In its quest to contribute its quota to improved healthcare delivery in Lagos State, Orunsii Wellcare Foundation, in conjunction with Office of the First Lady recently unveiled an awareness campaign to boost mental well-being of residents of the state.

The event, tagged: “Mental Health Awareness, De-stigmatisation and Enlightenment (MHADE) in Lagos state” and targeting persons between the ages of 15 and 70, had wife of Lagos State governor, Dr. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu in attendance.

Citing the World Health Organisation (WHO) report ranking Nigeria to have Africa’s highest caseload of depression and being in the 15th position in global frequency of suicide, Mrs. Sanwo-Olu, a surgeon, commended the Foundation, for taking the lead through its “MAHDE in Lagos” campaign.

While lending her support for the project, the governor’s wife said, “There is a need for a clarion call on the people, more than before, to pay close attention to their mental health as much as they do to their physical health. It is medically possible for someone to appear physically fit but mentally sick.

“We also must re-emphasise the need for people to prioritise healthy lifestyles. Physical health is maintained by good nutrition and healthy diet, physical activity and exercise, as well as adequate sleep.”

“The number of psychiatrists in this country has also been established to be a far cry from what is needed when juxtaposed with the percentage of mentally ill Nigerians who need medical care.

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“This staggering reality is a pointer to the fact that all hands should be on deck towards tackling emotional disorders among Nigerians and ultimately to de-stigmatise mental disorders in the country.”

In his opening remarks, Prof. Adetokunbo Fabamwo, chairman of the foundation’s board of trustees, said the focus was to make life worthy of living for the people, especially the vulnerable like the elderly, widows, among others.

While reeling out the action plan for the project, Dr. Ademola Gureje, its deputy coordinator, said the project will involve the gathering of scientific information on the status of mental health of residents in Lagos.

He said 100 volunteers have been recruited to implement the next phase of the initiative involving distribution of questionnaires to obtain data.

“The pilot study will serve as a template for subsequent studies in other local governments. The time for these studies would be communicated in due course.”

The third phase will involve “utilising the results and experience from the pilot study to conduct awareness projects across other LGAs.”

By Gboyega Alaka

Two students of Rainbow College, Ogun State, Adachukwu Chimaobi and Afolabi Fagebo have won international scholarship awards.

Chimaobi won 8,000 CAD worth of scholarship to study Pre-med in the University of Alberta in Canada, while Afolabi won 13,000 CAD in scholarship to study Mechanical Engineering at Carleton University, Canada.

The school, represented by Lovina Okenedun and Oriayo Orinayo Babatunde also carted home awards in the KS4 and KS3 categories for their excellent paper presentation titled; ‘Ways to manage carbon footprints in Nigeria’ and ‘There is Strength in Diversity’ at the AISEN (Association of International Schools in Nigeria) public speaking presentation in Nigeria 2021.

The AISEN 2021 public speaking presentation had a total of 38 schools competing in the KS4 and KS3 categories with Okenedun and Babatunde both presenting a very thorough and interesting paper.

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According to the Schools’ Director of Studies, Dr. Yinka Oduwole, these achievements come at the right time with the release of EDUSKO’s 2021 ranking of best schools in Nigeria, where Rainbow College is ranked 5th on the list.

The EDUSKO ranking is based on students’ performance in National and International examinations as well as recent awards and recognitions, quality & accomplishments of alumni, school leadership and management.

Coming at COVID-19 time, when the classroom learning system was greatly distorted, Rainbow College was quick to spring into action with its borderless classroom initiative, which got its students in top form with an outstanding 100% A1-C6 pass in minimum five subjects, including English and Mathematics, as well as 81% distinction in other subjects in the 2020 WAEC examinations.

“Although COVID-19 stopped many things, it didn’t stop our learning and teaching. We have deployed loads of interactive resources to enthuse and extend the learning of our children and young people to participate in a range of progressive and creative ‘out of classroom’ learning experiences, which our well-trained and expert teachers continue to provide remotely throughout this period and beyond,” Oduwole said. Rainbow College operates both day and boarding schools in Surulere, Lagos and Marba, Ogun State.

 

Nigeria’s leading malt brand – Maltina is set to take its series of activations tagged #MyhoodMyMaltina to several states around the country, having started in Enugu State during Easter celebration. The event, according to the organisers, is poised to be a wholesome experience for all.

The essence of the event, according to Nigeria Breweries Plc., is to share happiness with Nigerians in an atmosphere of fun and entertainment. For instance, it was a day of fun at the Coal City of Enugu recently as Maltina packaged a world-class entertainment for families marking the Easter celebration. The side attractions included Maltina Happy corner, where a lot of games for adults and kids were made available; the Maltina flavour bar that showcased different brands of Maltina, especially the recent brands of Maltina Pineapple and Maltina Vanilla flavours.

