Eni Njoku (6 November 1917 – 22 December 1974) was a Nigerian

botanist Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...

and educator. He was

vice-chancellor A chancellor is a leader of a college or university, usually either the executive or ceremonial head of the university or of a university campus within a university system. In most Commonwealth and former Commonwealth nations, the chancellor ...

of the

University of Lagos The University of Lagos, popularly known as UNILAG, is a public research university located in Lagos, Nigeria and was founded in 1962. UNILAG is one of the first generation universities in Nigeria and is ranked among the top universities in th ...

(1962–1965) and the

University of Nigeria, Nsukka The University of Nigeria, commonly referred to as UNN, is a federal university located in Nsukka, Enugu State, Eastern part of Nigeria. Founded by Nnamdi Azikiwe in 1955 and formally opened on 7 October 1960, the University of Nigeria has th ...

(1966–1970). He served in the Nigerian House of Representatives as federal minister of Mines and Power, and was chairman of the Electricity Corporation of Nigeria. He was an emissary at

OAU The Organisation of African Unity (OAU; french: Organisation de l'unité africaine, OUA) was an intergovernmental organization established on 25 May 1963 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with 32 signatory governments. One of the main heads for OAU's ...

-sponsored peace talks.

Biography

Education

Eni Njoku was born on 6 November 1917 in Ebem,

Ohafia Ohafia is an Igbo town in the Ohafia local government area (LGA) in Abia State, Nigeria. It is an Igbo speaking region. The ancestral capital of Ohafia town is the centrally located village of Elu. Ohafia Local Government Area, is an administrati ...

Abia State Abia State ( ig, Ȯha Abia) is a state in the South-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, it is bordered to the north and northeast by the states of Enugu, and Ebonyi, Imo State to the west, Cross River State to the east, Akwa Ibom State to th ...

. He is of Igbo origin. He was educated at Ebem Primary School and attended the Hope Waddell Training Institute,

Calabar Calabar (also referred to as Callabar, Calabari, Calbari and Kalabar) is the capital city of Cross River State, Nigeria. It was originally named Akwa Akpa, in the Efik language. The city is adjacent to the Calabar and Great Kwa rivers and c ...

from 1933 to 1936. He attended the Yaba Higher College (now

Yaba College of Technology Yaba College of Technology, popularly known as YABATECH, was founded in 1947, and is Nigeria's first higher educational institution. It is located in Yaba, Lagos. It has a student enrollment of over 16,000. Overview Yaba College of Technology ...

)

Lagos Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national capital of Nigeria until December 1991 fo ...

from 1937 to 1939 graduating with a tertiary education certificate. Njoku studied

botany Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek w ...

at the

University of Manchester The University of Manchester is a public university, public research university in Manchester, England. The main campus is south of Manchester city centre, Manchester City Centre on Wilmslow Road, Oxford Road. The university owns and operates majo ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

. He graduated with a first-class honors degree in 1947 and obtained his M.A. degree the following year. In 1954, he obtained his external doctorate degree from the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degr ...

Career

When he returned to Nigeria in 1948, Njoku took up a teaching appointment at the University College, Ibadan (now

University of Ibadan The University of Ibadan (UI) is a public research university in Ibadan, Nigeria. The university was founded in 1948 as University College Ibadan, one of many colleges within the University of London. It became an independent university in 19 ...

) as a lecturer in botany. He was one of only two Nigerians on the academic staff at the opening of the college in 1948. He studied

photoperiodicity A circadian rhythm (), or circadian cycle, is a natural, internal process that regulates the sleep–wake cycle and repeats roughly every 24 hours. It can refer to any process that originates within an organism (i.e., endogenous) and responds to ...

in tropical crops and plants, and published several research papers on these topics. He became a senior lecturer and then professor. He served as head of the Department of Botany and dean of the Faculty of Science. He was a member of the University Council from 1955 to 1962. Entering politics, he was a member of the Nigerian House of Representatives in the federal government, serving as minister of Mines and Power from 1952 to 1953. He was chairman of the Electricity Corporation of Nigeria (1960). In 1962, Njoku became the first

of the

. Following a major crisis in 1965 over his re-appointment, he resigned to become a visiting professor at

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It ...

