Renowned Nigerian physicist Okeke to celebrate 83rd birthday with book launch

P.N. Okeke (Facebook Photo)

Education activist and founder of Educare, Alex Onyia, has announced plans for a grand celebration of renowned physicist and educator, Prof. P.N. Okeke, in Enugu on October 30.

“I spoke with P.N. Okeke this morning and have gotten approval to accept donations from those who’ve been asking. We created a special account for this purpose,” Onyia said in a post on Thursday via X

Onyia added that a massive birthday event and book launch will be held in the professor’s honour.

“We will be hosting a very big 83rd birthday and massive book launch event for him on the 30th of October in Enugu. Details will be shared in the coming days,” he said.

The event will feature the launch of five new physics textbooks designed to address the 21st-century needs of students.

“The current generation is lucky,” Onyia said, emphasising the importance of Okeke’s contributions to science education. The professor’s co-authors will also be present at the event.

Known as the “Father of Astronomy” in Nigeria, Prof. Okeke has had an illustrious career, having authored one of the widely-used Senior Secondary Physics textbook, a staple for Nigerian high school students.

Okeke was born on October 30, 1941, and overcame early academic struggles to become one of Nigeria’s most respected physicists. After excelling in science subjects at Lagos’ Emergency Science School, Okeke pursued a degree in Physics at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, where he graduated in 1971. P.N. Okeke (Credit: Alex Onyia, X)

Okeke earned his PhD in 1975, becoming the first to do so at the university, and completed postdoctoral research at the University of Cambridge under Professor M.J. Rees. Throughout his career, he has been recognised internationally, receiving prestigious awards and fellowships from institutions across Japan, Germany, the United States, and South Africa.

He has made contributions to space science and astronomy in Africa, including the discovery of a new eclipsing cataclysmic variable and advancements in radioastronomy.