ELLA was born out of a conviction that those who dedicate their lives to building minds, shaping character and transforming society through education deserve to be celebrated in a special way.

For many years, I have worked closely with school proprietors, administrators and other education professionals across Nigeria and beyond. I have encountered individuals who have made extraordinary sacrifices, built remarkable institutions, transformed countless lives and contributed immensely to national development, yet their contributions remain largely unrecognised.

I began to ask myself: Who celebrates these people? Who documents their achievements? Who tells their stories to the next generation?

ELLA is our response to these questions.

We believe that recognition should not come only after retirement or when people are no longer able to enjoy the impact of their contributions. People who are making a difference today deserve to be celebrated today.

ELLA is therefore more than an award ceremony. It is a platform for honouring legacies, celebrating leadership and inspiring excellence in education.

I have tremendous respect for excellence in every sector. Healthcare professionals, entrepreneurs, engineers, public servants, scientists and other professionals all make valuable contributions to society.

However, ELLA has a specific mission, and that mission is education.

My conviction is that education is one of the most powerful instruments for transforming every other sector. The doctor, engineer, entrepreneur, lawyer, scientist and national leader all pass through the hands of educators at some point in their lives.

Behind almost every successful professional is an educator who contributed to that person's development.

Unfortunately, the people who help produce excellence in other sectors are not always celebrated with the same enthusiasm as the people who emerge from those sectors.

We celebrate successful graduates, but how often do we celebrate the personnel who prepared them? We celebrate successful institutions, but how often do we recognise the proprietors and administrators who built them?

ELLA seeks to correct this imbalance.

We are not saying other sectors are less important. We are saying that education deserves a dedicated platform that recognises the people responsible for developing human capacity and building the foundations of society.

That is a very important question, and I believe it deserves a straightforward answer.

I am on the Panel of one of the biggest educational awards in the world - the Global Education Awards which holds in Dubai every year and whose participation cuts across over 90 countries in the world.

So talking about qualifications, I think I have the kind of experience and exposure that could provide foundation for this initiative in Africa.

But beyond this credential, I do not approach ELLA merely as someone leading an award ceremony. I approach it as an educationist who has spent years working within the education ecosystem in Nigeria in particular and in Africa in general, understanding its challenges and contributing to its development.

Through EIN Educational Services Africa, I have been involved in teacher development, school leadership training, educational consultancy, professional certification, international educational collaborations and institutional development.

Over the years, I have been privileged to contribute to the training of over 20,000 classroom teachers and more than 10,000 school administrators across Africa.

My professional engagements have also included serving as Nigeria's Country Representative for the Global Education Supplies and Solutions (GESS) Dubai, Project Director for School Growth International initiatives, and working with international education development partners.

These experiences have exposed me to different dimensions of the education sector, from the classroom to the boardroom, from school administration to international educational partnerships.

However, I must emphasise something: ELLA is not about one man's opinion or personal preferences.

The credibility of the award must rest on transparent nomination processes, verifiable achievements, established criteria and responsible assessment. Our ambition is to build an award whose integrity is bigger than its founders.

I think the question should not simply be how many awards exist, but what value each award adds to society.

ELLA is being conceived around a clear philosophy: recognition must be meaningful, credible and inspirational.

First, we are intentional about recognising different dimensions of educational contribution. Not everybody makes an impact in the same way. Some people build institutions; some transform teaching and learning; some provide visionary leadership; others dedicate their entire lives to educational development.

This is why we have distinctive recognition categories:

• Legends of Education Award
• Icons of Education Award
• Champions of Education Award
• Heroes of Education Award
• Leaders of Education Award
• Pillars of Education Award

Each category provides an opportunity to celebrate a different expression of excellence and contribution.

Second, ELLA is not designed as a commercial award. It is strictly merit-based and not for sale. No one should have to pay to be considered worthy of recognition.

Third, we want the award to create value beyond the presentation of a plaque or trophy. Our planned induction of recipients as Honorary Fellows of the Professional School Administrators is one way of extending the recognition into professional fellowship and engagement.

Ultimately, our greatest distinction should be the credibility of the people we honour and the integrity of the process through which they are selected.

Because the moment an award becomes something people can purchase, it loses much of its moral value.

We must distinguish between recognition and commercial transactions.

