Professor Hakeem Fawehinmi on Thursday formally assumed duty as the eighth substantive Vice-Chancellor of the University of Abuja.

He took over from Professor Mathew Adamu, who served in an acting capacity.

Prof. Fawehinmi was appointed by the eleventh Governing Council during its 80th Extraordinary Meeting held on November 7, 2025, after a rigorous and transparent selection process.

His resumption was confirmed in a statement signed by the institution’s acting Head of Information, Dr Habib Yakoob.

In his remarks shortly after resuming, the new Vice-Chancellor expressed appreciation to the Council, Senate, Management, staff, students, and alumni for their support and warm reception.

He pledged to work collaboratively with all stakeholders to strengthen academic excellence, research output, innovation, institutional stability, and the overall student experience.

“The University will, under my leadership, actively explore opportunities to collaborate and secure more funding to strengthen the University, expand our academic and executive programmes as well as widen access to education within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and beyond. It is my hope that with your support, this institution will achieve its vision of becoming a world-class university,” he said.

According to the statement, staff, students, and members of the university community who interacted with the new vice-chancellor expressed hope about his appointment, noting his reputation for discipline, academic substance, and administrative experience.

Fawehinmi is a highly respected scholar of clinical anatomy and biomedical anthropology, with over three decades of academic, research, and administrative leadership at national and international levels.

He holds a BMedSc degree in Anatomy and MBBS degree from the University of Port Harcourt, an MSc in Medical Anthropology from the University of London and Doctor of Medicine (MD), the highest academic qualification in the medical profession. He is a Fellow of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland (FRAI), Fellow, Anatomical Society of Nigeria (FASN), Fellow, Experimental and Clinical Anatomists of Nigeria (FECAN) and Fellow of the Academy of Medicine Specialities of Nigeria (FAMedS).

His professional qualifications, scholarly contributions, and global engagement are well recognised and publicly documented. They reflect a robust and well-established scholarly career recognised within and outside Nigeria.

The new Vice-Chancellor has commenced extensive consultation with principal officers, faculty leadership, student representatives, unions, and other key stakeholders to ensure a seamless transition and to align priorities for the next strategic phase of the University’s growth.

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