The second edition of the annual Nigeria Excellence Awards in Public Service (NEAPS) will be hosted by the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) in partnership with The Best Strategic PR (TBS).
The first NEAPS Awards ceremony took place in October 2022 at the State House Conference Centre in Abuja. At the ceremony, then-President Muhammadu Buhari presented awards to 44 Nigerians.
According to Yovchevska, recipients of an award must have made noteworthy contributions to public service in order to be eligible. The people who have enhanced the quality of public service delivery, taken calculated risks to bring about change, demonstrated an impeccable and admirable record of public service, made noteworthy and substantial contributions to a more democratic society, and supported social fairness will be the NEAPS winners.
The democratic process of nomination and shortlisting aims to foster broad acceptance and enhance the Awards’ reputation as a standard for excellence in social welfare and public service delivery.
“The NEAPS, which is designed to be a grand and prestigious independent award, promises to recognise and reward innovations, change, leadership and other exceptional demonstration of selfless public service delivery, with the greatest impact in Nigeria,” read the SGF’s letter endorsing the 2024 NEAPS Awards, which was signed by Maurice Mbaeri, the permanent secretary (General Services Office).
More than 60% of the highly anticipated inaugural NEAPS Award recipients in 2022 have kept up their advancement in business and politics. These include businessman Abdulsamad Rabiu, whose historic private university is set to open; former speaker of the House of Representatives Femi Gbajabiamila, who is currently President Tinubu’s chief of staff; former governor of Rivers State Nyesom Wike, who is currently the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory; and governors Umaru Fintiri of Adamawa State and Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State, both of whom were granted two terms.
TBS is a policy advising and strategic communication organization. It leads the charge in mobilizing support for the advancement of Nigerian values and the realization of sustainable development objectives through productive collaborations with the government, international nongovernmental organizations, diplomatic community, multinational corporations, and private citizens.