at the Federal University of Lokoja by Professor Zubairu Tajo Abdullahi, previously the Pro-Chancellor of the University of Uyo.
- Meanwhile, Senator Sani Stores, formerly a council member at UNN, has been appointed Pro-Chancellor of Alvan Ikoku University of Education, succeeding Senator Emordi.
- In another notable change, Barrister Olugbenga Kukoyi, a current council member at UNN, is now the Pro-Chancellor of Nnamdi Azikiwe University in Awka, Anambra State.
The presidency has framed these sweeping changes as part of a broader effort to strengthen governance and academic excellence within Nigeria’s tertiary institutions.
“These appointments and reassignment decisions reflect President Tinubu’s commitment to revitalizing Nigeria’s higher education system through dynamic leadership and accountability,” said Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, in an official statement.
The announcement has sparked mixed reactions in academic circles. Some education stakeholders have welcomed the move as a necessary step to inject fresh leadership into the system, while others question the abrupt nature of the changes and the exclusion of acting vice-chancellors from future consideration.
With Nigeria’s universities facing persistent challenges—including underfunding, strikes, and governance concerns President Tinubu’s restructuring signals a decisive shift in his administration’s approach to higher education policy. Whether these changes will yield the intended improvements remains to be seen.