. In 1966, Njoku was appointed vice-chancellor of the

University of Nigeria The University of Nigeria, commonly referred to as UNN, is a federal university located in Nsukka, Enugu State, Eastern part of Nigeria. Founded by Nnamdi Azikiwe in 1955 and formally opened on 7 October 1960, the University of Nigeria has th ...

Nsukka Nsukka is a town and a Local Government Area in Enugu State, Nigeria. Nsukka shares a common border as a town with Edem, Opi (archaeological site), Ede-Oballa, and Obimo. The postal code of the area is 410001 and 410002 respectively re ...

where he remained until the outbreak of the

Nigerian civil war The Nigerian Civil War (6 July 1967 – 15 January 1970), also known as the Nigerian–Biafran War or the Biafran War, was a civil war fought between Nigeria and the Republic of Biafra, a secessionist state which had declared its independence ...

in 1967. During the civil war Njoku remained in

Biafra Biafra, officially the Republic of Biafra, was a partially recognised secessionist state in West Africa that declared independence from Nigeria and existed from 1967 until 1970. Its territory consisted of the predominantly Igbo-populated f ...

as an advisor and administrator, advocating for peaceful resolution of the civil war conflict. He was a leader of Biafran delegations to the Ad Hoc Constitutional Conference in Lagos (1966) and

-sponsored peace talks in

Niamey Niamey () is the capital and largest city of Niger. Niamey lies on the Niger River, primarily situated on the east bank. Niamey's population was counted as 1,026,848 as of the 2012 census. As of 2017, population projections show the capital dis ...

and

Addis Ababa Addis Ababa (; am, አዲስ አበባ, , new flower ; also known as , lit. "natural spring" in Oromo), is the capital and largest city of Ethiopia. It is also served as major administrative center of the Oromia Region. In the 2007 census, t ...

(1968). After the war ended in 1970 he returned to teaching and research at the

, which he continued until his death in 1974.

Legacy

Eni Njoku was a pre-eminent Nigerian scholar, teacher, administrator, and scientist. He was a pioneer in advancing the development of higher education and universities in Nigeria. Early in his career he was an outspoken advocate for improvement in the quality of Nigerian higher education. Later, Ashby referred to him as “one of the most eminent of Nigerians” and noted his “enlightened leadership of the University of Lagos.” In addition to his publications, Njoku received international recognition as a scientist-educator through his leadership in the activities of

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...

furthering higher education and training in West Africa.

Recognition and awards

Njoku served on the boards of th
Commonwealth Scientific Committee
the United Nations Advisory Committee on the Application of Science and Technology as well as the UNESCO Advisory Committee in Natural Sciences. He also served on the councils of th
Universities of Zambia
and Zaire (

Democratic Republic of Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

). He received the honorary D.Sc. degree from the University of Nigeria in 1964, and in 1966

conferred on him an honorary doctor of laws degree. In 1973 the

awarded its first vice-chancellor an honorary D.Sc. degree.

Personal life

Njoku was married to Winifred O. Njoku (née Beardsall). He had four children - three daughters and a son. His son, Eni G. Njoku, is a scientist who worked in the

United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

at the

Jet Propulsion Laboratory The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is a Federally funded research and development centers, federally funded research and development center and NASA field center in the City of La Cañada Flintridge, California, La Cañada Flintridge, California ...

Selected works

* Njoku, Eni (1956). Studies in the morphogenesis of leaves. XI. The effect of light intensity on leaf shape in Ipomoea caerulea. * Njoku, Eni (1963). Seasonal periodicity in the growth and development of some forest trees in Nigeria: I. Observations on mature trees. * Njoku, Eni (1971). The effect of sugars and applied chemicals on heteroblastic development in Ipomoea Purpurea grown in aseptic culture.

References

External links

A history of Unilag and the Controversy over removal of Profesor Eni Njoku as Vice-ChancellorLate Professor Eni Njoku 3rd Biennial Lecture
{{DEFAULTSORT:Njoku, Eni 1917 births 1974 deaths 20th-century Nigerian educators Alumni of the University of London Alumni of the University of Manchester Hope Waddell Institute alumni Igbo academics Igbo scientists Michigan State University faculty Nigerian biologists People from Abia State University of Ibadan faculty University of Lagos faculty University of Nigeria faculty Vice-Chancellors of the University of Lagos Vice-Chancellors of the University of Nigeria Yaba Higher College alumni