The Zik Prize 2014: Extolling the virtues of a nation builder

EMEKA EJERE

The 21st edition of the Zik Prize in Leadership was a call for patriotism and nationalism in nation building, EMEKA EJERE, reports

Saturday May 23rd did not come and go like any other day in Lagos. It was the day Nigerians and foreigners from all walks of life hit the roads and the airspace to gather in Victoria Island, Lagos to take part in promoting the great virtues of Nnamdi Azikiwe’. Popularly called Zik of Africa, he was one of the country’s foremost nationalists and first President of independent Nigeria.

The event was the award night of the 21st edition of the prestigious Zik Prize in Leadership and the venue was the exquisite Civic Centre on Ozumba Mbadiwe Street. Located in a coastal neighbourhood that provokes a thought of the wonders of nature, Civic Centre was indeed a suitable place for a night experience of that magnitude.

From the exotic cars that struggled for space to the expensive outfits that added colour to the night, there was no doubt that it was an assemblage of Nigerians who now reap the fruit of years of hard work.

Recipients of the award this time were two serving governors and six other eminent Nigerians who have not only distinguished themselves in their chosen areas of endeavour but have also contributed invaluably to nation building.

There was no dull moment as the up-to-the-minute band were doing what they know how to do best; taking the guests through memory lane by their timeless renditions. The instrumental songs were so carefully selected that nobody was left out in the excitement that filled the air.

Popular comedian, Ali Baba was on top of his game, making rib-cracking jokes out of almost every development. Smartly dresses in black suit with red bow tie, Ali Baba made sure both the organizers and the guests got real value for their money and time.

In terms of food and drinks it was a night of varieties, with every table filled with so much that the guests could hardly finish. On arrival, guests were treated to light refreshment before they proceeded to the hall. That provided a great meeting point for arriving guests who exchanged pleasantries while enjoying themselves.

It was indeed a celebration of one Nigeria as not even tribe, religion or party affiliation drew lines among the obviously elated guests, who freely shared round tables in a manner that suggested everything but segregation.

The guests were gorgeous and smart, leaving only wedding rings to separate the married from the singles. It was a night of ‘age is just a number’ as the guests left no one in doubt that they were fashionably up-to-date.

At dinner time, the ladies led the way to an exhibition of assorted irresistible dishes before the gentle men followed suit.

The event formerly commenced at about 9 p.m with the arrival of the chairman. Dr Oba Otudeko. Dressed in a typical Yoruba agbada that spoke volumes about the affluence of the wearer, Otudekon’s arrival enhanced the thrill that already filled the white and blue dominated venue.

“I want to welcome particularly the awardees of the day. Put yourselves in the shoes of the great Zik,” Otudeko, who is the Chairman of Honeywell Group, and 2004 recipient of the award, said in his opening remarks.

Describing the honour as a call to service, Otudekon said further: “I recognize my good friend, Prof Jibril Aminu who could not come because a particular flight was cancelled. He sees leadership as a visionary enterprise.

“Your excellencies, leadership is about dignity, it is about responsibility, it is about accountability.

“To me the hallmark of leadership is about positive contribution to the development of the nation.

In his remarks, a member of the board of Public Policy Research and Analysis (PPRAC) and former Managing Director of the Defunct Hallmark Bank, Mr. Mark Wabara, described the Zik Prize Award as an important event organized by the PPRAC to promote the great values that the great Zik stood for.

Wabara, who was a recipient of the Zik’s Prize 11 years ago, congratulated the recipients, describing the time as apt for those needed to move Nigeria forward.

“I welcome all of you and I congratulate the recipients. The time is so apt for the men and women we need to move this country forward,” he stated.

The Good Governance award went to Governors Umaru Tanko Al-Makura of Nasarawa State and Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State while former Governor of Benue State, Senator George Akume bagged the Public Servant award.

High Chief Raymond Dokpesi and Managing Director/C hief Executive Officer of Ecobank, Mr. Jibril Aku, got the Professional Leadership award just as Mr. Goodie Ibru and Chairman of IVM, Dr Innocent Chukwuma bagged the Business Leadership award. The Humanitarian Service award went to Pastor Chris Okotie.

Responding on behalf of the awardees, Mr. Jibril Aku, thanked the PPRAC for what he described as a great honour, recalling that the great Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe was known for leadership.

“I was surprised that somebody from a bank was picked for this award until when Oba Otudeko said he was a recipient in 2014,” an apparently elated Aku joked.

In a vote of thanks, Executive Secretary of PPRAC and publisher of Hallmark Newspaper, Prince Emeka Obasi, while appreciating the awardees and the guests attributed the relatively low turnout of guests to the fuel crisis that was bedeviling the nation.

“Mine is to simply say thank you for coming.”

Giving a brief background of the Prize, Obasi revealed that the award which started 21 years ago received the blessing of Zik while he was alive.

“It started when the great Zik was alive and he personally signed the papers when we approached him,” he noted.

Among the guests were Chairman of Arik Air, Mr. Arumeni-ohnson and his wife, Chairman, Imo State Council of Traditional Rulers, Eze Cletus Ilomuanya, who was the royal father of honour, Deputy Governor-elect of Nasarawa State, Secretary to Osun State Government, Hon Suleiman Wamgbai.

A peep into the programme brochure revealed that the Public Policy Research and Analysis Centre is a private sector initiative conceived as a non-political and non-governmental institution which serves as an intellectual forum for making informed appraisals of, and independent inputs into the formation of public policies in Nigeria. It was established in Lagos in 1994, by a select group of eminent Nigerians for purely altruistic purposes.

Consistent with the objectives, the PPRAC initiated the annual Zik Lecture Series in Nation Building, in honour of the revered elder statesman, The Right Honourable Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, the first president and commander-in-chief of the armed forces of Nigeria.

The Zik Prize in Leadership was subsequently established as part of the annual lecture series, to further highlight the great Zik’s monumental legacy of patriotic fervor and nationalist vision. The first of the Zik Prizes in Leadership was held on Thursday, 16 November, 1995.