NNMA TERM PAPER

ABSTRACT Every nation has a system of recognizing and rewarding the outstanding feats and achievements of its citizens. Such recognition and reward place on record public appreciation for the contributions of those citizens who have distinguished themselves in their services to the nation. They are also instruments for motivating the wider citizenry to strive for greater heights and to con-tribute more actively towards promoting the nation's intellectual, creative and societal value systems. The Nigerian Government, over the years, has instituted several categories of honours and awards that are conferred on Nigerians who have distinguished themselves in various fields of endeavour. In compliance with the provision of the Act setting up the NNMA, the recipients will be conferred with the award by President Goodluck Jonathan. With this new class of laureates, a total number of 70 Nigerians would have been conferred with the prestigious award since it was established in 1979.“Over 40 candidates within Nigeria and in Diaspora were nominated for the award. At the conclusion of our very rigorous, merit-driven, 3-stage assessment process, only three Nigerians were approved for the award by the Governing Board of the NNMA. the NNMA has conducted a controversy-free award, for which it has consistently earned national and world-wide respect.” INTRODUCTION The Nigerian Government, over the years, instituted several categories of honors and awards that are conferred on Nigerians who have distinguished themselves in various fields of endeavor. The Nigerian National Merit Awards should therefore honor Nigerians from all walks of life who have rendered special and outstanding services in their various callings, to the benefit and progress of the nation. The Act establishing NNMA empowers the President of the Federal Republic to make provisions for the award of honors and decorations. The President gave the assurance on Thursday while conferring the 2014 Nigeria National Order of Merit Award (NNOMA) on Professor Niyi Osundare, at the council chamber of the Presidential Villa. President Jonathan welcomed the initiative of the board of the Nigeria National Merit Award (NNMA) to promote excellence and gave the assurance that the Federal Government would consider recommendations made by NNOMA Laureates (recipients) in the communique of their just concluded 7th annual forum. He congratulated the lone recipient for this year’s award Professor Osundare, a prolific poet, dramatist and literary critic, for the “well deserved honor” in view of his remarkable intellectual and creative achievements. The President expressed happiness that the integrity of the award had been preserved through its rigorous and painstaking recipient selection process since its inception in 1979.The post Jonathan Reiterates Commitment To Promoting Excellence appeared first on Channels Television. NIGERIAN NATIONAL MERIT AWARD The Nigerian National Merit Award was established in 1979 by Act No. 53 to award prizes to citizens of Nigeria for outstanding intellectual attainment, academic performance and contribution to national development in the areas of science, technology, medicine, humanities, arts and culture and any other field considered deserving by the Board of Trustees. It was instituted, according to the then Head of State, General Olusegun Obasanjo, "to accord recognition to outstanding and original contributions to national development." The Nigerian National Merit Award is different from the National Honors and Awards, which are conferred on persons who have rendered meritorious service to the nation. The Merit Award is specifically designed to encourage Nigerians to be devoted to the search for solutions to the nation's problems in their various disciplines. The stated objective is to encourage Nigerians to concentrate their intellectual energies in academic work, which is Nigerian in content, universal in distinction and beneficial to the Nigerian society in p8rticuiar, and to humanity in general. The Merit Award is administered by a Board of Trustees appointed by the President, and is largely insulated from political interference in order to ensure that it retains its enviable position as the highest national award for intellectual and academic excellence. The Board is, however, expected to take cognizance of men and women whose out-standing intellectual and academic contributions to national development have not won international accolades. Guidelines for consideration of nominees for the award are as follows: a. The award is open to all citizens of Nigeria. b. Selection is made from a wide range of contemporary works, which are innovative, creative, essentially Nigerian in content, and of international distinction. c. The accomplishment (in Science and Technology), for which an award is to be made, should be qualitatively and quantitatively beneficial to the Nigerian society in particular, and to humanity in general. d. The work should promote Nigeria's image, culture and reputation as a nation. e. The achievement may constitute a specific breakthrough in any field, or may be of a cumulative nature. The procedure for nominating individuals for the award are as following: 1. Nominations may be made by individuals or their sponsors. 