Adaora I Onaga
Applied ethics in higher education, business, and medicine.
Philosophical anthropology and human flourishing.
School: Institute of Humanities
Faculty’s email address: aonaga@pau.edu.ng
Background:
Adaora I Onaga is the director of the Institute of Humanities, Pan Atlantic University (PAU). She holds an MBBS degree from the University of Ibadan, where she studied medicine and surgery. She specialized in Internal Medicine and Nephrology at the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, and was awarded the O.O Elegbeleye Prize for best candidate in the National Medical College Examinations in 2008 and the A.F.B Mabadeje Prize for the best candidate in the National Medical College Examinations (Renal medicine) in 2011 She is a fellow of both the National Postgraduate Medical College and the West African College of Physicians.
She holds a licentiate degree in Philosophy from the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, Rome, Italy, with a Summa cum laude (9.9/10). Her licentiate dissertation was a study of the phenomenology of illness in SK Toombs. She also obtained a PhD in Philosophical Anthropology and Ethics from the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, Rome, Italy, with a Summa cum Laude (10/10) in 2020. Her doctoral thesis focused on understanding the interfaces between the biological and philosophical sciences in the confrontation of human pain.
Before joining Pan-Atlantic University, she worked in several private, state, and federal hospitals, including UCH, Ibadan; Chevron Hospital, Gbagada, Lagos; Oluyoro Catholic Hospital, Ibadan; Jericho Nursing Home, Ibadan; Villa Balestra Residence, Rome, and taught undergraduate students, resident doctors, and executives medicine, nephrology, gnoseology, bioethics, and philosophical anthropology. She was the co-founder and director of the Youths Empowering Active Societal Transformation (YEAST) program in Ibadan and served as director/ sub-director of various projects related to the holistic development of girls and women in Nigeria and Italy from 2000 to date.
Research interest:
Dr. Onaga’s interdisciplinary research examines the intersections of character formation, ethical leadership, and human flourishing, integrating indigenous African knowledge systems with ethics, organizational governance, and higher education.
1. Character formation in higher education – I investigate how universities in Africa can intentionally cultivate integrity, practical wisdom, and moral agency in students as part of their broader educational mission, learning from indigenous African knowledge systems.
2. Individual and organisational flourishing – I examine how character, purpose, and well-being intersect at both personal and institutional levels to sustain ethical and meaningful environments.
3. Professional and business ethics – I study the ethical responsibilities of practitioners, including healthcare workers and engineers operating in competitive, high-stakes environments
Teaching: Faculty leads courses in
General Ethics
Business Ethics
Professional ethics for engineers
Healthcare ethics
Bioethics
Peace & Conflict Resolution
Nature of human beings
Personal and Professional Skills
Qualifications
PhD (Summa cum Laude, Philosophical Anthropology and Ethics) – Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, Rome, Italy.
Licentiate in Philosophy (Summa Cum Laude)- Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, Rome, Italy.
BA (Honours) in Philosophy- Faculty of Philosophy, Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, Italy.
Fellow of the Medical College of Physicians (FMCP, Nephrology), National Postgraduate Medical College, Nigeria.
Fellow of the West African College of Physicians (FWACP, Internal Medicine/Nephrology), West African College of Physicians.
Medicine and Surgery (MBBS), University of Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria- 2001.
