Na wetin we dey see here? Na new vibes as Prof Oluyele Akinkugbe don land as the new President and Vice-Chancellor for James Hope University wey dey Lagos. E don take effect since February 16, 2026, as di Board of Trustees don approve am. As e be, dis na homecoming for am because e don dey before as di Founding Dean of di university.
Di statement wey dem release talk say dis appointment na historic matter. Akinkugbe wey sabi economic matter well well, go lead di institution wey e help build from scratch. Di Board don talk say him leadership philosophy get focus on wetin dem dey call sustainable governance, financial resilience, faculty development, and community engagement. Abeg, dis man get plans wey go carry di university enter the next level.
Before e come back, e don dey do big things as di Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) for di University of Kigali. Dis man really sabi how to make education better, as him don sabi advance di institution’s growth and global positioning. With over 40 years of experience, Akinkugbe get plenty things wey don learn for teaching, research, policy advisory, and university management across plenty countries like Africa, Europe, North America and Southeast Asia.
Him academic background na for serious quantitative analysis and real-life policy application. E get PhD in Applied Econometrics from di University of Ibadan where him thesis follow one big macroeconomic model wey fit explain di Nigerian economy. Akinkugbe don hold senior positions for different universities, even manage di largest faculty for University of Namibia wey get more than 10,000 students and about 70 faculty and staff.
Na true say e don also work as consultant for big organizations like di World Trade Organisation, United Nations Development Programme, Africa Development Bank, and plenty more. When dem ask am wetin e go focus on as di new vice-chancellor, Akinkugbe talk say him strategy go be to deepen academic excellence, expand global partnerships, strengthen institutional sustainability, and make access broader for people wey wan learn. Him get vision to make di university become a big player for di socio-economic transformation of Nigeria.
For people wey no sabi James Hope University, na Jim Ovia, di Chairman of Zenith Bank, na im establish di school. Dem dey offer postgraduate programs like Executive MBA, MBA, and specialized MSc degrees for plenty fields like Finance, Fintech & Analytics, Innovation & Entrepreneurship, and Economic Development & Policy Analysis. Na serious syllabus wey go help people make sense of this obongue economy.
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