The mother of Dr Ngozi Okonjo Iweala who serves as Director General of the World Trade Organisation, Professor Kamene Okonjo has died.
She was also the mother of Obi Dr Ifechukwude Anishi Okonjo II the traditional ruler of the Ogwashi Uku Kingdom.
The scholar and matriarch of the Umu Obi Obahai Royal Family passed away on Friday at the age of 96.
She was the wife of the late Obi Professor Chukwuka Okonjo the immediate past traditional ruler of the kingdom. The couple shared 66 years of marriage before his death.
The royal family announced her passing in a statement issued on Sunday by the palace secretary Prince Ifeakanachukwu Emordi.
The family described her as an exceptional woman whose life was marked by academic excellence humility compassion and a strong commitment to improving the lives of others.
Kamene Okonjo was an internationally recognized sociologist who made notable contributions to scholarship and the advancement of women.
Years earlier Dr Ngozi Okonjo Iweala revealed that her investigation into an alleged 2.4 billion dollar fuel subsidy fraud led to threats against her and the kidnapping of her mother.
The WTO chief explained that the discovery of irregularities in the country’s fuel subsidy programme prompted her to seek an audit of the payments being made to fuel importers.
She explained that the decision triggered threats against her with the situation escalating when her mother was kidnapped.
The former finance minister disclosed that her mother’s abductors demanded that she resign from her position and leave Nigeria in exchange for her mother’s release.
