Vanguard Personality of the Year Award: The strain of making informed choices

2026-03-02 - 06:07

2025 looked like a year on crutches. For most parts, Nigerians had to grapple with a plethora of events – socio-political, economic and insecurity. These three major aspects of the lives of some were unmistakably, negatively impacted. The second half of the year created so much anxiety, tension and a lot of ballyhoo. The politicians, ever so delinquent, did not help matters – especially with the gale of defections (some were at once illegal while others were purely immoral) Worse, the political sphere was polluted with allegations and counter-allegations of asinine nature. Then came the threat from POTUS (President Of The United States) – Donal J. Trump – who insisted that there was Christian genocide in Nigeria. And with that, the Nigerian government, suddenly roused from its diplomatic slumber, remembered that, after two years in office, Nigerian embassies needed ambassadors. Meanwhile terror attacks continued with reckless abandon. It was into this mix that the Vanguard Board of Editors needed to perform its annual ritual of seeking out that ‘sufficiently prominent individual’ who has affected the polity or the economy or the society at large, for good or for ill. This idea was conceptualised by the editors of TIME Magazine in 1927. Mind you, in the next two years, it would be 100 years since the editors of TIME Magazine conceived the idea of MAN OF THE YEAR in 1927. Between October and November every year for over two decades, Vanguard editors make nominations, engage in a heated but decent debate about nominees and eventually vote for that ‘sufficiently prominent individual’ It was never always easy. When ablution for the rituals commenced, there were early signs that something uncanny in the air. 2025 was so bad that the editors had to (for four consecutive weeks) keep deferring the nominations and debates about the choice of PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR. The moderator/anchor of the sessions carried the tag of Chairman of the Committee, and he is saddled with the responsibility of midwifing the sessions and the process leading up to the event. As usual, there has never been superior voting rights (including the votes of the editor of the daily paper, his deputy, the general editor and other title editors) except in the event that there was a need to break a tie. This category of editors almost always tried to build a consensus around nominees but the grundnorm has always favoured majority voting rights which have always held sway. It is only in instances of a deadlock that their votes come in at another round of voting to break the tie. But they did not have to break any tie because the despotism of their tie-breaking votes could not temper the strain of coming up with that ‘sufficiently prominent individual’ deserving of the major honour in a season of drought. For the first time in a long while, the sessions lingered into December. Stringing together a composite presentation in favour of an individual(s) deserving of being nominated and selected for the different categories almost always comes with strain on the brain. Fierce but civil and decent engagements dominate the sessions without ceasing. Because concepts become forces when they resist one another, as proclaimed by the psychologist Johann Freidrich Herbart, arguments and counter-arguments, as they forcefully resisted one another during those meetings, quickly transmogrified into contending forces on the platform of the debate to choose Vanguard’s PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR. What may appear to have been a very fine case made for a personality would be simply trashed for many reasons. A nominee was roundly rejected because of what a colleague dubbed the “increasing ethnicisation of his policies”. Still, while one editor thought he had successfully built a firewall around his presentation regarding a nominee, it took less than 30 seconds for another editor to tear down the wall. And when you think a state governor or minister is deserving of an award, a counter Service of the Federation argument against such a nominee would be forcefully forged around his lowering of the bar of the essence of decorum as a standard directive principle of public office. All these in a polity of clashing socio-political and economic interests where morality has become a mortal victim. For the private sector, it was the same trend. Some nominees would have been well laundered, but, suddenly, apparitions of ugly nature about sins of the past would appear; and in some cases, it would be long locked away skeletons in their cupboards that would emerge. All these made the sessions both interesting and gruelling. In the end, the editors settled for Alhaji Sayyu Idris Dantata, Chairman, MRS, for his outstanding role in championing energy affordability in the downstream sector, as well as an unwavering commitment to meeting the energy needs of the average Nigerian and his continued contributions to improving access and affordability across the sector. Currently, MRS sells fuel cheaper than NNPC and others, thereby promoting energy affordability for Nigerians. Olubunmi Ojo, the interior minister became a joint winner because of his sustainable approach to dealing with the passport challenge that has plagued the nation for decades; and his continuing digitisation of the works of his ministry. (Read details overleaf) PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR Alhaji Sayyu Idris Dantata, Chairman, MRS Bunmi-Ojo – Minister of Interior GOOD GOVERNANCE AWARDEES Governor Uba Sani – Kaduna State *Infrastructure and peace building Governor Nasir Idris – Kebbi State *Education Governor Mai Mala Buni – Yobe State *Rural development and Agriculture Governor Bassey Otu – Cross River State *Healthcare, & infrastructure development Governor Agbu Kefas – Taraba State Governor Dauda Lawal – Zamfara State *Education, healthcare and human capital development LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD Prof. Oladapo Afolabi – Former Head of Service of the Federation Chief Samuel Adedoyin – Industrialist & Philanthropist Jim Ovia – Business Leader & Philanthropist Bruce Onobrakpeya – Renowned Artist & Sculptor Dr. Vincent Ebuh – Petroleum Engineer Chief Jim Nwobodo – Former Governor, Old Anambra State Mrs. Cecilia Ibru – Former CEO, Oceanic Bank Chief (Mrs.) Kofoworola Bucknor Akerele – Former Deputy Governor, Lagos State Engr. Vincent Maduka – Pioneer Director General, NTA Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah – Bishop, Catholic Diocese of Sokoto WOMAN ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR Mrs. Vicky Hastrup – Chairman, ENL Consortium YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR Osahon Okubor BUSINESSMAN OF THE YEAR Alfred Temile – Temile Development Company PUBLIC SECTOR ICON OF THE YEAR Festus Keyamo – Minister of Aviation INTERVENTIONIST AGENCY OF THE YEAR Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) ENERGY ICON OF THE YEAR: Ahonsi Unuigbe, Founder and Chief Executive, Petralon Energy REAL ESTATE ICON Dr. Stephen Akintayo – CEO, Gtext Holdings GRASSROOTS DEVELOPMENT ICON Chijioke Ezeugwu – Chairman, Ezeuwani Local Government AUTO ICON OF THE YEAR Oluwatobi Ajayi – Founder, Nord Motors COMPANY OF THE YEAR Renaissance INDUSTRIALIST OF THE YEAR Saliim Adegunwa – Managing Director, Rites Foods PRIVATE SECTOR ICON Mr. Solomon Ewanehi – CEO, Solewant Group MARITIME ICON OF THE YEAR Dr. Iroghama Ogbeifu – Managing Director, Starzs Investments Co. Ltd; Member, Governing Board, NIMASA INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT ICON: Archbishop Onyeka Nzekwesi CEO Pineleaf Estate and Property BLUE ECONOMY ICON: Chief Victor Wayles Egukawhore HUMANITARIAN AGENCY OF THE YEAR: National Emergency Agency (NEMA) LOGISTICS ICON OF THE YEAR Deacon Chris Iyovwaye – Managing Director/CEO, Wellmann Group WOMEN AFFAIRS ADVOCATE OF THE YEAR Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development ENERGY INNOVATION AND REFORM ICON OF THE YEAR Engineer Bashir Bayo Ojulari, GCEO/GMD, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited