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Davido, Ruth Kadiri, Dangote, Air Peace, Brittainia-U, others for ‘Nigeria’s Pride Awards 2024
Nigeria’s multiple-award-winning singer, David Adeleke, also known as Davido, Nollywood actress, Ruth Kadiri, Africa’s richest person, Aliko Dangote and his conglomerate, Dangote Group, West Africa’s flagship airline, Air Peace and the first Nigerian female oil prospecting company founder and CEO, Uju Catherine Ifejika are among personalities nominated for the 2024 edition of Nigeria’s Pride Awards scheduled for November in Abuja.
A few federal agencies and other corporate institutions in the private sector are also on the list of nominees for the awards, being organized by African Leadership Scorecard Magazine and The Beauties of Nigeria TV.
They include, Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) and the Executive Secretary/CEO of the agency, Dr. Mrs. Chioma Ejikeme; Jaiz Bank; National Communications Commission, NCC; National Human Rights Commission NHRC; Rural Electrification Agency, REA; Tertiary Education Trust Fund, Dame Dr. Adaora Umeoji, MD/CEO of Zenith Bank; TETFund; Universal Basic Education Commission-UBEC and the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund- NSITF.
Also to be honoured at the event are some Nigerians who have distinguished themselves in their service to the country and to humanity such as the Chief of Defence Staff-CDS, General Christopher Musa; Governors Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra; Dauda Lawal of Zamfara; Ademola Adeleke of Osun; Bala Mohammed of Bauchi; Bassey Edet Otu of Cross River and Babagana Zulum of Borno as well as two serving ministers- Nyesom Wike of FCT and Tijani Bosun of Communications, Digital Economy and Innovations.
Senators Ned Nwoko and Aliyu Wamakko; Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu; Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi; MD/CEO of Zenith Bank, Barrister Dame Adaora Umeoji; Jaiz Bank; Hon. Muktar Aliyu Betara; Hon. Mohammed Bello El-Rufai, Hon. Ali Isa, JP; Human Rights Lawyer, Dr. Mike Ozekhome, SAN; immediate past Head of Service of the Federation, Dr. Folashade Yemi-Esan, award-winning singer Davido; Nollywood actress, Ruth Kadiri; Kano Airport cleaner, Auwal Dankode and hotel worker, Ngozi Kekwaru.
In a statement Friday, signed on behalf of the Organising Committee, Facilitator of the awards, Bonaventure Phillips Melah, who is also the Publisher/CEO of African Leadership Scorecard Magazine/Founder of the Beauties of Nigeria TV, said although Nigeria is a country in need of quality leadership, the few among us, who are doing well need to be celebrated as a way of encouraging them to do more while motivating others to wake up.
He said the successful takeoff of the Dangote Refinery, recoginsed as the largest single-train refinery in the world with the capacity of 650,000 barrels per day which also produces diesel, aviation fuel and other products, is a landmark achievement unprecedented in history; and therefore, should be celebrated by every Nigerian, and in deed, all Africans, irrespective of their country of origin, ethnic, political and religious leanings.
Bonaventure Melah said that NAHCO and Hotel workers were nominated to be honoured for finding $10,000 and $70,000, respectively, at their work places and returned the money to the owners, describing them as true representatives of Nigeria.
The statement praised multiple award-winning singer David Adeleke, also known as Davido, for uplifting hundreds of upcoming musicians and other artists, the same with Ruth Kadiri.
Apart from Bonaventure Melah, other members of the Nigeria’s Pride Awards Organising Committee are Mr. Ahaziah Suleiman (Former Executive Director, Voice of Nigeria), Chairman; Hajia Medina Dauda-Nadabo, (Bureau Coordinator/Prpgrammes Officer, Voice of America, VOA), Secretary; Victorson Agbenson (Deputy Director News, FRCN), Omotola Oleyede, Chudi Brass a Media Expert and Alhaji Abubakar Ahmed (Ex-Zonal Manager, News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, Kaduna/Katsina/Kano Zone).
