Kumasi, Dec. 12 GNA--The Kumasi branch of the All Nigeria Community (ANC) on Sunday awarded eight Nigerian nationals and two business institutions for promoting regional integration and professional development of Nigerian communities in Ghana The recipients included Dr. Feyi Sobanjo, an Accra based management consultant, Chief Olu Luther King, Pryce Oyebesi a retired police officer and Alhaji Ganiyu Lawal of GALCO Enterprise in Kumasi The company award went to Zenith Bank, Ghana and Kumasi branch of the Coca Cola Bottling Company Limited, the official sponsors of the programme.

The ANC additionally honoured 16 individuals for their valuable contribution towards the development and sustenance of the Nigerian community in Ghana.

They included Nigerian Youth Association, Kumasi, Chief Malik Alao of Yoruba Community, and Alhaji Ibrahim Dantsoho of Sarikin Zongo.

The award winners each received a plague and a certificate. The Nigerian Ambassador to Ghana, Dr Olatunji Kolapo in an address, expressed his gratitude to the award winners and management of Zenith Bank and Coca Cola Company Limited for their contribution towards Ghana's reconstruction and welfare of Nigerian nationals in Ghana Dr. Kolapo noted that Nigerian nationals in Ghana get their daily bread from Ghana and urged them to conduct themselves in a way that would foster national unity and socio-economic development of the country.

He cherished the objective of the award programme, which sought to recognise hard work and good services and prayed for its sustenance. The National President of (ANC), Mr. Mark Oludare disclosed that his outfit had assisted over 200 Nigeria youths, including 110 females to undergo apprenticeship in the fields of hair dressing, tailoring, soap and pomade making.

To this end, Mr. Oludare appealed to privileged Nigerians to offer logistic and financial support to the apprentices to enable them to establish their own businesses and as well employ others. A retired police officer and an award winner, Mr. Pryce Oyebesi, on behalf of his colleagues said using short-cuts to create wealth was not a sustainable path and admonished those involved in internet fraud and '419' to desist from those anti-social acts.