The South African sports administrator and politician Mr. Daniel Alexander “Danny” Jordaan was last night named as the Daily Trust African of the Year 2010 for his work in organising the very successful hosting of the football World Cup for the first time on the African continent.

The declaration was made at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja last night at an impressive ceremony attended by Minister of Information Mr. Labaran Maku, who represented Vice President Mohamed Namadi Sambo, as well as hundreds of special guests.

The citation, read by chairman of the African of the Year Advisory Board and former Secretary General of the Organisation of African Unity [OAU] Mr. Salim Ahmed Salim, said the 2010 FIFA World Cup hosted by South Africa “was a moment of immense pride for the entire African continent.” While the tournament lasted, “it brought the whole world to share the dreams and aspirations of the South African people and those of the entire African continent.” It also said “an outstanding African team [led by Jordaan] went to work to prove a point about the capacity of Africans to successfully host an international event of the magnitude of the World Cup.”

DAILY TRUST, a leading Nigeria newspaper, has called for nominations of outstanding personalities for the “African of the Year” 2010 awards.

In a statement at the weekend, the Chairman of Media Trust Limited, publishers of DAILY TRUST, Mr. Kabiru Yusuf said emphasis is on ordinary Africans doing extra-ordinary things and that nomination of women is highly encouraged.

He said nominations of deserving personalities can be done online at www.africanoftheyear.com up until October, 2010 after which the winner will be selected at a meeting of the advisory committee in Nairobi, Kenya. 

Last year, the newspaper gave the award to Late Pan-Africanist and former head of the UN Millennium Campaign, Africa Office, Nairobi, Dr. Tajudeen Abdulraheem contributions to "African integration and the goals of poverty eradication" on the continent.