The University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) ex-students, who were mentored by Prof. Justitia Odinaka Nnabuko during their PhD studies, have continued to honor her annually on her birthday. This tradition began after her valedictory lecture and 70th birthday celebration in September 2023. The second edition of the Annual Integrated Marketing Public Lecture Series was held on September 23, 2026, to commemorate Prof. Nnabuko's 72nd birthday. The event featured lectures and was held virtually to accommodate mentees in the diaspora.
The event was chaired by Dr. Damion Ozoani, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Zans Food and Beverages Ltd. The President of the Forum of Prof. J.O. Nnabuko's PhD Mentees, Professor Chuka Uzoma Ifediora, stated that the gathering was to mark another birthday of their mentor and celebrate a journey of scholarship, mentorship, relationships, and service. He emphasized that a mentor shares experience, opens doors, offers perspective, corrects when necessary, encourages when the journey becomes difficult, and helps others see possibilities.
Prof. Ifediora appreciated the academia, his fellow mentees of Prof. Nnabuko, family, and friends of the celebrant. He tasked them to learn to develop and uplift others for a better society. He noted that one of the most enduring forms of academic legacy is not simply what we publish or what we teach, but the people we help to develop. The event featured lectures by Prof. Benedict Ejikeme Odigbo and Rt. Hon. Victor Jones Onyereri.
Prof. Benedict Ejikeme Odigbo, a Professor of Digital Marketing and Marketing Communication, recommended that national reputation should be approached as a strategic development resource involving government, businesses, universities, and citizens. He advised that digital communication should accurately reflect an organization's actual products, services, values, and performance to build good reputational capital. Rt. Hon. Onyereri emphasized that leadership behavior itself is communication and that credible performance consistently communicated is the most powerful national branding strategy.
The Chairman of the Local Organising Committee (LOC), Dr. Oliver Uzonna Ngwoke, commended the support he received from his colleagues during the planning and execution of the event. He emphasized that the events were organized by the celebrant's PhD mentees to honor their PhD supervisor for her guidance, humility, selflessness, and dedication. He stated that the event had become an annual occasion since 2023 and that Prof. Nnabuko's good character had earned her the gesture from over a hundred PhD holders she supervised.
Responding, the Chief Guest of Honour-cum-celebrant, Prof. Nnabuko, expressed gratitude to her doctoral degree ex-students for the initiative of honoring her annually on her birthday. She prayed that God would reward every one of them abundantly. The mentees who reside in Enugu rounded up the second edition of the honor for their mentor by joining in her 72nd birthday merriment at her Enugu residence.
The annual lecture series and birthday celebration have become a tradition for Prof. Nnabuko's mentees to show their appreciation for her mentorship and guidance. The event has also provided a platform for scholars to share their knowledge and expertise in various fields. Key points:
Key points
- The annual lecture series was established to honor Prof. Justitia Odinaka Nnabuko on her birthday.
- The event featured lectures by Prof. Benedict Ejikeme Odigbo and Rt. Hon. Victor Jones Onyereri.
- Prof. Nnabuko's mentees organized the event to show their appreciation for her mentorship and guidance.
