By Obiageli Nwankwo
Chief Odumegwu Ojukwu University (COOU), has held its 25th inaugural lecture, delivered by Prof. Ngozi Chuma-Udeh, the Anambra State Commissioner for Education. The lecture, titled “The Algorithms of the Be-side Construct: Transcending the Quandaries of Equality to Dynamic Equipoise,” at the ETF Hall, COOU, Igbariam, Anambra State.
The event attracted a large gathering of academics and dignitaries.
In her opening remarks, the Vice Chancellor of COOU, Prof. Kate Omenugha, described the lecture as significant, noting that it was the first inaugural lecture under her tenure as the substantive Vice Chancellor.
She emphasized that inaugural lectures are purely academic exercises and should not be politicized. According to her, the university had recorded tremendous growth in this regard, moving from seven inaugural lectures before she assumed office to 25 within two years.
Prof. Omenugha added that inaugural lectures provide professors the opportunity to showcase their academic prowess, make intellectual contributions, and demonstrate their distinction in the academic world.
Delivering her lecture, Prof. Chuma-Udeh examined the long-standing call for gender equality and argued that, rather than bridging the gap, it has in some cases widened the divide between men and women, creating what she termed “gender wars.”
She observed that constant advocacy for gender equality has led to significant female empowerment, especially through education, resulting in women occupying top positions in various careers, particularly in education, noting that male participation and enrollment in schools have continued to decline.
“We now have more female principals and headmistresses than males,” she pointed out.
Prof. Chuma-Udeh stressed that the lecture aimed to propose a framework to end gender conflicts and achieve true balance between men and women. She introduced the “Be-side Construct”—a social model based on personhood rather than gender.
According to her, the Be-side Construct goes beyond the struggle for equality, instead advocating for men and women to rise together as partners in social progress. It calls for balanced and standardized empowerment for both genders.
She questioned societal contradictions such as labeling men as “heads of the family” while simultaneously advocating women’s emancipation, asking whether this impliedly “two heads” in a family.
The Education commissioner critiqued the saying, “Behind every successful man is a woman,” arguing that it fuels inequality. Instead, she urged society to embrace the notion: “Beside every successful man is a successful woman.”
Prof. Chuma-Udeh further explained that the Be-side Construct envisions a society where people see one another not through the lens of gender, but as human beings equally capable of achieving success.
“For society to progress, there must be a shift from traditional gender stereotypes to a construct where women can stand confidently beside men, not behind them,” she emphasized.
She also called for the enshrinement of the age-old Igbo philosophy of Ofu Obi (oneness of heart), where both genders work side by side to build stronger families and a prosperous society.
Obiageli is of the Ministry of Information, Anambra State
