Ibrahim Gambari

Ibrahim Agboola Gambari, CFR (born November 24, 1944 in Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria) is a Nigerian scholar and diplomat. He was Minister for External Affairs between 1984 and 1985. Gambari has been appointed by the Secretary-General of United Nations Ban Ki-moon and the Chairperson of the African Union Commission as Joint African Union-United Nations Special Representative for Darfur effective from 1 January 2010. He is currently the Special Adviser on the International Compact with Iraq and Other Issues for the Secretary-General of the United Nations. Previously, he served as the Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations (USG) for the Department of Political Affairs (DPA). He was appointed on June 10, 2005 and assumed the post on July 1 of that year.

On March 4, 2013, Ibrahim Gambari was named by the Kwara State Governor, AbdulFatah Ahmad, as the pioneer Chancellor of the Kwara State University, making him the ceremonial head of the University who presides over convocations to award degrees and diplomas and also supports the vision and mission of the University in all respects, including fundraising, social, economic and academic goals. As a University that continues to gain credence as a community development university with world class standards, the selection of Gambari is expected to give the institution additional international boost and recognition. Gambari is also co-chair of the Albright-Gambari Commission.

Education

Gambari attended King's College, Lagos. He subsequently attended the London School of Economics where he obtained his B. Sc. (Economics) degree (1968) with specialisation in International Relations. He later obtained his M.A. (1970) and Ph. D. (1974) degrees from Columbia University, New York, USA in Political Science /International Relations.

Academic career

Gambari began his teaching career in 1969 at City University of New York before working at University of Albany. Later, he taught at Ahmadu Bello University, in Zaria, Kaduna State, the second largest university in Africa. From 1986-1989, he was Visiting Professor at three universities in Washington, D.C.: Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, Georgetown University and Howard University. He has also been a Research Fellow at the Brookings Institution also in Washington D.C. and a Resident Scholar at the Bellagio Study and Conference Center, the Rockefeller Foundation-run center in Italy. He was accorded, honoris causa, the title of Doctor of Humane Letters (D.Hum.Litt.) from the University of Bridgeport. He is a member of the Johns Hopkins University's Society of Scholars. He was decorated with the title of Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR) by the Government of Nigeria.

External links

• UN Biography Ibrahim Gambari
• Department of Political Affairs, United Nations Headquarters, Professor Ibrahim Agboola Gambari Under-Secretary-General/Special Adviser on Africa, New York, January, 2000 (biography)
• List of recent speeches

Political offices
Preceded by Emeka Anyaoku	Foreign Minister of Nigeria 1984 – 1985	Succeeded by Bolaji Akinyemi
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by Joseph Nanven Garba	Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the United Nations 1990 – 1999	Succeeded by Chief Arthur Mbanefo
Preceded by Joseph Nanven Garba	Chairman of the United Nations Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations 1990 – 1999	Succeeded by Chief Arthur Mbanefo
Preceded by ?	President of the Executive Board of UNICEF 1999	Succeeded by ?
Preceded by Nil	Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations Special Adviser on Africa 2000 – 2005	Succeeded by Legwaila Joseph Legwaila
Preceded by Sir Kieran Prendergast (UK)	Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations for Department of Political Affairs 2005 – 2007	Succeeded by B. Lynn Pascoe