Monday 23 May 2011

THE JOURNEY SO FAR

THE FIRST EDITION

Held on the 26th of November, 2008 at the Congress Hall,
Transcorp Hilton Hotel
Federal Capital Territory
Abuja

A Glimpse at 2008
Three winners emerged at the first edition after several thorough screening processes by the panel of Judges. The panel of judges were;



Panel of Judges
• Professor HOD Longe, Dean of students, UNILAG
• Ambassador Segun Olusola (Represented by Mr. Jimi Olusola)
• Dr. Reuben Abati, Chairman, The Guardian Editorial Board
• Ms. Ben Ayede, Head, Globacom Foundation
• Ms. Funlola Adewale, MD, UBA Foundation (Former)
• Mr. Fela Durotoye, Ace Motivational Speaker
• Mrs. IEA Jonathan, Represented UNICEF

2008 WINNERS
KHALI BALA (Kano) 1st Place Winner N1,000,000.00
14yrs old Khali jumped into a burning house to save his sister at the expense of his life! He managed to save his sister, but he was not so lucky as his legs got seriously damaged as a result of the injuries he sustained!


DORCAS AYODELE (Kano)2nd Place WinnerN750,000.00
10yrs old Dorcas saved her younger brother from an uncontrollable car accident that damaged their fence risking here own life in the process!


RASAQ OMOLADE (Lagos).3rd Place Winner.N500, 000.00
15yrs old Rasaq demonstrated strong will power to succeed in the face of disability by learning shoe making at home to earn a living against all odds!

IDA- THE JOURNEY SO FAR (2008-2011)

Executive Summary
Indomie Instant Noodles is no doubt the number one noodles brand in Nigeria. With well over 70% brand preference by consumers.
In encouraging the acts of heroism in children, Indomie seeks to make a lasting impact by recognizing and celebrating the “acts of heroism” in children within the ages of 5 – 15 years.
This is in line with the brand’s values and its corporate social responsibility initiatives.
Indomie believes that in every child lies what it takes to become great, however, many brave children today live an extraordinary life without ever being recognized or celebrated.
Quate
“Believing the best in people usually brings the best out of people.”-John C. Maxwell
Premise
Bravery is a scarce quality, hence it attract accolades towards the individual that exhibits it.
The voice of bravery reverberates but only the discerning responds to its call for recognition.
The Award
The Indomie Independence Day Award for Heroes of Nigeria is a Social Responsibility Initiative that seeks to identify, recognize and celebrate acts of bravery in children while bringing home our timeless values.
Heroism, like courage, can be dramatic and obvious or more hidden from view through the development of will power and determination!
Indomie believes that in every child lies what it takes to become great, however, many brave children today live an extraordinary life without ever being recognized or celebrated.
So far, three editions have been held. The first and second editions were held at The Congress Hall, Transcorp Hilton Hotel, and The Ladi Kwali Hall, Sheraton Hotels & Towers respectively in Abuja . The third edition was held at The Marquee, Federal Palace Hotel, Lagos.
The event which had ministers, senators, members of house of rep and other notable dignitaries in attendance was applauded by many as a huge success.
Award Objectives
• To recognize and celebrate the Nigerian Child. Not only the cosmopolitan and sophisticated, but also those who live in obscurity, lack and insecurity.
• To identify, acknowledge, and encourage children who have exhibited acts of bravery and made notable sacrifices without any recognition.
• To inspire acts of heroism in youngsters.
• To re-enforce the brand’s commitment to corporate social responsibilities.
A distinct Value proposition
• The aim of the Indomie Independence Day Awards is to recognize and celebrate the Nigerian Child. Not only the cosmopolitan and sophisticated, but most especially, those who live in obscurity, lack and insecurity.
• It recognizes the sacrifices some of these children have made within the context and limitations of their social-economic status and educational backgrounds.
In summary, the award is aimed at honoring children who are extraordinary but not celebrated. Young but yet matured!
Award Criteria:
• The award is for a child who has performed a selfless act of bravery at great personal risk to save the life or property of someone else.
• It recognises the valiant efforts against social evils like drug abuse, child labour, illiteracy, environmental pollution etc.
• It will also recognise children who despite having limitations have performed far beyond the ordinary and pushed the limits of courage and performance to a new level.
• It recognizes the sacrifices some of these children have made within the context and limitations of their social-economic status and educational backgrounds.
• In summary, the awards will honour children who are extraordinary but not celebrated. Young but yet matured
Nomination Criteria:
For each award category, specific nomination criteria would be Identified and listed.
Each criterion is a product of a well thought out process that takes into cognizance our political, environmental, social and technological factors along side our cultural values and Systemic limitations.
Because of the very nature and essence of the awards, priority is placed on moral and humanitarian values as opposed to status / material contributions.
Respectability of the Selection Committee:
The selection committee will be broken into a general screening committee and a panel of judges.
Each group will be charged with a separate responsibility and outlined procedures for the effective discharge of those responsibilities.
All judges will be selected based on their service records, reputation and expressed willingness to participate in this noble gesture.
No attention will be been given to financial status or ethnic/cultural and religious origins.
Selection Criteria:
• Age: The eligibility of the children must fall within the age bracket of 5 to 15 years.
• Degree of Risk: This is to determine what was at stake during the act of heroism, not minding the danger to life or property in the bid to save life or property.
• Exceptional Courage Demonstrated: Fear is a force so powerful it can bring a positive action to a halt. Children who in the mist of enormous fear stood their grounds and pulled strings not hindered by fear.
• Leadership: A quality that not many possess (adults alike), Imbedded in these children making them situational leaders and taking the lead.
• Skills: A desire to survive amidst all life’s harsh conditions brings about the deep search for hidden talents to create a means of livelihood and developing a sense of responsibility.
Credibility of the Selection Process
To ensure credibility of the entire process, nominations will undergo screening at three different levels.
Level One:
Public announcement on the awards and a call for nominations from the public. Members of the public will be required to nominate any child that has exhibited an act of bravery and deserves to be awarded.
Level Two:
Screening of entries by the general screening committee to shortlist final nominees.
Level Three:
Screening of nominees by the panel of judges based on selection criteria and final selection of awardees.


