ABU to honour Deputy UN Secretary-General, 3 others with Honorary Doctorate Degrees

By Mustapha Yauri

Zaria (Kaduna State), Jan. 12. 2023

Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, Kaduna State, says it will confer honorary doctorate degrees on four distinguished Nigerians at its 42nd/Diamond Jubilee Convocation on Jan. 28.

A statement issued by Malam Auwalu Umar, the Director, Public Affairs Directorate of the University, said the degree awardees include former military governor of old Kano State, retired Col. Sani Bello.

Others are the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Dr Amina Mohammed; former Bursar of ABU, Alhaji Muhammadu Inuwa-Jibo, and Katsina-based philanthropist, Hajiya Fatima Kurfi.

Auwal said His Majesty, Nnaemeka Alfred Achebe, Obi of Onitsha, the Chancellor of ABU, would confer the honorary degrees on the awardees at the upcoming convocation ceremony.

He said the decision by the institution to confer the honorary degrees on the illustrious Nigerians followed the recommendation of the Honorary Degrees Committee to the Senate of the institution.

He added that the Senate approved the Committee’s recommendation and made same to the Governing Council of the university which it (Council) finally approved for the conferment of the honorary degrees.

“Col. Sani Bello (Rtd), who was a military governor of old Kano State in 1977, is to be conferred with a Doctor of Science Degree (D.Sc.)

“As a former governor, he established the two famous Science Secondary Schools in Dawakin Kudu and Dawakin Tofa, whose products have continued to make positive impact nationally and globally,” he said.

He added that Bello, now a community leader and an educationist in his native town of Kontagora in Niger State, established Mustapha Comprehensive School and Sani Bello Vocational Training Centre as a philanthropic gesture.

He said the centre has provided over 3,000 youths with specialised skills among whom 418 are people with special needs.

According to him, Sani Bello Foundation has also provided free medical outreach to more than 7,000 beneficiaries and over 5,000 scholarships to indigent students in public universities.

Umar said the university would confer a Doctor of Law Degree (LL.D) on the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations and Chair of the United Nations Sustainable Development Group, Ms. Amina Mohammed.

He noted that Mohammed was a Minister of Environment during which she steered Nigeria’s efforts on climate action and efforts to protect the natural environment.

He said as a Special Adviser to the then Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon in 2012, she championed the global agreement around the 2030 Agenda for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Auwal said the former Bursar of ABU, Alhaji Muhammadu Jibo, is to be honoured with a Doctor of Literature Degree (D.Litt) for being a humanitarian who has demonstrated a track record of honesty above personal gains.

Hajiya Fatima Kurfi will be conferred with a Doctor of Education Degree (D.Ed.) for being a philanthropist and dogged advocate for girl-child education.

“Her effort in this regard culminated in her setting up a school in her home town of Kurfi in Katsina State, which provides a mixture of Western and Islamic education,” he said.