President Tinubu appoints Modupe Adelabu as NECO Chairman, retains Wushishi

President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday appointed Modupe Adelabu as Chairman of the Governing Board of the National Examination Council (NECO) and retained Ibrahim Wushishi as Registrar.

Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, stated that the President also made several new appointments across the education sector. These include leadership roles at the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), the Federal Polytechnic in N’yak Shendam, and the National Library of Nigeria—all institutions under the Federal Ministry of Education.
New leadership for NBTE and Federal Polytechnic

For the chairmanship of the NBTE, President Tinubu appointed Professor Babatunde Salako, a distinguished academic and researcher. Professor Salako previously served as the Director General of the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) from 2016 to 2024, where he was credited with enhancing research governance and international collaborations.

Additionally, Bongfa Binfa has been appointed as the Rector of the Federal Polytechnic, N’yak Shendam, Plateau State, for a single term of five years. Binfa, who holds a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, succeeds the pioneer Rector, Mukaila Ya’u, whose tenure expired on 16 March 2026. Before this appointment, Binfa served as Deputy Rector (Academic) at the Federal Polytechnic of Oil and Gas, Bonny.
Continuity at the National Library and NBTE Executive

The President approved the renewal of Chinwe Anunobi’s tenure as Director/Chief Executive of the National Library of Nigeria for a final five-year term. Since her initial appointment in September 2021, Anunobi has spearheaded reforms to modernise the institution, including the development of the National Virtual Library of Nigeria and progress on the National Library Headquarters project in Abuja.

The Presidency also confirmed that on 10 April, President Tinubu reappointed the incumbent Executive Secretary of the NBTE, Idris Bugaje, for a final five-year term.
Profiles of the new appointees

Modupe Adelabu, the new NECO Chairman, is a retired Professor of educational administration at Obafemi Awolowo University. She previously served as the Deputy Governor of Ekiti State between 2013 and 2014, and chaired the NBTE board from 2018 to 2021.

President Tinubu noted that these appointments are intended to ensure continuity in ongoing reforms and the successful execution of the 2025–2030 Strategic Plan for the respective institutions.