The conference and awards is an annual event where the LEADERSHIP Group celebrates those who had distinguished themselves in the public and private sectors in the preceding year. The theme of this year’s conference is ‘Towards Financially Viable State Governments’.
Vice President Osinbajo who is chairman of the occasion and Special Guest of Honour delivered the keynote address, while Enugu State governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, who is the Guest Speaker will speak on the theme, ‘Towards Financially Viable State Governments’. Many other state governors will also be in attendance at the event as guests of honor to add their perspectives on the theme of this year’s edition of the conference and awards.
A statement signed by the Group Managing Director (GMD) of LEADERSHIP Group Ltd, Alhaji Abdul Gombe, noted that the Etsu Nupe and Chairman, Niger State Council of Chiefs, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, will be the royal father of the day.
Gombe noted that the International Conference Centre, Abuja, was chosen as the venue for the event in view of the high-powered guests who would be attending the awards conference. He assured that all logistics have been put in place to accord the event, which is barely three weeks away, the deserving honor and prestige.
In December 2017, LEADERSHIP had in line with its annual tradition of celebrating individuals and organizations that have distinguished themselves in their various fields of endeavor and made outstanding contributions to Nigeria and the world in the course of the year, picked the nominees for its 2017 awards.
For the year 2017, two eminent Nigerians were jointly nominated for the award of LEADERSHIP Persons of the Year. They are Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun and Executive Secretary of the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD), Barrister Sharon Ikeazor. Recall that the trio of Kebbi State governor, Senator Abubakar Bagudu, governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele and the acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu were LEADERSHIP Persons of the Year 2016.
For the year 2017, two eminent Nigerians were jointly nominated for the award of LEADERSHIP Persons of the Year. They are Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun and Executive Secretary of the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD), Barrister Sharon Ikeazor. Recall that the trio of Kebbi State governor, Senator Abubakar Bagudu, governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele and the acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu were LEADERSHIP Persons of the Year 2016.
Explaining the criteria employed by the newspaper’s Board of Editors in arriving at the choice of the duo, Gombe said Adeosun jointly won the coveted LEADERSHIP Person of the Year 2017 award for steering the country through its worst recession in 29 years in spite of the headwinds and daunting odds caused by years of profligacy and neglect.
He explained that LEADERSHIP’s choice of the minister was also informed by her vision of “setting out a clear macroeconomic framework for recovery and growth within the last one year and for her steadfastness, firmness, economic activism and courage that led to the introduction of strong policies that have helped to rebuild confidence in the economy in the face of some of the most gloomy forecasts”.
For Barrister Ikeazor, the GMD said she jointly won the LEADERSHIP Person of the Year 2017 award “for conceiving and executing a new approach to pension administration that has rekindled hope in many, and for transforming the Pension Transitional Arrangement (PTAD) into a standout agency able to deliver on its core mandate and bring smiles to the faces of millions of pensioners within so short a time”.
In the other categories of the LEADERSHIP Annual Awards, three governors emerged joint winners of the Governor of the Year 2017 Award. They are Lagos State governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, who was nominated for sustaining and exceeding the very high standard set by his predecessors in critical sectors as well as his focus and commitment to the ideals of governance; Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, for making a clear difference in infrastructural development and Bayelsa State governor, Henry Seriake Dickson for paying particular attention to education beyond the ordinary, making it free for all up to the secondary school level, including free textbooks and uniforms and without making noise about it.
The Award for Politician of the Year went to the former interim chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ahmed Makarfi, while Bank of the Year was clinched by Bank of Industry. Public Service Person of the Year went to the immediate past Registrar-General of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Mahmud Bello, while the Group Managing Director of Zenith Bank Plc, Peter Amangbo, clinched the Banker of the Year Award.
The Business Person of the Year was roundly won by the Founder of Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Company, Mr Innocent Chukwuma, while the Federal Inland Revenue Service won the Government Agency of the Year 2017 award. Other award categories are as follows: Company of the Year, which was won by Air Peace; Brand of the Year, Zenith Bank Plc; Telecoms Company of the Year, ntel; Product of the Year, Labana Rice; CEO of the Year, Chief Executive Officer of Eta-Zuma, Innocent Zuma and the E-Commerce Company of the Year, which went to Yudala, one of the online shopping and trading portals.
The Business Person of the Year was roundly won by the Founder of Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Company, Mr Innocent Chukwuma, while the Federal Inland Revenue Service won the Government Agency of the Year 2017 award. Other award categories are as follows: Company of the Year, which was won by Air Peace; Brand of the Year, Zenith Bank Plc; Telecoms Company of the Year, ntel; Product of the Year, Labana Rice; CEO of the Year, Chief Executive Officer of Eta-Zuma, Innocent Zuma and the E-Commerce Company of the Year, which went to Yudala, one of the online shopping and trading portals.
The Artiste of the Year 2017 award went to Kaniwood Actress, Rahama Sadau, even as the LEADERSHIP Sports Persons of the Year award went to the D’Tigress team members who won the 2017 edition of FIBA Women’s Basketball Championship.
The LEADERSHIP Outstanding Young Persons of the Year award went to Attahiru Murtala Aliyu and Fatima Oyiza Ademoh for earning a PhD at the age of 26 and for winning several awards respectively.
