Otoabasi Akpan

Otoabasi Etim Akpan is a Nigerian historian, diplomat and academic administrator, serving as the fourth substantive Vice Chancellor of Akwa Ibom State University. He was appointed by the governing council of the school to succeed Nse Essien. Until his appointment, Akpan was the Acting Vice Chancellor of the institution having also served as the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Administration). His appointment as the Vice Chancellor of the Akwa Ibom State University was confirmed on 23 February 2026 by the state government through a press release.

Early life and education Otoabasi Akpan was born on 15 June 1964 in Ikot Obio Atai, Itam, Itu Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State. His parents were teachers. He attended Government Primary School Moniya in the former Western Region (now Oyo State) and completed his primary education in 1974. In 1979, he obtained his Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) from Lutheran High School, Obot Idim, Akwa Ibom State. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from the University of Calabar in 1984. Following graduation, Akpan joined the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme at the Advanced Teachers' Training College in Kafanchan, Southern Kaduna State, during 1984–1985. After completing his service, he enrolled at the University of Ibadan for a master's degree in History of Ideas.

Akpan was the first to head the Directorate of International Collaborations and Linkages, where he coordinated academic partnerships with institutions such as the University of Innsbruck in Austria (2018), Temple University in Pennsylvania, United States (2018), and the South China Sea Institute of Oceanology in Guangzhou, China (2019). He served as Dean of the Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences. Akpan currently serves as the National President of the College of Professors in Nigeria (COPiN). Also, he is the Dean of the Ibibio Academics Roundtable, and Chairman of the Mary Slessor Institute for African Policy where he has made significant contributions to African Studies development.