Dr Obiageli “Oby” Ezekwesili, former World Bank Vice President and Co-founder of Transparency International, has been honoured with the International Anti-Corruption Excellence (Lifetime Achievement) Award.
The Qatar monarch shaking hands with Ezekwesili
The former Nigerian Minister of Education and Solid Minerals, nicknamed “Madam Due Process,” for introducing transparency and accountability mechanisms to improve budget governance, received the award from the Qatari monarch, His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, in Doha over the weekend.
Ezekwesili is globally renowned as a public policy leader and anti-corruption reformer with decades of experience in institutional transformation across Africa and internationally.
This award recognizes her sustained leadership in transparency reforms, public sector accountability, and values-driven governance. Her work spans national reform efforts, multilateral institutions, and the building of next-generation leadership platforms, including the School of Politics, Policy and Governance (SPPG) and Human Capital Africa.
The Jury said Ezekwesili “is a joint recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award, in acknowledgement of her exceptional and sustained contribution to the advancement of transparency, accountability, and institutional integrity in public life.”
Dr Drago Kos of Slovenia is a joint winner of the Award.
Ezekwesili and Drago Kos
Over several decades, Ezekwesili “has demonstrated rare moral courage and policy leadership in environments where anti-corruption reform is often met with resistance and personal cost,” the citation said. “Her work has combined principled advocacy with practical institution-building, contributing to reforms in public financial management, extractive sector governance, education systems, and global transparency norms.”
Through service in national government, leadership within multilateral institutions, and the founding of platforms dedicated to developing ethical public leadership, Ezekwesili has “consistently advanced the belief that corruption is not inevitable and that societies prosper when public power is exercised in service of citizens.”
The International Anti-Corruption Excellence award, organised in support of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) by the Secretariat of the International Anti-Corruption Excellence, is chaired by Dr Ali Bin Fetais Al Marri, the United Nations Special Advocate for the Prevention of Corruption, who headed the High-Level Award Committee.
According to Dr Yasser Refaie, Director, Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption Centre/Head of Secretariat of the International Anti-Corruption, Ezekwesili’s nomination was “…through an independent and rigorous review by both the Assessment Advisory Board and the High-Level Award Committee, and found to exemplify the values, expertise and integrity that the Award represents.”
Ezekwesili and husband, Pastor Chinedu Ezekwesili
Speaking on the recognition, Dr Ezekwesili, accompanied by her husband, Pastor Chinedu Ezekwesili, said: “The fight against corruption is inherently collective: This honour belongs to all citizens and reformers who insist that public power must serve the public good. Anti-corruption work is not about individuals, but about building institutions and norms that outlive any one person.”
The International Anti-Corruption Excellence Award is regarded globally as a benchmark recognition for principled leadership and sustained impact in the fight against corruption.##
