Through equitable and sustainable partnerships, the Institute of Delta and Development Studies (IDDS) delivers world-class training and research needed for sustainable development globally. The institute works with academics, non-governmental organisations, governmental agencies and civil society to make a difference to people’s lives.

Western Delta University, inaugurated the Institute of Delta and Development Studies (IDDS) in 2013, as part of its academic mandate. The Institute seeks to interrogate the socio-economic consequences of oil production in the Niger Delta of Nigeria and the challenges associated with sustainable development generally. The Institute in addition to its research endeavours also organises workshops and certificate training courses for both public and private sector workers.

Profile of the Director

Nathaniel Umukoro is a Professor of International Security, Strategic and Development Studies in the Department of Political Science and Director of the Institute of Delta and Development Studies (IDDS). He completed a PhD programme in Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria and has over 16 years teaching, research and administrative experience in the university system. During his doctoral programme, he was a fellow of the Next Generation Social Sciences in Africa Unit of the Social Science Research Council, New York.

In addition to his postgraduate studies, he received additional training in Education in Emergencies (2017), Peace Education and Transitional Justice (2015) from the Georg Eckert Institute, Germany; Development and Inequality in the Global South (2010) from Brown International Advanced Research Institute, Brown University, USA and Mixed-method Research Course (2011-2012) from the Partnership for African Social and Governance Research, Nairobi, Kenya, in collaboration with the Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex, UK.

Over the years, he successfully engaged in different activities in the University system which equipped him with the required skills to contribute to institution building. For example, he taught several courses effectively in various areas of political science, public administration, international relations and security studies using different pedagogical methods such as face-to-face lecture delivery, and the use of online platforms such as CANVAS Learning Management System, Zoom and Google Meet at Delta State University, Abraka and Edo State University, Uzairue. He led the Department of Political Science of Edo State University, Uzairue to attain its first full accreditation status from the National Universities Commission (NUC) in 2018. He also initiated and designed the curriculum for the BSc Peace and Conflict Studies programme of Edo State University, Uzairue which was approved by the National Universities Commission Resource Verification Team in 2019. He served as external assessor of PhD theses to the Department of Political Science and International Relations, Covenant University, Nigeria and external examiner of Masters Degree dissertation to the School of Built Environment and Development Studies, University of Kwazulu Natal, South Africa. He also served as External Reviewer for the Georg Eckert Institute, Germany and the Collaborative Research Center based at the University of Bremen, Germany.

In addition to his teaching and research experience, he also served in different administrative positions. Firstly, he served as the Head of the Department of Political Science and Public Administration, Edo State University, Uzairue from January 2018 to November 2019 and Dean, Student Affairs from November 2019 to December 2020. As Dean Student Affairs, he led a team of 50 staff involved in the management of issues relating to the welfare of students. He served in the Senate of Edo State University, Uzairue and was also a member of the Quality Assurance Committee of the University.

He has strong research and project implementation experience including familiarity with the Nigerian education sector. He has received grants individually and collaboratively from different international institutions such as Social Science Research Council (SSRC), New York and International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada to conduct research on challenges confronting Nigeria. Additionally, he attended and presented papers in several conferences and workshops organized in countries such as Ethiopia, Ghana, Tanzania, Kenya, South Africa, Zambia, United States of America, United Kingdom, Germany, France and Switzerland. He also engaged in academic and research collaborations with Centre for Population and Environmental Development, Benin City, Nigeria, Georg Eckert Institute, Germany, University of Bremen, Germany, Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection, South Africa, Social Science Research Council, USA, University of Kwazulu Natal in South Africa amongst others. Currently, he has over 80 publications including 16 articles published in journals indexed by Scopus and Web of Science. He teaches research methods and supervised over 200 research projects.

Professional Certificate Programmes

The Institute of Delta and Development Studies of Western Delta University, Oghara is currently admitting qualified candidates into the following three months certificate programmes:

• Advanced Professional Certificate in Security And Strategic Studies (APCSS)
• Advanced Professional Certificate in Entrepreneurship And Business Development (APCEBD)
• Advanced Professional Certificate in Conflict Resolution And Peacebuilding (APCRP)
• Advanced Professional Certificate in Law Enforcement And Investigations (APCLEI)
• Advanced Professional Certificate in Intelligence And Security Studies (APCISS)
• Advanced Professional Certificate in Industrial and Labour Relations (APCILR)
• Professional Certificate in Humanitarian Studies And Disaster Management (HSDM)
• Advanced Professional Certificate in Human Rights And Social Justice (HRSJ)
• Professional Certificate in Humanitarian Studies And Disaster Management (HSDM)
• Professional Certificate Course in Grant Writing And Management
• Professional Certificate in Data Processing and Management

Approach: Online lectures and workshop.

Admission Requirements

• A degree in any discipline.
• Applicants with other qualifications such as SSCE, or relevant work-related experience, will also be considered.