Enugu, Asaba-Ibuzo in Delta State, and Lagos are the main cities where associates of renowned scholar and public intellectual, Prof. Pat Utomi gather to celebrate his 70th birthday on 6 February 2026.
Further celebrations will be held in Abuja and Kaduna.
The celebration of Utomi’s three score and 10 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 4 February 2026, with the Centre for Values in Leadership (CVL) Annual Lecture and International Leadership Symposium at the Amadeo Event Centre, Ebeano Tunnel, Enugu.
Utomi founded the CVL Annual Lecture and International Leadership Symposium in 2004, a premier annual event designed to promote value-based leadership and address national development issues. It features high-profile stakeholders, including CEOs, politicians, and experts, focusing on themes like economic evolution, SME growth, and governance.
A former President of Mauritius, Dr. Ameena Gurib-Fakim (the country’s first female leader) will be the keynote speaker, while the Chief Executive of the Africa Free Trade Area, Wankele Mene; and the resident of Afrexim Bank, Dr. George Elombi will deliver associate keynotes.
Panel discussions will commence with a co-author of Why Nations Fail, Prof. James Robinson, who is the 2024 Nobel Prize winner for Economics; 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; his Enugu State counterpart, Dr. Peter Mbah; a former Chief Economist for New York, Prof. Fred Olayele; a former Director General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), Dr. Kandeh Yumkella, who is a previous CVL symposium keynote speaker.
Also on the panel are a former Director of the Institute for Development Studies at the University of Nigeria, Prof. Osita Ogbu; and a former Ghanaian Minister and presidential aspirant, Alan John Kyerematen.
A professor at the Lagos Business School (LBS), Franklin Ngwu will moderate, while a former Pencom CEO, MK Ahmad will chair proceedings in Enugu.
The Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe will preside over the birthday lecture to be delivered by Africa’s foremost industrialist, Dr. Aliko Dangote, in Asaba on 6 February.
Panellists will include CEO of Lee Engineering & Construction Company Limited, Chief Leemon Ikpea; Founder/Executive Chairman of AA Holdings, Dr. Austin Avuru; Rainoil Limited founder, Dr Gabriel Ogbechie, and MD/CEO of Wellmann Group of Companies, Deacon Chris Iyovwaye, with a theme on Venturing into the Oil and Gas Value Vhain. Others are President/CEO of Tecon Oil, Casmir Maduafokwa; and Alfred Okoigun of the Arco Group. Professor of Strategic Management & Corporate Governance at the LBS, Franklin Ngwu will moderate.
The Vice Chancellor of the Pan Atlantic University, Prof. Enase Okonedo, will chair the Lagos finale on 8 February.
Rev. Fr. George Ehusani of Lux Terra has stated that the Abuja events will occur on the same schedule, but two weeks later, it will be followed by the closing Thanksgiving in Kaduna, where Utomi was born 70 years ago.
Professor Patrick Okedinachi Utomi is a distinguished Nigerian political economist, management expert, and former presidential candidate. Born in Kaduna and hailing from Delta State, he is a key founder of the African Democratic Congress on whose platform he contested the 2007 presidential election.
He attended St. Thomas Primary School in Kano from 1960 to 1962, and 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 education by age 15, studied Mass Communications at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (graduating in 1977), and earned an MA, MPA, and PhD from Indiana University, United States of America.
Utomi has had a multifaceted career spanning academia, government, and the private sector. His key roles included Special Assistant to Second Republic President Shehu Shagari and later as Chief Operating Officer of Volkswagen Nigeria; Professor at LBS, with affiliations at Harvard Business School and the American University, Washington, D.C; Vice Chairman of Platinum–Habib Bank; and Chairman of the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association.
He has being a prominent civil society advocate, coordinating groups such as Transparency in Nigeria and Concerned Professionals.
A Fellow of the Institute of Management Consultants of Nigeria, Utomi has been recognised as one of Nigeria’s “Top 10 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 and Chatham House.
