The Honourable Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr. Sunday Dare will be the Chairman at the 2019 Karis Award where Nigeria’s first Olympic medalist, Nojeem Maiyegun will be honoured.
The 24th edition of the Karis Award which will hold at 5:30 pm on Sunday, December 15 in the main auditorium of the Household of God Church, Ikeja will also have His Royal Highness, Oba Rilwan Akiolu, the Oba of Lagos as the Special Guest of Honour.
The Karis Award which comes under the Church’s annual event tagged ‘Grace 2019’ was introduced by Rev. Chris Okotie in 1996 to celebrate forgotten Nigerian heroes and give cash rewards to any Nigerian citizen who must have distinguished or contributed to the growth of the country in any way but whose efforts have not been adequately recognized.
Maiyegun, who won a bronze medal in the lightweight division of the boxing event at the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo will be the third sporting legend to win the award after Hogan Bassey (1998, also a boxer) and Emmanuel Okala (2011, footballer). Maiyegun also won a bronze medal at the 1966 Commonwealth Games in Kingston, Jamaica.
Household of God Church representatives, Aderonke Adewale, Toyin Adewusi and Samuel Okoh reveal that the Karis Award is the Church’s major outreach programme devoid of religious, political, tribal or social bias which is designed to encourage patriotism and to foster national unity and zeal.
Some of the side attractions to entertain guests during the event will be the Biblical Queen Esther Beauty and Costume Pageant Competition, which also has a prize.
Previous winners of the Karis Award include late former Head of State, General Murtala Mohammed, late activist Chief Gani Fawehinmi (SAN), Air Commodore Habiba Ruth Garba (Rtd) the First Female Air Commodore in the Nigerian Air Force, Dr Tai Solarin, Dr. Stella Adadevoh, amongst others.
By Sulaiman Alao
