Aviation Nigeria
The Champion man of the year award has not been given based on any
political, ethnic or other base considerations or with intent to boost the ego
of the award recipient, but with the highest sense of responsibility, the
Chairman of Champion Newspapers Limited Dr. Emmanuel Nwanyanwu disclosed
Tuesday at the Sheraton Hotel Ikeja.
The Chairman, Dr. Nwanyanwu said
For the first time in the history of the Champion Newspaper Man of the year
awards, a woman is recognized and this
time Nigeria’s Aviation Minister
Princess Stella Oduah for her outstanding performance at the Ministry since
assumption of office.
The Chairman said the verdict by the Newspaper Board of Senior Editors
to award the Aviation Minister is based on her courageous performance to in
transforming the Aviation Industry within an 18 month period.
In his remarks, at the conferment of the award, the Champion News paper
boss said the recipient, Princess Stella Oduah has set a high standard that
should become the benchmark for other public officers in Nigeria.
The Aviation Minister, in her acceptance speech questioned why she
should be awarded for doing what she had been called to do.
She said “To be sure, I have always been hesitant to accept awards not
only from the media, but also from numerous other groups and bodies within and
outside the shores of this country. The reason for this is simple. I hold the
strong belief that I do not need to be given any award or honour simply for
doing my job. I think as Aviation Minister, everything I am doing, and
everything I am going to do going forward, is within the normal brief of an
Aviation Minister. So I don’t feel I am doing anything extra-ordinary. This
principally accounts for why, up till this moment, I have turned down several
Awards, with all due respect to the groups and organizations that had
considered me in the past.”
The Minister however said, she consider herself highly privileged to be
considered and eventually selected for the prestigious Man of the Year 2012
Award by the Champion Newspapers, a newspaper that has a tradition of
dedication to excellence, professionalism and the pursuit of the ideals of
nationhood.
The Award she said, “is significant in one profound respect – it
challenges me and my team at the Ministry not to rest on our oars, but to
continue to do all we can to expand the frontiers of transformation in the
aviation industry beyond what we are seeing today.”
Speaking earlier, the Anambra State Governor Mr. Peter Obi challenged the Minister to do more and ignore the praise singers. Governor Obi said everyday the role of leadership in Nigeria is challenging because everyday, leaders are encouraged to do the wrong things as most Nigerians choose the act of sycophancy in praising the leader rather than telling them the true situation of thing that are wrong with the system.
Professor Oyewusi Ibidapo was the Guest Speaker at the event, and called
on Nigerian leaders to set the pace in Leadership for the younger generation
