Mr. Godwin Emefiele, Nigeria’s Central Bank Governor says he has dedicated the 2017 Silverbird Special Achievement Award conferred on him by the Silverbird Group to all the staff of the CBN.

While receiving the award at a grand ceremony held at the Eko Hotels & Suites, Lagos, Mr. Emefiele, accompanied by the Deputy Governor, Financial System Stability (FSS), Dr. Okwu Joseph Nnanna and other top staff of the Bank, attributed the successes recorded by the Bank to the staff of the Bank who he said toiled and worked very hard in spite of the challenges facing the country.

Emefiele thanked the Board and Management of the Silverbird Group for considering him for the award, which he said would further spur the CBN to work even harder for the benefit of Nigeria and Nigerians.

Senator Godswill Akpabio,  the Minority Leader of the Nigerian Senate presented the award to him, he described Mr. Emefiele as a humble silent achiever who had done his best to maintain the global integrity of the Central Bank and to make the Naira stable.

Mr. Akpabio, during his speech disclosed that the senate had passed a bill to domicile the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) in the CBN, in line with global practices.

Other Awardees at the ceremony on the night included the Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, who was awarded the Silverbird Man of the Year; the First Lady, Aisha Buhari, who received the Silverbird Personality of the Year Award; the Deputy President of the Senate, Sen. Ike Ekweremadu, who received the Legislative Award alongside the Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila of the House of Representatives; and the Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Babatunde Fowler, who was awarded the Public Servant of the Year Award. Dr. Ola Orekurin-Brown received the first Extraordinary Business Achievement Award for pioneering air ambulance services in Nigeria and other countries across Africa; Leo Stan Ekeh, Deji Alli, Biodun Shobanjo, Alhaji Samad Rabiu, Chief Abba Folawiyo, Stella Chinyelu Okoli, Dame Maiden Ibru and Senator Daisy Danjuma.

Late Dr. Olusola Abubakar Saraki, Dim Odumegwu Ojukwu and Chief Moshood Abiola all received post-humous awards for their respective contributions to the Nigerian project.