Chief James Ume, founder and chairman of Unubiko Foundation on Saturday, was honoured with the “The Sun Newspapers Humanitarian Service Icon Award 2022”.
The event was held at the Expo Convention Centre, Eko Hotels & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos on January 28, 2023.
This is by far one of the biggest recognitions by The Sun Publishing Company Ltd, publishers of The Sun Newspaper titles.
In his speech at the event, Ume have vowed to continue to render humanitarian and top level hospitality services respectively, while expressing surprise that The Sun discovered their quiet business and philanthropic activities.
Ume received the award alongside 25 other eminent Nigerians in a well-attended ceremony at the Expo Convention Centre, Eko Hotels & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos, on Saturday.
According to Ukeh: “As a way of giving back to the society, he set up the Unubiko Foundation to reach out and give hope to the needy. Ever since, he has made giving a culture, which has been demonstrated without boundaries.
“Last month, he handed over a customary court rebuilt at the cost of over N150 million to an Abia community. He also handed over a Presbyterian Church he rebuilt, women development centre, and Ovukwu-Abam Secondary School, Atan-Abam, a project which costs him over N500 million.
“He has empowered hundreds of widows, awarded no fewer than 200 scholarships for students in Arochukwu Local Government Area of Abia State, paid WAEC fees for all students in Atan-Abam in 2020, and donated 100 brand new laptops to trainees in digital economy.
“He has also provided transformers to aid rural electrification, financed 44 boreholes for the 27 villages that make up Abam, among other philanthropic projects.
“In 2020, at the peak of COVID-19, he distributed PPEs to all the communities in Abam, Arochukwu LGA of Abia State, donated PPEs to Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Umuahia, donated books worth over N6 million to the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) national secretariat as well as the Abia and Abuja Councils, paid medical bills for the indigenes and sponsored several journalism capacity building trainings.”
While thanking the publishers of the newspaper for finding him worthy of the award, Ume described the honour as a huge responsibility and a privilege which will spur him to do more for humanity.
“I believe we are serving humanity; we are serving God; so, we don’t need any self-seeking attention. When you give to people, you are giving back to God.
Some of the notable personalities who were also honoured at the ceremony included: Enugu State governor, Hon Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, Governors Nyesom Wike (Rivers), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), Douye Diri (Bayelsa), Ahmadu Fintiri (Adamawa), Darius Ishaku (Taraba) and the group chief executive officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Mallam Mele Kyari.
