By Francesca Hangeior
President Bola Tinubu has congratulated the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the co-founder of Guaranty Trust Bank Plc, Mr Fola Adeola, and Managing Director of Sahara Power Group, Mr Kola Adesina, on the conferment of honorary doctorate degrees by the University of Lagos.
The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, in a statement on Thursday, stated that Tinubu deeply admires these Nigerians who have excelled in their careers, noting that they are role models for the nation’s youths.
The President stated that the three Nigerians deserve recognition for their pursuit of excellence, hard work, and invaluable contributions to the nation’s economic development.
In one of the congratulatory letters, Tinubu praised Adesina for his contributions to Nigeria’s energy sector, highlighting the recognition as a reflection of his commitment to advancing national development.
“Your visionary leadership at Sahara Power Group has been transformative, ensuring sustainable power solutions and inspiring professionals across the energy sector to pursue excellence. This honorary degree is a well-deserved acknowledgment of your tireless efforts to elevate engineering standards and drive innovation in Nigeria,” Tinubu remarked.
“I encourage you to continue to serve as beacons of hope, innovation, and inspiration for future generations. Please know that your contributions remain deeply valued by the government and people of Nigeria,” the President stated
The university recognised Okonjo-Iweala for her trailblasing as the first African woman to lead the WTO and for introducing significant reforms in Nigeria’s financial sector and honoured Adeola for his pioneering role in the Nigerian banking sector and for founding the FATE Foundation, an NGO mentoring young Nigerian entrepreneurs through training and loans.
Adesina, an alumnus of the university, was recognised for his innovative contributions to the energy industry.
Adesina is the Group Managing Director of Sahara Power Group, an energy and infrastructure organisation with operations in 42 countries.
The three Nigerians were awarded a Doctor of Science honorary degree (D. Sc) by the university at its 55th convocation on January 16.