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Speaking on #MyhoodMyMaltina event, Senior Brand Manager – Elohor Olumide-Awe said, “For us at Maltina, we have always been a brand that is centred around sharing moments of happiness with loved ones and those around us. We want to give Nigerians the opportunity to experience our exciting Maltina Brand in an atmosphere that is packed with fun for every member of the family. Through these activations, Maltina seeks to remind Nigerians of the need to create fun family moments in a relaxing environment with a refreshing mix of flavours while amplifying its message of sharing happiness.’’

Speaking, the Portfolio Manager, non-alcoholic drinks, Nigerian Breweries, Kehinde Kadiri, said, “We want to show Nigerians that you do not have to be stereotyped into one thing. You are free to be different versions of yourself.”

Maltina has partnered three brand ambassadors who embodied the campaign and showcased freedom of expression in their own industries. The ambassadors include the iconic Kannywood actress, Rahama Sadau, the multi-talented actress, producer and humanitarian, Osas Ighodaro, and the media personality award-winning actress and entrepreneur, Tomike Adeoye.

By Bisi Oladele, Ibadan

Ride-hailing platform, Univasa, has expanded its services to Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

The launch which took place at the capital city last Thursday also doubled as a roundtable discussion with stakeholders, following the line of successful launches in Lagos, Edo and Rivers states.

It came with delight for both drivers and users who got their first ride 100 per cent free.

Univasa’s CEO, Dr Ben Adeniyi, said Univasa’s commitment was to make rides safe for drivers and rider partners with the company having several features in the application that make the dream possible.

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He said: “We want to change the transportation industry, give our partners higher returns while ensuring their safety, and we are committed to using technology and innovation to drive this sector. That is what has formed today’s expansion and we are still moving. We are looking forward to partnerships that will create jobs, provide security and safety when it comes to transportation and we are not backing out from this quest.”

The drivers present at the launch expressed happiness at having more opportunities to offer services to riders in the city.

Also speaking at the event, the company’s General Manager, Mr John Oyakhilome, revealed that a close relationship with drivers is one of the features that differentiate Univasa from others. ‘We treat our drivers as partners, we make them unique. They decide how the market operates and we have one-on-one communication with them because they are stakeholders,’ he said.

Univasa Nigeria Limited is a Lagos-based company focusing on development of ICT with various private organisations. It is set to launch the platform with drivers and riders in Abuja in coming weeks.

Mixta Real Estate Plc has announced the appointment of Ms. Soula Proxenos and Ms. Monica Musonda as new members of its Board of Directors.

Both appointments are effective from 2021.

Ms. Musonda is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Java Foods, a food processing company based in Zambia.

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She is a lawyer with over 16 years’ experience in legal practice and corporate management. She currently serves on several boards including Airtel Networks Zambia Plc and Zambian Breweries amongst others.

She currently sits on the Global Advisory Board for Scaling Up Nutrition Business Network. A recipient of the 2018 African Agribusiness Entrepreneur of the Year award, she is also a 2013 Young Global Leader (World Economic Forum) and Archbishop Desmond Tutu Leadership Fellow. Forbes Magazine and Africa Investor named her as one of the leading Young Power Women in Business in Africa in 2013 and 2014, respectively.

According to Ms. Musonda: “The opportunity to serve Mixta Africa as a board member presents an excellent opportunity to steer the direction of real estate investing in Africa, contribute towards building a stronger industry as well as positioning Mixta as the bellwether developer on the continent.”

 

Experts at the fourth international conference of the West African Association for Commonwealth Literature and Language Studies have called on African leaders to demonetise political positions to bring forth probity within the African political systems.

The theme of the conference which was declared open by the Vice-Chancellor of Edo State University, Prof. Emmanuel Aluyor, centred on building new frontiers for leadership and development within commonwealth Africa.

The conference noted that if African leaders continue to focus only on what they are likely to personally benefit from when in a position of leadership, then development may continue to be far-fetched on the continent.

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Delivering the keynote address, Prof. Stephen Omodia, a professor of Political Science and the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Edo State University, said Africa leaders must redefine their own leadership identities and stop adopting or adapting political systems that may not suit the dynamics of the people they govern.

In his remarks, the Chair and Convener of WAACLALS, Professor Marcel Okhakhu said the body was deliberate in choosing the theme of this year’s conference, particularly now that the continent appears to be under the siege of social and economic insecurity, largely due to poor leadership.

“Poor leadership has significantly aided corruption among leaders on the African continent. The results are high levels of underdevelopment across countries in Africa. This situation has led to the migration of African youths to any other continent where they believe they may find succour, which unfortunately is not readily available for them. The vertical flow of information from the West also shows an active mediatisation vis-à-vis cultural imperialism which is constantly shaping and framing political discussions across Africa,” Okhakhu noted.