An award should communicate that someone has demonstrated excellence, made sacrifices, achieved measurable results or contributed meaningfully to society.

If people begin to believe that awards are available to the highest bidder, genuine achievers become discouraged, and the award itself loses credibility.

Our position is very clear: ELLA is based on merit, not money. The honour is conferred because of what the recipient has contributed to education, not because of what the recipient can afford.

We want people to look at an ELLA recipient and appreciate the person's achievements.

That is the kind of reputation we are determined to build.

We have several expectations.

First, we want to change the culture of recognition in the education sector. We must develop a tradition of celebrating excellence, not just identifying problems.

Second, we want ELLA to inspire younger educationists. A young teacher should be able to look at an accomplished educator and see a future worth pursuing. A school proprietor should understand that building a sustainable, excellent institution is a legacy worth celebrating.

Third, we want to create opportunities for networking, mentorship and professional collaboration, especially among experienced and emerging leaders in education.

Fourth, We want ELLA to contribute to the documentation of educational history in Nigeria. There are people whose stories need to be told, whose sacrifices need to be recorded and whose contributions deserve to be preserved for future generations.

Finally, we want ELLA to become a platform that encourages educational institutions to aspire to higher standards.

If ELLA can make one school proprietor improve their institution, one teacher rediscover their passion, one administrator become more committed to excellence and one young person choose a career in education, then we are already making a difference.

No meaningful initiative of this nature can achieve its full potential without institutional collaboration.

We are particularly delighted to have School Growth International (SGI) as our sponsor. SGI has international presence and educational engagement in China, Finland and Dubai.

Other partners include Windsor University, Washington DC, USA (the first university to offer MBA School Business in the world), Employability Studies Institute (the first employability training school in Nigeria) and other educational institutions and agencies in the world

Beyond these, we look forward to working with educational associations, professional bodies, school networks, development organisations, educational institutions and individuals who share our commitment to educational excellence.

Our doors are open to credible organisations and individuals who want to contribute meaningfully to the advancement of education.

Because we are talking about recognising their work, their sacrifices and their contributions to society.

Running a school is not an easy undertaking. Training teachers is not an easy responsibility. Managing an educational institution, maintaining standards, investing in infrastructure and ensuring that children receive quality education require enormous commitment.

There are school proprietors who have spent decades building institutions from virtually nothing. There are administrators who have kept institutions alive through difficult economic circumstances.

These people deserve to have their stories told.

ELLA is an opportunity for the education sector to celebrate its own.

I would encourage education stakeholders to embrace the initiative, not merely as an opportunity to receive an award but as an opportunity to celebrate the collective achievements of our profession.

My vision is for ELLA to become one of Africa's most respected platforms for recognising excellence and leadership in education.

I see an award with national recognition, followed by a strong international presence. I envision ELLA bringing together outstanding educationists from different countries, creating opportunities for cross-border collaboration and promoting conversations around the future of education.

I also see the emergence of an ELLA Hall of Fame, where the achievements and contributions of distinguished education personalities will be documented and preserved.

Beyond the annual ceremony, I would like ELLA to support mentorship initiatives, leadership conversations, educational development programmes and opportunities for emerging education professionals to learn from established leaders.

Ultimately, I want ELLA to become an institution whose name commands respect because of the quality of people it recognises and the values it represents.

My dream is that, many years from now, an educationist will consider being recognised by ELLA a significant milestone in their professional journey.

My message is simple: Thank you for choosing to make education your contribution to humanity.

Whether you have spent five years, twenty years or fifty years in education, your commitment matters. Whether you have built a large educational institution or quietly influenced the lives of hundreds of learners, your contribution matters.

You may not always receive applause. You may not always see the immediate results of your sacrifices. But every child whose life you have influenced, every teacher you have developed and every institution you have strengthened represents a lasting contribution to society.

ELLA is our way of saying that your work matters, your sacrifices are appreciated and your legacy deserves to be celebrated.

To all our honourees, congratulations. You are not simply receiving an award; you are becoming part of a community committed to celebrating and advancing educational excellence.

Let us celebrate those who build the future by educating the present.

I believe that one of the greatest injustices we can do to a generation is to allow the people who shaped its future to pass through life without recognition.

ELLA is our commitment to changing that narrative.