Professor Blessing Ose Oligbi (Ph.D.) is a highly distinguished Nigerian economist, academic scholar, and senior university administrator with a remarkable career spanning over two decades of intellectual excellence and institutional leadership.
She currently serves as the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic & Research) at Igbinedion University, Okada (IUO), Edo State, a prestigious appointment she assumed on January 8, 2026, following her tenure as Dean of the Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan College of Arts and Social Sciences and as Senate Representative on the University Governing Council.
A Professor of Public Sector and Development Economics, her academic formation is deeply rooted in the discipline of Economics, beginning with a B.Sc. (Hons.) Second Class Upper from Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, in 2001, followed by an M.Sc. in Economics from the University of Benin in 2008, and a Ph.D. in Economics from the same institution in 2015, The latter fully funded by a competitive scholarship from the African Economic Research Consortium (AERC), Nairobi, Kenya. Her areas of specialization encompass Public Sector Economics, Development Economics, Macroeconomics, and Economic Theory.
She has brought this expertise to bear through visiting lectureship at the AERC Joint Facility for Electives (JFE) for the Collaborative Masters Programme (CMAP) in 2023, 2024, and 2025, as well as serving as External Examiner for the National Open University of Nigeria. At Igbinedion University, she has held progressively senior roles, including Head of Department, Sub-Dean of the School of Postgraduate Studies and Research, Acting Dean (2022-2024), and substantive Dean and Professor from June 2024, before her elevation to the office of Deputy Vice Chancellor. A trajectory that speaks to her exceptional administrative acumen and institutional dedication.
Professor Oligbi is a prolific and internationally recognized researcher whose scholarly contributions have made a significant impact on economic discourse in Nigeria and Africa. Her body of work spanning over 40 peer-reviewed journal articles, a co-authored book, book chapters, and conference papers — rigorously interrogates critical themes such as the interplay between inflation, external debt, and economic growth; fiscal decentralization and macroeconomic stability; energy poverty and economic development; corporate governance and financial performance; foreign aid, globalization, and inclusive growth; as well as monetary-fiscal policy dynamics. Her publications have appeared in reputable outlets including the Central Bank of Nigeria Economic and Financial Review, the West African Financial and Economic Review, the International Journal of Energy Sector Management, and the Academic Journal of Economic Studies, among others. Her scholarly distinction is further affirmed by a Fellowship of the International Institute of Chartered Educational Practitioners (IICEP) and the AERC/AfDB Scholar Exchange Program Fellowship for Research and Mentorship (2017). She is a Full Member of the Nigerian Economic Society (NES) and has actively participated in high-level international training programmes and conferences across Africa, including engagements with the International Monetary Fund, the West African Institute for Financial and Economic Management, the African Econometric Society, and the Africa Climate Week in Accra, Ghana.
