The University of Lagos Consultancy Services (UNILAG Consult Ltd.) is set to celebrate the Executive Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Duoye Diri, with a triple landmark event: a book launch, international public lecture, and inauguration of a Professorial Chair in Leadership and Good Governance.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (MD/CEO) of UNILAG Consult Ltd, Professor John Lekan Oyefara, FNASA, disclosed this plan at a press conference held on Wednesday, October 8, 2025, at the UNILAG Consult Ltd. Building, Akoka.
Triple Events Set for November 5, 2025
Professor Oyefara revealed that the celebration will hold on Wednesday, November 5, 2025, at the J.F. Ade-Ajayi Auditorium (Main) Auditorium, UNILAG, Akoka.
The day will feature a triple event:
- Book Launch: The unveiling of a thought-provoking book titled: Leadership Chronicles of Governor Duoye Diri.
- International Public Lecture: A lecture featuring distinguished speakers from within and outside Nigeria.
- Professorial Chair Inauguration: The formal establishment of a Professorial Chair on Leadership and Good Governance in honour of Governor Diri.
Celebrating a Forward-Looking Leader
The MD/CEO lauded Governor Diri, describing him as “one of Nigeria’s most exemplary leaders.” He emphasised that the book launch, public lecture, and Professorial Chair inauguration were specifically designed to celebrate and institutionalize the governor’s leadership ethos, which exemplifies vision, inclusiveness, and integrity.
“His commitment to technology-driven governance, democratic values, and national unity stands as a model for both current and aspiring leaders,” Professor Oyefara stated. He added that Governor Diri has proven himself as a “true patriot, a voice for freedom, progress, and peace in our nation.”
According to him, with the initiative, UNILAG Consult Ltd seeks not only to document Governor Diri’s inspiring story but also to create a sustainable academic platform that will “inspire rigorous inquiry into the dynamics of good governance in Nigeria and across Africa.”
The new Professorial Chair is expected to ensure that the lessons of Governor Diri’s leadership continue to shape minds, policies, and public service culture for generations to come.
According to Professor Oyefara, the Professorial Chair will serve as a living academic legacy dedicated to promoting research, teaching, and policy dialogue on ethics in leadership, transparency, innovation, and people-centered governance.
Professor Oyefara concluded the briefing by inviting the general public, national and international dignitaries, members of the academia, policymakers, and the diplomatic community to join in the Wednesday, November 5, 2025 events to honour Senator Duoye Diri, Executive Governor of Bayelsa State.
Q & A Session
At the brief Question and Answer Session that followed the Managing Director’s presentation, Professor Hope Eghagha, the General Editor of UNILAG Consult’s series on leadership, clarified that the choice of Governor Diri as the subject of the publication was made on an empirical basis.
“As it is our practice here at the Consult, our publications are research-based, they are empirical and verifiable. Governor Diri’s inclusive and innovative approach to governance commended him to us. Among other things, we saw with our eyes how drones were used to deliver medications to far-flung communities, separated from the capital city of Yenagoa by hours drive of water travel.”
He emphasised that the rationale for the Consult’s focus on governance and leadership, with the series, was to spotlight the good things happening in the country amidst all the noise of negativity. He further clarified that Governor Diri was not the beneficiary of the professorial chair but the financier of research that will be done by the eventual occupier in the field of Governance and Leadership.
The project consultant, Mr. Sola Odewusi, also reiterated that the publication series is a natural outflow of the research-based consultancy of the outfit, guided by their empirical search for evidence of impactful leadership across Nigeria. He disclosed that similar works of research are ongoing on some other identified persons in the leadership space and subsequent publications would be made on them.
Report: Isaiah Kumuyi
Photography: Joshua Michael
