For Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Nigeria’s Coordinating Minister for the
Economy and Minister of Finance, it was a night of accolades as she was
honoured with the 2012 Silverbird Man of the Year award last week in
Lagos, writes Charles Ajunwa
Last Thursday, the road in front of the main gate into Agip recital
Hall at Muson centre was jam-packed with cars of different colours and
brands. The occupants were heading to the only major event in the city
in a who-is-who manner. It was the Silverbird Man of the Year 2012
award ceremony.
The atmosphere at the beautifully decorated hall was electrifying and
contagious as personalities from all walks of life defied the scorching
sun that fateful day to honour an Amazon, the Coordinating Minister
for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
Okonjo-Iweala, who is the sixth winner of the prestigious Silverbird
Man of the Year Award which started in 2005, was voted winner of the
award by Nigerians.
Other past winners of the highly coveted award include the former
Director General of National Agency for Food and Drug Administration
Control (NAFDAC) and former Minister of Information and Communication,
Prof. Dora Akunyili who was the first recipient of the award, the former
Director General of the Bureau of Public Enterprise and former Minister
of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai
who received the award in 2006 and the pioneer Executive Chairman of
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Mallam Nuhu Ribadu
awarded in 2007.
Others are former President of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the
incumbent governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole voted to
receive the award in 2008, the telecommunication giant, Dr. Mike
Adenuga awarded in 2009, and the chairman of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko
Dangote awarded in 2011.
This time, the choice of Okonjo-Iweala for the Silverbird Man of the
Year award did not come to many as a surprise as she has over the years
through a dint hard work, commitment and dedication endeared herself to
the international community. Today, she is responsible for managing the
finances of Africa’s most populous nation and one of the world’s fastest
growing economies. From December 2007 to August 2011, she was Managing
Director of the World Bank Group where she had oversight responsibility
for the World Bank’s $81 billion operational portfolio in Africa, South
Asia, Europe and Central Asia.
Okonjo-Iweala also spearheaded initiatives to assist low-income
countries during the food crisis and later financial crisis, and chaired
the raising of about $49.3 billion in grants and low-interest credit
for the world’s poorest countries.
The Coordinating Minister for the Economy impressed many recently when
she launched out as the first female and black candidate who contested
for the World Bank’s top job byseeking to be its president in a move
backed by Africa and majority of the developing countries.
Before the citation of Okonjo-Iweala’s abridged profile which received
thunderous applause from the guests, the Chairman of Silverbird Group,
Mr. Ben Bruce, said that “the Silverbird Man of the Year competition is
given because the Nigerians voted. It’s not an award that I and a few
others decide to fix. They were voted upon by Nigerian people because
you must deserve the award. Aliko Dangote has won the award and I asked a
lot of people why? They said, “his group of companies is the largest
employer of labour.”
Governors have won the award, radicals have won the award, my good
friend Nuhu Ribadu has won the award, Nasir el-Rufai when he shows up in
some places people get terrified, they jumped out of the window, and he
has also won the award. They won it because they were viewed to have
contributed immensely to the country and I was happy when Dora won the
award at the inception. We said to her should we change it to personal
award? She said ‘no I am a man, it’s Silverbird Man of the Year award.’
Today, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has won the Silverbird Man of the Year award
through the votes of Nigerians. I congratulate her for this feat,” he
said.
The Bauchi State Governor, Alhaji Isa Yuguda while presenting the award
to Okonjo-Iweala who was accompanied to the podium by two of her sons,
described the minister as an embodiment of humility whom he said does
her work diligently without any air of arrogance.
According to him, “With all the intimidating credentials she has, she
is an embodiment of humility. There is what we call intellectual
arrogance; we have many of them in Nigeria. My sister, our wonderful
mother is a patriotic and detribalised Nigerian. In fact, issues have
been made about the debt relief but I must tell you one other thing that
Nigerians must appreciate about this gift of God to us. She is the
person who established the Debt Management Office in the Federal
Ministry of Finance.
“She has played a lot of role on behalf of Nigeria at the
international level and when it comes to those in the economic field in
Nigeria I think there is one person that I can remember that has
brought so much good image to our country. I stand to be corrected
there is no other Nigerian that has merited successive position of the
World Bank than her. So, I feel highly honoured to give you this
honour from the Silverbird,” Yuguda said.
Anambra State Governor, Mr. Peter Obi, who said he was excited about
the award bestowed on Okonjo-Iweala, said “this is my first time of
attending Silverbird awards and I am impressed with the award of the
2012 Silverbird Man of the Year given to the person that really deserved
it. We are beginning to celebrate those we should celebrate and I am
happy for being here.”
Okonjo-Iweala who was moved by the encomiums poured on her by guests,
while receiving the Silverbird award said “I feel that being in the
company of people such as Chief Emeka Anyaoku, Chief Newton Jibunoh,
Mallam Aminu Kano, Major Isaac Boro and Sergeant George is really great
indeed and I want to say what a huge difference when you are in the
company of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti. I want to say thanks to Silverbird for
doing this. As Chief Emeka Anyaoku said, there are so many awards and I
refused to list all the awards on my curriculum vitae, I just put a
few.
But I came because we have a man of passion in Ben Bruce and you all
witnessed it, he is a man of passion for Nigeria, a man of passion for
his courses and he has built a brand in the Silverbird award that
deserves commendation. So I want to thank him, I want to thank your
excellencies for coming to support me and my colleagues on the Federal
Executive Council and my colleagues from the Ministry of Finance. Thank
you so much for coming and lots of friends who have come to join me
especially my best friend from childhood, Mrs. Jane Ebong, who is
somewhere in the audience. I just want to say thank you to my parents
who made it possible for me to get where I am and above all, thanks to
Almighty God for patience, for nurture, for care and for the ability to
survive in a very tough environment day after day.
“I want to say one thing, I know we have a country with challenges and
it’s because of the recognition of these challenges that I was
privileged to be asked by two presidents, in fact three, President
Olusegun Obasanjo who first gave me the opportunity to serve, President
Umaru Musa Yar’Adua who asked me but I was not able to serve at the time
and President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan who gave me another opportunity
to serve my country. Even though it’s tough, I think it’s a huge
privilege and an honour, many people often ask me why did you come? Why
are you here? And I just replied to them that “I must be a masterpiece”
but the real answer is that I think it’s an honour when your country
asks you to do something and you should do it. I know that we are
facing a lot of challenges and difficulties in this country but I had
experience of over 30 years all over the world and I have been
privileged to see where people are living in a wealthy fashion and where
they are also living in poverty. I have been to over 60 countries
worldwide and I have been able to see and compare what we have here, I
remain an unapologetic believer in Nigeria. I believe in what this
country will become and what the country can do and I believe that the
administration we are in is adding its own share to putting this country
on the right path
Uzo, one of Okonjo-Iweala’s sons who accompanied the mother to the
event said though his other siblings and the Dad could not make it to
the event, that the family is happy with her achievements. “Mummy we
love you andwe thank you for everything that you have done for us and we
are really proud of you.”
Other awardees include Chief Emeka Anyaoku, Chief Newton Jibunoh and
Sergeant Georgeta, a traffic officer with the Nigerian Police; while
posthumous awards were given to the late Afrobeat legend,
FelaAnikulapo-Kuti; late political icon, MallamAminu Kano; and late
Niger-Delta activist, Major Isaac Adaka Boro.
culled from Thisday Newspaper
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