Award Selection Criteria
Indices (Criteria) for Selection
In selecting candidates, emphasis is laid on characteristics of leadership and good governance t at are in tandem with Chief Awolowo’s values. These characteristics include:
* Integrity: Candidate must be an honest person, possessing strong moral principles.
* Credibility: Candidate must be a person in whom people believe and repose trust.
* Discipline: Candidate must be a person who demonstrates controlled behavior and way of life and who steers such control to a socially acceptable direction.
* Selflessness: Candidate must be a person who gives priority to the general interest over personal interest. S/he should be a public-spirited person.
* Visionary leadership: Candidate must subscribe to leadership that focuses on, and plans for the future in an intelligent and productive way. This includes taking decisions that have positive implications for the future.
* People-centred leadership: Candidate must be a person whose leadership is rooted in the people and works to promote their interest.
* Grassroots-friendly policies: Candidate must be a person who promotes policies that are beneficial to the generality of the people.
* Positive policy intervention (in education, health, economy, etc.): Where appropriate, candidate must have demonstrated articulation and implementation of programmes leading to positive improvement in various segments of the society such as education, health and economy. Indicators of improvement in education could include literacy rate, primary school enrolment, relative cost of education,
construction of new schools, state of educational infrastructure, facilities and equipment. Indicators of economic improvement include job creation, unemployment rate, general standard of living, per capita income. Indicators of performance in the health sector include mortality rate, access to health care
facilities, relative affordability of health care, life expectancy.
* Impact on poverty reduction/increased welfare: Implementation of programmes leading to a reduction in poverty level. Providing economic empowerment for the poor.
* Respect for rule of law: Candidate must be a person who has demonstrated respect for the rule of law and has eschewed arbitrariness and human rights abuse.
* Accountability: Candidate must be a person with demonstrated willingness to subject his/her actions to scrutiny by the people.
* Corruption perception: Candidate must have demonstrated aversion to corruption in words and deeds. The person must not be seen to be corrupt.
* Guarantee of press freedom: Candidate must not be seen to have been in support of muzzling the press.
* Courage: Candidate must have demonstrated ability to chart the right and honourable path, defend the right cause, without fear even in the face of opposition and/or persecution.
* Tenacity of purpose: Candidate must demonstrate the ability to sustain his/her commitment to the above-listed ideals.