Sanwo-Olu Appoints Professor Ayodeji Badejo as New LASU Vice-Chancellor

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Professor Ayodeji Olawunmi Badejo will become Lagos State University’s 10th substantive vice-chancellor on September 20, succeeding Professor Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello after her five-year tenure.

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has appointed Professor Ayodeji Olawunmi Badejo as the new Vice-Chancellor of Lagos State University (LASU).

The appointment was announced on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, by the Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso.

Sanwo-Olu, who is the Visitor to the university, approved Badejo’s appointment in accordance with the Lagos State University Law 2004, as amended.

Badejo is expected to become LASU’s 10th substantive vice-chancellor, taking over from Professor Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, whose five-year tenure ends on Saturday, September 19.

The new vice-chancellor is scheduled to assume office on Sunday, September 20, for a single five-year term.

Official appointment materials identify her as Professor Ayodeji Olawunmi Badejo, née Faji, although some reports have used shorter forms of her name or spelt Olawunmi as Olawumi.

Badejo’s appointment means LASU will continue to be led by a woman after Olatunji-Bello became the university’s ninth substantive vice-chancellor in September 2021.

Olatunji-Bello, a professor of physiology, was the second woman to occupy the university’s top academic and administrative position.

Badejo is a professor of guidance and counselling, with her academic profile also describing her field as counselling psychology.

Born on August 4, 1962, she began her academic career with a Nigeria Certificate in Education in 1983 before obtaining a Bachelor of Education degree in 1986.

She later earned a Master of Education in Guidance and Counselling from the University of Lagos in 1988 and a PhD in the same field from the university in 1998.

According to profile information released alongside the appointment, Badejo has more than three decades of experience spanning teaching, research, university administration and student development.

Between 2012 and 2026, she supervised 23 completed doctoral candidates. Her academic record also includes four books, 17 book chapters and more than 60 peer-reviewed journal articles.

She takes over at a time of increasing demand for admission into LASU.

Punch previously reported that more than 70,000 candidates selected LASU as their first-choice institution for the 2025/2026 academic session.

The outgoing administration has also highlighted progress in areas including academic programme accreditation, internally generated revenue and academic promotions during Olatunji-Bello’s tenure.

Those achievements have been presented by the university and the outgoing vice-chancellor and have not been independently assessed in the appointment announcement.

Badejo will therefore inherit an institution facing both growing demand for admission and expectations for continued improvements in academic standards, infrastructure, research and student services.

The Lagos State Government has not released the full shortlist of candidates considered for the position or the individual selection scores alongside the appointment announcement.

As of the first reports of the appointment, Badejo had also not delivered a public acceptance speech.

Her appointment, however, is settled: Professor Ayodeji Olawunmi Badejo will take over as Vice-Chancellor of Lagos State University on September 20, 2026, beginning a five-year term as the institution’s 10th substantive vice-chancellor.