Dangote bags 2nd NECA lifetime achievement award

The Chairman of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has, for the second consecutive year, been honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA).

Dangote was also accorded special recognition by the organised private sector employers in the country.

Dangote Group equally emerged top carting away the award in the ‘Resilience and Sustainable Growth’ category, while its subsidiary, Dangote Cement Plc, was named the “Best Company in the Chemical and Non-Metallic Products Sector” during the 2022 Employers Annual Excellence Award held at the Eko Hotel in Lagos.

Dangote Group also got a special plaque as one of the sponsors of the third edition of the NECA 2022 Annual Employers’ Excellence Award. The Dangote Group won an award as the best company in the Chemical and Non-Metallic Products sector in the 2021 edition.

The former Chairman of Nestle Nigeria Plc, Olusegun Osunkeye, was the second personality given special recognition and honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the event.

Speaking while presenting Dangote’s award to the Dangote team at the event, the former President of NECA, Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa, said the citation of the business tycoon which was read out to the warm applause of the participants “was only to fulfil all righteousness, as the name of Dangote looms larger than life for his exemplary works”.

He added: “I am proud that a lot of employers are here tonight. This is a great opportunity to catch up and build new networks. We need a lot of investments that would create more jobs and reduce poverty.

“If you sow sparingly, you will reap sparingly. But if you sow bountifully, you will reap bountifully. The last award (Lifetime Achievement) was to Aliko Dangote, but this one (Resilience & Sustainable Production Award) is to the Dangote Group that has shown resilience and sustainable growth for others to emulate. They are setting the trend in sustainable growth.”

In his remarks after receiving the awards, the Group Executive Director, Strategy, Portfolio Development and Capital Projects of Dangote Group, Devakumar Edwin, described NECA as an organisation that promotes leadership, good governance, innovation, productivity and corporate performance, and “therefore Mr. Dangote cherishes the award coming from a quarter like NECA”.

“NECA continues to remain a partner in progress, rewarding deserving companies for their contribution to national development. The Dangote Group will continue to contribute its quota to nation building and promote responsible business all sectors we operate,” he added.

Also speaking, the NECA President, Taiwo Adeniyi, explained that this year’s edition of the NECA award was to reward organisations that have forged on despite the challenges in Nigeria’s business environment and the economy, which he said was reflected in the event theme ‘Against All Odds’.

Other winners in various categories include Nigeria Bottling Company in the Food & Beverages Non-Alcoholic Sector; MTN in the Telecommunications and Allied Services category; TGI Group in the Agro & Agro Allied Services category; Nestle in the Food and Beverages and Workplace Innovation and Peoplecentric Creativity categories; Julius Berger in the Construction and Construction Services sector; NLNG in the Petroleum and Natural Gas sector.

Quadri Olaitan