It was an evening of celebrating individuals from a community of exceptional alumni, as the British Council held its Study UK alumni awards 2024, to recognise personalities who are leveraging their acquired knowledge from the UK to lead as change makers while making exceptional and significant contributions to advancing their fields of endeavour.

The notable event was held at the renowned Eko Hotels and Suites, on Victoria Island, Lagos amidst staff, friends, parents,  and industry partners.

Jonny Baxter, the British Deputy High Commissioner in Lagos, Nigeria, said the award focuses on recognising alumni who are optimising their stellar careers to break new grounds while carving remarkable paths for positive change and impacts within their spaces and communities.

“We will continue to believe that people who are getting these experiences will help Nigeria by bringing new ideas back to energize the people who they  work with. It’s not about their academic performance while they’re away. It’s about what they’ve done since they’ve come back to Nigeria. So we are recognizing people who’ve done particularly special things.”

According to Lucy Pearson, the Country Director, British Council Nigeria & Director, West Africa, the introduction of the high profile award is a way of enshrining an enduring legacy that celebrates and honours the extraordinary achievements of outstanding international alumni who have studied at UK universities.

“We want the students to come back to put into practice and make a difference in the country in Nigeria. We want them to bring that learning back to Nigeria, but bring that international and global experience they’ve gained from studying abroad, putting that into practice in their communities, whether that’s through entrepreneurship and starting up their own businesses, whether that’s policy reform and working at government levels, federal and state. So we’re not focused on a specific sector. We want to really celebrate the talent, the experience people have gained, and also really tell the story of the experience that they’ve had in the UK, the quality and the value of that education and how it’s really impacted their lives.

The prestigious award, which produced 12 finalists across four categories with three contestants in each category, had one winner in each category. The award finalists across the four categories   include Chidumaga Unachukwu,   Jennifer Uchendu, who was represented by her mother, Faith Agboola and Cassandra Akinde.

Other finalists were Olugbenga Ojo,  Ugonna Nwakanma, Chioma Momah, Gbenga Afolayan, Ikpaya Ikpaya, Mininim Oseji, Adekemi Adeniyan and  Sarah Egbo  across categories respectively.

Some of the awardees shared their success stories of what the journey has been, outlining some of the remarkable feats they have accomplished so far in Nigeria across various sectors of the economy.

The award organisers therefore reiterated that it will continue to honour alumni who have distinguished themselves through extraordinary achievements in their fields of endeavour whether at its global or national levels as they showcase the value and impact of a UK higher education whilst leading and striving for excellence through their diverse professions.

Study UK alumni awards is an annual event  held to recognize business thought leaders who are trailblazing giant strides within their alumni community by touching lives positively.