The 15th Governing Council of the Rivers State University organised a Faculty Away Day, held from Tuesday 30th June to Wednesday 1st July, 2026, at the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) CBN Centre of Excellence Hall. The theme of the retreat was “A New Strategic Direction to Inspire and Reposition Rivers State University for Excellence and Creativity.”
Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council, The Hon. Okey Wali, SAN, described the University’s Strategic Plan as the guiding framework for the retreat. He explained that the Governing Council constituted the Strategic Plan Committee to assess the institution’s current state and develop a clear roadmap for its future growth and development.
According to the Pro-Chancellor, improving the University’s ranking and strengthening research remain top priorities of the Governing Council. He emphasised that the faculties are central to the successful implementation of the Strategic Plan and called for zero tolerance for corruption across the institution. Hon. Wali also urged academics to pursue impactful research that addresses societal challenges, stressing the University’s commitment to building strong partnerships with industry to ensure that research outcomes translate into practical development. He concluded by expressing appreciation to the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Port Harcourt for hosting the Faculty Away Day.
In his address, the Vice-Chancellor of Rivers State University, Prof. Isaac Zeb-Obipi, called on members of the university community to embrace innovation, collaboration and strategic planning to reposition the institution for excellence and global competitiveness.
Prof. Zeb-Obipi stated that the retreat was designed to align stakeholders with the University’s shared vision through discussions on technology, innovation, revenue generation, partnerships, transparency and global rankings. He expressed confidence that the deliberations would produce practical strategies to advance the University’s aspiration of becoming one of the top three universities in Nigeria and among the leading institutions in Africa and the world.
Earlier, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Port Harcourt, Prof. Owunari Georgewill, welcomed participants and commended the management of Rivers State University for organising the Faculty Away Day. He described the initiative as a commendable step towards strengthening academic excellence, institutional development and staff collaboration.
Delivering a presentation titled “Change the Paradigm from Publish or Perish to Patent, Publish and Produce for Prosperity of School and State,” Prof. Emeritus Joseph A. Ajienka urged participants to adopt a new approach to research and academic excellence. He stressed that universities must move beyond the traditional emphasis on publications by promoting innovation, intellectual property protection, technology transfer and entrepreneurship.
Prof. Ajienka, a member of the Governing Council and former Vice-Chancellor of UNIPORT, noted that research should not only advance knowledge but also generate practical solutions that address societal needs, create employment opportunities and contribute to economic development. He further explained that, in addition to teaching and research, universities must fully embrace a “third mission” centred on academic entrepreneurship through patents, commercialisation of research, industry partnerships and the establishment of start-up and spin-off companies.
He encouraged researchers to focus on impactful, collaborative and globally competitive research by identifying genuine knowledge gaps and developing innovations that improve lives. He concluded by urging Rivers State University to reposition itself as an entrepreneurial institution committed to excellence, creativity, sustainable development and national transformation.
Other resource persons at the Faculty Away Day included Prof. Iyenemi I. Kakulu, who presented a paper titled “Implementation of the Strategic Development Plan: Innovative Thinking Outside the Box”; Mr. Victor Okeugo spoke on “Accreditation and Ranking: Repositioning RSU” while Prof. Victor Dugga presented a paper on “University Advancement: A Systemic Responsibility for All”.
Similarly, Prof. Warebi Brisibe delivered a presentation on “Grantsmanship for University Research and Development” and Prof. Bourdillion Omijeh spoke on “Leveraging Digital Transformation, Training and Innovation to Boost Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).”
Over 400 participants from the Faculties, Institutes, Centres, Directorates and Units of the University attended the retreat, including members of the Governing Council, Principal Officers and former Vice-Chancellors.
The Faculty Away Day strongly aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 4 (Quality Education) through its focus on academic excellence, innovation and institutional development. It also supports SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure) by promoting research commercialization, patents and technology transfer.
The emphasis on industry collaboration and stakeholder engagement advances SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals), while discussions on entrepreneurship, grantsmanship and internally generated revenue contribute to SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth). Furthermore, the commitment to transparency, strategic planning and zero tolerance for corruption reflects SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions).
