Tinubu, Barau, Suleiman, others clinch TOFAC award

The representative of Lagos Central Senatorial District at the National Assembly, Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu, has bagged the Craig Adeyemi Award for her contribution to educational development in the country.

Chairman, Senate Committee on Tertiary Education and TETFUND, Jubril Barau and Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Education, Aminu Suleiman, also received the awards.

Other recipients of the award were Prof. Gloria Chukwu of the University of Maryland, Baltimore, United States of America; Dr. Modupe Fagbolu and Chairman, Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU), Federal College of Education, Kano, Dr. Abubakar Sodiq Haruna.

Chairman, Board of Trustees, Toyin Falola International Conference on Africa and the African Diaspora (TOFAC), Prof. Ademola Dasylva, during a three-day conference held recently at the Adeyemi College of Education (ACE) Ondo, said the recipients have impacted the sector positively.

He said the award was conferred on them to encourage the recipients who have contributed positively to the society in the areas of administration and service.

Dasylva added that in addition to the annual conference, the committee decided to establish the awards to encourage individuals in the society that were doing their best to promote scholarship.

The awards were named after renowned African leaders like the first civilian President of Ghana, the late Dr. Kwame Nkuruma, former South African President, Thabo Mbeki, literary icon, Dr. Ali Mazrui and the late Moses Craig Adeyemi; and College of Education Academic Staff Union award.

Chukwu received the Ali Mazrui award for leadership in Africa and Academic Excellent Research; Barau got the Kwame Nkruma award for leadership in Africa, while Suleiman and Fagbolu were conferred with the Thabo Mbeki award for leadership in Africa.

Also, wife of the National Leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Remi Tinubu clinched the Craig Adeyemi award for her contribution to the development of education in Nigeria while Haruna got COEASU award.

Suleiman, who spoke on behalf of other awardees, said it was a great privilege and honour to be part of TOFAC 2017 and a recipient of the most prestigious Thabo Mbeki Award.

He lauded the organisers of the programme for considering him for the award and expressing his willingness to collaborate with TOFAC so that the outcome of the conference was presented to the National Assembly.