Wigwe University: Setting Sail, Resetting Africa’s Education Agenda

With its September 2024 rollout date and against the backdrop of the new restrictive nationalism sweeping Euro-Asia and North America, the birth of Wigwe University, a world-class institution in Isiokpo, Ikwerre, Rivers State, signals a potent African pushback, a cutting-edge transformation enabler to disrupt and reset the continent’s education story, writes Louis Achi

Lectures begin September 2024 and Wigwe University, WU, feistily targets outright educational revolution. Early in the week, the mint-new tertiary institution appointed Prof. Miles Davis from Philadelphia, the United States, as its pioneer vice-chancellor.
The university’s management clarifies its rationale for Davis’ appointment: “Wigwe University proudly welcomes Professor Miles Davis as its pioneer vice chancellor signalling a thrilling beginning with fearless leadership and groundbreaking innovation.

“Hailing from Philadelphia, PA, USA, Professor Davis brings a stellar record of elevating academic excellence and fostering entrepreneurship. His remarkable achievements include spearheading AACSB accreditation for the School of Business and launching a game-changing Centre for Entrepreneurship.
“With a history of nurturing influential leaders, Professor Davis is set to propel Wigwe University to unprecedented heights, aligning perfectly with the institution’s vision of fearless leadership and relentless innovation.”
Like the Apollo II Moon Landing Mission, Human Genome Project, Mars Mission and many more, all epochal human stories have rollout dates. They also have extremely focussed and persistent visioners.

In the case of Wigwe University, the visioner is unassuming Dr. Herbert Wigwe, Group Chief Executive Officer of Access Corporation Plc – the holding company of Access Bank. Hear him: “Wigwe University is the culmination of my lifelong ambition to build an exceptional, world-class, innovative, yet uniquely African institution to grow Nigeria’s next generation of leaders who will change the face of our continent…We want to build people who will alter where Nigeria and Africa is going, and make sure that we remain a very competitive place.”
With the National Universities Commission’s approval on Friday, June 9, 2023, the dream of Wigwe University was officially realized after years of detailed planning and high-octane spade work. The University is located at Dr. Wigwe’s hometown, Isiokpo, in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State. It is about 15 minutes’ drive from Port Harcourt International Airport and occupies about a 400-hectare land space in the sub-urban community just 40 minutes from Owerri, the capital of Imo State.

With many of the facilities in the campus already built, Wigwe University is set to receive its first set of students. “Most of our buildings and facilities are ready or would soon be ready, and we expect to begin lectures in September 2024,” says an elated Yvonne Victor-Olomu, the chief operating officer of The Herbert Onyewumbu Wigwe (HOW) Foundation, the university’s promoter.
WU has announced that it would officially commence academic programmes in September 2024, with the focus of nurturing and building responsible and thoughtful leaders who would have the capacity to ignite the potential of Africa to take its rightful place in the global stage.
The university pledges to provide world class educational services to passionate students and advises prospective students and their families as well as academic enthusiasts to visit its official website for further information, inquiries, and registration details.

The website, according to a recent WU press statement, would serve “as an invaluable resource, providing comprehensive insights into the university’s academic offerings, admission requirements, and the opportunity to connect with the admissions team.”
It also advised prospective students outside Nigeria to notify Wigwe University via – “contact@wigweuniversity.edu.ng”, of their intention to apply so that instructions on how and where they can sit for the examination abroad can be forwarded to them.
It further said that WU is poised to shape Africa’s future as a leader in global education with its innovative approach to higher education and strong commitment to research, community engagement, and academic excellence.

“The institution’s blend of home-based and foreign faculty members promises to instill a sense of purpose, foster creativity, and inspire a new generation of well-rounded fearless leaders who will make a significant impact on the world,” the statement said.
WU is the second private university in the state but unquestionably would be one of the best on the continent when fully completed and streamed. Founded in 2016 as a non-profit organization, by the Herbert Onyewumbu Wigwe (HOW) Foundation, which is the special purpose vehicle through which Dr. Wigwe executes his numerous philanthropic activities. The HOW Foundation focuses on the critical arenas of education, youth empowerment through leadership and mentorship and health.

