Chairman, GFIIA
The Board of the Annual Gani Fawehinmi Impact and Integrity Awards (GFIIA) has officially launched the 2021 edition and is calling on members of the public to nominate worthy individuals for various categories of the Awards.
The Award is in four different categories namely: Outstanding Integrity Award; Outstanding Impact Award; Valuable Whistleblower Award; and Nigerians in Diaspora Integrity Ambassador Award.
The Board of the Award is chaired by Prof. Itse Sagay and Co-Chaired by Prof. Ayo Atsenua. Other eminent members of the board include Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), Prof. Nsogorua Udombana, Mr Olanrewaju Suraju, Dr Abiola Akiode-Afolabi, Comrade Achike Achude, and Comrade Femi Aborisade.
According to the statement issued by Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA), this year’s edition of the GFIIA officially kicked off on July 12, 2021, with an open call for nomination of candidates which will last for eight weeks and close on September 6. This will be followed by a two-week activity including collation of nominations, shortlisting of candidates, and briefing of the Board as well as feedback from the Board which will be concluded on October 4.
Going further, the statement disclosed that from October 4 to November 8, 2021, members of the public will have the opportunity to vote for the shortlisted candidates and following the conclusion on voting, the Awards will be publicly presented on December 10, 2021 to the candidates with the highest votes in each category.
According to Mr Olanrewaju Suraju, Chairman of HEDA Resource Centre, to ensure integrity and credibility of the process, HEDA has engaged iNERD360, a leading IT and polling agency in Lagos, to manage the nomination, voting, and social media engagement for the Award.
He therefore, urged Nigerians, both home and abroad to be part of this alternative way to fighting corruption.
The overall objective of the Awards, according to the organisers, is to take the fight against corruption beyond the usual naming and shaming and to step outside the box by ensuring that those who notwithstanding the attractiveness of corruption, bribery and other forms of sharp practices have taken to a life of transparency, honesty, and integrity are identified, duly recognized and honored, as a form of inspiration for a greater number of people to follow.
To make nominations, please go to http://gfa.hedang.org. The Awards is being organized by HEDA, with the support of MacArthur Foundation.
