University of Nigeria Nsukka, UNN , Thursday, February 15, held it’s 199Th inaugural lecture on Corporate Social Responsibility(CSR) with a call on Corporate organisations and churches to live up to expectations in performing their social responsibilities in their various communities.
Pix- Prof Uduji presenting the 199th Inaugural lecture
The Inaugural lecturer, Prof. Joseph Uduji, while presenting his lecture, entitled,”Corporate Social Responsibility in a Marketing Context: A Responsible Business CRS Pyramid for Nigeria”, at the University of Nigeria Enugu Campus(UNEC) observed that the Nigeria conception of corporate social responsibility is remarkably different from Western version.
He said the CSR in Nigeria aimed towards addressing the realities of socio-economic challenges of the nation, such as poverty alleviation, healthcare provision, infrastructural development, among others.
Pix- DVC ,Prof Nwachukwu parenting Certificate of presentation to Prof Uduji
Prof Uduji explained that in developed Nations, they don’t consider what we do as CSR.
He noted that in Corporate Social Responsibility, the needs of the people must be looked into. Prof Uduji said, the context or argument is that Corporate Social Responsibility initiative in Nigeria should be guided by the social cultural influences
He proposed a Corporate Social Responsibility pyramid for Nigeria challenging the Western version.The pyramid included Economic Responsibility, Philanthropic Responsibility, Legal Responsibility and Ethical Responsibility.
Professor Uduji explained that after providing Economic Responsibility, (investment, create jobs,and pay taxes) you go to . Philanthropic Responsibility (Set aside funds for social Responsibility) then go to Legal Responsibility and Ethical Responsibility.
Pix- Prof Uduji, Wife ,Pastor Mrs Uduji(L)
He urged those who do not agree with his proposal to challenge him, saying, “As far as Nigeria is concerned, we have gone far in corporate social responsibility.”
The Inaugural lecturer said ,”Inaugural lecture of a University is an opportunity created for Professors to let people know the academic / research activities they have carried out over the years, as well as, the impact these scholarly endeavors may have had on the society.”
He illustrated the impacts of his research using the Google scholar, ( in which he had 24, high index)434 citations in 2021 when he was made a Professor. In the SciVal rating of Scholars, Prof Uduji was rated 13Th among top 500 authors by school output at the University of Nigeria ,2018 to 2021 and 223rd in Nigeria over the same period.
Pix – Dean, Faculty of business administration, Prof Vincent Onodugo
The Research rating scoring/ ranking,, was higher than 91, in public domain, 39, 670 people read his work and he has supervised/completed over 20 PhD students among other standard index used to measure the impacts.,
Professor Uduji thanked the Vice Chancellor,Professor Charles Igwe for the opportunity given him to deliver the Inaugural lecture. He also thanked members of the Senate ceremonials Committee led by Prof Benneth Nwanguma , his colleagues at the department of Marketing, and Faculty of Business Adminstration , his family, friends and all those who contributed in one way or the other to ensure that the Inaugural lection was a reality.
Declaring the event open, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Nigeria Nsukka, and Chairman of event
Professor Charles Igwe, who was represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Prof Dan Nwachukwu, commended Professor Uduji for the lecture and contributions to the growth of the University Nigeria Nsukka
He described Prof Uduji as a” prolific writer, a great scholar, a great Academic, a Pastor, who supervised twenty PhD candidates within a short time.
” Today, through this lecture, Prof Uduji has been able to prove the need for every corporate body to be alife to their corporate social responsibility and I want to thank him. He has justified the fact that he was promoted to the rank of a Professor in this great University.You will agree with me that his lecture was worth it.”, the Vice Chancellor said. said.
He called on Organizations including the religious bodies to live up to their responsibilities in contributing to the development of their host communities. The Vice Chancellor lamented that most Organizations were ” only interested in making profits. This one is practical. If you do your Social responsibility, so many development will come.to the community.
” If all the businesses in Nigeria is living up to their CSR, many of our problems would be solved. So many businesses that are operating in Enugu are just interested in making profits. They are not living up to their CSR.
” This one is a practical.lecture because if you do your CSR, your community will be a better place. So many development would come to the community. Even if you are a Pastor and you have a business you are doing , think about the community, think about the environment you are operating in and see what you can do and assist that immediate community. That’s what CSR is all about. You mustn’t build roads, must not put street light before you fulfill your CSR “, he said.
Professor Nwachukwu said CSR is a responsibility an organisation, a company or even a Church has in it’s community. in terms of human capital development and moulding people .
In his remarks, the dean of the faculty of Business Adminstration, Professor Vincent Onodugo, expressed gratitude to the Inaugural lecturer for his presentation.
He said ” We are particularly excited. . We stayed in a nation were we need to provide millions solution to the socio-economic issues that we are facing.
“So, Inaugural lecture is a time to expose all the things that we are doing behind the scene that can provide solutions to the nation’s problem.
“We are particularly glad that today ,we have dealt with the issue that have to do with the corporate social responsibility. If we take it along , it will bring penance to the local communities that is actually to provide the bedrock, the basis for the productive activities in this nation.
Pix- Guests
“So, it is something we want to encourage. We want to encourage other scholars to come to the floor and bring to the table all that they had been doing behind the scene that can provide the palliative, a solution to our nation today “” Prof Onodugo said
The first Inaugural lecture of the University of Nigeria Nsukka was delivered in 1976 by Professor K. Nzimiro and the 199Th Inaugural lecturer was delivered on February 15,2024 by Prof. Joseph Uduji.
Prof Uduji holds Four Masters degree one Post Graduate Diploma, Two Doctor of Philosophy,. He worked as a sales manager in multinational firms before he joined the University of Nigeria Nsukka as Lecturer 11 in 2005, he rose through the ranks and became a Professor in 2021.
He published more than fifty scholarly articles in Thomas Reuters Index Journals, and more that Seventy scholarly articles in SCOPUS/SCImago. He has also supervised/ he over 20 PhD candidates He is married with children.
Pix- Guests
Highlights of the occasion was the presentation of a certificate of presentation, a plaque and some books to show Professor Uduji presented an Inaugural lecture.
Author: Maureen Ikpeama