STEPHEN SHIAONDO AKUMA, PhD

• CHAIRMAN, WEBSITE COMMITTEE, MSGOBA
• CLASS OF ‘00
• LECTURER, BENUE STATE UNIVERSITY
• AUTHOR, ACADEMIC, ACTIVIST, SOCIAL CRUSADER, COMPUTER SCIENTIST
• DEVELOPER, MSGOBA WEBSITE
• LIVES IN MAKURDI, BENUE STATE

Dr. Stephen Shiaondo Cyril Akuma was born on the 7th of September, 1982. He started his educational pursuit at Lower Benue Staff School, Makurdi from 1988 to 1994. In 1994, he proceeded to the prestigious Mount Saint Gabriel’s Secondary School, Makurdi, where he completed secondary education in 2000. Upon completion of his secondary education, Stephen was admitted into the Faculty of Sciences at the Benue State University in the 2001/2002 session where he began his studies in Computer Sciences graduating in 2005 with a Second Class Upper Division. In January 2011, he left the shores of Nigeria to pursue a Masters Degree Programme in Software Development at Coventry University, United Kingdom and graduated in January 2012 with Distinction. With his zeal to acquire more knowledge and higher educational attainment, Stephen went back to Coventry University, in April 2013 for his Ph.D. programme in Computing and he successfully defended his Ph.D. in May 2016 graduating in November of the same year.

Dr. Stephen Akuma has had a unique experience of working for the government, the private sector and managing his personal firm. He began this experience when he participated in the mandatory National Youth Service Corp and was posted to Kano state, where he served at the Nigerian Police Academy, Wudil. After his NYSC, he worked for 6 months with a private IT Firm in Kano. He has established a reputable private IT firm, SACS COMPUTERS registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) in September 2009. Since its establishment, the firm has carried out Software Development, Web designs, ICT Training, Consultancies, and E-governance solutions, which are the crux of the firm’s objectives. While managing his young business in Abuja, he was appointed a lecturer in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Benue State University, Makurdi. He assumed duty at the University on the 7th December 2009 where he works to date.

Dr. Stephen Akuma won two scholarship awards for outstanding academic performance. First was the Federal Government of Nigeria’s Scholarship for Outstanding University Students in 2004 and then then a scholarship for the Best University Student from his Local Government Area, Gwer-East in 2005 by the Mutual Union of the Tiv in America.

He has held leadership positions in various associations and groups. He was Compound Prefect in Mount Saint Gabriel Secondary School, pioneer President of Mount Saint Gabriel’s Old Boys' Association (MSGOBA) set 2000, and President of Mount Saint Gabriel Old Boys Association, BSU Chapter between 2004 and 2005. He is the Chairman of the Catholic Men Organization (CMO), Catholic Youth Center Parish, Makurdi.

Dr. Stephen Shiaondo Akuma is an author, activist, social crusader, academic, and astute scientist. He has primarily authored several publications in International Conferences and Journals and his papers have been cited severally by scholars. He has been able to continuously take ideas from conception, development, to deployment in lab-based and large-scale environments and has demonstrated a history of working in data science, human-computer interaction, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and information retrieval, focusing on user searching and retrieval behaviour, classical implicit feedback indicators, eye gaze-enhanced interaction, user modelling, and personalization. He developed the MSGOBA website.

His book on his NYSC experience titled, NYSC: SOWING THE SEED OF NATIONAL UNITY has been reviewed by national and international scholars. One of the reviewers in the UK ‘unreservedly’ recommended the book to anyone who has an interest in modern Nigeria. Stephen has used social media to promote good governance and transparency in Nigeria since 2008. His articulated and self-opinionated write-ups on social re-engineering, youth empowerment, and good governance in Africa have been published in several online news outlets.

Dr. Stephen has shown an unreserved passion for community development. He is the founder, Stephen Akuma Network (SAN), a network across Nigeria,  promoting youth reorientation and advocacy, job facilitation, inter-religious/ethic dialogue for peace, voter education, and the provision of basic amenities through partnership with host communities and cooperate bodies around the world.

Dr. Stephen Akuma was the Benue State Gubernatorial Candidate of the defunct National Conscience Party (NCP) in the 2019 election. He likes reading, playing basketball, watching football, making analyses, and contemplating nature. He is married to Mrs. Evelyn Doofan Akuma, and the marriage is blessed with two sons.