—- Describe him as seasoned administrator

By Johnbosco Agbakwuru

UNIVERSITY Professors from Anambra State on Thursday, commended President Bola Tinubu over the appointment of a seasoned economist and administrator, Amb. Greg Ozumba Mbadiwe MFR, as Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of governing Council of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State.

Ambassador Greg Mbadiwe is the first son of late Nigerian nationalist, Dr. Kingsley Ozumba Mbadiwe.

The university dons under the aegis Forum of Anambra Professors, FAP, stated that the appointment of Amb. Mbadiwe is a giant leap to further guarantee outstanding teaching and learning standards and make Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka the best of its kind in Nigeria and beyond.

The Forum, in a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Prof Ikechukwu Okafor, described Amb. Mbadiwe as a “diligent and prudent personality; a legal luminary, very brilliant, highly experienced and result-oriented administrator with exceptional capacity for innovative leadership” adding that his appointment as Pro-Chancellor is a step in the right direction.

“Our Forum appreciates President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for choosing best hands for the much-needed multisectoral development and productivity in the country.

“The Appointment of Amb. Mbadiwe as the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Governing Council of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka is indeed a step in the right direction considering his versatility and competence in administration and policy development.

“It is a loud testament of the commitment and vision of the Tinubu administration towards the development and advancement of the education sector in Nigeria. It is fortuitous that the son of the legendary Chief K.O. Mbadiwe has been given the mandate to turn around the fortunes of a university named after his late father’s bosom friend in the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC), Chief Nnamdi Azikiwe.”

The Forum asserted that Amb. Mbadiwe will further bring to the Governing Council his administrative experience and skills garnered over the years of trainings and public service including as Nigeria’s Ambassador to the Republic of Congo, Chairman of the Board of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and Chairman of the Board, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).

It further noted that Amb. Mbadiwe will effectively connect policy making with implementation given his experience as a politician with his long-standing skills in Planning, Research and Strategy at the Presidential level.

The Anambra Professors charged Amb. Mbadiwe to put in his best as usual in his new task so as to ensure that University is moved to its much-desired next level of development as envisioned by its founders.

A veteran politician, Amb. Mbadiwe was the Imo State Presidential Flag bearer of the defunct National Republican Convention (NRC) in 1993.

He was a Director at the Directorate of Planning, Research and Strategy at Legacy House Abuja, the official headquarters of President Olusegun Obasanjo’s re-election campaign Organization Abuja in 2003.

He joined the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the behest of Imo State Governor, Sen. Hope Uzodinma in 2021.