Valentine Ozigbo, a 2021 Anambra Governorship Candidate, was honoured with the Exemplary Leadership Award from the Faculty of Education of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, which held its 2023 Alumni Homecoming & Alumni Presentation Ceremony.
The event also served as a fundraiser for the proposed N100 million ultra-modern virtual classroom and was held on Thursday, May 11, 2023, at the university’s ASUU Secretariat in its Awka campus.
In her keynote address, the event’s host Prof Vivian Ngozi Nwogbo, the Dean of the Faculty of Education, expressed her confidence that the day’s activities will set the Nnamdi Azikiwe University on the path to competing with other educational institutions globally.
Prof Nwogbo thanked the administration of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, led by Vice-Chancellor Professor Charles Esimone. She pledged to “continue working to build a brighter future for our society, country, and world.”
Dr Mirian Alike, a lecturer in the Department of Philosophy at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, received the award for Exemplary Leadership in ‘recognition of his leadership acumen’ on behalf of Mr Ozigbo.
Mr Ozigbo, who was at the event briefly before leaving for another function, expressed appreciation to God, the Faculty of Education of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, and the organisers of the awards for the recognition.
“I consider this a significant award because it is centred around leadership, which has been Nigeria’s bane for decades,” Ozigbo declared.
“We have been unable to do enough to catch up with the rest of the world because we have been bedevilled with leaders who have failed to prioritise the needs of the people. Like leadership, education, the bedrock of development, has been relegated to the back seat.
“As we gather today to celebrate leadership, it is heartwarming that you consider me worthy of this award, and this accolade will only spur me to continue making my modest contributions to society,” Ozigbo, a global Kaizen icon, added.
Ozigbo was honoured along with other leaders and captains of industries, including Prof Charles Esimone, the Vice-Chancellor of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University; Bishop Paul Nwachukwu, the Founding Pastor and Presiding Bishop of Grace of God Mission International, and many others.
