People’s Choice Awards Poised to Celebrate Outstanding Nigerian Women
Stories by Mary Nnah
Starting from November 11 to 17, the Society for Performing Arts of Nigeria (SPAN), will be kicking off its 2019/2020 season with a weeklong showcase of music and dance workshops and performances where it will be celebrating the successes of the people it has impacted on over the years.
This season’s theme, “Your Success Is My Victory”, SPAN Chairperson, Mrs. Sarah Boulos, said, “Is inspired by how victorious we feel whenever we see the success stories of the people we have impacted through our academies, workshops, performances, productions, collaborations, partnerships, sponsorships and community outreach.”
“We are fulfilled every time we are able to educate and empower the youth in our society. This season, we have set out to inspire the victorious among us, those who helped others succeed. Our message projects with showcasing different sides to the story of victory and success, and how this can drive a sense of togetherness, growth and unity”, Boulos said of the theme.
The events for this season will take place at the Lagoon Restaurant, Ozumba Mbadiwe, Victoria Island while the workshops will hold at the SPAN Community
Centre, Lagos Island.
SPAN is also excited to share the stage with the Nigeria Afrolatin Festival, which will present the West African Afro Latin Festival live during this period.
SPAN, through its founder, Mrs. Sarah Boulos, has helped artistes of diverse ages and fields to realise their dreams. Over years, SPAN has acquired considerable expertise in the performing arts through the presentation of several shows, empowering more than 500 artists and over 10,000 children in its community.
One of such is Emmanuel Ugochukwu, who through the expertise acquired at SPAN recently got himself a scholarship for a three-year course in Prague ,
Czech Republic.
In a like manner, a student of SPAN Academy of Jazz and Contemporary Music, Joseph Emmanuel Chidiebere also got a full time scholarship to the Idaho State University in America to continue his study as a top drummer, with endorsement deals for drums, cymbals and sticks.
When Joseph walked into the academy to enrol for a one year course, his mind-set, skill set and orientation was worked on. After the one year course he graduated top flight. The academy has always been about excellence in pedagogy and musicianship.
Speaking on the rationale behind this season’s theme, “Your Success Is My Victory”, Boulos further said, “I have realised that some of the barrier to our individual victory does not necessarily mean our direct effort at something, but the effort at ensuring the other person succeeds. Victory should now be attributed to more than just our wins but also helping the other person win and our winning together.”
In addition to this, she said, “Focusing on helping someone succeed, can also assure your victory, and poverty alleviation will be one of our emphases, using empowerment community programmes and performing arts as a tool, starting from November 11, 2019.”
“Genuine role models are not only plentiful in history books, they are found as well in our villages, cities and neighborhoods”, said Rufus Oba, Chief Executive Officer of Inikkio Nigeria Limited, organisers of the Peoples’ Choice Awards.
He explained therefore that the Peoples’ Choice Awards, scheduled to hold sometime next year, is a people-oriented merit award for excellence via teletext to nominate and vote for that selfless, patient, resilient, compassionate, loving, generous and courageous woman who has impacted lives not only in her household and family but has touched lives nationally by her office, position and influence contributing greatly to improving and developing our society in all fields of human endeavours.
The award, Oba said, would hold on April 30, 2020, but voting which will involve the participation of all Nigerians, will commence from the January 10 to February 28, 2020.
He revealed further that his book, titled, Choose to Lead – Outstanding Women Nigeria”, which is about women who have impacted and influenced the society positively, would be launched alongside on the award day.
While soliciting for partners and sponsors to come on board in order to make it a most memorable event, he added, “we all come into this world through a woman; we all have sisters, girlfriends and wives who give us joy and satisfaction. Join us and be a part of history in this epoch making event”.
While stressing that these women could come from any filed of endavour, be it banking, politics, arts sports, and so on, Oba said, “It’s about that special person who is dedicated and resourceful, a shoulder to cry on and reservoir of hope and inspiration but in all the characteristics that combine to make her a mother and a woman so special, perhaps the greatest of all is her innate capacity, to give of herself not hesitating to sacrifice to make life better for her family and others who need to be uplifted, a nation builder”.
Describing it as the most outstanding women awards, Oba noted further that the award is Nigeria’s premier genderfocused and empowering merit award to recognise, encourage and celebrate women who truly deserve the honour.
“These are women who laid down their lives to fight injustice and draconian system, some against all odds, torture, rape and hell like poverty raised children and families whom you cannot ignore today in Nigeria because of their great influence and huge empowerment to society.
“Some of them went extra mile imparting knowledge to thousands every day of their lives passionately, some of these women are dead but we stand on their shoulders and contribution to be where we are today”, he added.
He further said, “This will be about the greatest gathering ever of the most influential and most impactful women as we look back to 1914-2019 to celebrating these great women who truly improved lives in our society.”
The objectives of the awards he said are to motivate women especially to maintain a high sense of self- worth and take more active roles in the economy and social affairs.
The awards among other things will inspire people to serve and give back to improve their society; encourage people to succeed in whatever they have a passion for; promote excellence, hard work and determination; give hope to people and make them believe in themselves as well as encourage, emulating their goods lives as role models.
Speaking further, Oba said, “In all creations there is nothing as beautiful as a woman, she is a nurturer and a confidante, a leader and a queen, imagine a world without woman, men would probably still be in caves with unkempt beard and hair eating raw meats.
“Why do we have to celebrate men every year with “Man of the year” and forget women whom this country rest on. After all they gave birth to the men, is that alone not a good enough reason to honour them?”