Ag. VC's Office
Prof. Barclays Foubiri AYAKOROMA, PhD
Ag. Vice chancellor
Barclays Foubiri AYAKOROMA has B.A. (Hons.), M.A. and PhD degrees from the universities of Calabar, Ibadan and Port Harcourt, respectively, specialising in Playwriting & Directing, Theatre & Broadcast Management, and Film Studies.
A pioneer staff of Rivers State Television (RSTV), Channel 22UHF, Port Harcourt (1986-1992), he was a Lecturer at the Department of Theatre Arts, University of Port Harcourt (1992-2000), before being appointed as the Executive Director, Bayelsa State Council for Arts and Culture, Yenagoa (2000-2009). He was later called for higher service at the national level, as Executive Secretary/CEO, National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO), Abuja-FCT, Nigeria, where he served two tenures (2009-2017).
In his early post-NYSC years, BFA (as he is fondly called) had a stint at Professor J. P. Clark’s PEC Repertory Theatre, Onikan-Lagos (1985). He was also a Consultant with Living Earth Nigeria Foundation (LENF), where he pioneered the Bayelsa Community Theatre Programme. His collaboration with Arikpo Arikpo produced three collections of plays: All for a Canoe, Our Forest Our Future, and Inebhar (Endurance). He also collaborated with Arikpo Arikpo and Emmanuel Emasealu of the Department of Theatre & Film Studies (now a Professor of Play Directing/Performance), University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria, to handle the MPP3 Enlightenment Campaign through drama, under the consultancy of LENF. The play, Once Upon a Letter, which the trio scripted, was performed in several communities in Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers States.
An author of many plays that are studied widely in many higher institutions in Nigeria and over ninety published articles, book chapters, edited and co-edited books to his credit, BFA is the author of the ground-breaking Trends in Nollywood: A Study of Selected Genres. Two of his plays, A Matter of Honour and Dance on his Grave are recommended texts in Bayelsa State Junior Secondary School syllabus; while The Rejected Ones, one of his plays in A Chance to Survive & Other Plays, took the 2nd Prize in the 2003 edition of the ANA-organised NDDC/J.P. Clark Prize for Drama.
BFA has been involved in university administration starting from Departmental Examinations Officer and Coordinator, Certificate in Theatre Arts (CTA) programme, University of Port-Harcourt; Coordinator, Postgraduate Studies, Department of Theatre & Cultural Studies as well as the Institute of Strategic & Development Communication, Nasarawa State University, Keffi (NSUK) (2017-2019); Head, Department of Theatre Arts (2019-2022) and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), University of Africa, Toru-Orua (UAT) (2022-2023). His appointment as Acting Vice-Chancellor, University of Africa, by the Governing Council of the University took effect from Friday, 1st September, 2023.
THE VICE
CHANCELLOR
Prof. Kingston Nyamapfene is currently Vice Chancellor of the University of Africa, at Toru-Orua, Bayelsa State (Nigeria). he was President of the African University of Science and Technology (AUST), a post-graduate-only Science and Engineering university in Abuja, Nigeria, renowned for its research and high-quality graduates. He is a citizen of Zimbabwe and the USA and a permanent resident of South Africa. Previous positions include Academic Vice President, International University of Grand-Bassam then a new American University in Cote d’Ivoire,
Prof. Kingston Nyamapfene
Associate Provost for Distance and Online Education at Texas Southern University, Houston Texas; Dean of International Programs at SUNY’s Empire State College; holder of the Endowed, “Distinguished Leadership Chair” at Rocky Mountain College, Montana, USA; Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic and Research) at the former multi-campus Vista University, South Africa with 37 000 students on 7 campuses and, simultaneously, Executive Chair of the South African Water Research Commission.