The Federal University Otuoke (FUO) has officially installed His Royal Majesty Agaba-Idu Dr. Elaigwu Odogbo Obagaji, CON, Paramount Ruler of the Idoma Kingdom Worldwide, as the university’s new Chancellor. The ceremony, marked with grandeur and pageantry, was held at FUO’s newly built Indoor Sports Hall on the West Campus.
The installation coincided with the university’s second combined convocation lecture, covering graduates from the 4th to 9th sets. Vice Chancellor Professor Teddy Charles Adias led the installation under the supervision of Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council, His Excellency Barr. Ali Sa’ad Birnin Kudu, former Governor of Jigawa State.
Professor Adias thanked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the appointment and expressed confidence that the new Chancellor’s leadership would drive FUO toward greater academic and institutional excellence. He described the university as an emerging hub for scholarship, innovation, and national unity.
In his inaugural address, the new Chancellor expressed gratitude to God, President Tinubu, and the university management, viewing the role as a call to national service. He pledged to serve with integrity, foster infrastructure development partnerships, promote unity among staff and students, and position FUO as a centre of excellence.
Pro-Chancellor Birnin Kudu lauded the installation as a milestone, highlighting the Chancellor’s experience and leadership as pivotal in reinforcing the university’s values and traditions.
The convocation lecture, delivered by Chief Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, Managing Director/CEO of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), was titled “From Degree-Awarding to Problem-Solving Institutions: Retooling University Education for Nation Building.” Ogbuku criticized the overemphasis on certificates in Nigerian universities at the expense of practical skills and called for curriculum redesign to promote innovation and address real-world challenges, including unemployment, insecurity, and environmental degradation.
Ogbuku encouraged FUO to prioritise community-impact projects, strengthen industry partnerships, and nurture graduates as job creators. He also announced NDDC projects for FUO, including 5km of internal roads, a convocation pavilion, and a five-star NYSC lodge. Additionally, he pledged personal endowments for two professorial chairs—one in honour of his late father and another dedicated to cancer research.
Other highlights of the event included cultural displays and drama by students from the Department of Film and Theatre Arts, induction of the Chancellor’s wife into the Women Association of FUO (WAFUO), and the administration of professional oaths to graduating education students by the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria.
The ceremony drew principal officers, staff, students, and dignitaries from across Nigeria, underscoring FUO’s commitment to academic excellence and national development.
