THE 2012 National Honours Awards, which President Goodluck Jonathan conferred on some deserving Nigerians at a ceremony held on Monday, 14 September, expectedly have continued to dominate discussions among Nigerians. Interestingly, such a discourse, on many cases, often dwelled on what many a Nigerian considered as due diligence on the part of the Federal Government, this time round, to give recognition to certain Nigerians whose sterling credentials and records of service duly qualified them for such an important national honour, especially on the choice of Dr Mike Adenuga as the recipient of the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON).AS expected of such national awards, especially judging from the altercations that trailed past editions over qualifications and/or otherwise of some of the recipients and necessity for such a national recognition, voices were raised over the nominations of certain individuals. In spite of the hullabaloo, not a few Nigerians commended the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan for its accurate choice in Adenuga in whom they saw a glorious manifestation of the Nigerian dream.WHAT every Nigerian desires of his/her country is a society that can provide for itself and which will support creative enterprise. Every Nigerian wishes for himself the enjoyment of life's basic comfort and where his personal dream will be fulfilled. The dream of every Nigerian is to thrive in the volatile economic climate of the country and, for the country itself to get out of the woods. Therefore, it is seen that anyone who successfully accomplished these goals by dint of hard work and still has his integrity untarnished, certainly, is worthy of recognition. THERE are many reasons to believe that Dr Adenuga indeed personified the Nigerian dream. An accomplished businessman and philanthropist with enviable persona, he has amply demonstrated his being an embodiment of the national essence through his numerous interventions. Adenuga's story fits the typical dramatic ending of many a romantic novel in which hard work and creativity are roundly and judiciously rewarded with astonishing success. His relentless push for success even when he had to toil in a foreign country to get himself educated is legendary, just as his visionary drive and edge-cutting decisions in business have earned him admiration and respect.AT a time many business interests were collapsing, Adenuga, who all through his life has made excellence his shibboleth, took a daring plunge into businesses that gave lifelines to thousands of his compatriots. His prints are all over in the oil sector, banking and telecommunications. His history of firsts saw him make a ground-breaking incursion into the telecommunications sector, when he pioneered the Per-Second-Billing with Globacom ' an organisation he founded in 2003 after wading through murky political waters'- which other Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) providers had declared was impracticable. This singular intervention freed Nigerians from oppressive billing system and offered a choice in their mobile preference.PRESIDENT Jonathan, while conferring the awards on 148 other Nigerians who were recognised along Adenuga had shed more light on the man many love to call 'Guru'. The Adenuga phenomenon, according to the President, must be celebrated to encourage other Nigerians to tread similar path of enriching humanity with their resourcefulness. People who used their abundant grace to develop their country, he had stated with candour, deserved the collective praise and goodwill of every humanity-cherishing individual.INDEED the Adenuga phenomenon should be a metaphor of sort to the average Nigerian. In a climate where fraud and embezzlement of public funds by political office holders have become a daily media feast, individuals who use their intellect and hard earned resources to develop humanity through the creation of business institutions should be celebrated. The Nigerian climate has many other citizens overflowing with stupendous wealth but who, rather than investing in the country have been deploying such wealth as tools to oppress fellow citizens.THEREFORE, the Adenuga GCON award is commendable, as it will encourage other good-intentioned Nigerians to tread a similar path of service to the fatherland. We congratulate Dr Mike Adenuga on this national award. The magnitude of the award befits his large- heartedness and philanthropy. We also join other Nigerians to commend President Jonathan for the wise choice in Adenuga. We encourage the Presidency to show the thoroughness employed in the nomination of Adenuga in future awards.
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