*Recognises Mele Kyari, Tony Elumelu, Ned Nwoko, Blessing Okorodudu in Abuja
*VP, Kukah, others canvass ‘Big Ideas’ as panacea to Nigeria’s challenges
One of the prominent national newspapers and most influential in Nigeria, LEADERSHIP Newspaper, has honoured Vice President Yemi Osinbajo (SAN); Director General, World Trade Centre, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala; National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu; four State Governors: Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto); Inuwa Yahaya (Gombe); Bala Mohammed (Bauchi) and Udom Emmanuel (Alwa Ibom).
LEADERSHIP also conferred awards on Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mr Mele Kyari; Chairman, Tony Elumelu Foundation, Mr Tony Elumelu; Managing Director, FirstBank, Dr Adesola Oduntan, Chairman, Prince Ned Nwoko Foundation, Hon Ned Nwodo and Tokyo 2020 Olympics gold medalist, Blessing Okorodudu.
The prominent Nigerians and others were honoured by the LEADERSHIP Newspaper at its Annual Conference and Awards, 2021 edition, with a theme titled , “Resetting Nigeria: Culture, Politics, Geography and The Role of Big Ideas,” at the International Conference Centre (ICC) in Abuja on Tuesday.
Speaking after receiving his award as LEADERSHIP Person of the Year 2021, Osinbajo said the Founder of LEADERSHIP Newspaper, the late Sam Nda-Isaiah was a dogged achiever who stood for integrity in public life and embodied the finest traditions of Nigerian journalism.
The Vice President added that the late Sam-Nda Isaiah believed fervently in the role of the media as an umpire of public discourse, and in its mission of elevating the quality of public debate.
Osinbajo also said that he was gratified that the values the late Sam Nda-Isaiah lived by continued to be adequately represented by the organisation he left behind.
The Vice-President commended the LEADERSHIP management team led by Mrs. Zainab Nda-Isaiah for forging ahead in the wake of Sam’s death and the celebration of his 60th posthumous birthday.
On the award, stated that he was extremely honoured and humbled to be a recipient of the prestigious award and expressed his deep gratitude to the chairperson and management of the newspaper for deeming him worthy of the recognition.
He said; “I’m also very privileged to share this award of Leadership Person of the Year with Dr. Ngozi Iweala, a globally affirmed finance and development expert and a true Nigerian patriot who is now director-general of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
“Those of us who, like Sam-Nda Isaiah, belong in that same political tendency, the one that is loosely described as the progressive tendency, agree on certain principles; we agree that we must create a country that works for us all, a peaceful and secure society founded on law and order and the rule of law; a society that enables commerce and values productivity so that large and small businesses can grow and provide jobs and opportunities for the millions of young people; a society where no one is left behind, provided for by means of an effective social welfare scheme.
“A safety net of the very poor and the vulnerable, a united nation where all, irrespective of ethnicity or religion or political persuasion, are respected, treated fairly and justly and have equal access to all opportunities.”
Osinbajo further said the progressive fold aims to build a Nigeria where people are not marked by their ethnic origins.
He dedicated the award to the millions of Nigerians who believe in the new Nigeria and “who are working hard to promote peace and tolerance and to build a country that truly represents all of our dreams.”
Kukah: Democracy must deliver good governance, solve problems
Meanwhile, the Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Most Rev. Matthew Hassan Kukah, has disclosed that despite its imperfections, democracy remains the best option in delivering good governance and ending cultural identity crisis such as being experienced in Nigeria.
Kukah, who was the keynote speaker at the event, stated this during the conference and awards ceremony.
The Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, who was represented by the Director of Communications, Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja, Rev Fr. Patrick Alumuku, said the Nigerian state does not appreciate the value of big ideas, hence men and women of the underworld are in control.
According to Kukah, a nation will only grow if it understands the concept of big ideas, adding that big ideas would only grow in an environment that encourages competition and rewards merit.
