Hundreds of Nigerians gathered for the first ever Uncelebrated Nigerians Awards UK gala dinner which took place on September 24 at the Mayfair Banqueting Suite in Chadwell Heath where 56 individuals who had distinguished themselves in the UK diaspora community were honoured.
At the first such event of its kind, Nigerians resident in the UK who had never been honoured before were presented with plaques and certificates in recognition of their contribution to society. Among the dignitaries who attended included the Worshipful Mayor of Redbridge, Councillor Gurdial Bhamra; Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, the senior special assistant on diaspora affairs to President Muhammadu Buhari and Mrs Olufolake Abdulrasaq, the head of the consular, education and welfare section at the Nigerian high commission and Chief Adebayo Oladimeji, the chairman of the Nigerian Council of Elders.”
Ayo Akinfe, the coordinator of the organising committee said: “Our awards ceremony proved to be a great event with 56 awardees handed honours in recognition of their contribution to the Nigerian diaspora community in the UK. We were delighted to see that all our guests had a great time and enjoyed a pleasant evening that included entertainment, Nigerian cuisine and comedy.
“As a committee, we would like to congratulate all our awardees and wish them well in all their future endeavours. There are so many people we owe our gratitude to including our entertainers, volunteers, staff at Mayfair Banqueting Suite, members of the public, esteemed guests, community leaders, etc.”
Malcolm Benson, the chairman of the publicity sub-committee, added: “We would like to say a big thank you to everyone and congratulate our 56 awardees. They were the heroes and heroines of the night, while we the committee members were just the facilitators.”
Dayo Olomu, the chair of the events management sub-committee, added: “Organising this event was a huge challenge but we were determined that it must be a success. We are delighted that we pulled it off and now have to consider whether we want to make this an annual event.”
Awardees were presented with certificates that were counter-signed by the acting high commissioner Mr Adah Simon Ogah and Jeremy Lefroy MP of the International Development Committee.
