Practicing Journalists in Nigeria under the aegis of United Igbo Journalists (UIJ) has felicitated with former Minister of Education and Youth Development, Professor Ben Nwabueze, as he clocks 88.
In a statement signed by the President UIJ, Comrade Emeka Nze, in Abuja, the Journalist group hailed several impacts of the country’s statesman who was born in 1932.
Comrade Nze said, “We wish to identify with one of Nigeria’s great men of honour who has served this nation with vigour and dedication in many capacities.
“It’s our prayer that God still give him strength to live more years to come so that Nigerians and all men of goodwill will continuously tap from his deluge of experience.”
Professor Nwabueze or Professor of Professors as he’s fondly called by his numerous admirers is Nigeria’s first academic Senior Advocate of Nigeria.
A seasoned Academician, he was member of Senate of the Universities of Lagos, Dar-es-salaam, Nairobi, Haile Selassie in Ethiopia, Lesotho, Botswana and Swaziland.
Prof. Nwabueze is also a strong advocate for the Igbo cause.
He, alongside other prominent Igbo sons like Akanu Ibiam, M.I. Okpara, K.O. Mbadiwe, Chief Ugochukwu, P.N. Okigbo and Udoji, co-founded Ohaneze Ndigbo in 1976. He served as Secretary – General, between 1978 to 2004, in which capacity he transformed the body into a formidable, highly regarded non-partisan Pan Igbo pressure group.
