The University of Lagos has successfully revived its dormant 32-year-old Samuel Asabia Professorial Chair in Business Ethics. The chair was initially established on February 4, 1994, by First Bank in honor of Samuel Asabia, the bank's first Nigerian Managing Director and Chief Executive. The chair aimed to promote the teaching and research of business ethics and sustain an annual intellectual conversation on ethical leadership.
The chair was endowed with N5m in 1994 to advance Business Ethics at the University of Lagos. However, it remained largely dormant for several years due to the university's struggle to find a suitable occupant. In 2011, attempts to fill the position attracted no applicants, while a 2016 recruitment exercise produced only two applicants, with Prof Kenneth Amaeshi emerging as the only qualified candidate.
The reconstitution of the Board of Trustees in 2025 under the chairmanship of Prof Akin Osibogun marked a turning point in efforts to revive the Chair. A fresh recruitment exercise attracted two applicants, with Amaeshi again emerging as the most qualified candidate. The Board subsequently addressed the limitations that had stalled the appointment, leading to Amaeshi accepting the position.
The University of Lagos Vice Chancellor, Prof Folasade Ogunsola, stated that the appointment had given concrete expression to the revival of the Chair. The chair's mandate includes teaching, postgraduate supervision, research, industry collaboration, public engagement, and an annual public lecture. Ogunsola emphasized that a Professorial Chair should be a center of intellectual leadership where scholarship speaks to society and research informs practice.
The Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Prof Akin Osibogun, said the Board's task was not merely to administer an endowment but to restore the original purpose of the Chair. Following its reconstitution in 2025, the Board returned to the founding objectives of the initiative and resolved to move it "from dormancy to activity."
Prof Kenneth Amaeshi, the occupant of the revived chair, has already begun producing results. He taught two final-year courses during the second semester, with more than 1,000 students participating largely through virtual classes. The courses were Corporate Social Responsibility and International Business, while Amaeshi was also supervising a Doctor of Business Administration student at the university's Business School.
The inaugural public lecture of the revived Chair, titled "Ethical Paradoxes, Small Businesses, and the Informal Economy: Lessons for Tax Compliance and Accountability," was delivered by Amaeshi. The event was attended by FirstBank Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Olusegun Alebiosu; Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma; academics, students, and other stakeholders.
Key points
- The University of Lagos has revived its 32-year-old Samuel Asabia Professorial Chair in Business Ethics.
- The chair was established by First Bank to promote teaching and research of business ethics.
- Prof Kenneth Amaeshi has been appointed as the occupant of the revived chair.
