Professor Hilary Owamah: The Making Of A Modern-Day Joseph

By Akpobomeh Oghenerukevwe

A tribute to the journey and convictions of DELSU’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) and 115th Inaugural Lecturer

Yesterday, as DELSU witnessed its 115th inaugural lecture titled “Harmony in Crisis: Green Engineering Solutions in a Fragile World,” the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), Professor Hilary Owamah, stood not merely as a scholar, but as a living testament to vision, divine guidance, and relentless forward motion.

From the earliest days of his career, he mastered one of life’s rarest disciplines: writing the vision and running with it.

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For him, every milestone is only a temporary stop, Asaba on the way to Onitsha. While others celebrate arrival, he is already crossing the bridge, charting the next frontier.

This is the rhythm of his life:

Plan. Arrive. Ascend. Repeat.

Never resting on laurels, never slowing down, always “heightening the vision.”

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When he envisioned becoming a professor in 2022, he wrote it down. And like every vision he has carried, the how was not always clear, but he spoke it, held it, believed it. Even the desire to deliver an inaugural lecture within five years, a feat that seemed impossible due to long-standing backlogs,found expression through a path only God could orchestrate.

Then, without prior relationship, influence, or familiarity, came the unexpected call into deputy vice-chancellorship.

Not by lobbying.

Not by connection.

But by what he describes simply:

“God qualifying the unqualified.”

In a university with over 230 professors, he became the chosen vessel, despite criticisms, caste lines, and hurdles that would have crushed a lesser man. Every step of his journey has been marked by supernatural intervention and the breaking of protocol:

● Appointed HOD at 33

● Elevated repeatedly by leaders who did not know him personally

● Given responsibilities reserved for seasoned administrators

● Defended by truth through seasons of petitions, accusations, and trials

Just like Joseph, he was misunderstood, resisted, and opposed, but every attempt to bury him only planted him deeper into destiny.

From the pit, he rose to influence.

From rejection, he walked into purpose.

From storms, he emerged a lifeline for others.

And today, he stands as a man who attracts crowds without trying, whose life draws people from across states, not because of fame, but because “there is something about Hillary,” something unmistakably divine.

Through it all, his resolve remains:

“I must stay under God’s feet. I must remain under His cover. This is Joseph in 2025—not Joseph of the Bible.”

His message to supporters is one of humility, faith, and reconciliation. No grudges. No revenge. Only the desire to serve, even those who once sought his downfall. Because, like Joseph, he understands that sometimes God allows opposition to prepare us for the responsibility of saving the very people who fought us.

Yesterday’s inaugural lecture was not just an academic event,it was the culmination of a life lived in obedience to vision, discipline, and divine orchestration.

A life that proves that:

When God has written your script, no protocol can stop your rise.

When you walk with purpose, your steps carry the weight of destiny.

When you heighten your vision, the world cannot help but rise to meet it.