Professor Steve Azaiki inaugurated as the pro Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of Ritman University.

 CONGRATULATIONS are in order as PROF. STEVE SINIKIEM AZAIKI, PhD, OON, was inaugurated as the pro Chancellor and Chairman OF THE  GOVERNING COUNCIL ON THE 27TH OF JULY, 2026

The Excited Prof Shared the Good news on  his facebook  Handle 

Today, I had the privilege of being inaugurated as the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of Ritman University, alongside other distinguished Nigerians drawn from academia, politics, industry, entrepreneurship, and the public service.

This honour, coming from far beyond my home state, is deeply humbling and inspires me to work even harder in service to our nation and the advancement of higher education.

I sincerely thank the Visitor, Distinguished Senator Emmanuel Ibok Essien, the Board of Trustees, and the entire Ritman University community for the confidence reposed in me. I am truly grateful and look forward to serving with dedication, integrity, and excellence.

REMARKS BY THE PRO-CHANCELLOR AND CHAIRMAN OF THE THIRD GOVERNING COUNCIL, RITMAN UNIVERSITY, PROF. STEVE SINIKIEM AZAIKI, PhD, OON, AT THE INAUGURATION OF THE THIRD GOVERNING COUNCIL ON THE 27TH OF JULY, 2026

Protocols

The Founder and Visitor of Ritman University, Distinguished Senator Emmanuel Ibok Essien;

The Chancellor;

The Vice-Chancellor;

Members of the Board of Trustees;

Distinguished Members of the Governing Council;

Principal Officers of the University;

Members of Senate;

Members of Staff;

Students;

Distinguished Guests;

Ladies and Gentlemen.

It is with profound humility, deep gratitude, and an abiding sense of responsibility that I stand before you today as the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Third Governing Council of Ritman University.

First and foremost, I wish to express my sincere appreciation to the Founder and Visitor, the Board of Trustees, and the entire Ritman University community for the confidence reposed in me through this appointment. I regard this responsibility not as a personal honour alone but as a call to service—a commitment to contribute my experience, networks, and energy towards advancing the University’s vision of becoming a globally respected institution distinguished for academic excellence, innovation, entrepreneurship, and character development.

As I assume this responsibility, I do so with humility, conscious that whatever experience I have acquired over the years is a privilege entrusted to me for service. I have been fortunate to serve as a faculty member of institutions overseas and to contribute in executive and leadership capacities within several international organisations, including the World Council of Comparative Education Societies (WCCES), the Southern African Comparative and History of Education Society (SACHES), the Parliamentary Network on the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, where I served as Vice Chairman, and the Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption (GOPAC), among others. Within Nigeria, I have also had the privilege of serving as a Member and later Pro-Chancellor of the Governing Council of the Niger Delta University, as a Member of the Governing Council of the Federal University of Technology, Akure, and currently as a pioneer Member of the Board of Trustees of Hensard University, Toru-Orua, Bayelsa State. I mention these experiences only to underscore my commitment to drawing upon the lessons they have offered in working collaboratively with all stakeholders for the continued growth and success of Ritman University.

The inauguration of a Governing Council marks not merely the beginning of another administrative cycle. Rather, it represents an opportunity to reimagine the future of our institution, to build on existing achievements, and to position Ritman University as a university that anticipates the future instead of merely responding to it.

The world of higher education is changing at an unprecedented pace. Artificial Intelligence, Industry 4.0 technologies, the knowledge economy, digital transformation, demographic shifts, climate challenges, and global competition are redefining what universities teach, how they teach, and the kind of graduates society expects them to produce.

Consequently, the responsibility before this Governing Council is to ensure that Ritman University remains ahead of these changes.

While the Governing Council shall work closely with the Vice-Chancellor, Senate, Management, Staff, Students, and all stakeholders in accordance with the University’s laws and established governance structures, I wish to present a tentative four-point strategic outlook that may guide our collective efforts over the coming years.

1.  Curriculum Innovation for the Fourth Industrial Revolution

Our first priority shall be curriculum transformation.

The future belongs to graduates who possess not only disciplinary knowledge but also digital competence, entrepreneurial capacity, creativity, critical thinking, interdisciplinary skills, and the ability to solve complex societal problems.

To this end, we shall encourage the continuous review of academic programmes to align them with emerging global realities and the needs of industry.

