The Nation Newspaper

Tag: award

  • NBL kicks off 2017 Maltina Teacher of the Year award

    Nigerian Breweries Plc (NBL) on Tuesday opened entries for this year’s edition of the Maltina Teacher of the Year Award.

    At the unveiling at the Eko Hotel&Sutes, Victoria Island, Lagos  on Tuesday, the firm’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Mr. Nikolaas Vervelde, recalled that the initiative, which began in 2015, is to recognise and celebrate exceptional teachers nationwide.

    It remains part of the organisation’s continuous commitment to the development of education in the country, Vervelde further explained.

    Represented by the firm’s Corporate Affairs Adviser, Mr. Kufre Ekanem, Vervelde also stated that for the first time, the competition would be expanding its tentacles to accommodate teachers across private schools nationwide.

    According to him, the contest sponsored under the initiative of the Nigerian Breweries Felix Ohiwerel Education Trust Fund (NB-FO-ETF) intervention in the education sector, has brought about the construction of over 280 classrooms and 30 libraries in both primary and secondary schools across the 44 communities in Nigeria, in addition to impacting over 20, 000 students directly.

    He said the expansion of NB-FO-ETF birthed the Maltina teacher of the year, anchored on the fact that despite the sensitive role teachers play in moulding future leaders, they are often underestimated.

    According to him, collection of applications which opened on Tuesday, would last till Friday July 7, adding that interested teachers are to download application forms from the Maltina website -www.maltina-nigeria.com.

    Applications forms should be completed and uploaded to the website or sent by email to maltinateacheroftheyear@heineken.com or by post to P.M.B. 12632, Marina, Lagos.

    “As it was the case in the previous editions, all duly completed applications will be subjected to an intense selection and judging process. An external and independent panel of judges has been constituted to ensure transparency, credibility and objectivity of the initiative,” he added.

    He said the five-step evaluation process of entries received would result in 37 champions (one per state and the FCT), subject to entries meeting the threshold as set by the panel of judges. From among the states champions, the teacher of the year 2017 will emerge.

    He added that all state champions and winners would be rewarded at a grand ceremony on Thursday, October 12, to also commemorate the World Teachers’ Day.

    The Maltina Teacher of the Year Award has so far produced 42 state champions and two overall winners. The maiden winner was Mrs. Nkemdillim Obi of the Federal Government Girls College, Onitsha, Anambra State, while Mr. Imo Essien, a teacher at the Special Education Centre for Exceptional Children, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State who the subsequent edition.

  • Drums Festival: Anu D Lady Ekwe wins award

    Drums Festival: Anu D Lady Ekwe wins award

    The  Ekwe lady drummer, dancer and songstress of international repute, Anu D Lady Ekwe, put on a class art at the just held African Drums Festival to clinch the award for the Most Outstanding Performer in the Individual Category. Cultural fiesta, which debuted last year, was organised by the Ogun State Government at Abeokuta, the state capital.

    Anu, who is Nigeria’s only female Ekwe percussionist, gave a breathtaking performance, displaying her dexterity with the musical instrument, deft stage performance and compelling command of voice sound to the admiration of the packed audience.

    The songstress, who was recently conferred with the title of the African Ambassador of Music by the leading music school in Nigeria, Tenstrings Music Institute, mesmerised and tantalise the crowd with her  choreographed dance steps and electrifying drum beats, all benefits of her tutelage from the stable of Atunda Entertainment, where creative African youths are groomed and transformed into world-class arts.

    She was at the end of the three-day event adjudged by the organisers as the best individual performer and rewarded with a prize of one million naira (1million).

    The Permanent Secretary, Ogun State Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Mrs. Salmot Olapeju Ottun, while presenting her with the award and cheque, commended her for her endearing and lovely performance at the event and said she is a great inspiration to teeming youths all over Africa who are seeking veritable platforms to express their talents in order to become formidable entertainers like her.

    The music ambassador expressed thanks to the state government and the organisers of the event for a job well done and also for the recognition and award bestowed on her, which she said is a great honour and boost to her career.

    She promised not to rest on her oars and that she would continue to be a role model for youths, not only in Africa, but for youths all over the world.

    It would be recalled that Anu and Atunda Entertainment also featured in last year’s event with Anu winning the admiration and recognition of the state governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, who rewarded her for her talents.

    The event was attended by eminent personalities from all walks of life, including royal fathers, governors, and the diplomatic community with over a hundred participants from Nigeria, many African countries and also the Diaspora.

