From Godwin Tsa, Abuja
Fifty three prominent Nigerians have been conferred with a honorary doctorate degree by HIPDET University and British American Business School, including an acclaimed Minister of God, Dr. Felix Prize Aluko.
Other beneficiaries of the award were past state governors, Ministers, Senators, career civil servants, Clergymen, businessmen and captains of industries.
A roll call of the awardees include Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State; Dr. Chukuemeka Ezeife; Senator Rochas Okorocha; Dr. Donald Duke; Okwesilieze Nwodo; Emeka Ihedioha; Godswill Akpabio and Rauf Aregbesola, the Minister of Interior.
Others on the list of awardees include Prince Arthur Eze (Atlas Oranto Petroleum); Chairman emeritus of Daar Communications, Dr. Raymond Dokpesi; Prof. Ihechukwu Madubuike (former Minister of Education and Minister of Health); Senator James Manager and Femi Falana, SAN, a human rights activist.
The list also include the Deputy Registrar of the Court of Appeal, Mrs. Haruna; Senator Uche Ekwunife; Mr. Austine Akika, (a Deputy Commissioner of Police); Brig. Gen. Lonsdale Adeoye (retd); Hon. Ubanze Tochukwu Randreen; Evangelist Joshua Amodu Onoja; Prophetess Lydia Gift Kadiri; Pastor Deborah Adaji; Pastor Oloche Adaji; Rev. Churchill Patrick Okpako and Prof. Peter Umeadi, among others.
Speaking at the investitures in Abuja on Saturday, the President and Chancellor of the University, Prof. Paul Godwin, described the awardees as men and women whose contributions to the development of the country in their different fields of human endeavours is unparalleled.
He explained that the award ceremony was part of the programme to the annual lecture of the institute which also witnessed a public presentation of a book “Which Way Nigeria: The Destiny of Nigeria in a 3-Dimensional Universe.”
The book highlited some of the intrigues and shenanigans that culminates in the dwindling of Nigeria in a 3- dimensional universe, and profer solutions to the developmental obstacles.
Speaking at the event, Dr. Felix Prize Aluko, a senior Pastor of the Resurrected Assembly (GROM), Abuja, said the country is in dire need of selfless leaders who are ready to lay down their lives to salvage it from its social and economics woes.
More importantly, the cleric attributed the unpleasant situations in the country to lack of fellowship with God.
He explained that because we choose to operate independently from God, we have made ourselves followers of great countries of the world.
“God did not make us to be followers. God created us to be a great nation with abundant human and natural resources. The reason why we have become followers, instead of leaders, is because we rejected the source of leadership and that is God himself. We live independent of God and that is the reason why we are suffering what we are suffering today in Nigeria,” Aluko also expressed the need for Nigerians to change their mentality and ideals in order to navigate out of our problems.
Overall, he said Nigeria need leaders who can sacrifice their ambition and lay down their lives, like the late Nelson Mandela did for hos country, for the country to regain her lost glory.