By Joshua Tosin Ogunsakin 
The Federal University, Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE) has officially announced the appointment of its fifth substantive Vice-Chancellor.
According to the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, the council selected Professor Joshua Ogunwole following a rigorous and transparent selection process during a press briefing held in Abuja on Thursday.
“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 Vice-Chancellor. 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 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 Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti,” he said.
Professor Ogunwole earned his first, second, and third degrees from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. Between 1990 and 1992, he served as Manager of Yula Farms, Kaduna, before joining the Department of Crop Production and Protection at the Federal University, Dutsin-Ma, where he taught between December 2013 and March 2016. He also held the position of Director of University Advancement and Linkages.
He is a Professor of Soil Physics in the Department of Soil Science and Land Resource Management at FUOYE and was previously the Vice-Chancellor of Bowen University. Professor Ogunwole is expected to assume office at FUOYE in February 2026.