Honourary Professor of Public Leadership and Governance
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Honourary Professor of Public Leadership & Governance
Joseph Ibekwe is a journalist by profession who worked with the Daily Times of Nigeria in the early 1990s. He reported extensively on the issues of sciences, technology, health and the environment in the course of journalism career. However, he made a career switch in the late 1990s when ne started on a journey to learn more about the subject of leadership.
Thereupon, he began to study the concept of public leadership. He went to create courses to teach on the subject of public leadership. Over the years too, he has written several books, some of which are available on Amazon, on the subject of leadership and governance, including “The Quest for Political Leadership & Citizens Democracy: How Individuals become Public Citizens”.
Over the last 30 years, he has created a huge amount of intellectual products around the leadership ecosystem.
Joseph Ibekwe is the enunciator of a new leadership philosophy, called Fledism. This is a leadership school of thought, which states that “the primary purpose of leadership is to enhance the quality of human life and everything else revolves around this”.
This leadership philosophy compares and contrasts with existing philosophies including Plato’s Philosopher-king, Ubuntu, Confucianism, Transformational Leadership, Servant Leadership, and Ethical leadership. The philosophy is currently under review by academics and leadership educators. The Fledism Manifesto on Human-centred Leadership” is an intellectual contribution draws from his years of study in the flied leadership education.
In April April 1995, he founded an NGO called Foundation for Leadership & Education Development, which core mandate is to promote system-wide leadership development through educational approach. Today, the NGO has grown into Fled Group Africa, which comprises a number of social enterprise organizations committed to human-centred development in Africa. Some of the organizations include Fled International Leadership Institute, Africa Centre for Public Leadership –ACPL, and Future World Magazine.
For 30 years, Joseph Ibekwe has devoted himself to to one subject matter: leadership. He remains a student in the school of leadership, yet by reason of his years of consistent study on the subject of leadership, he has also become an authority in the field of leadership education.
It was in recognition of his years of work in this field that the Freedom University & Theological Seminary, Portsmouth USA, Africa Campus, in June of 2025 nominated him conferred him with an Honourary Professor of Public Leadership and Governance.
By this recognition, Joseph Ibekwe does not parade himself as an academic professor and is not competition with academic professors who earned their professorship through scholastic engagement in the mainstream academic community. Instead, Joseph has earned his Professorship through sheer hard work in the alternative educational platform.
This is an honour, which he accepted with due sense of humility, characteristic of his personality. When someone is rightfully honoured for their contributions to society and to the world of knowledge, it shouldn’t be subject of contention! Should it?
When you notice the title Professor to his name, please be informed that it is an honourary recognition, not only of his intellectual contributions to the world of knowledge, but also to contributions he has made to society through social entrepreneurship, that he has spear-headed for more than three decades.
Honours well-deserved should be acknowledged and respected. Nobody should feel intimidated that some has been recognized for the work they have done. There is a clear distinction between academic attainments and honourary attainments. Each has their place and society and there should be schisms over it.
From science journalism to a Professor of Public Leadership & Governance. This is the humble story of Joseph Chinenyeze Ibekwe, who has laboured to create a pathway through uncharted course.
