 Let me say how much of a pleasure it is to be here again on yet another occasion of the leadership annual conference and awards. These awards have just by the integrity and consistency in upholding high values become a major national event for the recognition of deserving local and international persons. And we're greatly honored today, especially by the presence of our guest speaker, a true icon of African democracy, former prime minister of the Republic of Kenya, the great Reiler Odinga. He comes as, you know, from a distinguished political family. His father before him was once vice president of the Republic of Kenya. And I was telling him earlier what a profound influence his daughter Winnie Odinga, an elected member of the East African Legislative Assembly, has been for young people, especially young women, interested in politics. So if there's anyone who can comment with authority on the topic anywhere in Africa, it is surely Reiler Odinga. And listening to him, you see that he is really an encyclopedia of sorts in election observations in Nigeria and elsewhere, and also in the politics of Africa generally. It has, in the politics of its own country, shown unequal commitment to the electoral process and the rule of law, having run five times for the Kenyan presidency, and each time going through the legal process to contest his loss of the elections. Thank you very much, not just for an insightful speech, but for being such an inspiration to politicians in Africa. The founder of this organization, Sam Azair, my good friend and brother, of Blessed Memory, believes strongly that the role of the media is to serve as the foremost moderator of public discourse and to be an impartial, yet impassioned, umpire of the grand debates of our country's future. His pursuit of a better society saw him engaged in Nigerian reality, first as one of the most forthright journalists of his generation, and then secondly, to enter the trenches of politics himself and seek the highest elective office in the land. In both pursuits, Sam retained the essential values of integrity and service that had always driven him. And I commend you all at the Leadership Media Group for striving to keep his legacy alive and continuing to follow the trail that he so dodgetly blazed during his accomplished life. The topic has already been extensively considered by our guest speaker and have very little to add, except to reemphasize that there is hardly any issue of greater significance to the people and government alike than the economy, the daily struggles for food, for shelter, for clothing are bigger than any other matters. Certainly bread and butter trumps everything else. So in our democracy, where we have today over 200 million people, 90 million of who require education and job opportunities, those are under the age of 30, and all others requiring healthcare, infrastructure and social service, the enormity of the challenges are stark. Democracy, the rule of law and the election of governments by free and fair elections are crucial because they are meant to support the primary objective of enabling citizens to live well and have access to well-paying jobs, opportunities and services, or in a broad sense to support the growth and stability of the economy and the social structure of the nation. So it is evident then that we must carefully curate these safeguards for the well-being of our citizens to ensure that they do not negatively affect the very well-being that they are meant to protect, namely the economy and the social structure of society. And this is a delicate task indeed because in every election cycle, the first casualty is the economy. There's a reluctance to invest before the elections, consumers are careful not to spend their savings or to be bullish in the stock market sometimes because of the fear of electoral disturbances that might spiral out of control and make business and commerce impossible. For the more sophisticated economic actors, it makes sense to simply wait until the complexion of the new government is clear. But the prospects for the disruption of the economy are even greater where elections for one reason or the other produce governments that are not credible. Legitimacy of governments as conferred by the freely given mandate of the electorate is a major consideration, as we've heard from our guest speaker, for savvy investors, both local and foreign. Capital, they say, is a great coward, running away from the slightest sign of trouble. Besides, we in Nigeria know from our recent electoral history that there are too many examples of electoral violence following disputed electoral outcomes. This, of course, usually means the destruction sometimes of public and private property and infrastructure, aside from the waste of man hours while the unrest lasts and it's immediate aftermath. I think the third test of the credibility of our electoral contests is the integrity of the empire and the electoral courts. And I think our guest speaker has also talked extensively about the integrity of the empire. But I also want to emphasize the integrity of the electoral courts. Where the empire is perceived as unfair, there is potential for trouble. Where the courts are perceived as arbitrary, as whimsical, or acting in contradiction to establish precedence, there's an almost commensurate loss of confidence by the electorate. The political elite in Nigeria have a duty in the interest of the economic well-being of our citizens. And, of course, in the overall interest of our people who we claim to represent to ensure that elections and electoral dispute resolution processes are free, they're fair and credible. This is the list that we can offer our nation and its peoples and indeed our continent. Finally, let me especially congratulate our very deserving AODs today, including General Bubam Marwa, who has led perhaps the most effective and result-oriented fight against drug trafficking in Nigeria and internationally. Dr. Benedict O'Rama, who has shown that our Exim Bank in Africa can proactively and creatively provide and target capital to relevant sectors to improve and enhance prosperity, not just in Nigeria, but across the continent. Tobias Mouchon, our Olympic and world record holder in the 110 meters hurdles for women, is also an outstanding awardee today. And I want to specially recognize the women who have today been granted, given these awards, especially Chantal Abdo, who is the managing director of Mojack, the manufacturers of meters, electric meters, and Mrs. Neka Onyali-Akbe, who is the managing director of Fidelity Bank. Of course, I mentioned Fidelity Bank, especially, because that's my bank, actually. So I'm extremely proud of the fact that they received an award today. So I'd like to thank you all very much for attending this event. And I think that one thing that has been shown by the awards is what is achievable when we have the right people in the right positions and that is so in the public and private sectors and also what is possible by the benefit of hard work, diligence, and focus on personal and national development. These years, our deeds are icons of our collective possibilities as a people and we're extremely proud of all of them. This is, there's so much budding talent to nurture, to greatness in Nigeria, and we must create an environment that permits talents to bloom into their fullness. And all of these are entirely possible in this nation of ours. Finally, let me congratulate our ever-gracials host and chairperson of the Leadership Media Group, a woman who has taken up the mantle of leadership of the group with clarity of vision and with great diligence, Mrs. Zaynab, Sam, and I, Zaya. Thank you very much for your hospitality always and thank you very much for keeping this alive. Thank you very much, everyone. God bless you.