Africa’s foremost entrepreneur and humanist, Aliko Dangote, was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award and accorded special recognition by the Organised Private Sector employers in the country, under the aegis of Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA).
In a night of honour and reward for deserving member organisations, Dangote Group emerged top, carting away the award in the ‘Resilience and Sustainable Growth’ category, while its subsidiary, Dangote Cement Plc was named the “Best Company in the Chemical and Non-Metallic Products Sector” during the 2022 Employers Annual Excellence Award held in Lagos recently.
The Dangote Group also got a special Plaque as one of the sponsors of the third edition of the NECA 2022 Annual Employers’ Excellence Award. The Dangote Group had won an award as the best company in the Chemical and Non-Metallic Products sector in the 2021 edition.
Former chairman of Nestle Nigeria Plc, Chief Olusegun Osunkeye was the second personality given special recognition and honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the well-attended event.
Speaking while presenting Aliko Dangote’s Lifetime Achievement Award to the Dangote team, former president of NECA and industrialist, Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa said, the citation of the business tycoon, which was read out to the warm applause of the participants, was only to fulfil all righteousness, as the name of Dangote looms larger than life for his exemplary works.
In his remarks after receiving the awards on behalf of Dangote, Group executive director, strategy, portfolio development & capital projects, Devakumar Edwin described NECA as an organisation that promotes leadership, good governance, innovation, productivity and corporate performance.
According to him, “NECA continues to remain a partner in progress, rewarding deserving companies for their contribution to national development. The Dangote Group will continue to contribute its quota to nation building and promote responsible business in all sectors we operate.”
Also speaking, president of NECA, Mr. Taiwo Adeniyi, explained that, this year’s edition of the NECA Annual Employers’ Excellence Award, the third in the series, was to reward organisations that have forged on despite the challenges in Nigeria’s business environment and the economy, which was reflected in the event theme ‘Against All Odds’.
Adeniyi said the Employers Excellence Awards were meant to reward and encourage best practices in Corporate Performance, People Management and Industrial Relations practises amongst employers in Nigeria.
Minister of Labour and Employment, Simon Lalong, congratulated the employers’ body and its leadership for organising the event to recognise that they have displayed resilience despite the challenges facing the private sector.
Other winners in various categories include Nigeria Bottling Company in the Food & Beverages Non-Alcoholic Sector; MTN in the Telecommunications and Allied Services category; TGI Group in the Agro & Agro Allied Services category; Nestle in the Food and Beverages and Workplace Innovation and People-centric Creativity categories; Julius Berger in the Construction and Construction Services sector; NLNG in the Petroleum and Natural Gas sector.