Associates of Pat Utomi, one of Nigeria’s most respected scholars and public intellectuals, are set to honour his 70th birthday with a series of events across five cities in four states, blending celebration with serious intellectual engagement.
The celebrations will commence on February 4th, 2026, scheduled to take place in Enugu, Asaba-Ibuzo and Lagos, with additional events scheduled for Abuja and Kaduna. Organisers say the programme is designed not just as a tribute, but as a reflection of Utomi’s lifelong commitment to ideas, leadership and public debate.
On February 4th, a public lecture will be held at the Amadeo Event Centre, Ebeano Tunnel, Enugu. The keynote address will be delivered by Ameena Gurib Fakim, former Mauritian President and the country’s first woman to hold the office. She will be joined by associate keynote speakers Wankele Mene, Chief Executive of the Africa Free Trade Area, and George Elombi, AfreximBank President.
The Enugu symposium will also feature high-level panel discussions bringing together academics and policy leaders.
James Robinson, co-author of Why Nations Fail and winner of the 2024 Nobel Prize for Economics, is expected to join the conversation alongside Paul Collier of Oxford University, author of The Bottom Billion and a past CVL keynote speaker.
Other panellists include Alex Otti, Abia State governor; Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, Enugu State governor, Fred Olayele, former Chief Economist for New York, and Kandeh Yumkella, former UNIDO Director General.
They will be joined by Osita Ogbu and Ghanaian Presidential candidate Alan John Kyerematen. Franklin Ngwu of Lagos Business School will moderate, while former Pencom chief executive MK Ahmad will chair the proceedings.
On February 6, Utomi’s birthday, attention will shift to Asaba Ibuzo, where the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Nnaemeka Alfred Ugochukwu Achebe, will preside over a special birthday lecture. The lecture will be delivered by Aliko Dangote, Africa’s leading industrialist.
That session will focus on opportunities in the oil and gas value chain, with panellists including Leemon Ikpea, Austin Avuru, Rainoil founder Gabriel Ogbechie and Chris Iyowaye. Others on the panel are Casimir Maduafokwa and Alfred Okoigun of the Arco Group, with Franklin Ngwu again serving as moderator.
The celebrations will conclude in Lagos on February 8, where the Vice Chancellor of Pan Atlantic University, Enase Okonedo, will chair the final event.
