ALL those honoured at this year’s Eyegate Media Limited awards, at the Arakan Barracks, Apapa, Lagos had one thing in common: They are residents of Ajegunle, a Lagos suburb, who have made their marks in the area. And it was deliberate, says Mazi Edwards Ndukwe, the firm’s Chief Executive Officer.
According to him, to some, the mere mention of Ajegunle (popularly known as Aje City) signifies an area populated by miscreants or troublemakers. He said: “We are here to appreciate those who have contributed to the development of this place. We want to show that Ajegunle people are not violent; that in Ajeromi-Ifelodun Local Government, there are people God has blessed and are using their wealth and other resources to develop the place.”
He said the youth of Ajegunle are also using their resources to improve their lot and the place. ‘’One of them, who is less than 40, has 40 employees. Instead of living a life of violence, smoking Marijuana, he trained himself to be useful to the society,” Ndukwe said. It is for this and other reasons that his firm called them community pillars.
Congratulating the awardees, he added: “If we have resources and use them for the betterment of society, there will be peace for all of us.” Quoting the late business mogul, Chief MKO Abiola, Ndukwe said: ’’If we all have the same resources, there will be no need to steal from each other.”
Although there was no high table at Mess, venue of the ceremony, it was never a dull moment for the four hours or so the event lasted. Every one sat together, showing equality of life. Not even the awardees were quarantined in a special corner or space.
The event started with a fashion parade which was applauded by all. Except for some linguistic sloppiness, the Ghanaian Masters of Ceremony (MCs) gave a good account of themselves. Both the comedian and an artiste known as Dawoo spiced the day with good performances.
The awardees of the Seventh edition of the event were Chief Emmanuel Oluremilekun Folorunsho, a lawyer and political activist; Magaret Uzo Isinguzo of Wazobia FM; Mr Opadeji Peyemi Olumide, Steve Akpos, Lucky Asubaja, a community crime fighter; Mrs Elizabeth Ehigiamusoe, a gospel musician and wife of the Chairman, Micro Investment Support Services Limited; Pastor Dolly, a gospel musician and cleric; Chief Simeon Mbanefo, proprietor, Peace Fashion and Domestic Centre, Ajegunle; Francis Amos Udoh, the Coordinator, Action Committee of Friends, Olodi-Apapa, Jerome Nwokwo, Zonal Board Chairman, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) Editorial Board, Ifelodun Zone and Chief Lanre Olatunde.
There were also awards for some organisations. They included Positive Change Organisation (POCO) , Asociation of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) and Larry Place Event Centre.
As the awardees filed for their citations and awards, they were greeted with applause, indicating that they made some impact in the area. For example, when it wsa the turn of Folorunso, 84, and a former Associate Professor of Law, there was no doubt in any one one’s mind that he deserved the award. He received more applause for not only being one of the founders and ‘pillars’ of the defunct Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), but for also teaching his former Headmaster (HM), a fact the MC alluded to from time to time.
Chief Folurunsho said: “I have got awards in many places in Lagos, but this one in Ajegunle is notable. My mother started politics here in 1946 and since then, I have monitored events here.” He promised to assist Eyegate.
Mrs Ehigiamusoe was not only satisfied with her award, she gave back to society the stuff she was made of when she thrilled guests with some selected songs from her album. She sang both in her native Ibo and her husband’s language Edo, despite being ‘ill’. She said her song Suru means patience and another God the Great Traveller
Pastor Dolly said: ‘’I love to give joy, hope to the hopeless. I will love to do that in the community. I will talk with my GO to do something for this community.”
After all said and done, it was obvious that the mess was too small for the event in future, a point Ndukwe noted.
