Dr Maxwell Ngene appointed ESUT Mass Communication HOD
The Enugu State University of Science and Technology, ESUT, has appointed Dr. Maxwell Menkiti Ngene as the new Head of the Department of Mass Communication, with effect from September 1, 2026.
Ngene, a Senior Lecturer in the department and Coordinator of its Postgraduate Programmes, succeeds Associate Professor Chidiebere Anthony Ezinwa, who has headed the department since August 2023.
The appointment is particularly significant as Ngene is an alumnus of the department, having obtained his Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral degrees in Mass Communication from ESUT.
His emergence therefore represents a remarkable full-circle journey from being a student of the department to becoming its chief academic and administrative officer.
With more than three decades of experience in academia, broadcasting, public service and development communication, Ngene is expected to bring extensive professional and scholarly experience to his new assignment.
As an academic, he has taught and supervised numerous undergraduate and postgraduate students, including candidates pursuing B.Sc., M.Sc. and PhD programmes. He has also served as Course Adviser to the department’s second-year students.
Beyond the university environment, the new HOD has a rich broadcasting background, having worked with ATV/ABS/ESBS, Enugu, where he honed his professional skills in broadcasting.
He is also a public affairs analyst and member of the Guild of Public Affairs Analysts of Nigeria, GPAAN, Enugu State Chapter.
Ngene’s professional engagements have equally taken him into public service. He previously served as a Senior Legislative Aide in the National Assembly and as Executive Assistant to a former Governor of Enugu State.
For more than 30 years, he has also worked as a Communication for Development, C4D, and Social and Behaviour Change, SBC, consultant with the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF.
In that capacity, he has participated in community engagement and development communication initiatives across Enugu, Benue, Imo and Cross River states.
The Department, in announcing the appointment, expressed appreciation to the outgoing HOD, Associate Professor Ezinwa, for what it described as his dedicated and transformative leadership since August 2023.
It wished Ezinwa continued success in his future academic and professional engagements.
The appointment of Ngene has consequently generated expectations among stakeholders that his combination of academic scholarship, media experience and development communication expertise would provide fresh impetus to the department.
As an alumnus who has returned to lead the department that trained him, his appointment is also being viewed as a testament to the institution’s capacity to nurture its graduates to positions of responsibility and leadership.
The Department of Mass Communication, ESUT, offers training in broadcasting, journalism, public relations and development communication, producing graduates who contribute to Nigeria’s rapidly evolving media and communication industry.
Ngene is expected to assume office formally on September 1, 2026.
EDITOR
Sam Udekwe is a journalist working in the News and Current Affairs department, Enugu State Broadcasting Service (ESBS) Enugu. He is well trained in all genres of journalistic venture.
Mr Sam read Mass Communication, graduating all with Distinction in National Diploma, Higher National Diploma and Postgraduate Diploma at IMT, Enugu and Madonna University, Okija, Anambra state, as well as M.Sc Mass Communication at National Open University of Nigeria.
He is the immediate past NUJ Chairman, Enugu state.
samowailo@gmail.com
