By: Faith Adediran
The Junior Chamber International (JCI), University of Ibadan held a press conference ahead of the Fifteenth Outstanding Persons Award (FOPA) and dinner night of the organisation on Saturday, 10th of February 2024 at the organisation's office in the Students' Union Building, University of Ibadan.
In his speech, the President of the JCI, Waheed Ojo, answered questions on the essence of the FOPA awards, its essence to the University community and the significance of the number of the fifteen awards.
"The Fifteen Outstanding Persons Award serves as a beacon of hope, recognising the extraordinary input of individuals above mixed significance in our community. So FOPA in it's essence is not just an award ceremony, it is a platform to celebrate exceptionalism across diverse fields...this number holds a special significance for us as members of JCI University of Ibadan and I believe the university community at large. It represents resilience, perseverance, and unwavering commitment to strive for excellent qualities that each of these awardees embodies. Fifteen is also a symbol of unity reminding us that individual achievements are interwoven."
Speaking at the event to address how the award will be conferred on the fifteen individuals in each category, the director of FOPA, Jesudara Akano revealed that the voting category is not the only criterion for selecting each awardee.
"We have seen people doing broadcasts for their nomination into different categories but we don't go by that, I will say that is what makes FOPA different from other awards. We have to see your CV, meaning that there should be a written document that backs up your work and not just by mouth", she explained.
She further noted that there will still be a panel that will sit on each nomination to assess how worthy a nominee is of an award.
It was
again informed that the upcoming FOPA will be held on Saturday, 25th of
February 2024 at the International Conference Centre, University of Ibadan.
