Memorial Colloquium Held for Professor Onwuliri Dignitaries from all walks of life converged on the National Universities Commission (NUC), to honour its erstwhile Chairman of the Standing Committee on Private Universities (SCOPU), on Thursday, 13 June, 2013, at a one-year Memorial Colloquium, with the theme Intellectualism as a Vocation: The Professor Onwuliri Paradigm. The event featured the unveiling of the Professor Celestine Onwuliri Foundation (PROFOUND), which he championed before his death, by the Honourable Minister of State for Foreign Affairs II, Dr. Nurudeen Mohammed, assisted by other eminent personalities. In his welcome remarks, the Executive Secretary, NUC, Professor Julius A. Okojie, OON, described late Onwuliri as an amiable person and a distinguished academic, who touched the life of everyone who came across him. He stressed that Onwuliri was a man of great accomplishments, who was engaged by NUC as a Visiting Professor, shortly after his tenure as Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO) and was on national duty when he lost his life in the Dana Air crash, along with four other staff of the Commission. Professor Okojie said the NUC was glad to be part of the symposium, as it was a platform to promote the ideals that the late Professor Onwuliri stood for during his life. While commending the family for the initiative, he advocated that it should be an annual event. Professor Okojie recounted the personal touch which the late Onwuliri brought into both the academic community and their shared friendship. He expressed NUC’s readiness to support the initiative and called on other well-meaning Nigerians to invest in PROFOUND, saying that it was the only way for the spirit of Professor Onwuliri to live on. In her opening remarks, the wife of the late sage and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Professor Viola Adaku Onwuliri, thanked all distinguished personalities who graced the event. She expressed hope that the commemoration of the life of her husband would engender passion, in the hearts of people, for service to the nation, which he stood for, stressing that it was the only way to sustain his legacy. Professor Mrs. Onwuliri described her husband as a sound academic, a leader in the Catholic Church and a loving man, who mentored the entire family and extended same to humanity. She expressed delight at the level of solidarity shown to the family by various interest groups, who had indicated interest to participate at various levels of the commemoration programme. Harping on the importance of the Colloquium, the Chairman of the occasion, Professor Anya O. Anya, said Onwuliri was an experiment by God, designed to touch and assist humanity with a lifestyle filled with dedication and service to humanity. He stated that Onwuliri, as a scientist, was an epitome of intellectualism and mentorship which, he stressed, signified that Nigerian academics should go back to the basics, where mentoring was promoted. The Lead Speaker and Vice-Chancellor, Federal University, Ndufu-Alike, Ikwo, Professor Oye Ibidapo-Obe, who spoke on the theme, identified the late Owuliri as an intellectual of the highest pedigree, who was a very knowledgeable and vigorous scientist, as evidenced in his research forays, discoveries and inventions in the academia. He asserted that the dedication and unwavering interest, which Onwuliri had demonstrated, in his specialised area of Parasitology, was the core of intellectualism. Professor Ibidapo-Obe said Onwuliri, in his intellectualism, represented a vocation of hard work and had applied himself to bring about a paradigm shift in Zoology, especially Parasitology. He also acknowledged the critical role of education in development and especially the need to inculcate Science, Technology and Innovation, as the nucleus of national re-orientation and advancement. He emphasised that the challenges of the country’s development, epitomised largely by corruption, poverty, disease and poor implementation of good policies, could be surmounted if the citizens were sufficiently educated to make good long-term decisions. The Lead Speaker submitted that higher institutions should be the vanguard of the national moral rebirth and efforts to remove the nation from the ‘poverty cycle’, which the likes of late Onwuliri did well to maintain, insisting that when poverty increased, honesty decreased. In doing so, he proposed the need for the universities to develop a research policy from the National Vision on Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation. Other speakers at the event were the Vice-Chancellor of Federal University, Lafia, Professor Ekanem Ikpi Braide; the former Vice-Chancellor, University of Jos, Professor Sonni Tyoden; NUC Visiting Professor Sola Akinrinade; the Secretary-General, Committee of Vice- Chancellors (CVC), Professor Michael Faborode and the first PhD student supervised by the late Onwuliri, Professor Bathram Nwoke. They all extolled the virtues, passion, integrity and valuable contributions of the erstwhile SCOPU Chairman to the academic field and his legacies of honesty, service, commitment and great value for humanity. In his testimony of his experience with the late Onwuliri, Professor Nwoke said the late Don had supervised 25 PhDs (out of which 10 had become Professors and three, Vice- Chancellors), 150 Master’s and hundreds of first degree projects. Tributes were also paid by some personalities, including Professors Placid Njoku, Ben Orjiakor and A.B.C. Nwosu, a former Minister of Health. One of the highlights of the event was the rendition of the anthem of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), by the Abuja Chapter of the Alumni Association, of which the late Onwuliri was a member. Among the dignitaries at the event were the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Emeka Ihedioha; Senators Chris Ngige, Ayogu Eze, Jim Nwobodo and Ambassador Kemafo Chikwe. Others were the representative of the Minister of Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) and Permanent Secretary, Engr. John Chukwu; the Director-General, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Ms. Arumma Oteh; some members of the Diplomatic Corps, the Auxiliary Bishop of Abuja Catholic Archdiocese, Anselem Enwerem; royal fathers and the academic community. It was also attended by the NUC Deputy Executive Secretary, Mr. Akinbode Agbaoye and some Directors of the Commission.
Posted on: Thu, 20 Jun 2013 19:54:25 +0000
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