Youth group honours US-based Professor for generosity

Fri, Jul 17, 2020
By publisher
3 MIN READ

Youth

NIGERIA Youth Advocacy for Good Governance Initiative (NYAGGI), has recognized U.S.-based Law professor with a golden humanitarian award for outstanding performance.

The coordinator of the group, Mr. Alabi Abiodun, stated this in Enugu on Friday during the recognition.

He stated that the group only recognised individuals and institutions that had contributed passionately toward youth empowerment, community development, and qualitative service.

Abiodun said that after an extensive assessment of Prof. Jehu Nnaji, the youth were motivated to pay him a courtesy visit and present the golden humanitarian service award to him.

He pointed out that Prof. Nnaji had been in the vanguard for equity, justice, education, peace, unity, and qualitative public service.

He explained that Prof. Nnaji as a university don and an international lawyer had toiled and sacrificed for the good of all that had come in contact with him.

Quoting a philosophical saying, ‘some are born great, some acquire greatness, and some have greatness entrusted unto them’, he said that Prof. Nnaji was entrusted with greatness. “Nnaji is made of gold,” he said.

The youth leader describes Nnaji as one of few Nigerians that are “a father, patriotic leader, mentor, role model, pathfinder, a rare gem, philanthropist, a living legend, lover of truth, hope for the hopeless and a man with great intellectual capacity”.

While receiving the award, Prof. Nnaji expressed delight over the gesture noting that the award would motivate him to do more especially for the youth.

Nnaji, who hails from Nkanu West Local Government Area of Enugu, disclosed that the welfare and progress of Nigerian youth were very important factors in guaranteeing the future of the country.

He decried the rising rate of joblessness among Nigerian youth without any provision of social welfare from the government or non-governmental organisations for their survival.

Prof. Nnaji, who visited Enugu from his U.S. base on the eve of the lockdown consequent upon the COVID-19 global pandemic, had remained in the country since then.

Nnaji, who is also a visiting scholar of the University of Kansas law school, U.S., expressed his desire to roll out programmes that would engage some of the Nigerian youth meaningfully.

He said that the aim was for them to contribute their quota to the socio-economic and political development of Nigeria, in line with the trend in most civilized countries of the world.

In a goodwill message, the Enugu State Youth Coordinator, Mr. Henry Atigwe, said that from the onset of the COVID- 19 only Prof. Nnaji had remembered the youth of Enugu state with palliatives among thousands of prominent men in the state.

Atigwe called on all the prominent members in the country to emulate the lifestyle of Prof. Nnaji in giving back to society.

He promises that the Enugu State youth would continue to support him in all his future endeavours. (NAN)

– Jul. 17, 2020 @ 15:05 GMT |

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