Obasanjo spoke on Friday in Lagos in a keynote address at National Daily Newspaper Awards for Year 2022.
He said the I-G deserved the award.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Obasanjo, Governor Babatunde Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State and 44 other individuals and organisations were given awards for excellent performance in various areas.
Obasanjo said that for the I-G to win the National Daily’s Man of the Year Award, he had done excellently.
He said: “For you to be singled out for the Man of the Year Award by the National Daily, I believe you deserve it.
“Your job is not the one that is particularly glamorous.
“When thieves attack us, we come to you; when we quarrel with our neighbours, we come to you, and you must be ready to answer us even when we may not show appreciation.
“That is why an award like this that singled you out must be appreciated and commended.”
The former president, who spoke on peace, said that peace, security and stability were essential for development, performance, growth and excellence.
According to him, justice, equity and fairness promote peace.
Obasanjo called on Nigerians to do things rightly at all times and be careful while making choices.
He said: “If your choices are right, the consequences will be right, your performance will be right.
“If your performance is right, then you obtain excellence.
“If you are going to be successful, you must make things better, do things differently, even when others are doing contrary.
“I believe we can achieve excellence.”
In his response to the award, Baba said it was a motivation as well as a challenge to him and the police to do more.
Baba gave the assurance that the police would do more in fighting insecurity.
“This award is not for me as an individual, but to motivate the force, the personnel of the force, so that we can do more,” he said.
Earlier, the Chairman of the occasion, Prince Julius Adelusi-Adeluyi, thanked the National Daily for the awards, saying that they would spur the beneficiaries to work harder.
Adelusi-Adeluyi said excellence awards should be given only to possible agents of change to motivate them.
The National Daily Chief Executive Officer and Editor-in-Chief, Sylvester Ebhodaghe, said the awards were made to encourage the recipients to do more in the areas they were recognised.
Ebhodaghe said Nigerians who distinguished themselves should be recognised with a view to spurring them to do more and encouraging others to do well.
