Thabo Mbeki wins Awo Leadership Prize

Former South Africa President, Mr. Thabo Mbeki has won the 2014 edition of the Obafemi Awolowo Prize for Leadership.

It was the second edition of the Prize instituted by Obafemi Awolowo foundation organized to serve as custodian of of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s intellectual and leadership legacy.

The maiden edition of the Prize was won by the Nobel Laurette, Professor Wole Soyinka in 2013.

While unveiling Mbeki as the winner yesterday at a press conference in Lagos, former Secretary General of the Commonwealth and Chairman of the Prize Selection Committee, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, explained that the former President’s name was picked by the Technical Committee of the Foundation from amongst several nominees across the African continent.

“It gives me immense pleasure to inform you that, after an elaborate and rigorous screening process as well as very careful consideration, the Selection Committee came to the unanimous conclusion that, of all the nominees presented before it, the individual adjudged to possess the attributes for the award to the highest degree and and therefore is the recipient of the 2014 Obafemi Awolowo Prize for Leadership is Mr. Thabo Mbeki, former President of South Africa,” Anyaoku declared.

While telling the journalists present some of qualities that earned the recipient the coveted prize, Anyaouku said, “in addition to being a renowned champion of Africa’s renaissance, Mr. Thabo Mbeki has in his distinguished career to date, demonstrated many of the the core leadership qualities that have been associated with Chief Obafemi Awolowo, ,d which the Prize is meant to encourage and reward.”

Appropriate citation of Mbeki, Anyaouku disclosed, “will be given at the actual award ceremony which is scheduled to hold on March 6, 2015, Chief Awolowo’s birth anniversary.”

Some members of the Technical and Selecting Committees present at the press briefing included Professor Akin Mobogunje, Dr. Olajunmoke Yacob-Haliso, Mr. Bola Akingbade and Professor Ladipo Adamolekun.