Recent Certifications
Ethical Leadership Specialization, Notre Dame University (online)- 2025
Senior Management Program, Lagos Business School- 2024
Giving Voice to Values Africa (Train the Trainers)- 2024
Humanistic Leadership Academy- Transforming self and others for flourishing – 2023
Case Teaching Scholarship by the Case Center – 2023
Memberships, editorial boards
Associate Member, Women in Management, Business and Public Service (WIMBIZ)- 2026
Member, International Society for Business, Economics, and Ethics (ISBEE)- 2026
Team lead, Cluster 1, DIaDeRC (DePECOS Institutions and Development Research Centre)- 2026
Member, African Leadership Ethics Network- 2025- present
Regional Advisory Council (Africa) for the Case Centre, 2024 – present
Fellow of the International Humanistic Management Association, 2024/2025
Africa Bioethics Network, 2023 – present
Board of Directors, Humanistic Management Network, 2022 – 2025
Business Ethics Africa Network (BEN-Africa), 2023 – present
Nigerian Chapter Lead, Humanistic Management Network, 2021 – present
Asia Pacific Bioethics Education Network, 2023 – present
Nigerian Medical Association, 2000 – present
National Association of Nephrologists, 2006 – present
EXCO, SMP 90, Lagos Business School, Alumni, 2024 – present
Project Lead – grant ($ 96,286.00) from the Education Collaborative on Training 20 African Student Leaders from 10 institutions across Southern, Western, and Eastern Africa in Ethical Leadership. Jan- Dec 2025
Project Lead – grant ($5,000.00) for training teachers in a local community in Nigeria on Professionalism and academic integrity for ethical leadership-Feb 2024- Feb 2025
Co-Principal Investigator – grant award from the Centre for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) and Global Business School Network (GBSN) to research the effectiveness of anti-corruption training in Nigeria- December 2021- November 2022
Team lead, Cluster 1, DIaDeRC (DePECOS Institutions and Development Research Centre)- 2026
African Leadership Ethics Research Network- Writing Development Grant- 2025-2026
Case Teaching Scholarship from the Case Center- 2023
Various travel grants for conferences
Visiting lectureship
School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Strathmore University, Nairobi, Kenya. 2026
Universidad Panamericana, Ciudad De México, México-(Online, Summer Ethics Courses)- 2024
University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu, Nigeria-February 2025
University of Nigeria Enugu Campus, February and September 2025
Panel moderator and speaker at various programs, including Summer Camp Nigeria, Institute for Work and Family Integration (IWFI), The Christopher Kolade Centre for Research in Leadership, and the Youth of Enterprise Interns.
Books
Onaga Adaora, Kezie Celestine (eds), (2026), Governance, Ethics, and Technology: Human Flourishing in Africa, Pan-Atlantic University Press.
O Ogunyemi, A Onaga (eds), (2026), Personal and Professional Skills for the 21st Century and Beyond, Pan-Atlantic University Press.
C Kezie, A Onaga, J Elegido (eds), (2025), Natural Law and Human Dignity: A Multidisciplinary Perspective, Pan-Atlantic University Press. https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=Natural+law+and+human+dignity+kezie+onaga&btnG=.
Kemi Ogunyemi, Adaora I Onaga (eds), (2022), Responsible Management of Shifts in Work Modes- Values for a Post-Pandemic Future, Emerald Publishing, UK, Vol 1 https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80262-719-020221002
Kemi Ogunyemi, Adaora I Onaga (eds), (2022), Responsible Management of Shifts in Work Modes: Values for Post-Pandemic Sustainability, Emerald Publishing, UK, Vol 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/9781802627237
Adaora I Onaga (2020), Research book, ‘Confronting Human Pain: Interfaces between Biology and Philosophy’, EDUSC, Dissertationes Series Philosophica LVI, 1-45. https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=Onaga+confronting+human+pain&btnG=
Journal articles (peer-reviewed)
Onaga, A. I. (2024). Can Virtue Ethics Help to Address Human Suffering in the Workplace? Humanistic Management Journal, 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41463-024-00192-w
Tolulope Bella Awusa, Adaora I Onaga (2023). Improving Resilience in Youth during Difficult Times, International Journal for School Health. https://intjsh.sums.ac.ir/article_49191.html.
Onaga, A (2022). ‘Future pain as a present concern’. Estudios de Filosofia, 65, 133-152. https://doi.org/10.17533/udea.ef.345748.
Book Chapters
Onaga A (2026), Self-Knowledge and Healthy Self-Esteem, Chapter in O Ogunyemi, A Onaga (eds), (2026), Personal and Professional Skills for the 21st Century and Beyond, Pan-Atlantic University Press.
Onaga A (2026), Personal Health, Chapter in O Ogunyemi, A Onaga (eds), (2026), Personal and Professional Skills for the 21st Century and Beyond, Pan-Atlantic University Press.
