The Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria,
is set to bestow upon the President of the World Trade Centre, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and renowned Islamic Scholar, Sheikh Sharif Ibrahim Sale Al-Hussain with its honorary degrees.
This followed consideration and endorsement of recommendation of the Honorary Degrees Committee by the Senate of the University at its 544th (Special) meeting held on Tuesday, 7th January.
The Governing Council gave the approval at its 207th meeting held on Wednesday, 8th January, 2025.
The prestigious honor will be bestowed upon the two eminent personalities at the university’s 44th Convocation Ceremony, scheduled for January 25, 2025.
Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, a renowned global finance expert and economist, will receive a Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa).
This was according to a statement issued by the Public Affairs Directorate, office of the Vice-Chancellor, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, said on Friday.
It noted that Her impressive career spans over 40 years, with notable achievements including serving as Nigeria’s Finance Minister twice and becoming the first woman and African to head the World Trade Organization (WTO).
“Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, GCON
Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, a global finance expert, an economist and international development professional with over 40 years of experience working in Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America and North America, is currently the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). She assumed office as WTO Director-General in March 2021, becoming the first woman and the first African to head the international organisation.
“Born on 13th June, 1954 to the family of Prof. Chukwuka Okonjo who was Obi of the Obahai Royal Family of Ogwashi-Ukwu in Delta State, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala started her early education in Queen’s School, Enugu and St. Anne’s School, Molete, Ibadan, Oyo State. She attended Harvard University, USA and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics in 1976 and obtained a PhD in Regional Economics and Development in 1981 from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA,” the statement said.
According to the statement, Sheikh Sharif Ibrahim Sale Al-Hussain, a prominent Islamic scholar, will be awarded a Doctor of Laws (LL.D) Honoris Causa.
The statement noted that Sheikh Al-Hussain authored over 500 books and pamphlets, and his expertise spans various aspects of Islamic scholarship, including Qur’anic Studies, philosophy, and Islamic jurisprudence.
“Sheikh Sharif Ibrahim Sale Al-Hussain, who was born on 12th May, 1938 in Aredibe near Dikwa, Borno State, rose from a humble beginning to become a world-class scholar in different aspects of Islamic scholarship such as Qur’anic Studies, religious sciences, logic, philosophy and rhetoric. He wrote more than 500 books and pamphlets as well as hundreds of commissioned conference papers.
“Unlike most of his contemporaries, Sheikh Ibrahim Sale has maintained the uneasy balance between the adoption of a modern approach to religious scholarship and embracing the age-old Islamic tradition of evaluation and certification of scholars.
“It was in this context that his attempts to compare notes and rub minds with other scholars, as well as to submit himself to them for rigorous scrutiny, that he attended many prestigious centres of Islamic scholarship and learning far beyond the shores of Nigeria and the African continent,” the statement said.
It added that both honorees have accepted the prestigious award, which recognizes their outstanding contributions to their respective fields.