By Julius Nsikak
In a way to celebrate the living, the Department of Science Education gathered to celebrate, recognize, and award her founding fathers who have impacted the department in many significant ways.
The epoch-making award ceremony was held on Wednesday, April 3, 2024, at the Faculty of Education Board Room, University of Uyo, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
In an opening remark, the Chairman of the occasion, Prof. Fidelis Onwioduokit, expressed delight over the development to celebrate legends, great academics, and educational scientists and also encouraged that more dividends should be engendered in the future. He gave a run-down of the history of the department which was then domiciled in the Department of Curriculum Studies and became a full-fledged department in 1994.
The Chief Host and Dean, Faculty of Education, Prof. Imaobong Akpan, remarked that the event was epochal and thanked God for the sustained peace in the faculty and the university community at large, while eulogizing the awardees for being great blessings to the institution in relaying true etiquette in their lives.
“You all are not just fathers, but grandfathers and great-grandfathers who have produced professors in the educational landscape,” Prof. Akpan added.
The Chief Host thanked the Ag. Head of Department, Science Education, Dr. Rebecca U. Etiubon (Assoc. Professor), for setting the pace to celebrate life and hard work while encouraging other departments to embrace a new dawn and stimulate excellence.
The Ag. Head of Department, Science Education, Dr. Rebecca U. Etiubon (Assoc. Professor), while welcoming the awardees and the invited guests to the event, thanked God for making the long-drafted vision a reality.
She described the award ceremony as a special event to celebrate the achievements of their living legends, a time to honour men and women who took days, weeks, months, and several years to register significant impacts on society, and to celebrate the hard work, dedication, and perseverance of the founding fathers.
The HOD further mentioned that the department of science education is saddled with the responsibility of training teachers in basic science subjects with accredited science content for effective and meaningful teaching of science in secondary schools and beyond.
She thanked all the awardees for honouring the department’s invitation while praying for more celebrations in the future.
Dr. Etiubon poured encomiums on the Academic and Administrative staff of the department for buying into the idea with overwhelming passion and the roles they played.
Also in attendance in the event was the husband of the HOD, Paul Etiubon, Comptroller of Nigeria Customs Service (Rtd)
She further stated, “Today, as we celebrate our founding fathers, let us also celebrate each other and the power of working together towards a common goal.
Let this day remind us of what we can achieve when we support and encourage one another, as well as strive to be an example for those coming after us,”.
A one-time Attorney General of Akwa Ibom State, Barr. James Essien, who was the Guest Speaker at the occasion, quoting from Deuteronomy 30:19, admonished attendees at the award ceremony to create marks of excellence that will speak good of them after their life on earth.
Barr. Essien lauded the awardees for their meritorious services and stated that their descendants shall never beg for bread, while urging the attendees to register positive footprints on the sands of time.
The awardees were: Prof. Israel T. Eshiet, Prof. Nsedu E. Inyang, Assoc. Prof. Ufokiban J. Udousoro, Prof. Roseline E. Uyanga, Prof. Mfon E. Udo, and Prof. Godwin A. Ikitde.
Responding, Prof. Israel Eshiet and Prof. Mfon Udo extolled the department for such initiative to honour them as founding fathers, advised for a rekindled spirit of hard work and excellence, and prayed to God Almighty for more years of enviable dividends in the department, faculty and the university at large.
The hallmark of the event was the instituting of financial endowment to be given to the best graduating student in the Department of Science Education by the children of Prof. Israel T. Eshiet.
