By Anthony Adgidzi

National Association of Nigeria Students (NANS) has awarded Alhaji Yakubu A. Umbugadu, permanent member II, Nasarawa State local government pension board the Best Community Developer (BCD) in the North Central Zone.

The ceremony which took place at the youth centre in Nasarawa Eggon Local Government Area of the state penultimate Saturday was well attended by well wishers within the state.

Highlights of the occasion were the award presentation and performance by the Anzalu dancers of Nasarawa Eggon.

Earlier in his address, the national president, NANS, Comrade Bashir O. Maru said, the award was in recognition of Alhaji Yakubu Umbugadu’s unrelenting zeal for the upliftment and betterment of education and grassroot development in Nasarawa State.

Comrade Maru also listed "commitment to service, cosmopolitanism, administrative acumen, leadership aura, flexibility, humaneness and magnanimity as some of the qualities that motivated NANS to give Alhaji Yakubu A Umbugadu the award."

He said in order to meet the target of the UNESCO, United Nations, MDGs and the Vision 2020 of President Umaru Musa Yar’adua, government at all levels needs to give priority attention to education and grassroot development.

He also said fro more than two decades now, "the growth and economic development of our country is gradually ebbing", saying untill drastic measures were taken, Nigeria would continue to suffer brain drain in the education sector.

He noted that he high level of corruption in Nigeria today was as a result of bad governance by Nigeria leaders.

The NANS president however challenged Nigerian Youths to be intellectually sound to be able to contribute meaningfully to the good governance of the country.

While calling on all and sundry to emulate Alhaji Yakubu A. Umbugadu’s contributions to grassroot development, comrade Maru urged these in position to come to the aid of the youths so as to give them hope in their chosen career.

Speaking at the occasion, the former Deputy Governor of Nasarawa State, Mr. Labaran Maku observed that, most of the award given to people by some group or organizations were mainly for commercial purposes.

Mr. Maku who was the chairman of the occasion said, "419s" award givers were all over the place and people who got some of those awards in this country did not really deserve them because many people used their money to buy awards for themselves in order to gain recognition.

He recalled that "when I was the deputy governor of the state close to one hundred award were given to me by different organizations for things I have not done and I deliberately turned down most of the awards because they were baseless."

He said: "now that I am not in government hardly do I receive any award because I don’t have money to give them".

Mr. Maku called on NANS members to rise up to the challenges of the time and confront some of the political decisions that is ruining the country.

He expressed disappointment with NANS for being silent for over 10 years, saying NANS was supposed to be the beacon of truth and voice to the voiceless.

Responding, the permanent member II of the state local government pension board, Alhaji Yakubu A. Umbugadu thanked NANS for chosen him out of many as the Best Community Developer.

Alhaji Umbugadu who is also the Madakin Galle dedicated the award to the entire Eggon Community and his well wishers and said the award would spur him to do more for his community.