Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Friday bagged the award of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Christian Theology from the National Open University (NOUN) after a 163-minute defence of his thesis before a six-member panel.
The 80-year-old, a student of the Department of Religious Studies, Faculty of Arts of the institution, was awarded the degree at the Abeokuta Campus of the university.
The panellists included Deji Ayegboyin (Major Supervisor), Mustapha Adejoro, (Head of Department, Religious Studies, NOUN), Nebath Tanglang (School of Postgraduate Studies), Samaila Mande (Dean, Postgraduate School), Godwin Akper (Internal Supervisor and Dean, Faculty of Arts) and Cletus Gotan (External Supervisor).
Mande, who chaired the panel, while justifying the award, said Mr. Obasanjo had put in “enough study” and “intellectual rigours” to produce his work based on diligent guide and supervision from his teachers and supervisors.
He said the graduand has satisfied the requirements and thus qualified for the award of the doctorate.
Mande added that it was a thing of joy that the former president, with NOUN 14605890, was one of the pioneer students to bag Ph.D. in Christian theology under his management.
The dean expressed the confidence that the feat would be well celebrated during the coming NOUN convocation.
Obasanjo’s Ph.D. Thesis is titled: “Resolving the Unfinished Agenda in Liberation Theology: Leadership, Poverty and Underdevelopment in North Eastern Nigeria.”
