Galaxies of stars we see at night have distinguishing traits. An astronomer would tell us the brightest stars in our night sky are an object of constant interest to them as stargazers.

Now, some stars appear very bright to us because they’re relatively nearby, while others look bright because they’re massive and very hot, pumping out lots of radiation. Some look dim because of their age, or because they’re far away. There’s no way to tell just by looking at a star what its age is, but we can tell brightness and use that to learn more.

Well, Sirius, also known as the Dog Star, is the brightest star in the night sky. Its name comes from the Greek word for “scorching.” Many early cultures had names for it, and it had special meanings in terms of rituals and the deities they saw in the sky.

It’s actually a double star system, with a very bright primary and a dimmer secondary star. Sirius is visible from late August (in the early mornings) until mid-to-late March) and lies 8.6 light-years away from us. Astronomers classify it as a type A1Vm star, based on their method of classifying stars by their temperatures and other characteristics.

Suffice to say that stars are massive shining spheres of hot gas that exist in all galaxies across the universe. Their radiances give us light.

Permit me to introduce a star: Professor Ugwuanyi Boniface Uche. What makes Boniface a Star? Who is he indeed? Just give me a few seconds, I will tell you in detail.

According to Doris Sims, author of ‘The 30-Minute Guide to Talent and Succession Management’, “One way to consider whether an individual is a star is to consider their ability and desire for focused development, challenging job assignments, and potential leadership career growth”.

Born on May 15 1971 in Udenu Local Government Area of Enugu State, Boniface is a professor of Accounting and Fellow, Association of National Accountant of Nigeria. He is married and the marriage is blessed with children.

‘Boni’s early years in school were spent at the prestigious College of the Immaculate Conception (CIC) Enugu. Did I hear you say, “Semper Fidelis”? (Yes: Always Faithful!). He finished from CIC Enugu in 1988 in flying colours.

Thereafter, he studied for his undergraduate degree at the Enugu State University of Science and Technology in 1995 when he obtained First Degree in Accounting.

In 1998, he attended the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), where he obtained a MBA Accountancy. An accomplished scholar, teacher, and administrator, ‘Boni’ is one of the nation’s leading experts in the profession.

In his continuous search for excellence in education, he proceeded to the University of Nigeria Nsukka (Enugu Campus) bagging a Masters of Science in Marketing/Public Relations in 2003.

He also pursued his course to Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki and received a masters of Science in Accountancy in 2003.

As a shining star with impeccable contributions to the field of accounting, Ugwuanyi Boniface Uche was decorated with the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Accounting at the Ebonyi State University Abakaliki in 2012.

He has been a Fellow, Association of National Accountant of Nigeria since 2015.

His ascension to the highest academic qualification didn’t come on a platter of gold. He paid various prices.

Professor Ugwuanyi started his career at the Central Insurance Company Limited, working as the Liaison Officer Enugu between 1997-1998.

But as someone with a penchant for knowledge transfer, he switched to the academic environment in a familiar terrain – Enugu of State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) where he lectured as Accountant II from 1998 to 2001.

His excellent spirit, hard-work and dedication would soon earn him the post of Account 1 in 2001. By 2004 he was promoted to the rank of a Senior Accountant. Four year later, he climbed to the post of an Assistant Lecturer and by 2014 he became Lecturer I. Prof. Ugwuanyi, the ‘Sirius’ Star became a 2014 and by 2017 he has risen to the post of a Professor. What a trajectory of growth!

He is an outstanding performer. Leadership-wise, Prof. Ugwuanyi performed credibly as an External Examiner Department of Accountancy, Enugu State Polytechnic Iwollo from 2019 to 2021. As a P.G Students Supervisor he has supervised many Post Graduate Students – PGD, MBA, M.Sc, 2008-till date; PhD 2018-till date.

In his service to the nation, Prof. Ugwuanyi served as Member, Federal Board Nigerian Press Council (2007-2011); Member, Nigeria House Committee (2015-2018); Chairman, Association of National Accountant of Nigeria Enugu Branch.  May 2018- till date.

His works are published in both national and international journals; with many books in his name, Professor Ugwuanyi ’s contributions to the intellectual community remain outstanding

The level of impact his intellectual capital has made on revenue and market values of firms in Nigeria and across the globe is unquantifiable. If you develop the human capital they go ahead to impact the structural capital of firms as the proxies for Intellectual capital for firms to grow!

Primatologists believe that empathy has evolved from more ancient cooperative strategies, like care for offspring and “social antennae” to detect danger.

In humans, empathy develops at a very young age and is shaped by our lived experiences. Closely tied to empathy is the concept of perspective-taking. This is the cognitive process of seeing a situation from someone else’s point of view. Empathy and perspective-taking may work together to generate a particular empathetic response, such as altruistic helping or consolation.

Professor Ugwuanyi is a man with empathy which he has shown in many for a; the ability to recognize, understand and share the feelings of another person.

As an instructor and mentor in the field of accounting, Professor Ugwuanyi has maintained that trait of responsibility to respond empathetically to the needs of students and trainees.

The processes of learning and discovery are not individual ventures, rather they are driven by communities within academia. To ignore the importance of empathy in these settings is a disservice to the academy.

I find myself thinking of one of Prof. Ugwuanyi’s former student’s comments, that they did feel heard and that their unique situation was validated, and the steps he (Prof. Ugwuanyi) took to communicate made him view their learning as a priority.

I doff my hat for this illustrious son of Enugu State who is continually burning the night candles to see that the creed of excellence he sworn to is kept.

Professor Ugwuanyi is a cool-headed gentleman who puts the interest of people above other narrow considerations. He is an incredibly patient educator who demonstrates remarkable intellectual and mental energy in the discharge of his duties.

Join me to celebrate a patriot and democrat, whose services to his fatherland have been commendable!