Former Minister of Aviation and public policy advocate, Osita Chidoka, has been appointed as a Visiting Lecturer at Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka.
The appointment was offered by the Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Bond Anyaehie, and has been accepted by Chidoka.
Chidoka will serve as a visiting lecturer at the Alex Ekwueme Institute of Leadership and Innovation at the university. The offer came after he delivered a lead paper at the Faculty of Management Sciences International Conference.
In his paper titled “Governance as the Foundation for Africa’s Future: Building Institutions That Convert Growth into Development”, Chidoka argued that Africa’s progress depends more on strong and trusted institutions than on population size, natural resources, or economic growth projections alone.
He used the 2004 Okija shrine saga as a metaphor to illustrate how public trust has shifted away from state institutions over the years.
Chidoka emphasised that governance is essentially about making public authority believable again. He compared the role of the state to that of accountancy, noting that just as accounting builds confidence through auditable claims, the state must build legitimacy by making its decisions, finances, standards, and consequences visible and subject to public scrutiny.
He concluded that trust is a form of infrastructure. Without it, economic growth remains mere statistics, but with trusted institutions, nations can convert opportunities into security, productivity, fairness, and shared prosperity.
The announcement has been welcomed by many who see it as a positive move that will allow Chidoka to share his experience in governance and public leadership with students and researchers.
Chidoka, in his statement, described the appointment as an opportunity to contribute to building stronger institutions in Nigeria and across Africa.
The development comes as universities in Nigeria continue to seek ways to bridge the gap between academic theory and practical governance experience.
