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High Chief(Dr.) Ambassador Mandela Paul Ogoun Bags INPAN Social Impact Personality Of The Year Award.
The President and Founder of Paul Ogoun Foundation, High Chief Capt.(Dr.) Mandela Paul Ogoun has been conferred with the Social Impact Personality of the Year Award by the Independent Newspapers Publishers Association of Nigeria (INPAN) under the distinguished Chairmanship of the Vice Chairman of Ekeremor Local Government Area, Barr..Dennis Diginini.
Receiving the award from the President of the Independent Newspapers Publishers Association of Nigeria (INPAN), Comrade Ebi Ozegbe who is the publisher of The Light Newspaper popularly known as the Jagaban of the Nigeria Union Of Journalists, Bayelsa State Council, the Founder of Paul Ogoun Foundation, High Chief Captain (Dr.) Ambassador Mandela Paul Ogoun (Ph.D), JP said the Foundation was established born out of his burning passion to train young persons from Bayelsa State and the Niger Delta to acquire skills to become self reliant.
He stated that the primary focus of the Foundation is grassroot development through orientation and re-orientation of members of the society and empowerment while stressing that the target people are the youths, orphans, widows, the vulnerable, less privileged and the downtrodden.
High Chief Mandela Paul Ogoun informed that beneficiaries of the programmes of the Foundation are selected through a painstaking process to ensure that skills imparted, the starter packs and other life transforming tools and donations to the beneficiaries are not wasted but put into proper use.
The award recipient emphasized that he is dedicating the award to the widows, orphans and everyone that have passed through the Foundation training.programmes.
He thanked the Independent Newspapers Publishers Association of Nigeria for finding him worthy of the award saying that it will spur him to do more to achieve set goals.
Earlier, the President of the Independent Newspapers Publishers Association of Nigeria, Comrade Ebi Ozegbe, the Jagaban of NUJ Bayelsa State Council at. the Corporate Headquarters Office of the Foundation along 79 INEC Road, Kpansia in Yenagoa, venue of the award presentation said that the award was conferred on High Chief (Dr.) Paul Mandela Ogoun in recognition of his life transforming strides and philanthropic gestures which have lifted the downtrodden in the society.
He hinted that the Association was formed to correct the negative stories about Bayelsa as the hotbed of kidnapping, militancy, pipeline vandalization, oil bunkering, other social vices inimical to social growth and project good image for the state.
He listed some of the Founding Fathers of the Association in 1998 in Lagos to include Sir.Victor Aniso, Publisher Niger Delta Trumpet, Elder Presidor Gomorai, Publisher Ijaw News, Dr. Godwin Ogwa, Publisher Coastal Express among others and urged Journalists to unite and collaborate with critical stakeholders to highlight the positive things about Bayelsa State, the Izon Nation and the Niger Delta.
Comrade Ebi Ozegbe paid glowing tributes to the first Civilian Governor of Bayelsa State, Late Chief DSP Alamieyeseigha for creating the enabling environment for Journalists practicing in Lagos to relocate to Bayelsa State to join forces with him to strengthen information dissemination and tell the state story in positive light and disabuse the minds of those who see Bayelsa as a no go area.
The Chairman of the occasion, Hon. Dennis Diginini who is the incumbent Caretake Committee Vice Chairman of Ekeremor Local Government Area in his solidarity speech informed that his first encounter with Dr. Paul Mandela Ogoun was when he went to visit a friend and discovered that all the people living in the building owned by the awardee were not paying any Kobo for rent, he just gave the house to them for free and noted that INPAN got it right to bestowed on High Chief Captain Paul Mandela Ogoun the Social Impact Personality Of The Year Award. The Chairman of the occasion enjoined Organizations and the larger society to celebrate those that have made their mark in different spheres of human endeavours particularly High Chief Paul Ogoun who have impacted positively on lives.
Also speaking the Spokesman of Ijaw Youth Council, Oporomo Clan, Comrade Bedford Berefa Benjamin described the award recipient as the Moses of our time who is taking the youths to the promised land. He commended him for his well thought out programmes that have taken some youths off the street who have acquired relevant skills which he stated have reduced youths rampart agitations adding that well meaning individuals, government at different levels, the IOCs and other relevant federal agencies and donor agencies should collaborate with the Foundation to create more training opportunities for the people.
The Concerned Youths for Good Governance on their part expressed gratitude to the Foundation President for the platform he has created to empower youths and prayed God to grant him sound health wisdom knowledge and provide more resources to enable him continue with the good work he has been doing, and thanked the Independent Newspapers Publishers Association of Nigeria for conferring the award on their principal describing it as well deserved.
Mr. Ebido Lucky read the citation of the Awardee adding that High Chief Dr. Paul Mandela Ogoun is a serving class one Master Mariner with 25 years of experience having served onboard variety of ships and various tonnages who is able to coordinate and implement ship bound operations while ensuring the safety of humans and the environment. He is a member of several professional associations and the author of The Maritime Industry and Strategic Planning In Times of Pandemic, The Life of a Seafarer a Post CoVID-19 Strategy, The Place of the Seafarers In The World Trade In The 21st Century, Globalization And Marine Transport: A Multi-Disciplinary Perspective, Marine Environmental Management, A Legal and Policy Frame Works among others..
He is a holder of Doctor of Philosophy In Transportation and Logistics from the Atlantic International University, USA and other professional qualifications.
The Foundation President High Chief Captain Mandela Paul Ogoun gave the vote of thanks and expressed gratitude to the Independent Newspapers Publishers Association of Nigeria for the honour done him and thanked all those who came to celebrate with him.
Dignitaries from different walks of life attended the award ceremony.
