Linda Ochugbua Honoured by University of Benin

Linda Ochugbua, digital marketing executive, has been honoured with an Award of Recognition by
the University of Benin’s Department of Business Administration, Faculty of
Management Sciences.

The recognition
came after she delivered the keynote address at the institution’s Annual
Lecture and Award Ceremony, where she told an audience of academics, students
and business leaders that Nigeria’s next generation of executives must build
their success on integrity as deliberately as they build it on innovation.

The event, held
Wednesday, June 3, 2026, at Professor Iyayi Hall, was themed “Excellence in
Business Leadership: Driving Innovation, Ethics, and Sustainable Development,”
bringing together the university’s leadership, distinguished honourees and
rising business students for a day that combined scholarship, recognition and
industry insight.

In her keynote,
Ochugbua urged the university’s rising business leaders not to treat ethics as
a constraint on ambition, but as the foundation that makes ambition sustainable.

“Innovation
without integrity does not last; it collapses under its own weight,” she said.
“The leaders who will shape Nigeria’s next economy are the ones who understand
that doing what is right and doing what is profitable are not competing goals, they
are the same goal, pursued with patience.”

Her recognition
placed her among a distinguished list of honourees celebrated at the ceremony,
including Rt. Hon. (Barr) Omosede Gabriella Igbinedion, whose Award of
Recognition cited her for “building a legacy of excellence, opportunity and
meaningful societal impact”.

Vice Chancellor
Prof. Edoba Bright Omoregie, SAN, welcomed guests and commended the Department
of Business Administration for consistently using the annual lecture to connect
students with leaders shaping real-world industry.

“A university’s
value is measured not only by what happens in its lecture halls, but by the
calibre of minds it exposes its students to,” he said. “Today’s conversation on
ethics and innovation is exactly the kind of engagement that prepares our
graduates for the realities they will face.”

Dean of the
Faculty of Management Sciences, Prof. Sunday Osaretin Igbinosa, said the theme
reflected a deliberate response to the pressures facing Nigerian businesses.

“Our students
are entering a business environment that will test their values as much as
their skills,” he said. “Lectures like this remind them that leadership is not
just about strategy; it is about character under pressure.”

Dr. Darlington
O. Ogbeide, head of the Department of Business Administration, said the
ceremony reaffirmed the department’s commitment to bridging academic learning
with practical industry insight.

“We want our students to leave this hall with
more than notes; we want them to leave with conviction,” he said.

Organisers said
the ceremony reinforced the department’s broader mission of shaping ethical,
innovative leaders equipped to drive sustainable development across Nigeria’s
business landscape.