Ambassador Mrs. Amaka Nweke JP has opened her heart in a moving and deeply emotional reflection on the moment she was announced as the Overall Best Scientific Oral Presentation winner at the XIX World Water Congress in Marrakech, Morocco, an achievement no one had claimed in 19 years. Her account paints a picture of raw emotion, divine timing, and the triumph of pure merit, placing both her and Enugu State firmly on the global map of water-sector innovation.
According to Ambassador Nweke, the moment the announcement was made felt unreal. “In two minutes, confusion turned to tears of joy,” she said, recounting how she watched the screen repeatedly, struggling to believe the name flashing before her eyes was truly hers. “I was speechless, eyes glued to the screen, double-checking that the name flashing was really mine. My heart raced, tears streamed down my cheeks, and I could barely string a word to His Excellency or even to my husband.”
She described how she instinctively stepped forward, paused, stepped again, and paused once more, each step a search for confirmation that the impossible was truly happening. “It felt like God had walked ahead of me, clearing every roadblock,” she reflected, revealing that she had actually planned to skip the closing ceremony, believing the awards had been concluded on Day 2. “Little did I know something incredible was waiting, the honour of Best Scientific Oral Presentation. First in 19 years.”
Her win came from a pool of 65 research submissions, 46 oral presentations, and 19 scientific posters, all crafted by scientists, researchers, ministers, and policy experts from across the world. Each one had undergone rigorous scrutiny based solely on quality, innovation, and relevance. The fact that her presentation, spotlighting Enugu State’s transformation from Coal City to Water City under Governor Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, emerged as the most outstanding scientific oral presentation, was a moment she describes as nothing short of miraculous.
“Listening to the sessions, I realized how Enugu, Governor Peter Mbah, and Amb. Amaka Nweke had put themselves on the global map of the International Water Resources Association, right there in Morocco,” she said. She emphasized that world leaders and researchers were carefully selected to evaluate the entries, and the results were uploaded minutes before the ceremony, entirely free of influence or favoritism. “No compromise, no tribalism, no racism, pure merit. It was simply amazing.”
Overcome with emotion, gratitude, and disbelief, Ambassador Nweke summed up her experience in one powerful line:
“From confusion to tears of joy, proof that hard work, pure merit, and divine timing light up the global stage.”
Her reflections also highlighted the pivotal role of Governor Peter Mbah’s innovative leadership, whose Water-City agenda provided the platform that eventually propelled her to global recognition. With characteristic humility, she framed the moment with a beautifully symbolic metaphor: “God paved the waterways, Governor Mbah built them; I just floated to the top.”
In Morocco, at a gathering of world powers and international water experts, Ambassador Amaka Nweke stood tall, not just as a Nigerian delegate, but as a symbol of what excellence, integrity, and vision can achieve when aligned with purpose.
Her win is a monumental moment for Enugu State, affirming once again that innovation, resilience, and divine grace continue to shape the state’s rising influence on the global stage.
Amb. Mrs. Amaka Nweke JP, is Commissioner IV / WASH Committee Chairman, Enugu State Local Government Service Commission, has truly placed Enugu on the world map.
