A cross section of federal Ministers could not control their emotion as they wept openly on Wednesday at the valedictory cabinet session conducted in honour of out-going Minister of Environment, Amina Mohammed.
Amina will assume duty as new Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations on March 7, in New York.
Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, who presided the session, in his remarks described Amina as a role model to millions of youths across the country, lauded her contributions to the government and the society at large.
“We have always been very fascinated by her incredible understanding of so many different things,” he said.
“It’s actually quite amazing that we have one person who seems to know so much, who is competent in practically everything; finance, planning, environment and even law sometimes.”
Osinbajo announced that a special valedictory dinner would be held in her honour on Thursday.
In his contribution, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, noted that Amina had made the nation proud, saying the only consolation is that she is leaving to assume high responsibilities.
Others that spoke at the valedictory session included the Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika; Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Aisha Alhassan; Minister of State for Trade and Investment, Aisha Abubakar, and the Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Dr Kayode Fayemi.
Amina, 56, had served as UN Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser to former Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Post-2015 Development Planning and was instrumental in bringing about the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including the Sustainable Development Goals.
Before joining the UN, she had worked for three successive administrations in Nigeria, serving as Special Adviser on the Millennium Development Goals providing advice on various issues, including poverty, public sector reform and sustainable development, as well as coordinating poverty reduction interventions.
She is an Adjunct Professor in Development Practice at Columbia University and serves on numerous international advisory boards and panels.
These includes the UN Secretary-General’s High-level Panel on Post-2015 Development Agenda, the Independent Expert Advisory Group on the Data Revolution for Sustainable Development, and the Global Development Programme of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
She is also a member of the UN Secretary-General’s Global Sustainability Panel, the African Women’s Millennium Initiative, Girl Effect and the ActionAid International Right to Education Project.
