L-R: Chief Executive Officer, Colgate Tolaram LFTZ Enterprises, Mr Girish Sharma; Former First Lady of Lagos State, Mrs Abimbola Fashola; Social Bravery Award Winner, Kanye Tagbo-Okeke; Physical Bravery Award Winner, Yayah Zaki; Intellectual Bravery Award Winner, Anthony Lawrence; and Chief Executive Officer, Tolaram Group West Africa, Mr Pawan Sharma at the 2019 Indomie Independence Day Awards celebration in Lagos.
According to William Clay Ford Jr, creating a strong business and building a better world are not conflicting goals – they are both essential ingredients for long-term success. With this in mind, Dufil Prima Foods Plc, makers of Indomie Instant Noodles, in continuation of their renowned Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative for children, have unveiled and rewarded three more heroes as winners of the 2019 Indomie Independence Day Awards (IIDA).
Each awardee went home with a cash scholarship fund of one million naira courtesy of Dufil. Additional donations came in from kindhearted individuals and corporate organisations.
Social Bravery Award Winner, Kanye Tagbo-Okeke; Physical Bravery Award Winner, Yayah Zaki; Intellectual Bravery Award Winner, Anthony Lawrence; and Chief Executive Officer, Tolaram Group West Africa, Mr Pawan Sharma at the 2019 Indomie Independence Day Awards celebration in Lagos.
With the emergence of this year’s set of winners, a total of 42 winners have now been rewarded over the 12 year existence of the initiative.
The award which is in three categories: Physical, Social and Intellectual Bravery categories, saw 13 year old Yahaya Zaki from Sokoto State, who risked his life entering into a well to save a young girl who had slipped and fell inside, claiming the Physical bravery category.
Winning the Intellectual bravery category was a 14 year old aspiring mechanical engineer, Anthony Lawrence from Umuokpara Dibia Okohia Isiala Mbano local government area of Imo State. He won for constructing a functioning prototype police patrol van using used carton boxes, glue and electronic components he salvaged from the waste bin; truly demonstrating the ingenuity of a Nigeria child
The third winner, Kanyeyachukwu Tagbo-Okeke is an autistic artist who helps other autistic kids by raising awareness about autism. Kanye, a 9 year old who lives in Maitama, Abuja also won the sum of one million naira scholarship award in the social bravery category.
Limited in verbal skills, Kanye was diagnosed with autism at three and a half years but was noticed to be exceptional in art. According to the mother, they noticed that Kanye started drawing on walls and any surface he could find; he was then subsequently enrolled in an art class. He was able to communicate with his painting as his emotions are reflected in his works.
Last year, he was given the Flame of Peace International award for outstanding work in art by the Arch-Duke and Arch-Duchess of Austria in Vienna, becoming the youngest awardee ever. He was also made a fellow – the youngest one ever – of the Association, because of his outstanding work.
Source : Lindail Ikeji’s blog
