Wike, Abdulsalami, Gbajabiamila, and forty-one others receive NEAPS awards

Nigerian public servants are expected to uphold the public trust by being accountable to the people, as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has urged them to do.

He asked them to remember that the public institutions of the country are not private businesses and that, in their capacity as public officials, they work for the Nigerian people.

The President who made the observation on Saturday during the Nigeria Excellence Awards in Public Service (NEAPS) held at Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, restated his administration’s determination “to creating an environment where merit is rewarded, and where every public servant feels valued and motivated to give their best”.

Vice President Kashim Shettima represented the president in a statement signed by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Communications, Office of the Vice President, Stanley Nkwocha. Shettima pointed out that despite institutional safeguards against irregularities in the public service, some loopholes are still being exploited by those entrusted with the nation’s trust.

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During his speech, Senator George Akume, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, stated that the Awards are an initiative driven by the private sector that honors and commends exceptional individuals and organizations in the nation’s public service across all governmental levels as well as the private sector for their hard work, creativity, and purposeful leadership.

He clarified that empirical facts and numbers that can be independently verified served as the foundation for the selection process of the distinguished honorees.

General Abdulsalami Abubakar (Peace Building award), Senate President Godswill Akpabio (Parliamentary Excellence award), Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas (Parliamentary Excellence award), President Femi Gbajabiamila (Leadership and Administration award), and Senator Ibrahim Hadejia (Administrator par Excellence award) are among the 44 individuals who won the Nigeria Excellence Awards in Public Service.

Governors Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri of Adamawa, Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa, Peter Ndubuisi Mbah of Enugu, Seyi Makinde of Oyo, Bala Mohammed of Bauchi, and Abdul Rahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara were acknowledged for their involvement in certain areas within their respective states.

The FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike (Federal Award for Infrastructure Delivery); Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Olayemi Cardoso (Award for Monetary Policy Reforms); President of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote (Award for Industrial Revolution); former SGF, Boss Mustapha (Award for Lifetime Achievement); and Chief Jim Ovia (Award for Lifetime Achievement in Banking), among others.