Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has received an honorary Doctorate degree from Yale University, United States.
Okonjo-Iweala was awarded a Doctor of Humane Letters at Yale's 2015 Commencement Ceremony in New Haven, Connecticut, Monday.
A statement issued by her media adviser, Constance Ikokwu, says the minister is the second Nigerian to receive the university's highest honour in its 314-year history.
The other Nigerian was Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, who received an honorary Doctor of Letters in 1980.
While giving out the award, the President of the University, Prof. Peter Salovey, described Dr. Okonjo-Iweala, who doubles as Nigerian Coordinating Minister for the Economy, as “a brilliant reformer and dedicated public servant”.
As stated by him, the minister “has spearheaded efforts to stabilize and grow Nigeria's economy, battling widespread government corruption and creating greater fiscal transparency and discipline”.
The institution stated recipients of its honorary degree are scholars, public servants, Nobel Prize winners and heads of states.
“Collectively, they represent the aspirations of this institution. Yale honorary degree recipients serve as models of excellence and service to our students, to our graduates, to our community and to the world,” the institution added.
During her first stint as Finance Minister in 2004, Dr. Okonjo-Iweala and the economic team she led secured a debt relief for Nigeria, wiping out $30 billion of Paris club debt, leading to a tripling of the growth rates.