The Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel has been formally invited as Guest Speaker to the 2021 Founders' Day of University of Nigeria, Nsukka,UNN.

This was made known Sunday, during a courtesy visit on the Governor by Prof. Bennett Nwanguma, Chairman Senate Ceremonials, Committee, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, at Government House, Uyo.

Governor Emmanuel who accepted the invitation as Guest Speaker of the 61st Founders' Day of University of Nsukka, Nigeria billed for October 7, 2021, thanked the delegation from the University community for nominating him to speak at the occasion indicating that the session will be an avenue to interact and share knowledge and experiences which will be of benefits to the University Community.

"Let me thank the entire University for nominating Akwa Ibom State because I am representing the people first, so I want to appreciate that recognition.

"This lecture means a lot to us because this is an opportunity to share experiences, interact with the University community which we believe will be beneficial to the people as it will pass information, knowledge and experience to the people and the entire university community’’, he said.

Speaking on the contributions of the University towards nation building, Governor Emmanuel maintained that Nigeria can surmount its challenges if there is a re-awakening of a moral rebirth in the minds of the people to take up their responsibilities, the country will be better off.

‘’We need to pass a message that we can fix it, we must rejig the system and get things done, we should not allow many things to decay in our land and the only way to do that is to pass information where we try to rebuild a moral rebirth in our people and the confidence in our people that we must forge ahead and if we don’t fix it nobody will do it for us’’, the governor stated.


In his remark, the Chairman, UNN Senate Ceremonials Committee, Professor Bennett Nwanguma, who led the delegation, said the Founders' Day Ceremony was an annual event at which founders of the prestigious institution are remembered and honoured, with particular tributes to Nigeria’s first President, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe and his generation of Nigerian leaders.

He thanked Governor Emmanuel and members of his cabinet for the warm reception and hospitality accorded him and his team and expressed the gratitude of the UNN community for the governor’s acceptance to feature at the event.

Expounding further, Prof. Nwanguma, the Chairman of the event planning committee, said two reasons informed the choice of Governor Emmanuel as Guest Speaker for the year’s event.

Firstly, that Mr. Udom Emmanuel, with his record of performance as Governor of Akwa Ibom State, has gained the credence of the University of Nigeria community as one from whom they would draw inspiration and motivation.

Secondly, that the University of Nigeria enjoys historical relationship with Akwa Ibom State, because the motion for its establishment was moved by an indigene of the state, Chief Ibanga Akpabio in May 1955, he added.