 

By Jill Okeke

Your life can be better with just one more try. Relentlessly pursue an opportunity, and you will generate the hope that you will make it. You go to school, there is a hope you will make it. You jump into a river, there is a hope you will swim across, especially in shark-infested waters. So, hope is a potent and powerful ingredient of success when you hit a crisis block – IFIE SEKIBO

Heritage Bank’s success story will not be a surprise to those who have followed Ifie Sekibo’s life story, as times without numbers, he has shown that he possesses the Midas touch required to bring a declining business endeavour back to life.

The rebirth of the bank to what it is now, with a coterie of local and international awards, follows a trajectory of similar brands in the past that almost went under until Sekibo took over the reins, turned their fortunes on the path of sustainability and why he is regarded as a turnaround captain by players in the economic landscape of the country.

His strategic prowess became more prominent when his Heritage Bank, which started as a regional bank, in 2013 defied all banking tenets and was able to withstand the might of top established players like Access Bank, Fidelity Bank, Skye Bank (now Polaris), Diamond Bank and others to win the bid for the acquisition of Enterprise Bank in 2014 which also saw it inherit over 160 branches, over 177 ATMs, and 2000 POS terminals spread across major markets and commercial centers in the country.

It should be recollected that in 2009, Sekibo had led his team of professionals to nurture the re-birth of Societe Generale Bank that has been dead for 10 years and transformed it to an innovative regional bank called Heritage Banking Company Ltd, where he served as pioneer MD/CEO.

Sekibo, an alumnus of the renowned Harvard Business School OPM class (2006-2009) and Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (2002) with over two decades of professional work experience spanning across the financial services and energy sectors, is a tenacious entrepreneur and a passionate game-changer with a proven track record in turn-around management.

He believes that the success so far achieved is as a result of the mindset that went into the execution of the task as he posits that, “Organisations do not become the best by themselves but can become the best if the individuals who drive them have the necessary mindset to make it so. This is why I say vision is nothing without the right attitude or mindset to push it to success.”

His teams are led by the mantra of hard work and them understanding their feelings which he succinctly explains in one of his famous quotes, “Ignoring your feelings is the number one reason why people never achieve optimal thinking to make the best decisions for success. Get to know that inner voice – it’s not always on your side. We must become the master of our mind and body. Nothing changes without a lot of hard work and determination. And nothing is so satisfying as reaching goals.’’

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This is why he seeks to grow the country’s revenue by revamping the abandoned gold reserves through Heritage bank’s partnership with Dukia Gold & Precious Metals Refining Co. Ltd to develop Nigeria’s potential reserves of 200 million ounces of gold and fast-track the 10 percent contribution of the mining sector to GDP by 2026.

Nigeria’s Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, during the virtual platform launch of Dukia-Heritage Bank Gold & Precious Metals Buying Centres nationwide, said the initiative would enable Nigeria to mine reserves properly, trade responsibly, refine locally and boost the nation’s foreign reserves.

Now at 56, Sekibo remains a man of vision and an enigma in the field of business. People marvel at how he excelled in taking almost dead business ventures to profit-making, but to him, it’s all in a day’s work once the mindset is attuned to success.

His special ability to turn around dead businesses and make them profitable became evident back in 2003 when he led a team of technocrats to acquire a moribund company named Global Assurance Company Limited as the executive vice-chairman and also steered the institution named International Energy Insurance (IEI), which later emerged as a frontline Insurance company in Nigeria after undertaking a capital raise and listing on the floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

This passion and relentless efforts of his at turning around businesses that have nose-dived also took him to the South-Eastern part of the country where Golden Breweries in Umuahia, Abia state, was resuscitated after 16years of inactivity following a lifeline of $10 million it obtained from Nigerian Export and Import Bank, (NEXIM) and facilitated by Heritage Bank Plc. Heritage Bank’s involvement in financing the revival of the Golden Guinea Breweries under the amiable leadership of Sekibo remains one of his greatest achievements of bringing back another moribund business.

Aside from being highly reputed for turning a moribund business into profitability, his next interest is to make sure that Nigerian languages do not go into extinction. This was why he joined other private citizens to support the call for local dialects to be taught in schools, as most youths, due to parental or societal influence, feel the English language is superior to their native languages.

He championed the launch of a book titled “Let Us Speak Ikwerre”, (A KWU IWNUROHHNA), in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. The book originally written in the English Language was authored by Mrs. Oyintarela Umeri and translated to the Ikwerre language by Dr. Tony Enyia, an indigene of Rumuor-Ogbakari, Emohua Local Government of Rivers State.

One of the cardinal points of his life is mentorship, and he is involved in mentoring the youths over the years, as despite his busy schedules, he still mentors and gives direction to the youths. He believes that by developing their emotional intelligence, his influence can outlive him in their minds. This is what a leader will be remembered, loved, and celebrated for, according to him.

Mr. Sekibo is a valued member and Fellow of several Professional Institutes, including the Institute of Directors; Institute of Petroleum, London; Nigerian Institute of Management; Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria.