Philomath University, Abuja, has appointed Professor Ukertor Gabriel Moti as its Acting Vice-Chancellor, following the expiration of the tenure of Professor Gylych Jelilov.
The appointment was announced in a statement signed by the university’s Registrar, Engr. Damilola Silas.
Moti, a professor of Public Administration and governance expert, brings extensive experience in university administration, public sector management, leadership, research and educational reform to the position.
Before his new appointment, he served two terms as Dean of the School of Postgraduate Studies at the University of Abuja between 2021 and 2025. He also briefly served as Director of the Abuja Leadership Centre, a TETFund Centre of Excellence in Governance and Leadership.
An internationally recognised leadership expert, Moti is certified by the Maxwell Leadership team as a facilitator and coach for leadership and professional development programmes. He is also a Certified Management Consultant and Fellow of the Institute of Management Consultants.
The don made history as the first Nigerian and second African to be inducted as a CMC-Global Academic Fellow by the International Council of Management Consulting Institutes in Zurich.
His international engagements include the International Conference on Management, Leadership and Governance in the United Kingdom, the African Association for Public Administration and Management, and the International Institute of Administrative Sciences in Belgium.
Prof. Moti, a former member of the Governing Council of the University of Abuja, currently chairs the Governing Council of the College of Education, Katsina-Ala. He has also served as Visiting Scholar at KU Leuven, Belgium, and Research Fellow at the African Centre for the Study of the United States, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa.
He holds a B.Sc. in Political and Administrative Studies from the University of Port Harcourt, an MPA from the University of Lagos and a Ph.D. in Public Administration from the University of Benin.
Having risen through the academic ranks from Lecturer II to Professor, Moti has presented scholarly papers in more than 40 countries and currently serves as Chief Editor of the African Journal of Public Administration and Management in Nairobi.
The university said it was confident that Moti’s “wealth of experience, academic distinction and visionary leadership” would strengthen the institution and advance its pursuit of academic excellence, innovation and global relevance.
Prof. Moti is currently on sabbatical at Philomath University.
