The Honourable Speaker of the Kogi state House of Assembly, Rt. Honourable Aliyu Umar Yusuf and the Managing Director of the West African Ceramics Limited, Mr. Bhaskar Rao are to receive special recognition awards at the Opening Ceremony of the 5th Kogi Built Environment and Building Materials Exhibitions scheduled to hold in Lokoja, Kogi State from 19th to 21st September, 2023.
The exhibition is to take place at the Indoor Exhibition Arena, Idrinana Hotel and Suites, Lokoja with the theme; Profitability and Quality Advantages of Made in Nigeria Housing Development Options and Materials.
The exhibition with over 500 hundred average yearly participants is an annual platform for interactions between stakeholders in the Kogi built environment sector, investors, professionals and manufacturers of building/construction materials on issues, new ideas and the built environment development. It is also used to showcase new building materials and construction technology.
At a Media Convergence held recently by one of the exhibition’s partners, the Trees on Earth Foundation at the weekend by its Executive Director, Comrade Moses Adedeji where he unveiled the list of awardees. In his remark he narrated the rigorous selection process that saw to the emergence of the duo for this recognition. He stated that Rt. Honourable Aliyu Umar Yusuf, the Honourable Speaker of the Kogi state House of Assembly and Mr. Bhaskar Rao, the Managing Director of the West African Ceramics Limited are winners of the 2023 Built Environment Man of the Year Award and Icon of Shelter Development of the Decade Award respectively.
According to Comrade Adedeji, Rt. Honourable Aliyu Umar Yusuf’s nomination as 2023 Built Environment Man of the Year Award was informed by his pioneering roles in setting up legislative framework for the development of the built environment industry in Kogi State. This he said could also be observed by the recent nomenclatures and the categorisation of House committees wherein he gave adequate recognition to issues of legislative businesses relating to Planning, Environment and, Works and Housing.
He also described Mr. Bhaskar Rao, the Managing Director of the West African Ceramics Limited nominated for the Icon of Shelter Development of the Decade Award as a czar in the Housing sector in Nigeria. He narrated how the West African Ceramics Limited located in Ajaokuta has grown over the decade to become one of the best Nigeria brands in the housing construction industry.
Mr. Bhaskar Rao was also singled out for his unrivalled excellent skills and capacity in developing and promotion of development and peaceful coexistence amongst the host communities and in maintaining pleasant-sounding relationship as an investors in Ajaokuta area of Kogi state.
The awardees are expected to be decorated on 19th September, 2023 at the Opening Ceremony of the exhibition at the venue.