The University of Lagos Consultancy Services Limited (UNILAG Consult Ltd), on Wednesday, November 5, 2025, will launch a book and inaugurate a Professorial Chair in honour of the Executive Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri.
The event, which equally features a public lecture, will hold at the main auditorium of the University of Lagos, Akoka. Speaking at a media briefing earlier held on the project, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of UNILAG Consult Ltd, Prof. John Lekan Oyefara (JP), noted that the “triple event: the book launch, the international lecture, and the Professorial Chair inauguration will celebrate and institutionalise the leadership ideals and accomplishments of Governor Duoye Diri, whose governance style embodies 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.”
The initiative, he said, aims to document and promote Governor Diri’s leadership philosophy and create a platform that would inspire academic inquiry into the principles of good governance in Nigeria and across Africa.
Oyefara explained that the Professorial Chair would serve as a lasting academic legacy that promotes research, teaching, and policy dialogue on ethics, transparency, innovation, and people-oriented governance.
He said: “At the University of Lagos, we have a tradition on assessing leaders in Nigeria. We use our own templates and standards that are global to measure the leadership in Nigeria.”
Also speaking, The Lead Editor of the project, Prof. Hope Eghagha, stated that the idea was an independent assessment of the governor’s performance in office either in infrastructure or human capacity development through interviews that were conducted. Eghagha said the project examined the state of security in the state and discovered there had been much improvement under the present administration.
He recalled witnessing Governor Diri’s innovative use of technology, including deploying drones to deliver medical supplies to remote riverine areas, an initiative he described as “rare and commendable.”
Eghagha noted that a similar leadership documentation project had earlier been done for Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
UNILAG Consult said the event is expected to attract national and international dignitaries, members of the academia, policymakers, and diplomats, all gathering to celebrate a leader whose service exemplifies transparency, unity, and innovation in governance.
