The Governing Council of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, has announced plans to confer an honorary doctorate degree on the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, at its 44th convocation.
Scheduled for Saturday, January 25, 2025, the institution will also confer the same honour on Sheikh Sharif Ibrahim Sale, a Nigerian Islamic scholar and head of the Supreme Council for Fatwa and Islamic Affairs in Nigeria (NSCIA).
The two honorees were recommended for the award by ABU’s Honorary Degrees Committee and subsequently endorsed by the Senate.
According to the institution’s Director of Public Affairs, both notable Nigerians have accepted the nomination.
About the Honorees
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
Mrs Okonjo-Iweala is a renowned economist who has served with distinction both at global organizations and in Nigeria. She worked at the World Bank for 25 years, rising to the position of Managing Director in 2007.
In 2003, she returned to Nigeria to join the administration of Olusegun Obasanjo, serving as Minister of Finance from July 15, 2003, to June 21, 2006. She rejoined the Nigerian government under Goodluck Jonathan as Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy from August 17, 2011, to May 29, 2015.
She currently serves as the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, a position she has held since March 2021. Her second term is set to begin on September 21, 2025.
Okonjo-Iweala is credited with negotiating Nigeria out of debt during her first term as Minister of Finance and securing the country’s first sovereign credit rating.
Sheikh Sharif Ibrahim Sale Al-Hussain
Sheikh Sharif Ibrahim Sale Al-Hussain is a prominent Islamic scholar and a member of the Muslim Council of Elders. He is the founder of the Islamic Renaissance Organization.
His contributions to Islamic scholarship and the development of Sharia law and principles have earned him numerous national and international honours, including the Order of the Republic in Science and Arts from the Arab Republic of Egypt in 1993 and the Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON) in Nigeria, among others.
ABU stated that both honorees have demonstrated exemplary leadership and skills in their respective fields, which, according to the institution, “align with ABU’s values and aspirations.”
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