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‎African Voices’ on CNN to feature University of Nigeria’s first female Dean of Faculty of Physical Sciences, Prof. Francisca Nneka Okeke

One of Nigeria’s notable Scientist and Professor of Physics, Francisca Okeke will feature on ‘African Voices’, CNN’s International weekly half-hour programme highlighting Africa’s most engaging personalities.

‘African Voices’ focuses on Francisca’s journey to becoming the University of Nigeria’s first female Dean of Faculty of Physical Sciences, and how her father’s effort greatly influenced her choice of career ‎.
In the programme, Okeke recounts her childhood ordeals in the south eastern part of Nigeria, where education for the girl child was not that important, and how the aftermath of the Biafra war and violence almost to put an end to her education.
She tells ‘African Voices’: “When I was a child, I would wonder about the changing colour of the sky and the ability of airplanes to fly in the atmosphere without falling back to earth”.

Discovering that physics could answer these questions, Okeke was motivated to become a scientist and was one of only two women in her physics undergraduate class of 30 students in 1980. She went on to become the first female Head of Physics Department at the University of Nigeria, and later, the first female Dean of the Faculty of Physical Sciences.
Some of her accomplishments include being a fellow of the Japanese Society for Promotion of Science, the Nigerian institute of Physics, Nigeria Academy of Science, Africa Academy of Science. She is a recipient of the prestigious Laurel United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Award for Women in Science Laureates, for her discovery of certain particles in the atmosphere.
‘African Voices’ hears how Okeke has contributed greatly to the development of physics at both secondary and tertiary levels in Nigeria, and aims at increasing the number of women in physics in Nigeria and across Africa.
“Physics means everything to me. There was a lecture I gave in my inaugural lecture, I concluded by telling the world that physics is life, and life is all about physics. And that is the summary of it all. If you look around us, that I am talking now, and you are hearing me, it’s just physics, application of physics,” concludes Okeke.‎
To watch Francisca Okeke’s story, tune in to CNN International’s ‘African Voices’ on Friday, 7th November at 1030 with repeat broadcast on the following days:
Saturday: 1630
Sunday: 0430, 1230, 1930
Monday: 1130, 1830
Tuesday: 0530
Wednesday: 10:30
For more information, viewers can visit www.cnn.com/africanvoices‎
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CNN'S AFRICAN VOICES FEATURES US-BASED TOP NIGERIAN ATTORNEY, BEATRICE HAMZA BASSEY

Nigerian born Beatrice Hamza Bassey, the first African partner of one of the most prestigious law firms In the United States, Hughes Hubbard and Reed will feature on this week’s segment of African Voices, CNN’s International weekly half-hour programme highlighting Africa’s most engaging personalities. She tells how she plans to inspire others to follow in her footsteps.

In the interview with CNN correspondent Zain Asher, she talks about her childhood ambition to become a reputable lawyer, and how she opted for a higher education at Harvard Law School to achieve her goal. She plans to use her position and experience to influence aspirating young lawyers about good work ethic and integrity.

She says, “I’ve always wanted to be a lawyer and one of my major reasons was because I wanted to be able to speak against gender inequalities which is predominant in the Northern part of Nigeria where I grew up. Encouraging basic and higher education for women is also very important because this will bring about self-sustenance and reduce the poverty level in the country”.

A graduate of the University of Maiduguri and the Nigerian Law School and also an alumnus of Harvard Law School, this highly trained lawyer has shown expertise in her profession for almost two decades which is evident in the countless number of high profile cases she has handled for her firm.

She was listed among the Forbes Africa Magazine’s top ten Africans in New York City in 2012 and New York Super Lawyers, 2012 Top Women Attorneys in the New York Metro Area. She is also among the Empowered Newswire’s Nigeria’s Top 50 Award for the Most Outstanding Nigerian Lawyer in Diaspora, in October 2010, amongst other recognition.

Airs Friday: 24 January at 0930am; Saturday: 25 January at 1630pm; Sunday: 26 January at 1000am &

1930pm; Monday: 27 January at 1130am & 1830; Tuesday: 28 January at 0630am

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ANOTHER CNN FEATURE FOR OMOTOLA JALADE-EKEINDE

UN ambassador and leading actress, Omotola Jalade Ekeinde, will be interviewed again by CNN correspondent, Vladimir Duthiers on his CNN’s African Voices; a weekly half-hour indepth-interview/programme featuring important personalities from across the continent of Africa. You will recall that she was featured on the same programme last December and this time around, we hope it’s going to be power-packed.
Omosexy has fondly called will be talking extensively on her successful acting career, activism and other projects in the pipeline. Other Nigerians who have featured in the programme in the past include renowned actress, Genevieve Nnaji, CEO OANDO Plc, Wale Tinubu; award-winning writer, Chimamanda Adichie; the richest woman in Africa, Mrs Folorunsho Alakija to mention a few.
Omotola’s interview will be aired tomorrow Friday January 10 at 09:30 with a repeat broadcast on Saturday January 11 at 16:30, Sunday January 12 at 10:00 & 19:30, Monday January 13 at 11:30 & 18:30 and Tuesday January 14 at 06:30.
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