  • Tanzania’s Dewji bags Africa CEO award

    Group Chief Executive Officer of Mohammed Enterprise Tanzania Limited (MeTL), Mohammed Dewji has bagged the prestigious Africa CEO of the Year award.

    He beat other heavyweights across the continent to take home one of the biggest awards in Africa’s private sector at a gala dinner organised by the Africa CEO Forum.

    Dewji thanked the organisers for the honour. He also thanked John Magufuli, Tanzania’s President for his fight against corruption.

    Anta Babacar Ngom Bathily was crowned ‘Young CEO of the Year’ for her leadership skills as Executive Director of Sedima, Senegal’s leading agribusiness group.

    Created at last year’s Forum, the award recognises a promising young African business leader under 45. Ms. Ngom Bathily dedicated her award to “all women and young women” as well as to her father, who was at the ceremony.

    Egypt-based Elsewedy Electric received the African Company of the Year award, presented to a representative of the Group CEO Ahmed Elsewedy, who said as an African company, Elsewedy “has an obligation to take part in the development and in bringing the right technology to solve Africa’s challenges”.

    The award for African Bank of the year went to Morocco’s leading Attijariwafa Bank, ranked Africa’s fourth largest bank with over seven million clients and more than 16,000 employees in 24 countries. The bank’s CEO, Mohamed El Kettani, received the prize from Amir Ben Yahmed, Founder and President of the Africa CEO Forum.

    The Private Equity Investor of the Year award was given to AfricInvest, a Tunisia-based firm dedicated to the international expansion of French SMEs in Africa. The award presentation was done by EmnaKharouf, Managing Partner at Deloitte ConseilTunisie.

    German insurer Allianz and Portuguese company Mota-Engil, who together have been operating in Africa for over two decades, were the joint winners of this year’s International Corporation of the year award. The award was presented by Michael Rheinnegger, Managing Partner of Rainbow Limited to representatives from both corporations.

  • Obiano gets Fellowship award

    Anambra State Governor Willie Obiano has been conferred with the Fellowship award of the Federal College of Education (Technical) in Umunze.

    The governor received the award during the 23rd convocation of the institution, where no fewer than 2,058 graduands were awarded National Certificate in Education (NCE) and Professional Diploma in Education (PDE).

    The award, the management said, was presented to people who distinguish themselves in service.

    The Provost, Prof Josephat Ogbuagu, said the award was bestowed on Obiano in recognition of his education policies.

    The Visitor to the college and Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, represented by the Executive Secretary of National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), Prof Muhammadu Bappa-Aliyu, congratulated the graduates, urging them to justify their training by practising teaching  with passion and enthusiasm.

    He said: “As graduates of technical education, you have key roles to play in the nation’s effort towards technological growth. Your task is to diligently put what you have learnt in the college into practice for the benefit of students, whom you will be teaching, and for the benefit of the society. You will be justifying the huge investment made by your parents and the government.”

    The minister’s representative praised the management for the college’s growth, which he said, was evident in the increase in number of its academic programmes and the attainment of uninterrupted session in the last seven years.

    Bappa-Aliyu said the government planned to upgrade Colleges of Education across the country to train mid-level technical manpower, adding that discussion was ongoing with stakeholders to achieve the aim.

    Ogbuagu said he embarked on staff development, students’ welfare and upgrade of infrastructure as his roadmap towards realising the college’s mandate of equipping students with technical, vocational and scientific knowledge.

    He said: “You will recall that I promised to transform the college through re-engineering, re-positioning and restructuring.I promised to raise a committee to make the college a degree-awarding institution. I feel proud to say the college runs 14 degree programme in affiliation with the Nnamdi Azikiwe University in Awka.”

    Ogbuagu said the affiliation programmes strengthened the NCE programmes. According to him, students have opportunities to further their studies at the affiliated schools after their graduation.

    He said: “Let me also state here that running the degree programmes, alongside the NCE’s, has increased students’ enrolment and improved the competitive of the college.”

    Obiano thanked the college for the honour. He said education remains a critical policy of his administration in engaging the youth and optimising their potential.

    He urged the graduates to take advantage of the skills acquisition programmes of his administration to train emerging entrepreneurs in wealth creation.

  • BoI to receive ICAN award for supporting MSMEs

    The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) has nominated the Bank of Industry (BoI) for this year’s edition of its merit award  slated for April 28 in Lagos.

    The nomination was in recognition of BoI’s outstanding contributions to the growth of businesses and the nation’s economy.

    The institute said the bank was being recognised in the corporate body category of its merit award.

    ICAN said having reviewed BoI’s activities in the last one year, it found that BoI has recorded remarkable improvements in supporting Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in line with one of the priorities of the Federal Government.

