The Ilorin Emirate Descendants' Progressive Union (IEDPU), Yola Branch has advised awardees of National Honors from the Emirate to justify the award by redirecting the selves to national service.

The union which felicitate with the awardees, including a chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Kawu Baraje, Ambassador Nimota Akanbi and other emirate indigenes, said the honor was not only to the honorees, but the entire emirate and Kwara state in general.

This was contained in a statement signed by the chairman of the union, Yola branch, Mallam Nasiru Sulaiman and made available to National Pilot on Sunday.

It would be recalled that Baraje, Akanbi, a Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Deputy Governor, Mrs. Sarah Alade, a former Managing Director of old Intercontinental Bank, Alhaji Mahmoud Olayiwola Alabi and Alhaja Muslimat Kamaludeen, were among the 149 eminent Nigerians conferred with the national merit awards in Abuja last week.

The union, however, congratulated them and admonished them to live up to the responsibilities placed on them by the honors by continually giving their best in the service of the nation and humanity.

"This honor could not have come at a better time than now when the nation is in dire need of men and women of integrity, selflessness, and kindness to assist in the onerous task of nation building. We feel proud and gratified that our sons and daughters have been so duly recognized to be deserving of these prestigious honors.

"We considered these honors on illustrious sons and daughters of emirate as a confirmation of the popularity of emirate and exemplary conduct of these golden sons and daughters of the soil and their immeasurable contributions to their immediate and outside community", the statement said.

While reiterating the need for the awardees not to relax in their service to the nation, it urged other indigenes of the emirate to imbibe exemplary virtues, inculcate good moral behaviors and conducts that could earn them the award in future.

"The fact that Ilorin and indeed the state has always featured annually in the national awards is a testimony to the quality of our people who have always set good examples and excelled in their various fields of endeavor", the union added, while congratulating the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Zulu Gambari for the achievements.

Culled from National Pilot Newspaper