By Ngozi Nwoke
The Sail International Award of Excellence (SIAE) has been conferred on some deserving Nigerians who distinguished themselves in the public sector.
Among the awardees who were honoured at the 2024 edition of the annual event were Abdul-Kabir Ogungbo, who won the Most Outstanding Innovative Personality in FinTech award; Mr. Chibuzor Obasi, Best Innovative Entrepreneur and Humanitarian in Diaspora of the Year; Victor Uzih, Best Creative Serial Entrepreneur and African Spiritualist of the Year; and Mr. Ogumlende Mobolaji Abubakre, Best Dynamic Youth Commissioner of the Year.
Also honoured were Mrs. Toke Benson-Awoyinka, Best Innovative Woman in Governance; Mr. Olowopekun-Eso Olalekan, Most Outstanding Businessman in Property and Logistics; and Prince Taofik Alao, Best Innovative Logistics Company of the Year, amongst others.
The event, hosted at the LCCI, Alausa, Lagos, had the theme: “Stability in a Challenging Economy,” which encapsulates the objective of fostering motivation among public office holders in Nigeria.
The organiser, Ms. Adaeze Success Chukwuemeka noted that the purpose of the award was to reward remarkable individuals for their commitment to excellence and to encourage the diverse contributions they have made in society.
“The Sail International Award of Excellence exemplified the purpose, which is to nurture excellence and acknowledge outstanding achievements within its community.
“By celebrating hard work and recognising accomplishments, the Sail awards inspire and empower individuals to become leaders and make positive contributions to society.”
A special guest, Mr. Allan Klein said: “It’s an honour to be a recipient of the award. It’s exciting to be recognised by such a prestigious organisation, the Sail International Award of Excellence. I want to implore the organisers to continue the good work.
“It is a beautiful thing to recognise people who are making positive efforts to impact humanity. It will spur them to do more. So, I say kudos to the organisers and congratulations to other awardees.”
Representative of an awardee, Mr. Yomi Bashorun, Technical Assistant to the Special Adviser on Taxation and Revenue in Lagos State, also noted: “It’s a fantastic award. We appreciate the organisers for the recognition. It’s a very encouraging way to appreciate public servants for what they do, and because of the role played by the Special Adviser on Taxation and Revenue Service, Honorable Abdul-Kabir Opeyemi Ogungbo who is responsible for driving a lot of innovation in revenue collection through strategic partnerships with players in the banking and financial technology (fintech) sectors.”