Shortly after SaharaReporters posted the link on its Facebook page, the petition swiftly garnered a lot of signature nearly meeting its goal of 2000 signatures. The petitioner has increased the signature request to 2,500 as at the time of publishing this report
The petitioner, Mr. Sunday Iwalaiye, it might be recalled, is the same person who a few months ago in the heat of Nigeria’s presidential electoral campaign wrote a letter to the United States War College about Buhari’s attendance of the college which had been challenged by operatives of the Peoples Democratic Party. The college confirmed he did graduate from the institution.
He 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.
Full text of the letter:
“YALE UNIVERSITY GAVE ITS PRESTIGIOUS HONORARY DOCTORATE DEGREE TO AN UNDESERVING NIGERIAN”:Ngozi Iweala, the outgoing Nigeria’s finance minister was awarded a honorary doctorate degree by Yale University on May 15, 2015. The citation from the Yale University reads:”Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Doctor of Humane Letters. 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 Letter”
This citation from the Yale University does not reflect nor represent everything that has happened under the watch and the supervision of the Nigerian economy by Ngozi Iweala as the nation’s finance 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.
Our foreign reserves and excess crude oil accounts have both depleted heavily under Ngozi Iweala. The recurrent expenditures in the federal budgets reached the highest levels which made capital development practically impossible in Nigeria under Ngozi Iweala. The board of regents of this ivy league school missed it completely by awarding their prestigious honorary doctorate degree to an undeserving Nigerian in all truth, honesty and reality. The Nigeria’s economy has remained the same under Ngozi Iweala without any evidence of its diversity from oil. The Nigerian Naira crashed to its lowest value in its history under Ngozi Iweala. The true picture that Yale University missed is the fact that the economy of Nigeria has almost grounded to its final halt today which will makes its a daunting task for the incoming administration of General Muhammadu Buhari to meet its campaign promises.
The menace of official corruption and financial scandals have both reached their peaks in Nigeria under Ngozi Iweala. A central bank governor was fired for disclosing that $20 billion was missing from the federal coffers and this allegation was investigated in a shady and questionable manner. The oil subsidy scam that cheated Nigeria’s tax payers of trillions of Naira was coordinated and supervised by Ngozi Iweala. The culture of official corruption and state resource mismanagement were both honored, celebrated, protected and defended under the leadership of Ngozi Iweala as the supervising coordinator of the Nigerian economy. To give a honorary doctorate degree to an undeserving Nigerian by this world’s reknown university is the biggest slap on the faces of the 180 million Nigerians in 2015. I am using this social medium to appeal to the board of regents of this prestigious university to withdraw this honorary degree that they awarded to this Nigerian immediately and without any further delay for the sake of posterity.
LETTER TO
Yale University
Withdraw the honorary doctorate degree given to Ngozi Iweala of Nigeria
SAHARA REPORTERS
It is most tragic that people always reason along our fault lines. Some get so blind that they make laughable statements. How can some one say that Ngozi Iweala’s honor is well deserved. How can someone attack a critic saying that Yale University has a criteria for honoring her. I should be quick to recall the citation of the University and it says among other things;”As the coordinating Minister of the Economic development, you have tackled corruption,created a vision and path to long-term economic stability and worked to build a culture of transparency. It further went on to say “You have transformed the landscape of your nation.” What other criteria is anyone looking for,forget about her so-called stint at the world bank because if this great Ivory tower could say this much about the Minister and her job in Nigeria how sure are we that her praise over the world bank is indeed true. It is often said that if you want to know how good a husband is then take a look at his wife. It does not matter what is being peddled as Iweala’s economic ingenuity,the best way to know it is to see or talk to the people of this nation. Let us stop calling black white because of ethnicity or religion.
I know it is only on this blog that this issue will be given attention. why is the ADB ambition of Dr. Adesina not gaining same attention here? or didn’t they both serve this same government? Every Nigerian and their dog knows that the much touted success of GEJ in the agric sector was a sham (the much talked about self sufficiency on rice production)but we did not hear anything negative about it in the media. we didn’t hear it because Jimi Disu is using his position in the media to mount selective campaign against anybody he does not like. This advanced tribalism going on will not be accepted again. Jimi Disu should learn to be a professional. He allows his emotions to overtake him. I have resolved never to listen to him on classic FM again cos he has been and is still misleading the younger people who are following the program.
How can a right thinking person say that an award of a doctorate degree to Mrs Okonjo Iweala is not well deserved. This is outright jealousy and wickedness.
Chuks, is it not better to face the fact, do we need to cover up for a non performer?. Why are we so much interested in getting glory we do not deserve?. Has the Nigerian economy been better or worse under her watch?. Please, do away with sentiment. These corrupt leaders have enriched only themselves and made more Nigerians poorer. No wonder she could not face Prof. Soludo when he openly invited her to a debate on the economy rather resulted to abusive words. They sooner or latter will definitely pay the ultimate price for their wickedness.
We are a very pessimistic people who never see anything good in whatever our leaders do. We have to stop this “pull him down” syndrome. Yale has done their due diligence and they have criteria for giving such awards unlike our country where it goes to the highest bidder.
The new government is about to be sworn in and I know that a lot of you are already setting bobby trap for them to fail. If we need to criticize, let us do it constructively. Sometimes I laugh when people complain of how we are being treated by foreign countries and I always remind such people that we suffer worst humiliation from our own people. Respect begets respect.
Don’t pull them people but encourage them to be better.
On what ground do you concore with the award to Iweala.. That our economy has faired better? That the standard of living has improved or far worse than it was? That corruption has been sincerely tackled as reflected in the uncountable figures in $billion which Iweala and her executive colleagues are constantly paintting with waves of colours ? Where exactly do you stand so strong and convincing as to approve such an award of excellence? I hope you are not considering ethnic affiliation, because she is my sister as well and I maintain that she does not deserve it based on the economic performance during her tenure. She can’t even pay due salaries for 3months plus. What are we saying here!
I couldn’t have agreed more with the writer, Mrs Ngozi iweala did not deserve that award instead be prosecuted.