The National Productivity Order of Merit Award has been conferred on the Chairman Tummy Tummy Foods Industry Limited, Chief Chika Emenike, All Progressives Congress National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha.
The award was conferred on Emenike, Adamu and Mustapha and 46 other eminent Nigerians and organisations in both the public and private sectors, for their high productivity, hard work and excellence at the 19th National Productivity Day on Thursday.
Others who bagged the awards are immediate past Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr Chike Ihekweazu; Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof Akin Abayomi; Chairman and Founder, BUA Group, Abdusamad Rabiu; and Chairman of Globacom, Mike Adenuga Jnr.
The Director-General of the West African Health Organization, Prof. Stanley Okolo, and Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of Air Peace, Allen Onyema, among others were awarded.
Dr Stella Adadevoh and Mr Babatunde Lawal, received posthumous awards at the 2019/2020 edition of the National Productivity Day.
Dr Adadevoh, who died on August 19, 2014, was recognised for her outstanding performance in the fight against the spread of the Ebola virus in the country while Lawal, who until his death on November 6, 2020 served as Permanent Secretary in the Cabinet Affairs Office.
Babatunde, an economist by training with bias in fiscal policy analysis, management and strategic planning, was commended for his ‘‘thoroughness and paying keen attention to every detail’’ during his tenure as permanent secretary in the Federal Civil Service.
Speaking at the event, the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), congratulated all the awardees for their various accomplishments and well-deserved recognition.
The President said they have been carefully selected from a multitude of competitors, saying ‘‘this award should spur you to greater heights.’’
Buhari commended the Chairman and members of the National Productivity Order of Merit Award Committee, including the management and staff of National Productivity Centre for a job well done, urging the recipients of the merit award and Nigerians to make productivity their watchword.
In his remarks, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, said since the inception of the award in 1991, 382 individuals and 97 organisations have been honoured with the NPOM.