Dufil Prima Foods Ltd has unveiled the 17th edition of its Indomie Heroes Award, celebrating exceptional Nigerian children who have demonstrated acts of bravery and excellence.
The company announced on Tuesday the new edition of the ‘Unsung Heroes’ awards at a press conference in Lagos.
The General Manager of Group Corporate Communications and Events at Dufil Prima Foods Ltd, Ashiwaju Temitope, said Indomie has spotlighted thousands of inspirational stories of Nigerian children since its awards began in 2008.
The company noted its call for entries with Temitope stating, “We are kick-starting the 17th edition of the Indomie Heroes Award. We started this in 2008 and have received about 2,000 or 3,000 stories. We don’t intend to stop.”
He explained that the initiative was borne out of the brand’s desire to highlight and reward children for acts of bravery and brilliance, often overlooked in favour of adult achievements.
“In Nigeria, many people who have been celebrated or rewarded for their good acts have been adults,” he said. “We felt that we needed to play in that space where we identify and celebrate children who have done extraordinarily well.”
The awards are divided into three categories: physical bravery, social bravery, and intellectual bravery.
Temitope explained, “The intellectual bravery category, for instance, celebrates children who, through academic ingenuity, have created things worth emulating in our society. Social bravery recognises children who have stood up for advocacy, maybe in areas like early child marriage or drug abuse. Physical bravery highlights children who have risked their lives to save others.”
He said the brand would continue to strengthen the award scheme to reach more children, promising that this year’s edition would be more rewarding.
“This year will be a bigger one. Beyond just giving out prizes to winners, we will also celebrate and reward runner-ups in the different categories,” Temitope added. “We have also increased the prize tag and are localising celebrations so that winners can be honoured in their communities.”
According to Dufil Prima, the celebration will span all six geopolitical zones, with the main award ceremony scheduled for October.
Temitope further assured the public of the brand’s long-term commitment to the initiative, stating: “For Indomie, it’s a long haul. As long as the brand remains, we want to assure Nigerians that it will only continue to get better.”
He added that Dufil Prima has partnered with credible research and Public Relations agencies to ensure transparency and excellence in the selection process.
