Photo caption from left: Rev. Sis (Dr) Yves Iwuamadi, Hospital Administrator and Consultant, Maduka University Medical Centre and College of Medicine; Mrs Unoma Nosike, Deputy Registrar; Professor Charles Ogbulogo, Vice-Chancellor, Professor Julius Okojie, former Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC); Dr. Samuel Maduka Onyishi, Founder/Chancellor, Maduka University; Professor Thessy Amber; Mr. John Omeje, Registrar, and Dr. Godwin Ifeanyichukwu, Representative of the Provost, Maduka University College of Medicine.
By Charles Okonji
Professor Julius Okojie, former Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commissions (NUC), Monday visited Maduka University.
Okojie was received by the Chancellor, Dr. Samuel Maduka Onyishi, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Charles Ogbulogo, Registrar, Mr. John Omeje, and other key officers of the university.
Welcoming the former executive secretary, The Registrar, Mr. John Omeje, described Okojie as one of the foremost successful Executive Secretaries of the NUC whose administration laid the foundations for success and the expansion of access to private universities in the country.
In his remark titled, “The Currency of Power and Wealth, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Charles Ogbulogo, said that there is an intrinsic connection across electricity, wealth and power.
According to him, “the flow of electricity is called current. This flow is through a conductor. The conductor in the context of social entrepreneurship is that sacrificial individual who opens up great opportunities for others to follow.”
Ogbulogo explained that money is also referred to as currency which is why to be a carrier of wealth that currency must be strong.
“This explains why the strongest nations have strong currencies. Citizens of such strong countries enjoy a massive Human Development Index (HDI) with education as a strong indicator,” he said.
The Vice-Chancellor stated that people like Professor Okojie who have served as the current of power have earned a place in history.
“Since value attracts value, we are excited that we have you as a partner,” he said.
In his speech, the Chancellor of Maduka University, Dr. Samuel Maduka Onyishi, expressed gratitude to Professor Okojie for opening access to private universities.
Dr. Onyishi reiterated his commitment to education as the receptacle to health, food security and knowledge, stating that legacy is the greatest form of wealth.
The Chancellor expressed profound gratitude to Professor Okojie for the deep insights he received in his process of establishing Maduka University as a legacy project.
Indeed, in the words of Dr. Onyishi, legacy is the cornerstone of transgenerational wealth.
The Chancellor was highly commended for the crop of staff God has brought his way in prosecuting the project.
He considered the University project as a culmination of the message God has put in his hands.
Professor Thessy Amber, an erudite scholar who was in the company of the former executive secretary, expressed her passion in health-related matters and her willingness to collaborate with Maduka University in the course, Life Skills and Healthy Living which the university already offers.
In his response, Prof. Okojie expressed regret for having visited the institution at a point where there is little for him to contribute.
He was full of praise for the institution, referring to the level of development as monumental.
He congratulated the Chancellor for excellent infrastructure and for attracting capable hands to run the affairs of the University.
He pointed out that becoming an Ivy League University does not just happen, saying, it has to be developed with a sense of intentionality.
He suggested that the university consider investments in plant sciences to harness the rich biodiversity in the southeast of Nigeria, recommending the incorporation of ergonomics into the university curriculum as well as publishing in credible journals.
