Controversy Brews: Okpebholo Appoints Outsider As Edo University VC
By DADA. AYOKHAl
Breaking with convention, Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo has named an external candidate as the new Vice Chancellor of Edo State University Iyamho, marking a significant departure from the traditional practice of promoting from within.
Located in Iyamho, Etsako West, Edo State University was established in 2014 by former Governor Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.
The newly appointed Vice Chancellor, Professor Victor Adetimirin Olawale, will begin his role immediately, as confirmed by the statement from the Secretary to the Edo State Government (SSG), Mr. Musa Umar Ikhilor.
Professor Olawale, who hails from Ondo State, was recruited from Ekiti State University (EKSU), where he served as a senior lecturer.
He will take over leadership at Edo State University, Iyamho, succeeding Professor Dawood Ibrahim Egbefo, who has been acting as Vice Chancellor since the conclusion of Professor Emmanuel Aluyor’s tenure.
In March 2025, Governor Okpebholo appointed the members of the Governing Council of the University with Prof Olusegun O. Akinyinka as Chairman.
The appointment of Prof. Victor Adetimirin Olawale, a Yoruba from Ondo State in the South West, as Vice Chancellor, coupled with Prof. Olusegun O. Akinyinka, also a Yoruba from the South-West, chairing the governing council, has led some to note that the two most influential positions in the university are now held by individuals from the same geopolitical region.
As the Visitor of the University, Governor Okpebholo has exercised his authority to appoint a new Vice Chancellor, selecting an external candidate with no prior ties to the institution’s academic community, a decision that has caught many by surprise.
This decisive step is expected to bring an end to the prolonged uncertainty surrounding the appointment of a substantive Vice Chancellor, which has lingered since Professor Aluyor’s tenure ended.
Professor Aluyor, who hailed from the Etsako area, was the first Vice Chancellor of the university.
With Governor Okpebholo’s appointment of an outsider, it seems the opportunity for an Edo North indigene to lead the university as Vice Chancellor has slipped away, despite Professor Egbefo’s interim tenure following Professor Aluyor.
Despite Gov Okpebholo’s move being seen as a break from tradition, discontent still simmers within the academic community, with some members expressing quiet dissatisfaction over being overlooked for the Vice Chancellor role in favor of an external candidate.
The appointment has left the academic community in a state of stunned silence, with some staff members finding the governor’s decision “absurd” while others suspect underlying political motives.
Some observers speculate that Governor Okpebholo’s decision might have been influenced by political considerations, potentially aiming to curry favour with higher authorities ahead of the 2027 elections by appointing an outsider from the South West, rather than choosing a qualified candidate from within Edo State.
Regardless of the differing opinions, the appointment of Prof. Olawale has brought a sense of finality to the situation.
