20/07/2026
Professor Otoabasi Etim Akpan was born on the 15th of June, 1964. He is a native of Ikot Obio Atai Itam in Itu Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.
He attended many Primary Schools in the Ikot Ekpene and Uyo areas by virtue of his parents being teachers, but finished at Government Primary School Moninya in the old Western Region in 1974.
He obtained his Senior School Certificate at Lutheran High School, Obot Idim, in 1979. He then earned a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Calabar in 1984.
After completing his first degree, he proceeded to the mandatory National Youth Service (NYSC) at the Advanced Teachers’ Training College in Kafanchan, Southern Kaduna. In August 1985, he enrolled for a Master’s Degree program in History of Ideas at the University of Ibadan. He finished the program in just eight months, and his dissertation became a reliable model for postgraduate students research for many years.
He was appointed as a Research Assistant to Professor Jan George at the London School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London, where he worked from August 1986 to May 1987. After this brief period, he became the Dean of Studies at Akpur College in Ikyurav-Shange Tiev, Gboku in Benue State. While at the College, he enrolled for a Post-Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) program at Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria. In 1989, he joined the Post Graduate School at the University of Jos for a Master's program in International Relations and Strategic Studies, completing it in just eleven months.
Akpan worked as a Research Executive at Brains-Trust Research Consultants Incorporated in Lagos from January 1994 to April 1996. In February 1997, he began his career in academia as an Assistant Lecturer at the University of Uyo, where he played a key role in incorporating an International Studies component into the department's curriculum in 1998. He achieved the highest level of academic inclination by earning a Doctor of Philosophy in Diplomatic Studies in 2003 from the University of Port Harcourt.
He returned to the University of Uyo to enhance his career in the Department of History and International Studies for ten years before joining the services of Akwa Ibom State University in 2013.
At Akwa Ibom State University, Akpan served as the first Head of the Department of History and International Studies, the second Dean of the Faculty of Arts, and the pioneer Director of the Directorate of International Collaborations and Linkages, where he facilitated collaborations with the University of Innsbruck, Austria (2018); Temple University, Pennsylvania, United States (2018) and South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Guangzhou, China (2019).
He was also the fourth Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic) and a key member of the Governing Council in the third dispensation of the varsity. His contributions have significantly shaped the university's academic landscape, providing leadership and mentoring younger academics to limelight.
Throughout his remarkable twenty-eight years in teaching, research, and community service within the university system, he has inspired countless students across Nigeria and beyond. As a visiting professor at the National Defence College and the University of Abuja Leadership Center, he has shared his knowledge and passion with future leaders. His influence extends to esteemed institutions like the University of Port Harcourt, the University of Jos, and Nasarawa State University and several others, leaving a lasting legacy of excellence and research outputs.
Professor Akpan is a prolific writer and critical thinker who has made a significant impact in the fields of History and International Studies, particularly in the sub-fields of the History of Ideas and International Security Studies. He has produced over 20 professors within the university system, as well as several ambassadors and numerous generals, security, and intelligence personnel. He has an extensive publication record, with 103 articles in reputable journals, book chapters, and conference papers, locally and internationally. In June 2024, he delivered the 5th Inaugural Lecture at Akwa Ibom State University, presenting on the topic "Thinking the Thinkable for Gatekeepers at the Gateways."
In the past ten years, Professor Akpan has made notable contributions to national development by visiting 22 universities to assist with accreditation for the National Universities Commission. He has also evaluated 18 academics for promotion to the rank of professor in the last decade. He is a member of several professional organizations, including the World History Association, the African Studies Association in the United Kingdom, Nigerian Institute of Management, and the African Studies Association in New York. He is a global citizen and has travelled to all continents of the world except Antarctica.
He is the current National President of the College of Professors in Nigeria (COPiN), Dean of Ibibio Academics Rountable, Chair of the Mary Slessor Institute for African Policy Studies, Chair of the Global Society for the Study, Preservation and Promotion of the Cultural Heritage of Africa, Emeritus President of the Pan African Historical Society, Member of Eminent Persons and Experts Group Meeting on Complex Insurgencies in Nigeria.
Professor Otoabasi Akpan is happily married and has five children: three girls and two boys.
Credit: Akwa Ibom State University Website
