By Ede Favour, Awka
It was a cheering news for the Anambra State Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Comrade Odogwu Emeka Odogwu PhD JP as the undergraduates of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka nominated him alongside others as the best performing lecturers in the department of Mass Communication.
In fact the records showed that from Mass Communication Department, Dr. Adaobi Okeke emerged in the first position, while Comrade Odogwu Emeka Odogwu, PhD came in as the 2nd position, and Samuel Idowu Ogunbadejo, the PTA Chairman, Unizik Nursery/Primary School, Awka came in as 3rd position.
This was announced during the Faculty of Social Sciences End-of-Year Review and party at the faculty complex. The event was aimed at reviewing the performance of the lecturers in the faculty and activities of the faculty in the ending year as well as afford faculty members an opportunity to unwind and fraternize.
The list of the best performing lecturers for the year under review who received gifts from the faculty as voted
by undergraduate students were as follows:
From Mass Communication Department, Dr. Adaobi Okeke (first position), Dr. Odogwu Emeka Odogwu, PhD
(2nd position), and Samuel Idowu Ogunbadejo (3rd position), while Adesua Atalor (1st position), Dr. Cynthia Udeze (2nd), and Chinenye Okafor (3rd) were rewarded in the Psychology Department.
Dr Adaobi Okeke
For Economics Department, Victor Ibeto (1st position), Dr. Chika Imogwa (2nd position), Dr. Mathew Okechukwu and Precious Obidigwe (joint 3rd position) received awards, while Dr. Ignatius Ngini was recognized as the sole awardee in the Department of Political Science.
In his review of the activities of the Faculty during the year, the Dean, Professor Michael Ezenwa, expressed gratitude to faculty members for their continued support of his administration and the faculty.
Reflecting on his nine months in office so far, he described the period as both exciting and challenging, highlighting some of the activities of the faculty under his watch to include programmes to promote career excellence among faculty members, such as the training on publishing in high impact journals, recognition of faculty members with outstanding research visibility, and rewarding of lecturers found to have distinguished themselves in teaching and mentorship based on assessment by students.
Also noted by the Dean were collaborations with partners like the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria (LACON) and Prisoners’ Rehabilitation and Welfare Action (PRAWA) which has led to the ongoing process to establish a paralegal programme in the faculty.
Also in the pipeline, according to Professor Ezenwa, is a Social Work programme to be domiciled in the Faculty, while plans are equally on to float a Criminology programme.
The Dean noted that the unbundling of Mass Communication Department, which was a key promise of his
administration from the beginning, has been accomplished, as four NUC approved programmes have now
commenced in the department while the Vice Chancellor has given approval for recruitment of 16 new lecturers to support the programmes.
On the faculty auditorium and its office spaces, Professor Ezenwa noted that efforts are on to get tables and chairs for the offices that lack them. He thanked the office allocation committee for their painstaking job while appealing for the understanding of colleagues who could not get offices at the auditorium given the limited spaces. He concluded by wishing all faculty members well and encouraged all to sustain their commitment toward the growth of the faculty.
One of the highlights of the event was presentation of awards to some deserving individuals including Rev. Fr. Prof. Jude Ezeokana, a retired former Dean of the Faculty who received a long service award; Chief Moses Enujiugha (Ezu na Nri) who was recognized as a worthy alumnus and an ambassador of the faculty; and Engr Ikechukwu Okafor, the
Personal Assistant to a benefactor of the faculty, Chief Chinedu Benson Madubuko, who received an award as the
best friend of the Faculty.
The event also witnessed a lecture on healthy living by Dr. Ego Obi who sensitised the audience on the importance of healthy living through practices such as morning oxygen intake, drinking water to prevent dehydration and metabolic disorders, eating of balanced diets, exposing oneself to early morning sunlight, having sufficient rest, practicing detoxification , and avoiding sedentary lifestyles, among other practices.
The audience were also treated to melodious renditions by St. Cecilia Choir which performed both western classical and local chorals.
In a vote of thanks, the co-chair of the organizing committee, Professor Uju Ezenekwe, thanked the Dean and her
colleagues in the committee for their collective efforts to make the event a reality. He appreciated all that donated towards the event for their generosity as well as faculty members for making out time to grace the occasion.
*Additional report by Henry Duru
