UNIABUJA Governing Council appoints Prof. Hakeem Fawehinmi as New VC

T The 11th Governing Council of the University of Abuja (UniAbuja), under the distinguished chairmanship of Senator (Dr.) Olanrewaju Tejuoso, has approved the appointment of Professor Hakeem Babatunde Fawehinmi as the substantive Vice-Chancellor of the University.

The appointment was ratified during the 80th Extraordinary Meeting of the Council held on Friday, November 7, 2025. It takes effect from Tuesday, February 10, 2026, for a single, non-renewable tenure of five years.

Until his appointment, Professor Fawehinmi was the Pioneer Vice-Chancellor of the Nigerian British University, a conventional 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. Professor Adamu, who was appointed by the Federal Government on August 11, 2025, will continue to oversee the affairs of the University until the new Vice-Chancellor formally assumes office.

Profile of Professor Hakeem Babatunde Fawehinmi

Professor Hakeem Babatunde Fawehinmi is a distinguished academic, administrator, and innovator, currently a Professor of Clinical Anatomy and Biomedical Anthropology. He is widely respected for his scholarship, leadership, and decades of service in higher education.

He began his academic career at the University of Port Harcourt, where he served in various leadership capacities including Head of Department of Anatomy (2005–2009), Associate Dean (2010–2012), Dean, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences (2012–2014), and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) (2016–2020).

A seasoned university administrator, Professor Fawehinmi has served on numerous statutory and ad hoc committees and boards, contributing to strategic planning, academic reforms, and institutional governance.

He has also held prominent roles in professional bodies, including 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).

A prolific scholar, Professor Fawehinmi has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles in reputable academic journals, presented 37 conference abstracts, and participated in 78 academic conferences, workshops, and training programmes across Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and North America.

He has supervised over 100 undergraduate projects, 15 Master’s dissertations, and 13 PhD/MD theses, and delivered the 111th Inaugural Lecture of the University of Port Harcourt in 2014 titled “Different Tailors for the Same People; Same Surgeon for Different People.”

Professor Fawehinmi is also an accomplished researcher and inventor. He holds a Federal Government patent for the design of the AMRG Anthropometry Chair for Dimensional Body Measurements, and has attracted national and international research grants as Principal Investigator.

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). In recognition of his research impact, he was listed in the 2021 Africa Scientist Rankings by the Alper–Doger Scientific Index.

Professor Fawehinmi has also served as External Examiner and Assessor to the Professoriate for several Nigerian and international universities, including the University of Exeter, United Kingdom, and has led Visitation Panels of the National Universities Commission (NUC) and the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN).

He is married to Dr. Hadeezat O. Fawehinmi, a lecturer at the University of Port Harcourt, and they are blessed with five children.