The nationwide search and call for entries for the 10th edition of the Indomie Independence Day Award (IIDA); has finally come to an end, with a total of 195 inspiring and heroic stories gathered from different States and locations across the six geo-political zones of Nigeria.
A breakdown of the stories gathered revealed that 120 were gotten from the field search exercise while the remaining 75 stories came from online portals. A further analysis shows that, of the 120 field stories, South East topped the chart with 29 stories of children who have displayed heroic attributes even in the face of immense danger. South-South stories followed with 23 inspiring stories, 19 stories came from both the North-West and North-East respectively while 17 dauntless stories came from the South-West. Another 13 valiant stories were gathered from the North Central geo-political zone of Nigeria.
Announcing the closure of the nationwide search exercise/call-for-entry, the Head of Marketing, Indomie, Mr. Manpreet Singh said that the stories received right from the commencement of the search exercise which kicked-off three months ago, are proof that Nigerian Children are bold, courageous and daring to have exhibited all of the various feats recorded in the collated stories.
“The search for the 2017 IIDA heroes which started three months ago has ended with 195 excellent stories through the field search and other award entry portals. I can say with all confidence that from what we got this year, several great acts are exhibited by several kids on a daily basis; and as a firm, our duty through the IIDA is to appreciate their effort, and reward them for their ingenuity.” Said Manpreet
Commending the search team for a job well done, the Group Public Relations and Events Manager, Dufil Prima Foods Plc, Mr. Tope Ashiwaju expressed delight at the heroic kids that have once again been discovered. Ashiwaju stated that “This year’s edition of the IIDA which is the 10th in a row, promises to be the best so far, as the quality of entries received no doubt shows that Dufil Prima Foods was on track when it kicked-off the IIDA 10 years ago.”
Emphasizing on the importance of the search exercise, Ashiwaju said “The main objective of the search is to collect true and inspiring experiences from across the nation and in order to get deserving individuals (children) for the award, thorough verification of the stories is carried out by asking neighbors, teachers and friends’ basic corroboratory questions about the child concerned.”
Speaking avidly on the essence of the award, Ashiwaju said “IIDA is a platform designed to identify, celebrate, and also reward Nigerian kids who at one point or the other have shown exemplary courage in difficult situations amidst the challenges and limitations of the society.”
He noted that this year’s edition will be grand in the history of the award as Indomie is rewarding a total of 10 winners with millions of naira worth of scholarships from the three categories: social, physical and intellectual bravery. According to him, “Rewarding 10 winners in all is significant to IIDA becoming 10 this year. It has been 10 years of keeping the hopes of budding talents alive, giving wings to the dreams of numerous children.”
Ashiwaju also thanked various companies who have consistently supported IIDA over the years and individuals who have believed in the initiative since inception.
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The Indomie Independence Day Award Initiative is a national event which extols the exemplary accomplishments of children who have shown courage and determination in situations that ordinarily would bring fear. In the last nine years, 27 winners have emerged and have been rewarded with scholarships worth millions of Naira.
