Tag: Award

The Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) and Head of Transparency International (TI) Nigeria, Auwal Ibrahim Musa Rafsanjani, has received the Transparency International Amalia Award for Individual Professional Excellence, one of the organisation’s highest honours, recognising outstanding leadership, expertise, and commitment to the global fight against corruption.

The award was presented during the Transparency International Movement Awards Ceremony, marking the conclusion of the TI Summit 2026, held from 29 June to 1 July.

The statement was made available on Tuesday morning in Abuja.

Named after the late Amalia Kostanyan, former Chair of Transparency International Armenia, the Amalia Award celebrates exceptional contributions by individuals and chapters across the Transparency International Movement.

The Professional Excellence category recognises outstanding leadership, innovation, and dedication to advancing transparency, accountability, and anti-corruption efforts.

Rafsanjani was honoured for his sustained leadership in promoting transparency, accountability, democratic governance, and anti-corruption reforms in Nigeria and beyond.

Under his leadership, CISLAC has strengthened evidence-based policy advocacy, public accountability, fiscal transparency, electoral integrity, and regional collaboration, contributing significantly to Nigeria’s anti-corruption landscape and the broader Transparency International movement.

Speaking during the presentation, Chair of Transparency International, François Valérian, commended Rafsanjani for his unwavering commitment to the fight against corruption and his outstanding leadership of Transparency International Nigeria.

He noted that under Rafsanjani’s stewardship, TI Nigeria has become a more visible and influential voice within the global Transparency International movement, consistently contributing to international conferences, policy discussions, and collective anti-corruption initiatives.

Valérian said Rafsanjani has strengthened the chapter’s reputation through impactful advocacy, resilience, and principled leadership, describing his efforts to advance transparency and accountability in Nigeria and across Africa as exemplary and worthy of global recognition.

Reacting to the recognition, Rafsanjani described the award as a testament to the collective efforts of the CISLAC team, its partners, and anti-corruption advocates.

He reaffirmed his commitment to advancing democratic governance, institutional reforms, and accountability across Nigeria, Africa, and the wider global community.

The recognition underscores CISLAC’s growing influence within the global Transparency International movement and reinforces its commitment to promoting good governance, strengthening democratic institutions, and fostering accountability.

By Danladi Ahmed

Benin-City  (FLOWERBUDNEWS:)   Award-winning Nigerian playwright Majekodunmi Oseriemen Ebhohon has presented an honourary copy of his celebrated play, The Great Delusion, alongside his award plaque, to renowned sociologist Professor K. U. Omoyibo at the University of Benin.

The presentation, which took place in Benin City on May 18, 2026, marks a full-circle moment for the masterpiece, which won the prestigious 2025 Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) Prize for Drama.

Prof. K.U. Omoyibo, a Professor of Sociology, has been a foundational pillar for the project since its early manuscript stages, providing critical intellectual guidance that helped shape the final book.

Beyond a celebration of the literary prize, the meeting sparked a profound dialogue on the decolonization of African minds, epistemologies, and institutional structures inherited from colonial frameworks.

Prof. Omoyibo lauded the play, noting that its core thematic structures are both timely and historically necessary conversations for students, young Africans, the African diaspora, and continental societies at large. He further pledged his renewed commitment to expanding the book’s reach across global cultural and academic spaces.

“Moments such as these emphasize that no meaningful intellectual labour is built in isolation,” Ebhohon stated following the visit. “As young writers, we stand firmly on the shoulders of mentors, scholars, and those rare individuals who believe in disruptive ideas long before the world recognizes their significance.”

The playwright also extended special appreciation to his lifelong collaborators, A. S. Afereno and Miracle Boniface (popularly known as DVoice), for their active role and sacrifices towards solidifying the theories of Episteresurrecism, Afrocession, and Inversionism, which form the intellectual bedrock of The Great Delusion.

The Great Delusion has rapidly emerged as an iconic work in contemporary African literature. Following its selection and official feature at the Lagos Book and Arts Festival (LABAF), the play has been hosted at the Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan, and was recently adopted for study at the Department of English and Literature at the University of Benin.

The play dramatizes what happens to a white supremacist world when Black inventors, builders, and thinkers collectively withdraw their labour. The resulting “Afrocession” causes hospitals, infrastructure, and empires to instantaneously collapse.

Eminent scholar of Folklore, Professor G.G. Darah, described the play as “a major contribution to the literature of diaspora civilization” and a triumph of epic theatre.

Similarly, writing the book’s foreword, Dr. Vibert Issa White, a Professor of History at the University of Central Florida, hailed The Great Delusion as an “intellectual resurrection”. White noted that the work “drags into the light the unsung Black inventors whose genius shaped the ancient and modern worlds, forcing the audience to confront why their names were ever forgotten.”

With strong backing from academic giants and a dedicated team, Ebhohon is eager for the future. Reflecting on Prof. Omoyibo’s parting words, the playwright noted, “There is still more work to be done. The rest of the team and I are ready.”

About Flowerbudnews
Established by Hon.  Biola Lawal, a former Acting Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), FLOWERBUDNEWS is a consortium of active veteran journalists, experienced Multimedia broadcast experts and image makers.

We are drawn from both public and private  sectors of Nigeria’s media Industry with a common  determination to enhance the practice of responsible journalism..

