Esther Oluku
The Academy for Entrepreneurial Studies (AES) Excellence Club, has honoured the Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki alongside former Chief Justice of the federation, Hon. Justice Mahmud Mohammed at its 10th annual dinner, held in Lagos, recently.
The event, which was part of the organisation’s way of celebrating exceptional leadership in social, economic and political circles, conferred an ‘Exceptional Leadership in Governance,’ award on the governor and a ‘Lifetime Humanitarian’ award on the former Chief Justice of the federation.
While speaking at the event which was themed: ‘Education and Entrepreneurship; Pathways to Building a Virile Nation’, the Chairman of AES Excellence Club, Mrs. Nike Akande, said being a professional circle, the club’s overall focus, “is to fast track and reward development and resilience.” This it hopes to achieve through a fusion of intellectual and entrepreneurial service in contributing to national progress.
The award was received on behalf of the governor by the Special Adviser and Chairman, Strategy and Programme Management, Edo State, Mrs. Uyi Malaka-Oduwa.
Other awardees at the event included Excellence in Education Award, that went to Corona Group of Schools, Agbara; Excellent Security Provider of the Year, that was won by Safety Signature Limited; Outstanding Lawmaker of the Year, won by Senator Oluremi Tinubu.
Meanwhile, the registrar, AES, Nigeria, Mr. Paul Umukoro, said the award was a way of stirring up the entrepreneurial capabilities among Nigerians and to help address issues of unemployment and as well encourage optimal potential development.
“Almost every tertiary institution in the country now has an entrepreneurship programme. AES was a part of the process. One of the programmes we run is the operation 500 Students Entrepreneurship Programme that is designed for us to pump entrepreneurship into students in schools so that they can practice on a very small scale while in school and thereafter start their own businesses.”