    The institute said, for instance, that a review of activities during the 2016 financial year showed that BoI’s loans approvals as at December 2016 rose by nine per cent to N150 billion, compared to N138.5 billion achieved in 2015.

    Indeed, disbursements to MSMEs also went up by 42 per cent within the same period to N8 billion, from N5.64 billion in 2015, while the bank’s wide ratio of non-performing loans (NPL) reduced to 3.87 per cent in 2016, from 5.75 per cent in 2015.

    Also, BoI’s operating Profit Before Tax (PBT) rose to N17.4b in 2016, from N11.95b in 2015, representing 46 per cent increase.

    “All these culminated in BoI’s ratings by international and domestic rating agencies being upgraded and affirmed throughout 2016.

    “While Moody’s assigned BoI Aa1 in 2016, up from Ba3 of 2015, Agusto’s rating of AA- in 2016 was higher than A+ of 2015. AA+ assigned by Fitch in 2015 was affirmed in February 2017”, the bank stated in a statement.

    In the last one year, BoI had taken bold steps to implement the economic programmes of the Federal and state governments in collaboration with domestic and foreign development partners.

    The bank noted that conscious efforts have continued to be made towards evolving a favourable ecosystem for SMEs in Nigeria and further deepen its credit delivery process and have it revitalised for speed and efficiency.

    These include expansion of the bank’s branch network, automation of its operations and equipping youths with relevant business skills in solid minerals, agro processing as well as cotton, textile and garmenting.

  • Cross River elders, Ita-Giwa hail Ayade on award

    Cross River elders, Ita-Giwa hail Ayade on award

    THE Cross River State Elders Forum and some prominent indigenes of the state, including Senator Florence Ita-Giwa, have reacted with excitement to the nomination of the state governor, Ben Ayade, as Governor of the Year by Vanguard Newspaper.

    They said the governor was most deserving of the award, which will be conferred on him on Saturday.

    Chairman of the elders’ forum, Col. Pam Ogar (rtd), said the award was a fitting recognition of the hard work and unsurpassable achievements recorded by the governor.

    According to him, “The governor’s achievements in the last 22 months as governor of Cross River State are unmatched.

    “Receiving a governor of the year award from a reputable newspaper like Vanguard has again shown that what he is doing in this part of the country is being seen and appreciated by all.”

    Urging the governor to see the award as an impetus to do much more to advance the lot of the people, he offered prayers for the governor.

    “As the umbrella of  body elders from Cross River, we can only pray for the governor and urge him to do more for the people of the State.

    “We wish him greater achievement for the state and greater opportunity for the people of Cross River. Our prayer is for him to continue to make the dream of the founding fathers of the state come true while praying for his good health.We will continue to support him.”

    On her part, Ita-Giwa views the award as “a clear indication of the governor’s faithfulness and commitment to better the lot of Cross Riverians. Ayade has shown he is ready to make the state a better place. So, l am not surprised with the award and recognition for all his achievements.

    She said the state under Ayade’s watch “is fast becoming an industrial hub, our people have enjoyed massive employment from the governor in his demonstration to ensure all Cross Riverians have opportunity to feed themselves. This award is obviously an award for all Cross Riverians.”

  • Union Bank wins most efficient Bank in e-reference operations award

    Union Bank wins most efficient Bank in e-reference operations award

    Union Bank has been awarded the most effective bank in e-reference operations. This was announced at the recently concluded 2017 CBN/NIBSS Electronic Payment Incentive Scheme Awards, organised by the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Nigeria Inter-bank Settlement System.

    The e-reference operations refer to one of the activities carried out in Central Processing Centre (CPC) under the Account Opening/Documentation Unit. Contested by all the banks in Nigeria, Union Bank, Fidelity Bank, and First City Monument Bank (FCMB) were shortlisted, with Union Bank recognised as the most efficient bank in ensuring reference requests are processed within minutes of receipt on the platform, a measure which is considered commendable compared with the turnaround time of other banks in the industry.

    Coming off a successful transformation initiative, the new award is the latest in a string of accolades for Union Bank, as it was recently recognised the “Most Improved Retail Bank” at the BusinessDay Banking Awards, the CBN award as the ‘Best bank in Agricultural Credit Guarantee Scheme Fund in Nigeria’.

    The lender also won two international awards for ‘Best Brand Development to Reflect Changed Mission/Vision/Positioning’ and the ‘Best Visual Identity from the Financial Services Sector’.

