Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, is set to honour the President of the World Trade Organisation, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, and renowned Islamic scholar Sheikh Sharif Al-Hussain with honorary degrees.
This decision followed the consideration and endorsement of the recommendation by the Honorary Degrees Committee at the University’s 544th (Special) Senate meeting held on Tuesday, 7 January 2025. The Governing Council subsequently approved it at its 207th meeting on Wednesday, 8 January 2025.
The prestigious awards will be conferred upon the two distinguished individuals during the university’s 44th Convocation Ceremony, scheduled for 25 January 2025.
Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, a globally renowned finance expert and economist, will be awarded a Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa).
According to a statement issued on Friday by the Public Affairs Directorate, Office of the Vice-Chancellor, Ahmadu Bello University, Okonjo-Iweala’s career spans over 40 years. She has held notable positions, including serving twice as Nigeria’s Minister of Finance and becoming the first woman and first African to head the World Trade Organisation.
“Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, GCON, is a global finance expert, economist, and international development professional with over 40 years of experience working across Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America, and North America. She is currently the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), a position she assumed in March 2021, becoming the first woman and the first African to lead the organisation.
“Born on 13 June 1954 to the family of Professor Chukwuka Okonjo, the Obi of the Obahai Royal Family of Ogwashi-Ukwu in Delta State, Okonjo-Iweala began her early education at Queen’s School, Enugu, and St Anne’s School, Molete, Ibadan, Oyo State. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Harvard University in 1976 and earned a PhD in Regional Economics and Development from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1981,” the statement noted.
Sheikh Sharif Al-Hussain, a prominent Islamic scholar, will receive a Doctor of Laws (LL.D) Honoris Causa.
The statement highlighted that Al-Hussain has authored over 500 books and pamphlets, with expertise spanning various aspects of Islamic scholarship, including Qur’anic Studies, philosophy, and jurisprudence.
“Sheikh Sharif Ibrahim Sale Al-Hussain, born on 12 May 1938 in Aredibe near Dikwa, Borno State, rose from humble beginnings to become a world-class scholar. His work spans diverse fields of Islamic scholarship, including Qur’anic Studies, religious sciences, logic, philosophy, and rhetoric. He has written more than 500 books and pamphlets as well as hundreds of commissioned conference papers.
“Unlike most of his contemporaries, Sheikh Ibrahim Sale has balanced adopting a modern approach to religious scholarship with embracing the traditional Islamic method of evaluation and certification of scholars. This approach has seen him engage with scholars globally and undergo rigorous scrutiny at prestigious centres of Islamic learning far beyond Nigeria and Africa,” the statement said.
It added that both honorees have accepted the prestigious awards, which recognise their outstanding contributions to their respective fields.
