Abdulrasaq Abubakar Toyin University, Ilorin, Kwara State, has appointed Professor Olayemi Olaniyi as its first substantive Vice-Chancellor.

The appointment was approved by the university’s Board of Trustees and ratified at its third meeting held on September 4, 2026.

It took effect on the same day.

The Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council, Professor Abdul-Rasheed Na’Allah, described the appointment as a well-considered decision, saying Olaniyi would bring his academic and administrative experience to the management of the institution.

Na’Allah said the new Vice-Chancellor would work with the university’s governing council to improve institutional efficiency and drive its development.

Olaniyi, 47, is a Professor of Computer Engineering with about two decades of academic experience spanning computer security, intelligent and embedded systems, applied medical informatics and open distance learning.

He obtained a National Diploma in Computer Technology from the Federal Polytechnic, Offa, a Bachelor of Technology and PhD in Computer Science and Engineering (Computer Security) from Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, and an M.Sc. in Electronic and Computer Engineering, with Distinction, from Lagos State University.

The professor began his academic career at Bells University of Technology, Ota, and rose through the ranks before becoming a Professor of Computer Engineering at the Federal University of Technology, Minna, in 2021.

He has served in several administrative capacities, including Deputy Dean, School of Electrical and Electronics Engineering; Head, Department of Computer Engineering, both at FUT Minna; and Dean, Faculty of Computing, National Open University of Nigeria, a position he held before his appointment as Vice-Chancellor.

Olaniyi has more than 195 academic publications and has attracted research grants worth over N350m.

He is a member of the Nigerian Computer Society, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Association for Computing Machinery and the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria, where he is a registered Computer Engineer.

AATU is a private, not-for-profit university licensed by the National Universities Commission in April 2025.

The university commenced its NUC-approved degree programmes in September 2025 at its campus in Oke-Ogba, Ganmo, Ilorin, Kwara State.

The new Vice-Chancellor is married with children.