The Award
Apart from the formal profiling and recognition at the ceremony, the award is meant to help build the self esteem of the recipients and have a positive impact in their lives.
In addition, each recipient (First, Second and Third) will get a crystal plaque of honor and a Scholarship award valued at N1,000,000.00, N750,000.00 and N500,000.00 respectively.

Indomie Kicks Off 2011 Independence Heroes Award

Lagos, Nigeria, Thursday, May 19, 2011. Dufil Prima Foods Plc, makers of Indomie Instant Noodles has announced commencement of the search for the 2011 Indomie Independence Day Award for Heroes of Nigeria which is the fourth edition of the Award.

The Indomie Independence Day Award for Heroes of Nigeria is a Corporate Social Responsibility initiative of the company which was primary set up to recognize and reward children between the a

ge of 5 and 15 who have at one time or the other performed act of bravery to save life or property of others at great personal risk to themselves or achieve remarkable feat worthy of recognition.

Speaking at the Press Conference, held at Protea Hotel, Maryland, Lagos, on Thursday, May 19, 2011, Public Relations Manager, Dufil Prima Foods Plc, Mr. Tope Ashiwaju noted that the Indomie Independence Day Award was borne out of the desire to recognize and reward brave and heroic children to serve as example to other to emulate.

Stating the objectives of the Independence Day Award for Heroes of Nigeria, Mr. Ashiwaju disclosed that the initiative was to identify, acknowledge, and encourage children who have exhibited acts of bravery and made notable sacrifices without any recognition as well as to inspire acts of heroism in youngsters

He revealed that since the inception of the Award in 2008, a total of 9 heroic children have been discovered from nooks and crannies of 30 states across the country and have been rewarded with scholarship worth N1Million ,N750,000 and N500,000.00 for the first, second and third prize winner respectively.


“As a brand with children as our primary consumers, we believe that in every child lies what it takes to become great, however, many brave children today live an extraordinary life without ever being recognized or celebrated. We have responded to the call by many, to recognize and celebrate the acts of bravery and heroism exhibited by Nigerian children. Not only the cosmopolitan and sophisticated, but also those who live in obscurity, lack and insecurity.”He posited.

While noting that the last three editions have been tremendous and received remarkable commendations from well-meaning Nigerians, Ashiwaju promised that the 2011 edition promises to be more elaborate as the company is doing everything within its power to increase level of publicity to call for nomination.

Ashiwaju then announced that the 2011 Award event will hold at the Marquee, Federal Palace Hotel, Lagos while stressing that the award scheme is national and will be a yearly event but the criteria is made such that, the act does not necessarily have to be done in the year of the award.

Also speaking at the Press conference, Mr. Tola Bademosi, the Managing Director, BD Consult, which is the Public Relations Consultant to Dufil Prima Foods declared that an Independent Research firm have been commissioned to search for true stories in 10 states to identify the new heroes while members of the public can also send in nominations.

He added that all entries will be scrutinized by a screening committee who later provides a shortlist for consideration by a panel of judges. In order to get deserving individuals for the award, an independent research organization has been commissioned to further screen and confirm the authenticity of the shortlisted entries. He said.

He said notable Nigerians have already been shortlisted as Judges for this year’s event and their names will be made known to the public at a later date.

He added that at the end of the judging process, a final selection of 3 best acts from the available entries will be adjudged based on certain criteria which includes, demonstration of exceptional courage, leadership, excellence, skills displayed, bearing in mind the degree of risk involved, the determination to conduct the act, the future goals and likely impact on society, and whether it’s an inspirational role model for other kids amongst others

Mr. Bademosi commended the Press for their diligence and support for the project from 2008 till date which he said has contributed immensely to the success of the initiative while urging them for their continued support especially by helping to identify children within the age bracket that are qualified for the award.

He announced that apart from the formal profiling and recognition at the award ceremony, each recipient (First, Second and Third) will get a crystal plaque of honor, a certificate of appreciation signed by the CEO of DUFIL in gold pen and a Scholarship award valued at N1,000,000.00, N750,000.00 and N500,000.00 respectively.

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For further Information please contact:

BOLAJI ABIMBOLA
08032501921/07086621560.
bolaji@bdconsultonline.com