The founder president of the University, Dr (Hon) Bishop Olayemi Adeyemi, who represented the chancellor, King Benjamin Ikenchukwu Keagborekuzi (Dien of the Agbor Kingdom in Delta State, Nigeria), disclosed in Cotonou at the convocation ceremony for the Award of Academic and Honorary Degrees that out of the 446 graduands, two of them made First Class Honours, two hundred and ninety-four (294) were in second class upper division and one hundred and fifty (150) graduated with second class lower division.
Earlier in a remark, the Vice-Chancellor of WAUU, Prof Sola Ehindero said the university would continue to churn out the best set of graduates that would compete favourably anywhere they find themselves.
During the ceremony, some eminent personalities from Nigeria and the Republic of Benin were awarded Honourary Doctorate Degrees including some traditional rulers and a legal giant, Mr Femi Falana, SAN, who bagged
Honorary Degree of Doctor of Civil Right Advocacy & Justice Administration.
Other honorary awardees were: Victor Mark-Onyegbu, a policy analyst and cultural relations expert, who bagged an Honourary Degree of Doctor of International Relations; The Olowo of the Owo Kingdom in Ondo State, Nigeria, Oba Ajibade Gbadegesin Ogunoye III who was conferred The Doctor of Public Administration; King Abdou Nouhou III of Lokossa in the Benin Republic who bagged The Doctor of Public Administration; the First Class Emir of Machina from Yobe state, Nigeria HRM Alhaji Bashir Albishir Bukar who was awarded The Doctor of Public Administration, as well as the Emir of Awe, HRH Alhaji (Dr) Isa Abubakar Umar II, who was also awarded The Doctor of Public Administration.
Also honoured by the university during the ceremony were; Senator Sanni Mama, a member of the parliament of the Republic of Benin, who bagged The Doctor of Public Administration
While responding, one of the honorees, Dr Victor Mark-Onyegbu remarked that the recognition is a significant honour for what he considers his very modest contributions to shifting perceptions within and about Africa.
Dr Mark-Onyegbu’s career engagements have put him on the frontlines of the narrative change ecosystem of Africa. He has traversed the public sector, where he held senior positions at the National Council for Arts and Culture, Nigeria, to cultural relations where he worked across several roles at the British Council in Nigeria, West Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa, strengthening connections between the UK and Africa through creative industry programmes and through education.
Until recently, he was a Programme Manager at the British Council, where he was overseeing a youth-focused, multi-pronged and cross-regional programme aimed at updating narratives between the UK and Africa by strengthening connections and understanding between young people of both places.
Presently, as grant management lead at Africa No Filter, he oversees grant making operations and leads on stakeholder engagement and narrative community strengthening.
He remarked that “an honorary doctorate degree in International Relations comes as a boost and encouragement to keep doing more to strengthen African connections and linkages and change the way the rest of the world sees and engages with Africa”.
Speaking at the ceremony, the founder and president of the institution revealed plans to establish the institution’s campuses across all the countries in West Africa. On his part, the Emir of Lokossa said his community would continue to provide a conducive environment for WAUU, Cotonou to construct its permanent site in the Benin Republic.
Source: Ghana Web