The President of the Senate of the Federal Republic, Chief Godswill Obot Akpabio, GCON, is the Guest Lecturer for the 49th Convocation Lecture billed for Saturday, 13th December, 2025, at the Oduduwa Hall Amphitheatre of the University.

No doubt, the University is set for a grand intellectual convergence as it once again steps into national relevance as a crucible of ideas and intellectual renewal through its Convocation Lecture, a flagship event expected to draw scholars, policymakers, students and the wider public into a profound conversation on the future of leadership in Nigeria.

The lecture, titled “Raising a New Generation of Leaders for the World in Such a Difficult Time through University Education,” comes at an inflection point in the nation’s history. With rising youth unemployment, widening governance deficits, and global economic shocks, the need for a new cadre of resilient, ethical, globally competitive leaders has never been more compelling.

The choice of the President of the Senate and Chairman of the National Assembly, His Excellency, Chief Godswill Obot Akpabio, GCON, as the 49th Convocation Lecturer has been described by University stakeholders as both “timely” and “strategically apt,” given his track record in governance and his longstanding reputation for transformational leadership.

Akpabio, a former two-term Governor of Akwa Ibom State, earned national and continental acclaim for what has often been termed his “uncommon transformation agenda.” His administration delivered landmark achievements, including the Ibom International Airport, a network of urban and rural roads, modern flyovers, and the internationally acclaimed Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Nigeria’s only FIFA-certified facility at the time. He also made bold investments in education through free and compulsory schooling up to secondary level, and in healthcare via free medical services for vulnerable groups and the establishment of the Ibom Multi-Specialist Hospital. These interventions, documented widely in national media, have been credited with repositioning the state as a model of progressive governance.

The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Adebayo Simeon Bamire, speaking for the University officials, said these credentials make Senator Akpabio uniquely suited to dissect the lecture’s central concern: how University systems can become incubators for a new generation of leaders capable of navigating a world marked by volatility, uncertainty and rapid transformation. “This lecture is not merely ceremonial, it is a call to action for academia, government and society,” the OAU helmsman added.

As Senate President, Akpabio has continued to push legislative reforms targeted at national stability, youth empowerment, and socioeconomic advancement, further elevating expectations that his lecture will provide both diagnosis and direction at a time when Nigeria urgently needs a clear roadmap to the future.

The University has, therefore, urged the general public, scholars, policymakers, industry leaders, and students to attend what it describes as “a defining intellectual moment.” With the theme resonating deeply across Nigeria’s current realities, OAU appears set to once again affirm its historic role as a premier citadel of ideas where great minds converge to not only shape national and global futures, but also steer the nation through turbulent times.