Rose Ejembi, Makurdi
Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom has accepted his nomination as the Most Courageous Leader for the 2019 Sun Man of the Year Award and expressed willingness to attend the award ceremony in person.
The Sun Publishing Limited, publishers of Daily Sun, Saturday Sun, Sunday Sun and Sporting Sun, on Wednesday, announced the nomination of Governor Ortom for the 2019 edition of the newspaper’s most courageous leader’s award.
Reacting to his principal’s nomination, Chief Press Secretary, Terver Akase said the award which is coming from one of the most respected and widely read newspapers in the country confirms that Nigerians indeed acknowledge the contributions of Governor Ortom to nation-building and the security of his people in particular.
The governor’s spokesman stated that the award would encourage his boss to do more for Benue people.
Earlier, in a letter nominating the governor for the award, the Managing Director, The Sun Publishing Limited, Mr Onuoha Ukeh, said after extensive and engaging deliberations, the Board of Editors of the newspaper picked Governor Ortom as the winner of ‘The Sun Courage in Leadership Award 2019’.
The newspaper also wrote on page 22 of its March 18, 2020 edition, highlighting the show of courage by the Benue State governor and what made him outstanding to merit the award.
“Since Ortom was then serving his first term in office and was planning to go for a second term, some people expected him to trade the peace of the state for his ambition. But holding on tight to the admonition of Winston Churchill: ‘Never give in-never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense,’ he refused to trade in the people of Benue for political ambition. It did not then come as a surprise that his godfather gave him a red card from the APC and his eventual return to his former party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). Although the APC cited non-performance as the reason he was given a red card from the party, Ortom insisted it was because he stuck to his guns to be on the side of the people against all odds.
The Benue people did not disappoint as they stood with and by him during the election and ensured his return to the Government House at the end of the keenly-contested election. The victory was a just reward for courage and leadership.”
Governor Ortom has been chosen among others whom the newspaper tagged ‘Prime Movers’ as they surmounted all odds in a challenging economy and society to make the difference.
The Sun Awards 2019 will hold in Lagos on a date to be announced later.