Funkekeme bags Tafawa Balewa award ~ Truth Reporters

 

Immediate Past Senior Political Adviser to the Governor of Delta, Rt. Hon. Funkekeme Solomon was on Thursday honoured with the Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Award as "Garkurwa Matasa Nijeria" (Shield of Nigeria Youths). 

The award was presented to Funkekeme, a former Deputy Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly by the Northern Youths Progressive Forum at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja. 

According to the Forum's Publicity Secretary, Dr Abdulmalik Jamil, the Northern Youth Progressive Forum is a youth organization that cut across the 19 Northern states including the FCT and saddled with the responsibilities of preaching the message of peace and unity as earlier exemplified by the founding fathers of Nigeria. 

"At the Northern Youths Progressive Forum, we are desirous to see that Nigeria remains one indivisible entity. 

"Hon. Funkekeme Solomon was chosen for this year’s award in recognition of his leadership sagacity poised with enthusiasm for national development, youth empowerment, and qualitative service delivery. 

"Therefore he has been found worthy to receive the prestigious Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa award as the Garkurwa Matasa Nijeria, meaning the Shield of Nigeria Youth," Jamil stated. 

Receiving the award, Funkekeme said that the honour done him by the Northern Youths would spur him to do more in the areas of mentorship, political engineering and youth empowerment. 

“I am impressed with the recognition of our modest contributions to natiin building and I want to assure you that this award will definitely spur us to do more for our state and country. 

“The late Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Nigeria's first and only Prime Minister was a great patriot, bridge-builder and man of utmost humility. 

"He was a great role model and I call on Nigerians to sustain his legacies by imbibing the positive traits the late icon represented while on earth,” Funkekeme stated.