A renowned philanthropist and founder/chief executive officer of GrossField Group, Chief (Hon.) Alex Mascot Ikwechegh, has emerged winner of the ‘Personality of the Year’ category in the 2020 Igbere TV Leadership Excellence Awards.

The Award is endorsed by the African Union Economic, Social and Cultural Council (AU-ECOSOCC), an advisory body of the African Union (AU) designed to give civil society organizations (CSOs) a voice within the AU institutions and decision-making processes.

Ikwechegh, a former executive chairman of Aba North Local Government Council in Abia State and founder of Alex Ikwechegh Foundation, beat five other nominees to emerge winner in a seven-day voting by Nigerians via online platforms.

At a brief profiling event of the awardee on Thursday November 12, in Abuja, the Abia-born philanthropist expressed gratitude to Nigerians, especially his followers, for finding him worthy of nomination and their votes.

“I thank Nigerians for finding me worthy of this great honour and deserving of this prestigious award,” he said, “this goes to show that all we have been doing at the [Alex Ikwechegh] Foundation – over the years – are being watched,” Ikwechegh added.

While pledging to continue reaching out to the less privileged in the society, using his Foundation, Hon. Alex Ikwechegh called on the ‘upper class’ to be more compassionate on the downtrodden.

He recalled the various philanthropic gestures his Foundation carried out in the past across the country, including scholarship scheme for over 200 students in Abia State, with a promise to do more.

Hon. Alex Ikwechegh, however, called on the Nigerian youths not to give up but keep doing what they believe in, while eulogizing Igbere TV and urging other media houses to emulate the popular online medium.

The prestigious Igbere TV Leadership Excellence Award, recognises and honours the outstanding impacts of leaders across several sectors and industries in Nigeria. The most anticipated 2020 Award is slated for December 10, 2020 at the Sheraton Hotels and Towers in Abuja.

This year’s event would be one of the most outstanding and credible Award ceremonies in Nigeria, as personalities in the Presidency, State Governments, National and State Assemblies, Economic Industries, Humanitarian Affairs and Human Activism are expected to grace the occasion.

Some of the awardees include, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, former Nigerian President (Foundation of the Year); Chief Innocent Chukwuma, Chairman of Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (Car Maker of the Year); Apostle Chinyere Chibuzor, General Overseer, Omega Power Ministries (Most Outstanding Humanitarian of the Year); and Chief Uche Nwosu, former Imo State governorship candidate and Chief of Staff to the Imo State Government (Hospitality Personality of the Year).

Others are: Rt. Hon. Chinedum Orji, Abia Assembly speaker (Speaker of the Year); Dr. Betta Edu, Cross River State Commissioner for Health (Medical Expert of the Year); Hon. Sir. Melie Onyejepu, General Manager of Anambra Bureau of Public Procurement (State Public Servant of the Year); and former Governor of Kano State, Sen. Rabiu Kwankwaso, Founder of Kwankwasiyya Foundation (N.G.O of the Year).

Also on the list are, Dr. Gbene Joi Nunieh, the immediate past Managing Director of NDDC (Public Servant of the Year); and Valentine Ozigbo, the immediate past President and CEO of Transcorp PLC, founder of VCO Foundation and frontline governorship aspirant in the Anambra 2021 election (Empowerment Personality of the Year).

While Dr. Alice Onyema, Vice-Chairman of Air Peace is being awarded as Aviation Personality of the Year; Hon. Princess Chinwe Nnabuife, CEO/Managing Director of Property Finders Limited, developers of Centage Estate, Lagos and Oil Spring Estate, bags Businesswoman of the Year award; with Prof. Georgewill Owunari, the former Deputy Provost, College of Health Sciences (UNIPORT) and Board member of the Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Medicine, emerging as ‘Educationist of the Year’; and Olakunle Churchill as ‘ICT Personality of the Year’, among others.

The 2019 edition of the Igbere TV Leadership Excellence Awards which held 28th November, 2019 at the Sheraton Hotels, Abuja saw distinguished and prominent captains of industry, public figures and leaders cling on to the various Award categories.

Prominent awardees included President Muhammadu Buhari, United States-based Nigerian billionaire medical doctor, Dr. Godwin Maduka; former President Goodluck Jonathan, former House of Reps Speaker, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara; minister Rotimi Amaech, Senator Rochas Okorcha, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu, among others.

According to Igbere TV, organizers of the Award event, this year’s edition which holds Dec. 10, has been tagged Africa’s biggest and most glamorous online media award. The programme will be transmitted live on DSTV, GOTV, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Zoom, Instagram and other social media platforms with over 10 million audience globally.