NACJ Honours Some Eminent Nigerians With ‘Integrity Award’2023

Peterclaver Egbochue

The Nigerian Association of Christian Journalists, NACJ, on Friday at the Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos honoured some eminent Nigerians with the ‘Integrity Award’ for their sterling conduct in their various spheres of human endeavour.

NACJ which came into existence in 2013 has been at the forefront of the campaign for a change in the national orientation, change of value system, and promotion of integrity and honesty in the Nigerian system by organizing lectures and conferring awards to eminent Nigerians who had exemplified themselves in their little corners.

The event was themed, “Integrity is Everything”.

The awardees this time include; Chief Solomon Igwulu, the Eze-Ugo of Umutu, who was conferred with the prestigious Man of Integrity of the Year Award, 2023, Barr. Olaleye Matthew Olanrewaju, Vice chairman of Coker/Aguda LCDA, Surulere, Lagos, who was conferred with Nigerian Patriot and Integrity Man of the Year Award, 2023, Dr. M.I Okoro, a foremost Estate Surveyor, and Valuer Consultant who was conferred with Real Estate Integrity Personality of the Year Award, 2023, Mary Beryl Noel-Berje, Special Adviser on Women Affairs and Affirmative Action to Governor Mohamed Umaru of Niger state who was conferred with Nigerian Patriot and Integrity Woman of the Year Award, 2023.

Others are; Comrade Idris-Shonuga Oluwaseun who was also honoured with the Nigerian Patriot and Integrity Man of the Year Award, 2023, Mr. Maurice Emeka Nwafor, honoured with the Nigerian Patriot and Integrity Man of the Year Award, 2023, Mother Success Marian Okeke conferred with Integrity Woman Minister of God of the Year award, Mother (Dr.) Edith Daniel conferred with Integrity Woman Minister of God of the Year award, Mrs Rebecca Omolade Ahonsi who got the Real Estate Integrity Personality of the Year award, 2023, Her Lordship Bishop (Dr.) Adenuga Roseana Okachi who was honoured with the Woman of Integrity of the Year award, 2023, Hon. Ibe Okwara Osonwa honoured with the Nigerian Patriot and Integrity Lawmaker of the Year award, 2023 and Chief Jaja C. Ihesiaba.

In his brief remark, the chairman of the occasion, Chief Abimbola Aboderin, commended the recipients for their various contributions towards nation-building and charged them to keep it up. He described Nigeria as a great country endowed with abundant human and material resources.

He however lamented that a lot of people had stolen the money belonging to the masses and taken it abroad for personal use and called on the good people to rise up against the bad people and suppress them.

“Nigeria is destined to be a great nation, God gave us a lot of mineral resources and so we need men and women of integrity in this country. A lot of money has been taken away from this country. The good people must rise up and say no to the bad people. I’m happy to chair this occasion because it has to do with integrity, I’m proud of you all recipients of the integrity award!” he stated.

In a chat with newsmen, the national president of the association Dr. Charles Okhai explained that the association was formed in 2013 out of the need to be relevant in the scheme of things and trying to change the narrative about Nigeria.

He said, “We came together in 2013 as a body and we called ourselves the Nigerian Association of Christian Journalists, NACJ. We decided that we wanted to be relevant, we wanted to exist for something impactful, we said to ourselves, that if we must be relevant, we must be seen to be solving a problem in the country. When we took a cursory look at the country, we realized that one of the problems we have in the country today is a lack of integrity so we decided to entrench a culture of integrity in the society and that’s how we began the integrity lecture, and award, we believe that with the lecture and the award, people will begin to embrace integrity.

“We get better every year. We have touched virtually all the leaders in this country; governors, ministers, senators, GMDs of multi-national companies, Chief executives of organizations, and individuals. We have touched a lot of people in this country and each time we have a programme, we invite past recipients and most of them usually give testimonies to the effect that since they got the award, they have become more careful about their personal conduct especially in public and in leadership responsibilities.

“The challenge has always been funding especially with the nomenclature “Christian” because a lot of people think that any project with ‘Christian’ should not involve money. But there’s nothing you can do that does not involve money. So, we find it difficult to get corporate sponsors but once in a while, people who value integrity appreciate us.

“We are satisfied with the response of people each time we have a programme. There’s nobody we call upon that you have been nominated for an award or to give a lecture at our programme that will not respond.”

Also speaking, one of the recipients, Chief Solomon Igwulu, the Eze-Ugo of Umutu in Delta state commended the association for the honour which he said would spur him to do more.

According to him, “I feel very elated being one of the recipients of the Integrity award, I do not know the organizers from anywhere, but it simply means that whatever we do in our little corners, people are watching us, people recognize my efforts in my community. Helping people is inborn in me, if we all decide to do good in this country, we will all live well.

“You don’t have to acquire the whole world and put it in the bank, the greed to acquire more and more, it’s of no use. People should think about the common man on the street and how we can better the system to work for all of us and not a few people. The problem we have in this country is leadership and the elites are not even helping matters.

“We can sort it out by people trying to do the right thing. Like I said, if you want to make all the money, what are you going to do with it? One day, you will die and leave the whole thing behind. If you are in an elective position or you have been appointed to serve the public, do the right thing.

“If you are given a job to do, do it right and not cut corners to put all the money in your pocket to share. You accumulate all this money and one day you will die and leave it. Take your pay and be comfortable with what you have and don’t try to cut corners and cheat the masses. The problem we have today is bad leadership, taking the whole money to themselves.

“We have to change our value system, our orientation, people celebrating those who have stolen public money and giving them chieftaincy titles, we have to change all of that and see how we can make things better for the country. During the election, they will come around and throw a few things and money at the people and after the election, they will not recognize them again. We have to change all this.”

On his part, Barr. Matthew Olaleye, Vice chairman of Coker/Aguda LCDA, Surulere, Lagos who was also conferred with the Nigerian Patriot and Integrity Man of the Year Award, 2023 said, “I feel honoured in the sense that you hardly find such an award around because the attitude of people with integrity is not known around here. So the fact that one is being honoured for integrity, I don’t think any other award can supersede this.

“Like the saying goes, “To whom much is given, much is expected”. If I have been honoured like this, first of all, I don’t even know the organizers, they just wrote me a letter and said I had been nominated for this, it means that whatever you are doing, people are noticing you and so you have to continue doing those things and that’s what I’m going to do.

“Nigeria at 63, you can use what you are doing now to move the country forward. You see, some people have lost hope in the country but by the time you showcase this kind of programme, people will know that there are still people of integrity in this country. So, if the number of people with integrity can be increased, honestly Nigeria will be a great country. Nigeria is a beautiful country, all we are lacking is integrity.”

The highlight of the event was the presentation of plaques to the recipients who were elated by the honour.