The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of CEOAFRICA, Prince Cletus Ilobanafor, has been honoured with the Sir Ahmadu Bello Platinum Award by the Council of Northern Youth Advocates of Nigeria (CNYAN) in recognition of his contributions to national unity, youth empowerment, and social development.
The event, held on Saturday in Abuja, celebrated Ilobanafor as an Icon and Cynosure of Nation Building and was also conferred the title Garkuwan Matasan Arewa (Shield of the Northern Youths).
In his address, the President of CNYAN, Hon. Abdulrazak Muhammed, said the council remains committed to addressing critical challenges in Northern Nigeria, particularly in the education sector.
“We have called for an increase in budgetary allocation to education in Northern Nigeria. This will help reduce the number of out-of-school children, which is alarmingly high in the North. We urge the government to invest more in education to take these children off the streets and empower them for a better future,” he said.
Hon. Muhammed praised Prince Ilobanafor for his unwavering dedication to unity, youth development, and advocacy for a stronger Nigeria.
He added that Ilobanafor’s selection for the award followed a careful review of his contributions to national peace and integration, noting that his work reflects the council’s vision of building bridges across ethnic and regional divides.
The citation on the award read: “In appreciation of your immense contribution towards a united, one indivisible Nigeria; for being a vanguard of youth emancipation and a bridge of national unity and consensus.”
In his acceptance speech, Prince Ilobanafor expressed gratitude to the CNYAN for recognising his efforts, dedicating the award to the Nigerian youth.
He said, “One of the things that is dear to my heart, apart from what we do at CEOAFRICA, which is projecting Africa to the world and the world to Africa, is the initiative on how to eliminate malaria. We would be happy to also make the CNYAN president an ambassador of this war against malaria.”
Ilobanafor highlighted the Geneith Health Competition, for which Geneith Pharmaceuticals Ltd has donated 1 billion naira, aimed at empowering secondary and tertiary institution students about the prevention of malaria.
According to him, by engaging youths in this initiative, they can become ambassadors toward the fight against malaria, helping our country work towards becoming a malaria-free nation.
He emphasised the importance of investing in Nigerian youth, urging President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to prioritise youth development, asserting that “investing in our youths is essential for the Nigeria we want.”
The CEO Africa boss emphasised the urgent need for giving Nigerian youth opportunities to serve, noting that “Our country is blessed with many wonderful resources, including our youth. All we are asking for is to give the youth an opportunity to serve, and Nigeria will be a better country.”
