Governors Bello Mohammed Matawalle (Zamfara State), Samuel Ortom (Benue State), Udom Emmanuel (Akwa Ibom State), Dave Umahi (Ebonyi State), Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti State) and 23 others will be the centre of attraction today at the celebration of The Sun Awards.
Celebration of The Sun Awards for 2019 will be on Arise Television and Channels Television tonight from 7pm, with popular television presenter, Frank Edoho, as host.
Other award winners are: Abubakar Suleiman, MD, Sterling Bank (Banker of the year), with Entrepreneur of the Year award winners as Dr. Obiora Okonkwo, Chairman, Dome Entertainment & United Nigeria Airlines and Chief Segun Onafowokan, In our quaint society, where nothing moves itself, the prime movers exist to step in the gap; to make music out of nothingness; to roll the wheel of the world, and to create an enchanting world of dreams. In the eyes of the ordinary, they flaunt in the realms of the creator of the universe, who, according to Thomas Aquinas, is the sole Prime Mover. They are representatives of the most high, positioned to fill the void.
We find in prime movers, doers who serve out the essence of what Dalai Lama captures, as “our prime purpose in life is to serve others.” We have those who epitomise the dictum that “the energy or active exercise of the mind constitutes life. Yet we find in them, those who even on a cold, dark day always erupt with a sweet song. They keep moving. They don’t sit down content with the heights attained. They see no monsters or obstacles. They hear no quislings, they know no goliath; they beat no water for another’s net. They may not be your supernatural anthropomorphic deity, but they are regaled in a flaunt of energy. A life force, a prime mover!
They have their heads in the clouds and their feet on the ground. They walk with dreams, beliefs, courage, cheer, and plans. They are the doers and thinkers in one person. They are the dreamers who do. They know the path and walk the path; kings in their right of way. They get things done. They stay strong to be great, willing to be mocked, hated and misunderstood. They show the world that excellence is never an accident. They do great things and small things in a great way. They plod on “doing common things in an uncommon way” in rhythm with the eternal words of Boooker T Washington. They wear excellence, not as a skill or act but as a habit and attitude. They just do what must be done.
In Nigeria, in 2019, 28 people are basking in The Sun for their meteoric deeds and phenomena. In Governor Emmanuel Udom, a catharsis of vision, vigour and development overflows in his native Akwa Ibom State. Bello Mohammed Matawalle came to Zamfara, saw and conquered. He has, within a short time, planted his footsteps in the sand of time, solving a daunting and lingering security problem with wisdom and tact. Through his savvy, bandits have embraced peace and fear has fled in his state. Dave Umahi has stretched and coupled a grand canvas of multi-faceted strides in a dawdling- strewn Ebonyi State.
On the economic front, Abubakar Suleiman, Obiora Okonkwo, Solomon Onafowokan, Nkechi Obi, Mallison Ukatu and Fabian Nwaora, have seared through the mesh of incipient regeneration to a glory land of emancipation. Jackson Agbai Abah and Felix Obuah have engendered a hive of goodness in hospitality, while Femi Otedola, Ebelechukwu Obiano, Emeka Offor troll humanitarian service like branches to a tree.
Patience Ozokwor, Sola Shobowale, Burna Boy, Ahmadu Musa Kida and Felix Ananysi Agwu bulge affirmatively as poster boys of the god of creativity. The adrenalin for public service, courage in Leadership, and lifetime achievement keeps surging in Dr. Ogbonaya Onu, Otunba Olusegun Runsewe, Hadiza Bala-Usman, Samuel Ortom, Arthur Eze, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi and Mamman Daura. Kayode Fayemi, a scion of doughty gladiatoring decks the ring of iconic politics. And yet, there is Ekene Iwuoha, who glazed and showcased intriguing bravado, passion and invidious empathy in the quest to save lives.
The dialectics of their choice are found in the prescience of the spirit – man. They are not creatures of the common place, the slaves of the ordinary. They follow their own star and walk fearlessly towards the challenge. Convincingly, they demonstrate that life belongs to the rare, exceptional individual who dares to be different. They stand for those who dare to take a stand in their lives. They are the prime movers.