Arikpo Bassey Arikpo is a Professor of Industrial and Labour Studies in the University of Calabar. He hails from Betem; Biase Local Government Area of Cross River State of Nigeria. He holds B.Sc (Hons) Economics and M.Sc.Ed in Business Education from the University of Nebraska at Kearney, Nebraska; United States of America in 1978 and 1979 respectively. In August 1979, Prof. Arikpo transferred to the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, Nebraska, U.S.A where he studied further and obtained an M.A (Economics) and Ph.D (Higher Education) in 1981 and 1984 respectively. Prof. Arikpo and his family returned to Nigeria in December, 1984. He served as a Youth Corper in the Faculty of Education, University of Calabar in 1985. In January 1986, he was employed as Lecturer II in the Department of Continuing Education and Development Studies (then Department of Adult and Continuing Education). In April 1988, Prof. Arikpo was appointed pioneer Executive Director, Cross River State Agency for Adult and Non-Formal Education, a position he served on leave of absence from the University until 1991. While in the Agency, he designed and established several projects on Vocational Literacy and study centres across the state, having employed over 508 senior and junior staff to organize and teach adult/youth literacy. In 1993, Prof. Arikpo returned to the University of Calabar. In 1996, he was instrumental to the design and implementation of Unical Distance Learning Programme (UDLP), whose outcome resulted in establishment of CES (Centre for Educational Services), part-time employment of over 400 lecturers, with study centres spread over 25 states of Nigeria, including Abuja. Over 20,000 part time students benefitted from the UDLP scheme. Twelve Educational Resource Firms were partners and about N500 million was generated annually for the University of Calabar. Prof. Arikpo became the first Head of Department of Adult Education in 1987 and reappointed from 1998 to 2000. In 2000-2002, he was appointed Unical Coordinator of Extra-Mural and Remedial Studies, a responsibility that took him out again to organize literacy studies across many communities in Cross River State. From 2001-2005, Prof. Arikpo designed the Small Holders Scheme on Oil Palm Estates focused on the parcellation of Ibiae Oil Palm Estate, Biase into 541 plots of 4 hectares each. This project gave employment to over 541 Small Scaled registered Cooperative Oil Palm Farmers with Prof. Arikpo as the Executive Director (2001-2005). Over N350,000.00k was earned annually by each of the 541 Cooperative farmers. The CRS Government earned over N10,000.00k per plot as lease fees. In 2012, Prof. Arikpo registered his company; Arikpo Integrated Company to handle his small scaled projects on; Oil Palm Farming and Processing, Satchet Water Production and Marketing, the construction of an Integrated Technology College (under construction) and the unveiling of Professor Arikpo Literacy Culture for Self-Reliance Foundation. Professor Arikpo has over 30 referenced articles in local and international journals, produced 8 monographs, published 4 edited text books, and graduated over 200 undergraduates, 10 masters and 5 doctorate degree students. Professor has attended many local and international conferences where he made presentations. In 2017, he presented his inaugural lecture on the topic - “Tackling illiteracy syndrome and a reflection on centuries’ old adult education strategies: Any hope for cure?”, thereby positioning him as the 1st Inaugural Lecturer from his Department, the 8th from his Faculty, and the 72nd in the University of Calabar. Two of his students are already Professors and one an Associate Professor. He is a recipient of many international and local merit awards including the coveted Cross River State Government Merit Award in 2014. He has also been appointed as – (i) Chairman, Faculty of Education Manpower Training and Consultancy Programme (2014 till date); (ii) Chairman, PZ-Wilmar Company Ltd Higher Education Scholarship Board (2012 till date); (iii) Chairman, Ibiae Consultative Forum by CRS Government (2016 till date; (iv) Deputy Dean (Linkages and Webmaster) – Graduate School in November 2016, and on 17th February 2017, was elevated to the status of Acting Dean of Graduate School by the administration of Prof. Zana I. Akpagu. He is a member of many learned associations namely; Nigerian National Council for Adult Education, Nigerian Education Research Association, Nigerian Association for Educational Administration and Planning, Commonwealth Association for the Education and Training of Adults, African Council on Distance Education, Nigerian Association of Business Educators, Nigerian Economics Council and Nigerian Teachers’ Registration Council. As Ag. Dean of Graduate School, University of Calabar, Prof. Arikpo has introduced senior academic staff, the least of who is an Associate Professor into the leadership of the Coordinating Units of Graduate Programmes of Faculties in the University and also increased the units from 5 to 7 with the objective of providing higher quality education. Also, on the approval of the Vice-Chancellor be established the “Graduate School Resources Development Unit Inc” whose programmes consist of; (i) Online processing of Graduate School Transcripts; (ii) Training in Research Methodology and Communication Skills; (iii) Mounting of Graduate School E-Learning and Distance Learning; (iv) Grants Sourcing Schemes, and; (v) Linkages and Job Placement Schemes. Prof. Arikpo is instrumental to the introduction of JUPEB (Joint Universities Preliminary Examination Board) in the University of Calabar in 2017 and serves as the Chairman; JUPEB Steering Committee; Unical. Also as Ag. Dean, he is a member of the negotiating team for the collaboration between Garden City University; Ghana and the University of Calabar, Nigeria involving the mounting of a Master degree in Nursing Science. Prof. Arikpo is a Christian, happily married and with loving children, grandchildren, wonderful siblings and friends. His hobbies are reading, vocational literacy and income generating programmes designing, listening to country music and local/foreign news/socio-political issues.