Humphrey Onyima, the Publisher of Leadership SCORECARD Magazine and his team presented the Leadership Scorecard’s “Democracy Icon Award” to Prof. Steve Azaiki, at Transcorp Hilton Abuja, an award that was originally meant to be presented at the recently concluded Leadership Scorecard Public Lecture held in honour of His Excellency, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar GCFR, former Nigerian Military Head of State that midwifed the May 29th Democracy in 1999.
Onyima described Prof. Azaiki as a “humanitarian icon, colossus of knowledge and leadership dexterity, whose contributions to human capital development as well the sustenance of peace and development in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, can never be overemphasised.”
Professor Stephen Sinikiem Azaiki boasts an illustrious academic and professional career, marked by diverse educational achievements and substantial contributions to various fields. His extensive educational background includes a Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) in Public Administration from the Inter-Regional Academy of Personnel Management, Kyiv, Ukraine, earned in 2021. He also holds a Ph.D. in Public Administration from the same institution, obtained in 2017. Furthermore, Azaiki completed an MBA in Project Management from the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO), in 1999. His earlier academic pursuits were in the biological sciences, where he earned a Ph.D. from the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences in Kyiv, Ukraine, between 1988 and 1992. Azaiki’s foundational education in agronomy, specializing in plant protection, culminated in an M.Sc. from the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences, Kyiv, from 1980 to 1986. He began his academic journey with a West African School Certificate, Grade 1, in 1979.
Professor Azaiki has enriched his knowledge through various prestigious courses. These include executive education programs at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, such as “Creating and Leading High Performance Teams” in 2015 and “The Leadership Journey: Reinvigorate Your Leadership” in 2014. He attended Harvard Kennedy School’s “Leadership in Crisis” in 2013 and a course on “Forest Environment and Climate Change” in Chhattisgarh, India, in 2012. At the EcoCity World Summit in Canada in August 2011, he presented a paper on “The Challenge of Climate Change, Consequences for Sub-Saharan Africa.” Additionally, he participated in multiple programs at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, including the Black Policy Conference on “International Policies and Diplomacy Networking” in 2006 and “Leadership for the 21st Century: Chaos, Conflict, and Courage” in 2005. Other notable courses include “Education and Development” at Oxford University in 2005 and several courses at the University of London and Yale University in June 2023, covering topics such as global diplomacy, corporate strategy, negotiation, and climate policy.
In the political arena, Professor Azaiki served as a Member representing the Yenagoa/Kolokuma-Opokuma Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, National Assembly, Federal Republic of Nigeria, from 2019 to 2023. His international engagements are notable, including serving as Vice Chair of the Parliamentary Network on the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) from 2021 to 2023, and as an elected board member of the same organization. He led the Nigerian chapter of the Parliamentary Network on the World Bank and IMF from 2019 to 2023 and was part of a 15-member team on a field trip to Morocco in June 2023. He also presided over the Nigerian chapter of the Global Organisation of Parliamentarians Against Corruption (GOPAC), promoting transparency and integrity in government financial dealings. Additionally, he holds executive roles in international educational and scientific organizations, such as the World Council of Comparative Education Societies (WCCES), UNESCO Bureau of Education in Geneva, and various comparative education societies.
