By CHIDI OBINECHE, NDUBUISI ORJi and SEYE OJO
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation(SGF), Senator Anyim Pius Anyim yesterday appealed to the Governor of Kano State, Alhaji Rabiu Kwankwaso to return to the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), noting cynically that he has no business with his new party.
He made the appeal while speaking as the chairman of the 11th Edition of The Sun Awards held at the Eko Hotel and Suites, Lagos.
Anyim praised The Sun Publishing Limited, for instituting the Awards, which he observed has raised a new generation of thought leaders and forward thinkers in ten years, noting that, “like the celestial body it is named after, The Sun never stays still in the firmament. It is dynamic and progressive.”
Congratulating the awardees, the SGF said, “Let me use this opportunity to appeal to my brother, Governor Kwankwaso to return home to the warm embrace of his loved ones. On a serious note, Your Excellency, you have no business with the Aggrieved Peoples Congress.”
The Kano State governor, who is a joint winner of The Sun Man of the Year for 2013 had dumped the PDP for the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) alongside four other governors elected on the platform of the ruling party.
Commenting on the process of selecting the awardees, Anyim described it as thorough and stringent and urged the newspaper to ensure that the criteria are not lowered. He said it was a happy co-incidence that the Awards were coming almost at the same time President Goodluck Jonathan would be honouring 100 distinguished personalities for their contribution to nation building as part of Nigeria’s Centenary celebration.
“Reward system in every society differs. The difference fundamentally lies in the nature of the reward, who is giving the reward, for what purpose and the value society places on such rewards. The Sun Publishing Limited in 2003 instituted The Sun Man of the Year Award as her humble way of honouring Nigerian patriots whose public conduct and actions help to inspire hope and a better Nigeria,” he stated.