Mr Femi Adeshina, Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, says President Muhammadu Buhari has come to make Nigeria “a country of our dreams”.
Adesina said this shortly after receiving “Man of Integrity Award on behalf of the President at the Leadership Excellence Awards 2019 organised by Igberre Television, an online medium in Abuja.
The Presidential Spokesman, therefore, urged Nigerians to emulate the exemplary leadership style of the President by placing high premium on national interest in their undertakings.
“Let’s put Nigeria first; President Muhammadu Buhari is somebody that doesn’t want anything from the country rather, he has come to give everything to the country.
“So, let all Nigerians emulate that; let’s put the country before everything.
“ When we all do that, we’ll find out that the country of our dreams will come faster than we can imagine,’’ he said.
Some of the awardees who spoke to NAN thanked the organisers for the recognition accorded them, assuring to keep doing what they were doing that earned them the awards.
Dr Godwin Maduka, a philanthropist and Medical Director of the Las Vegas Pain Institute and Medical Centre, was awarded the“ Man of the Year’’.
Maduka, who dedicated the award to the memory of his late parents and Nigeria youth, called on all well-meaning Nigerians to join hands and pull resources together to build the country we desire.
“Of course, you can see that I’m so excited, but my excitement is for those children in the hinterland of Nigeria, those ones that are struggling, those ones selling on the streets trying to get money to go to school.
“This is the hope, those youths that have gone to school and are trying to come back and help their parents this is for you; I am talking about all the youths of Nigeria, I want you to have hope.
“If I can go from the little village where I grew up and end up being a triple professor, end up being a double doctorate holder and end up on Harvard campus and one of the pioneer businesses in medical sciences in the US, and to come home and do this; this is for you.
“ We’re also telling all well-meaning Nigerians, wherever you come home to put your resources together, let’s build this nation; we can’t leave everything for the government to do,’’ he said.
On his part, the Executive Director of Igberre TV and the host, Mr James Emeh, said the essence of the Award is to give reward good leaders in different spheres of human endeavour
“Leadership Excellence Awards organised by Igberre TV is an event that we want to use to promote good leadership, contribute to the development of the country.
“We believe if we celebrate those who have done well others will want to follow the same path of excellence.
“The national interest should always rise above personal interest in whatever we do and that way the country will move faster, develop faster than we are today,” he said
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that other recipients were Senate President Ahmed Lawan, former President Goodluck Jonathan, former Speaker of House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara; Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Sen. Godswill Akpabio.
Others were: Minister of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi; former Imo governor Sen. Rochas Okorocha; Acting EFCC Chairman, Mr Ibrahim Magu and Rep Nkeiruka Onyejeocha among others.
