SO AKPABIO’S THISDAY AWARD WAS NOT PECULIAR TO ONLY HIM?

Dear Editor,

SO AKPABIO’S THISDAY AWARD WAS NOT PECULIAR TO ONLY HIM?

Going through the Special Commemorative Awards Edition of THISDAY glossy Style magazine of Sunday, February 28, 2010, I stumbled across those that got insignia of the just-concluded 15^th Annual ThisDay Awards, which the newspaper aimed at honouring 50 citizens (dead and alive) considered worthy. Those I saw recorded in the Special Commemorative Awards publication were seen clinching their respective award insignia that looked alike; confirming as wrong the impression Governor Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State created.

Those recorded pictorially in the This Day’s Style magazine were Mr. Tony Elumelu, Mr. Atedo Peterside, Mrs. Sarah Jibril, General Muhammadu Buhari, Mrs. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Chief Hope Harriman, Chief Joseph Ikhide Ararumemi Johnson, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma, Professor Akin Mabogunje, Senate President David Mark, Chief Solomon Lar, Chief Segun Osoba, Senator Adamu Aliero, former President Shehu Shagari, Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, Governor Godswill Akpabio, Mr. Jim Ovia, Oba Oladele Olashore, former Governor Donald Duke, former Senate President Ken Nnamani, Governor Adams Oshionmole, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, and some others that received on behalf of those they represented.

What I have tried to ascertain from the above is that no one particular person was an overall winner of the any award except for the special category of Businessman of the Year Award through public participation (voting) which many newspapers including ThisDay reported was won by Mike Adenuga Jnr, and post-humorously Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe in the category of Nigeria Builders; the rest were trophy winners as noticed.  What actually gave a wrong impression was how Chief Godswill Akpabio carried on with various unprecedented congratulatory advertisements on himself as if he was the only one that received specially or as an overall winner of any other category. That actually confused a lot of people and why he went about his award publicity blitz was unnecessary and he looked like the most excited. Thanks to This Day ‘Style’ magazine.

Dr. Tarilabo Opuaya, 388 Aba Road, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.