By Amanze Chinonye
Associates of renowned scholar, public intellectual and Chairman of the Editorial Board of Prime Business Africa,Prof Pat Utomi, have lined up a five-city, four-state series of events to mark his 70th birthday on February 6, 2026.
The celebrations will take place in Enugu, Asaba-Ibuzo and Lagos, with additional events scheduled for Abuja and Kaduna, bringing together academics, policymakers, business leaders and public figures for what organisers describe as a blend of intellectual engagement and thanksgiving.
Activities will begin on February 4 with the Centre for Values in Leadership (CVL) Annual Lecture Symposium at the Amadeo Event Centre, Ebeano Tunnel, Enugu. The symposium will feature Dr Ameena Gurib-Fakim, former President of Mauritius, as keynote speaker.
Associate keynote addresses will be delivered by the Chief Executive Officer of the African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat, Wankele Mene, and the President of Afreximbank, Dr George Elombi.
Panel discussions in Enugu will include Prof James Robinson, co-author of Why Nations Fail and 2024 Nobel Prize winner in Economics, and Prof Paul Collier of Oxford University, author of The Bottom Billion.
Other panellists are Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti; Enugu State Governor, Dr Peter Mbah; Prof Fred Olayele; former New York Chief Economist; and Dr Kandeh Yumkella, former Director-General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation.
Also participating are Prof Osita Ogbu and Ghanaian presidential candidate, Alan John Kyerematen, while Lagos Business School professor, Franklin Ngwu, will moderate the session. Proceedings in Enugu will be chaired by former Director-General of the National Pension Commission, Muhammad Kabir Ahmad.
The birthday lecture proper will hold on February 6 in Asaba, under the presidency of the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Nnaemeka Alfred Ugochukwu Achebe (CFR, mni). Africa’s foremost industrialist, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, is billed to deliver the lecture.
A panel discussion themed on venturing into the oil and gas value chain will feature Chief Leemon Ikpea, Dr Austin Avuru, Rainoil founder Dr Gabriel Ogbechie, and Deacon Chris Iyowaye, alongside Casimir Maduafokwa and Alfred Okoigun of the Arco Group. The session will be moderated by Franklin Ngwu.
The Lagos finale, scheduled for February 8, will be chaired by the Vice-Chancellor of Pan-Atlantic University, Prof Enase Okonedo.
Commenting on the milestone, the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Prime Business Africa, Dr Marcel Mbamalu, said Prof Utomi’s influence extends well beyond academia and public discourse.
“As Prof Pat Utomi turns 70, we celebrate a life of remarkable contributions to Nigeria’s socio-economic landscape. His leadership as Chairman of our Editorial Board has been instrumental in shaping Prime Business Africa’s vision. Here’s to many more years of wisdom, insight and inspiration,” Dr Mbamalu said.
According to the Executive Director of Lux Terra Leadership Foundation, Rev Fr George Ehusani, events in Abuja on the same intellectual track will take place two weeks later, followed by a closing thanksgiving in Kaduna, Prof Utomi’s birthplace.
Prof Utomi, founder of the Centre for Values in Leadership, is widely regarded as one of Nigeria’s leading public intellectuals, with decades of influence in academia, business, governance and civic engagement.
