Tinubu makes new appointments in education sector

President Bola Tinubu has made new appointments for 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, all institutions under the Federal Ministry of Education.

Join the Premium Times WhatsApp Community For Quick Access To News and Happenings Around You.

Open in WhatsApp

President Tinubu appointed Modupe Adelabu as Chairman of the Governing Board of NECO, and retained the current registrar, Ibrahim Wushishi.

The president also appointed Bongfa Binfa as Rector, Federal Polytechnic, N’yak-Shendam, Plateau State; and renewed the tenure of Chinwe Anunobi as Director/Chief Executive of the National Library of Nigeria.

For the chairmanship of the National Board of Technical Education (NBTE), President Tinubu appointed the distinguished academic, Babatunde Salako. On 10 April, President Tinubu reappointed the incumbent executive secretary, Idris Bugaje, for a second and final term of five years.

Stay Ahead with Premium Times

Add as a preferred source on Google

Mrs Adelabu, who chairs 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.

Mr 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.

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

President Tinubu approved the appointment of Mr 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.

Mr Binfa holds a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Mechanical Engineering from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. Before this appointment, Mr 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 Chinwe 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, Ms 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.

READ ALSO: EXCLUSIVE: Why Tinubu fired Wale Edun as finance minister

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.

Bayo Onanuga
Special Adviser to the President
(Information & Strategy)
April 22, 2026