2023 Inaugural Lecture Oby Ezekwesili

His unwavering commitment to the ideals of democracy, human rights, 4 | P a g e and the rule of law, earned him the respect and admiration of many, and his legacy continues to inspire others to follow in his footsteps. [...] OVERVIEW OF THE LECTURE & MAIN POINTS In this lecture, titled "Innocent Chukwuemeka Chukwuma: A Legacy of Character, Competence, and Capacity in Building Institutions," I will examine the life and work of this remarkable man, highlighting his contributions to the establishment and strengthening of institutions that promote human rights, good governance, and public accountability. [...] Institution building is the process by which predictable practice of a set of rules begin to transform the expectation of society that regardless of the passage of time and changes in individual roles, the commonly agreed “way of doing their thing” will not be subverted. [...] The processes, systems, procedures, rules, and structures that represent the impersonal components work only to the degree that the individual collective is guided by the primacy of the essentials of character, competence, and capacity as nonnegotiable attributes in those who will have the privilege to serve society. [...] Through his work experience at the CLO and the founding of CLEEN Foundation, Innocent developed a deep knowledge and understanding of the importance of building strong and independent institutions that promote human rights, police accountability, good governance and justice sector reform.