Organisers of the Nigerian Centenary Awards United Kingdom
(UK) have begun receiving nominations for the most outstanding 100 diasporans
in the UK over the last century who will be honoured at a special gala dinner
at Waltham Forest Town Hall on June 27.
Tagged the Nigerian Centenary Awards UK, the event
is billed to be the diasporan awards ceremony of the year. Expected to attract
450 guests including the Nigerian High Commissioner to the UK Dr Dalhatu Tafida
and Councillor Chris Robbins, the leader of Waltham Forest Council, the
ceremony will involve plaques and certificates given out to awardees.
Put together by a group of 30 community leaders, the
event, which will kick off at 7pm, comes with entertainment, stand-up comedy
and music. Organisers have started receiving nominations on their website www.nigeriancentenaryawardsuk.com
and are calling on the public to enthusiastically come forward with
suggestions.
The event’s committee chairman, Ayo Akinfe, said:
"There are a lot of unsung heroes within the UK diaspora who toil away day
and night without any recognition and these are the people we want to honour.
We are trying to break away from the discredited practice of people paying to
get honoured, so are asking the public to only forward the names of people they
believe are genuinely deserving of the honour.
"On the night, we shall put together the best
event the UK diaspora has ever seen, as apart from the handing out of awards,
there will also be a lot of fun and entertainment. Our event has been received
enthusiastically by everyone who has heard about it and has been endorsed by
the high commission, the numerous diaspora organisations and several prominent
Nigerians who will be coming over to grace the event."
Ronke Udofia, the chair of the awards sub-committee,
added: "For us, ensuring the integrity of the awards is paramount, so we
want the process to be as transparent as possible. We will painstakingly go
through the nominations and ensure that only those who meet our set down
criteria are honoured on the night.
"Nominations opened on April 2 and will close
by midnight on Sunday May 18, after which we will sit down and check the validity
of each entry. We will then write to nominees informing them about the fact
that they have been nominated. Many of the committee members are deserving of
the recognition in their own right but they are all prepared to sacrifice being
nominated and recognised to enhance the integrity of the awards."
Among the prominent Nigerians who have said they
will try to come for the event include Nobel laureate Professor Wole Soyinka;
Hon Abike Dabiri-Erewa, the chair of the House of Representatives Diaspora Committee;
AIT news presenter Lara Owoeye-Wise; Nigerian Idol judge Yinka Davies and
lawyer Bamidele Aturu. Several more are expected to confirm their attendance
over the coming weeks.
Dayo Olomu, the chair of the programmes
sub-committee, added: "A lot of hard work has gone into the planning of
this event to ensure that it has everything. Not only will the awards ceremony
itself be slick and smooth but our guests will also be entertained with a
variety of treats including live music, stand-up comedy, exotic Nigerian
cuisine and dancing."
DJ Abass Tijani, the chair of the marketing and
branding sub-committee, added: "Now that we have the website up and
running, we hope to get all our nominations through it. People can also buy
their tickets through the site and we would recommend they do that as early
online purchases will help with organisation on the day."
Committee secretary Jumoke Ariyo, said that tickets
will be selling for £30 per head and although they are available online, there
will also be a facility to purchase at the door on the day. She added that
already, Waltham Forest Council has purchased 30 tickets which it plans to
allocate to elderly Nigerians in the borough.
Ms Ariyo added that anyone requiring more
information about the event can either visit the website at
www.nigeriancentenaryawardsuk.com or email info@nigeriancentenaryawardsuk.com.
Alternatively, they can ring 07866 164 300 or 07529 982 313.
Former Waltham Forest mayor Councillor Anna Mbachu,
who serves as the committee's assistant secretary, added that all the diasporan
groups including the Central Association of Nigerians in the UK, the Nigerians
in Diaspora Organisation, the Nigerian Women in Diaspora Leadership Forum, the
Nigerian Council of Elders, the National Association of Nigerian Communities UK
and the Nigerian Students Union UK are backing the event. According to
Councillor Mbachu, Waltham Forest Town Hall with its serene setting will help
make the event a memorable one.
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