F
amous poet and critic, Niyi Osundare was on Thursday rewarded for his hard work as he was conferred with the national merit award by President Jonathan.
The ‘Ours to Plough Not to Plunder’ writer became the 71st recipient of the award which began in 1979.
The award was presented with a certificate and a medal cash reward of N10 million, which Jonathan promised the winner would receive electronically.
According to the President, the event was ‘the celebration of Osundare’s brilliance, hardwork and dedication’.
The president also asserted that Osundare’s knowledge, and literary expertise and contributions would be of great help to his administration’s transformation agenda.
His words: “With only one awardee this year, a total number of Nigerians who have been honoured now stands at 71. This merit-driven evaluation procedure underlines the selection of the winners; we have to thank the Chairman and the team. I’ve no doubt that Prof. Niyi Osundare, our awardee this year, meets our nation’s expectation and like others who have received this prestigious award, holds high the banner of creativity and intellectual development”.
Explaining the choice of Osundare, chairman of the governing board of the award, Professor Etim Essien, said the panel of assessors found the awardee worthy as the lone recipient of the award among the 22 nominees evaluated by the board and its four specialised committees.
Meanwhile, Osundare, in his acceptance speech said of all the prizes and awards he had received in his 40 years of professional and creative career, he held the national merit award at high esteem.
He added that “From near and far, the congratulatory messages pouring in the past one week have concentrated not only on the lucky winner of the 2014 Nigerian National Order of Merit Award, but also on the timing of the award and the country which is responsible for its bestowal”.
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