The University of Lagos Senate, on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, honoured two of its members, Professor Uche Nkiruka Udeani and Professor Ben Emukufia Akpoyomare Oghojafor, as they take a bow out of the university service.
The retirement date of Professor Oghojafor of the Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Management Sciences is Sunday, February 1, 2026 while that of Professor Udeani of the Department of Science Education, Faculty of Education is Tuesday, February 3, 2026.
The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Folasade Ogunsola, OON, FAS, in her capacity as the Chairperson of the Meeting, read the citations of the two distinguished academics. She congratulated the duo for their illustrious service in various capacities, to the University in particular and Nigeria, in general.
The honorees, in separate responses delivered physically by Professor Udeani and virtually by Professor Oghojafor, expressed gratitude to the University Senate for the honour. They also thanked the UNILAG community for providing a platform for them to be able to find career fulfillment while contributing to the body of knowledge and grooming future leaders.
Below are the citations of the two illustrious professors:
Professor Ben Emukufia Akpoyomare Oghojafor was born on February 1, 1956 in Abraka, Delta State. He received his academic training at the University of Lagos, where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, Master’s degree in Strategic Planning, and Doctorate Degree in Strategic Management. His doctoral research on executive succession and organizational adjustment in Nigerian quoted firms positioned him early as a respected authority in corporate governance and strategic management.
Professor Oghojafor rose through the ranks to become a Professor in 2004. He has made enduring contributions to knowledge through the authorship of five books and over seventy peer-reviewed journal articles. His scholarly excellence earned him the British Academy of Management Best Full Paper Award in 2014. He is also a devoted mentor, having supervised and co-supervised more than twenty-one doctoral graduates who now serve with distinction across academia and industry.
Within the University of Lagos, he served meritoriously as Head of Department, Dean of the Faculty of Business Administration, and Deputy Vice Chancellor (Management Services). His tenure was marked by transformational achievements, including the successful accreditation of academic programmes, the establishment of a sustainable academic succession framework, contributions to the University’s long-term strategic plan, and the repositioning of the Distance Learning Institute for Open and Distance Learning.
In March 2023, Professor Oghojafor was appointed pioneer Vice Chancellor of Dennis Osadebay University, Asaba. Faced with the challenges of building a new institution, he provided purposeful and strategic leadership that strengthened manpower capacity, expanded academic programmes (particularly in health and agriculture), secured critical TETFUND interventions, and accelerated infrastructural development. Under his stewardship, the University has recorded remarkable growth in enrolment, infrastructure, and institutional confidence.
Beyond academia, Professor Oghojafor is a distinguished public servant and administrator. A Fellow of several professional bodies and a long-standing member of National Universities Commission accreditation teams, he remains a trusted voice in institutional governance. He currently serves as Chairman, Board of Trustees of United Bank for Africa Plc.
Professor Ben Emukufia Akpoyomare Oghojafor’s legacy is firmly etched in the institutions he has strengthened, the minds he has shaped, and the future he continues to inspire.
Professor Uche Nkiruka Udeani was born on February 3, 1956 in Bida, Niger State. She holds a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree in Zoology and PhD in Science Education from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. She is a Professor of Science Education and an Equal Opportunities Specialist.
Professor Udeani started her career at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka as an Assistant Lecturer in 1982, joined the Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Portharcourt in 1991 and in 1994 joined the University of Lagos. She rose through the ranks to become a Professor in 2014. Her inaugural lecture titled Beyond Bias and Barriers: Fulfilling the Potentials of Women and Girls in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics was delivered on Wednesday, October 9, 2019.
A renowned academic cum administrator per excellence, Professor Udeani has served the University in various capacities including Director of the Distance Learning Institute (DLI) from 2018 to 2023 and until date the Chairman, UNILAG CONSULT Board. A member of UNILAG Senate since 2014; she has served as Acting Head, Department of Science and Technology Education; Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, UNILAG STEP-B Project; Coordinator, Siemens Stiftung EXPERIMENTO and BeMINT projects; Coordinator, University of Lancaster, staff and students entrepreneurial leadership projects and Lead, UNILAG Teaching and Learning Pillar, AFRETEC Network.
Professor Udeani is a distinguished science educator whose research focuses on conceptual learning, adaptive cognition, and the use of prior conceptions in the learning of science concepts. In line with her strong scholarly interest in addressing the under-representation of girls and women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines, she developed a Gender Inclusive Instructional Strategy to promote girls’ participation and achievement in science education, and founded the Girls and Science Outreach (GASO), a non-governmental, non-profit organization dedicated to popularizing STEM careers among Nigerian girls.
She has over seventy (70) scholarly publications, and has authored and co-authored eight books. A recipient of several national and international grants, fellowships and awards, she has supervised eight (8) Doctoral dissertations. In 2017, she was appointed to the Programme Committee of the International Dialogue on STEM.
Beyond academia, she is actively engaged in community service initiatives focused on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), women empowerment and rehabilitation of street children.
Professor Udeani was married to Late Engineer (Sir) Alexander Udeani. She is blessed with lovely children and grandchildren.
