By Daniels Ekugo

Toyota Dream Car Art Contest is a CSR initiative of Toyota Motor Corporation Japan to develop the innate artistic talent in children and to cultivate an enduring relationship with them. Toyota distributors and dealers alike globally have keyed into this initiative because of its acceptance and impact on children’s psyche the world over.

The 13th Dream Car Art Contest was held in Nigeria on the 26th of January 2019 in Abuja and Port-Harcourt respectively, and in Lagos on the 2nd of February 2019. Accreditation started at 8:00am to 9:30am and the contest commenced at 10:00am. Children came from different schools and states to share their concepts about the future of vehicular mobility by drawing their dream cars in the contest. The contest comprises of age categories which are:

1. Under 8 years old
2. 8-11 years
3. 12-15 years

In Abuja, 290 children participated, 361 participated in Port-Harcourt and 450 participated in Lagos. Three (3) winners emerged from each category in Port-Harcourt, Abuja and Lagos centers respectively; making a total of twenty-seven (27) winners from the three zones. Three national finalists from each category making nine (9) winners in all emerged after the rigorous assessment of entries from the three drawing centers. All the winning entries were judged based on the originality, creativity (the big idea behind the drawing), environmental friendliness, safety and futuristic concept in their drawings.

The Nine (9) winners were invited to the award of prize and certificate ceremony at Toyota (Nigeria) Limited corporate headquarters, Lekki on the 30th of March 2019. Among the nine winners, four were from Port-Harcourt, three from Abuja, and two from Lagos. The winners’ parents, teachers and well-wishers were entertained and winners went home with Laptops, other corporate gifts and most importantly, winner’s certificate.

In attendance were the Managing Director, Mr. Kunle Ade-Ojo, Head of Marketing Department, Mr. Andrew Ajuyah, Public Relations Manager, Mrs. Bukunola Ogunnusi, Marketing Manager, Mr. Adebayo Olawoyin.

The Managing Director of Toyota (Nigeria) Limited expressed his resolve to continue to support this laudable CSR initiative. He said “Toyota (Nigeria) Limited believes in tapping into the minds of children towards helping them realize their God-given talent and express it positively. He added that the platform will help build the confidence of these budding artists and future leaders in the creative world. He expressed high hopes that one of the local winners will win on the Toyota global platform. He added that Toyota will continue to organize the contest annually as long as it remains relevant to our CSR objectives”.

Each winner presented his/her drawing; explaining the concept of their drawings typified the guidelines of originality, creativity, environmental friendliness, safety and future relevance. respectively, they also urged Toyota to manufacture their dream car in the future.

In conclusion, one of the winners Ebelechukwu Onyejekwe thanked the organizers on behalf of the entire winners and expressed her gratitude to Toyota (Nigeria) Limited for the opportunity given to them to exhibit their talents. Mr. Abdulbasit Bolaji Bakare, one of the parents and school proprietor thanked the management of Toyota (Nigeria) Limited for giving the children the opportunity to exhibit their creativity. He opined that the event would leave an indelible and sweet memory in the minds of the children.