By Celestine Okafor (Editor-in-Chief)
Renowned diplomat and retired Federal Permanent Secretary, Amb. (Dr) Godknows Boladei Igali, has been inaugurated as the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman, Governing Council of the Federal University of Technology (FUT) Akure, Ondo state.
Igali who is a seasoned Nigerian public servant, diplomat, author and scholar, is expected to bring his wealth of experience over the years to bear on his new eminent position, so as to raise the quality of academic standing of FUT and the efficient administration of the affairs of the institution during his tenure.
As a former Nigerian Ambassador to the Scandinavian countries of Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Norway, Dr Igali thoroughly distinguished himself in his diplomatic assignments, consequent upon which the Federal Government recalled him back to Nigeria to help in the federal administration of the country in his former capacity as a permanent secretary at both Ministries of Power and Water Resources.
The new Pro-Chancellor was born on April 4, 1960 at Eniwari in Oporoma, a major riverine town in the Southern Ijaw local government area of Bayelsa state, South South, Nigeria. He is a PH.D holder in Political and International studies from the University of Venezuela. Igali also possess a Masters Degree in International law and diplomacy from the University of Lagos, Nigeria, while obtaining his first degree in History from the University of PortHarcourt, Rivers state.
Dr Godknows Igali also has a postgraduate diploma in international relations. He undertook a professional studies at the Nigerian Foreign Service Academy and also at the Foreign Service Academy of Islamabad, Pakistan. He is an author and expert on negotiation, conflict resolution, state formation, national integration and sustainable development.
In 2005, Igali received the national honours of the Officer of the Order of the Niger, (OON). He is a prominent faithful of the Anglican Communion. Igali is married to Mrs Tokoni Igali, and they have four daughters and a son.
Being one of leading lights of the Ijaw nation of the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, Igali holds a chieftaincy title of Ibetariwei (the Guardian of the Interests) of Izon. He underwent a theological studies under late Bishop Harford.
As a career Diplomat, Dr Igali has served all around the world since joining the Foreign Service in 1982, during which excelled as an expert on economic diplomacy and served as secretary to about ten (10) Nigerian Economic Missions abroad between 1986–1991. He also served severally as secretary, committee on export to West Africa and as special assistant to honourable ministers of foreign affairs.
He was appointed the Nigerian consul general to Cameroon (1999–2005). Igali also served as the special assistant (special duties) in the Nigerian Presidential Villa (2005–2006) under the President Olusegun Obasanjo administration. During this period, he was also secretary to the presidential committee on money laundering and financial crimes. He, in addition, also served as secretary to the presidential sub-committee on the review of the public service rules (2005).
He was later appointed secretary to the Bayelsa State government in January 2006 and was concurrently named honorary adviser and peace envoy to the President on Niger Delta (2006–2007).
Igali had a rich career in the Nigerian foreign service where he began in 1982. He was posted to Czechoslovakia where he remained till 1986. He resumed at the external affairs headquarters after his posting and joined the newly established trade and investment department in the ministry to drive the structural Adjustment Programme of the administration of the former nigeria military president, General Ibrahim Babangida in 1986 on the international front. He however distinguished himself as an expert on economic diplomacy and served as secretary to about 10 Nigerian economic missions abroad between 1986–1991. This brilliant scholar also served as secretary, committee on export to West Africa. While on national service in Cameroon, Amb. Godknows Igali played a key role in the Bakassi Peninsula peace effort following the border dispute between Nigeria and Cameroon and the subsequent International Court of Justice judgement of 2002. in 2004–2005, he successfully initiated, negotiated and along with United Nations High Commission for Refugees, (UNHCR) supervised the return of over 60,000 Nigerian Fulani refugees who had for years been displaced into Cameroon following inter-ethnic crisis in the Mambilla Plateau.
One of his notable achievements is the regularisation of the immigration papers of Nigerians living in Cameroon. But during his stint as the ambassador to the Scandinavian countries, Igali was concerned about the influx of Nigerian migrants from Italy to the region following a heavy crackdown by the Italian authorities and he campaigned for a rehabilitation programme. He was responsible for the exchange of twelve (12) Economic Missions, with visible impact on foreign investment inflow into Nigeria. He also successfully hosted Nigeria's 500-man delegation to COP 15 Climate Change Summit in December, 2009.
lgali also facilitated investment cooperations in the areas of alternative power generation, telecommunications and ICT, and facilitated an investment delegation to the Nordic countries led by then Vice President, Goodluck Jonathan in May 2009. He also organised the Bayelsa State Government's Investment forum visit to Finland lead by former Governor Timipre Sylva and in collaboration with two major Finnish investment organizations Finpro and Finnfund.
On the affairs of his Niger Delta region, Dr Godknows Igali is actively involved. President Obasanjo appointed him as a special assistant on special duties and honorary adviser and peace envoy to the Niger Delta at the peak of the militancy crisis. During this period, Igali was placed in charge of negotiations with various militant camps following the emergence of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND. Through his engagement with the militants and other stakeholders, the Nigerian General Election of 2007 was able to hold in spite of several threats. Also, tens of kidnapped expatriates were released in the Niger Delta.
He served as secretary of the Presidential Council of the Coastal States of the Niger Delta under the President Obasanjo administration and suggested the Amnesty programme in a 27 February 2007 meeting of the council. He was appointed the substantive adviser on the Niger Delta by former President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua in June 2007. It was during his tenure as the presidential adviser that the framework for the Niger Delta Amnesty programme was developed. Igali remains engaged in Niger Delta issues as one of the leaders of the Pan-Niger Delta Forum which helped to facilitate dialogue between the Federal Government and the Niger Delta Avengers - a resurgent militant group that had grounded Nigeria's Oil production to 900,000 barrels per day from the budgeted 2.3 million barrels per day. Just recently, Igali was appointed by the former Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Seriake Dickson as a member of the Bayelsa Business Council.
As a creative mind and an organic author, Amb. Igali has published several scholarly book some of which are historical and a compendium of policy matters. NNL.
