Tinubu makes new appointments for NECO, NBTE, other education sector agencies

By Ayorinde Oluokun

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Wednesday announced new appointments in the education sector.

The appointments, announced in a statement by presidential spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, affected the National Examination Council (NECO), the National Board of Technical Education (NBTE), the Federal Polytechnic in N’yak Shendam, Plateau State, and the National Library of Nigeria.

The institutions are all under the Federal Ministry of Education.

According to the statement, President Tinubu appointed Prof Modupe Adeola Adelabu as Chairman of the Governing Board of NECO.

However, the President retained the current registrar of NECO, Professor Ibrahim Dantani Wushishi.

President Tinubu also appointed Engr. Dr Bongfa Binfa as Rector, Federal Polytechnic, N’yak-Shendam, Plateau State.

The tenure tenure of Prof. Chinwe Veronica Anunobi as Director/Chief Executive of the National Library of Nigeria was renewed.

Also, for the chairmanship of the National Board of Technical Education (NBTE), President Tinubu appointed the distinguished academic, Professor Babatunde Salako.

The President had on April 10, President reappointed the incumbent executive secretary, Prof Idris M Bugaje, for a second and final term of five years.

According to the statement, Professor Adelabu, the new chairperson of NECO, is a retired Professor of educational administration who rose through the ranks to full professorship at the Obafemi Awolowo University.

She was a former Deputy Governor of Ekiti State (2013- 2014) and the Chairman of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) between 2018 and 2021.

On the other hand, Prof. Babatunde Salako, the new chair of NBTE, is a globally respected researcher with decades of experience in higher education, institutional governance and national policy leadership.

He previously served as the Director General of the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) from 2016 to 2024, a period during which the institute experienced significant revitalisation, enhanced research governance, expanded international collaborations, and improved infrastructure and research outputs.

Engr. Dr Bongfa Binfa, from Plateau State, succeeds Dr Mukaila Zakari Ya’u, the pioneer Rector of the Federal Polytechnic, N’yak-Shendam, whose tenure expired on March 16, 2026.

President Tinubu approved the appointment of Dr Binfa for a single term of five years, following the conclusion of the process for appointing a new Rector through a public advertisement in national dailies in September 2025.

Dr Binfa holds a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Mechanical Engineering from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. Before this appointment, Dr Binfa was Deputy Rector (Academic) at the Federal Polytechnic of Oil and Gas, Bonny. He was also a Lecturer in the Mechanical Engineering Department at the Federal Polytechnic, Idah.

President Tinubu approved the renewal of the tenure of Prof. Chinwe Veronica Anunobi as CEO of the National Library of Nigeria for a final term of five years. She was first appointed on 2nd September, 2021.

Since assuming office, Prof. Anunobi has led several institutional reforms aimed at repositioning the National Library as a modern technology-driven knowledge institution, including the development and operationalisation of the National Repository of Nigeria, the Newspaper and Magazine Locator, the Index and Abstract to Nigerian Newspapers, and the National Virtual Library of Nigeria.

She has also played a strategic role in advancing the long-awaited completion of the National Library Headquarters project and in initiating plans to migrate heritage collections from the 34 state branches to the new headquarters in Abuja.

“The President expects that the renewal of her tenure would ensure continuity in the implementation of ongoing reforms, completion of the National Library Headquarters project, and execution of the 2025-2030 Strategic Plan of the institution,” Onanuga said in the statement