Former PhD students of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), have continued their annual tradition of honouring their former supervisor and mentor, Professor Justitia Odinaka Nnabuko, three years after her retirement from the university.
The mentees, under the aegis of the Forum of Prof. J.O. Nnabuko’s PhD Mentees, University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, held the second edition of the Annual Integrated Marketing Public Lecture Series on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, to mark Professor Nnabuko’s 72nd birthday.
The event was held virtually to accommodate members of the forum living outside Nigeria, while a physical get-together was later held in Enugu for mentees and associates who were available.
Professor Nnabuko retired from the academic environment of the University of Nigeria following her valedictory lecture and 70th birthday celebration in September 2023.
Speaking during the event, the President of the Forum, Professor Chuka Uzoma Ifediora, said the annual celebration went beyond marking their mentor’s birthday, describing it as an opportunity to celebrate scholarship, mentorship, relationships and service.
He said Professor Nnabuko had influenced her former students not only through academic knowledge but also through her mentorship, encouragement and personal example.
Ifediora urged members of the academic community and others attending the event to embrace the culture of developing and supporting younger generations.
The lecture series featured presentations on marketing, digital communication, national reputation and leadership.
Professor Benedict Ejikeme Odigbo, a Professor of Digital Marketing and Marketing Communication at the University of Calabar, delivered a lecture titled, “Reputational Capital and the Digital Marketing Era: A Strategic Nexus for National Development.”
Odigbo called for Nigeria’s national reputation to be treated as a strategic development resource involving government, businesses, universities, the creative industry, diaspora communities and citizens.
He also urged organisations to ensure that their digital communication accurately reflects their products, services, values and performance, stressing that national image campaigns should be supported by verifiable achievements rather than slogans alone.
Also speaking, former member of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Victor Jones Onyereri, delivered a lecture titled, “Marketing Nigeria: Building a National Brand through Leadership, Trust and Digital Communication.”
Onyereri, who holds postgraduate degrees in Marketing/Public Relations and a PhD from the University of Nigeria, said leadership conduct was itself a form of communication and that credible performance remained central to building public trust and a strong national image.
Speaking on the event, the Chairman of the Local Organising Committee, Dr. Oliver Uzonna Ngwoke, said the celebration was organised voluntarily by Professor Nnabuko’s former PhD students to appreciate her guidance, humility and dedication to their academic development.
Ngwoke said the annual celebration began in 2023 following Professor Nnabuko’s valedictory lecture and had continued through the initiative of her former mentees.
He noted that more than 100 PhD holders had reportedly been supervised by Professor Nnabuko, adding that the annual tribute was based on the former students’ personal appreciation of her mentorship.
Responding, Professor Nnabuko expressed appreciation to her former doctoral students for continuing to honour her annually and prayed for God’s blessings upon them.
The celebration concluded with a birthday gathering at Professor Nnabuko’s residence in Enugu, where her mentees joined her to mark her 72nd birthday.
By Enitan Mudashiru | MUK TV News