2. Each nomination should include the curriculum vitae of the nominee, and should indicate the area of activity/accomplishment and the reason(s) why the nominee is considered eligible for the award. 3. Each application/nomination should be accompanied with all relevant information and documents, which may be considered useful in the assessment of the candidate. 4. A closing date for the receipt of nominations is usually fixed and published. 5. The Committee of Assessors does not enter into any correspondence in respect of any application/nomination. The pioneer recipients of the Nigerian National Merit Award were Professor Chinua Achebe (literary giant), Professor Taslim Olawole Elias (first Nigerian Federal Attorney-General and Minister of Justice), Professor Thomas Adeoye Lambo (first Nigerian to rise to the post of Deputy Director-General of the World Health Organisation) and Dr. Abubakar Imarn, a leading obstetrician and gynecologist and former Chief Medical Officer, Kano state. Orders, decorations, and medals of Nigeria Nigerian National Honours are a set of orders and decorations conferred upon Nigerians and friends of Nigeria every year. They were instituted by the National Honors Act No. 5 of 1964, during the Nigerian First Republic, to honour Nigerians who have rendered service to the benefit of the nation. The Nigerian National Honours, in descending order of importance, are: • Grand Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (GCFR) • Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) • Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR) • Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON) • Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR) • Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) • Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR) • Member of the Order of the Niger (MON) The GCFR and GCON are customarily respectively bestowed on former occupants of the office of President of Nigeria and Vice President of Nigeria including former military heads of state of Nigeria and Chiefs of General Staff. The GCON is also customarily bestowed on the Chief Justice of Nigeria and the President of the Nigerian Senate during their first year in office, while the CON is customarily bestowed on Justices of the Supreme Court of Nigeria COMMUNIQUE of The 7th Annual Forum of Laureates of the Nigerian National Order of Merit held from 2nd to 4th December, 2014. The 7thForum of Laureates of the Nigerian National Order of Merit held on December 2nd-3rd in Merit House, Abuja. It was kindly opened by His Excellency the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, H.E Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR, ably represented by H.E. Arch. Mohammed Namadi Sambo GCON, the Vice-President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The Theme of the Forum was “The National Value System”. Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of the Catholic Diocese, Sokoto, presented the Keynote address. Laureates discussed the Theme of the Forum under the following three sub-themes: • Fundamentals of the National value system; • The National Value System and Good Governance; and • The National Value System and Corruption. In his opening remarks, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria emphasized the critical roles of intellectuals in nation building the world over and stated his expectations of no less a role for our intellectuals. He therefore identified strongly with the theme of this year’s Forum. In his keynote address, Bishop Kukahstated that there are clearly defined values which serve as a National compass and stressed the use of religion as a foundation for morality. He spoke about the need to emulate the five values of the Asian Tigers, namely: Collectivism, Conformity, Humility, Endurance/Sacrifice, Honour and Obedience to law and order. Further more the keynote address observed that although the Almajiri school system is a good initiative, it should be made more integrative in terms of patronage instead of being designed solely for Muslims. He concluded by saying that our values should address the issue of inequality, justice and ethnicity so that we can all learn to put Nigeria first before any other consideration. President Goodluck Jonathan appoints Etim Moses Essien NNMA Governing Board Chairman ABUJA (Nigerian National Merit Award Report) - President Goodluck Jonathan has approved the appointment of Etim Moses Essien (Professor) as the Chairman of the Governing Board of the Nigerian National Merit Award. The President in a statement signed by the Director of General Services in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation lately disclosed that the appointment is to complete the unexpired tenure of the late past Chairman of the Board whose sad demise occurred in August, 2014. Etim Moses Essien (Professor ), who is also a Laureate of the