Share!
Professor Kamene Okonjo, mother of the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has died at the age of 96.
The deceased was a renowned sociologist whose academic research examined the social and political roles of Igbo women, particularly their participation in community affairs and traditional governance.
She was married to the late Professor Chukwuka Okonjo, a mathematician and economist who became the Obi of Ogwashi-Uku in Delta State in 2007. He died in September 2019 at the age of 91.
The couple had seven children, including Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Nigeria’s former Minister of Finance and a former Managing Director of the World Bank.
In 2012, Professor Kamene Okonjo was abducted from the family palace in Ogwashi-Uku and held captive for five days before her release.
She is remembered for her contributions to academia, her advocacy for women’s advancement and her commitment to family and community development.
