Professor Peter Olamakinde Olapegba has formally taken over as the 14th Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan (UI), Nigeria’s premier university, beginning a single five-year term on November 1, 2026.
The appointment was approved in July by the university’s Governing Council, chaired by Pro-Chancellor Chief Adebisi Akande, after a competitive selection process.
How he was chosen
According to ThisDay, eight candidates were considered for the job: six applied after the position was advertised in April, and a search team identified two more. The council assessed all eight on July 21 and shortlisted five, who were then interviewed by a Joint Council and Senate Selection Board before Olapegba was named.
From DVC to VC
Olapegba moves up from the post of Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration), which he held from November 8, 2023. He is a professor in UI’s Department of Psychology and has been a full professor for about 12 years, in a career spanning more than 25 years.
He specialises in applied social psychology. His research covers social, health and environmental psychology, with a focus on how health and behaviour interact, family and marital violence, sexual harassment, victimisation and quality of life. He has more than 130 publications, including books, book chapters, monographs and journal articles.
A true UI product
All three of his degrees are from the University of Ibadan:
- BSc (Hons) Psychology, 1997
- MSc Social/Personality Psychology, 1999
- PhD Applied Social Psychology, 2008
He is a Fellow of the Social Science Academy of Nigeria, the Nigerian Psychological Association, the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, and the Society for Peace Studies and Practice.
Background
Born in Ibadan on January 26, 1970, Olapegba hails from Igbole Quarters in Igboora, Oyo State. He is a pastor in the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), and is married with children.
The task ahead
Olapegba takes charge of Nigeria’s oldest university at a difficult time for public universities across the country. Institutions are facing funding shortages, ageing facilities, the departure of lecturers abroad in the so-called “japa” wave, and recurring disputes between government and academic unions.
Staff and students will be looking to the new Vice-Chancellor to protect UI’s reputation as one of Africa’s leading research universities, improve welfare and facilities, and keep the academic calendar stable over the next five years.
Sources: University of Ibadan, ThisDay, Voice of Nigeria, CityScoop.
