January 06, (THEWILL) — Prominent personalities, including the First Lady of Kebbi State, Hajiya Zainab Nasare Nasir Idris, and one of the Sultanate Counsellors, Professor Sambo Wali Junaidu, have been honoured for their outstanding contributions to social development and humanitarian service at the 2025 Caliphate Icons Award.
The event, tagged Caliphate Icons Award, was organised by Amazing Flame Concept, a Sokoto-based organisation dedicated to celebrating excellence, integrity and selfless service by individuals and institutions that continue to uplift the values, image and heritage of the Sokoto Caliphate.
While Zainab Idris was honoured for her commitment to the welfare, empowerment and development of women in Kebbi state, Professor Junaidu, Wazirin Sokoto, received Champion of Progressive Leadership and Advocacy Award.
The renowned scholar of Islamic and Arabic literature was celebrated for his significant contributions to scholarship, cultural preservation and for helping to strengthen the Sokoto Caliphate’s historic role as a centre of learning, moderation and heritage.
The Sokoto State Commissioner for Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Ibrahim Dadi-Adare, emerged as Man of the Year in recognition of his leadership and service in grassroots governance and community development, while his Kebbi State counterpart, Hon. Abubakar Dutsinmari, won the Outstanding Humanitarian Award.
Similar awardees include Sokoto-based tech coach, Kabir Umar Dan Aminu, was honoured in Mentorship Excellence in Digital Excellency Award, Anas Sanusi Gusau was awarded the Young Entrepreneurial excellence Award and Kolawole Samuel, a social media consultant, was honoured with Tech for Social Impact Award.
Others include the Chairperson, Nigeria Bar Association, Sokoto State, Barrister Rashida Mohammed, who received the Outstanding Leadership Award, Sokoto Professional Network, a non-profit organisation, won Transformative Community Partner Award, and Zainab Abdunaseer, a renowned journalist and disability advocate, was awarded the Trailblazer category.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Special Guest of Honour and Minister of State for Works, Barrister Bello Goronyo, commended the organisers for recognising competence, dedication and hard work in society.
He congratulated the awardees and urged them to remain steadfast in making positive impacts within their respective fields and communities.
Goronyo also noted that the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda has created opportunities, particularly for youths, to leverage technology and innovation to achieve self-sufficiency within their localities.
In his opening remarks, the Founder of Amazing Fame Concept, Comrade Ola Matthew, described the event as more than an award ceremony.
According to him, it is a platform for telling local stories, preserving legacies and inspiring the next generation to pursue greatness with purpose.
“Recognition is more than applause; it is encouragement. It inspires those doing good to do more and reminds others that excellence does not go unnoticed,” he said.
Matthew added that while good deeds often go unnoticed, negative narratives tend to spread widely, stressing that the initiative was conceived to publicly celebrate individuals shaping society positively and to counter unfavourable perceptions about the state.
He further highlighted other initiatives of the organisation aimed at projecting the achievements and potential of Sokoto State, including the annual Amazing Flame Magazine, which documents success stories and showcases the resilience and opportunities within the state.
He also noted that Amazing Flame Concept organises the Sokoto Kids Cup, a football competition for primary schools designed to discover young talents, promote teamwork and instil discipline among children.
He noted that similar curriculum activity tagged Sokoto Best Brain Contest – Spoken Words Slam, was initiated to commemorate Nigeria’s Independence Day and foster patriotism, critical thinking and public speaking skills among secondary school students in the state.
Highlights of the event include the presentation of certificate of excellence to Wife of Sokoto State governor, Hajiya Fatimah Fatimah Ahmed Aliyu named among the 30 Amazing Women featuring at its Magazine edition.
Tunde Omolehin is an award-winning Journalist with prose in investigative and storytelling that is connecting the dots between the under-reported communities and policymakers to ensure good governance and accountability.
