Tonto Dike and Steve Midalah
By Our Reporter
The Director of United Nations Information Centre for Nigeria, Ronald Kayanja has described the purported United Nation award bestowed on Nigerian actress, Tonto Dike as fake and illegal.
Kayanja disclosed this to BBC News Pidgin on Thursday when asked to confirm the authenticity of the award.
“The award has nothing to do with the United Nations; there are many civil society organizations around the world that participate in United Nations meetings of the Economic Social Council (ECOSOC),that does not mean that they are members of the United Nations. They can participate and we give them what is called ‘consultative status’ which enable them to participate’ said Kayanja.
“I am not sure if the United Nations Rescue Services has any consultative status with the ECOSOC, but even if it has, it does not have the power to confer United Nations awards because it’s not United Nations.
“There are protocols for the United Nations Awards and this award bestowed on Tonto Dike did not follow protocols.” he said..
Reacting to United Nations’ submission, the Global Chairman of the United Nations Rescue Service, the organization that honoured Tonto Dike with the “United Nations Noble International Ambassador” Steve Midalah stated that his organization is one of the arms of the United Nations Economic and Social Council.
Midalah added that its organization’s goal is to assist government in eradicating poverty in Nigeria.
‘You and I know government alone cannot do everything, so we came on board to see how we can assist government in alleviating poverty in Nigeria’
“We have an initiative called the United nations Noble Ambassador awards and this award is bestowed on individuals who serves humanity and that is what we have done by honouring Tonto Dike. We followed her activities and this culminated in the honour bestowed on her’’.
