Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Thursday conferred the 2017 National Merit Award (NMA) on a renown scholar, Professor Adesoji Adesina, and a celebrated artist, Mr. Bruce Onobrakpeya.
The awards were conferred on them at the Council Chamber of the Presidential Villa in Abuja by the Vice President on behalf of President Muhammadu Buhari, who is on a two-day official visit to Kano state.
Speaking at the event, Osinbajo commended the research and intellectual qualities of the recipients, and assured that the federal government would continue to support research innovation in the country.
He said posterity would not forgive government functionaries if they fail to provide support for research activities.
He said every winner of the National Merit Award was unique, stressing that the 2017 recipients bear awesome responsibilities.
He commended the awardees for the intellectual feat they attained, and urged them to deploy their experiences to advance the course of the society.
Responding on behalf of the recipients, Professor Adesoji Adesina thanked the federal government for recognising them with the highest government award.
Born in April 1952, Adesina obtained first class honours in Chemical Engineering in June, 1980 at the University of Lagos, and later obtained PhD in University of Waterloo in Canada in 1986. He left the University of Port Harcourt as a lecturer in 1989 for the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia and became a professor in 2004. He initiated and developed an internationally renowned group in reactor engineering and technology.
On his part, Onobrakpeya was born in August 1932 and obtained Diploma in F.A. of London University and post graduate Art Teachers’ Certificate in Zaria. He has participated in over 68 exhibitions in Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and South America with his works found in the most prestigious museums and galleries such as the Vatican Museum in Rome, Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC., the Suomi in Finland and Victory Museum in Baghdad.
His works are used to decorate notable places in Nigeria such as the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja, Lagos, among others.
