The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Yusufu Buratai, and the Nigerian Army were conferred with awards of patriotism and excellence by The Nigerian, a news portal, at The Dorchester in the City of Westminster, London on Friday.
The ceremony was held to mark the one year anniversary of the London-based news platform, which made its debut in the blogosphere in August 2016.
According to the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the news portal, Dr. Sam Ode, the aim of the medium was to usher in a new dimension to the international perspective of how Nigerians are viewed in and out of their country and to have an objective, balanced and accurate information about Nigeria and performances of its citizens devoid of sentiments in an era of fake news.
Ode specifically commended the awardees as the very best of the best that country parades at the moment and further saluted the readers and fans of THE NIGERIAN, who took out their time to screen and vote all the nominees that were selected from a long list of patriotic, service-driven and dedicated Nigerians in their respective fields of endeavours.
The award of THE NIGERIAN OF THE YEAR, according to the news portal, was in recognition of the selflessness of the recipient and to appreciate Buratai’s enormous sacrifices and patriotism in leading the campaign against insurgency in Nigeria and the efforts of the Nigerian Army under his leadership to humble the insurgents within a record period of time.
Ode said: “This is our own way of endorsing the global appraisal of the decisive leadership of the Nigerian Army under Lieutenant General Buratai.”
The Nigerian Army as the “Best Public Institution in Nigeria of the Year Award” to THE NIGERIAN, was the collective decision of its fans and readers to commend all the officers and men of the Nigerian Army for their relentless sacrifices in combating terrorism, extremism and separatism within the rules of engagement and best human rights convention in its pursuit of defending the territorial integrity, sovereignty of the state and the numerous corporate social responsibilities like provision of pipe borne water, educational support, medical assistance to various communities and the internally displaced persons in Nigeria, as well as sanitation exercise and construction of roads.
The awards, which were presented by John Milton, renowned American journalist with specialty in photojournalism, and Patrick Smith, Editor-in-Chief of African Confidential Magazine, were received by Major General Chris Jemitola, the Chief of Policy and Plans (Army), on behalf of Buratai and the Nigerian Army.
In his acceptance remarks, Jemitola thanked the medium for the nomination and all those that voted for both the Nigerian Army and the Chief of Army Staff for the prestigious awards.
He further stated that Nigerian Army would continue to do its best to ensure that it discharge its duties responsibly and professionally.
He said the Nigerian Army was deeply humbled by the awards, adding: “We are indeed very grateful and proud of this recognition and awards.”
Other distinguished Nigerians were also honoured, amongst whom were the Governor of Plateau State as the Best Governor of the Year; the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachiku, as the Minister of the Year; Dr. Isa Pantami as ICT Promoter of the Year; Dangote Group of Companies won the Most Outstanding Brand of the Year; and Senator Hope Uzodimma, the Most Outstanding Parliamentarian of the Year.
The occasion featured paper presentation, titled: “Oil, Terrorism and Globalization: Security Challenges to the Capitalization of Nigeria’s Natural Resource Market,” by Elizabeth Robertson and David Fault of Preventive Diplomacy.
Those at the award ceremony included Kachikwu; the representative of Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State, Dr. Gabriel Longpet; the Chairman, Plateau State Association Charity Committee in the United Kingdom, Dr. Isa Pantami; the Director General of NITDA; as well as senior military officers and Nigerians from various walks of life based in London, intellectuals and media executives.
It will be recalled that Buratai was on August 24, 2017 awarded the Nigerian Institute of Management’s “Presidential Award for Excellence” in Lagos.