By ADAH SUNDAY, Abuja
The Nasarawa State University Keffi (NSUK) has conferred Honorary Doctorate Degree on Professor Ibrahim Agboola Gambari and on Professor Brunon Holyst of Poland.
The conferment of the prestigious honorary award to the two eminent scholars took place prior to the award of Bachelor and Postgraduate Degrees during the school’s 7th convocation held on its campus in Keffi on Saturday, 27 May, 2023.
Prof. Gambari, a Nigerian scholar and an outstanding diplomat, was the Chief of Staff to the immediate past President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, while Prof. Holyst is a Polish scholar and an internationally accomplished author.
While Prof. Gambari was invested with Honorary Doctorate Degree of Letters (D.Litt) Honoris Causa of Nasarawa State Univeraity, Prof Holyst was invested with Honorary Doctorate Degree of Philosophy (PhD) Honoris Causa of the institution.
Explaining the rationale behind the award earlier in his address, the Vice Chancellor (VC), Prof. Suleiman Bala Muhammed, having acknowledged his position as Chief of Staff to the outgoing President Buhari (then), said Prof. Gambari played a tremendous role in Nigeria’s foreign policy, and remains one of the longest serving Nigerian Ambassadors to the United Nations.
“Professor Brunon Holyst”, he said, “a renowned professor of Criminology, Victimology, and Criminalistic Psycology at the Management Academy of Applied Science in Warsaw Poland, is receiving the award in recognition of his immense contributions to the academic community, especially in the fields of Criminology and Criminalistic Psychology.”
In his acceptance speech, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari said the honour he had received was to him a call to further dedication of the rest of his life to the service of this university, this country and the international community as a whole.
He said: As I conclude my tenure as Chief of Staff to the President of the Republic, and in the last phase of transition to the incoming government, this opportunity to be with my natural constituency is indeed a breath of fresh air.
“I accept this honour with great sense of privilege, great sense of honour, and it’s a call to even further dedication of the rest of my life to the service of this university, this country and the international community as a whole.”
Speaking further, he said, “I will continue in any case to do my utmost as an alumnus of this university, to use my social capital to help address some of the infrastructural challenges of Nasarawa State University, and in this regard, I have good news, having spoken today with Alhaji Aliko Dangote. He has now agreed to build the Aliko Dangote Sugar Research Centre here in Nasarawa State University. So I’ve been performing my functions as an alumnus even before being formally conferred with honorary degree.”
On his part, Professor Brunon Holyst, who was also the Pre- Convocation Lecturer, acknowledged NSUK as the gateway to his publication and presentation of books on the black dominated environment, expressed gratitude to the University “for accepting me into the academic community and allowing me to become an ambassador of this great institution”.
Speaking further, he said, “The honorary distinction granted me has brought me immense pride and I’m committed to continuing to enrich the achievements of world science through my work.”