    Speaking after the announcement, the Head of Operations and Technology, Union Bank, Lucky Jayaratne, shared the bank’s commitment to improving customers’ lifestyles by massively investing in providing a safer, simpler and smarter way of banking.

    “The improvement in our banking operations is clearly evidenced by the growth in the daily transactions on our online banking channels. Union Bank also has the fastest-growing online banking platforms in Nigeria, so we are very delighted to receive this award. We promise to continue building on our achievements and to ensure that our customers enjoy a simpler and smarter banking system,” he said.

  • Kwankwaso gets award

    Kwankwaso gets award

    Former Kano State Governor Musa Kwankwaso has said the award conferred on him is a challenge to offer more for humanity.
    Kwankwaso spoke in Johannesbourg, South Africa, when he received the award as African Person of the Year.
    The award was given by the African Leadership Magazine, United Kingdom (ALM).
    He noted that efforts made for progressive education can never be in vain.
    Chairman of the International Advisory board of the ALM Awards, said Joe Beasley, the former governor was picked in recognition of his leadership excellence, as well as his contributions to education and human capacity development during his tenure as governor of Kano State.
    Kwankwaso also received the Congressional Commendation from the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus at the event.
    He joins the league of African leaders who have received the award, including former President of Ghana, John Mahama; Dr. Mo Ibrahim; President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf of Liberia; President Jakada Kikwete of Tanzania; South Africa’s First Lady Bongi Ngema-Zuma and Mohammed Dewyi, Tanzania’s youngest billionaire, among others.
    The ALM Person of the Year Awards, according to the organisers is in keeping with a tradition of presenting the positive sides of the African continent, which hardly finds space on the global stage.
    It is also meant to celebrate exemplary leadership and individuals that have contributed to shaping the global perception of the African continent.

  • Ayade bags Governor of the Year Award on job creation

    Ayade bags Governor of the Year Award on job creation

    CROSS River State governor, Prof Ben Ayade, has been named as the 2016 Governor of the Year Award on Job Creation by the Authority newspaper. Speaking on Ayade’s choice during the award presentation ceremony at Shehu Yaradua Centre, Abuja, Managing Director, Authority Newspapers, Madu Onuora, said the award was in recognition of the governor’s clear cut policy on industrialization and employment generation.. According to him, “Ayade has been providing employment for the youths in Cross River. In all the states that we checked, he is the one that has remained forthright, open and transparent in the number of jobs created daily, that is why we have to honour him, to spur him to do more.”

    He said, “the future belongs to the youths and if you don’t take care of them, you are looking for trouble,” adding that, “when we checked among the governors, he (Ayade) is the one who has a clear cut policy in ensuring that the youths are employed.” Continuing, Onuora said “he ( Ayade) has some ongoing projects where these youths are employed, not just on paper, but physically verified employment. That is why we decided to honour him.”

    Receiving the award, the governor reiterated his resolve to continue to bring the state into the front burner as one of the outstanding states in the country despite the difficulties in funding. Ayade, represented by the Speaker, Cross River House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. John Gaul Lebo, said the award is a clear attestation that “ideas, value and intellectual additions including the artistry brought into governance have transformed into results.”

    Commenting, Chief Press Secretary to the Governor/SSA Media, Christian Ita said: “I think it is a fitting recognition because no governor has done what he has done in creating opportunities that have translated into employment for the teeming people of Cross River State.” According to Ita, “this award is just one of many awards that are coming the way of the governor because the country has recognised the industry, his deft management of resources and passion to move the state forward.” Believing that the award will spur the governor to do more, the CPS disclosed that 2017 will be epochal in the history of Cross River, as never in the history of the state, will the people see the kind of development that will be unfolded.

  • NCAN chief gets award in Guinea Bissau

    NCAN chief gets award in Guinea Bissau

    National Cashew Association of Nigeria (NCAN) President, Mr. Babatola Faseru has been honoured by the African Cashew Alliance (ACA).

    This was at the 10th ACA World Cashew Festival & Expo Guinea-Bissau with the theme: It had as theme“A Decade of transformation”.

    The award was in appreciation of Faseru’s  outstanding contribution to the development of the industry in the last 10 years.

    The Certificate of Appreciation was presented to him by Mr. Rui Nene Djata, Minister for Agriculture, Guinea Bissau at the awards and gala dinner of the festival in Bissau.

    Faseru served as ACA Executive Committee member from 2012 to 2015. He was elected as the Vice President of the body.

    He is the first Nigerian to attain this position.

    The conference, which had over 300 participants from across the globe, featured 12 exhibitors, four plenary sessions and six World Cashew Forum sessions at the Ledger Plaza Hotel in Bissau.