The Nigerian Association of Christian Journalists (NACJ) has declared Alhaji Dr Adebola Adegunwa, winner of the Prestigious, “MOST OUTSTANDING INTEGRITY BUSINESS MAN OF THE YEAR, 2025. The award was formally conferred on him by the Association on Wednesday, July 2rd at his Head Office , ADEBOLA HOUSE, OPEBI IKEJA, LAGOS, NIGERIA.
Presenting the Award, the national president of the association, Dr Charles Okhai, explained the the process of nomination and eventually picking the Award winner. According to him the process of picking the Award winner is very strict and meticulous. First , the National Executive Members Nomination Exercise is constituted to produce a list of nominees in all categories of award. Then, the list is short listed after a thorough scrutiny of the nominees to produce the three most deserving candidates. And finally, the list is further scrutinized by the National Executive Council of the Association to pick the most deserving candidate who eventually emerges the winner.
Dr Charles therefore Congratulated Alhaji Dr Adebola Adegunwa, for clinching the highly coveted Award of the year 2025. He emphasized Integrity and Accountability which form the high moral ideal for which the Award is given, and contended that the Association is proud of to honor the recipient with the prestigious Award because he is well qualified for the honor.
According to Dr Okhai, ” It is also of paramount importance to state that the Award is not just like other Awards, this one is specifically designed to sensitize leaders across the board to embrace the spirit of Integrity, accountability, and Patriotism.
He further contended that no nation can attain meaningful progress without mentally integrity conscious leadership. According to Dr Okhai, the developmental progress of a nation is intrinsically connected to the level of Integrity and Patriotism of the leadership. This underscores why we took it upon ourselves to run this crusade of getting our leaders to embrace the principles of Integrity and Patriotism.
Alhaji ADEGUNWA was chosen over the other nominees due to his unwavering commitment to the principles of Integrity and Patriotism. His Transformational Leadership impact is undoubtedly very impressive and commendable, hence, the Award.
Alhaji Dr Sulaiman Adebola Adegunwa -OFR is a prominent Nigerian business man. He is the founder and Chairman of ESSAY HOLDINGS LTD, the parent company of RITE FOODS LIMITED. He serves on the board of directors of THAI FARM INTERNATIONAL LIMITED, a cassava Production and processing Company. He also established the famous, SULAIMON COLLEGE OF EDUCATION, Osasa Ogun State.
He is known for his philanthropic gestures. Dr Adebola is the Asiwaju of Ijebu- Land, which indicates his prominent role in his community. He previously served as the Chairman of STERLING BANK PLC. He has made immense contributions to Industry, Community development, and nation building.
The Award was received on his behalf by his corporate Affairs team led by the Head, Corporate Affairs, and Sustainability, Mr Ekuma Ibe Eze. He appreciated the Association for doing a good job. He said that the award is a loudable idea. He pointed out the Integrity is at number one spot of the core values of their organization.
