The British Council has honoured four distinguished Nigerian alumni, who studied in the United Kingdom and have made positive impact in their chosen fields, with the Study UK Alumni Awards.
According to the Council, the #StudyUKAlumniAwards celebrates the outstanding achievements of individuals who have used their experience of studying at a UK university to make a positive contribution to their industries and local communities in Nigeria.
The award winners are Dr Cassandra Akinde, who won the Social Action award; Jennifer Uchendu – Science and Sustainability award; Chidumaga Unachukwu – Business and Innovation award; and Faith Agboola, who won the Culture and Creativity award.
They were also presented with £3,000 grants each at a ceremony which held at the Eko Hotel and Suites in Lagos last Saturday.
Akinde won the Social Action Award for her work as a public health physician and researcher that had impacted over 20,000 children in marginalised communities through Neo Child Initiative for Africa; while Uchendu received the Science and Sustainability award for empowering youths to combat climate change and fostering mental well-being.
Similarly, Unachukwu won the Business and Innovation award for his passion for and work in renewable energy and technology sector; while Agboola won the Culture and Creativity award through her impactful poetry and digital platforms.
The awardees were recognised and rewarded for having distinguished themselves and performed excellently in their chosen professions, noted the British Deputy High Commissioner in Nigeria, Jonny Baxter.
He said, “We have made improvements and the reason the UK government supports scholarship like this is for people to come back and contribute to the development of their countries. That’s what we are celebrating tonight… how these people have contributed to their countries, and in this case, Nigeria; that’s what gives the awards value.
“The award event has been held every year since 2016, except in 2019 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. We have had fantastic winners from Nigeria that have been recognised at the global Alumni Awards in many categories.”
