AN AWARD IN PIDGIN TO CELEBRATE NIGERIA

As part of activities to mark the nation's 50th independence anniversary which comes up on October 1, a Lagos-based entertainment company, Concept Elixir Limited, has put together an event tagged, Wazobia Awards. The event aimed at boosting the image of the country, the organisers said, would celebrate and promote Nigeria's rich cultural heritage and values.

The coordinator of the project which comes up in October, Laface, said that one of the outstanding features of Wazobia Awards would be the promotion of Nigerian traditional attires as the dress code for the event would be traditional.

'Wazobia awards debut is planned to coincide with Nigeria's 50th anniversary celebrations, giving credence to our national image and identity as a nation,' the entertainment guru said in a statement.

Apart from the fact that the red carpet for the event would be made of traditional mats, Aso oke, Adire, Kente, Abada, Zaaria and other indigenous and traditional fabrics, the official language for the event would be Pidgin.

'Wazobia Awards is aimed at celebrating and showcasing Pigin English to the entire world as the generally accepted language in Nigeria and the official lingo for the awards.

'For the very first time in Nigeria, celebrities and other notable personalities and invited guests will officially mingle and network in Pidgin English - imagine Governor Raji Fashola, Prof. Dora Akunyili or Prof. Pat Utomi receiving or presenting an award in Pidgin English - that is the essence, the beauty and the original nature of Wazobia Awards-the people's awards. All celebrity interviews, presentations, citation and other forms of verbal communication at the event will be in Pidgin,' Laface said.

The event will also feature Wazobia Honours aimed at celebrating and honoring the ordinary people in our society and Wazobia Honours in the Diaspora aimed at honouring and celebrating distinguished Nigerians all over the world, the Media Officer, ZMC, Kazeem Olowe said.