By Opeyemi Quadri 
There are husband and wife who are Professors, but only two couples hold the record of being Vice Chancellors in different universities in Nigeria: Prof Joseph and Ibiyinka Fuwape, and Prof Ebitimitula and Maureen Etebu. That’s a very rare administrative record in academia.
The Fuwapes
Joseph and Ibiyinka are both alumni of the University of Ibadan (UI). When Joseph was being adorned with his Ph.D. academic gown in 1984, Ibiyinka was graduating with a First Class degree in Physics. Both were sharp, brilliant, and ambitious young Nigerians with a passion for academics.
Joseph Adeola Fuwape
After obtaining his Ph.D. at 30, Joseph Adeola, now a Professor of Wood Products Engineering and a leading authority in Forestry in Nigeria, embarked on an academic career. He was among the founding scholars at the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA), where he rose through the ranks to hold key strategic positions, including Head of the Department of Forestry and Wood Technology, Dean of the School of Agriculture and Agricultural Technology, and a member of the FUTA Governing Council.
Prof. Adeola Fuwape, now a grandfather, was later appointed as the pioneer Director of the Quality Assurance Unit at FUTA, serving from 2010 to 2012. During his tenure as Director, he applied for the Vice-Chancellor position at Salem University, Lokoja, Kogi State, a role he held from 2012 to 2016.
In addition to being one of the few Nigerian professors to have served as Vice-Chancellor of two different universities at various times, the erudite scholar has numerous publications in several local and international journals, conferences, and congresses, including the XII World Forestry Congress in 2003.
His stellar four-year tenure at Salem University gave him a competitive edge when FUTA was searching for a successor to Prof. Adebiyi Daramola. On May 23, 2017, the inspiring Prof. Adeola Fuwape assumed office as the 7th Vice-Chancellor of the specialized institution, completing his tenure on May 23, 2022.
Prof. Fuwape, a devoted husband, father, and grandfather, was born on November 11, 1957.
Ibiyinka Fuwape
Ibiyinka graduated with First Class honours in Physics from the University of Ibadan. After joining the academic staff of the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA) in 1989, her research has been published in reputable journals and has won several awards.
As a Professor of Non-Linear Dynamics and Applications, she held several demanding positions at FUTA, including Acting Head of the Department of Physics and Dean of the School of Sciences.
In 2021, her immense contributions and research in Climate Change, Air Quality, and Biophysics earned her the African Union Kwame Nkrumah Regional Award for Scientific Excellence (AUKNASE) for 2020.
She was selected over other candidates for the position of Vice-Chancellor at Michael and Cecilia Ibru University in Agbarha-Otor, Delta State, where she currently serves.
The Etebus
While Professor Ebitimitula Nicholas is a renowned pathologist and one of the master planners of Bayelsa Medical University, his wife, Professor Ongoebi Maureen, is a distinguished industrial engineer with three PhDs and a trailblazer in her field. Both were researchers at the University of Port Harcourt before taking on various appointments across the South-South geopolitical zone.
Maureen Etebu
The pioneer Vice-Chancellor of Nigeria Maritime University, Ongoebi Maureen Orubide, holds three PhDs in Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, and Energy and Power from Rivers State University of Science & Technology, Federal University of Technology, Owerri, and Cranfield University, U.K., respectively.
Before achieving this remarkable feat, the Professor of Mechanical Engineering had already earned four Master’s degrees in Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Chemical Engineering, and an MBA in Management.
She served as a commissioner in Bayelsa State, where she oversaw the Ministry of Special Projects in 2001 and the Ministry of Public Utilities from 2003 to 2006.
Her students at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Port Harcourt, know her as a resilient woman who embraced roles traditionally considered to be reserved for men.
In May 2015, Prof. Maureen Etebu was appointed Vice-Chancellor of the newly upgraded Nigeria Maritime University in Delta State, a position she held until May 2020.
Like her husband, she is active in the political landscape of Bayelsa.
Ebitimitula Etebu
Ebitimitula Nicholas Etebu, apart from being a key member of the former Governor Henry Seriake Dickson’s ‘kitchen cabinet’ in Bayelsa State, has authored over 40 academic publications in medicine and human health.
Before his political appointment as the Commissioner of Health in the oil-rich state, he was a lecturer in the Health Sciences Department at the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) and held various leadership roles at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital.
Prof. Ebitimitula Etebu, a former Chief Medical Director at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Yenagoa, played a pivotal role in implementing the health insurance system in Bayelsa and was instrumental in establishing the Bayelsa Medical University in 2018. He is also the pioneer Vice-Chancellor of this specialized university.
The Etebus and the Fuwapes are outstanding couples!
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Editorial Staff