Lawal, on his part, is also a former Honourable Commissioner for Information,Youth, Sports and Culture of Osun state, his home state.

Biola Lawal had also successfully served two tenures as Press Secretary to the ECOMOG Force Commander in Liberia during the Liberian and Sierra Leone Civil wars. He was an outstanding NAN Defence and War Correspondent for many years.

The retired NAN Acting Boss holds the honour of being the only journalist that served two terms on the ECOMOG international assignment due to his high professionalism and decency.

He is a Co-Author of the book; ECOMOG, A BOLD ATTEMPT AT REGIONAL PEACEKEEPING! Edited Mrs Magaret Voght.  The book remains the most. factual, detailed and authentic book on the ECOWAS sponsored ECOMOG Military operation.

*By Paul Ejime

Chidi Anselm Odinkalu, a Nigerian lawyer, human rights activist and professor of international law, has clinched the 2026 Paddock Award at the U.S. Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, a leading institution for international relations and global affairs.

Established in 1993 in memory of Professor James L. Paddock, the Award “recognizes exceptional teaching, deep subject mastery, and sustained commitment to students.”

Odinkalu’s selection followed student nominations and was endorsed by the Student Council, reflecting direct classroom impact and influence on the intellectual and personal development of students.

A former chairman of Nigeria’s National Human Rights Commission, Odinkalu,  recently served as the senior team manager for the Africa Programme of Open Society Justice Initiative, and is the current Pro-Chancellor/Chairman of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University,  in Nigeria’s Anambra State.

He has worked as an advisor to the Ford Foundation, New York, the World Bank, the African Union, the International Council for Human Rights Policy, Geneva, and in similar high-profile positions.

In August 2021, the Fletcher School appointed him a Professor in Human Rights Law.

A 1987 law graduate of Imo State University, Odinkalu was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1988. He obtained a master’s degree in law at the University of Lagos in 1990 and holds a PhD in law from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

He has been leading a sustained advocacy for the reform of the judiciary in Nigeria and across Africa, through his tireless public engagements, seeking to bring lived experience into academic discourse, and to bridge the gap between theory and reality.

Odinkalu is lauded by colleagues as a rounded scholar “who does not only teach law and policy but challenges assumptions, confronts uncomfortable truths, and equips students to engage critically with global justice systems.”

Future diplomats, policymakers, and global leaders are trained at Fletcher, with an extended impact beyond the classroom, for greater understanding of justice, power, and responsibility.

The Fletcher School in Medford, Massachusetts, is America’s oldest graduate school for international relations and global affairs.

*Paul Ejime is a Global Affairs Analyst & Consultant on Strategic Governance Communication and Security*

By Flowerbudnews
The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has issued Mandatory Conformity Assessment Programme (MANCAP) Certification
for excellence to 54 companies’ brands within Enugu State.

Presenting the MANCAP certificates in Enugu on Friday, the Director-General of SON, Dr Ifeanyi Okeke, reaffirmed the Agency’s commitment to enable more companies, especially Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to attain MANCAP Certification to meet global standards.

Okeke, represented by Head of South-East Regional Operations of SON, Mr Chukwuma Aharanwa, noted that SON had put in place policies and initiatives to ensure quality and value addition for sustenance of consumers’ interest in Nigerian products and services worldwide.

The Director-General said, “Some of these policies and initiatives are seen in the services SON provides to MSMEs, which included: subsidised sale of standards to MSMEs, subsidised certification charges and subsidised laboratory testing charges.

“SONCAP-Import Permit at subsidised service charge to support the importation of raw materials and equipment; inclusion in all technical committees on standards elaboration and recommendation of MSMEs with certified products for financing, Standards Organisation of Nigeria Product Identification Scheme (SONPIS).”

Okeke explained that following issuance of the MANCAP Certificates, SON would undertake periodic factory inspections, sampling and laboratory testing to ensure that products certified continue to meet requirements of relevant standards that had earned your establishments’ brands these certifications.

“The product are to be revalidated every three years, and it is of utmost importance that you note that the certificates issued today shall be withdrawn or suspended if the products fail to meet the minimum requirements,” he cautioned.

Okeke congratulated recipients, while urging manufacturers, importers and Exporters to take advantage of the services SON offer to better their businesses as the organisation would not hesitate to sanction any person or group of persons found sabotaging its efforts.

In an address, the Enugu State Coordinator of SON, Engr. Peter Ameh, presented key innovations implemented since the previous audit, adding that these included the adoption of the Electronic Demand and Electronic Receipt (EDER) platform.

“Deployment of the Electronic MANCAP (E-MANCAP), redesign of the MANCAP logo, introduction of the SON Ogbete Market Desk, launch of the SON Product Identification Scheme (SONPIS), acquisition of water test kits, installation of block testing machines, and digitalisation of documentation.”

(Presentation of 3 Certificates to Geek Thrill & Bakeries Ltd)

In a goodwill message, the Director General of Enugu Chambers of Commerce, Mr Uche Mba, urged the companies to thrive harder in quality so as to compete globally, assuring that the chamber would always support SON whenever called upon to do so.

Responding, Chief Executive Officer of Occad International Ltd, Chief Cletus Obute, who spoke on behalf of the MANCAP Certificate recipients, appreciated SON for supporting and guiding them towards MANCAP Certification, assuring that they would alway abide by requirements of standards.