Former military Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, Group Managing Director and CEO of United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, Phillips Oduoza, and Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina, were among distinguished Nigerians honoured yesterday at the annual LEADERSHIP Annual Conference and Awards held at the ThisDay Dome, Abuja.

The awards had in attendance top dignitaries from all walks of life including politicians, businessmen and members of the public.

Gowon, who will be 80 years on Sunday, October 19, received award as the LEADERSHIP “Person of the Year” in 2013 for being the voice moderation in an increasingly fractured political environment.

Oduoza received an award as Leadership “Banker of the Year.” In a citation at the awards, the organisers said that he was being honoured “for deepening UBA’s value as Africa’s global bank, skillfully guiding big ticket investments that significantly improved shareholder value while expanding the bank’s product offering and elevating customer service.”

Adesina was named “Leadership Public Officer of the Year” for “aggressively implementing bold policy reforms, tackling decades of corruption in the fertiliser sector and pursuing innovative agricultural investment programmes to expand opportunities for the private sector to add value to crops produced in Nigeria

Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, emerged Governor of the Year “for his vision of a state beyond oil, and for building bridges of peace across one of Nigeria’s most disparate communities, massively building and renewing infrastructure and placing the economy of Delta State on solid footing.”

The award presentation was preceded by a lecture entitled ‘Rebuilding A Nation: Lessons From Other Lands’, by Lagos State Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola while the event was chaired by Vanguard publisher, Mr. Sam Amuka.

Also honoured at the ceremony were Vice Chairman of Ocean Marine Security, Mr. Olatunde Ayeni, as the Business Person of the Year; Simdul Shagaya (CEO of the Year); former FCT Minister, Malam Nasir Ahmed el-Rufai (Author of the Year); Super Eagles Coach Stephen Keshi (Sports Person of the Year); Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (Agency of the Year); Nagari Farm Yoghurt (Product of the Year); Chi Limited (Company of the Year); LAPO Micro Finance Bank Ltd (Micro Finance Bank of the Year); Swift Network Ltd (Telecom Company of the Year); Jumia (ICT Company of the Year); SAMSUNG (Brand of the Year); Ice Prince (Artist of the Year); and the Golden Eaglets (Young Persons of the Year).

•Photo shows UBA GMD/CEO Phillips Oduoza.

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