Prof. Nnabuko (Middle) with her ex-students
From Maurice UpOkafor, Enugu
Though Prof. Justitia Odinaka Nnabuko has quit the academic environment of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), following her valedictory lecture-cum-70th birthday celebration in September 2023, her former students who enjoyed her mentorship while pursuing their doctorate degrees have continued to honour her, three years after she left the University’s Enugu Campus (UNEC).
The ex-students, who operate under the aegis of the “Forum of Prof. J.O. Nnabuko’s PhD Mentees, University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus,” have continued to honour their mentor annually on her birthday.
This singular honour informed the second edition of the Annual Integrated Marketing Public Lecture Series, held on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, to commemorate Prof. Nnabuko’s 72nd birthday.
The event, which featured lectures, was held virtually to accommodate mentees in the diaspora, followed by a get-together in Enugu for those who were available.
The event was chaired by Dr. Damion Ozoani, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Zans Food and Beverages Ltd, who is also the Chief Executive of Partner Market Edge Consults Ltd.
The President of the Forum, Professor Chuka Uzoma Ifediora, in his address, said the gathering was to mark another birthday of their mentor, but beyond that, they were celebrating a journey of scholarship, mentorship, relationships and service.
His words: “For us the Mentees, this celebration has a special meaning. A mentor is someone who does more than possess knowledge. A mentor shares experience, opens doors, offers perspective, corrects when necessary, encourages when the journey becomes difficult, and helps others see possibilities that they may not yet see for themselves.”
He told the celebrant-cum-Chief Guest of Honour, Prof. Justitia Nnabuko, that her mentees valued her greatly, not only because of what they learnt from her, but also because of what they learnt through her example.
Prof. Ifediora stated: “The academic community may recognise scholarship, teaching and professional accomplishment, but mentees also recognise something more personal, the difference a mentor makes in the lives and aspirations of people who look up to her.”
He appreciated the academia, his fellow mentees of Prof. Nnabuko, family and friends of the celebrant, tasking them to learn to develop and uplift others for a better society.
His words: “May this gathering remind us of the importance of giving back, lifting others and creating opportunities for the next generation. May it also remind us 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.”
Prof. Benedict Ejikeme Odigbo, a Professor of Digital Marketing and Marketing Communication in the Department of Marketing at the University of Calabar, in his lecture titled, “Reputational Capital and the Digital Marketing Era: A Strategic Nexus for National Development,” recommended that national reputation should be approached as a strategic development resource involving government, businesses, universities, the creative industry, diaspora communities and citizens.
He tasked organisations to ensure that digital communication accurately reflected their actual products, services, values and performance in order to build good reputational capital.
He advised that the country’s national image campaigns should be based on verifiable evidence, rather than relying predominantly on slogans.
“Nigeria should communicate measurable achievements in Education, Technology, Entrepreneurship, Culture, Science, Sports and Innovation,” Prof. Odigbo said.
Rt. Hon. Victor Jones Onyereri, who represented Nkwerre/Isu/Njaba/Nwangele Federal Constituency of Imo State, in his lecture titled, “Marketing Nigeria: Building a National Brand through Leadership, Trust and Digital Communication,” emphasised that leadership behaviour itself is communication.
He stated: “When a leader keeps a promise, he communicates. When an institution responds promptly to citizens, it communicates. When public funds are managed transparently, government communicates. When a business treats its customers fairly, it communicates. And when institutions fail to meet reasonable expectations, that also communicates.”
Rt. Hon. Onyereri, who holds a Master’s degree in Marketing/Public Relations and a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) from the University of Nigeria (UNN), said that the most powerful national branding strategy was not necessarily another advertising campaign, but credible performance consistently communicated.
Speaking to newsmen thereafter, the Chairman of the Local Organising Committee (LOC), Dr. Oliver Uzonna Ngwoke, commended the unalloyed support he received from his colleagues on the committee during the planning and execution of activities for the 2nd Edition of the Professor Justitia Odinakachukwu Nnabuko Annual Integrated Marketing Public Lecture and birthday celebration.
He emphasised that the events were organised by the celebrant’s PhD mentees from the Department of Marketing, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, to honour their PhD supervisor for her guidance, humility, selflessness and dedication, without demanding money or any other material gift to influence her when they were in the university.
He further stated that the event had become an annual occasion since 2023, when she delivered her valedictory lecture, and her mentees took the decision to celebrate her every year during her birthday.
He also remarked that the PhD mentees were neither induced nor coerced to do this, but that it was based on their personal volition. He attested 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 at the Department of Marketing, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, for the initiative of honouring her annually on her birthday.
She prayed that God would reward every one of them abundantly.
Prof. Justitia Nnabuko’s mentees who reside in Enugu rounded up the second edition of the honour for their mentor by joining in her 72nd birthday merriment at her Enugu residence, after the virtual lectures, which lasted for more than two hours.
