FUOYE appoints Professor Ogunwole Olalekan as new Vice Chancellor
The Governing Council of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti, Ekiti State has approved the appointment of Professor Ogunwole Joshua Olalekan as the new Vice-chancellor(VC) of the University.
Sen. Victor Ndoma-Egba (SAN), Chairman, Governing Council of the University, announced Olalekan as the 5th substantive VC of the University after a thorough and rigorous selection exercise that was fully digitalised, at an extra-ordinary Council meeting held in Abuja.
Olalekan, a professor of Soil Science, who until his appointment, has been the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Strategic Partnership, Research, Innovation and Linkages, would take over from the outgoing Vice Chancellor, Prof. Abayomi Sunday Fasina, on 11th of February, 2026.
According to Ndoma-Egba, the tenure of the current vice chancellor expires on the 10th of February, 2026, adding that Olalekan remains the VC designate until the 11th of February, 2026 when he will formally take over.
Olalekan defeated over 64 other candidates, including two expatriates, who applied for the plum job.
He said: “The exercise that has resulted in the appointment, was the first fully digitalised online exercise in the Nigerian university system.
“The process was fully digitalised. The applications were launched online, and the assessments were done by the system. However, to ensure transparency and accuracy, we still carried out a manual review. For instance, if the system showed that an applicant had two fellowships, we verified manually to confirm the claim.
“We started the process with an announcement in February 2025 to commence the succession programme for a new VC. By law, we are required to advertise the position in major newspapers for six weeks, and that was strictly followed.
“Every line of the advertisement was debated and approved by the council before publication. At the end of the six weeks, we received 64 online applications.
“When we had the final six names, we immediately contacted the Department of State Services (DSS) in Ekiti for the screening of the shortlisted candidates. After a very thorough exercise, the council approved the most suitable and qualified candidate.
“We emerged from the process with Professor Ogunwole Joshua Olalekan as the fifth VC the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti,” he said.
Ndoma-Egba also made it known that the council, among other things, approved the appointments of university librarian, the director of health services for the university, the director of works and services and the director physical planning for the university.
Olalekan obtained his first, second, and third degrees from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
Between 1990 and 1992, he served as Manager of Yula Farms, Kaduna. He later joined the Department of Crop Production and Protection at the Federal University, Dutsin-Ma, where he taught between December 2013 and March 2016, and also served as Director of University Advancement and Linkages.
Olalekan, a distinguished soil scientist with close to 30 years of experience in teaching, research and community service, having served across institutions, including Ahmadu Bello University Zaria (ABU), Adamawa State University, Mubi (ADSU), Federal University Dutsin-Ma (FUDMA), Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE) and Bowen University, Iwo, where he has made significant contributions as both an educator and administrator, would bring his experience into the transformation of FUOYE.