He said, “Big ideas grow in an environment that accepts fertile imagination; therefore, dogma orthodoxy and whether they are based on religion or tradition or ideology are injurious to the growth of big ideas. And so, although the duty and responsibility of leaders is to conserve culture and tradition as a condition for the stability of society, we must pay attention to the changing environment around us.
“Those dogmatic rigidity leads to rebellion. Whereas it is important to be concerned about social order, non-state actors must not be allowed to use tradition and dogma to limit human imagination. Over-regulation of areas of human imagination, such as media, the arts and entertainment, imposition of oppressive religious laws, and ethology produce counter-cultures of resistance.”
The cleric said a weak bureaucratic system such as obtained in Nigeria produces extortionists who use blackmail to hide their incompetence.
“The Nigerian state in its present form does not appreciate the value of big ideas. Our brother and friend, the late Sam Nda-Isaiah lived for this. He has passed the torch to us. The challenge is for us to renew our resolve and in the end believers in big ideas must reset the clock against cultural identities.”
Nigeria in dire need of all-round reset — Fayemi
In his own comment at the award ceremony , Ekiti State Governor and Chairman of Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), Dr Kayode Fayemi said Nigeria’s political structure was in dire need of a reset, but that such a reset should not unmake the country.
Fayemi also said that there had been several reforms in the past aimed at solving Nigeria’s political and economic problems, but that past efforts had only succeeded in solving immediate problems.
Fayemi, who was the special guest of honour, said reforming a political process was a permanent work in progress.
The governor also cited successive creation of states to replace the regional structure, saying that the logic of over-centralisation had weakened the federating units when compared to the centre.
He said, “As I said earlier, reforming the political system is a permanent work in progress, and for the reform to be of a nature that builds on the progress we have made as a people in our journey of nationhood, leaders must ensure that they do not translate this into exercises in which a baby is thrown out with the bath water.
“Put it in another way, the overall purpose of recalibration of a political system is in advancing the restructuring of our legislative and judicial arms of government; a full scale reform of the justice system; the revamp of the civil service for a radically more efficient delivery to our citizens; innovations of leadership development and political succession; electoral system reforms to foster greater exclusivity, proportionality and consensus building; mandated expansion of opportunity for greater participation by our women, the youths and people living with disability, and an institutionalised zero-tolerance approach in the fight against corruption.
“These reforms are at the heart of the contemporary yearning for change in which Nigerians want to see,” he said.
Aisha Buhari makes case for more slots for women in 2023
First Lady of Nigeria, Mrs Aisha Buhari , has called on presidential and governorship candidates in next year’s general elections to pick women as their deputies.
Speaking at the event, Mrs. Buhari, who was represented by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs and Strategy in the Office of the First Lady, Hon Muhammad Sani Zorro, said even the Gulf states had begun to mainstream and integrate women in ministerial positions up to the level of 50 percent.
Aisha Buhari also disclosed that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) reserves 50 percent slots for women in ministerial appointments and bureaucracy.
The First Lady also implored the Nigerian media, in pursuing its objectives as enunciated in Chapter 2 of the Nigerian Constitution, to give regard to championing the objectives of the Nigerian state.
According to her, in the objectives of the Nigerian state, the issue of gender is categorically stated, just like the objectives of the Nigerian state in the educational sphere, foreign policy and other departments of government.
She expressed surprise that the Nigerian media had not been championing the cause of women enough, especially in these times when aspirants have been going around Nigerian cities and local governments campaigning towards 2023.
She lamented that, so far, Nigerians have not heard any of the aspirants making pledges about how they intend to integrate the Nigerian woman into governance and in party administration at all levels.
She said, “As a leading civil society institution, the media is an agenda-setter and is also an opinion shaper. We recognise how the late Sam Nda-Isaiah, remarkably as a columnist, a newspaperman and an opinion shaper, contributed even after the APC victories of both 2015 and 2019 to continue setting the agenda or helping to shape the agenda of the issues that deserve the attention of all Nigerians, especially those of its leaders.”
