President Bola Tinubu on Sunday issued a strong warning about the deepening threat of corruption in public institutions, urging officeholders to embrace integrity and leave “footprints on the sands of time.”
The President cautioned that corruption, expressed through nepotism, cronyism, political patronage, and persistent weaknesses in accountability systems, continues to erode effective public service delivery worldwide.
He stressed that Nigeria cannot afford to tolerate practices that weaken institutions or diminish public trust.
President Tinubu spoke at the Nigeria Excellence Awards in Public Service (NEAPS), held at the State House Banquet Hall in Abuja, underscoring his administration’s renewed concern about the systemic challenges undermining governance and calling on public officials to rise above entrenched habits and demonstrate the highest standards of responsibility and patriotism.
President Tinubu described public service as a sacred public trust, stating that officers must be accountable, patriotic, and innovative in tackling the country’s challenges.
He warned that corruption, manifesting in nepotism, cronyism, political patronage, and weak accountability mechanisms, continues to undermine effective public service delivery worldwide.
He urged public officers to uphold integrity and leave “footprints on the sands of time.”
Represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator Akume, the President commended the organisers for sustaining a credible, private-sector-led process for evaluating and celebrating outstanding public service performance.
Tinubu expressed satisfaction that 50 individuals had distinguished themselves across sectors, emphasising that the awards were based on empirical assessment, not politics.
“This award is a validation of your efforts and a motivation to continue working towards a better Nigeria,” he said, thanking both the honourees and the organisers for their contributions to national development.
Speaking on behalf of the SGF, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, lauded the initiative as a transparent and independent evaluation of public officers’ performance.
“This private-sector-driven initiative has independently assessed public servants and nominated today’s recipients,” Idris said. “It is indeed a scorecard of our public officers, and I am glad Mr. President is here to recognise and challenge you to do more.”
He praised The Best Strategic Media for its rigorous selection process and reaffirmed the SGF’s commitment to sustaining the partnership to promote excellence in public service.
Idris urged the awardees to remain steadfast in contributing to national growth and development.
The SGF, Senator Akume; Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris; Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike; and Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, were among those honoured in various categories at the NEAPS awards ceremony.
The NEAPS awards are a private-sector initiative organised by The Best Strategic Media in collaboration with the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
Other recipients included the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo; Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim; Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, Taiwo Oyedele, FCA; Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA); and the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr. Samuel Ogbuku.
Also recognised were Governors Peter Mbah (Enugu), Umo Eno (Akwa Ibom), Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri (Adamawa), Bala Mohammed (Bauchi), Abba Kabir Yusuf (Kano), Umar Mohammed Bago (Niger), Usman Ahmed Ododo (Kogi), and Dauda Lawal (Zamfara), among others.