See Full List of Nominees and Categories
1. Alhaji Aliko Dangote/Dangote Group- Africa’s Brightest Shining Star of the Century.’
2. Dangote Group- ‘Chief Cornerstone of Businesses in Africa.”
3. Prof. Chukwuma Soludo- Best Governor on Empowerment
4. Dr. Dauda Lawal- Best Governor on Urban Renewal
5. Prof. Babagana Zulum- Most People-Oriented Governor
6. Senator Bala Mohammed- Best Governor on Urban Transformation
7. Sen. Bassey Edet Otu- Best Governor on Agric/Food Security
8. Sen. Ademola Adeleke- Best Governor Infrastructure
9. FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike- Overall Best Nigerian Minister.
10. Communications Minister, Bosun Tijani- Outstanding Minister of the Year
11. Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa- Shield of the Nation
12. Sen. Ned Munir Nwoko- Protector of the Environment.
13. Senator Aliyu Wamakko- Champion of Poverty Eradication.
14. Ooni of Ife- Exemplary Custodian of African Values
15. Retired Justice Mariam Aloma Muktar- Mother of Justice in Nigeria
16. Justice Mary Odili- Pillar of Truth and Justice
17. Mrs. Uju Catherine Ifejika- Most Outstanding Entrepreneur of the Year
18. Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN- Most Fearless Advocate
19. Amb. John Metchie- Prince of Peace and Reconciliation
20. Mrs. Adaora Umeoji-Light of the Girl-Child
21. Hon. Benjamin Kalu- Champion of Equity
22. Hon. Muktar Aliyu Betara
23. Hon. Ali Isa JP- Grassroots Empowerment Lawmaker
24. Dr. Chioma Ejikeme- Pensioners’ Angel
25. Hon. Mohammed Bello El-Rufai- Exemplary Youth Politician of the Year
26. Chief Nduka Obiagbena- Nigeria’s Media Pathfinder
27. Dr. Tony Ojukwu, SAN- Champion of Human Rights
28. Dr. Yemi Esan- Excellent Service to the Nation
29. Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC- Most Innovative Agency
30. Jaiz Bank- Most People-Oriented Bank
31. Social Insurance Trust Funds, NSITF- Employee Protector-In-Chief
32. Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETFund- Most Impressive Institutional Funding Agency of the Year
33. Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEC- Most Compliant Agency on International Best Practices
34. Rural Electrification Agency, REA- Most Improved Service Delivery Agency
35. PTAD- Best Reforms/ICT Compliant Agency
36. NHRC- Most Committed Agency of the Year.
37. David Adeleke (Davido)- Outstanding Humanity Entertainment Artist of the Year.
38. Ruth Kadiri- Inspirational Actress of the Year
39. Auwal Dankode- Hope of
the Future Award- Male
40. Ngozi Kekwara- Hope of the Future Award (Female).
At least 20 people were killed and over 450 injured in Lebanon on Wednesday following a series of explosions triggered by detonating walkie-talkies, according to health officials.
This comes just one day after a separate attack involving pager blasts killed at least 12 people across the country.
Report by CNN said Tuesday’s attack, which targeted the militant group Hezbollah, was a coordinated operation carried out by Israel’s intelligence agency, Mossad, and the Israeli military.
On Wednesday, Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant hinted at the nation’s involvement, stating that a “new era” in Israel’s war effort had begun, with the focus shifting towards its northern border with Lebanon.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also reaffirmed his commitment to returning residents to their homes near the northern border, which were evacuated due to ongoing hostilities.
Israeli officials had reportedly informed the U.S. of an impending operation in Lebanon but did not provide specific details ahead of Tuesday’s attack, sources said.
In response, Hezbollah vowed to retaliate, and the Lebanese government condemned the operation as “criminal Israeli aggression.”
Tuesday’s blasts killed at least 12 people, including two children, and injured more than 2,800, according to Lebanon’s Health Minister.
