The National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) will on Saturday confer honorary doctorate degrees on two distinguished Nigerians, Dr. Innocent Chukwuma and Hajiya Hafsatu Abdulwaheed.
The Vice-Chancellor of the university, Professor Olufemi A. Peters, announced this in Abuja at a press briefing on the institution’s forthcoming 13th Convocation ceremony.
Chukwuma, a renown entrepreneur and founder of Innoson Motors, one of Nigeria’s top automobile companies, while Hajiya Hafsatu was the first female novelist in northern Nigeria, prominent activist and philanthropist.
According to Peters, the CEO of Innoson Motors is going to be awarded the honorary doctorate degree in Business Administration because of “his creativity, innovation, and dedication to local content.”
Commenting on Hajiya Hafsatu Abdulwaheed, whose Hausa novel So Aljannar Duniya was published in
1974, he said she would receive the award of an honorary degree of Doctor of Letters, honoris causa.
Peters said: “She has devoted her life to promoting education, especially for girls, believing in literacy’s power to transform communities and break the cycle of poverty.”
He added that both recipients “embody NOUN’s core values of entrepreneurial ingenuity, knowledge-based content, and creativity.”
The VC emphasised that awarding honorary degrees is not common at the NOUN, and a careful consideration was therefore given before such decisions were made.
Peters stated that the recognition was a significant achievement for the university community and has paved the way for valuable knowledge-based partnerships.
