Professor Christopher Odogwu Chidi

Christopher Chidi is a distinguished academic and expert in employment relations and human resource management. He currently serves as the Head of the Department of Employment Relations and Human Resource Management in the Faculty of Management Sciences at the University of Lagos, Nigeria. An alumnus of the same institution, Professor Chidi has built a distinguished academic career focused on labour relations, human resource development, and workplace governance within both public and private sector contexts.

Over the years, Professor Chidi has accumulated extensive experience in teaching, research, and academic administration. Within the University of Lagos, he has played several important leadership roles that have contributed to the growth of postgraduate education and professional programmes. He served as the Postgraduate Programme Coordinator of the Department of Employment Relations and Human Resource Management from August 2017 to July 2021. Earlier, he held the position of Assistant Coordinator of the Master of Business Administration (MBA) Programme at the University of Lagos between August 2015 and July 2017. In addition to these responsibilities, he is currently a Member of the Senate of the University of Lagos, where he contributes to institutional governance and policy development.

Beyond the university environment, Professor Chidi has provided consultancy services to numerous organisations across different sectors, applying his expertise in employment relations, labour policy, and human resource management. He is a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria (CIPMN) as well as the Nigerian Industrial and Employment Relations Association. His engagement with the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria extends to professional development and certification processes. For over a decade, he has participated in the conduct of the Institute’s professional examinations, which are held bi-annually in February and August. He also contributed as a member of the research team that compiled the historical and strategic publication produced to commemorate 50 years of excellence of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria (1968–2018).

Professor Chidi’s contributions to academia and professional practice have been recognized through several honours and awards. In 2018, he received the Lagos State Safety Commission Award for his contributions to the Lagos Vision Zero Conference, held from June 26 to 28, 2018. In the same year, he was awarded a Fellowship by the Lagos Studies Association, supported by a grant from the British Academy. Earlier in his career, he was honoured by the graduating class of the Department of Industrial Relations and Personnel Management at the University of Lagos in 2009 in recognition of his outstanding performance and contributions as a Course Adviser.

In addition to his teaching and administrative responsibilities, Professor Chidi actively contributes to scholarly publishing and academic peer review. He serves as a reviewer for several academic journals, including the UNILAG Journal of Employment Relations (UJER), the UNILAG Journal of Humanities (UJH), the UNILAG Journal of Business (UJB), and the Nigerian Journal of Management Studies (NJMS).

A prolific scholar, Professor Chidi has authored and co-authored numerous academic publications that address critical issues in labour relations, entrepreneurship, urban development, and occupational health and safety. His recent research explores topics such as entrepreneurship education as a driver of sustainable enterprise development and youth employment in Nigeria, labour union strategies in capitalist economies, and the management of employee well-being in the post-COVID-19 world of work. His work has been published in reputable national and international journals, including the UDS International Journal of Development, the UNILAG Journal of Employment Relations, and the E-Journal of International and Comparative Labour Studies.

Professor Chidi’s research activities are supported by a network of academic collaborations with scholars from institutions in Nigeria and abroad. These include J. G. N. Onyekpe of the University of Lagos, Mustapha Olarenwaju Aliyu of the University of Ilorin, Emmanuel Rusibamayila of the Open University of Tanzania, Kabiru Oyetunde of Loughborough University, and Nuha Salihu Aremu.

Through his scholarship, professional engagement, and institutional leadership, Professor Chidi continues to contribute significantly to the advancement of employment relations, human resource management, and labour studies in Nigeria and beyond.