Time Has Come For Every Lecturer To Be Both Parent And Teacher… Okunna
Professor Chinyere Stella Okunna is a lecturer in the Department of Mass Communication at Nnamdi Azikiwe University. She is the first female professor in Mass communication in Nigeria, a former Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Anambra State, in the former Governor Peter Obi’s administration. Besides serving in the university as an educationist, Professor Okunna has also served as an administrator in the public/political arena. In this discussion with ADA NWANAGUM, the Consultant to the United Nations Agencies expresses her passion for her job, her love for every woman who survives the Nigerian culture and her challenge as a role model to other women. Excerpts:
Background
Being as old as I am and as long as my tenure has been, I can say l have had a long and very fulfilling career and life. I think I had been privileged family wise because my father, Mr Joshua Obinali Adimora from Uga town, was a very distinguished civil servant. He served in the local government administration and rose to the pinnacle of his career, becoming the first black District Officer (D.O.) in Aguata area, back in the fifties, during the colonial rule. He was very intelligent and became the white man’s interpreter which was quite privileged. I also remember our life as a family in Ekwulobia where I was born, at the Aguata County Council where my father was the head of the council (what is now known as the Local Government Chairman). As his children, we were privileged. I remember back then in the late fifties when my father was the only one who had a transistor radio where everyone within would come to listen to programmes and news
I am from Uga town in Aguata Local Government by birth and married to Dr. Eric Okunna Eze, from Ukpo town in Dunukofia Local Government. He is a medical practitioner who owns a private hospital in Enugu State called Ricstella Hospital and Maternity.
Education
I began my primary school at St John’s Primary School, Ekwulobia (an Anglican Mission School), and at the end of 1959 my dad was transferred to Port-Harcourt municipal council where he became the Deputy Town Clerk (second to the highest authority, Town Clerk). I then went to finish my primary education at Township School, Port-Harcourt. After my primary education I attended Anglican Girls Grammar School, now known as Girls High School, Awkunano for my secondary education after which l proceeded to the University of Nigeria, Nsukka for my first degree. I got married to my husband immediately after my Youth Service. Later, l was admitted to the University of Leicester in England, Center for Mass Communication Research, for my master’s degree. I had wanted to continue there but I couldn’t because I had to come back home to build the family. I obtained my PhD at the University of Lagos, Mass Communication Department. Before then (about 1998), I think all PhDs were studied abroad. The likes of Akinfela, Shobowale, Nneli, and others who had PhD in Mass communication studied and obtained the degrees abroad, mainly from the US. My set was the first PhD in Mass communication from any Nigerian university. Since then I haven’t looked back. It has been a very challenging but a rewarding career. I began teaching mass communication at the Institute of Management Technology (IMT), Enugu. From there I was transferred to Nnamdi Azikiwe University in 1994 and had remained till date. As l always say, it has been a challenging but rewarding career.
I married quite early and God blessed me quite early, like my parents. I have four wonderful children, two sons and four daughters and they all have good education. I have a medical doctor, two engineers, a pharmacist, a computer scientist and a public health administrator (a PhD in Public Health).
As we prepare to bow out, so to say, I have established what I call Professor Okunna’s Mentees’ Group. It is a mentoring group of young lecturers of about 10 universities across the nation where we are doing a big book like a teaching text for media and communication and many of these young people have written chapters as contributions.
Growing up
Growing up was fun and disciplined because my parents were great disciplinarians especially my Mum. I am the second of six children in the family (4 girls, 3 boys) and my elder sister, Professor Akachi Adimora Ezigbo is also a professor of Literature and English and a writer too. My dad and I were particularly close. My mum w as very stringent because she taught my Read More:
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