Ikechukwu Benjamin Ezeohagwu: The Nigerian pioneer professor of graphoanalysis
Curtain-Raiser:
Ikechukwu Benjamin Ezeohagwu is an amazing personage of some sort; his spirited academic and practical experiences attest to his genius.
His propensity to pioneer rare areas of attainment adds credit to his creative thrust. He was born in Mgbidi Awgu Local Government District, Enugu State, Nigeria. Ben Ezeohagwu as popularly called turns 53 on the 29th of August 2023.
Ben Ezeohagwu lived a humble onset as he started his early education (January 1979) in the rural but peaceful Yoruba town of Ipetu- Ijesa in Osun State of Nigeria.
Apart from his ability to speak and write many languages, he has a penchant for multidisciplinary deconstruction; he is a refined, soft-spoken, and respectful gentleman; Ben Ezeohagwu is a Professor of Comparative Graphology at the British American University, Canada, and also a Professor of Graphoanalysis from the University of Business Technology, Wilington, Delaware, USA.
He is also a reputable Professor of Graphology at Edexcel University, Ifangni Plateau, Republic of Benin.
He, therefore, becomes the first Professor of Graphology (Graphoanalysis) not only in Nigeria but indeed among the entire Black African nations. All these were attained before clocking the age of fifty.
Professor Ben Ezeohagwu is the Chancellor and President of African American University, Porto Novo, Republic of Benin. The University relies mainly on virtual modes of instruction and is fast becoming an educational model (Higher Institution) in the West African Sub-Region.
Researching The Unusual: Graphoanalysis
Graphoanalysis is the Art and Science of Handwriting Interpretation… ascertaining human personality traits, attitudes, character and behavioural patterns.
The Free Dictionary defines Graphoanalysis as the art of judging a person’s character, disposition, and aptitude from his handwriting; it’s also called Graphology. As a discipline, the modern form was developed by Milton Newman Bunker around 1915.
Graphology is used as an aid to draw a behavioural profile and gain insight into the mental, physical and emotional states of the writer.
The interesting thing about Ben Ezeohagwu’s research is the conflation of Visual Arts with Graphology. He ventilated fresh insights into the reading and appreciation of creative visual arts beyond traditional aesthetics. The new course of study that Prof Ben Ezeohagwu brought into the Visual Arts field is BENEZOGRAFS (named after him).
This amazing psycho-artistic scientific discipline offers a new platform for interrogating creative visual works.
Ben Ezeohagwu’s encounter with Graphoanalysis was by coincidence. He found out that a rather rare course of study was part of the academic disciplines offered at the Consultancy Services of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife. He therefore enrolled for Graphoanalysis course in January 1996 and graduated with a Higher Diploma (Distinction) in 1999.
This marked the beginning of Ben Ezeohagwu’s extraordinary interest in Graphology otherwise known as Graphoanalysis.
Visual Arts And Psycho-Graphic Analysis
It wasn’t an accident for Prof Ezeohagwu to research graphology using the creative visual art works of artists as appreciable lanes of interpretation and experiments. He had shown great interest in creative visual arts ever before he ventured into graphoanalysis in January 1996.
In 1995, Ben Ezeohagwu bagged a Diploma (Merit) in Comparative Arts at Academie Studios, Lagos. (ACSLA). This was the beginning of his scholarly exploration of creative arts and aesthetics.
After obtaining a First Class Honours degree in Graphoanalysis in 2006, and a Master’s degree in Grapho-Psychology in 2007, both from the British American University, Porto Novo, Republic of Benin; he later obtained In 2011 a Bachelor of Arts Education degree (BAED) in Fine and Applied Arts at the Ekiti State University, Ado- Ekiti, which was in affiliation with Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education, Lagos.
According to Prof Ben Ezeohagwu, BENEZOGRAFS is a Graphoanalysis system that ascertains and depicts psychographic energy drive trends of artists and writers, among others. He equally developed Psychological health therapy model for artists and writers while delving into human emotional and mental health energy using graphotherapeutic BENEZOGRAFS.
In his research, he used Comparative Visual Arts as a template for advanced graphoanalysis. Referencing the artists, he proclaimed the Biblical admonition that “by their works, ye shall know them”. This is to say that it is possible to ascertain certain human personality characteristics of the artists by grapho- analyzing their visual artworks.
With that method of diagnosis, it is possible to understand the artist’s emotions, attitudes, virtues, and vices.
Neurographiasic Graphoanalysis
This a new branch of Graphoanalysis researched and invented by Ben Ezeohagwu in 2010 which specifically deals with ascertaining abnormalities of the brain ill-health traits as manifest in handwritten documents; handwritten documents such as handwriting, signature, drawing, painting, and other visual arts forms.
His ingenious and flexible academic disposition led Prof Ben Ezeohagwu to study and acquire more honours and degrees in Visual Arts related courses.
In 2013 and 2016 respectively, he obtained a Master’s degree and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Comparative Visual Arts Graphoanalysis from the British American University, Porto-Novo, Republic of Benin. Some of the degrees and honours ran concurrently. All these scholarly acquisitions strengthened and expanded Ben Ezeohagwu’s research base and outputs, and ultimately led him to ground-breaking practical and theoretical inventions of other relevant disciplines such as what he described as Comparative Visual Arts Graphoanalysis, Psycho-artistic Neurological science among others.
Benezografs: Revealing Practical Psycho-graphic Visual Forms And Features
Graphology otherwise known as Graphoanalysis is the scientific study and analysis of handwriting with the main purpose of understanding the writer’s personality traits, and analyzing the emotions, character, attitudes, and mental condition. The study of handwriting analysis involves a thorough appreciation of psycho-graphic forms including the features and style of writing.
