Former Nigerian education minister and anti-corruption advocate, Dr. Obiageli Ezekwesili, has been selected as a joint winner of the 2025 International Anti-Corruption Excellence Award in the Lifetime/Outstanding Achievement category.
The award – conferred December 14 in Doha, Qatar – was communicated by the Secretariat of the International Anti-Corruption Excellence Award, on behalf of the High-Level Award Committee chaired by the United Nations Special Advocate for the Prevention of Corruption, Dr. Ali Bin Fetais Al Marri.
The organisers stated: “On behalf of both the Secretariat of the International Anti-Corruption Excellence Award and His Excellency Dr. Ali Bin Fetais Al Marri, United Nations Special Advocate for the Prevention of Corruption and Chairman of the High-Level Award Committee, it gives me the greatest pleasure to inform you that your nomination has been selected as a joint winner of this year’s International Anti-Corruption Excellence Award in the category of Lifetime / Outstanding Achievement.”
The Secretariat further noted that Ezekwesili’s nomination underwent a thorough and independent assessment, adding that it was “found to exemplify the values, expertise, and integrity that this Award represents.”
Dr. Obiageli Ezekwesili is a Nigerian economic policy expert, chartered accountant, and globally recognised advocate for transparency, accountability, and good governance. She is popularly known as “Madam Due Process,” a nickname earned during her role as the pioneer head of Nigeria’s Budget Monitoring and Price Intelligence Unit, where she led reforms to clean up public procurement processes.
She served twice as a federal minister under the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, first as Minister of Solid Minerals between 2005 and 2006, and later as Minister of Education from 2006 to 2007. As education minister, Ezekwesili pushed reforms aimed at transparency in budget management, improved quality assurance through the Federal Inspectorate Service, and stronger public-private partnerships in education delivery.
Ezekwesili is also a former Vice President of the World Bank for the Africa Region, a position she held from 2007 to 2012. In that role, she oversaw the bank’s operations across 48 Sub-Saharan African countries and supervised a lending portfolio valued at over $40 billion.
Internationally, she is a co-founder of Transparency International, one of the world’s leading anti-corruption organisations, and has remained an influential voice in global accountability and governance reforms.
She is widely known in Nigeria and beyond as a co-convener of the #BringBackOurGirls movement, which gained global attention in 2014 following the abduction of schoolgirls from Chibok, Borno State. The campaign drew sustained international focus to issues of insecurity, governance failure, and the rights of abducted persons.
Beyond activism, Ezekwesili is the founder of initiatives such as FixPolitics, the School of Politics, Policy and Governance, and Human Capital Africa, all focused on leadership development, institutional reform, and citizen participation.
Her career has also included service on the boards of global organisations and universities, as well as advisory roles to African leaders and international institutions. Over the years, she has received multiple international honours for public service, governance advocacy, and leadership.
The International Anti-Corruption Excellence Award recognises individuals whose work has made a lasting impact in promoting integrity, accountability, and the rule of law worldwide.
Ademide Adebayo
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