Dr. Maxwell Menkiti Ngene
By Tony Adibe
A former student of the Mass Communication Department, Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), Dr. Maxwell Menkiti Ngene, who graduated with a BSc, MSc, and Ph.D in the same department, will be heading the Department henceforth.
NewsBits reports that the new appointment, which takes effect Tuesday, 1st September 2026, marks a kind of homecoming for the new ESUT Mass Communication Department Head. Dr. Ngene succeeds Associate Professor Chidiebere Anthony Ezinwa, whose tenure since August 2023 is said to have been marked by dedicated and transformative leadership of the department.
However, the Department has extended its profound gratitude to Associate Prof. Ezinwa for his service and wished him continued success in his future endeavours. Dr. Ngene, a product of the Department he now oversees its affairs, received his Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral degrees in Mass Communication from ESUT. This is regarded as an uncommon feat in the history of the department -from student to Head of Department- and a testament to the quality of training the institution offers its students.
NewsBits recalls that at different times in his academic career, Dr. Ngene taught in the Mass Communication Departments of the Institute of Management and Technology (IMT), Enugu, and the Renaissance University, Agbani, Enugu State, respectively. He was also the HOD, Mass Communication Department, Renaissance University, where he contributed significantly to its development.
The vocal and often radical Communication teacher, who is a Senior Lecturer and the Department’s Postgraduate Programmes Coordinator, has spent over three decades shaping the minds of both undergraduate and postgraduate students. He has been teaching, supervising numerous B.Sc., M.Sc. and PhD candidates, and serving as Course Adviser to the Department’s second-year students.
Beyond the classroom, Dr. Ngene is a veteran broadcaster, having passed through ‘the crucibles’ at ATV/ABS/ESBS Enugu. He is a well-known public affairs analyst with the Guild of Public Affairs Analysts of Nigeria (GPAAN), Enugu State Chapter.
His career also spans public service, having served as a Senior Legislative Aide in the National Assembly and Executive Assistant to a former Governor of Enugu State. Dr. Ngene was also, at different times, a national leader of the Radio Television Theatre Arts Workers Union of Nigeria (RATTAWU), having won elections at the three National Delegates Conferences as National Vice President Southeast, National Financial Secretary, and National Treasurer. He is said to have served for over 30 years.
The incumbent ESUT Mass Communication HOD has worked as a Communication for Development (C4D) and Social and Behaviour Change (SBC) consultant with UNICEF, contributing to community engagement initiatives across Enugu, Benue, Imo, and Cross River States.
NewsBits reports that the Department of Mass Communication at Enugu State University of Science and Technology trains students in broadcasting, journalism, public relations, and development communication, producing graduates who shape Nigeria’s media landscape. It is hoped that his appointment and tenure will bring good tidings for the department he will be heading in the years to come.
