ASCON Director-General, Mrs. Funke Adepoju, Named 2025/2026 AIG–Blavatnik School of Government Visiting Fellow at the University of Oxford

The Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON) proudly announces the selection of its Director-General, Mrs. Funke Adepoju, as the 2025/2026 Visiting Fellow of the AIG–Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford.

Mrs. Adepoju, a seasoned administrator and reform advocate, brings to Oxford a wealth of leadership experience as a senior public servant and former Executive Secretary of the Lagos State Water Regulatory Commission. She now joins an exclusive group of distinguished Nigerians who have received this prestigious fellowship since its inception, following in the footsteps of Professor Attahiru Jega (former INEC Chairman) and Mrs. Ifueko Omoigui-Okauru (former FIRS Chairman).

In her current role as Director-General of ASCON, Mrs. Adepoju is driving an ambitious agenda to reposition Nigeria’s premier Management Development Institute from a traditional training provider into a National Reform Hub and Reform Accelerator. Her focus is on linking capacity building with reform outcomes, embedding digital governance into public sector training, and fostering partnerships that align with Nigeria’s Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan 2025 (FCSSIP-25) and the Renewed Hope Agenda.

Speaking on the Fellowship, Mrs. Adepoju expressed her excitement:

“This opportunity is not just personal, it is national. The AIG–Blavatnik Fellowship provides a global platform to rethink how Management Training Institutes can evolve into Reform Accelerators. I am determined to leverage this experience to strengthen ASCON as Nigeria’s Reform Hub, and to contribute to Africa’s broader governance transformation.”

The AIG–Blavatnik School of Government Visiting Fellowship is awarded annually to outstanding accomplished public servants from West Africa to undertake academic reflection, research, and global exchange at the University of Oxford. It provides fellows with the opportunity to develop innovative solutions for governance challenges and to deepen institutional reform capabilities in their home countries.

The Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON), established in 1973, is Nigeria’s apex management development institute mandated to provide training, consultancy, and applied research in public administration and management. Under Mrs. Adepoju’sleadership, ASCON is being repositioned as a Reform Hub, building capacity not just for skills acquisition but for systemic reforms that accelerate governance transformation in Nigeria and Africa.