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VP Shettima, Gov Dauda Lawal, Soludo, CDS Musa, Wike, Zulum, Adeleke, Bala Mohammed, Allen Onyema, Ned Nwoko, Ooni, others for ‘Nigeria’s Pride Awards’
Vice President Kashim Shettima; FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike; Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa; Governors Chukwuma Soludo, Dauda Lawal, Bassey Edet Otu, Ademola Adeleke, Babagana Zulum and Bala Mohammed of Anambra, Zamfara, Cross River, Osun, Borno and Bauchi states, respectively, as well as Senator Ned Munir Nwoko, have been nominated by Nigerians for the maiden edition of Nigeria’s Pride Awards, being organised by African Leadership Scorecard Magazine in collaboration with The Beauties of Nigeria TV.
Other personalities and agencies nominated for the awards include the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogala; Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan-Ogunwusi; retired Justices Mariam Aloma Muktar and Mary Odili; the CEO of Air Peace, Barrister Allen Onyema; CEO of Brittainia-U, Mrs Uju Ihejrika; Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief Mike Ozekhome; Hon. Muktar Aliyu Betara, African Director, IAWPA, Amb. John Metchie; MD/CEO Zenith Bank, Adaora Umeoji; House of Representatives Deputy Speaker, Hon. Hon. Benjamin Kalu; Minority Whip, Hon. Ali Isa; Executive Secretary of PTAD, Dr. Chioma Ejikeme; Arise TV CEO, Nduka Obiagbena; Executive Secretary of NHRC, Dr. Tony Ojukwu and former HOCSF Dr. Yemi Esan
Agencies that were nominated for the awards are the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, Jaiz Bank, First City Monument Bank, FCMB, Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Funds, NSITF, Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETFUND, Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEC and Rural Electrification Agency, REA.
It would be recalled that the Awards Organising Committee had on August 2, 2024, published an advertorial requesting the public to nominate leaders and agencies of their choices that they consider qualified for the various categories. The publication gave August 24 as deadline for the nominations.
In a statement released Friday, August 30, 2024, the Committee stared that a total of 52 persons and 24 agencies were nominated for the awards, noting that after due consideration of number of votes for each nominee, 25 personalities and eight (8) institutions were approved for the awards.
The statement was signed by the Awards Facilitator, Bonaventure Phillips Melah who is also the Publisher/CEO African Leadership Scorecard Magazine/The Beauties of Nigeria TV, the Chairman and Secretary of the Committee, Ahaziah Suleiman (Former Executive Director, Voice of Nigeria) and Hajia Medina Dauda-Nadabo, (Bureau Coordinator/Prpgrammes Officer, Voice of America, VOA) respectively.
Other members of the Committee are Victorson Agbenson (Deputy Director News, FRCN). Omotola Oleyede, Chudi Brass and Alhaji Abubakar Ahmed (Ex-Zonal Manager, News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, Kaduna/Katsina/Kano Zone).
The Committee stated that although it is true that Nigeria is a country in dire need of quality leadership and visionary leaders, there are some who are doing very well in the areas of their individual calls by deploying their intellectual capabilities, education and their experiences; to impact positively, the lives of the people.
“These exceptional leaders and institutions should be celebrated, as a way of encouraging them to do more while spurring others to wake up,” the statement said.
See List of Nominees and Categories
1. Vice President Kashim Shettima- Quintessential Vice President
2. FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike- Overall Best Nigerian Minister
3. Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa- Shield of the Nation
4. Prof. Chukwuma Soludo- Best Governor on Empowerment
5. Dr. Dauda Lawal- Best Governor on Urban Renewal
6. Sen. Bassey Edet Otu- Best Governor on Agric/Food Security
7, Sen. Ademola Adeleke- Best Governor Infrastructure
8. Prof. Babagana Zulum- Most People-Oriented Governor
9. Senator Bala Mohammed- Best Governor on Urban Transformation
10. Sen. Ned Munir Nwoko- Protector of the Environment.
11. Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogala- Protector of Nigeria’s Territories.
