At age 76, Buhari praises former foreign minister Ogwu

Ibekimi Oriamaja Reports

Prof. Joy Uche Ogwu, a former minister of foreign affairs, is 76 today, August 22, 2022, and has received congratulations from President Muhammadu Buhari.

Additionally, the president celebrated Prof. Wale Omole’s 80th birthday alongside the former vice chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University.
According to a statement issued yesterday by his media adviser, Femi Adesina, President Buhari celebrated the happy occasion with Prof. Ogwu and her family and praised her for her years of deserving service as Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the UN from 2008 to 2017.

The president joined friends and coworkers of the former ambassador in wishing her a happy birthday, stating that Ogwu’s expertise and experience greatly influenced the development of the nation’s foreign policies, notably the economic diplomacy that she promoted.

He celebrated the scholar’s many accomplishments with her, starting with her time spent in lecture halls and including her employment at the National War College, National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies, and Nigeria Institute for International Affairs as director general.

As the Chair of the Board of Trustees of the United Nations Institute for Disarmament, Buhari acknowledged the former president of the United Nations’ intellectual support and guidance to the multilateral organization and governments on issues of security around the world, particularly on disarmament.
He said a prayer for the celebrant’s wellbeing and fortitude.

In a separate statement by Adesina, Buhari shared Omole’s joy and recognized the former vice chancellor’s historic contributions to enhancing Nigeria’s educational system and providing the institution with visionary leadership.

The president regarded Omole’s return to Nigeria as evidence of his love for the nation and its people and praised the academic for his many years of personal sacrifices, tenacity, and bravery as Vice Chancellor. Omole had spent years studying and researching extensively, culminating in a doctorate in Nutritional Biochemistry in 1973.
He emphasized the scholar’s valuable contributions to public debate, particularly his many years as Chairman of The Guardian’s Editorial Board, which allowed him to offer a valuable perspective based on exposure, network, and relevance in the rapidly changing global environment.

Omole left a legacy at the Obafemi Awolowo University, where he began working as an assistant lecturer and rose to lecturer and Professor of Animal Science in the early 1980s. Buhari praised Omole for his tenacity and consistency in advocating for stronger educational institutions in the nation, with flexibility to meet the needs of students, while adjusting to global changes.
In order to celebrate with Omole, he joined family, friends, and coworkers while pleading with the Almighty God for a longer life and good health.