Breaking: Tinubu sacks university VCs, appoints new leaders

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has announced major leadership changes at several federal universities, including the University of Abuja, which is now renamed Yakubu Gowon University. These changes are effective immediately.

At the newly renamed Yakubu Gowon University, President Tinubu dissolved the entire governing council and relieved Professor Aisha Sani Maikudi of her duties as Vice-Chancellor.

To replace her, President Tinubu appointed Professor Lar Patricia Manko as the Acting Vice-Chancellor for a six-month term.

Disclosing this in a statement, Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President, Information & Strategy said Manko will not be eligible to apply for the permanent position when it becomes available.

Senator Lanre Tejuoso, currently the Pro-Chancellor of the University of Agriculture, Makurdi, was also appointed Pro-Chancellor of Yakubu Gowon University. He will be succeeded in Makurdi by Senator Joy Emordi, now appointed Pro-Chancellor of Alvan Ikoku University of Education.

Further leadership changes took place at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), where President Tinubu removed Professor Polycarp Emeka Chigbu from his position as Acting Vice-Chancellor ahead of his tenure’s expiration on February 14.

Professor Oguejiofu T. Ujam has been named the new Acting Vice-Chancellor for six months, with the same restriction of ineligibility for the permanent position.

The restructuring at UNN also saw a change in the role of Pro-Chancellor, with Gen. Ike Nwachukwu reassigned to Pro-Chancellor at the University of Uyo. Engineer Olubunmi Kayode Ojo was appointed the new Pro-Chancellor of UNN, having previously held similar positions at the Federal University of Lokoja and the Federal University of Oye-Ekiti.

Professor Zubairu Tajo Abdullahi, the current Pro-Chancellor of the University of Uyo, will now succeed Ojo at the Federal University of Lokoja. Senator Sani Stores has been appointed as the new Pro-Chancellor of Alvan Ikoku University of Education, taking over from Senator Joy Emordi.

Additionally, Barrister Olugbenga Kukoyi, a current Council Member at UNN, has been appointed as the new Pro-Chancellor of Nnamdi Azikiwe University in Awka, Anambra State.

All appointments and reassignment decisions are effective immediately, with President Tinubu emphasizing that these changes are part of his administration’s broader effort to revitalize Nigeria’s higher education system. The restructuring is aimed at strengthening governance, ensuring academic excellence, and promoting accountability across the nation’s tertiary education sector.