It was glitz and glamour over the weekend as Cllr. Anna Mbachu received a National Merit Award in philanthropy for her contribution to the advancement of the cause of women and the girl child.
She was among the 20 awardees at the just concluded National Diaspora day celebration and 2024 Diaspora Merit Awards which held over the weekend, at the Banquet hall, Presidential Villa, Abuja, Nigeria.
In an interview with Cllr. Anna Mbachu shortly after the award ceremony, the elated philanthropist said she was humbled and felt valued by the award she received.
She noted that it is a great thing to be recognized by home land for their contributions to human development in Nigeria and those in the diaspora, adding that this will encourage others to do more, thereby promoting Nigerians image abroad, which is consistently seen in a negative light.
According to her, efforts should be made to publicize this epoch making event globally, as a way to further promote the right narrative.
She thanked the first Lady of Nigeria, Sen. Remi Tinubu, the NiDCOM chairman, Hon. Dr. Abike Dabiri-Erewa and the organizers of the award ceremony.
The First lady, Remi Tinubu charged the awardees not to see their success as personal as she said, the government cannot do it alone. She celebrated their exemplary achievements and enjoined them to see the award as a recognition of their selflessness, which should be an energizer to do more.
Earlier, in her welcome remarks, the NiDCOM chairman stated that the event was in honour of Nigerians who are doing remarkable things abroad. She appealed to Nigerians to continue to put the country on the front burner positively and promised to continue collaborating with them.
Giving a brief overview of the National Diaspora Merit Award, secretary of NiDCOM, Engr. Dr. Sule Yakubu Bassi, stated that, NiDCOM organized the ceremony to recognize contributions of Nigerians in diaspora to national development, which is contained in the NiDCOM policy.
He pointed out that Nigerians abroad have contributed to about 2.9BN Dollars in remittance to Nigeria.
He informed that the award was in categories listed as, ICT, Philanthropy, Agriculture, Innovation, Water resources, Oil and gas, Education, Medicine, Transport, Entertainment and Media, as he urged Nigerians to emulate their good works and collectively work for the development of Nigeria.
Major highlights of the award ceremony were, plenary session on the theme, “Japa Phenomenon and its Implications for National Development”, with discussants drown across different works of life globally.
Others are, performances from African- American dance troupes, youth empowerment summit, and musical entertainment.
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