On November 3, 2021, the Government of Japan announced the foreign recipients of
the 2021 Autumn Imperial Decorations. Prof. Mohammed Gana Yisa, Former
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to
Japan, is among this year’s foreign recipients. He will receive The Order of the Rising Sun,
Gold and Silver Star, one of the highest order awarded in the name of His Majesty the
Emperor of Japan, in recognition of his contributions to strengthening bilateral relations
and promoting friendship between Japan and Nigeria.
Prof. Yisa becomes the third
Nigerian to receive such Order from Japan, following Senator Udoma Udo Udoma,
Former Minister of Budget and National Planning as well as Professor Isaac Folorunso
Adewole, former Minister of Health.
Decoration: The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star
Service: Contributed to strengthening bilateral relations and promoting friendship
between Japan and Nigeria
Name: Prof. Mohammed Gana Yisa
Major Title: Former Ambassador of Nigeria to Japan, Former Professor of the
Department of Agricultural Engineering, Federal University of Technology Minna
Address: Irolin, Kwara State, Nigeria.
SUMMARY OF CONTRIBUTIONS
Prof. Yisa served as the Ambassador of Nigeria to Japan from 2017 to 2020 and was a
Professor at the Federal University of Technology, Minna, between 2005 and 2007.
During his tenure as Ambassador to Japan, Prof. Yisa contributed immensely to the
strengthening of people-to-people exchanges between the two countries, by facilitating
a number of high-level visits to Japan including the President, the Speaker of the House
of Representatives and other Ministers. Prof. Yisa was instrumental in Kisarazu city
becoming the Host Town for the Nigerian Olympic and Paralympic team, thus
contributing to mutual understanding between the two countries through sport
exchanges. Prof. Yisa is pro-Japanese and an intellectual, having originally obtained his
PhD in Agricultural Engineering from Hokkaido University, Japan. Due to this background
Prof. Yisa visited various Japanese universities and contributed to strengthening
academic exchanges between the two countries.
The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star is one of the orders under the Order of
the Rising Sun, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji. The Order of the Rising Sun was
the first national decoration awarded by the Government of Japan. The badge features
rays of sunlight from the rising sun. The order is awarded in the name of His Majesty the
Emperor of Japan and is awarded to those who have made distinguished achievements
in international relations, promotion of Japanese culture, advancements in their field,
development in welfare or preservation of the environment.
The Order of the Rising Sun comprises as follows:
- Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun
- The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star
- The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon
- The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette
- The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays
- The Order of the Rising Sun, Silver Rays
(Courtesy of Japan Embassy in Nigeria)
