The 2023 Alumni homecoming and award presentation of the faculty of Management Sciences, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, has come and gone with a charge on universities to establish the database of their grandaunts.
The event, held at the NAU Secretariat Hall of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka, attracted the cremé la cremé of the society including the academia, politicians, captains of industry, traditional rulers and the university community.
Earlier during a courtesy call on the Vice Chancellor of the university, Professor Charles Esimone by the special guests and principal officers of the faculty of Management Sciences, the VC underscored the importance of active and functional alumni association in all-round development of any institution.
Esimone, who disclosed their initial plan to organize a general homecoming of all their graduands, decided to decentralize it to faculties and departments in order to contain the scope and also recognize every graduand who has in one way or the other, contributed to the development of the institution.
While passionately appealing to well meaning Nigerians to assist in developing the institution as it can not achieve much relying on its fiscal strength, the VC lauded the efforts of the dean, Faculty of Management Sciences, Professor Pius Okoye for keying into the idea within barley one year in office.
Delevering a paper titled, “Leveraging the global power of alumni association” the chairman, editorial board, Daily Times Group of Newspapers, Dr. Uche Nworah, charged universities to always enrich their students experience to avoid apathy on graduation.
Dr Nworah, who is also the immediate past managing director and chief executive officer of Anambra Broadcasting Service, ABS, spoke extensively on the importance of the establishing an endowment fund in institutions to aid in research and development, infrastructure, scholarship and grants among numerous others.
Speaking shortly after receiving an award of excellence on innovative representation and service to humanity, the member representing Awka North and South Federal Constituency, Prof. Oby Orogbu while defining the event as a homecoming, noted that she has the progress, growth and development of the faculty including its staff and students as her priority having served in the department at different capacities.
The lawmaker however, made a wake-up call on their graduands to come together and build the alumni association of the faculty.
In his welcome address, Prof Okoye, who described alumni as the pride of every institution, said they gathered not just to relive cherished memories but to honour the unwavering bond that their alumni share with their beloved institution.
According to Okoye, the essence of the event was beautifully captured in the theme, “Alumni: The Nucleus of University Development” hence, the cornerstone of the alliance that supports the university’s growth.
The event climaxed with the presentation of awards to fifty-three distinguished personalities, endowment and medical tests.
