Prof. Eme Nwachukwu Ekekwe was born in Igbere Clan, Bende Local Government Area of Abia State, to the family of Nmecha Jenny and Nwachukwu Ekekwe Ukaegbu on 03 September 1949. He attended Igbere Central School (1955 – 1962) as well the famous Hope Waddell Training Institution, Calabar (1963 – 1966). As a result of the Nigeria-Biafra war he could not complete his secondary education in Hope Waddell but did so in 1971, at the Oakridge secondary School in London Ontario, Canada. Ekekwe earned the BA (Hons) degree from the University of Western Ontario, London, Canada and the MA and PhD degrees from Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada in 1975, 1976 and 1980, respectively, all in Political Science. 48 Ekekwe completed his secondary education on the scholarship of the London Ontario Board of Education. In the third year of his undergraduate studies, he was awarded the Andrew Grant Scholarship for Excellence in Political Science and throughout his years at Carleton University he benefitted from the University’s Teaching Assistantship and was awarded the Ontario Graduate Scholarship in 1978. In both universities that he attended, Professor Ekekwe was very active in student politics and the anti-apartheid movement. As a third year undergraduate student he caused a stir on campus when, in the campus newspaper, the Gazette, Ekekwe made a full-page rebuttal of the writing of an unapologetic pro-apartheid History Professor, challenging him to a public debate “anywhere and anytime on campus”. At Carleton University he led the African Students Association to successfully campaign for the resignation of a pro-apartheid professor. Ekekwe returned to Nigeria in 1980, having been employed by the Canadian University Service Overseas (CUSO) as its first Nigerian Director. It was from there he resigned and took up appointment as Lecturer at the University of Port Harcourt in 1981. At various times in-between, Ekekwe served as Personal Assistant to the Military Governor of old Imo State (1986 – 1990), Chairman Editorial Board of Sunray Publications as well as Head of several units in the Public Affairs and Sustainable Development sections of the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC). Professor Eme Ekekwe has twice been Head of Department (1984 -1985; 2012 – 2014), Director of General Studies (1985 – 1986), Assistant Director, Emerald Energy Institute (2011 – 2014). He has also served as Chairman and member of several 49 Departmental, Faculty and special committees. Between 2014 and (June) 2019 he was Chairman, Editorial Board of Uniport News. A former student of, and much influenced by, the late Professor Claude Ake, Ekekwe was appointed the pioneer Director of the Claude Ake School of Government (2014 – 2018) and Occupant of the Claude Ake Professorial Chair of Political Economy (2014 – 2019). Professor Ekekwe has been External Examiner to University of Nigeria, Nsukka, University of Uyo, Rhema University, Aba as well as Federal University, Otuoke. He is the author of several books, monographs and articles published in international and local journals. Outside the University system, Professor Ekekwe served as Deputy Chairman of the Federal Government’s Bitumen Project Implementation Committee and a member of the Abia State University Governing Council. He has been very active in community service and has received several honours from his Igbere Clan where he was active in community development which culminated in the Igboto Mma ceremony he performed in 2014.