One of the best brains in Igbo land, the first black man in American history to be bestowed with the title of Distinguished Professor of Engineering, Prof Bartholomew Nnaji, who is best known as Prof Bart Nnaji, has joined the Enugu State governorship rece.

At his country home in Nkanu East Local Government Area, Prof. Nnaji accepted to contest the 2023 Enugu State governrorship election on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Prof Nnaji is the first African to become Director of the United States National Science Foundation, an endowed Centre for Scientific Excellence.

He is also the first Nigerian to win the Baker Distinguished Research Award which is considered the equivalent of the Nobel prize in Industrial Engineering.

He is the first African to write a book which was declared the best book in manufacturing engineering of the year throughout the world.

He is also the first Nigerian to be honoured by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund as the African Scientist of the Year.

He also became the first blackman to graduate as the best student of the year at St John’s University in New York which was then 120 years old.

Prof. Bart Nnaji is the first Nigerian to build a power plant. Presently, Geometric Power is up in Abia State, supplying uninterrupted power to about 9 Local Government Areas.

Bart is a two time minister. He was Minister of Science and Technology in 1993 and Minister of Power in 2011.

He was also the Special Adviser to President Jonathan on Power.

He accepted to contest for governorship election today in his country home after a group under the aegis of Coalition Of Friends of Prof Bart Nnaji donated to him the Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms the body purchased for him.

At the presentation of the forms, they urged him to step out and contest the Enugu State governorship election in 2023.

As a global citizen, the entry Prof Bart Nnaji into the race has dwarfed all profiles being paraded by other contenders.

The coalition was led by a former governoship candidate in the state, Ekene Uzodinma.

In his acceptance speech, Nnaji said: “I must thank the coalition who thought that I was qualified to embark on this journey and went ahead to buy forms for me. I am so grateful.

“It is difficult for anyone to be presented with this challenge and he says no, especially when they have gone ahead to procure the form needed for the journey. I hereby accept”, he said.

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