An interesting news item in a Nigerian newspaper, ThisDay caught my attention. It reported that by last week, 2,047 people had signed a petition asking Yale University to withdraw the honorary doctorate degree awarded to Nigeria’s Economy and Finance Minister Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
The minister, alongside eight others, had been awarded a Doctorate of Humane Letters on May 18 during Yale’s Commencement ceremony in New Haven, Connecticut.
Now when the late Wangari Maathai was honoured with the Nobel Peace Prize the world was elated.
Who could deny the passion to plant trees that had defined the life of this great woman?
Who could forget her struggles with land grabbers and other wicked forces that were out to annihilate her?
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When actress Lupita Nyongo won an Oscar, you should have seen social media.
Kenyans were not ashamed to be associated with this girl who was born in Mexico but was raised in Kenya, thus heavily celebrated in this part of the world.
But here are Nigerians requesting a very established, celebrated and prominent institution to withdraw a prestigious honour it has bestowed on one of their own!
The petition, which is being hosted on change.org, the world’s largest petition platform, was started by a Nigerian resident in the United States.
According to the petitioners, “Yale University gave its prestigious honorary doctorate degree to an undeserving Nigerian.
Done great wonders
“There is no tangible evidence of any economic development in Nigeria under the leadership of Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala in all reality.
“Nigeria’s economy is still an oil-dependent economy that is debt and borrowing-ridden as well as 100 per cent consuming and importing in nature.”
There are lessons we can pick up concerning what God has to say.
This is definitely a case of a prophet not being recognised in his own home.
The Lord had done great wonders in His own town of Galilee but his own people were the first to disown him.
It is the Gentiles who would enthusiastically pick up the message of the cross and spread it across the globe.
Yale University is no small or inconspicuous university. It is the university of choice for many, thus, before awarding anyone an honorary doctorate degree, a lot of research has gone into it. Many times we miss our blessings due to our ignorance, partisan feelings and other hindrances.
We harbour prejudices that have no place in the world today.
Even Kenyans began recognising Lupita only after the world had long discovered and honoured her talent.