Mrs Buhari also pointed out that even before the Beijing Conference when women demanded 35 percent inclusion in governance all over the world, some Nigerian leaders had taken steps at some points in their history to set the agenda for the world to follow.
She said, “For instance, in 1983, the great Mallam Aminu Kano picked a woman, Mrs. Bola Ogumbo, who should have been in Delta State today, as his running mate, and therefore it is not asking for too much if aspirants into the offices of Nigerian presidency, governors in the respective states or even chairmen of local governments reserve their deputy positions for Nigerian women.
“This is very, very important. Only yesterday, one of the leading contenders in Kenya, Rahila Odinga, announced that Barrister Martha Karua, a leading lawyer, would be his running mate. This will be in addition to the emergence of Mrs. Samiha as President of Tanzania and others in various other parts of the world.”
aalso said she considered the family of the late founder of Leadership Group Ltd, Sam Nda-Isaiah, as an extension of the first family.
Okonjo-Iweala commends LEADERSHIP over award
Meanwhile, the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has expressed immense appreciation for the award of Person of the Year 2021 conferred on her by LEADERSHIP Newspaper.
Speaking virtually, Okonjo-Iweala praised the vision of the founding chairman of Leadership Group, the late Sam Nda-Isaiah, whom she described as a businessman and politician.
She said, “May his soul rest in perfect peace and may his legacies endure. Let me thank specifically the chairperson of the Leadership Group, Mrs Zainab Nda-isaiah, and her entire family. And finally, I would like to appreciate the good works of the managers and staff of Leadership; may God continue to give you the strength to do a fair, fine and balanced job of reporting.”
LEADERSHIP Award ‘ll encourage me to do more – Gov Yahaya
For his part, Gombe State Governor, Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya, has said that the LEADERSHIP Governor of the Year 2021 Award bestowed on him by the Board of Editors of LEADERSHIP Group Ltd is an honour done to him, saying that the award will spur him to do more for the people of Gombe State.
Speaking at the event, Governor Yahaya particularly said the award will spur him to deliver good governance and purposeful leadership to the people of Gombe State and Nigeria in general.
Regarding security, Yahaya said that the state has been described in many instances as one of the most peaceful states in the country, which, according to him, was achieved via hard work, adding that other states emulate the state.
Tambuwal wants Nigerians to obtain PVCs
Speaking with LEADERSHIP after receiving LEADERSHIP Governor of the Year 2021, Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal urged Nigerians to get their permanent voters cards (PVCs) ahead of the 2023 general elections to enable them elect the leaders of their choice.
He also recalled that it was the second time the LEADERSHIP was honouring him with an award.
He said, “This is the second time this newspaper is giving me this kind of award, the first being in 2001 when I was the Speaker of the House of Representatives. One of the reasons for giving me the award this time around was due to our efforts in quenching the internal crisis that engulfed our party, the efforts which led to us having a great party at the moment in the country.
The PDP presidential aspirant urged Nigerians to obtain their PCVs and take part in the elections.
On the recent crisis that engulfed Sokoto following the murder of a female student, Deborah Samuel, Tambuwal said it was an act of God that it did not escalate to an uncontrollable level.”
Award, call to higher responsibilities— Kyari
The Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, Mele Kolo Kyari, expressed thanks for the award he received and said it was a call to higher responsibilities.
The NNPC boss also paid tribute to founding chairman of Leadership Group Ltd, the late Sam Nda-Isaiah, for his contributions to national development.
He said, ” I also recognise the contributions of our brother, Sam Nda-Isaiah, whose contribution to national development was as immense, and profound as he was modest,” he said.
Delivering his response virtually from Luanda, Angola, where he was attending the meeting of African Petroleum Producers’ Organisation, Kyari expressed regret at his physical absence to receive the award but said he was joining other African oil producers to further see how best to maximize the value of the continent’s sources of available carbon resources while aligning with the global transition to cleaner energy.
