The new UI Vice Chancellor has been named, and he is a familiar face within the institution. Professor Peter Olamakinde Olapegba, a 56-year-old professor of Psychology, has been announced as the 14th Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, following a rigorous and highly competitive selection process that stretched across two days this week.
The announcement was made by the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council, Chief Bisi Akande, a former governor of Osun State. According to the council, the process began with eight applicants, five of whom, including Olapegba himself, were shortlisted and interviewed by the Joint Council-Senate Selection Board on Wednesday, 22 July 2026, before the board settled on him as the standout candidate.
Akande described the exercise as thorough, transparent, and keenly contested, noting that the council interacted with all eight applicants the day before the final interviews were held. Among those Prof Olapegba beat to the position were Professor Adeyinka Aderinto of the Department of Sociology and Professor Adebola Ekanola of the Faculty of Arts, who had previously served as Acting Vice-Chancellor of the university.
Prof Olapegba will take over from the University of Ibadan current VC, Professor Kayode Adebowale, whose tenure runs out on 1 November 2026. Until his elevation, Olapegba served as Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration), a position from which he frequently represented the outgoing University of Ibadan Vice Chancellor at official engagements, including university workshops on research and entrepreneurship, where he was a vocal advocate for scholarship that translates into real economic and societal impact.
Who Is the New UI Vice Chancellor? Early Life and Education
Born on 26 January 1970 in Ibadan, Oyo State, Prof Peter Olapegba hails from Igbole Quarters in Igboora, a town long associated with the University of Ibadan’s academic lineage. His educational journey began modestly, at Anglican Church Primary School, Ilutitun, in what is now Ondo State, before he completed his primary schooling at St. Paul’s African Primary School, Lanlate.
He proceeded to Lanlate High School for his secondary education, laying the groundwork for what would become a decades-long relationship with the University of Ibadan.
That relationship began in earnest when he was admitted into the university as an undergraduate, where he earned his B.Sc., M.Sc., and Ph.D., all in Psychology, without ever leaving the institution he now leads. It is a trajectory reminiscent of several of his predecessors, underscoring UI’s tradition of growing its own leadership from within.
Prof Olapegba’s Three Decades of Service at UI
Peter Olapegba joined the University of Ibadan’s staff as an Assistant Lecturer in 2000. Over the following fourteen years, he steadily climbed the academic ladder, attaining the rank of full Professor in 2014, a milestone that reflected his growing stature in teaching and research within the Department of Psychology.
His administrative career has been just as distinguished as his academic one. He has served as Dean of the Faculty of the Social Sciences, Director of Alumni Relations, and, most recently, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration), a role in which he was known for emphasising servant leadership.
He has been quoted describing leadership in stark, self-effacing terms: that a meaningful life is ultimately one of sacrifice, and that true leadership is about service rather than status.
Beyond the university, Olapegba has contributed to national higher education governance through service on various university governing councils and professional bodies, lending his administrative experience to the broader Nigerian tertiary education system.
Academic Feats: A Prolific Scholar
On the research front, Petee Olapegba’s output is substantial. He has authored three books and published more than 110 scholarly articles over the course of his career, a body of work that spans teaching, mentorship, and empirical research in psychology.
He has attracted several research grants and fellowships, supervised a long list of undergraduate and postgraduate students, and sat on the editorial boards of a number of reputable academic journals, signalling his standing as a peer-reviewed authority in his field.
His scholarly contributions have earned him recognition as a Fellow of the Nigerian Psychological Association (FNPA), one of the highest honours the body confers on psychologists who have made a significant mark on the profession in Nigeria.
Away from the lecture halls and committee rooms, Olapegba is described as a devout Christian who is happily married with children. Colleagues who have worked with him over the years point to a leadership style rooted in humility and a consistent emphasis on mentorship, themes that are likely to define the tone of his incoming administration.
A Historic Handover for the University of Ibadan Vice Chancellor Seat
With this appointment, Prof Olapegba becomes the 14th Vice-Chancellor in the 78-year history of the University of Ibadan, an institution that has produced generations of Nigeria’s foremost scholars, scientists, and public servants since its founding in 1948 as University College, Ibadan. He is expected to formally assume office once the tenure of the University of Ibadan current VC, Professor Adebowale, ends on 1 November 2026.
For a university often regarded as the “first and the best” among Nigerian tertiary institutions, the choice of an internally-groomed academic, one who rose from Assistant Lecturer to Vice-Chancellor entirely within its walls, signals continuity, even as the institution looks to navigate the funding, research, and enrolment challenges facing Nigerian universities in the years ahead.
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Congratulations are already pouring in for the new UI Vice Chancellor, Prof Olapegba, as he prepares to lead his alma mater into its next chapter.
