Understanding an award for public service

The setting was the expansive Convention Centre of the Eko Hotels, Lagos. In attendance were the who-is-who in the nation’s political circles, including Vice President Yemi Osibanjo; the national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Bola Tinubu, State governors, the cream of the nation’s business community, etc. It was the 13th Sun Annual […]

The setting was the expansive Convention Centre of the Eko Hotels, Lagos. In attendance were the who-is-who in the nation’s political circles, including Vice President Yemi Osibanjo; the national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Bola Tinubu, State governors, the cream of the nation’s business community, etc. It was the 13th Sun Annual Awards ceremony. Two women shone, namely Mrs. Josephine Agwu, an airport cleaner from Enugu State, on a monthly salary of N7,800, but who found and returned the sum of USD28,000 (over N12 million). She was rewarded with the Nigerian Hero Award 2015.
The other was the Director-General (DG) of the National Pension Commission, PenCom, Mrs. Chinelo Anohu-Amazu who bagged the Sun Public Service Award 2015. Giving reasons for the award, the Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of The Sun Publishing Limited, Mr. Eric Osagie said the Public Service Awards goes to top public servants, who in the spirit of national transformation, have demonstrated an uncommon character, passion, innovation and unalloyed commitment in service delivery and thereby rendering maximum benefit to the country.
Presenting the Award to her, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu eulogized the amazon. His words: “Through your commitment to public service, professionalism and attitude to sacrifice for our today and tomorrow in this country, the Sun has rewarded, recognized your commitment and the nation has done the same. I am proud of you and wish you more grease to your elbows”. But for Anohu-Amazu, it was understandably a great honour. She said: “It has been a long journey, but it isn’t over.  I dedicate this award to those men and women who toil on in the face of adversity, who remain steadfast and convinced that the truth will always prevail”.
That long journey was succinctly captured by former President Olusegun Obasanjo during a gala event in Aso Rock way back in 2014 to round off the World Pension Summit, Africa Special, (WPS AS). It was the first by the WPS group in Africa and outside the Netherlands.
She became PenCom’s pioneer Commission Secretary/Legal Adviser in 2004, responsible, among other key roles, for interpreting the PRA 2004. She was appointed the Acting Director-General of PenCom in December 2012 at the expiration of the tenure of the pioneer Executive Management Committee.
It not surprising that Sun Publishing Limited has chose her for Public Service Award 2015. PenCom under her leadership also won the 2015 African Pension Awards (APA) for Pension Coverage, Governance and Socio-Economic Impact. This quintessential administrator has by this well-deserved award, shattered, once again, the false notion by a few that you need the age of Methuselah to lead the pension system. She has shown the wisdom of Solomon, and the intellect and dynamism of a 21st Century amazon, with the compassion of a Mother Theresa. More grease to her elbow.
Gotip writes from Jos, Plateau State.