TheCable

Bola Tinubu, president-elect, has hailed Jacob Olupona and Mohammed Pate, two Nigerian scholars, elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

The American Academy of Arts and Sciences was founded in 1780.

The academy honours excellence and convenes leaders from every field of human endeavour to examine new ideas and address issues of importance to the nation and the world.

Both professors were among the 269 outstanding individuals recently announced as new fellows of the academy.

Tunde Rahman, a media aide to Tinubu, quoted him as saying that Olupona has done “remarkably” well for himself.

“This comes as no surprise to me. The fact that he knows his onion is easily evident in conversations with him and Prof Olupona and I have had several intellectual encounters,” Tinubu said.

“Professor Olupona has not only done remarkably well for himself and the Ivory Tower, but he has also made Nigeria and indeed Africa proud.

“His accomplishment is a testament to the great Nigerian spirit and to what is possible and achievable given the right academic environment, something which, in my agenda for renewed hope for Nigerians, I promised to provide and sustain during my presidency.”

On Pate, a former minister of state for health in the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan, Tinubu said: “He has had a distinguished career in public service in Nigeria as chief executive of National Primary Health Agency and later as minister of state for health from where he proceeded to join the World Bank and now at Harvard University.

“His global reputation as a Professor of Practice in Public Health continues to bring honour and prestige to our country.”