IGBINEDION UNIVERSITY HOLDS 8TH GOVERNING COUNCIL RETREAT, CHARTS COURSE FOR RESEARCH COMMERCIALISATION AS FOUNDER TURNS 92

Igbinedion University, Okada (IUO), Nigeria’s first private University, held its 8th Governing Council Retreat at Kada Plaza, Benin City. The event focused on accelerating research translation, commercialisation and institutional sustainability under the theme “Council as Catalyst: Accelerating Research Translation, Commercialisation and Development for Sustainable Development.” It also marked the 92nd birthday of founder and Chancellor Sir Chief (Dr.) Gabriel Osawaru Igbinedion – ESAMA of Benin Kingdom – on 11th September 2026.

Vice-Chancellor Prof. Lawrence Ikechukwu Ezemonye PhD, FAS, paid tribute to the founder’s journey from humble beginnings to establishing Nigeria’s first private university in 1999. He noted IUO now runs over 96 accredited programmes across seven colleges and three schools.

Discussions centred on four areas: strategic leadership, resource mobilisation, intellectual property governance using the Triple Helix model, and data governance.

Samson Oyewale Ariyibi of Greenwich Holdings stressed that tuition alone cannot sustain the university. He proposed a “mobilise, generate, multiply” model involving philanthropy, alumni support, commercial activities and an endowment, and called for a dedicated Resource Mobilisation and Investment Office.

Dr. John O. Asein, Director-General of the Nigerian Copyright Commission, urged stronger IP policies, a properly resourced Technology Transfer Office, and pilot commercialisation of selected research projects to turn inventions into assets through university-industry-government collaboration.

Dr. Ivan Anya highlighted compliance with Nigeria’s Data Protection Act 2023. With sensitive data on more than 5,000 students and hospital patients, he recommended appointing a Data Protection Officer, regular audits, hybrid storage and a dedicated Data Governance Committee.

Prof. Ezemonye closed by urging Council to turn deliberations into concrete strategies so the university becomes a hub for research commercialisation, innovation and job creation rather than remaining dependent on traditional models.