Berge, S, Onaga A, Nwani S, (2025), Sustainable Healthcare and Eldercare Provision through Cooperatives: Challenges and Opportunities Chapter in Warren, J. N., Ogunyemi, K., Guerreschi, A., & Szulc, M. (Eds.). (2026). Global Cooperative Economics and Movements: A Research Companion. Taylor & Francis. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/oa-edit/10.4324/9781003534006-22/sustainable-healthcare-eldercare-provision-cooperatives-simon-berge-adaora-onaga-stanley-emife-nwani.
Onaga Adaora, Akande Sarah, (2025), Reevaluating AI Code of Conduct Principles in Healthcare through the Lens of Dignitas Infinita: A Critical Analysis, Chapter in C Kezie, A Onaga, J Elegido (eds), Natural Law and Human Dignity- A Multidisciplinary Perspective, Pan-Atlantic University Press. https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=Natural+law+and+human+dignity+kezie+onaga&btnG=.
Onaga Adaora (2025), Afterword for the book C Kezie, A Onaga, J Elegido (eds), Natural Law and Human Dignity- A Multidisciplinary Perspective, Pan-Atlantic University
Onaga Adaora, (2024), Ethics and Sustainability at the Base of the Pyramid (BoP), Book Chapter 13 in the Book ‘Unlocking Opportunities at the BoP Market in Sub-Saharan Africa: Competing successfully at the Base of the Pyramid, Cambridge Scholars Publishing. https://www.google.com.ng/books/edition/Unlocking_Opportunities_in_Sub_Saharan_A/jTwpEQAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Onaga-+Unlocking+Opportunities+in+Sub-Saharan+Africa:+Competing+Successfully+at+the&pg=PR6&printsec=frontcover.
Onaga, A.I. (2022). Celebrations and the Cultural Aspects of Hospitality. In: Ogunyemi, K., Okoye, E., Ogunyemi, O. (eds) Humanistic Perspectives in Hospitality and Tourism, Volume II. Humanism in Business Series. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-95585-4_4
Deepika Faugoo, Adaora I Onaga, (2022) Establishing a Resilient Economically Prosperous and Inclusive World by Overcoming the Gender Digital Divide in the New Normal, in Kemi Ogunyemi & Adaora I. Onaga (eds.), Responsible Management of Shifts in Work Modes- Values for a Post Pandemic Future, Emerald Publishing, Volume 1, UK. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80262-719-020221009
Adaora Onaga, Joy Odimegwu, (2022) Sustainable Traditional African Health Systems and Responsible Health Education, Kemi Ogunyemi & Omowumi Ogunyemi, Amaka Anozie (eds.), Responsible Management in Africa, Emerald Publishing, UK. https://www.emerald.com/books/edited-volume/12542/chapter-abstract/82769228/Sustainable-Traditional-African-Health-Systems-and?redirectedFrom=fulltext.
Ogunyemi, K., & Onaga, A. I. (2022). Understanding the Present – Values for Shifts in Work Modes. In Kemi Ogunyemi & Adaora I. Onaga (eds.), Responsible Management of Shifts in Work Modes: Values for a Post-Pandemic Future, Volume 1, Emerald Publishing: UK. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80262-719-020221002
Onaga, A. I. & Ogunyemi, K. (2022). Directing Future Preparedness for Responsibility- Values for Shifts in Work Modes. In Kemi Ogunyemi & Adaora I. Onaga (eds.), Responsible Management of Shifts in Work Modes: Values for a Post-Pandemic Future, Volume 1, Emerald Publishing: UK. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80262-719-020221002
Ogunyemi, K., & Onaga, A. I. (2022). Responsible Leadership for the New Normal: Ensuring Fairness in Business and Health. In Kemi Ogunyemi & Adaora I. Onaga (eds.), Responsible Management of Shifts in Work Modes: Values for Post-Pandemic Sustainability, Volume 2, Emerald Publishing: UK. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80262-723-720221002
Onaga, A. I. & Ogunyemi, K. (2022). The Business of Health and Healthy Businesses: Principles and Virtues Post Pandemic. In Kemi Ogunyemi & Adaora I. Onaga (eds.), Responsible Management of Shifts in Work Modes: Values for Post-Pandemic Sustainability, Volume 2, Emerald Publishing: UK. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80262-723-720221018