Pan-Igbo frontliner builds centre in UNN in honour of Prof. Nwala

A frontline pan-Igbo organization, Alaigbo Development Foundation (ADF), says it has built a research centre in the Department of Philosophy, University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) in honour of Prof. Timothy Nwala.

In a statement by Chief Abia Onyike, Chairman of ADF Media and Publicity Bureau on Tuesday in Abakaliki, the centre would be inaugurated on March 17 as part of activities to celebrate the 80th birthday of Nwala.

Supreme reports that Nwala, who pioneered the teaching of African Philosophy in the university, is currently the President of ADF.

According to Onyike, Nwala will deliver a lecture titled, my: "Autobiographical Encounter with African Philosophy."

He said Mr Peter Obi, former governor of Anambra and former student in the department under Nwala, would be the Special Guest of Honour while Dr Okwesillieze Nwodo, former governor of Enugu State, would be the chairman.

Nwala, who taught at the UNN for 30 years, was also the pioneer national secretary of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) between 1980 and 1982.

He also taught and established the Philosophy department in the University of Abuja; Benue State University, Nasarawa State University and Kogi State University.

Nwala, former President of the Nigerian Philosophical Association (NPA), is generally regarded in the academia as the father of African Philosophy.

"He received his Master's and PhD degrees from the prestigious New School for Social Research in New York in the 1970s and obtained his Fellowship at the Oxford University.

"He is also a Fellow of the USSR Academy of Sciences in Moscow.

"Nwala was elected member of the Constitutional Conference (1994-95), where he worked closely with former Vice President, Dr Alex Ekwueme, to create the Institute of Civil Society and organised the G-34 document.

"The document was the prelude to the ouster of military dictatorship and restoration of democratic rule in Nigeria," Onyike said.