Particularly, we intend to explore strategic collaboration with prospective partners such as the Institute of Science & Technology, Yenagoa, whose centres of excellence possess considerable expertise in digital education, applied science, innovation ecosystems, educational technology, remote learning systems, curriculum development, and emerging technologies.

Such collaborations may support the development of Industry 4.0-oriented programmes in areas including Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Digital Manufacturing, Renewable Energy, Smart Agriculture, Biotechnology, Cybersecurity, Educational Technology, Entrepreneurship, Innovation Management, and other future-facing disciplines.

Our aspiration is simple:

To produce graduates who are not merely job seekers but innovators, researchers, entrepreneurs, and solution providers.

2.  Internationalisation and Global Academic Partnerships

Secondly, this Council shall actively support the internationalisation agenda of Ritman University.

No university today can attain global relevance by operating in isolation.

Fortunately, the University can leverage extensive international academic relationships that have been cultivated over many years.

These networks provide opportunities for institutional collaborations with universities, research institutes, and higher education organisations across Europe, North America, Africa, and other regions.

Potential areas of collaboration include institutions such as the University of Communication and Management (WSKiZ) in Poznań, Poland, where I currently serve as Director of the Centre for Polish and African Affairs; the National Technical University of Ukraine; the Interregional Academy of Personnel Management, Ukraine; the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine—my alma mater; Emmanuel University in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Helix4HE Consultancy, United Kingdom; and other strategic international partners. These relationships create opportunities for joint degrees, faculty and student exchanges, collaborative research, visiting professorships, innovation partnerships, and international grant development.

Our vision is to position Ritman University as an institution whose classrooms are locally rooted but globally connected.

3.  Strengthening Research, Innovation and Knowledge Partnerships

Our third strategic priority is research excellence.

Universities earn global respect not merely through teaching but through the knowledge they create.

Accordingly, this Governing Council shall encourage stronger research collaborations with internationally respected scholarly associations, policy institutes, and learned societies.

Among the partnerships we hope to cultivate are engagements with the Africa Policy and Research Consortium (APRC), co-chaired by Prof. (Amb.) Mondy Selle Gold and Dr. Biki S. V. Minyuku; the Global Africa Comparative & International Education Society (GA-CIES) under the leadership of Professor N’Dri T. Assie-Lumumba of Cornell University; and the International Society for Comparative Education, Science & Technology (ISCEST) Nigeria led by Professor Matthew O. Wegwu.

Through these and similar partnerships, we envisage expanding collaborative research projects, international conferences, policy dialogues, postgraduate research networks, scholarly publications, innovation ecosystems, and access to competitive international research funding.

Our objective is to establish Ritman University as an important contributor to solving national, African, and global challenges through impactful research.

4.  Transforming Teaching and Learning through Digital Education

Finally, we shall support a comprehensive transformation of pedagogy through digital learning.

The future university is not defined merely by physical infrastructure but by the quality, flexibility, accessibility, and technological sophistication of its learning environment.

In this regard, we shall encourage the development of a modern digital learning ecosystem supported by the Centre for Remote and Digital Learning (CRADLE) of the Institute of Science & Technology Yenagoa.

Such an ecosystem can support hybrid learning, virtual laboratories, digital libraries, learning analytics, artificial intelligence-enabled student support systems, online assessment, faculty development, and lifelong learning opportunities.

Digital transformation is not intended to replace traditional classroom teaching; rather, it is designed to enrich teaching, improve learning outcomes, expand access, and prepare our graduates for an increasingly digital world.

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,

These four strategic directions represent only an initial outlook.

The Governing Council recognises that institutional transformation is a collective responsibility. Success will depend upon collaboration with the Founder, Board of Trustees, Vice-Chancellor, Senate, Management, Staff, Students, Alumni, Government, Industry, Development Partners, and our wider community.

I therefore pledge that this Council shall be guided by the principles of integrity, accountability, transparency, academic freedom, institutional autonomy, innovation, inclusiveness, and excellence.

Together, we shall build upon the solid foundation already established and work tirelessly to elevate Ritman University into a globally recognised centre of excellence.

May future generations remember this Council as one that chose vision over complacency, innovation over convention, collaboration over isolation, and excellence over mediocrity.

I thank the Founder and Visitor once again for the confidence reposed in us.

I thank all members of the University community for your continued support.

May God Almighty bless Ritman University.

May God bless Akwa Ibom State.

And may God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Thank you all.