It was et another moment of honour as leading telecommunications company Airtel Nigeria was decorated with the 2012 Leadership Telecoms Company of The Year, at the Leadership Awards held at the nation’s capital, Abuja. Airtel was so honoured for revolutionising the country’s telecommunications industry with outstanding customer service and innovative products and services.

Select corporate organisations and some distinguished personalities were also honoured at the colourful event on Tuesday, which attracted the Imo State Governor and chairman of the award ceremony, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, and Chairman of the Northern States Governors Forum and Governor of Niger State, Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu.

According to a citation on Airtel read at the grand award ceremony held at the International Conference Centre, the panel of editors and readers of Leadership decided on Airtel Nigeria after a rigorous debate.

The citation read: “Airtel Nigeria has remained focused on providing high quality customer care service, which has won it dozens of awards across the country. But the mobile giant is also making waves in another area: corporate social responsibility. For its robust customer service and its extraordinary effort to transform education, Airtel Nigeria is LEADERSHIP Telecom Company of the Year 2012.”

The newspaper also commended Airtel for rolling out the widest and largest 3.75G Network in the country.

According to the citation, “Airtel Nigeria’s 3.75G network is one of the fastest available and beneficial to large corporations, small and medium businesses and youth…. This has earned it plaudits from customers and regulators.”

Reacting to the award from Leadership, Airtel’s Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Segun Ogunsanya, dedicated it to “the hardworking employees of the company” whom he described as “a passionate and dedicated team that will stop at nothing in exciting and delighting telecoms consumers across the country.”

Ogunsanya described the award as “an independent validation of the feedback we receive from telecoms subscribers in Nigeria about the quality of our network and the services that we render,”adding: “At Airtel Nigeria, we are dedicated to the proposition that Nigerians deserve best in class telecoms services particularly as telecommunications has become an enabler of many processes in society, business and economy critical to the daily lives of citizens.”

He expressed appreciation and that of the entire management and staff of Airtel to Leadership Newspapers, the organisers of the Award, for the recognition and pledged the unwavering commitment of “all of us at Airtel Nigeria to the actualisation of our vision to become the most loved brand in the daily lives of Nigerians.”

Guests at the event included the Sultan of Sokoto, HRH Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar 111; Archbishop of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan; Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, and Corps Marshal & Chief Executive of Federal Road Safety Commission, Mr Osita Chidoka. Also in attendance were former ministers, governors and politicians including Alhaji Bola Tinubu, Mr. Achike Udenwa, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, Mr. Ayo Fayose and Chief Edwin Clark.

News Express recalls that a few weeks ago, editors and readers of City People named Airtel Nigeria the Best Telecom Company and its CEO, Segun Ogunsanya as CEO of the Year, at the 16th City People Awards held in the country’s former capital, Lagos.

•Photo: Airtel Nigeria’s MD & CEO, Segun Ogunsanya.