On Wednesday, the walkie-talkie explosions in Beirut’s southern suburbs and southern Lebanon left 20 dead and hundreds wounded.
Preliminary reports indicated that between 15 to 20 explosions occurred in each location.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that the U.S. was not aware of the attack beforehand and was not involved, urging all parties to take steps toward de-escalation.
Medical facilities in Lebanon have been overwhelmed, performing 460 surgeries, primarily treating injuries to the eyes, faces, and hands, with some victims being transported to Syria and Iran for treatment.
SpaceX and Tesla founder/CEO, Elon Musk has assured that the Bindsight device from Neuralink will enable even those who have lost both eyes and their optic nerve to see.
He gave the assurances on his X handle, saying the breakthrough was possible provided the visual cortex is intact, adding that it will even enable those who have been blind from birth to see for the first time.
“To set expectations correctly, the vision will be at first be low resolution, like Atari graphics, but eventually it has the potential to be better than natural vision and enable you to see in infrared, ultraviolet or even radar wavelengths, like Geordi La Forge.
“We have received Breakthrough Device Designation from the FDA for Blindsight.
“Join us in our quest to bring back sight to those who have lost it. Apply to our Patient Registry and openings on our career page https://neuralink.com,” the inventor stated.
The Managing Director of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund(NSITF), Oluwaseun Faleye has re-emphasized quality service delivery as a strategic objective of the new leadership of the NSITF.
Faleye disclosed this when the National Coordinator of the Service Compact With All Nigerians ( SERVICOM) Mrs. Nnenna Akajemeli led an advocacy delegation to the headquarters of the NSITF in Abuja today.
During the meeting, Faleye stated that his leadership has already initiated reforms aimed at enhancing service delivery while increasing transparency in the operations of the Fund. He assured the SERVICOM delegation that the NSITF would go “Above and Beyond” to ensure that the beneficiaries of the Employees Compensation Scheme experience the best possible service.
He said, “quality service delivery is at the core of what we intend to achieve in NSITF. We are fully committed to ensuring that all our operations are streamlined and aligned with the highest standards of efficiency, which is essential in service delivery, and we see SERVICOM as a key partner in this regard.
” There is no doubt that our collaborative efforts will yield an impactful service delivery in terms of reform of our processes and systems in a manner that gingers greater efficiency and service satisfaction.”
A statement by Nwachukwu Godson, General Manager Corporate Affairs of NSITF which was sent to Nationwide Reports, quoted the NSIFT boss to have emphasized the need for the nodal officer, desk and focal officers of the Fund to have a robust knowledge of the fund’s processes and procedures while collaborating with key departments to make the engagement with SERVICOM National produce the required results.
While promising the adoption of the Fund’s updated Service Charter, he said the document will be subject to continuous review to ensure it is dynamic, vigorous and interactive as a base point for the evaluation of the Fund’s services.
In her remarks, Mrs. Akajemeli highlighted the significance of quality service delivery in public institutions, especially in agencies like NSITF responsible for the welfare of Nigerian workers and called for partnership to ensure that the services provided by Fund meet the expectations of its stakeholders, including beneficiaries.
She further urged the NSITF to work closely with SERVICOM in reviewing and optimizing its processes to align with global best practices. She added that the visit aimed to solicit collaboration between SERVICOM and NSITF to improve service delivery and enhance customer satisfaction across the Fund’s operations.
She also expressed satisfaction with the improved service delivery in the Fund and expressed optimism that new management will do more. Thanking the Managing Director for his responsiveness and support to the Fund’s SERVICOM activities, Akajemeli added that there was no alternative to “extra mile” in customer satisfaction and aligned it to “Above and Beyond” theme of the 2024 Customer Service Week.
On hand too to welcome the SERVICOM National delegation was the Fund’s Executive Director of Finance, Adegoke Adedeji who in his vote of thanks re-echoed the commitment of the NSITF to improved service delivery, and extolled Akajemeli for her tireless efforts in repositioning the Service Compact with Nigeria. The heads of the departments of the fund were also in attendance.
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