‘Blueprint Impact/Series Awards signifies importance of national development’ Opening Address @ Blueprint Impact/ Series Awards By Ismaila Isa Funtua

The Blueprint Impact/Series Awards have been conceived as a platform to champion meaningful discussions about our progress as a nation. This maiden edition of the series is aptly themed to discuss the issues of tolerance, unity and security, which have plagued us and hampered our progress towards sustainable development. It is imperative that the current generation of leaders pay close attention to these themes as they are central to our success as a nation. They are also central to their own successes as they attempt to build their legacies for national development.
The forces that threaten to rip us apart as a nation are not as strong as those which bind us together. We must however, introspect and dig deep to find the values that anchor those binding forces. We must ensure that our cultural, religious and ethnic alliances remain strong by recognizing the values that each and everyone of us brings to the table. It is important that we recognize that national development is not an achievement, but rather a journey filled with pride, sense of purpose, peace, joy and suitable living conditions for all and not just a few.
The birthing of the Blueprint Impact/Series Awards signifies the importance attached to national development by the media as the unbiased umpire in governance and public satisfaction. The series will continue to shape discussions across salient issues that affect the everyday experience of ordinary Nigerians. It will also address the need to ensure that national pride is not just based on the virtue of patriotism but on the impact of the nation in shaping global affairs. For this to happen, we must continuously ensure that we remain on the infamous long arc of history and play active roles to ensure it always bends towards truth and justice.
I am delighted to be here today because this marks a new era in the history of Nigerian media recognizing the need to rise to its responsibilities as purveyors of truth and defenders of the freedom of expression. It is my expectation that the Series will become a platform for intellectual exchange of ideas that will support our aspirations as one people, a nation united under the banner of equity and fairness.
To achieve this, we must also however learn to look back and take lessons from history and current realities. We should take stock and identify what we have done and how to do better. In identifying what we have done well, we should not forget to appreciate the contributions of those who made such successes possible. This maiden edition of the Blueprint Impact Series/Awards will also celebrate such individuals.
The awards signify recognition of leadership, integrity, innovation, inclusiveness and tolerance in individuals that have utilized their intellectual capacities, leadership positions and resource networks to make meaningful contributions in the lives of everyday Nigerians. They celebrate champions of media freedom and constructive criticisms that have helped improve policies and practices of institutions and organizations across the public, private and non-profit sectors. The level of achievements being celebrated today signify the value of these individuals and their impact on the social, economic and political advancement of Nigeria.
The awards cut across various segments and focuses on successes within the private, public and civil society sectors. The awardees have distinguished themselves among their colleagues and continue to make us proud. It is my immense pleasure to declare this maiden edition of the Blueprint Impact Series/Awards open. I congratulate all awardees and encourage them to continue the hard work and surpass their current achievements. It is my wish that the lessons from this year’s theme will become a sustainable part of our national development policies and programs for decades to come; we owe it not just to ourselves but the future generation.
Thank you.
God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Alhaji Funtua is the Patron, Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria and Fellow, International Press Institute