Leadership
The stewards of the University.
Ahmadu Bello University is governed by its Chancellor, Council and Senate, and its alumni by their own elected association. These are the people who hold the trust.
The Chancellor
His Majesty Igwe Nnaemeka Alfred Ugochukwu Achebe, the Obi of Onitsha
Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University since 2015 — the seventh Chancellor in a line that began with Sir Ahmadu Bello himself. Thrones from every corner of Nigeria have held the Chancellorship: a university of the North, belonging to the whole federation.
The line of Chancellors, 1962 to todayPrincipal officers
The University’s executive.
Vice-Chancellor
Professor Adamu Ahmed
Professor of Urban and Regional Planning; in office since May 2025. Three of his degrees — B.Sc., M.Sc. and Ph.D. — were earned at ABU.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration)
Professor Bello Sabo
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic)
Professor Raymond B. Bako
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Advancement, Research & Innovation)
Professor Aliyu Rafindadi Sanusi
Registrar
Rabiu Samaila
Bursar
Mohammed Bello Aminu
University Librarian (Ag.)
Dr Abubakar Abdullahi Mohammed
As listed by the University; officers reconfirmed at each update of this page.
How the University is governed
The Governing Council, chaired by the Pro-Chancellor, sets policy and finance; the Senate, chaired by the Vice-Chancellor, governs all things academic.
The National President of the Alumni Association sits on Council — the alumni voice is constitutional, not ceremonial.
The Alumni Association
Organised since the first graduating class.
The ABU Alumni Association was founded in the early 1960s by members of the University’s first graduating class. Today it comprises a National Executive Committee, state branches across the federation, diaspora chapters, and the class sets in which alumni life actually happens. The Network is its digital home.
The Association’s sitting national officers are confirmed and published here at launch.
Find your branch