By Dauda R Pam MAIDUGURI
GOVERNOR Babagana Umara Zulum of BORNO state, has clinched the Blue Print Newspaper highest award as Nigeria’s “Person of the Year” 2020.
This was contained in an electronic message, broadcast in the social media by the Special Adviser, Media and Strategy, Mal. Isa Umar Gusau, stressing that, this category was the newspapers’ highest routinized awards from a combination of leaders in the private and public sectors in Nigeria.
According to him, GOVERNOR Zulum was presented the award at a well attended 10th anniversary event of Blueprint Newspapers, held at Transcorp Hilton Hotel Abuja, in which high profile personalities were in attendance.
Chief of staff to the government house maiduguri, Prof.Isa Hussaini Marte, represented Governor Zulum at the occasion in Abuja.
The Senate President, Senator Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan, led other senators at the occasion while the traditional rulers were led by Etsu Nupe, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, amidst high ranking Government officials and top executives from the media industry.
Also former President Goodluck Jonathan was honoured with a special award as icon of democracy, while some Governors were honoured for their efforts on specific areas.
Thursday’s award was coming few weeks after Governor Zulum was awarded by the Nigerian Labour Congress in recognition of his policies and programmes that support workers and pensioners in Borno State, part of which is his consistency on payment of salaries and unprecedented release of over N15 billion so far, to clear backlog of pensions.
In April, 2021, Zulum had also won University of Ibadan’s alumni of the year award, making him one of the few recipients of that award since 1973. He had also won the University of Ibadan’s most distinguished alumni award.
Since 2019, Governor Zulum has previously won other awards which included NUJ’s most promising first term Governor, 2019; Muslim personality of the year, 2019; Tell Magazine’s Governor of the year, 2020; Vanguard Newspapers’ personality of the year, 2020; Leadership Newspapers’ personality of the year 2020; Zik prize for leadership, 2020; Silverbird’s special award, 2020; Igbere TV’s Governor of the year, 2020; Community Development Pillar Award, 2020 and Business Day Newspapers’ Governor of the year, 2021.
