Education

UniAbuja Awards Doctoral Degrees To Diplomat, 4 Others

Published

3 months ago

September 20, 2025

A diplomat and senior public servants were among five students who earned Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degrees in Public Governance and Leadership, Policy and Strategic Studies at the Abuja Leadership Centre (ALC), Yakubu Gowon University, formerly the University of Abuja, on Friday.

According to Professor Philip Dahida, the Director of the Centre, the academic achievements were awarded after the candidates successfully met all requirements, including the defense of their theses on September 19, 2025.

Recipients of the Doctoral Degree in Public Governance and Leadership include the Head of Peace Support Operations, ECOWAS Commission, Muhammad Sani Adamu; Assistant Director at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Orifunmishe Anthonia Ezinwa; Eze Uchechukwu John (Fnim); and Unoiza Maryam Onido.

While former Commissioner at the National Pension Commission, Nyerere Chinenye Anyim, also received a Doctoral Degree in Policy and Strategic Studies.

Speaking after the event, the Director of the Centre, Professor Philip Dahida, congratulated and commended the doctoral awardees for demonstrating capacity and their dexterity in carrying out their respective research work.

Professor Dahida applauded the university’s Postgraduate School and the external examiner, Professor Samuel Afolabi of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, for thorough examination of the doctoral candidates and high-level professionalism, while thanking all academic and non-academic staff of the university for their efforts.

He reassured the Centre’s resolve to continue producing excellent and quality Master’s and PhD graduates, while tasking all the awardees to ensure they apply the knowledge gained to the betterment of the Nigerian society. As well, he urged them to be good ambassadors of the Centre and the University.

“I want to congratulate you all for going through this academic exercise. I’m particularly excited for your demonstration of capacity and resilience in researching and defending your thesis. I must commend you for the show of dexterity in your various research; well done again.

“We greatly commend the external examiner, Professor Afolabi, for taking time to assess the candidates, as well as other academic and non-academic staff supporting the Abuja Leadership Centre. We are also grateful to the Dean of the Postgraduate School.

“Let me reassure you that the Abuja Leadership Centre stands for excellence and will continue to maintain the standard in a bid to provide the necessary knowledge for citizens on leadership, governance and policies that can move the nation forward. We urge you all to be good ambassadors of the Centre and the University – we can’t stop emphasizing this point,” Professor Dahida stressed.

In his response, former Commissioner at the National Pension Commission, Nyerere Chinenye Anyim, praised the university for providing the avenue for improving his education, noting that his doctoral research will help clear the misconceptions around pension funds in Nigeria and provide citizens with a deeper understanding of the workings of pension funds.

Nyerere decried the challenges associated with the misapplication of pension policies in Nigeria and their effect on the growth of the nation, disclosing that his doctoral thesis will help pensioners know their rights.

“My thesis topic has to do with pension, governance, or the governance of pension in Nigeria for the pensioners and retirees.

“With this work, people will be able to know and have a very different view because there is a lot of misconception about pensions in Nigeria; they will be able to have in-depth knowledge about pension governance in Nigeria, particularly from 2014 to 2024.

“Not only in Nigeria, but world over, misapplication or challenges of pension policies affect the common man on the street. That is why you come to Nigeria, you see people protesting, ‘I’ve not been paid my pension’, ‘I’ve worked, I’ve not been paid’.

“So these are the things my research work has tried to address, and once people are oriented with this policy formulation and then the pensioners know their rights and the people are told the realities of the situation on the ground, things will take a different dimension.

“The success of this academic milestone is to the glory of God. However, one thing people need to know about the Abuja Leadership Centre is that postgraduate students get quality and valued training. That is why I’m happy for my exposure and experience at the Centre,” Nyerere averred.

Other academicians present at the event include Professor Saleh Dauda, Professor Adewale Banjo, Dr. Success Ademeso, Dr. Eze Ukauwa, and Dr. N.O. Isana, Dr. Tunde Akande, and Dr. Adeyanju T. Peter.

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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Education

Nigerian Teen Makes Historic Breakthrough in $400,000 Global Science Competition

Published

22 hours ago

December 5, 2025

The Gleamer

A brilliant young Nigerian student, Daniel Adeluy ihas advanced to the semi-finals of the 2025 Breakthrough Junior Challenge, which is one of the world’s most prestigious global science competitions for teenagers.

From thousands of entries worldwide, only 30 semi-finalists were selected, and Daniel is the first Nigerian in the competition’s 11-year history to reach this remarkable stage.

Daniel’s submission, a visually engaging, two-minute video, explains wormholes in a simple and intuitive way. Why wormholes? In his words:

“For me, wormholes represent a path to reaching the seemingly unreachable. I’ve always been a curious person and an avid reader and books about space, physics, and the mysteries of the universe fascinate me. I find it interesting that physics can turn ideas that seem impossible into things that could be real. I love adventure, and my passion for science and media intersected perfectly in the Breakthrough Junior Challenge.”
The stakes are enormous:$250,000 university scholarship for the winner$50,000 prize for the teacher.

$100,000 state-of-the-art science laboratory for the school.

Daniel is on the verge of making history, and he needs public support to reach the finals.He has developed interests across academics, leadership, and creative activities.

He previously served as the Assistant Head Boy at Brickhall School Abuja, where he received the Chairman’s Award for Academic Excellence during his graduation ceremony. Daniel captains his estate’s U18 football team and also enjoys basketball.

In addition, he taught himself to play the keyboard and has composed a number of original pieces, reflecting his willingness to explore different skills and hobbies.

Daniel is the founder of BRAINS (Building Real-world Artificial Intelligence and Next-generation Skills), a youth-focused nonprofit that provides children with early exposure to artificial intelligence and emerging technologies.

His mission is to help younger students develop confidence and curiosity about the future of work.
A Passion for Learning, Storytelling, and Discovery.

Daniel credits his communication skills to his habit of consuming high-quality educational content.

He frequently watches National Geographic and history documentaries, and enjoys reading scientific classics such as A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking.These resources, he says, shaped his ability to connect complex ideas and present them in clear and engaging ways, skills essential to the Breakthrough Junior Challenge.

Since 2021, Daniel has also volunteered in his church (The Capital Assembly’s) media unit, where he gained hands-on experience in storytelling and content production. These skills played a direct role in the polished science video that earned him global recognition.

Call for Public SupportTo advance to the final round, Daniel needs likes on his video posted on both the Breakthrough Prize Facebook page and YouTube channel.The submission with the highest combined engagement gets a guaranteed spot in the finals.

Daniel is calling on Nigerians at home and abroad to support his journey.“I would be very grateful if people would watch my video and like it on both platforms if they enjoy it,” he said.

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