12. Ooni of Ife- Exemplary Custodian of African Values
13. Retired Justice Mariam Aloma Muktar- Mother of Justice in Nigeria
14. Justice Mary Odili- Pillar of Truth and Justice
15. Mrs Uju Ihejrika- Most Outstanding Entrepreneur of the Year
16. Chief Mike Ozekhome- Most Fearless Advocate
17. Hon. Muktar Aliyu Betara – Best People- Oriented lawmaker of the year.
18. Amb. John Metchie- Prince of Peace and Reconciliation
19. Mrs. Adaora Umeoji-Light of the Girl-Child
20. Hon. Benjamin Kalu- Champion of Equity
21. Hon. Ali Isa- Best Grassroots Empowerment Lawmaker
22. Dr. Chioma Ejikeme- Pensioners’ Angel
23. Chief Nduka Obiagbena- Nigeria’s Media Pathfinder
24. Dr. Tony Ojukwu- Champion of Human Rights
25. Dr. Yemi Esan- Best Head of Civil Service Award
26. Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC- Most Innovative Agency
27. Jaiz Bank- Most People-Oriented Bank
28. Social Insurance Trust Funds, NSITF- Most Employee-Friendly Agency
29. Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETFUND- Most Educational Institution of the Year.
30. Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEC- Most Inclusive Educational Institution.
31. Rural Electrification Agency, REA- Best Rural Connectivity Agency
32. PTAD- Best Reforms/ICT Compliance Agency
33. NHRC- Most Committed Agency of the Year.
The legal team of suspended Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, say they are ready with factil evidence to defend her in court.
The team received a formal summons in the case filed against her by the Federal Government at the Federal Capital Territory High Court last week.
On Friday, May 16, 2025, the Federal Government filed the suit, marked CR/297/25, over alleged defamatory remarks made during a live appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on April 3, 2025.
The government accused the senator of “making imputation knowing or having reason to believe that such imputation will harm the reputation of a person”, citing Section 391 of the Penal Code, cap 89, Laws of the Federation, 1990.
Among the witnesses listed to testify during the trial were Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and a former governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello.
Others include Asuquo Ekpenyong, a senator; Sandra Duru; Maya Iliya, investigating police officers; and Abdulhafiz Garba, investigating police officers.
However, in a statement issued Friday night by Dr. Ehiogie West-Idahosa (SAN) on behalf of the legal team, Akpoti-Uduaghan’s lawyers confirmed receipt of the formal summons and pledged to prepare all “factual and statutory defences” available to the lawmaker during trial.
“At about 2:30pm on Friday, May 23, 2025, within the premises of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja, we received the information filed by the Director of Public Prosecutions, containing three counts alleging that our client, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of Kogi Central, made imputations she had reason to believe would harm the reputation of Senator Godswill Akpabio, President of the 10th Senate,” the statement read.
“We received the said information on her behalf through a letter of authority duly issued and filed in the court’s registry.
“The legal team will fully prepare and present all factual and statutory defences available to our client during the trial.”
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) will on Tuesday next week begin the take over of 4,794 properties in Abuja, including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) headquarters, due to unpaid ground rent.
The PDP headquarters, currently under construction in Abuja’s Central Business District, is among the affected properties, having been revoked in March for several years of unpaid ground rent. The FCTA disclosed that 4,794 titles had been revoked for failure to pay ground rent, with some defaults dating back 43 years.
The affected properties are located in various districts, including Central Area, Garki I and II, Wuse I and II, Asokoro, Maitama, and Guzape.
The defaulters owe over N6.96 billion in ground rent. The FCTA had given a 21-day grace period for owners with debts under 10 years, which has now expired.
The FCTA officials announced that the takeover would begin on Monday, May 26, 2025, with the sealing off and restriction of access to the affected properties.
The Director of Land Administration, Chijioke Nwankwoeze emphasized that the revocations were carried out under Section 28(5)(a)(b) of the Land Use Act, which empowers the government to reclaim land when the terms of occupancy are violated.
Two people sustained serious injuries when a training aircraft crash-landed at the Ilorin International Airport on Friday.
Director of Public Affairs and Family Assistance, NSIB, Mrs Bimbo Oladeji, who disclosed this in a statement, said the incident occurred at 17:28 local time on May 23, 2025, during a simulated instrument approach on Runway 05 at Ilorin International Airport.
Oladeji said the aircraft veered off the runway and came to a stop on the grass verge, leaving the two occupants on board injured.
She stated: “Both sustained serious injuries and were swiftly evacuated to a medical facility, coordinated by the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, NAMA.
“In response, the NSIB Go-Team is currently preparing to depart from Abuja to Ilorin to conduct on-site investigations. The team will secure the site, collect physical evidence, interview witnesses, and retrieve operational data to establish the cause and contributing factors of the incident.”
Quoting the Director General of the NSIB, Captain Alex Badeh Jr., she said “Our thoughts are with the injured, and we commend the swift medical and emergency response. Now, our focus is on understanding exactly what went wrong. Every investigation is an opportunity to improve safety. We are deploying our team to Ilorin to ensure that no detail is overlooked.”
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