Prof. Nwokocha Becomes ABSU Deputy Vice Chancellor

Prof. Udo Nwokocha has been elected Deputy Vice Chancellor (Administration) of Abia State University, Uturu.

The election which took place during the university’s last senate meeting recently saw Nwokocha unanimously voted for the office.

Nwokocha’s choice has been widely described as a strategic step propelled by the authorities to meet the ever-increasing administrative needs of the institution.

This choice, most senate members say, is due to Nwokocha’s enormous wealth of experience, exposure, commitment, and familiarity with the university’s administrative system.

According to Ugochukwu Ogbonnaya, Head of Department of Linguistics and Communication Studies/Igbo, ‘The University’s senate has elected a truly committed public servant whose quota will contribute greatly to the cause of improving the fortunes of the institution.’

Prof. Nwokocha holds a Bachelor of Library Science (BLS), having emerged as the best graduating student of the Department of Library and Information Science in 1987. He also holds a Master of Library Science (MLS) from the University of Ibadan and a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) from the University of Nigeria Nsukka.

An ABSU alumnus who started his teaching career as a graduate assistant, he has served the university in various respects. He was Head of Departments of Library and Information Science and Mass Communication; Dean of Student Affairs; two-time member of Abia State University Governing Council; and University Librarian, a post he held before becoming Deputy Vice Chancellor (Administration).

Nwokocha edits the Research Librarian (Journal of Nigerian Library Association, Abia State Chapter); Heartland (Journal of Library & Information Science); and Journal of Applied Technology in Library and Information Management (JATLIM).

He is co-editor of Education and Training of Library and Information Science Professionals in Nigeria; Readings in Library and Information Science; and Contemporary Issues in Library and Information Science Education in Nigeria.

He is also co-author of several books, including Fundamentals of Bibliography; Introduction to Cataloguing for Nigerian Libraries; and A Guide to APA 6th Edition: Style of Citation and Referencing for Research Writing.

Nwokocha’s scholarly articles have been published in many national and international journals. Some of them include: Restructuring and Modernization of Library and Information Science Programmes in Nigeria: The Case of Abia State University, Uturu. African Journal of Education and Information Management; Public Libraries in Nigeria: Decades of Persisting Problems. International Information and Library Review; and A National Information Policy: The Ingredient Lacking from the Nigerian Information Industry. Library Review.

This very development will see Prof. Nwokocha occupying an office that had been vacant since 2015 when Prof. E. A. Udensi completed his tenure.