• Receives Award at ABU’s Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences’ reunion
By Abiola Olawale
The African Union (AU) has appointed eminent Scholar-Diplomat and former Nigerian Foreign Affairs Minister, Professor Ibrahim Agboola Gambari, to its elite High-Level Panel of Eminent Experts.
This announcement was made known in a letter of appointment conveyed through the AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, dated August 20, 2025.
According to the letter sighted by The New Diplomat, Gambari who was at different times Under-Secretary General of the United Nations, Nigeria’s Ambassador/ Permanent Representative to the United Nations, New York, Joint Special Representative of the United Nations and the African Union/Chief Mediator in Darfur, and President of the United Nations Security Council, is expected to join other eminent experts to conduct a comprehensive review of the African Union’s Governance, Peace and Security Frameworks.
It was also gathered that the high-level panel established under the auspices of the AU Champion for Institutional Reforms, President William Ruto of Kenya, is aimed at addressing pressing issues such as geopolitical tensions in Africa.
The letter stated in part: “On behalf of the Chairperson of the African Union, I have the honour to notify you of your designation as a member of the High-Level Panel of Eminent Experts to conduct a comprehensive review of the African Union’s Governance, Peace and Security Frameworks.
“You are hereby invited to participate in the review process scheduled for 1–5 September in Nairobi, Kenya. Arising from the decision of the AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government of February 2025, and in the context of the AU institutional reform, this exercise will undertake a strategic review of AU frameworks in the governance, peace, and security domains.”
Adding to the momentum of his AU appointment, Gambari also received a prestigious award at the recent reunion of Ahmadu Bello University’s (ABU) Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Alumni association members, under the auspices of a symposium and awards ceremony.
The symposium and awards ceremony organized by the International Studies Alumni Association, which held in Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria, celebrated the remarkable achievements of distinguished members. It attracted the participation of attendees, including academics, policymakers, and former students.
During the ceremony, Gambari was presented with the Faculty’s Distinguished Alumnus Award for his exemplary service in diplomacy and academia.
In this regard, he was felicitated at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences’ reunion as the founding architect of the International Studies programme, which he pioneered upon joining the Department of Political Science at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, in the early 1980s.
Speaking on this, a Professor of Political Science, Hassan A. Saliu said: “We are delighted to announce that one of our distinguished fellows, Prof. Ibrahim A. Gambari, has been appointed as a member of the African Union’s esteemed Governance Review Panel, conferring upon him a double honour. Recently, he was felicitated at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences’ reunion as the founding architect of the International Studies programme, which he pioneered upon joining the Department of Political Science at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, in 1977.
“Prof. Gambari’s illustrious career is replete with notable achievements, including his tenure as Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General on Darfur and Chief Peacemaker on the Myanmar crisis, where he discharged his responsibilities with distinction.
We extend our warmest congratulations to Prof. Gambari on these two prestigious recognitions.”
