The University of Nigeria, Nsukka, held a colloquium in honour of Emeritus Professor Alex Animalu to commemorate his 85th birthday.
Emeritus Professor Animalu was President, Nigerian Academy of Science 2001 – 2002; Winner of Nigerian National Merit Award in 2000; and Director/Chief Executive Officer, National Mathematical Centre, Abuja, 1999 – 2001.
He was appointed by President Olusegun Obasanjo to serve in the honourary Presidential Advisory Council on Science and Technology in Nigeria in 2001.
Emeritus Professor Alex Animalu was born on 28 August, 1938 and was educated at the University College, Ibadan, 1959 – 1962 where he obtained B. Sc in mathematics. He had the best result in his department and won a scholarship to the University of Cambridge, UK, for a Master’s degree from October, 1962 and PhD from Ibadan in December, 1965.
His PhD dissertation was cited more than 729 times between 1965 and 2001. It was the most cited paper in Cambridge in 50 years (1930 – 1980).
He married Jemimah Onwuamaegbu who was a registered nurse/midwife in Clare College, Cambridge, in December, 1965. The marriage is blessed with three children – Nkem, Chizo and Ifejika.
They sailed to US in 1966 and Prof Animalu held academic positions in American universities including Stanford University.
He returned to Nigeria in 1972 and joined University of Nigeria, Nsukka, but had a permanent residence as a researcher with MIT in US.
He was appointed professor in 1976 by the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and Emeritus Professor in 2005.
He is the Founding Chairman of International Centre for Basic Research, Abuja, since 2005.
He has over 78 published works in journals and 12 books.
