Posted by The Port Harcourt Telegraph on
Rivers State Governor, Dr Peter Odili says the standards that the Nigerian National Merit Award has set over the years show that the country emphasizes quality and merit as its basis for promotion.
Rivers State Governor, Dr Peter Odili says the standards that the Nigerian National Merit Award has set over the years show that the country emphasizes quality and merit as its basis for promotion.
The Governor stated this on Tuesday when he received Members of the Governing Board of Nigeria National Merit Award led by the Chairman, Professor Anya O. Anya on a courtesy call at Government House, Port Harcourt.
Dr Odili said the Board has insisted on standards that could be tested both at home and abroad, maintaining that the new Nigeria under President Olusegun Obasanjo is guided by ethics, discipline and incorruptibility.
He expressed happiness that the Board 'of Nigeria National Merit Award was keeping the country in focus, saying that members have shown themselves
as a group of intellectuals who can do things that could stand the test of time.
The State Chief Executive who noted that the activities of the Board was in synergy with the saying that "you either write what can be read, or you do what can be written about", commended the body for the thankless job they are doing for the nation and urged them not to relent.
"Some of us who are admirers of your products and who are indeed your products would continue to honour and support you in whatever way you make it possible for us to do so" Dr Odili assured, pointing out that although there was no financial reward for the services they are rendering, their reward would certainly come from somewhere.
The Governor told the team that Port Harcourt has changed tremendously since their last visit four years ago, disclosed that within the next few weeks the biggest Power Station at Omoku, would be commissioned and invited them to the ceremony.
"By the special grace of God within the next few weeks, we would have the privilege of inviting your Board to come and join us in the commissioning of our biggest power station", Dr Odili stated, emphasizing that the station would end the problem of Power failure and unstable Power supply to the state as well as generate electricity to sell to our neighbours.
Earlier, the leader of the delegation and Chairman, Governing Board of Nigeria National Merit Award, Professor Anya O. Anya, had described Dr Odili as a consistent, persistent and visionary leader hailed him for accomplishing most of the things he set out to do four years ago.
Professor Anya said what he and others outside had observed about Governor Odili, is that the Governor had met the immediate needs of his people in areas such as Education, Healthcare and Power generation, and has equally laid the foundation for the future industrialization of the state.
Empowering the two Universities here is also another living testimony of your commitment and recognition that at the end of the day it is human capital that drives development, and you must create a human capacity for that development, Professor Anya stressed.
He described the Nigerian National Merit Award instituted in 1979 as the Nigerian equilibrium of the Nobel Prize, in which the Nigerian state recognizes its best achievers disclosing that Rivers Indigenes have been among the best intellectuals produced by the body.