Professor Kenneth Chukwuemeka Nwoko

Kenneth Chukwuemeka Nwoko, a Professor of History & International Relations the Department of History & International Studies, McPherson University, breath the air of life on Friday, 31 May 1974 in Lagos, to the Nwoko’s family of Egbelu-Agbala, Owerri-North LGA of Imo State. He attended Chief Obi Memorial Primary School, Emekuku, and Community Comprehensive Secondary School, Egbu, both in Owerri, Imo State, for his primary and secondary education respectively. He attended University of Lagos, for his Bachelor of Arts degree (second-class upper) in History. Also received his Master, PhD (Doctor of Philosophy, in History & Strategic Studies) from University of Lagos.

His teaching and research interests include:

1. Peace and Conflict Studies
2. African cultural history
3. International Relations
4. Ethnic and Gender Studies.

Professor Nwoko is a prolific writer with over sixty publications in local and international journals and edited volumes.

From 2006 to 2008 he was a Teaching Assistant, and Graduate Fellow respectively, at the Department of History, University of Lagos. Between 2009 and 2012, he worked as a lecturer at the Redeemers University Mowe, Ogun State (now at Ede, Osun State). He was appointed Senior Lecturer in the Department of History and Diplomatic Studies, McPherson University, and became its pioneer Acting Head from 2012 till 2018. Prof Nwoko rose through the ranks to become the first professor in the Department of History & International Studies, McPherson University. In 2018, he was appointed Dean of the College of Humanities. From March 2022 – August 30, 2024, he served as the first substantive Dean of the College of Postgraduate Studies.

Professor Nwoko was a Director of Research and Innovation and a member of McPherson University Governing Council between 2013 – 2023.

Professor Kenneth Nwoko has won numerous grants, and fellowships of learned international bodies, some of which include: the Graduate Research Fellowship of the University of Lagos in 2007 and 2008; Laureate of CODESRIA’s Afro-Arab Advance Institute, Rabat, Morocco (2012); Residential Postdoctoral Fellowship of the African Peacebuilding Network (APN) of the Social Science Research Council (SSRC), USA (2015); External Scholar of the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC), Accra, Ghana (2015) and Visiting Fellow, World Peace Foundation at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA (2015). He was a recipient of the Postdoctoral Fellowship of the African Humanities Program (APN) of the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) in 2018. Earlier in 2015, he was awarded the Carnegie Corporation of New York Scholar (CCNY) in San Diego, California, USA. In July 2022, he received a funding/grant from the Endangered Archive Programme of the British Library, supported by the Arcadia Fund (Arcadia) (August 2022 – July 2023) for a digitisation and cataloguing Project in Lokoja, Nigeria with Dr. Abah Danladi, (now) of the University of Ghana, Legon.

In July 2024, he was awarded Senior Research Fellowship at the Maison de la Création et de l’Innovation (MaCI) – Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA), France, by the International Excellence in the Humanities Programme Scientific Committee, a position he completed on July 15, 2025. He is a member of the Historical Society of Nigeria (HSN), the Nigerian Academy of Letters (NAL) amongst other prestigious learned bodies.

Professor Nwoko is on the Editorial Advisory Board of many learned journals, including the Nigerian Management Review, Journal of Humanities and Peace Studies of Adeboye Institute for Peace and Good Governance, Nigeria (AIPGG) coupled with his Professorial Assessor to many universities including Lagos State University, Ojo, Lagos; University of Calabar; Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Abakaliki and Anchor University Lagos State. He has served as a Member, National Universities Commission (NUC) Accreditation Team to several universities in Nigeria.

Professor Nwoko was an External Examiner for undergraduate and postgraduate Programmes for History & International Studies in many universities in Nigeria.

Prof. Nwoko is a member of Foursquare Gospel Church in Nigeria. He is the President, Council of Foursquare Men (CFM), and the Christian Education Minister, FGC Dunamis Assembly, Odo-Ona Elewe, Ibadan. He is married to Mrs. Sandra, Nkiruka Nwoko and their union is blessed with wonderful and God-fearing children.