Chief James Ume, the Chairman and Publisher of THE WHISTLER newspaper and Founder of the Unubiko Foundation, has won the prestigious Gani Fawehinmi Award for Outstanding Impact.
Ume won the award for his philanthropic works, which include providing scholarships and covering students’ WAEC fees, revitalising a customary court and launching a N250 million intervention fund to rebuild the Ovukwu-Abam Secondary School in his home state of Abia.
Ume was nominated alongside Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Femi Gbadebo (rtd) OFR, among others, and emerged top three in the first round of the assessment, with the decision determined by public voting.
The Gani Fawehinmi Award, organized by the Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA Resource Centre), celebrates individuals who have made remarkable contributions to society.
The organizers lauded Ume for his outstanding impact, stating that he “personifies empathy and determination.”
The Awards presentation took place on Sunday at the Colossus Hotel, Lagos.
The ceremony was preceded by a lecture titled: “Corruption, Transparency, Accountability, and Good Governance: A Review of the Current Socio-Economic Challenges and Reality in Nigeria,” delivered by Professor Omotoye Olorode.
Ume’s contribution to education, community development, and humanitarian causes have earned him recognition at different times.
In 2022, he was awarded the Independent Newspaper’s Philanthropist of the Year Award and the Sun Newspapers Humanitarian Service Icon Award.
Ume, in his response to the accolades, had emphasized the importance of serving humanity and downplayed any desire for attention, stating, “I believe we are serving humanity, we are serving God, so, we don’t need any self-seeking attention. When you give to people, you are giving back to God.”
Through the Unubiko Foundation, Ume has consistently reached out to the less privileged in his home state, Abia, and other parts of Nigeria.
His initiatives include empowering widows, awarding scholarships, donating laptops, providing transformers for rural electrification, financing boreholes, and supporting healthcare in parts of the country.
At the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ume distributed Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) to communities in Abam, Arochukwu Local Government Area of Abia State, among other humanitarian projects.
