Yonsei University’s Graduate School of Business is expected to receive a special new student this March. Desmond Akawor, the Nigerian ambassador to Korea, will enter the Global MBA Weekend Program, a two-year regular graduate course operated by the school. Ambassador Akawor, posted here last April, said he has been preparing for entering an MBA program in Korea ever since he was appointed as ambassador. He carefully examined the programs on offer while busily seeking the advice of Korean business executives in Nigeria. He applied to the program through internet and took an interview like other applicants. “Nigeria is rich in underground resources like oil and gas, but it hasn’t yet developed its potential. I hope to learn the secrets of Korea’s remarkable economic development and transmit them to Nigeria," the ambassador-cum-student said. Ambassador Akawor is from the Ndoki minority, one of 250 tribes in Nigeria. The Ndoki account for less than 1 percent of the total Nigerian population. In Nigeria, which is dominated by three major tribes that make up half the population, it is difficult for people to achieve a high position in government unless they can speak all three tribal languages plus English, which is another official language. Education is clearly a cornerstone in his personal and professional philosophy, who started his career as a clerk at an aluminum manufacturer. Ambassador Akawor is eagerly looking forward to his new campus life, which will begin next month. "I am expecting an ordinary life on campus," he said.