VC Makes Case for Quality Education

The new Vice-Chancellor of Veritas University, Abuja, Prof. David Ker has expressed his readiness to ensure that the institution sustains its high quality tertiary education, in line with the tradition of the Catholic Church.

Ker, who gave this assurance in a chat with newsmen at the take-off campus at Obehie, Ukwa West Local Government Area, Abia State, expressed satisfaction at the level of infrastructural development at the campus.

“Everything needed to actualise the mission of providing students with integral and holistic formation that combines academic and professional training had been put in place by the administration of my predecessor, Prof. Justin Ukpong.”

Aside building on the achievements of the past administration, which worked assiduously to achieve the dreams of the founding fathers, Ker noted that his vision for the institution “is to make Veritas rank among the best 10 universities in Nigeria.”

According to him, “Veritas University is also a digital-based institution in terms of administration, teaching and learning. All students have their personal laptops, while staff offices are equipped with modern desktop computers. the entire campus is connected to the internet and all members of staff and students have access to the internet 24 hours. We have all that is required to attain this goal.”

He however noted that the challenge of poor power supply has made the institution to resort to solar energy, saying, “at the moment, the university has 24 hours electricity within the campus, thus creating a good teaching and learning environment.”

New Vice-Chancellor of Veritas University

Professor David Iyornongu Ker is the former Vice-Chancellor of Benue State University, Makurdi. Ker joined the NUC in November 2005 as Visiting Professor on Sabbatical leave. While serving as Vice-Chancellor he was awarded a prize as the Best Performing Vice-Chancellor of Nigerian State Universities. Professor Ker is also a recipient of the National honour of Officer of the Order of the Niger(OON).
A Professor of English, Ker, has been a fulbright Scholar, a Common wealth Scholar and a Rockefeller Foundation Scholar. He taught English at the University of Ibadan and Ahmadu Bello University before joining the newly established Benue State University in 1992. Among his numerous publications are The African Novel and the Modernist Tradition. (New York: Peter Lang , 1997, 1998, 2000). Literature and Society in Africa: Selected Critical Essays of Kolwaole Ogungbesan. (Ibadan: Spectrum Books, 2004).
Ker earned his PH.D in English Literature at the University of Stirling in Scotland, after graduating with a Masters degree in African Studies at the University of Sussex in England. He was also awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters by Grand View College Des Monies, lowa,USA. Ker also served as Commissioner of Education, Benue State and has worked on several inter ministerial committees at the State and National levels. At NUC he coordinated the Linkage with Experts and Academics in the Diaspora (LEAD) programme.


He is married to Beatrice Ker, a Professor of Counseling Psychology and they have four children, three boys and a girl. Professor David Ker,OON assumed duties as the Second Vice-Chancellor of VERITAS University on Monday, December 6, 2010.