News

Lawmaker, 6 Others Bag PhD, MSc In Public Governance and Leadership

Published

1 year ago

August 27, 2025

Joel Ajayi

The Abuja Leadership Centre (ALC), at the Yakubu Gowon University, formerly the University of Abuja, on Tuesday awarded Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degrees to six of its students and a Master’s Degree to another student in Public Governance and Leadership.

Notable recipients of the Doctoral Degree include Rt. Hon. (Barr.) Otobong Effiong Bob, the House Leader of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly and representative of the Nsit-Ubium State Constituency, and Samson Imoni, a senior public servant at the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund).

The other PhD graduates are Skari Margaret Dimax, Unuyu Asuquo Eyo, Bernard Akpa, and Alhassan Adamu. While Okutepa Usman Danladi bagged a Master’s Degree in the same field.

According to Professor Philip Dahida, the Director of the Centre, these academic achievements were awarded after the candidates successfully met all requirements, including the defense of their theses and dissertations on August 26, 2025.

Professor Dahida commended the university’s School of Postgraduate Studies and the
examiner for the display of professionalism, knowledge transfer, and passion in evaluating the doctoral and master’s candidates.

He however tasked the recipients to apply their research work to improve the Nigerian society at large, while acknowledging and lauding their resilience and efforts in pursuing knowledge.

In his reaction, Rt. Hon. Otobong Effiong Bob described the doctoral award as a great academic milestone, while revealing that his research work which dwelt on the nature and challenges of the shareholding system in Nigeria can help address the problems and bridge the existing gaps.

The lawmaker commended the Center for providing the enabling environment for knowledge acquisition and “proper tutoring” of master’s and doctoral candidates.

“Today is a significant day for me as a person, and for my family because coincidentally this will be the first PhD in my family. It’s a significant day because it marks a great academic milestone.

“I’m eternally grateful to God. I’m also very grateful to the management of the University of Abuja, most especially the Director of the Abuja Leadership Centre, Professor Dahida.

“There’s a lot of dedication, there’s a lot of academic skill that is needed for you to be able to get to this level. So I thank the Centre again and all the lecturers that we’ve come in contact with because they’ve impacted greatly in my life and on my academic pursuit. So I’m really grateful.

“My research topic is on the nature and challenges of the shareholding system in Nigeria. And from my research we were able to identify gaps in the already existing literature. It would help strengthen the regulatory functions of the regulatory bodies within the shareholding system in Nigeria.

“So, we look forward to the work contributing to protecting shareholders in the way they should actually be protected to help avoid them losing the money they invest in shares.

“I eventually would like to see this research work published and I hope at that point that those in the position of power and those that have the opportunity and ability to be able to push such reforms would refer to this particular piece of work to be able to make meaningful change in this particular sector,” Otobong stated.

On his part, Samson Imoni, a staff of TETFund, described the academic award as a -noble feat that will propel him to see how he can midwife change in the affairs of the larger society, While decrying the impact of poor quality of leaders in the country, he urged for a deliberate training of people in leadership positions in public governance and leadership.

“The attainment of this noble feat will propel me to see how I can midwife a change in the affairs of the larger society because it’s all about public governance and leadership. If you look around, you will see that there is generally a leadership deficit in our country, even the followers may not be performing excellently well in terms of followership, hence there is need for the leadership to be on the driver’s seat so that the followers can naturally follow.

“There should be deliberate effort in getting leaders to acquire the kind of knowledge available at the Abuja Leadership Centre because the buck stops on the leader’s table. So, there is every need for us to enlighten them on what exactly they should do in order to transform the society because any mistake from them can be chaotic,” Imoni asserted.

The Abuja Leadership Centre at the University of Abuja is a TETFUND Centre of Excellence for Public Governance and Leadership, dedicated to enhancing public governance and leadership both in Nigeria and beyond.

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Foreign news

Algeria’s Glorious Revolution: Embassy Marks 72nd Anniversary in Abuja

Published

7 hours ago

November 12, 2026

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

The Embassy of Algeria in Nigeria has commemorated the 72nd anniversary of the country’s Glorious Revolution of November 1, 1954, with a reception in Abuja, highlighting Algeria’s liberation struggle and strengthening diplomatic relations with Nigeria.

The event, held on November 9, 2026, at Continental Suites Hotel, attracted prominent personalities, including the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dr Tajudeen Abbas, members of the Federal Government, senior government officials, heads of diplomatic missions and other friends of Algeria.

Speaking at the reception, Algeria’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Hocine Mezoued, welcomed guests and paid tribute to the country’s freedom fighters who sacrificed their lives during the struggle for independence.

He described the November 1, 1954 revolution as the foundation of modern Algeria, noting that the sacrifices of the nation’s martyrs made it possible for the country to reclaim its sovereignty.

On Algeria’s development agenda, Mezoued said President Abdelmadjid Tebboune’s administration had continued to pursue economic reforms, diversification and national development under its New Algeria vision.

He noted that the country was recording progress in non-hydrocarbon exports, while improvements in the business environment had boosted investor confidence and attracted significant foreign investments.

On foreign policy, the ambassador reaffirmed Algeria’s commitment to non-interference, respect for national sovereignty, peaceful conflict resolution and the right of peoples to self-determination.

Addressing security challenges in the Sahel, he stressed that lasting peace could not be achieved through military measures alone, insisting that economic development, inclusive dialogue and peaceful resolution of disputes remained essential.

Turning to Nigeria-Algeria relations, Mezoued described the partnership as one founded on shared values and the commitment of both countries’ leaders to advancing African development.

He identified the Trans-Saharan Highway, Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline and Trans-Saharan Fibre Optic Backbone as major strategic projects receiving attention from both countries.

The ambassador also disclosed that Algeria had continued to provide scholarships to Nigerian students to strengthen human capital development and capacity building.

He further announced that Air Algérie expanded its Nigerian operations on October 26, 2026, with the introduction of two weekly flights to Lagos, expressing confidence that the service would boost trade and tourism.

Looking ahead, Mezoued said 2027 would offer fresh opportunities to deepen bilateral cooperation, particularly through the fifth Joint High Bi-National Commission scheduled to hold in Abuja.

He expressed optimism that the meeting would provide an opportunity to assess existing partnerships, identify new areas of cooperation and move Nigeria-Algeria relations towards a more practical and results-driven phase.

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