By Ovat Abeng
The Anambra State Governor, Chukwuma Charles Soludo, has stressed the need for individuals and institutions to prioritise innovation, warning that any nation that neglects the new technology is bound to fail.
Soludo spoke through his deputy, Dr Onyekachukwu Ibezim while commissioning newly build Ayke Anthony Okechukwu Innovation hub, located at No 133 Enugu-Awka-Onitsha expressway opposite IDK International Study Centre Awka, on Monday, 6th April, 2026.
The facility was build in memory of late Ayke Anthony Okechukwu, a 37-years-old computer scientist who died after a brief illness in Abuja, five years ago by his family.
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The governor described the gesture as commendable and urged well-meaning Anamberians to emulate the benefactor’s family efforts to improve the standard of technology in Awka, Anambra state, South East and Nigeria as a whole.
According to him, there is no end to learning, adding that sustained investment in the trending new technology remains essential for national development.
“What we are doing here today is unique. It is something that should be popularised so that others will be encouraged to do the same. I thank God Almighty for this day, for the opportunity and for the thoughtfulness of late Okechukwu, who has contributed his quarter to the development of the State during his life time on earth.
“I am emotional over the early death of this young promising man. It’s sad. Thought, is not how long we live in this World but the quality of legacy we are all going to leave behind for the next generation.
“Ayke Anthony Okechukwu, left unforgettable remark in this World. Anambra government is not just here to commission the hub but to honour him and his great innovative achievements. His innovative achievements has been fully recognized by the Anambra State Government and with this, the present administration is partnering with the hub to add to unprecedented development the state is currently witnessing.
The governor thanked Okechukwu’s family for honouring their late son with the edifice.
In her remark, the executive director, Ayke Anthony Okechukwu Innovation Hub, Mrs Chioma Okechukwu Uba, who is also a sister to the late innovator, described his brother as a man of vision, who’s dead has created a vacuum to the family, Awka people and Anambra State at large.
According to her, our gathering here today, is not only to commission a building, but to honour a life defined by vision, generosity, intellect and a deep commitment to uplifting others.
“Ayke Anthony Okechukwu was a man who believed in possibility. He believed in people. He believed that with the right opportunity, environment and encouragement, young minds could shape the future in extraordinary ways.
“This innovation hub stands as a living legacy of those beliefs.
“It is a space designed to inspire creativity, nurture talent, and unlock opportunities for the next generation. A place where ideas will be born, skills developed and future transformed.
“While we remember Ayke with love and gratitude, we also celebrate what continues through his impact, purpose and hope.
May this hub serve as a beacon of innovation in Awka and beyond, the Mrs Uba concluded.
Also speaking at the event, the Senior Special Adviser to governor Soludo on Innovation, Ms Chinwe Okoli, described the new hub has the true spirit of Soludo’s transformation agenda.
She announced that with the commissioning of the Ayke Anthony Okechukwu Innovation Hub, Anambra State now has a total of 20 innovation hubs, an achievements she attributed to governor Soludo’s unwavering commitment towards achieving a digitalized Anambra.
The event also featured a memorial mass service at St. Patrick’s Cathedral Awka, presided by the Archbishop of Awka Catholic Diocese, Bishop Paulinus Ezeokafor, represented by Rev Fr Evaratus Ifeanacho.
