Photo caption: Sir Jideani Agabaidu, DG ACCI, being congratulated by the Chairman of the occasion, Gen. Paul Boroh, rtd, after receiving Nigeria’s Pride Awards September 30th

Sir Agabaidu Chukwuemeka Jideani, the Director General of Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI), was on Tuesday, September 30th, honoured as The Most Gender-Inclusive Chief Executive Officer of the Year at the 2025 Nigeria’s Pride Awards which took place at Barcelona Hotel, Abuja.

He was honoured alongside other individuals, companies and organisations including Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi State, Dangote Group and its Group Head of Corporate Communications, Anthony Chiejina, Chief of Defence Staff General Christopher Musa, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, Senator Ireti Kingibe, veteran Nollywood personalities Tonto Dikeh, Empress Njamah, Rekiya Ibrahim Attah, Emeka Rollas, Gloria Okafor and Sandra Okunzuwa, among others.

Founder/CEO, Nigeria’s Pride Awards, Bonaventure Phillips Melah, presenting awards plaque to Sir Jideani at ACCI headquarters Abuja.

The Nigeria’s Pride Awards was organized by First Green White Resources (FGWR), publishers of African Leadership Scorecard Magazine and Nationwide Reports; and was chaired by Gen. Paul Boroh (Rtd), former Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta/Coordinator of Amnesty Programme while the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris was Guest Speaker with Dr. Sarah Jibrin, former Presidential Adviser on Ethics and Moral Values served as Mother of the Day.

In an opening remark, the Founder/CEO of FGWR, Bonaventure Phillips Melah, said Nigeria’s Pride Awards was founded to identify, recognize, appreciate and celebrate citizens, other nationals and corporate citizens that distinguish themselves through selfless service, patriotism, exemplary and inspiring leadership and therefore contribute positively to the development, prosperity, peace, unity and security of Nigeria as well as overall wellbeing of humanity.

He said although Nigeria is a country in search of quality leadership, many of its citizens at home and in the Diaspora are doing well in diverse fields of human endeavour and should be celebrated as according to him, a society that does not reward good people does not deserve good people in the first place.

Speaking after receiving Certificate of Award at the event, Sir Agabaidu thanked the organisers for the recognition and reiterated his commitment to ensuring that women, young people, physically challenged persons and others are duly recognized and given leadership roles to enable them contribute to nation-building and societal development.

A citation read at the evet said, even before his appointment as DG ACCI, Jideani, an experienced human rights lawyer, has been a strong voice for gender equity, and has been supporting the creative industry, facilitating business growth, and fostering international partnerships. “For example, he championed the adoption of a clear definition of Women-Owned Businesses (WOBs), thereby aligning with international standards, to ensure better data collection and targeted policies for women entrepreneurs. He also actively advocates for the implementation of gender policies within both the private and public sectors, pushing for the reservation of leadership roles for women to ensure representation.

“The above he has practically demonstrated in action by applying same principles in policy formulation as ACCI while also collaborating with the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) to promote gender equity and support women-owned businesses. Of course,” it said.

Ebonyi State Governor, Francis Nwifuru won in two categories as Best Governor on Road Infrastructure and Best Governor on Community Empowerment, Dangote Group emerged as ‘Chief Cornerstone of Business in Africa,’ Anthony Chiejina was recognized as ‘The Most Impactful Corporate Marketing Officer of the Decade;’ Chief CDS Musa was honoured as Shield of the Nation, Senator Ireti Kingibe as Most Grassroots-Oriented Politician of the Year and Aviation Minister, Keyamo as Most Impactful Minister of the Year.

Others awardees are Directors- General of NTA, and Citizenship and Leadership Training Centre (CLTC), Hon. Rinsola Abiola- Exemplary Young Corporate CEO of the Year; respectively as well as President of Actors Guild of Nigeria, Emeka Rollas-Most Impactful Entertainment Personality of the Year, Gloria Okafor-Best Movie Producer of the Year, Queen Blessing Ebigieson- Most OutstandingMovie Producer of the Decade, Sandra Okunzuwa- Best Actress of the Year, among others.