Traditionally, what is generally known in many human societies is palmistry. Palm reading is a form of fortune-telling that is more esoteric than scientific. It is completely different from graphology because the latter deals with handwriting and not the palm; This distinction is necessary so that people do not conflate the two. Graphoanalysis consists empirical principles and formulations with universal tones and definite paterns.
In layman’s words, Graphoanalysis is about analyzing graphs. Here, the graph is the script of any writer. It is often said that handwriting defines the writer because the psycho-graphic features of the handwriting can give accurate insight into the personality of the writer.
Ben Ezeohagwu as an artist and educator appropriated his knowledge of visual arts to advance Graphology beyond handwriting analysis. The logic therein is that the basis for character and attitudinal reckoning in graphology is the formal configurations. The forms in this case consist of the features and shapes of the handwriting. In Ben Ezeohagwu’s opinion, if handwriting can be so analysed, then artworks with similar personal and peculiar formal characteristics can also be analyzed using the instrument of graphology. Such artworks include drawing, painting, sculpture, textiles, pottery, metal works, etc. This fresh approach of graphoanalyzing visual artworks is what Ezeohagwu called BENEZOGRAFS (when those visual art works are expressed in pictorial terms just as handwriting also can be BENEZOGRAFSED).
Prof Ben Ezeohagwu explained the relationship between the hand and the central nervous system and how psycho-graphic artistic practices positively affect older adults. Some of the benefits include -helping to improve human memory and learning, relaxing the human brain and lowering blood pressure and stress. It also stabilizes the mood or emotion, in rather agitated individuals.
As Fowler (1991) opined, Graphology defines two general classes or variables; Personality Traits and Performance Outcomes. The two variables are the motives behind using graphoanalysis methods at job interviews and hiring.
African American University
Another major and unique contribution that Prof Ezeohagwu made to humanity is setting up African American University in Porto-Novo, Republic of Benin… to run various academic courses. As noted earlier, the University is fast becoming an online model for teaching and learning in West African countries, especially in both the Republic of Benin and Nigeria.
Ben Ezeohagwu delved into Basic Medical Sciences by explaining the relationship between physiological health and psychological health. He analyzed how handwriting exercises can help the brain and stimulate positive mental activities.
He expatiated on what he described as brain health, noting that the content of what we write is deduced from the frontal brain i.e. from the intellect; while the back-side of the brain (intuition) provides movement for creativity and manner of expressions.
The practice of handwriting and creative arts such as the visual arts enhances focus and concentration therefore serving as mental therapy.
Art practice as analyzed in BENEZOGRAFS, therefore restores normal emotional and mental health energies by using physiological and psychological templates.
The research summarizes that a Graphoanalysis system ascertaining psychographic energies (that are derived from art practice and handwriting process) affect human emotional and mental health energies positively.
It also reduces psychological trauma and stress thereby serving as health therapy for artists and writers.
Reward For Excellence
Because of his inventive and articulate contributions to the development of Graphoanalysis in Africa as a relatively new academic discipline, Professor Ikechukwu Benjamin Ezeohagwu had received numerous awards and recognitions both in Nigeria and abroad.
As already noted, Ben Ezeohagwu was a “whizkid”, who demonstrated leadership as early as when he was class Captain and later the Senior Prefect of his Secondary School in Ipetu Ijesa, Ipetu Ijesa Grammar School (1988/89 set).
He also earned the ONIGRAFFIKS Literary Prize (Merit Award) in 2017, and has been enlisted in BLERF’S WHO’S WHO IN NIGERIA ONLINE (2018). As the First Black African Professor of graphoanalysis, from the University of Business Technology, Wilmington Delaware, USA and Edexcel University, Ifangni Plateau, Republic of Benin.
The African American University, Porto-Novo, Republic of Benin, under the Chancellorship of Professor Ezeohagwu who is also the President has made a tremendous impacts in both the Republic of Benin and Nigeria. Apart from the award of academic degrees to deserving students, the University also acknowledges individuals’ hard work, excellence, and commitment to professional and academic distinction.
For example, several notable professionals and academics in creative visual arts, Education and Medical sciences have been recognized and awarded honorary degrees and doctorates in their fields of endeavours. The faculty members of African American University, Porto-Novo, Republic of Benin are experts and notable academics. The Professors listed on the Faculty are reputable experts and outstanding Scholars in their various disciplines.
Ben Ezeohagwu as the First Nigerian Jideoni Charles Professor of Occupational (ONIGRAFFIKS) Geaphoanalysis, IGAN. 2004. Professor Ben Ezeohagwu had been invited as distinguished guest lecturer by many professional associations and academic institutions in Nigeria and the Republic of Benin. He had distinguished himself in the field of Graphoanalysis, especially with his innovative adaptations to Visual Arts, Medicine, Physiology, and Psychology, among other fields.
His dynamic activities and contributions to practical and theoretical knowledge attracted recognition for him in high places. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Graphoanalysts, Nigeria (FIGAN), 2011.
He is also a Fellow and the National President, of the Penstrokes Institute of Scientific Handwriting Analysts, Nigeria. (FPISHAN) 2016-Date, among other several Fellows.
Prof Ezeohagwu has authored highly referenced Books. He has published topical and analytical articles and essays in reputable journals and other peer review scholarly outlets.
Prof Ben Ezeohagwu is happily married to a delectable lady – Mrs Grace Adewunmi Ezeohagwu and they are blessed with children.
Kunle Filani… researched the above paper/article on Ben Ezeohagwu.
Kunle Filani is a contemporary Nigerian Visual Arts Scholar and Professor of Visual Arts, African American University, Porto-Novo, Republic of Benin.
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