The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has eulogised former Minister of Power, Barth Nnaji, as he clocks 67.

The eulogy is contained in a statement by the National Publicity Secretary of the group, Alex Ogbonnia, on Thursday in Enugu.

The group described Mr Nnaji as a visionary and rare Nigerian who had chosen to deploy his intellect for the growth of Nigeria.

According to Mr Ogbonnia, Ohaneze joins the numerous well-wishers, home and abroad, to felicitate Mr Nnaji, an Igbo icon, erudite scholar, robotic engineer, industrialist and a two-time Nigerian minister on the occasion of his 67th birthday.

“At a time most Nigerian engineers and scientists have taken to political opportunism, hypocrisy and praise singing, Nnaji has remained focused in harnessing the indigenous resource endowments and potential for a sustainable national development.

“The quintessential professor of engineering and founder/ chairman of the Geometric Power Ltd, recently informed that “the 188-megawatt Geometric Power plant in Aba, Abia State would start to generate electricity within two months,” he said.

He said that the “generation of electricity from the Geometric Power plant would be a game changer in the socio-economic development of not just Aba City but nine out of the 17 local government areas in Abia serviced by Aba Power.

The group said Mr Nnaji, a professor of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, was a global icon renowned in Computer Aided Designs, Robotics and Computer Aided Engineering.

“Our own Nnaji introduced a phrase, globally known as “geometric reasoning”; the idea that most things we operate have a geometric configuration.

“He is also “credited as one of the innovators of the e-design concept, where product design engineers can work from remote locations collaboratively to design, assemble and test the same product, using the computer and the Internet.”

The group explained that in the socio-political firmament, Mr Nnaji had been two times minister, a former Chairman Presidential Task Force on Power (June 2010 – July 2011); Special Adviser to the President on Power (June 2010 – July 2011); former Member, Presidential Advisory Council to the President.

He added that Mr Nnaji was a former Director, US National Science Foundation Centre for e-Design, University of Pittsburgh; former Kepler Whiteford Professor of Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, U.S.; former Alcoa Foundation Professor of Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, U.S., among several others.

“The President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, in his enthusiasm to redirect the thought process of the Igbo towards a home-ward industrial renaissance, takes immense delight in personalities with turn-key initiatives of Nnaji.

“Iwuanyanwu calls on our scientists, technologists and engineering professors to emulate Nnaji for a prosperous Igbo land,” the statement said.

(NAN)