The Governing Council of the University of Ibadan (UI) has announced the appointment of Professor Peter Olamakinde Olapegba as the Vice Chancellor of the university.
Professor Olapegba emerged as the 14th Vice Chancellor of the Premier University in a keenly contested race, which involved screening of potential candidates from within and outside the university.
The appointment was announced on Wednesday by the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council, Chief Adebisi Akande, shortly after the Council approved the recommendation of the Joint Council-Senate Selection Board.
Akande said the process for appointing a new Vice-Chancellor commenced in line with the provisions of the University Act ahead of the expiration of the tenure of the incumbent Vice-Chancellor on November 1, 2026.
According to him, advertisements inviting applications for the position were published in April 2026 in three national newspapers, attracting six applications.
He explained that the Governing Council subsequently constituted a Search Team, as required by law, to identify other qualified candidates who might not have applied, a move that yielded two additional applications and brought the total number of candidates to eight.
Akande disclosed that the Council interacted with all eight candidates on Tuesday, July 21, during which members independently assessed and scored them using approved guidelines.
He said the exercise produced five candidates who were shortlisted, in order of merit, for the final stage of the selection process.
The Pro-Chancellor added that the Council also appointed two of its members to serve on the Selection Board, while the University Senate had earlier elected two of its representatives to participate in the exercise.
He said the Joint Council-Senate Selection Board interviewed the five shortlisted candidates on Wednesday before recommending Professor Olapegba as the best candidate.
Akande described the selection exercise as thorough, transparent and highly competitive, noting that the Governing Council unanimously approved the recommendation of the Selection Board.
“It is, therefore, my pleasure to present to you the 14th Vice-Chancellor of this great University, the University of Ibadan, Professor Peter Olamakinde Olapegba. We wish him success in his tenure,” he said.
Professor Olapegba of the Department of Psychology is the current Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) will succeed the incumbent Vice-Chancellor whose tenure expires on November 1, 2026.
Olapegba, a professor in the Department of Psychology of the institution’s Faculty of the Social Sciences, will be among the youngest to serve in the position.