Wigwe University will offer courses in Science; Technology (AI, Robotics programmes and other futuristic niches); Engineering; Arts (Creative Arts and science-based Art Programmes such as Gaming and Computer Creative, etc) and Mathematics (STEM); Management and Social Sciences at the start.
It would then subsequently offer courses in Medical Sciences; Medicine; Law and Post Graduate Degrees. It will have linkage relationships with top foreign universities that would facilitate students’ exchange programs. The thrust of the university is to create leaders and entrepreneurs who will, upon graduation, be focused on creation of jobs, as opposed to job-seeking.
Although there are many universities in the country, they have not substantially filled the void that exists in the nation’s tertiary education. WU is therefore being deliberately and carefully designed to fill these gaps, some of which are outdated curriculum; poor funding; decrepit facilities and infrastructure; poorly paid and motivated workforce.
In designing the academic and non-academic programs at WU, Dr. Wigwe has hired academicians from top US universities and European institutions to work with experts from across the world, including Nigeria. Undoubtedly, the people of Isiokpo community are enthusiastic about the huge investment coming to their town.
With the 37 newly licensed private universities, there are now 238 universities in the country, of which 147 are private, 43 federal government-owned and 48 state governments-owned. But graduates from these institutions face prolonged periods of unemployment because the jobs have dried up and they were never equipped with entrepreneurial skills.
According to Wigwe, WU is “A university that would create a new generation of fearless leaders and also be one of the best universities in the continent” and the institution which will have a 24/7 power supply within the campus and contiguous environs and set new continental standards of excellence.”  
Wigwe is today one of the most fearless African financial sector leaders astutely superintending the monstrous growth of the Access Bank Group from a mere commercial bank straight to a continental financial behemoth on its way to merited global recognition.
The Wigwe University cited in his hometown Isiokpo, would have a 60% local and 40% expatriate faculty population, with about 200 buildings spread over 400 hectares of land. A very unque, exciting dimension is the announcement that students of the university would spend one year abroad getting international exposure.
The University will also undoubtedly spark a great infrastructural development in and around Isiokpo. This will consequently open up not only that region but the whole of South-south to international attention.
Nigeria is facing a staggering skills crisis. One in every five of the world’s out-of-school children is in Nigeria, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund, while just 11.8% of the nation’s working-age population earn a wage. Last two years, Nigeria spent about 96% of its revenue servicing debt, leaving little for education.
Significantly, the lack of funding is attracting investors to the sector. As many as 147 private universities have been established since 1999, compared with 115 state-run institutions.
According to Bloomberg, wealthy Nigerians send their children overseas for higher education. At least 44,195 residents were studying in UK universities in 2022, the highest in eight years, according to the UK’s Higher Education Statistics Agency. Only China and India had more students studying in the UK. Canada and the US are also popular destinations for Nigerian students.
But significant changes are afoot. The UK, Canada, US and swathes of Euro-Asia are experiencing waves of new nationalism that is pushing them to review their migration policies and even conditions governing how Nigeria and African students can study in their countries.
This scenario makes Dr. Wigwe’s unique educational sector intervention very important. Hear him: “The school will be hybrid. Technology can help the university achieve the same quality of education as US and UK University and “I don’t need 100 years or billions of dollars to achieve the same quality of education as we find in those schools. India is churning out a lot of developers through a single building.”
At a fundamental level, university education is more than the next level in the learning process. It is a critical component of human development globally. It provides not only the high-level skills necessary for every labour market but also the training essential for teachers, doctors, nurses, civil servants, engineers, humanists, entrepreneurs, scientists, social scientists, and a myriad of other personnel which Nigeria and Africa badly need.
It is these trained individuals who develop the capacity and analytical skills that drive local economies, support civil society, teach children, lead effective governments, and make important decisions which affect entire societies.
This is the philosophical and foundational backbone of Wigwe University, boldly targeting the reawakening of Africa, the continent that cradled humanity.