Maurice Mmaduakolam Iwu (born 21 April 1950) is a Nigerian Professor of

Pharmacognosy Pharmacognosy is the study of medicinal plants and other natural substances as sources of drugs. The American Society of Pharmacognosy defines pharmacognosy as "the study of the physical, chemical, biochemical, and biological properties of drug ...

who was appointed Chairman of the

Independent National Electoral Commission The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was established in 1998 and is the electoral body which oversees elections in Nigeria. History Regulation and administration of elections The administration of democratic elections in Nige ...

(INEC) in June 2005, and was removed from office in April 2010.

Background

Maurice Mmaduakolam Iwu was born on 21 April 1950, in Umuezeala, Umukabia, Ehime Mbano in

Imo State Imo State ( ig, Ȯra Imo) is a state in the South-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered to the north by Anambra State, Rivers State to the west and south, and Abia State to the east. It takes its name from the Imo River which flows al ...

. He attended Saint Pius X College, Bodo-Ogoni for his secondary education. He studied at the

University of Bradford The University of Bradford is a public research university located in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. A plate glass university, it received its royal charter in 1966, making it the 40th university to be created in Britain, bu ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

, receiving a Master's degree in Pharmacy in 1976, and a Ph.D in 1978. He was World Health Organisation (WHO) Visiting Scholar to

Dyson Perrins Laboratory The Dyson Perrins Laboratory is in the science area of the University of Oxford and was the main centre for research into organic chemistry of the University from its foundation in 1916 until its closure as a research laboratory in 2003. Until 2 ...

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the world's second-oldest university in contin ...

(1980), Fulbright Senior Scholar,

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best pu ...

and won the U.S National Research International Prize for

Ethnobiology ] Ethnobiology is the scientific study of the way living things are treated or used by different human cultures. It studies the dynamic relationships between people, biota, and environments, from the distant past to the immediate present.culture ...

in 1999. He was a Professor of Pharmacognosy at the

University of Nigeria The University of Nigeria, commonly referred to as UNN, is a federal university located in Nsukka, Enugu State, Eastern part of Nigeria. Founded by Nnamdi Azikiwe in 1955 and formally opened on 7 October 1960, the University of Nigeria has thr ...

, Nsukka (1984–1993).

Career

Entering business, Iwu became Vice-President, Research and Development of

Tom's of Maine Tom's of Maine is a brand name and manufacturing company of natural personal care products. Tom's of Maine has been a majority-owned subsidiary of Colgate-Palmolive since 2006. The company's products are sourced and derived from nature, with fo ...

, a personal care manufacturing company, and member of the Board of Directors, Axxon Biopharm Inc. He served on the Board of InterCEDD, Fund for integrated Rural Development and Traditional Medicine, and Center for Economic and Social Justice. He was the United Nation's Lead Consultant for the development of Nigeria's National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan. Iwu has published more than 100 research articles and is the author of four books. Professor Iwu was President of the International Society of ethnobiology (1996–2002), member and ex-President of the Nigerian Society of Pharmacognosy, Member of the

American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH) is an Arlington, Virginia-based non-profit organization of scientists, clinicians, students and program professionals whose longstanding mission is to promote global health through the ...

and Member of the International Society for Medicinal Plant Research. He was the Executive Director, Bioresources Development and Conservation Program and a Senior Research Associate at the Division of Experimental Therapeutics of

Walter Reed Army Institute of Research The Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) is the largest biomedical research facility administered by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). The institute is centered at the Forest Glen Annex, in the Forest Glen Park part of the u ...

, Washington D.C.

INEC

Iwu was appointed INEC commissioner for

in August 2003, by President

Olusegun Obasanjo Chief Olusegun Matthew Okikiola Ogunboye Aremu Obasanjo, , ( ; yo, Olúṣẹ́gun Ọbásanjọ́ ; born 5 March 1937) is a Nigerian political and military leader who served as Nigeria's head of state from 1976 to 1979 and later as its pre ...

. In June 2005, he succeeded Abel Guobadia as Chairman of INEC. Soon after being appointed, Iwu announced that foreign monitors would not be allowed during elections, but only foreign election observers. This decision was condemned by politicians and civil society groups who called for his immediate removal from office. In December 2008, Abubakar Rimi called on Maurice Iwu, to resign from office, citing irregularities in the previous presidential election. Michael Aondoakaa, the Attorney General, opposed sacking Maurice Iwu despite criticism of Iwu's conduct of the 2007 elections. In March 2009, the Vice-Chairman of Senate Committee on the

(INEC)

Maina Maaji Lawan Maina Maaji Lawan (born 12 July 1954) a former governor and former senator for Borno State and a businessman-farmer, the CEO of Dansarki Farms. Background Maina Ma’aji Lawan, CON, was born 12 July 1954 at Kauwa in Kukawa Local Government Are ...

spoke against a motion that questioned the integrity of INEC Chairman Maurice Iwu. Iwu's tenure was due to expire on 13 June 2010. However, on 28 April 2010, Acting President

Goodluck Jonathan Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan (born 20 November 1957)Lawson Heyford, ''The Source'' (Lagos), 11 December 2006. is a Nigerian politician who served as the President of Nigeria from 2010 to 2015. He lost the 2015 presidential election to f ...

, who has committed himself to pursuing electoral reform, removed Iwu from office.

Selected bibliography

Iwu'
published academic papers

Books

* * * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Iwu, Maurice Mmaduakolam Living people 1950 births Members of the Independent National Electoral Commission Academic staff of the University of Nigeria Nigerian pharmacologists