Anambra State’s Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University now has a new Chancellor, with the appointment of Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Most Rev. Matthew Kukah.
The appointment was announced on Wednesday in a statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Chukwuma Soludo, Christian Aburime.
According to the statement, Bishop Kukah’s appointment is expected to strengthen the university’s global visibility and open doors for international partnerships.
It also said his role would help promote ethical leadership and support the goal of producing well-rounded graduates.
Aburime described Kukah as an eminent Nigerian intellectual and cleric whose work combines academic scholarship with advocacy for social justice.
“The appointment of Bishop Kukah as the Chancellor of the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University is expected to provide leverage of his global network to foster international partnerships, inspire ethical leadership in the University, and signal a commitment to producing well-rounded graduates,” the statement read.
Bishop Kukah’s academic journey spans several institutions.
He studied Philosophy and Theology at St. Augustine Major Seminary in Jos and obtained a diploma in Religious Studies from the University of Ibadan.
He later earned a Bachelor of Divinity from the Pontifical Urban University in Rome, a Master’s degree in Peace Studies from the University of Bradford, and a Ph.D. from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, in 1990.
He also studied at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom and Harvard University in the United States.
Beyond academia, Kukah is the founder of The Kukah Centre, an organisation focused on interfaith dialogue, research, and policy reform.
The appointment reflects the state government’s push to strengthen leadership in tertiary institutions while expanding the university’s academic and global engagements.
Credit: ThePunch
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