Elder statesman and first civilian governor of the old Anambra State, Chief Jim lfeanyichukwu Nwodobo, was on Friday, conferred with an honourary Doctorate Degree (Honoris Causa) by the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (formerly Anambra State University), lgbariam, Anambra state, at the 8th convocation ceremony of the university.
Other awardees who equally received honorary Doctorate Degrees of the institution at the well-attended event by top dignitaries in and out of government including families, friends and well-wishers, were the former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Professor Kingsley Moghalu and a former managing director of Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCO), Mr Chike Onyejekwe.
In his keynote address at the occasion, the vice chancellor of the University, Professor Fidelis Okafor, welcomed the graduating students, the awardees and the guests for gracing the institution’s convocation ceremony. He explained that the recipients for the honorary degrees were purely and carefully chosen in appreciation of their various contributions towards the growth and development of the nation and the university in particular.
Prof. Okafor also debunked the insinuation in some quarters that the Anambra state government had initiated moves to close down the Uli campus of the university, saying that the three campuses of the university are developing simultaneously.
Commenting on the individual awardees at the event, the vice chancellor specifically commended Senator Jim Nwobodo for his outstanding leadership qualities and vision, stating that he performed creditably as governor of the old Anambra state, which comprised of the present Anambra, Enugu and Ebonyi states. He added that the legacies he left as governor in the second republic democratic dispensation are still evident in the three states he governed.
He also observed that Muoghalu, as deputy governor of CBN, initiated the construction of the female hostels at the Igbariam campus of the university, while Chike Onyejekwe, formerly of SNEPCO, facilitated the building of the multi-million naira e-library in the university. He added that a total of 2,851 students, who completed their studies in the university during the 2015/2016 academic session, are being issued with their certificates at the convocation.
However, an elated Senator Nwobodo who spoke at a post-award reception for him at Udoka Housing Estate in Awka, Anambra state, thanked the Ojukwu varsity for honoring him with the Doctorate Degree award. He stated that what was most intriguing about the honor done to him by the institution “was that this honor is coming to me 34 years after l left power as governor of the old Anambra state. 34 solid years!
“When l was governor, l established the first University of Technology in Nigeria which was formerly ASUTECH (Anambra State University of Technology) which later became ESUT (Enugu State University of Technology) with multiple campuses then in Enugu, Abakaliki and Awka