Nigerian creates petition urging Yale not to withdraw minister’s doctorate

monjola sotubo

May 23, 2015 9:49 AM

Valentine Onwuka has urged Yale University to ignore the calls to strip Okonjo-Iweala of the award.

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala

A Nigerian man has created a Change.org petition in relation to an honorary doctorate awarded to Finance Minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

Valentine Onwuka has urged Yale University to ignore the calls to strip Okonjo-Iweala of the award.

Onwuka’s petition reads:

“The call to strip Dr Okonjo-Iweala of this well-deserved honour is ill motivated and laced with political victimization, orchestrated by those who are peeved at her achievements.”

“It would be great injustice if she is stripped of the award, as Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has paid her dues and has chalked great successes at different levels.”

The counter-petition has so far gained 1,544 supporters who also believe that the minister is deserving of the honour.

“Those jobless Yoruba Sahara Reporters in US should find some work and go back to Nigeria. Enough of that nonsense. Ngozi achieved something while staying in overseas but what they can achieve is dividing Nigeria,” a commenter, Mike Ofoegbu said.

Another, Ogbonnaya Agwu said:

“I'm signing this petition because the call to strip her of the honorary doctorate is obviously born out of tribal hatred and a blatant display of frustration by former beneficiaries of corruption including those affected by the successful biometrics sanitization of the federal civil service which resulted in flushing out more than 60,000 ghost workers. The corrupt are angry and they are surely fighting back at their scourge. Common Yale! Say a big no to them! Thank you.”

The petition to withdraw the honour was launched 2 days ago by Sunday Iwalaiye, a Nigerian resident in the US, who believes that the minister is undeserving of the award.

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