Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki, has conferred the Global Excellence in Human Development Award on the Chairman of the Nkanu West Traditional Rulers Council of Enugu State, His Royal Majesty, Eze Barr. Igwesi Obi Igwesi, in recognition of his decades-long contribution to education and human development.

The award was presented at the 3rd Linguistics International Interdisciplinary Hybrid Conference (EBSULINGS 2025), organised by the university’s Department of Language and Linguistics.

The conference, themed “Language, Technoscience, Security, and Socio-economic Development: Towards a Holistic Digital Society”, was chaired by the Ebonyi State Commissioner for Works and Transport, Engr. Stanley Lebechi Mbam.

Presenting the award, the Head of the Department, Dr. Goodluck Chigbo Nwode, said the monarch was selected after an extensive review of his over 30 years of impact in human development through education.

According to him, Eze Igwesi’s network of schools has continued to shape young people into academic and socially responsible citizens.

“I hereby formally present this award of Global Excellence in Human Development Philanthropy to His Royal Highness, Eze Barr. Igwesi O. Igwesi. This award is in recognition of your impactful collaboration in human development between your organisation, the Human Development Centre – parent foundation of your academic institutions – for more than three decades.”

In his response, Eze Igwesi, a legal practitioner, described the honour as a motivation to deepen his commitment to service.

“I am glad to receive this award. It serves as a driving force to put forth even greater efforts in doing more.”

The monarch, who is also the Eze Obuoffia Awkunanaw and Igwe Omuoha, said his foray into education was driven by a sense of service rather than profit, noting that his institutions have offered scholarships to several indigent students, some of whom have progressed to university education.

He explained that what began as a single commercial school in the mid-to-late 1980s has expanded into a group of institutions — Queens Comprehensive Schools, Kings Comprehensive Schools, John Igwesi Memorial Grammar School, and Pacesetter College.

The conference also featured keynote presentations by leading scholars, with participants expressing optimism that the discussions would result in actionable policies, collaborative research, and practical interventions aimed at building an equitable and digitally connected society.