Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, yesterday declared that The Sun Man of the Year Award 2016 was the needed elixir  to do more towards the development of the state and Nigeria, in general.

Speaking when a team from The Sun Publishing Limited, led by the Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief, Mr. Eric Osagie, formally notified him of his choice as The Sun Man of the Year  2016, in Abeokuta,  Amosun said the award was an honour to indigenes of the state, who gave him and members of his cabinet the opportunity to serve.

The governor noted that he had turned down several awards in the past, but found The Sun Man of the Year Award  special because of the professionalism and its integrity, revealing that he had witnessed three editions of the annual awards.

Amosun stated that the award would challenge his administration to deliver more dividends of democracy, while commending The Sun for recognising people, who have made positive contributions to the development of the society.

Said the governor: “Honestly, this award came as a surprise because we are working to better the lot of our people, not to be recognised.

I had turned down many awards in the past because of the pecuniary attachment to them. But nobody has asked me to pay a dime for this despite its significance.

“This award, no doubt, will challenge me and spur me to do more. It is, indeed, a call to do more, and we will never take the support of our people for granted. In fact, it will serve as a tonic for me to do more in delivering good governance to our people.”

Earlier, Mr. Osagie said, The Sun Man of the Year Award was the flagship of The Sun Awards, which is bestowed annually on “eminent personalities whose actions and priceless contributions to national development have inspired hope for a better Nigeria.”

The MD said that after a two-day engaging deliberations, The Sun Board of Editors voted Amosun for the award, in recognition of his remarkable transformations in education, health, public infrastructure and economic sectors of Ogun State.

He stated: “Barely a few months on assumption of office as the governor, huge road projects sprung up across the state. Schools and hospitals that had decayed over the years got new lease of life. Magnificent flyovers sprouted from dilapidated roads in Abeokuta, Ijebu-Ode and Sagamu, among others.

“Apart from your developmental strides, you re-engineered Ogun State’s finances, such that the state currently ranks among the top in Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), despite not being an oil-producing state.”

Osagie said that it was for “these uncommon but silent efforts of your government to improve the quality of living among your people that The Sun has deemed it appropriate to celebrate Your Excellency.”

He appealed to the governor to personally grace the award ceremony scheduled for February 18, 2017, in Lagos alongside state government officials, All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftains, family members as well as well-wishers.