Anambra State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, CFR, has approved the appointment of Professor Kate Azuka Omenugha as Acting Vice-Chancellor, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (COOU).
Omenugha served two terms as Commissioner for Education in Anambra State. She studied in Nigeria and the United Kingdom clinching diverse degrees in Education, English, Communication, Gender and Cultural Studies.
She was among the first set that graduated at College of Education Nsugbe where she clinched a Distinction in English – the first in the Department. She later went to the University of Nigeria for her first and second degrees before travelling to the University of Gloucestershire, United Kingdom for her Ph.D.
Before her appointment by Governor Willie Obiano, she has been a passionate and a vibrant academic. She was the Head of Department of Mass Communication, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka, Anambra State, Nigeria for six consecutive years (2006 – 2012).
Within those years she brought phenomenal changes and growth in the department. This included the initiation and take-off of UNIZIK 94.1 FM – the campus radio station and sustaining it for the years it has existed, first as its Chair and later the Director. Prof. Kate Omenugha has to her credit over seventy book chapters, journal articles, conference papers, solicited papers, technical reports, books and monographs published both locally and internationally. She has served as advisor and External Examiner for Undergraduate and Postgraduate programmes in over 15 Universities, within and outside Nigeria, including University of Legon, Ghana and Coventry University, UK. Prof Omenugha’s expertise has been useful in the assessment of academics to the rank of professors.
As the Honourable Commissioner for Education, Prof Omenugha assisted the Governor of the State, His Excellency Dr Willie Obiano in revolutionizing education in many uncommon ways. She has brought passion, integrity and entrepreneurial spirit into the education sector.
She has continued to gain national and international recognition. She was adjudged the Best Performing Commissioner in 2015 by His Excellency, Chief Dr Willie Obiano. She is also the recipient of 2015 Entrepreneur Award at the United Nations at 70 initiative in New York on November 20, 2015 in recognition of her commitment to entrepreneurship development.
It is on record that in her tenure as the Commissioner, Anambra State hosted the 2014 International Literacy Day, the 2016 conference of All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS). Anambra State too hosted the Joint Consultative Committee on Education (JCCE) Reference Committees from 27th February to 3rd March 2017.
She has been invited as a resource person in many educational programmes at both national and international levels. Some of these are worthy of mention: Nigeria’s Annual Education Conference 2016 which held in Sheraton, Abuja on 8th November, 2016 with theme “Learning opportunities for all: the critical role of teacher”; The future of Learning Conference by Microsoft Nigeria and Dynamiss Digital Learning Solutions on 18th May 2016; lead paper presenter at Academic international conference of Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU) in May 2017.
She was one of the invited speakers in the British Education Training and Technology (BETT) 2017 in Abu Dhabi in April 2017 where over 1,600 education policy-makers, leaders and experts from over 35 countries participated in the two day Leadership Summit and Expo where the latest trends, challenges and advancements in education and technology was addressed, with a distinct focus on the Middle East and Africa.