Nigeria's top Bayero University, Kano, has conferred an honorary degree on African Development Bank Group President Dr Akinwumi Adesina, for his exceptional contribution to education and youth development in the country and across Africa.
Dr Adesina received a Doctor of Business Administration at the university's 38th convocation held in Kano on Saturday, joining the league of influential recipients of this prestigious award, including global icons like South Africa's Nelson Mandela.
The vice chancellor of the university, Professor Sagir Adamu Abbas, extolled Dr Adesina's outstanding contributions, recognising his profound impact on various aspects of life, particularly his dedication to improving the lives of ordinary citizens.
Adesina said, "With the conferment of the honorary doctorate, I am also now a member of the Bayero University, Kano, family. I will always cherish this honour. You can always count on me here in Kano, and for the advancement of this university."
Bayero University, Kano (BUK), renowned for its excellence, was ranked the 3rd Best University in Nigeria. Two of its graduates who are now medical doctors, Prof Hadiza Galadana and Dr Bosede Afolabi, have been lauded by the Bill Gates Foundation as "among doctors changing the world."
Adesina, who served as Nigeria's Agriculture Minister prior to being elected to head the African Development Bank Group in 2015, highlighted the impact of his policy interventions on the agricultural sector, particularly in Kano. He cited the success of UMZA rice, the largest indigenous rice mill in Nigeria, which he supported during his tenure.
He recalled that when heat-tolerant wheat varieties were introduced in northern Nigeria in the Lake Chad Basin area in the Kadawa Valley, people "could not believe the high yields of the wheat varieties and how tall they were."
During the ceremony, Bayero University of Kano awarded the Deputy President of the Nigerian Senate, Barau Jibrin, a Doctor of Laws (honoris causa).
A total of 180 students graduated with first-class degrees during the ceremony, adding to the 11,284 graduates who have received degrees from the University since its establishment in 1960. Over the period, the University has awarded more than 300 PhDs and over 3,700 Master's degrees.
The ceremony was attended by, among others, Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf; Education Minister Mamman Tahir; the Emir of Kano, Aminu Ado Bayero; Africa's richest man and Chief Executive Officer of Dangote Group of Companies, Aliko Dangote; Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Fund (TETFUND), Architect Sonny Echono; serving and past Nigerian senators as well as members of the House of Representatives.
