By Uzo Ugwunze
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.
Odogwu, a two term Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ Anambra State Council got the news as a surprise as he has been busy in all fronts that he didn’t even know such competition was announced by rhe faculty.
Information available shows that Odogwu is known for his punctuality to lectures, despite his busy schedules. He is the most friendly Lecturer to students across the board, yet strict. He is also top on the list of most industry friendly lecturers in Mass Communication Department having worked as a reporter, Correpondent and Editor in different organizations in the media industry. He is the Editor, South East Bureau of The Authority Newspaper since 2015. The Authority media is founded by Late Senator Ifeanyi Patrick Ubah.
In a reaction, Comrade Odogwu said the honour is a motivation to do more for the students. trusting God for His mercies and grace always.
This was announced after the Faculty of Social Sciences 2025 Performance Review announced at the faculty complex. The initiative was aimed at reviewing the performance of the lecturers in the faculty and activities of the faculty after a calendar year as well as afford faculty members which include students and staff an opportunity to 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.
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 in the year 2025, the Dean, Prof.
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 Prof.
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, Prof. 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.
Highlights of the event include
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 last 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 commitee, Prof. 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.
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