Associates of Professor Patrick Okedinachi Utomi will mark his 70th birthday with a series of lectures, symposia and thanksgiving events across five cities, as the renowned political economist and public intellectual turns 70 on February 6, 2026.
According to a statement released on Tuesday by journalist and public relations expert, Chido Nwakama, the multi-city celebration will take place in Enugu, Asaba-Ibuzo, Lagos, Abuja and Kaduna, bringing together scholars, policy makers, business leaders and civil society actors to honour Utomi’s contributions to ideas, leadership and national development.
The events will begin on February 4 in Enugu with the annual lecture symposium of the Centre for Values in Leadership (CVL), scheduled to hold at the Amadeo Event Centre, Ebeano Tunnel.
Former President of Mauritius, Dr Ameena Gurib-Fakim, will deliver the keynote address, while associate keynotes will be presented by the Chief Executive Officer of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), Wankele Mene, and the President of Afreximbank, Dr George Elombi.
The Enugu programme will feature panel discussions anchored by Professor James Robinson, co-author of Why Nations Fail and 2024 Nobel Prize winner in Economics, and Professor Paul Collier of Oxford University, author of The Bottom Billion.
Other panellists include Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti; Enugu State Governor, Dr Peter Ndubuisi Mbah; former New York chief economist, Prof Fred Olayele; and former UNIDO Director-General, Dr Kandeh Yumkella. Also participating are Prof Osita Ogbu, Ghanaian politician and former presidential candidate Alan John Kyerematen, with Lagos Business School professor Franklin Ngwu moderating. Former PenCom Director-General, MK Ahmad, will chair the session.
The birthday lecture itself will hold on February 6 in Asaba, under the chairmanship of the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Nnaemeka Alfred Ugochukwu Achebe (CFR, mni). Africa’s foremost industrialist, Dr Aliko Dangote, is expected to deliver the lecture.
Discussions in Asaba will focus on opportunities in the oil and gas value chain, with panellists including Chief Leemon Ikpea, Dr Austin Avuru, Rainoil founder Dr Gabriel Ogbechie, Deacon Chris Iyowaye, Casimir Maduafokwa and Alfred Okoigun of the ARCO Group. Franklin Ngwu will moderate the session.
The Lagos leg of the celebration, scheduled for February 8, will be chaired by the Vice-Chancellor of Pan-Atlantic University, Professor Enase Okonedo.
According to Fr George Ehusani of Lux Terra, similar events will take place in Abuja two weeks later, while the celebrations will conclude with a thanksgiving ceremony in Kaduna, Utomi’s birthplace.
Born on February 6, 1956, in Kaduna and of Delta State origin, Utomi is the founder of the Centre for Values in Leadership and the African Democratic Congress. He is widely regarded as one of Nigeria’s leading voices on political economy, leadership and governance.
Utomi attended St Thomas Primary School in Kano and Our Lady of Fatima in Gusau, before completing his secondary education at Christ the King College, Onitsha, and Loyola College, Ibadan. He studied Mass Communication at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, graduating in 1977, and later earned an MA, MPA and PhD from Indiana University in the United States.
His career spans academia, public service and the private sector. He served as Special Assistant to former President Shehu Shagari, later became Chief Operating Officer of Volkswagen Nigeria, and is a Professor at Lagos Business School, with affiliations to Harvard Business School and the American University, Washington DC.
Utomi has also served as Vice Chairman of Platinum-Habib Bank and Chairman of the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association. A Fellow of the Institute of Management Consultants of Nigeria, he has been named among Nigeria’s “Top Ten Living Legends” and remains a respected commentator on global economic and governance issues, with engagements at institutions such as Chatham House and the Centre for Strategic and International Studies.
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