In less than 12 hours, over 2000 signatures have signed a petition for Yale University to withdraw the honorary doctorate degree given to Nigeria’s Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
It was gathered that the petitioner, Mr. Sunday Iwalaiye has increased the signature request to 2,500 from its original 2000 to accommodate more volunteers.
Iwalaiye challenged the citation of Yale University for the award to Dr. Okonjo-Iweala, stating that it neither reflects nor represents everything that has happened under the watch and the supervision of the Nigerian economy by the Minister.
“There is no tangible evidence of any economic development in Nigeria under the leadership of Ngozi Iweala in all reality. Nigeria’s economy is still an oil-dependent economy that is debt and borrowing ridden as well as 100% consuming and importing in nature. Nigeria’s debt profile has risen rapidly under Ngozi Iweala and Nigeria has borrowed over $2 billion in the last four months alone to pay salaries of the federal and state civil servants.”
He also drew attention to the heavy depletion of Nigeria’s foreign reserves and excess crude oil accounts under the watch of the former Managing Director of the World Bank, as well as the menace of official corruption and financial scandals during her tenure.
Yale Citation below…
“You are a citizen of your country, your continent, and the world. Shaped by challenging experiences during your childhood in Nigeria, you have made social and economic reform your mission. As Nigeria’s coordinating minister of economic development and minister of finance, you have tackled corruption, created a vision and path to long-term economic stability, and worked to build a culture of transparency. At the World Bank, you made food security a priority and provided policy advice and capital for the world’s poorest countries. With wisdom, a fierce dedication to doing what is right, and unflagging energy, you have transformed the economic landscape of your nation. We are proud to name you Doctor of Humane Letters”.
