Egwunyenga Names Dean, HODs For DELSU’s New Communication Faculty In Last Minute Appointments

In what might be easily described as last minute strategic leadership, the immediate past Vice-Chancellor of Delta State University, Abraka, Prof. Andy Egwunyenga, has approved the appointment of Dr. Majority Oji as the acting Dean of Faculty of Communication and Media Studies.

According to the appointment letter sighted by DELSU Echo, the appointment is for one year, beginning from November 28, 2024.

The letter, dated October 29, 2024, was signed by Mr. E. O. Ekuerhare, a Principal Assistant Registrar in the university’s Senate unit.

Also, Egwunyenga appointed Dr. Patrick Ijeh as the acting Head of the Department of Broadcasting, and Journalism and Media Studies, a position he might occupy currently with his role as Deputy Director in the Directorate of Ceremonials, Information and Public Relations.

Furthermore, Dr. Presley Obukodata, who recently joined the services of the university as an Associate Professor, was named the acting Head of the Department of Public Relations and Advertising, one of the three departments under the new faculty.

Also appointed was Dr. Lucky Ojoboh, who is to head the Department of Mass Communication, and Film and Multimedia for the next one year.

Recall that the National Universities Commission (NUC) had unbundled the Mass Communication programme into a full fledged faculty with distinct departments and programmes.

DELSU, under the focused leadership of Egwunyenga, had gone ahead to join the first few Nigerian universities to embrace the inevitable change, leading to the establishment of  three departments and six programmes.

In April, the Egwunyenga administration appointed Oji as the acting Head of Mass Communication, with the implicit expectation of steering the unbundled department into a full fledge faculty.

Accordingly, the NUC had visited the proposed faculty in July 2024 for resource verification and the outcome was successful, resulting in the admission of students into the newly created departments in the 2024/2025 academic session.

The university management also approved the relocation of staff and students in the new faculty to another complex in the academic zone, Site 3.

Egwunyenga’s tenure ended on Saturday, November 30, after five years of being in the saddle as the 7th substantive Vice-Chancellor of DELSU.

At a brief handover ceremony, the new Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Samuel Asagba declared that the expansive Faculty of Management Sciences complex built by the Egwunyenga administration will be named after the outgoing Vice-Chancellor.

Asagba also disclosed that his administration will promote staff and students’ welfare, shore up internally generated revenue, tackle electricity power challenges, and raise the level of scholarship in DELSU.