Mr. Sunday Dare, Executive Commissioner, Stakeholder Management at the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has won the Democracy Heroes Award for his decades of consistency in promoting democracy in Nigeria.
According to the organiser of the event, FACE OF DEMOCRACY NIGERIA (FDN), Mr. Dare has acted in manners worthy of emulation by Nigerian youths, challenging youths to be bold enough to step out to participate in the democratic process by contesting elections in order to represent the people of Nigeria conscientiously.
The FDN team leaders, Olufunsho Ajagbonna and Vivian Lam were emphatic that all the awardees were honoured to enable young people to draw inspiration from their courage, consistency and selflessness.
The event, which was over-subscribed, held at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel and ended past midnight, featured series of dances and other artistic displays representing the diversity of Nigeria.
Among those who received awards last night at the event were former Governor of Kano State and serving Senator, Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso; Senator Gbenga Ashafa, APC Lagos; Actor-turned-politician, Hon. Desmond Elliot; Chief Dele Momodu, Publisher of OVATION Magazine; and.Dr. Chimaobi Anyaso, an entrepreneur with investment in oil & gas and financing among others.
Prior to his appointment as an Executive Commissioner in NCC, Mr. Dare – a multimedia journalist, author, social entrepreneur and development enthusiast – was the Convener of the Social Media Clinic, a media/ICT initiative focused on educating the citizens about ICT utilisation.
Earlier, Dare had a beautiful career at the Independent Network Communications Limited, publishers of TheNEWS, Tempo, AM and PM News, one of the leading media outfits in Nigeria that deployed its professional resources to challenge the callous authoritarianism of the Military regimes of the 80s and early 90s in Nigeria. For 8 years, he was the Chief, Hausa Service, African Division of VOICE OF AMERICA in Washington. In 2010, Mr. Dare was listed as one of the 50 successful Nigeria professionals in America.
He had also recently combined the role of Special Media Adviser as well as Chief of Staff to Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Emeritus Governor of Lagos State and APC National Leader. In this regard, his work was central to the victory of the Party in the 2015 elections. The FDN team is of the opinion that Mr. Dare’s almost three decades of journalism, advocacy, strategic political thinking and impeccable managerial skills has set him “apart as an emergent leader in Nigeria today”.