UNIDEL NAMES DR CHUKWUKA PUBLIC POLICY DIRECTOR

By Ewere Okonta, PhD

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The University of Delta, Agbor (UNIDEL), has appointed renowned researcher and management scholar, Dr. Ernest Jebolise Chukwuka, as Director of the Centre for Public Policy and Development Research (CPPDR), a Directorate under the Office of the Vice Chancellor.

Dr Chukwuka, who recently spoke on his new assignment during a media chat with me, said the appointment has placed a fresh responsibility on him to help position research as a practical tool for solving Nigeria's economic and social challenges.

He expressed profound gratitude to the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Eric Chiedum Eboh, for finding him worthy of the appointment, assuring that he would contribute meaningfully to the Vice Chancellor's Project RAISE UNIDEL Higher blueprint.

For a scholar with more than 15 years of research experience and over 100 publications in Scopus-indexed and other reputable peer-reviewed journals, the new assignment brings him directly into a field where research, government policy, industry and societal development intersect.

Dr Chukwuka is currently ranked, according to the 2026 Webometrics World Academic Ranking cited by the university, as the best researcher at UNIDEL. He is also one of the university's most cited scholars and has won several research grants.

His research credentials are complemented by extensive editorial and peer-review experience. He is the Managing Editor of the UNIDEL Journal of Management Sciences and has reviewed manuscripts for several international and national journals. He was also recognized as a Scopus journal reviewer of the year by one of the Scopus-indexed journals.

He holds a PhD in Management, specialising in Entrepreneurial Management, from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and possesses professional qualifications including Certified Management Consultant (CMC), Certified Management Specialist (CMS), Fellow of the Institute of Management Consultants (FIMC), and membership of the Academy of Management Nigeria (MAMN).

Before his appointment as Director of the CPPDR, Dr Chukwuka served for more than three years as Head of the Department of Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation at UNIDEL.

He is also a bestselling author whose books are published on Amazon and a visiting scholar at Virscend University, Irvine, California, USA.

From Research to Policy

But beyond the credentials lies a more demanding question: what should a university do with the knowledge it produces?

For Dr Chukwuka, the answer is to ensure that research does not end in academic journals.

He explained that the CPPDR is being positioned to create programmes capable of moving evidence into experimentation, experimentation into policy, and policy into measurable development outcomes.

The Centre's mandate is to engage in public policy advocacy and develop evidence-based policies capable of improving the economic and social wellbeing of Nigerians through research and consultation with government, civil society and industry.

That mandate places the Directorate at the intersection of academia and the wider society.

Bridging the University-Industry Gap

According to Dr Chukwuka, one of the central purposes of the CPPDR is to bridge the gap between the university's research capacity and the practical problems confronting society.

He noted that universities possess enormous intellectual resources, while government and industry have pressing challenges that require evidence, innovation and expertise.

The CPPDR is therefore expected to create a platform where those resources can meet.

The Directorate will serve as a research resource centre for governments on public policy and provide a platform for collaboration between UNIDEL, industries, civil society organisations and other stakeholders.

It is also expected to function as a policy innovation laboratory where ideas can be tested, refined and translated into practical interventions.

For Dr Chukwuka, the objective is not simply to produce more research, but to make existing and future research more useful.

A Different Measure of Research Impact

The new Director believes the impact of research should ultimately be measured by its ability to address real problems.

A research paper may add to academic literature, he noted in the course of the interaction, but the larger question is whether the knowledge generated can influence policy, improve an industry, support innovation or make a measurable difference in people's lives.

That philosophy could give the CPPDR a distinctive role within UNIDEL as the university continues to expand its research and innovation profile.

It also comes at a time when research commercialisation, digital-economy development, innovation financing and evidence-based policymaking are attracting increasing attention in Nigeria.

“I Will Contribute to Project RAISE UNIDEL Higher”

For Dr Chukwuka, his new position also provides another opportunity to contribute to the Vice Chancellor's development vision for the university.

While expressing his appreciation to Prof. Eboh for the confidence reposed in him, he pledged to bring his experience and expertise to bear on the university's growth.

The appointment, therefore, is not merely a change of office for the scholar. It places him at the head of a Directorate whose success will depend largely on its ability to convert UNIDEL's intellectual resources into solutions that governments, industries and communities can use.

That is the challenge ahead.

And for Dr Chukwuka, the message is clear: UNIDEL's research must not merely be read. It must be used.

Dr Ewere Okonta is the CEO of EOB Media, a family-values advocate, teacher and writer. He writes from the Department of Business Administration, University of Delta, Agbor.