The Chairman Governing Board Nigerian National Merit Award, NNMA, Professor Shekarau Yakubu has reaffirmed the commitment of the Governing Board towards generating the needed innovations for nurturing democratic values and culture in the country.
Professor Shekarau made the commitment at the 2022 Second Award Winners’ Lecture, titled; ” Poetry and the Human voice”, and Presented by Laureate, Professor Niyi Osundare, held on Wednesday 7th December, at the Merit House Complex, Maitama, Abuja.
He said this will enhance the socio-economic, socio-political and scientific/technological advancement of Nigeria.
The Chairman Governing Board NNMA also urged Nigerians to recommit to appreciating the outstanding contributions of the Nigerian National Merit Award and its Laureates to national growth and development.
He congratulated the distinguished Laureate Professor Niyi Osundare, a recipient of the Nigerian National Order of Merit, Award NNOM, in Humanities in 2014.
Professor Shekarau also commended the Laureate Professor Osundare for his contributions to the nation’s educational sector as a renowned African poet, playwright, linguist, and literary critic.
The Minister of Special Duties and Inter-governmental Affairs, Dr George Akume, Represented by Permanent Secretary, Mrs Patricia Roberts in an opening remark said the Lecture will “provide first hand insights into the issues that the Laureates of the Nigerian National Order of Merit considered crucial to national development to the extent that they deserve the attention of all Nigerians.”
He added that “The focus on, “Poetry and human Voice cannot have come at a better time given the upcoming elections and the need for Nigerians to be able to lend their voice to the development of our great nation.
“This lecture is to serve as a catalyst in our search for political-socio-cultural and economic transformation in the context of Peace and Unity of the Nation. This is particularly important as our leaders under the present democratic dispensation are charting a new course in the promotion of unity and understanding within Nigeria, the ECOWAS sub-region, Africa and the Globe as a whole. This lecture should therefore, be seen as an effort in that direction.”
PIAK
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