In a sweeping move to revamp Nigeria’s higher education leadership, President Bola Tinubu, on Thursday, dissolved the entire governing council of Yakubu Gowon University (formerly UniAbuja) and dismissed Professor Aisha Maikudi as its Vice-Chancellor with immediate effect.
Announcing the decision in a statement titled ‘President Tinubu Announces Leadership Overhaul at Federal Universities,’ Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, confirmed the appointment of Professor Patricia Manko as Acting Vice-Chancellor for a six-month term.
However, Manko will not be eligible to apply for the substantive Vice-Chancellor position when it becomes available.
The restructuring extended beyond Yakubu Gowon University. Senator Lanre Tejuoso, currently serving as the Pro-Chancellor of the University of Agriculture, Makurdi, has been reassigned as the new Pro-Chancellor of Yakubu Gowon University.
His replacement in Makurdi is Senator Joy Emordi, the outgoing Pro-Chancellor of Alvan Ikoku University of Education.
At the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Tinubu has relieved Professor Polycarp Chigbu from his position as Acting Vice-Chancellor before his tenure officially ends on February 14.
He will be succeeded by Professor Oguejiofu Ujam, also on a six-month term, and like Manko, Ujam will not be eligible to apply for the permanent position.
Further leadership changes at UNN include the reassignment of General Ike Nwachukwu to the University of Uyo as Pro-Chancellor, replacing Professor Zubairu Abdullahi, who has now been appointed to the same position at the Federal University of Lokoja.
Tinubu also named Olubunmi Ojo as the new Pro-Chancellor of UNN. Ojo previously held the same position at both the Federal University of Lokoja and the Federal University of Oye-Ekiti.
In another major shift, Senator Sani Stores, a current Council Member at UNN, has been appointed as the new Pro-Chancellor of Alvan Ikoku University of Education, taking over from Senator Joy Emordi.
Meanwhile, Olugbenga Kukoyi, another Council Member at UNN, has been appointed as the new Pro-Chancellor of Nnamdi Azikiwe University in Awka, Anambra State.
The presidency affirmed that all these appointments and reassignments take effect immediately.
President Tinubu emphasized that these leadership changes reflect his administration’s dedication to revitalizing Nigeria’s higher education sector through strategic governance and accountability.
"The restructuring aims to strengthen governance and promote academic excellence within Nigeria’s tertiary education system," Onanuga concluded.