A lecturer in the Department of Mass Communication, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (COOU), Dr. Chinenye Nwabueze, has been honoured with two awards for his creative teaching techniques.
Nwabueze was announced for the awards by two different organizations based on his ability to engage his students using a technique he calls lecturetainment teaching approach which combines entertainment and teaching at the same time to make his classes lively and enable students remember topics taught.
The awards are National Impact Merit Award, for Most Creative Teaching Technique, packaged by Amity global network; and Pan-Nigeria Leadership, Peace and Humanitarian award, for Outstanding Contribution To Education, given by Arise O Nigeria.
Recall that Nwabueze who shares some of his lecturetainment teaching methods online was the lecturer that wore Ebola Protective Suit into the classroom in 2013 to enlighten his students on the dangers of the Ebola scourge at that time and preventive measures to take. He also gave his students what he called ‘Zombie Quiz’ in the class while teaching use of costume in environmental awareness creation. The climate change video which he did with his students also went viral online. Nwabueze recently gave his students ‘Anas-themed Mask’ quiz during which all students, including their lecturer, wore a mask just like Anas Aremeyew Anas, the Ghanaian masked journalist, to remind them of the hazards of investigative reporting. 
Nwabueze wore boxing gloves to class recently during an investigative reporting lecture. Last year, one of his classes also went viral on social media after he dressed like a transgender into a Ph.D class while teaching Culture shock and Gender Issues in Nigeria. He was recently spotted in a photoshoot with his students using the concept that he was made the classroom king and given 10 maidens to assist him in academic adventures for a whole year. On two different occasions, Nwabueze gave away free text books to all students in two different classes as a way of encouraging attendance to his lecture. He also gives awards to his students who did well in his class quizzes and practical exercises using the platform of massmediang.com, a blog he operates.
While speaking on the award, Nwabueze thanked God for the recognition given to him through the awards, dedicating the three awards to his students whom he said were behind his achievements. “You cannot achieve this kind of feat in any educational institution if the students do not testify that you are doing well. They are the primary purpose of our coming into this system and to do well means to impress them through your pedagogical techniques. But just as the saying goes, the reward of hard work is more work. I pray for God’s grace to give me extra strength to ensure I don’t disappoint the students whose observations attracted this honour.” 
One of the coordinators of Arise O Nigeria which gave one of the awards, Miss Chioma Egbo observed that Nwabueze’s achievements in the classroom are impressive. We have monitored him closely for a long while and decided it was time to honour him. We do this as a form of encouragement to other lecturers to keep working hard, that their efforts would be rewarded someday.
The awards were received in Abuja on Saturday, June 8, on behalf of Nwabueze by a representative, Chijioke Benjamin.
