By Dayo Adesulu

DUFIL, makers of the   nation’s leading noodles brand, Indomie, unveiled its new 10 Indomie Independence Day Heroes identities in conjunction with the brand’s CSR initiative’s 10th anniversary. Indomie Independence Day Award for Heroes of Nigeria is a Social Responsibility Initiative of Dufil Prima Foods Plc designed to extol and support the exemplary accomplishments of children who have shown courage and determination in situations that ordinarily would bring fear.

Timed to coincide with the commemoration of the 10th edition, 10 winners were rewarded with millions of naira worth of scholarship each as against three winners usually given. This means that three winners were awarded from each category of the award (Physical bravery, Social bravery and Intellectual bravery). The 10th winner is for the most outstanding bravery act.

The winners for Intellectual Bravery are 13 year-old Paul David from Makurdi, invented radio station; 14-year-old Joel Clement from Kano who constructed incubator for hatching eggs. Winners for Physical Bravery are 14-year-old Zulka Mohammed from Adamawa who saved a group of children from terrorist attack; 14 year-old Ubong Akpan from Akwa Ibom that saved the life of a nursing mother and Adejorin Oluwatobiloba, 15 years who rescued a girl from kidnappers.

Other winners from Social Bravery are 15 year-old Olarenwaju Oluwafemi from Ibadan who used football competitions to campaign against crimes; 12 year-old John Blessing from Ogun who advocates against child abuse and 8-year-old Wealth John from Nasarawa who saved a girl from child marriage. Also, Chibuoyim Nnakwe, 11-year-old who saved mother from impending death won the award for the most outstanding bravery act for the year.

In her goodwill message, the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Senator Aisha Jummai Alhassan, commended and congratulated Dufil Prima Foods on the occasion of the 10th edition of IIDA. The Independence Day Heroes Award to Nigerian children that have shown extraordinary acts of bravery and determination in the face of danger to their lives and difficult challenges in the society is indeed an addition to the success story of Dufil Prima Foods, having made Indomie a household name in Nigeria.

While delivering the keynote address at the event, Mr. Graham Stothard, Executive Director, The Caleb Group of Schools, Lagos, addressed the winners as ‘the wealth of the nation.’

“Childhood is a spring of life. The Genesis. It is the age of discovery and dreams. They have the power to transform this nation into a better place.’ He concluded by adding that the role of the youth in preserving Nigeria is so basic yet fundamental and crucial, because they are problem-solvers who can have positive influence on other young people and potentially Nigeria.’

An overjoyed Group Managing Director, Dufil Prima Foods, Mr. Deepak Singhal, expressed delight at the success of this event.