OKONJO-IWEALA PAYS TRIBUTE TO LATE MOTHER

World Trade Organisation Director-General Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has paid tribute to her mother, Professor Kamene Okonjo, who died on Friday aged 96.

In a message shared on X on Sunday, the former finance minister expressed gratitude for the years her family spent with their mother and thanked those who had offered condolences.

“My mother lived a quality life till the end and we are very grateful we had her for so long,” she wrote.

Okonjo-Iweala said the messages of sympathy and tributes had brought comfort to the family during their bereavement.

Professor Okonjo was the matriarch of the Umu Obi Obahai Royal Family and mother of the Obi of Ogwashi-Uku, Obi Ifechukwude Okonjo II.

She shared 66 years of marriage with the town’s immediate past traditional ruler, the late Obi Professor Chukwuka Okonjo.

Announcing her death on behalf of the royal family, Palace Secretary Ifeakanachukwu Emordi described her as a woman of intellectual distinction, humility and compassion.

The statement also celebrated her contributions as a sociologist and her lifelong advocacy for women’s rights and empowerment.

Her family remembered a life marked by scholarship, dignity and service to others.