Nigerian National Order of Merit having bagged the prestigious NNOM award in the field of Medicine in 1997 has served humanity in different capacities as the founding member of the Association of Pathologists of Nigeria and author of over 100 scientific publications, including contributions in thirteen books. The statement described him as a renowned Professor of Haemotalogy with more than forty years of experience and work as clinical scientist at the University of Ibadan. It also indicated that he has contributed variously to the field of medicine and public health and was awarded the national honour of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR) and elected the International Scientist of the year in 2003. “He has established several medical schools in Nigeria and abroad, among which are the University of Gambia Medical School; the University of Calabar Medical College and currently serves at the University of Uyo Medical College. Other positions include: Chairman of the National Expert Advisory Committee on AIDS (1986-1989); Head of the Laboratory and Blood Transfusion Service Committee as well as the National AIDS Committee in 1989. He was a member of the International Society for Thrombosis and Haemostasis Science in 1973 and Member of the Medical Advisory Board on AIDS and the World Federation of Haemophilia in 1976 and became the 1st African Vice- President of the European and African Division of the International Society of Haematology from 1984-1988. In 1971, he was a member of the American Association for the advancement of Science and member of the WHO Expert Panel on Blood and in 1976 he earned the Fellowship of the Nigerian Medical College in Pathology and the West African College of Physicians, ascending the membership of the Royal College of Pathologists in 1981. THE NATIONAL PRODUCTIVITY MERIT AWARD The history of the National Productivity Merit Award (NPMA) is rooted in the continued search for ways and means of boosting productivity in the nation's economy. The objective of the award is to establish and institutionalize a culture of productive work ethics. The Award is intended to provoke a more positive attitude to work among Nigerians and to serve as a spice to higher productivity. Its purpose is also to widen the scope of productivity awareness in Nigeria and, thus, stimulate productivity conscious-ness, productivity re-orientation and re-awakening among the citizenry. The Award is designed to affect productivity positively at both individual and corporate levels. At the individual level, the award is intended to encourage such noble attributes as expertise in job performance, dedication, hard work, initiative, creativity, honesty, reliability, self-discipline, moral leadership, responsibility, punctuality, teamwork, contribution to the building of communities and organisations, and good human relations. At the cooperate level, the National Productivity Merit Award seeks to acknowledge organisations that are self-reliant in their adaptation and application of technology in order to guarantee for them-selves cost effective operation and productivity efficiency. Also, the award recognizes companies which show a trend for sustained increases over the years in such vital areas as local sourcing of raw materials, capacity utilization, sales turnover, profitability, employee welfare schemes and training facilities. From its inception in 1991 until the 8th edition of the award on 7 April, 1999, a total of 147 individuals and 34 organisations were conferred with the award. Laureates are entitled to use the acronym NPMA after their names. LIST OF 2014 NATIONAL HONOURS AWARD RECIPIENTS The President, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR, has approved the award of National Honours to the following Nigerians and friends of Nigeria, in various categories as listed below: 2014 NATIONAL HONOURS AWARD S/NO NAMES STATUS CLASS OF MEDAL AIR MARSHAL ALEX SABUNDU BADEH CHIEF OF DEFENCE STAFF CFR MAJ. GEN. KENNETH MINIMAH CHIEF OF ARMY STAFF CFR REAR ADMIRAL USMAN JIBRIN CHIEF OF NAVAL STAFF CFR AIR VICE MARSHAL ADESOLA AMOSU CHIEF OF AIR STAFF CFR ALHAJI SULAIMAN ABBA ACTING INSPECTOR GENERAL OF POLICE CFR HON. JUSTICE BOLARINWA O. BABALAKIN FMR. SUPREME COURT, JUDGE CFR HON. JUSTICE ABUBAKAR BASHIR WALI JUSTICE OF THE SUPREME COURT, (RTD) CFR HON. JUSTICE IBRAHIM TANKO MUHAMMAD JUSTICE OF THE SUPREME COURT CFR HON. JUSTICE CHRISTOPHER M. CHUKWUMA – ENEH JUSTICE OF THE SUPREME COURT CFR HON. JUSTICE MUHAMMAD S. MUNTAKA COOMASSIE JUSTICE OF THE SUPREME COURT CFR HON. JUSTICE JOHN AFOLABI FABIYI JUSTICE OF THE SUPREME COURT CFR HON. JUSTICE OLUFUNLOLA OYELOLA ADEKEYE JUSTICE OF THE SUPREME COURT CFR MOHAMMED SAMBO DASUKI NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER CFR BUKAR GONI AJI FORMER HEAD OF SERVICE OF THE FEDERATION CFR MR. DANLADI I. KIFASI, OON, mni HEAD OF SERVICE OF THE FEDERATION CFR AMB. AYO OKE DIRECTOR-GENERAL, NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY CFR HRM OBA DR. VICTOR ADEMEFUN A. KILADEJO TRADITIONAL RULER CFR CHIEF PHILIP C. ASIODU OUTSTANDING PUBLIC