Unimaid, Gombe varsities to honour Shettima, others

The University of Maiduguri (Unimaid), Borno State, is set to honour Vice President Kashim Shettima during its 24th combined convocation ceremony, billed to hold on November 18, 2023.

Other prominent personalities to be honoured include the Chairman of BUA Group Limited, Alhaji Abdulsamad Isyaku Rabiu; the Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar Umar Ibn Garbai Al-Amin El-Kanemi and a former Registrar of Unimaid, Alhaji (Dr) Dahiru Bobbo.

Shettima would be conferred with Honorary Doctorate Degree D.Sc (Honoris Causa); Rabiu would get Honorary Doctorate Degree D. Litt. (Honoris Causa); El-Kanemi, Honorary Doctorate Degree of Laws (Honoris Causa) and Bobo, Honorary Doctorate Degree of Letters (D. Litt Honoris Causa).

In separate letters of notification addressed to the recipients, the Vice Chancellor (VC) of the institution, Prof Aliyu Shugaba, said they were chosen for their “outstanding achievements and exemplary contributions to humanity and national development.”

“The decision for the conferment followed the recommendations of the Honorary Degrees Committee and the endorsement by the Senate of the University, which was subsequently approved by the Honourable Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman SAN, OON in line with the procedure and criteria for the award of Honorary Degrees of the University,” Shugaba said.

In the same vein, the Senate of the Gombe State University is to confer a Honourary Doctorate Degrees on the Vice President, Kashim Shettima; a Gombebased self-taught ‘engineer,’ Malam Hadi Shehu and five other distinguished Nigerians.

Vice Chancellor of the institution, Professor Aliyu Usman El-Nafaty, disclosed this yesterday during a press conference ahead of the 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th combined convocation ceremony of the university.

He said alongside VP Shettima and Hadi Shehu, the university will also confer the honorary doctorate degrees on Prof. Idris Mohammed, a renowned professor of infectious disease and immunology; a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha; former Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Shamsuna

Ahmed; former TETFund Board of Trustees Chairman, Kashim Ibrahim-Imam; and late Major General Timothy Shelpedi, former Commander of the ECOMOG.

Prof. El-Nafaty stated that the university’s governing council and Senate identified and approved the award of the honorary degrees to the seven awardees for their contributions to humanity in the cause of discharging their duties.

The vice chancellor added that 116 students would be graduating with first class degrees; 1,511 second class upper, 3,326 with second class lower, 801 third class and 162 with pass degrees.