The selfless contributions of a number of Nigerians to justice and inclusion have been recognised at the second Community and Human Rights (CAHR) Awards, held on Wednesday, November 18, 2020.
Organised by CSR-in-Action, one of the foremost sustainability advocacy and consulting firm in the region, and backed by Ford Foundation and Global Rights, the CAHR Awards celebrates community and human rights heroes, both organisations and individuals.
There were nine different award categories dedicated to historically prominent personalities.
Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, former Minister of Finance and World Trade Organisation (WTO) Director-General hopeful, won the Aminu Kano Award for Leadership.
“Our aim is to recognise those individuals and businesses that are working not for clout but for legacy. Those who seek to leave a legacy for generations unborn to emulate,” explained Bekeme Masade-Olowola, CAHR Awards Convener and Chief Executive, CSR-in-Action.
“Dr. Okonjo-Iweala has shown exemplary leadership consistently and has added value to various industries and organisations all over the world”, Masade-Olowola added.
In a video broadcast from the United States, Okonjo-Iweala expressed gratitude: “I am sorry I cannot be with you there, but I must say I am delighted.”
The Apostle Hayford Alile Humanitarian Award, in the Individual category, went to Safiya Ibn Garba, Founder of Empowering Women for Excellence Initiative (EWEI), a non-governmental organisation which provides multisectoral intervention for girls and women empowerment.
“We will continue to work for the betterment of our communities and nation, and in doing so, model the values which this award represents,” Garba remarked.
Aisha Yesufu, a prominent figure in the EndSARS movement and Co-Founder of the Bring Back Our Girls Movement, won the Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti Human Rights Award for her relentless drive for the defence of human rights and justice in the country.
“This award makes me feel that there is so much more we need to do. I will never stop until we get a Nigeria where a child of nobody can become somebody without knowing anybody,” Yesufu said.
The Ken Saro-Wiwa Environmental Management Award went to African Clean Up Initiative (ACI), a non-profit that has carried out numerous major clean-ups in different densely populated areas in Nigeria.
“This is me, an Ajegunle boy, standing on this global stage. It can only be God. This is a motivation for us to do more. This award only shows that people have seen what we are doing,” Alex Akhigbe, Founder of ACI, said.
Nominees for the CAHR Awards were elected by members of the public through an online voting process that ended on the 4th of November, 2020. The winners were chosen following the voting by a jury made up of eminent personalities from diverse fields.
The panel consists celebrities, human rights activists, media personalities and business leaders, including Michael Ugochukwu aka Ruggedman and Tokunboh George-Taylor, communications expert and board member of CSR-in-Action.
Full list of awardees below:
KEN SARO-WIWA ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT AWARD
African Cleanup Initiative
MKO ABIOLA COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AWARD
Child Shield Initiative
AMINU KANO AWARD FOR LEADERSHIP
Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
APOSTLE HAYFORD ALILE HUMANITARIAN AWARD
Safiya Ibn Garba
HAJIYA GAMBO SAWABA COMMUNITY IMPACT AWARD (Company)
Empowering Women for Excellence Initiative (EWEI)
HAJIYA GAMBO SAWABA COMMUNITY IMPACT AWARD (Individual)
Zion Oshiobugie
FUNMILAYO RANSOME-KUTI HUMAN RIGHTS AWARD (Company)
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP)
FUNMILAYO RANSOME-KUTI HUMAN RIGHTS AWARD (Individual)
Aisha Yesufu
JOSEPHINE NKEMDILIM EQUAL RIGHTS AWARD
She Leads Africa