Joshua Agboola, Elijah Daniel Emenka, and Favour Sunday won the Intellectual, Physical, and Social Bravery categories of the award respectively
Dufil Prima Foods, makers of Indomie Instant Noodles, in continuation of its renowned Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative for children, has rewarded three more heroes as winners of the 2021 Indomie Independence Day Awards (IIDA).
IIDA is a corporate social responsibility initiative from the stable of Dufil Prima Foods, the maker of Indomie Instant Noodles. The award, which began in 2008, is geared towards recognizing and celebrating children below the age of 15 who have exhibited extraordinary acts of heroism in the face of danger or societal challenges. The IIDA initiative has so far benefited 42 Nigerian children who have shown exemplary character and bravery.
During this year’s award, which took place in Lagos, Joshua Agboola, Elijah Daniel Emenka, and Favour Sunday won the Intellectual, Physical, and Social Bravery categories of the award respectively. They went home with multi-million naira scholarships.
In his welcome address, Chief Executive Officer of Dufil Prima Foods, Adhi Narto said, “IIDA reflects the importance and belief of our company in the extraordinary qualities of the Nigerian child, which must never be ignored, but rather, celebrated and rewarded. This is in consonance with our core values and deep-rooted belief that in every child lies the seed of greatness. A belief that the child heroes we are celebrating have reinforced once again having pushed the limits of courage and performance to a new level.”
Adhi said: “As a brand, we at Indomie feel we need to celebrate our unsung heroes- Nigerian children, who are doing an extraordinary job, without being celebrated. This year, we received hundreds of entries and when we go through those entries, we were amazed to see the kind of work Nigerian children are doing. They are doing something brave that even 40-year-old people would think twice before they do them. We salute those children.”
In his keynote address, Honourable Dayo Israel, Executive Permanent Board Member, Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board while relaying his educational experience, commended Dufil Prima Foods for the IIDA initiative and emphasized the need for every Nigerian child to be empowered through quality and scientific-oriented education
“I want to thank Dufil Prima Foods for the wonderful work she is doing in Nigeria. IIDA is the biggest and most inspiring program for children in Nigeria. It is commendable for an organization like Dufil Prima Foods to have stayed consistent to doing social responsibility program the way she has been doing it, by making a substantial contribution to the growth and development of Nigerian children, without necessarily getting something in return.”
Daniel, 11 years old from Akwa Ibom and whose story of heroism evoked emotions from the IIDA audience, was adjudged the winner of the Physical Bravery category for saving their sister causing harm to himself. He saw his sister gasping for breath from an asthmatic attack. He ran to get her inhaler and broke through the louvers in his haste which poked his eye leaving him partially blind in his left eye.
Favour Sunday, 14 years old from Lagos understands that education has the power to transform societies in a single generation, and if children in her community have access to early childhood education, this could be the solid educational foundation to build on, irrespective of their background or community. She decides within herself to positively transform lives in her community by dedicating her time and passion for teaching to educate children in her community. She won the Social Bravery category
Joshua Agboola 12-year-old from Lagos won the Intellectual Bravery category as a Programmer, Future Skills Activist, YouTuber, and speaker on technology topics who started coding at the age of 6 and has built capacity in the use of HTML, CSS, Javascript, Jquery, Bootstrap, Java, Python, C++, C#, PHP, Laravel, Love 2D and Unity.
Receiving the award, Favour Sunday, who was overwhelmed by emotions, said: “I feel extremely happy and very proud of this award. I thank Dufil Prima Foods for finding me worthy for this award. This award has encouraged me to continue on the path of academics,” she said.
Other awards of the night were honourary awards for Olajumoke Matilda Otitoloju popularly called ‘Iyaniwura’ (mother is gold) for her welfare services as an advocate for the rights of children including children with disabilities and community development through her Iyaniwura Children Care Foundation.
Frontline workers, Dr. Iorhen Akase, a Consultant of Infectious Disease Hospital and Head of the Infectious Diseases Unit in the Department of Medicine, and the Isolation Ward of LUTH, Idi-Araba, Lagos and, Registered Nurse, Awolumate Rachel Olayinka with Lagos University Teaching Hospital, in the Infectious Disease Unit for their contribution towards the fight against the spread of Covid-19 in Nigeria.
Legendary artist, Nigerian rapper, singer, songwriter, actor, comedian, recording artist, and businessman, Late Olanrewaju Fasasi was also awarded.
NEWS: Alleged N5bn fraud: Former aviation minister, Sen. Stella Oduah for arraignment November 22
