On the recognition of Prof. Nnenna Oti

Opinion

By Valentine Obienyem 

IN my last article, where I appreciated the naming of an institution after Prof. Nnenna Oti, I deliberately did not mention the institution. Personally, I believe that a more educationally significant institution would have been more fitting. She may not have been an Okpala or Zik, but what she did, particularly her widely acknowledged role in ensuring transparency, credibility, and integrity in the conduct of the electoral process in Abia State during the 2023 general elections, considering the state of the country, calls for recognition; no recognition is too much. I learnt the institution named after her was just one among the respect  Oti has continued to accord her.  I would have personally preferred Abia State University being named after her. 

Meanwhile, all thanks to Governor Oti for his admirable sense of duty. After seeing the level of development in Abia State, I prefer to call him, specifically in terms of his work, “the Bulldozer of the East.” He knows what to do, from policy formulation to implementation, and he has been doing it commendably.

I became totally beholden to him when he had the presence of mind to honour His Imperial Majesty, Igwe Nnaemeka Alfred Ugochukwu Achebe, Obi of Onitsha, a man who represents tradition and dignity. His  court has become a sanctuary for the human spirit.

Oti’s maturity is evident. He is consumed with lighting his own candle and understands that his will not burn more brightly by extinguishing others’ candles.

We need to let Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan (SAN), know that whatever his appointees have promised him, or are ready to give him, pales into insignificance compared with what the rightful person that emerges as President and other Nigerians would possibly do for him.

A.I

June 1, 2026

Tags: Prof. Nnenna Oti Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan Valentine Obienyem