Oluchi Chibuzor
The Nigeria Academy of Pharmacy (NAPharm) has honoured the late Prof. Oleka Udeala, former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), for his excellent contributions to pharmacy schooling, pharmaceutical analysis, and college administration, recognising his pioneering position in establishing pharmacy departments and growing generations of pharmacists in Nigeria.
Speaking on the valedictory service in Udeala’s honour, the President and Chairman of the Governing Council of NAPharm, Prof. Lere Baale, described him as a real scholar who expanded data throughout the trade.
Udeala grew to become the primary pharmacist in Nigeria to function a vice-chancellor.
“We ought to pause and recognize the importance of that achievement. There is at all times a distinction between strolling by an open door and being the individual whose achievement demonstrates that the door could be opened.
“Udeala was an eminent scholar and a distinguished authority in Pharmaceutics. But scholarship, at its highest level, is more than the accumulation of publications, degrees and academic titles. The true scholar expands knowledge and then gives that knowledge away. The true teacher does more than transfer information. He develops others’ capacity to think. The true professor does not merely produce students. He produces successors,” mentioned Baale.
In his remarks, President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, Ayuba Tanko, mentioned Udeala didn’t merely construct a distinguished profession; he helped construct the occupation’s future.
“The Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria recognises and deeply appreciates this invaluable contribution. The institutions he helped establish and the generations of pharmacists whose education they support remain an enduring part of his legacy. Think about that legacy. After attaining one of the highest offices in university administration, he returned to build pharmaceutical education and prepare future generations of pharmacists,” he mentioned.
The Dean, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Lagos, Prof. Sunday Adesegun, described his loss as profound to the educational neighborhood.
“Professor Udeala belonged to a technology of lecturers who helped lay the foundations upon which pharmaceutical schooling, analysis, and observe in Nigeria proceed to develop. His passing is a profound loss to his household, the educational neighborhood, the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, the University of Port Harcourt, and the Nigerian pharmaceutical occupation.
“His work associated with the development of the IDQ test kit in 1990 for detecting fake drugs, as referenced in the tribute, reflects the role of scientific ingenuity in addressing the serious public-health challenge of substandard and falsified medicines. Such work reminds us that pharmaceutical research must go beyond theory to develop solutions that protect patients, strengthen medicine quality assurance, and promote public confidence,” Adesegun mentioned.
