GAB Awards gets new Patrons

A highlight of the Manchester edition of the 19th Annual Gathering of Africa's Best (GAB) Awards holding on Saturday 27 January 2018, will be the Investiture of three new Patrons.

Patrons of the Gathering of Africa's Best (GAB) Awards act as Ambassadors extolling the benefits of rewarding excellence through the Awards to the Community, the Corporate world, Government and the general public.

Patrons also provide moral, strategic, financial and other varied support to the Awards - depending on their means and skill set. Patrons serve a tenure of three years which is renewable.

The three new Patrons are:

Otunba Femi & Princess Catherine Adenuga

Rev. Mother Esther Abimbola Ajayi

Dr Richard Ejiro Obahor

They join the three existing Patrons: Prem Goyal (OBE, JP), Rt. Hon. Helen Grant MP and Dr. Dapo Williams - bring the total number to six.

Otunba Tajudeen Obafemi Adenuga

Otunba Tajudeen Obafemi Adenuga is the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of Femade (UK) Limited, a freight forwarding and export services company that was established in 1997. Femade (UK) Limited is a previous GAB Awards recipient.

He graduated from the London Metropolitan University, London, UK with the degrees of LLB (Hons.) Business Law, and LLM (International Commercial Law) respectively.

His work career began in December 1975 as a Fireman at the Federal Fire Service, after which he worked with the Ogun State Polytechnic, Abeokuta (now Moshood Abiola Polytechnic), and the University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (UNAAB) between December 1980 and June 1990.

He served as a member of the Nigerians in UK Olympic Committee (NUKOC), a special committee set up by the Central Association of Nigerians in UK (CANUK) in association with the Nigerian Olympics Committee (NOC) to help mobilise for the 2012 London Olympics.

A member of the Chartered Management Institute, UK (CMI), and the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, UK (CILT), he has attended numerous management courses both in Nigeria and the United Kingdom, and has won numerous awards.

Princess Catherine Adefunmilayo Adenuga

Princess Catherine Adefunmilayo Adenuga is a Director of Femade (UK) Ltd. She has being working alongside her husband since the inception of the Company and has over 20 years working experience in the freight industry.

She did her National Youth Service Corps in Ondo State in 1981 where she performed marvellously well to win a special award of the State NYSC. She worked at Union Bank Plc, Lagos, was an Executive Secretary at SCOA Trading Nigeria Limited and then at National Bank of Nigeria before her relocation to Britain.

Princess Adenuga has attended further management courses in the UK where she has lived and worked since relocating to the UK. Through her untiring efforts at Femade (UK) Limited, Princess Adenuga has earned alongside her husband, honours of excellence from their immediate community. Her vision is to continue working conscientiously, so as to see the company attain the status of an international organisation.

Rev. Mother Esther Abimbola Ajayi

Rev. Mother Esther Abimbola Ajayi is an accomplished Christian leader, Philanthropist and Author with a real passion for the power of prayer and giving as foundational pillars in her life

She was born and grew up in Lagos Nigeria, where before dedicating her life to full time ministry, she excelled in the corporate world as a successful business woman. It was in Nigeria that she developed her Christian faith within the Cherubim & Seraphim Church.

As an avid theologian and scholar of the Bible, she holds a BA degree in Biblical Theology from Faith Bible College Sango-Otta along with other academic honours.

She has made significant contribution to the work of the church physically, financially and spiritually and across many denominations and many continents.

Recently, she launched her own charitable organisation - The Esther Ajayi Foundation to holistically cater for people in need of help.

In 2007, she was led by God to start her own church named: Love of Christ Generation Church C&S in London. In 2015, the church moved into a newly renovated Cathedral in Clapham, London, where she now pastors a congregation with hundreds of worshippers and thousands of social media followers.

She is the Visioner and Sponsor of the Revival jointly powered by the Celestial Church of Christ and the Cherubim & Seraphim Church - tagged: Celebrate The Comforter.

After her own personal transformation, she has become a crusader for healthy living across our communities. Last year, she created The Fit-Faith Club, an initiative that provides free gyms, free personal instructors and free nutrition advice.

Recently, she was honoured with the Freedom of the City of London - the most established Borough Freedom that is conferred in England. She is a 2017 recipient of the GAB Awards.

She has been happily married for 35 years to Rev. Dr. Ademuyiwa Ajayi and they are blessed with two boys, two girls and an adopted daughter.

Dr Richard Ejiro Obahor

Dr Richard Ejior Obahor is the CEO of real estate company - Purple Premium Ltd, with a dye-in-the-wool attitude to accomplishment, doggedness, resilience, determination and success.

He set out about 12 years ago as a Buy-To-Let Landlord, and within two years, he had acquired a multi-million pound property portfolio owing to his outstanding and unique acquisition skills.

He set up his first real estate company in 2008, offering property acquisition, property development, and property management services to high net worth clients. The deviant, disruptive, and unconventional businessman has, over the years, not just proffered UK real estate services to his broad-spectrum customers, he has also integrated into the Nigerian property market where his company now develops quality luxury homes.

Obahor who holds an MBA from the prestigious Plymouth University, UK; is a notable public speaker who is also known for his sartorial dressing.

He is a 2016 recipient of the GAB Awards.