Being a text delivered at the retirement ceremony of Professor C.R.N. Nwanna of the department of Social Work, University of Lagos, Akoka. By the Head of Department of Social Work, Prof. Samuel Ojima Adejoh
TITLE: A LONGITUDINAL STUDY OF EXCELLENCE: THE IMPACT FACTOR OF PROFESSOR CHINWE R. NWANNA
DELIVERED BY: The HoD, Social Work (The Principal Investigator)
KEYWORDS: Resilience, Pioneer, Matriarch, Excellence, Akoka.
The Introduction
The Vice-Chancellor, The Dean, Distinguished Colleagues, and Greatest Akokites.
Ladies and Gentlemen, usually, at events like this, we deliver speeches. However, as the Head of Department, I realized that Professor Chinwe Nwanna does not deal in mere words; she deals in data, evidence, fieldwork, research project and verifiable facts.
Therefore, permit me to deviate from the norm. I will not give a speech immediately. Instead, I will present to you the Abstract of a 30-year study titled: The scholar in the person of professor Chinwe Nwanna.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
The study is set within the ecosystem of the University of Lagos. The objective was to determine if one individual could successfully transition from the discipline of Nursing into the rigorous terrain of Sociology and moved to the field of Social Work.
The Context:
Professor Nwanna, entered the field when Social Work was not under consideration as a unit for a degree programme under Sociology.
The objective was clear: To be among those who will elevate social work as a unit to a Department and to be among those who will professionalize the practice of Social Work in Nigeria.
METHODOLOGY
The subject utilized a “Mixed-Methods Approach” to achieve her goals.
Quantitative Method: She applied 11 years of continuous service as Coordinator (2007–2018), calculating the exact trajectory needed to gain NUC accreditation.
Qualitative Method: She combined the “Ethic of Care” from her nursing background with the “Strict Discipline” of a matriarch. She utilized tools such as the Fieldwork Logbook—which she co-designed—and the Curriculum—which she equally contributed greatly.
Her sampling technique was inclusive: she mentored everyone from the struggling undergraduate to the aspiring PhD candidate. Her “Inaugural Lecture” served as a focus group discussion, challenging the university community to “Rebuild the Cradle” for the Nigerian child.
RESULTS AND FINDINGS
The findings of this longitudinal study are statistically significant (P < 0.001). The data reveals the following major outcomes:
Breaking the Glass Ceiling: The study confirms that Professor Nwanna successfully became the First Female Professor of Social Work in the history of UNILAG.
Academic Rigor: Evidence shows her PhD thesis on HIV/AIDS discrimination wonhe “Best Thesis Award in the Humanities” in 2009, setting a benchmark for qualitytudy and research.
Global Relevance: In May 2025, the subject was appointed to the Commonwealth
Council for Social Work, proving that her impact factor extends beyond Nigeria.
Institutional Stability: As my immediate predecessor and HoD (2021–2024), she successfully consolidated the works of the foundation members and stabilized the department.
DISCUSSION
Analyzing the data, we observe that if Professor Nwanna is given a second opportunity, she will do better than the previous time. This is evident as she saw variables to be manipulated.
When the null hypothesis suggested that “Social Work could not stand alone,” she rejected the null hypothesis and proved the alternative true.
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
In conclusion, this study confirms that Professor Chinwe R. Nwanna is not just a scholar; she is a mobilizer. Her “Citation Index” is high, not just in Google Scholar, but in the hearts of the students she raised and the colleagues she mentored.
Recommendations:
Based on these findings, the Department of Social Work makes the following
recommendations:
That the subject be granted immediate and indefinite leave to enjoy her grandchildren and travel the world.
That she be strictly prohibited from marking any more scripts, invigilating
examinations or attending Senate meetings.
Acknowledgement:
This research was funded by years of hard work, grace, and grit.
My speech
The Vice-Chancellor, University of Lagos, Professor Folasade Ogunsola
The Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences,
Distinguished Professors and Colleagues,
The Celebrant and the Family,
Greatest Akokites
Ladies and Gentlemen.
It is with a mixture of profound pride and inevitable nostalgia that I stand before you today on the retirement ceremony of Prof. Nwanna. As the Head of the Department of Social Work I have the unique privilege—and the heavy burden—of bidding farewell to a hard-working and dedicated member of our faculty by writing this short abstract.
We are gathered here on the soil of Akoka to celebrate not just a career, but a calling. We are here to honour a scholar who has spent decades shaping minds, influencing policy, and professionalizing the practice of Social Work in Nigeria.
Professor Nwanna, when we look at the history of this department, your name is etched into its foundation. First female Professor of Social Work at UNILAG.
Your Inaugural Lecture, titled ‘Caught in the Web: Rebuilding the Cradle,’ was not just a lecture; but challenged us to look at the Child Justice System in Nigeria not with eyes of judgment, but with eyes of correction and care. From your groundbreaking PhD thesis on HIV/AIDS discrimination—which won the Best Thesis Award in the Humanities—to your recent appointment to the Commonwealth Council for Social Work, you have proven that local relevance leads to global recognition.
Your contributions to the field of child justice and HIV/AIDS discrimination have moved the needle of knowledge. You have demonstrated that Social Work is not merely about charity; it is about scientific inquiry, systemic change, and the restoration of human dignity.
I look around this room, and I see those whom you have supervised. I see those whom you mentored. I see undergraduates who were terrified of your rigorous standards, but who will graduate as better professionals. To the students here, you know her as the strict disciplinarian who insisted you get your fieldwork right. But I want you to know that the professional respect you will command outside these walls is because Professor Nwanna refused to lower the standard inside these walls.
As the immediate past Head of Department (2021–2024), you handed over the baton to me. I can testify that you did and gave your best to the department, despite the challenges. You managed this department with the discipline of a matron and the intellect of a sage.
To survive and thrive in the University of Lagos requires a special kind of resilience. You have navigated the intricacies of the university system with grace. You have seen the lagoon at high tide and low tide, yet your commitment to the “University of First Choice and the Nation’sPride” never wavered.
Professor Nwanna, retirement is not the end of the road; it is a turn in the road. It is time to trade the marking of scripts for the writing of memoirs. It is time to trade the sound of the lecture bell for the laughter of your grandchildren.
Prof, you spent years advocating for Rebuilding the Cradle’ for Nigerian children. Now, as you retire, you get to enjoy the comfort of your own cradle—your family. You have fought for the vulnerable, for the child in the correctional centre, and for the patient facing discrimination. Now, fight for your own rest. You have earned it.
However, be warned: A Social Worker never truly retires. Society will still need your advocacy. This Department will still need your counsel. You are leaving the payroll, but you are not leaving the family.
On behalf of the staff and students of the Department of Social Work, I say a resounding “Thank You.”
Thank you for the sacrifices.
Thank you for the scholarship.
Thank you for the humanity.
May your retirement be as rewarding as your years of active service. May your health remain robust, and may your peace be absolute.
Ladies and Gentlemen, please join me in a standing ovation for our very own, Professor Nwanna
Thank you.
Samuel Ojima Adejoh
Professor and Head of Department.