By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

Anambra State Governor Prof Chukwuma Soludo, has announced the appointment of Most Rev. Dr. Matthew Hassan Kukah, Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, as the Chancellor of the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (COOU), Anambra State.

Kukah's appointment was contained in a statement by the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Christian Aburime, on Wednesday.

Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah is an eminent Nigerian intellectual and cleric whose contributions integrate academic scholarship with pursuit of social justice in Nigeria.

He attended St. Augustine Major Seminary Jos, Plateau State, where he studied Philosophy and Theology; the University of Ibadan, where he obtained a diploma in religious studies; the Pontifical Urban University, Rome, where he got a bachelor of divinity; followed by a master’s degree in peace studies at the University of Bradford, and a Ph.D. from University of London's School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in 1990.

He also at certain times studied at the University of Oxford, United Kingdom, and at Harvard University, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the United States.

Bishop Kukah is also a prolific author and the founder of The Kukah Centre where he has pioneered research-driven advocacy aimed at interfaith harmony and policy reform.

The appointment of Bishop Kukah as the Chancellor of the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University is expected to provide leveraging of his global network to foster international partnerships, inspire ethical leadership in the university.