The Abuja Leadership Centre (ALC), Yakubu Gowon University, formerly the University of Abuja, awarded Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degrees to five of its students and a Master’s Degree to another student in Public Governance and Leadership on Monday.
Notable recipients of the Doctoral Degree include seasoned and award-winning journalist Macaulay Imoniero Amarere and Hilary Chima Ogbonna, Senior Human Rights Advisor to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). The other PhD graduates are Makoji Musa Abdullahi, Usman Musa, and Muhammad Ndayako. Emmanella Etete-Ita, the CEO of SureStart School Abuja, received a Master’s Degree in the same field.
According to Professor Philip Dahida, the Director of the Centre, these academic achievements were awarded after the candidates successfully met all requirements, including the defense of their theses and dissertations on August 11, 2025.
Professor Dahida praised external examiner Professor Akongbowa Bramwell Akongbowa from Federal University Wukari, Taraba State, for his professionalism, knowledge transfer, and passion in evaluating the doctoral and master’s candidates. He commended the recipients for their resilience in pursuing knowledge and urged them to apply their research to improve Nigerian society.
Dahida also acknowledged the contributions of both academic and non-academic staff at ALC, as well as the support from the university’s Post Graduate School and leadership.
After the significant academic milestone, renowned broadcast journalist Imoni Amarere from DAAR Communications (AIT) emphasized the importance of conscious governance and leadership development in society. He noted that a significant number of unprepared individuals occupy leadership roles, which hinders national development and effective governance.
Amarere pledged to apply the knowledge he gained in his daily life and work as a journalist and activist.
He stated, “There is no doubt about it, which is why we need to teach leadership. Many people in power today did not have the benefit of learning leadership and were thrust into challenging roles without any foundational knowledge of what leadership entails.
“We need to consciously build leadership by teaching and experiencing it. Many in positions of authority today lack proper training. Universities, including the University of Abuja, should create programs that bring current leaders back to the classroom to learn about public governance and leadership. They must be taught, reminded, and their memories refreshed so they can apply these lessons in their daily duties and responsibilities, whether as legislators or governors.”
Hilary Ogbonna, an International Development and Human Rights Expert, explained that his doctoral thesis, which focused on the challenges of managing internal displacement, can help address significant issues plaguing various parts of Nigeria. He expressed concern that poor governance is a primary challenge to Nigeria’s development, stating, “Governance is not just a theory; it must be applied. The failure to execute effective governance is a significant barrier to Nigeria’s progress.”
“Governance involves transparency, accountability, resource utilization, and mobilization,” Ogbonna continued. “Despite having many revenues, we must ask how we spend them and how we draft and implement our public budgets. Are our budgets socially oriented? Are they designed to provide jobs?
“We lack a governance focus and a rights-based approach to managing our economy. I’m not just referring to internal displacement; I’m talking about overall economic management and public budget implementation. Without this focus, we remain in our current situation,” Ogbonna lamented.
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.