President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the appointment of Dr Yemi Ogunbiyi as the chairman of the governing council of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU).

Professor Mvendega Jibo will head the council of University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT).

The councils of the two universities were sacked recently following some crises in the two schools.

Education minister, Malam Adamu Adamu, announced the appointments in a statement on Friday. He said the new governing councils would serve for a term of four years, in the first instance, with effect from December 28, 2016.

Other members of the OAU council area Prof Felix U. Madubuike, Mr. Inowei Akono, Mr. Adekunle Sanni and Muhammad Bello Kaoje.

Members of UNIPORT apart from Prof Mvendega Jibo are Chief Johnson Okafor, Mr. Joseph Fafi, Hajia Lubabatu Lawal Ammani and M. Bello Dukku.

Yemi Ogunbiyi founding chairman of Tanus Communications, once served as the Managing Director of Daily Times of Nigeria.

He received his secondary education from the Ibadan Boys High School and later went to University of Ibadan where he studied English Literature. He then went to New York University for his Masters degree.

Together with Kole Omotosho, Biodun Jeyifo, Wole Soyinka, Mr. Ogunbiyi was part of the drama and literature department of University of Ife, later renamed Obafemi Awolowo University.

He then served as an Executive Director of the Guardian Newspapers In Charge of Public Affairs and Marketing. He serves as a Member of Global Advisory Board at Repro India Limited.

According to his profile published by Bloomberg, Ogunbiyi was a Lecturer at Brooklyn College in the United States after his university education.

He returned to Nigeria in the late 1970s and taught at Ife. He has written a few books on African literature. He edited the book, “Drama and Theatre in Nigeria: A Critical Source Book” a comprehensive work on Nigerian drama. The entries in the book included various drama articles from the Nigeria Magazine which were becoming sparse and expensive at the time. (NAN)

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