Enugu, Asaba-Ibuzo, and Lagos are the main cities where associates of renowned scholar and public intellectual, Prof Pat Utomi, gather to celebrate his 70th birthday on February 6, 2026.

Further celebrations will be held in Abuja and Kaduna.

The celebration of Utomi’s three score and ten years will include intellectual feasts for the mind, bringing together academics and practising leaders, as well as other mind-engaging events.

Activities will begin on February 4, 2026, with the CVL Annual Lecture Symposium at the Amadeo Event Centre, Ebeano Tunnel, Enugu.

Dr Ameena Gurib-Fakim, the sixth and first female president of Mauritius, will be the keynote speaker. Wankele Mene, Chief Executive of the Africa Free Trade Area, and Dr George Elombi, President of Afrexim Bank, will deliver associate keynotes.

Panel discussions will commence with leaders from ‘Why Nations Fail’, co-author and 2024 Nobel Prize winner for Economics, Prof James Robinson, and Prof Paul Collier of Oxford University, who authored ‘The Bottom Billion’ and was the keynote speaker at the CVL Annual Lecture in 2017.

Panellists include Abia State Governor Dr Alex Otti, Enugu State Governor Dr Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, Prof Fred Olayele, former Chief Economist for New York, and Dr Kandeh Yumkella, former Director General of UNIDO and previous CVL symposium keynote speaker.

Also on the panel are Prof Osita Ogbu, former Ghanaian minister and Presidential candidate Alan John Kyerematen, and LBS professor Franklin Ngwu, who will moderate. Former Pencom CEO MK Ahmad will chair proceedings in Enugu.

Igwe Nnaemeka Alfred Ugochukwu Achebe (CFR, mni), the Obi of Onitsha, will preside over the birthday lecture to be delivered by Africa’s foremost industrialist, Dr Aliko Dangote, in Asaba on 6th February.

Panellists include Chief Leemon Ikpea, Dr Austin Avuru, Rainoil Limited founder Dr Gabriel Ogbechie, and Deacon Chris Iyowaye, with a theme on venturing into the Oil and Ga’ value chain. Others are Casimir Maduafokwa, Franklin Ngwu, who will moderate, and Alfred Okoigun of the Arco group.

The Vice Chancellor of the Pan Atlantic University, Prof Enase Okonedo, will chair the Lagos finale on 8 February.

Fr George Ehusani of Lux Terra has stated that the Abuja events will occur on the same schedule, but two weeks later, followed by the closing Thanksgiving in Kaduna, where Prof Utomi was born 70 years ago.

Professor Patrick Okedinachi Utomi (born February 6, 1956) is a distinguished Nigerian political economist, management expert, and former presidential candidate. Born in Kaduna and hailing from Delta State, he is the founder of the Centre for Values in Leadership (CVL) and the African Democratic Congress political party.

Education

Patrick Utomi attended his primary school at St. Thomas, Kano, from 1960 to 1962, and at Our Lady of Fatima, Gusau, from 1962 to 1966. His secondary education was at Christ the King College, Onitsha, and Loyola College, Ibadan. He completed secondary school by age 15, studied Mass Communication at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (graduating in 1977), and earned an MA, MPA, and PhD from Indiana University, USA.

Career Highlights

Utomi has had a multifaceted career spanning academia, government, and the private sector. Key roles include:

• Serving as Special Assistant to President Shehu Shagari and later as Chief Operating Officer of Volkswagen Nigeria.

• Appointed Professor at Lagos Business School, with affiliations at Harvard Business School and the American University, Washington, D.C.

• Holding leadership positions such as Vice Chairman of Platinum–Habib Bank and Chairman of the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA).

• Being a prominent civil society advocate, coordinating groups such as Transparency in Nigeria and Concerned Professionals.

Recognition:

A Fellow of the Institute of Management Consultants of Nigeria, he has been recognised as one of Nigeria’s “Top Ten Living Legends.” He is a frequent commentator on global economic issues and has collaborated with international institutions like the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and Chatham House.

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