Katsina State governor, Dr. Dikko Umar Radda, has lauded the management of LEADERSHIP Newspaper Group Limited for recognising his administration’s modest achievements thus far, describing his nomination as Governor of the Year as a big honour.
Radda stated this in Abuja, yesterday, when the group managing director of LEADERSHIP, Muazu Elazeh, in company of some management staff, presented him a letter of nomination as Governor of the Year 2023.
“We are deeply honoured for the recognition and we hope to maintain a good working relationship with the organisation,” the governor said.
Dr Radda was clinched the Governor of the Year award for his modest efforts in changing the narrative of insecurity in the state by pioneering community-driven policing with intelligence gathering, and building trust between security agencies and local communities, among other strides.
Earlier in a speech, Mr Elazeh said Governor Radda’s selection for the award was informed by his achievements in addressing the seemingly intractable insecurity in the state and urged the governor to sustain the pace with which he has started.
In November last year, LEADERSHIP announced winners of its coveted annual awards with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu clinching the Person of the Year 2023 while the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, and the senator representing the central senatorial district of Kogi State, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan jointly won the Politician of the Year.
While Obi won the prize because of his ability to galvanise swathes of relatively politically indifferent youths, recalibrate his campaign within a short time and also make significant inroads into areas thought to be sacred grounds of more established candidates, Akpoti-Uduaghan tied with Obi as Politician of the Year because of her tenacity in the face of serious, even malicious institutional obstacles to dispossess her of her mandate.
Governor Radda and three other governors were jointly nominated for the award of Governor of the Year. They are Governors Mohammed Umar Bago of Niger State, Fr Hyacinth Iornem Alia of Benue State, and Oluwaseyi Makinde of Oyo State.
The governors were awarded for “providing exceptional leadership at a time the people of their states were in dire needs”.
In another category, the Award for Public Service Person of the Year 2022 went to the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo for his bold, extensive and exceptional reforms in tackling the perennial passport booklet debacle at the Nigeria Immigration Service. He jointly won the award with the Managing Director of Lagos Metropolitan Transport Authority (LAMATA), Engr Mrs. Abimbola Akinnajo whose extra-ordinary leadership and commitment culminated in the delivery of the Lagos Blue Rail line 40 years after its conception.
The Business Person of The Year Award was won by chairman of Gerewa Group of Companies, Isa Mohammed Gerewa, for building one of the most successful companies that helped in the achievement of economic diversification.
CEO of the Year was jointly clinched by a trio of the Chief Executive Officer of Emzor Pharmaceutical Company, Dr. Stella Chinyelu Okoli; CEO of Transcorp Hotels, Dupe Olusola, and the CEO of Marvelous Mike Press, Engr Micheal Bayo Akinola.
The Banker of the Year Award went to the Managing Director/CEO of First City Monument Bank Plc, Mrs. Yemisi Edun, for driving a significant increase in lending to small businesses and steering the Bank towards SME financing.
Bank of the Year was clinched by United Bank for Africa (UBA) for embarking on key initiatives to turn around the lives of its customers; Social Impact Person of the Year went to the Emir of Bauchi, Dr Rilwanu Suleiman Adamu CFR, for greatly touching and shaping the fabric of the social life of his subjects through peace and security.
The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Council (FCCPC) won the Government Agency of the Year for promoting fairness, regulatory stability and consumer protection.
Other winners are Company of the Year, won by Zeberced Group for providing quality products and services in the built industry; Oil and Gas Company of the Year, Seplat Energy Plc; Oil and Gas Local Content Champion of the Year, Aradel Holdings Plc; IT Company of the Year, CWG Plc and Brand of the Year, Flour Mills Nigeria Plc. Fintech Company of the Year was won by MoniePoint.
The Artiste of the Year award went to Nike Okundaye Davies for her unwavering dedication to promoting and empowering Nigerian youths and women through arts and craft.
The Sports Persons of the Year award went to D’Tigress who for winning a historic fourth consecutive AfroBasket title; while Awwalu Sani, for displaying honesty when he found and returned N15 million to Chadian merchants who forgot it in his tricycle, won the Outstanding Young Person of the Year award.
The awards would be conferred on all the recipients at the International Conference Centre (ICC), Abuja in March.
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