Two members of staff of the News Agency of Nigeria have been recognised for their roles in impacting their society positively.
The awardees are Ifeyinwa Omowole, Deputy Editor-in-Chief and Head, External Affairs, NAN, Lagos Office, and Millicent Ifeanyichukwu, Principal Correspondent,.
They got the “Most Outstanding Women Right Activist” and “Selfless Contribution Award”.
The Impact Makers Awards, a brainchild of a not-for-profit organisation, Women of Inestimable Value Foundation, was organised to mark its five-year anniversary at a dinner in Lagos on Saturday.
Other awardees are the matriarch of the Ransome-Kuti family, Yemisi Ransome-Kuti, Most Outstanding Intellectual; Oby Ezekwesili, Most Impactful Woman; Oluwatosin Adebukola, Most Outstanding Television Presenter; and Funmi Omoboriowo, Outstanding Radio Presenter.
Recently, Taiye Adeyemi, a Senior Correspondent of NAN, was awarded the Best Tourism Journalist at the Nigeria Tourism Awards.
According to Blessing Eze, Founder of the NGO, the awards were instituted to further encourage people making positive contributions and impact in the society.
Eze said: “We are celebrating our fifth anniversary and decided to use it to also celebrate men and women who are creating positive change in the society.
“So, impact awards are for us to celebrate change-makers – people who are making an impact in the society, relating to change in the society.
“So, a survey was shared online and we got more than 1,000 names; a committee then reviewed the profile of all the nominees and selected the best of the best.
“To everyone who has been making an impact, we understand the fact that you are doing a great job.
“We appreciate all positive change-makers and urge them to keep making an impact so we can make Nigeria a better society for all.”
The founder further said that the government needed to do more in enforcement of legal provisions that protect the rights of women and children.
“They would need to work more on fighting corruption in enforcement agencies and ensure that the fight against domestic violence can give us justice to all victims,” Eze said.
Some of the awardees, who spoke to NAN, expressed their delight for the recognition, adding that the awards would spur them to keep making meaningful contributions to society.
Omowole attributed the award to God’s grace.
She said: “This is one of the awards that you realise that you didn’t know the people (organisers).
“They did their selection and the processing and I was not involved in any way.
“I didn’t have to post it on any group chat or platform for people to vote for me.
“I have been using my money doing what I felt was right, and taking responsibility for my environment and I thank God.
“It’s grace actually, because sometimes when you are doing these things people think that you’re rich, but it’s not.
“It’s just grace.
“So I thank God for this recognition.
“This shows that when you’re doing things – good or bad – people take note and at the end of the day you get your reward – positive or negative.”
On her part, Ifeanyichukwu said: “This unique NGO has really opened my eyes to the things we usually overlook and take for granted.
“I consider it a great privilege to be a part of this movement because I believe we are all created and called by God for a greater cause – to serve humanity in the little ways we can and make an impact.
“So, I know that this is a divine responsibility.”
NAN reports that two books: “Rape: Causes and Solutions,” by Janet Adeyemi and Sandra Benjamin, and: “Curbing Domestic Violence,” by Blessing Okojie Eze and Sandra Benjamin, were launched at the dinner.
In her remark, Ransome-Kuti told NAN that there was need to focus on the prevention of sexual abuse and domestic violence, especially through mindset training and change of habit.
She said: “Women and men need to see themselves as partners.
“How can a man who’s born of a woman feel comfortable raping another woman, who will be mother to another man or woman?
“So, we have to look at all the areas around it: the community, poverty and depression level and other psychosocial levels, which we are not looking at properly.”
Ransom-Kuti added that there was no justifiable reason to rape and urged victims to speak up and seek help.
She said: “Let’s all support the victims, don’t victimise them saying to them it’s their fault.
“We should give them the needed physical and psychological support to develop and overcome nightmares about it because it is an invasion.”
Women of Inestimable Values Foundation is a human rights group formed in 2017 to fight for the rights of the abused in society.
The group provides free legal services and organise empowerment programmes.
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