Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo
The authorities of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, yesterday said it had perfected arrangements to confer Honorary Doctorate Degrees on four eminent Africans whose immense contributions to the socio-economic cum ºpolitical development of their immediate environments, countries, continent and the world at large had been adjudged invaluable.
Speaking yesterday at a press conference, the Vice-chancellor of the University, Professor Eyitope Ogunbodede listed the awardees as the Rwandan President, Paul Kagame; one of Nigeria’s finest Marketing Communications Practitioners, Mr. Biodun Olusina Shobanjo; the President of African Export-Import Bank (AFREXIMBANK), Dr. Benedict Okey Oramah and the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the First Bank of Nigeria Plc., Mrs. IbukunOluwa Abiodun Awosika.
Rwandan President, Kagame’s outstanding leadership qualities and achievements in Rwanda, and within and outside Africa, were considered, especially his being actively instrumental to ending the infamous genocide in Rwanda in 1974.
Ogunbodede stressed that it was in recognition of these outstanding and remarkable achievements that President Paul Kagame was to be conferred with the Doctor of Public Administration (Honoris Causa).
For Mr. Shobanjo, his trailblazing efforts and enduring legacies in the Marketing Communications industry in Nigeria, as the doyen of the industry in the last 50 years and his humane social activism, set him on the pedestal for the award of the Doctor of Letters (D. Lit.) (Honoris Causa) of the University.
Similarly, the University is conferring on Dr. Oramah the Doctor of Sciences D.Sc. (Agric. Economics) (Honoris Causa) in recognition of his outstanding academic achievements and rather unique contributions to finance and trade in Africa; an area in which he had published a book and written several articles.
In the same vein, Mrs. Awosika’s indelible corporate achievements, unique and outstanding contributions to the growth of entrepreneurship in the society, in addition to her humane social activism, earned her the recognition of the University with the conferment of the Doctor of Business Administration (D.BM) (Honoris Causa).
The four honorary awardees would be conferred with their degrees as part of the events marking the 44th convocation ceremonies of the University holding from Wednesday 11th to Saturday 4th December, 2019.
However the University will next week confer Bachelor’s degrees, Postgraduate Diplomas, Master’s Degrees and award of prizes to graduating Students in the Faculties of Administration, Arts, Education, Law and Social Sciences.
