Security beefed up in Abuja •As Dangote, Akpabio, Joseph Yobo, Olu Jacobs, 360 others bag national awards

Posted by admin Headlines Monday, November 14th, 2011

SECURITY has been beefed up in and around Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, as President Goodluck Jonathan today confers national awards in different categories on 364 distinguished Nigerians.

Business mogul, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, tops the list with the award of Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON), emerging as the first individual outside government to receive the nation’s second highest national honour.

Tight security arrangements were being put in place on Sunday at the International Conference Centre (ICC), venue of the event, ahead of today.

Akwa Ibom State governor, Godswill Akpabio, is among the governors selected for the national awards.

Also, some serving ministers, including Olusegun Aganga, Emeka Wogu, Godsday Orubebe, Diezani Alison-Madueke and Dr Shamsudeen Usman, are to be honoured with Commander of the Order of Niger (CON). Two bankers, Mr Jim Ovia and Mr Atedo Peterside, will also be honoured.

Others selected include Joseph Yobo; Mariam Usman and Peter Konyegwachi. They will receive Member of the Order of the Niger award. Personalities for awards from the Nollywood are Genevieve Nnaji; Stephanie Okereke; Olu Jacobs; Kanayo O. Kanayo and Osita Iheme. Each of them will receive the Member of the Federal Republic (MFR) award.

Nigeria’s first female vice chancellor, Professor Grace Alele-Williams, will be honoured with the Officer of the Federal Republic (OFR), alongside a number of state Chief Justices, including erstwhile Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Babangida Nguroje, who resigned that position at the peak of a crisis in the House in 2007.

-Tribunewp_posts