The 14th Eni Njoku Memorial lecture which marks 30 years of the lecture series would attract high calibre of people across the south east geo political zone as governors of Abia state, Okezie Ikpeazu, Enugu state Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and the Director General of NAFDAC Moishola Adeyeye are billed to attend the memorial lecture slated for Monday June 4, 2018.
The memorial lecture will hold at the Princess Alexandra auditorium University of Nigeria, Nsukka be delivered by Professor Michael Adikwu, Vice-Chancellor, University of Abuja, under the Chairmanship of the governor of Abia State, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu.
Briefing newsmen in his office, the Dean, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Prof Jerry Ugwuanyi, said Senator Hope Uzodinma would also feature as a guest lecturer, while the Director General of NAFDAC, Professor Mojishola Adeyeye would present the Keynote speech.
Also expected at the lecture, according to Prof Ugwuanyi, is the governor of Enugu State, Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi as the chief host.
He explained that Eni Njoku memorial lecturers were usually selected among the pool of people who had distinguished themselves in academics and in politics, adding that the faculty board took time to select distinguished personalities to deliver the 14th edition of the biennial memorial lecture on the theme, “Preserving the Legacies of our Heroes”.
“Professors Adikwu and Adeyeye are scientist that have arrived, while Senator Uzodinma is a successful politician”, he said.
Prof. Ugwuanyi recalled that the memorial lecture was started 30 years ago by the Faculty of Biological Sciences, to immortalize Professor Eni Nkoku, the 3rd Vice-Chancellor of the University of Nigeria and member of the faculty.
He described Eni-Njoku, who died in 1974, as “an outstanding scholar of global stature” whose pioneer work in photoperiods’ provided inspiration to members of the faculty.
“Today, our Department of Botany is the best in plant physiology, courtesy of the inspiration and mentorship provided by Prof Eni Njoku.”
Eni-Njoku, according to Ugwuanyi, was also the pioneer Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos from 1963-1966 as well as the 1st indigenous Vice-Chancellor of the University of Nigeria from 1967-1970.
“Our Faculty holds him quite dearly because of his contributions to our growth especially department of Botany”
Ugwuanyi said the lecture series provided a platform to further the interaction between the town and the gown for the purpose of growth and development of the country.
He said the 14th series was unique because of its target to mobilize equipment to develop the faculty’s research laboratory.
“We want to advance the capacity of our postgraduate students to initiate and finish their experiments in our laboratory”, he said.
