The Lagos Chapter of Edo College Old Boys Association (ECOBA) has honoured retired Air Vice Marshal Joe Ehigie with a Lifetime Achievement Award for his meritorious service to the country and contributions towards the development and progress of Edo College, Benin City.
The Award was conferred on Ehigie at the 2017 annual dinner of the Association which held on Saturday, December 9, 2017 at the Metropolitan Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos . The event was attended by an array of eminent personalities including Mr. Victor Odozi, a former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN) who was the Chairman of the occasion; Ambassador Vincent Okobi; Chief Dr. Amechi Obiora, Joint Medical Director of Eko Hospital; Chief Lawson Omokhodion, former Managing Director of Liberty Bank and many others.
Other award recipients at the ceremony were Mr. Aigbe Olotu; Group CFO of Sahara Power Group Limited, Mr. Charles Isa; Senior Vice President and Head Operations Control for Sub Saharan Africa at Citibank and Mr. Tom Iluobe, a technology entrepreneur and educational philanthropist who was recently ranked as the most influential black person in Britain by the annual Powerlist 2017.
They were honored with the Distinguished Old Boy of the Year Award while Mr. Ahuose Akhigbe was presented with Ecobite of the Year Award in recognition of his dedication and hard work towards the progress of the association.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Chairman, ECOBA, Lagos Chapter, Mr. Godwin Ize Iyamu, stated that the dinner creates an avenue for members of the association to bond with their families and associate with other families. He added that the event also presents the association with an opportunity to work with the national association, to give back to their alma-mater in terms of corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives.
He further stated that as a tradition, awards are bestowed on deserving old boys who have made exceptional life time contributions to a profession, industry, government, arts, sciences, business or any vocation, and by doing so have brought honour to Edo College.
According to him, all the recipients deserve their awards as they had worked relentlessly to ensure advancement in both the public and private sector.
Receiving his award, AVM Ehigie who served in the military for over 30 years, commended the association for the recognition and promised to continue to do his best for Nigeria and ECOBA.
Ehigie joined the Air Force in 1964 and was commissioned a Pilot Officer in December 1966. He had experiences in the field of Communication – Electronics Engineering and Projects Management.
He attended the Royal Air Force No 2 Technical College, United Kingdom; United States Air Force Communications Electronic Staff College, USA; Air University, Alabama, USA and the University of Mandras, Mandras, India.
He was at various times, Aide De Camp to the Military Governor of Mid-West State (1967-1968); Squadron Communications Officer, Nigerian Air Force, Enugu, Makurdi and Kaduna; Staff Officer Communications, Nigerian Air Force Headquarters; Commander Nigerian Air Force Communications Services; Director of Communications Electronics and Director of Plans and Intelligence at the Nigerian Air Force Headquarters; Director of Defence Communications at the Defence Headquarters; Director of Commercial Law at the Federal Ministry of Trade; Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the defunct Nigerian Airport Authority and Principal General Staff Officer in the Office of the Chief of General Staff at the Presidency.
He retired voluntarily from the Nigerian Air Force on 30 December 1994.