UNIBEN to honour T.Y Danjuma, Odigie-Oyegun, 3 others

Former Chief of Army Staff, retired Lt.-Gen. Theophilus Danjuma and former Governor of Edo, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun alongside three eminent Nigerians would bag honourary degrees at the 46th and 47th Convocations of University of Benin.

Dr Benedicta Ehanire, the Public Relations Officer of the institution, disclosed this on Monday in a statement made available to our reporter in Benin.

The three others according to Ehanire are: Dr Natalia Kanem, a Public Health expert and Executive Director, United Nations Population Fund; Mr Oluwakemi Pinheiro (SAN) and Fellow, Institute of Chartered Arbitrators of Nigeria; and Dr Thomas Ilube, an Education Philanthropist and Chairman, British Rugby Football Union.

She said that the institution’s governing council and the senate had approved the list of the awardees in recognition of their contributions in uplifting humanity.

She said that Prof. Lilian Salami, the Vice-Chancellor of the university was expected to roll out plans for the convocation, the Founders’ Day and Golden Jubilee ceremonies of the institution in a press briefing ahead of the celebrations later in the month.

Born on Dec. 9, 1938 in Takum, Taraba, formally Gongola, Danjuma is a politician, famous for his key role in the post-independence military and political events in Nigeria.

He was Chief of Army Staff between 1975 and 1979 and was also appointed Minister of Defence under President Olusegun Obasanjo Administration.

Odigie-Oyegun, an erstwhile governor of Edo is a former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) before his appointment as Pro-Chancellor, University of Ibadan.