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By Emma Njoku
It was lavish encomiums and backslaps for Professor Chinwe Rosabelle Nwanna, last Wednesday, as the Senate of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), extolled her virtues at its last meeting for the year.
Also celebrated were Professors Solomon Oladele Akinboye and Professor Rebecca Oritsemaje Soremekun. They were celebrated ahead of their retirement from active services in the ivory tower.
UNILAG Vice-Chancellor, Professor Folasade Ogunsola, eulogised Prof Nwanna for her illustrious service to the University and immense contributions to the body of knowledge. Prof. Ogunsola, on behalf of management, staff and students, wished the retiring professors well and prayed that they would enjoy the fruits of their labour in good health.
In her response, Professor Nwanna traced her professional journey as an academic and offered recommendations for the advancement of tertiary education in Nigeria. She expressed appreciation to her family and friends, as well as the University Senate and community for the opportunity to serve and contribute her quota to national development.
Born on December 21, 1955, in Enugu, Enugu State, Nwanna began her education at Convent School, Ogui, Enugu and completed her West African Examination Council Certificate with Division One at Owerri Girls’ Secondary School in 1971. She trained as a nurse at the Institute of Health, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, earning her Nursing Certificate in 1976 and obtained her Midwifery Certificate from the School of Midwifery, Bishop Shanahan Hospital, Nsukka, in 1977.
After years of practice, she pursued her passion for human development at the University of Lagos, earning a Diploma in Social Development and Administration in 1983. She later completed a direct-entry degree in Sociology with specialisation in Social Work, graduating in 1986 with First Class Honours as the best student in both the Faculty of Social Sciences and Department of Sociology, the department’s first female First-Class graduate.
She joined the University of Lagos in 1998 as an Assistant Lecturer and rose through the ranks to become a Professor in 2019. She has served the University in multiple leadership positions, including Senate member (2002–2003; 2021–present), Coordinator of the Bachelor of Social Work Programme (2007–2018) and Head, Department of Social Work (2021–2024). She pioneered the establishment of the B.Sc Social Work programme in 2007 and the Postgraduate programme in 2023 and also hosted a Carnegie African Diaspora Fellow in 2019. She delivered her inaugural lecture, “Caught in the Web: Rebuilding the Cradle,” on March 5, 2025.
Beyond academia, Professor Nwanna has played a pivotal role in shaping the social work profession in Nigeria. As a consultant to UNICEF and the National Universities Commission, she reviewed Social Development curricula (2015), contributed to the Social Welfare Professionalisation Bill (2015–2016) and supported national reforms in Child Protection and Child Justice (2015–2018). She finalised the National Social Welfare Policy in 2017 and harmonised Social Work Benchmark Minimum Academic Standards the same year.
A distinguished trainer, examiner and scholar, she is a member of several national and international professional bodies and in 2025, became the first Nigerian Representative to the Commonwealth Organisation for Social Work Council.
She is happily married and blessed with children.
