ABOUT INEC > INEC Chairman

 CHAIRMAN, INDEPENDENT NATIONAL ELECTORAL COMMISSION

Professor Maurice M. Iwu
Professor Maurice Mmaduakolam Iwu was born on April 21 st , 1950 in Umuezeala, Umukabia, Ehime Mbano in Imo State . He attended Christ the King School , Aba for his primary education and st. pius X College Bodo-Ogoni for Secondary Education. He obtained his professional training at the University of Bradford , Bradford , England , receiving a Master of Pharmacy degree in 1976 and a Ph.D in 1978. He is a recipient of many academic honors, including WHO Visiting Scholar to Dyson Perrins Laboratory, University of Oxford (1980), Fulbright Senior Scholar Award ( Ohio State University, Columbus Ohio and the Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York (1983), Senior Research Scholar award U.S National Research International Prize for Ethonobiolology (1999)

He was formally a Professor of Pharmacognosy at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (1984-1993), Vice-President, Research and Development of Tom's of Maine (a personal care manufacturing company) and member of the Board of Directors, Axxon Biopharm inc. Prof. Iwu was a consultant and scientific adviser to many international pharmaceutical institutions and served on the Board of several non-profit and charitable foundations, including InterCEDD, Fund for integrated Rural Development and Traditional Medicine, and Center for Economic and Social Justice. He also consults on technology management and the establishment of strategic alliances and multinational cooperative research and development projects for international agencies such as UNIDO, the UNDP and the International Organization of Chemistry for Development (IOCD). He was the United Nation's Lead Consultant for the development of the Nigeria 's National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan. Professor Iwu has presented over 200 scientific papers, published more than 100 research articles and is the author of four books. He is also the Series Editor of Elsevier Science Series "Advances in Phytomedicine " and member of the Editorial Boards of several international Scientific journals.

Professor Iwu was President, International Society of ethnobiology (1996-2002); member and ex-President, Nigerian Society of Pharmacognosy; Member American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene; and Member, International Society for Medicinal Plant Research, with a number of patents to his credit. He has served as branch Secretary (UNN) and National Vice-Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities. Prof. Iwu was the Executive Director, Bioresources Development and Conservation Programme (BDCP) and a Senior Research Associate at the Division of Experimental Therapeutics of Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Washington D.C.

Before his appointment as the Honorable Chairman , Prof. Iwu was a National Electoral Commissioner, in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). He is Married with four children.