IPEPM Honours Dr. Oluchukwu for Driving Thought Leadership in Policy, Economics

IPEPM Honours Dr. Oluchukwu for Driving Thought Leadership in Policy, Economics

JOEL OLADELE, Abuja

It was a ceremony filled with pride and professional validation, as Dr. Oluchukwu Iheonunekwu alongside five others were conferred with a doctorate degree by the Institute of Professional Economists and Policy Management (IPEPM), an honour acknowledging his dedication to economic advancement and policy development in Nigeria.

The ceremony was a resounding call for a shift in mindset one that places innovation, resource efficiency, and strategic leadership at the core of national development.

In his openining remarks, the executive Secretary and national coordinator of IPEPM, Dr. Musa Alieu Yakub, spoke passionately about the founding philosophy of the institute, which is rooted in equipping technocrats and thought leaders with tools to manage scarce resources and influence policy for sustainable economic outcomes.

In a keynote address on “Colonial Legacy and Deliberate Gaps, Way Out of Economic Dependency”, Professor Ken Ife, examined global economic shifts, drawing parallels between policy failures and the consequences of unchecked presidential powers in trade decisions, especially in the context of the U.S. and China.

Dr. Abiola Basharoun, on her part, noted that women are of great importance to national development while emphasising the need for institutional frameworks that safeguard national interests, even as economies become more interdependent.

Dr. Iheonunekwu, visibly humbled, expressed gratitude for the honour and pledged to continue using his expertise to promote sound economic practices and empower the next generation of leaders.

The event was a rallying cry to reposition economics as a living, breathing force for national transformation and not just a ceremonial conferral.