General Martin Agwai was appointed Visiting Professor at the African Leadership Centre in 2015. He is a leading practitioner on the Centre's Practice of Leadership programme.

General Agwai served as a career military officer in the Nigerian Armed Forces. He enlisted into the Nigerian Army (NA) after a brief period of employment with the North Central State (Nigeria) Ministry of Land, Surveys and Country Planning, Survey Division. He gained his commission from Nigerian Defence Academy and rose through the ranks as an officer of the NA and in 2006, he was promoted to the rank of Four Star General.

During his military service, he held a diplomatic appointment as the Nigerian Defence Adviser covering the Southern Africa sub-region. In 2000, he was appointed Deputy Force Commander of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL).

General Agwai has also held the position of Deputy Military Adviser to the UN at the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DKPO) in New York. He was appointed Force Commander of the African Union Mission (AMIS) and the Joint Force Commander in the African Union/United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID).

Since leaving active military service, General Agwai has been participating actively in speaking engagements, workshops, conferences and mentorship programmes.