The other recipients of the prestigious award held at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Saturday evening were Speaker of the House of Representatives, Honourable Aminu Tambuwal; Kano State Governor, Alhaji Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso; Delta State Governor, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan; Managing Director of Fidelity Bank, Mr Reginald Ihejiahi and former Managing Director, Nigerian Breweries, Chief Festus Odumegwu.
Speaking on behalf of the recipients, Governor Fayemi said the zeal and impetus for Nigerians “to trust each other, dream together, work together and succeed together in building the Nigeria of our aspirations” comes when “the hearts of citizens beat together in patriotic rhythm.”
He added that when one considers the foresight of the first Nigerian President, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, with other patriots in pursuance of the nation’s greatness, there is tendency to despair as one reflects on the trajectory that Nigeria has been through.
The governor pledged that the recipients would rededicate themselves to the struggle for a just and prosperous Nigeria, while also working with and for the people to make the country greater.
He said: “In accepting this award, we are conscious on one hand of the increased burden of expectations on us as we join the distinguished cadre of winners of the Zik awards across the continent. On the other hand, we are cognisant of the weight of responsibility that comes with being a recipient of an award that was inspired and named after the Right Honourable Benjamin Nnamdi Azikiwe, the first President of Nigeria, of blessed memory.”
Fayemi who dedicated his award to the memory of his former Deputy, the late Mrs Funmilayo Olayinka, who died in April, also attributed his own success to the contributions of members of his cabinet whom he described as “hardworking toilers”, saying that the award was in recognition of the collective accomplishments of the people of Ekiti State.
Some notable past recipients of the prize include former Ghanaian President J.J. Rawlings (1995); President Nwalimu Julius Nyerere (1997); Dr Salim Ahmed Salim (1998); President Sam Nujoma (1999); President Nelson Mandela (2000); President Yoweri Musoveni (2003); President John Kuffor (2008); President Seretse Lan Khama (2009); Senator David Mark, Alhaji Yayale Ahmed and Chief Subomi Balogun (2010); President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf (2011), among others.
The Zik Prize in leadership award is Governor Fayemi’s third major award within a year. The Ekiti State Governor had in September last year received the Leadership Newspaper’s Governor of the Year Award. He also received the Samsung’s Best Governor in Africa (for ICT application in education) in March this year in recognition of his computer per child initiative under the e-school project of his administration.