SERVANT CFR BRIG. GEN. JONES O. AROGBOFA (RTD) CHIEF OF STAFF TO THE PRESIDENT CFR HRH ALAYELUWA OBA (DR.) JIMOH OYEWUMI A. TRADITIONAL RULER CFR CHIEF KOLAWOLE BABALOLA JAMODU, OFR FORMER MINISTER/ PRESIDENT OF M.A.N. CFR CHIEF OLUDOLAPO IBUKUN AKINKUGBE ENTREPRENEUR CFR CHIEF (DR.) EMMANUEL C. IWUANYNWU BUSINESS MAN CFR JIMOH IBRAHIM FOLORUNSHO, OFR ENTREPRENEUR CFR ALHAJI IBRAHIM ADEJOH IDRIS FORMER GOVERNOR CON HON. JUSTICE OLATOKUNBO ODUYINKA OLOPADE CHIEF JUDGE, OGUN STATE CON HM OBA (DR.) FREDRICK E. OBATERU AKINRUNTAN TRADITIONAL RULER CON AMB. DAN SULEIMAN FORMER AMBASSADOR CON OLOROGUN FELIX O. IBRU BUSINESS MAN CON CHIEF OLUSEGUN OLADIPO OSUNKEYE CHAIRMAN, NESTLE PLC CON HON JUSTICE ALI UMAR ERI FORMER C.J. KOGI STATE/DG NATIONAL JUDICAL INSTITUTE CON HAMIDU GAMBARI ERUBU RETIRED CIVIL SERVANT/ PROMINET EDUCATIONIST FOR OVER 50 YEARS CON JUSTICE OBANDE FESTUS OGBUINYA JUSTICE OF THE COURT OF APPEAL CON CHIEF JOHN E. KENNETH ODIGIE OYEGUN FMR. GOVERNOR CON CHIEF TOM IKIMI POLITICIAN/FMR. MINISTER CON MALLAM IBRAHIM SHEKARAU HON. MINISTER CON PROF. CHINEDU O. NEBO, OON HON. MINISTER CON MRS. SARAH RENG OCHEKPE HON. MINISTER CON ARC. MIKE ONOLEMEMEN HON. MINISTER CON MR. LABARAN MAKU HON. MINISTER CON HAJIYA ZAINAB MAINA, MFR HON. MINISTER CON ARC. MUSA MOHAMMED SADA HON. MINISTER CON AMB. BASHIR YUGUDA HON. MINISTER CON MR. EZENWO NYESOM WIKE HON. MINISTER CON SENATOR FEMI OKUNRONMU SENATOR CON MR. OLATUNDE JOHN AYENI CHAIRMAN, SKYE BANK PLC CON ETC. CONCLUSION In Nigeria, as in the rest of the world, the 21st century, just beginning, will be a more competitive age than was ever the case in the past. With the expected revitalization of Nigeria's public institutions and the resurgence of intellectual creativity that is bound to follow the return of democracy in May 1999, it is expected that these awards will be more keenly contested in the years ahead. Accordingly, the laureates and awardees of the future may even be more highly distinguished than those of the past. And there is every reason to expect that the coming generation of honour and award recipients will exert a more salutary effect on the citizenry and inspire all Nigerians to contribute their very best not only towards the improvement of Nigeria but, indeed, towards improving the overall condition of mankind. SUMMARY Based on the presentations, the following summary were made, as follows: (i) The National value system is “a set of lasting beliefs or ideals shared by most citizens of a country about what is good or bad in that country”; (ii) There are universal values in all religions, whether traditional, Islam or Christianity and in all cultures and these are observed from the home and family, the different educational institutions; etc. (iii) The values are manifested through tradition, technology and even through crisis, while sanctions are imperative to change our values for the better; (iv) Leadership at ALL levels, beginning from the families, educational institutions, societies, governance,etc should be more proactive in shaping the behavioral outcomesof children and their followership through proper value education. (v) In this respect, the unethical practice of some academics and other professionals is a major challenge in our polity; RECOMMENDATIONS Based on these observations, the following recommendations were made. (i) That not-withstanding the identification of set values in the 1999 constitution, Nigeria should develop its own national value system. Thus, the Botswana example, “botho” which involves Democracy, Development, Self reliance and Unity could be emulated; (ii)That there should be a deliberate system for the preparation of leaders, based on agreed national value system; (iii)That the national value system should guarantee poverty eradication, universal education and universal empowerment; (iv)That the followership should demand accountability at all levels and they themselves should live by the values through voluntary compliance; (v) That sanctions for non-conformity should be honestly and faithfully applied without exception when there is a contravention of values while incentives should be adopted for upholding these values; (vi) That the Government should adopt a policy of character education as an integral part of the national transformation process, including the teaching and use of Nigerian languages and identification of men and women of excellence as role models; (vii) That the Government should encourage the policy of tolerance for other peoples’ beliefs, views and dispositions; (viii) That the Government should adopt a deliberate policy to regularly upgrade the roles of national academies and international acknowledged professional associations. REFERENCES "'National Merit Award Nomination Process Compromised',". Thisdaylive. Retrieved June 6, 2015. "Osundare honoured with Nigerian merit award". Premium Times. Retrieved June 6, 2015. "Three Professors Bag 2013 National Merit Awards". Thisdaylive. Retrieved June 6, 2015. "US University, Media Celebrate Prof. Osundare's Selection For". Sahara Reporters. Retrieved June 6, 2015.