The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Awards

  • Fidelity, Coronation win banking awards

    Fidelity, Coronation win banking awards

    Fidelity Bank Plc and Coronation Merchant Bank Limited have won awards at this year’s BusinessDay Banking awards.

    Fidelity Bank Plc emerged winner in two categories, beating other nominees and carting away the prize for the ‘Most Improved in Corporate/Investment Banking’ and ‘Best Bank in Mobile Money Services’.

    Coronation Merchant Bank also emerged as the ‘Merchant Bank of the Year’. In emerging as the winner in his award category, merchant lender outperformed the three other merchant banks in the industry. Specifically, Coronation Merchant Bank led the pack in four out of the six award parameters to emerge as the ‘Merchant Bank of the Year’.

    The awards, which was conferred on Fidelity Bank during an elaborate ceremony in Lagos at the weekend, is in utmost recognition of the bank’s enduring commitment to building a vibrant and sustainable economy through the delivery of innovative financial services to its teeming customers.

    Receiving the award on behalf of the Bank, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Fidelity Bank Plc, Nnamdi Okonkwo pointed out that the awards were a lucid indication that the initiatives being implemented by the lender particularly as it relates to enhancing service delivery are yielding the desired result.

    A review of the criteria for the award category shows that Coronation Merchant Bank outstripped other nominees in the following key performance indicators, Profit After Tax (PAT), Loan Growth (LG), Return on Average Asset (ROAA) and Return on Average Equity (ROAE). Coronation Merchant Bank grew its PAT by 59.30 per cent in the year under review way ahead of the other banks.

    The bank also demonstrated industry leadership in loan growth, which validates its support for the development of the nation’s economy.  Over the past one year, Coronation Merchant Bank grew its loan portfolio by 817.26 per cent, attesting to the effective performance of its role as a financier Nigeria’s top corporates.

  • Why awards excite me, by RMD

    Why awards excite me, by RMD

    Veteran Nollywood actor, Richard Mofe-Damijo, popularly known as RMD, has urged government to show more interest in the entertainment sector.

    The thespian who just wrapped up works on a new TV series, ‘The Mr. X Family Show’, posted on his Instagram account; “I have been on the road since April traveling round Nigeria with comedians, musicians and fellow actors. In all this time, one thing I’ve observed in all the venues is that the audience is hungry for entertainment, good entertainment…”

    In his view, entertainment is money, and government needs to implement policies that would help it grow, just as risk takers are needed for this reality to unfold. He said: “Brands and multinationals need to critically look at the entertainment industry and see the different ways of growing it.”

    On his return to the screen, the veteran actor who just won the Best Actor category at the just concluded Abuja International Film Festival (AIFF), for his role in ‘Three Wise Men’, says that awards are good for the soul.

    Speaking on his victory, he wrote; “People ask me why I still get excited over awards in acting since I have won tons of them. Well, yes, I still get tickled by acting awards, it’s who I am, it’s what I do and I absolutely love it. It is my art and in its own way defines me, so any recognition of excellence is a validation that on my lane, I do good work. I adore and totally respect those who do same in their respective fields because when it all comes down to it; really, it’s how we impact our little corners that count.”

    ‘Three Wise Men’ features other Nollywood actors like Zack Orji, Victor Olaotan, Ebele Okaro, Tina Mba, Thelma Nwosu, and Emeka Nwachukwu.

  • UBA wins Interswitch awards

    UBA wins Interswitch awards

    United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc has emerged best institution in two esteemed categories at the prestigious Interswitch Awards and Gala.

    The bank beat other nominees in its category, taking away the prize for the Fastest Growing Bank Partner given to the bank with the most impressive performance in Verve card issuance and the Payment Innovation Driver for Trade Finance.

    Both awards further lend credence to the banks dominance in the digital banking space. The award which is a recognition of innovative products and services it introduced in recent times to meet customer needs.

    The UBA had recently also won Finnacle Client Innovation Awards, and Best Bank Awards won by its five subsidiaries across Africa by The Bankers Magazine.

    Receiving the award at a colorful and well attended event, the Group Head, Consumer and  Digital Banking, United Bank for Africa, Yinka Adedeji, appreciated the organiser’s for the recognition noting that UBA’s dedication to hard work and particular emphasis on quality to customer needs  are been acknowledged.  According to him, the award affirms the bank’s strong management and un-matched commitment to service excellence.

    “This only goes to show that our resolve in continuing to deploy innovative solutions that puts customer first by using cutting edge technology for consumer satisfaction and excellent banking experience is important to us. This recognition will further spur us to do more in meeting the needs of our customers with unequalled service hard to find elsewhere”. said Adedeji.

    UBA is one of Africa’s leading banks with operations in 19 African countries including having presence in global financial centers; New York, London and Paris. Adjudged to be at the forefront of innovation and convenience banking, UBA is one of the first financial services institutions on the continent to deploy Finacle 10x, a new information technology platform to boost its services and electronic banking channels. Today, UBA provides banking services to some 11 million customers globally, through diverse channels and several thousand touch points.

  • Sound Sultan, Seyi Law, others to grace Voices of Hope Awards

    Sound Sultan, Seyi Law, others to grace Voices of Hope Awards

    Musical taliban Sound Sultan, Timi Dakolo, Nosa, Soma of Big Brother and comedians Seyi Law, ATM and Ball Joint are among artistes set to grace the Voices of Hope Awards which will hold at the MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos on Friday, September 29, 2017.

    The awards which is part of events to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Dignity For The Helpless Foundation (DHF), a non-governmental organisation, which was founded in 2006 by Samuel Brown, a musician, pastor and author. DHF was set up to care for less privileged members of the society.

    According to the co-ordinator of the awards, Ebitari David, 50 Nigerians who have showed care to Nigerians would be presented with an Appreciation Award in 12 different categories.

    DHF organises its activities within five pillars which include Healthcare Assistance, Youth Empowerment, Social Development, Poverty Alleviation and Legal Help Help Support.

    Through this, the NGO with the slogan, ‘passion to serve,’ has intervened in assisting less privileged Nigerians without the sponsorship of of government or corporate bodies.

    “My reason for living is to put smiles on people,” said Brown who is a pastor of New Life Amazing Grace Church, Sha-sha, Lagos and has a single, titled ‘Na Grace.’

    Some other monthly and quarterly events which are organised by DHF include ‘Becoming an Entrepreneur,’ ‘Health Outreach,’ and ‘Legal Gathering.’

  • ECOBA gives awards to exceptional students

    ECOBA gives awards to exceptional students

    Ihe Edo College Old Boys Association (ECOBA) has presented awards to some students of Edo College, Benin City, for exceptional performances in various subjects in the last academic session. The award plaques and cash prizes were presented to the students at the graduation/prize giving ceremony organised by the  the school recently.

    The ceremony, which was part of the activities to mark the end of 2016/2017 academic session, had in attendance many dignitaries, including Mr. Arnaud Dornon, the French Cultural Attachee in Nigeria; Ambassador Vincent Okobi, who chaired the event and Head of Service, Edo State Civil Service Commission, Mrs. Gladys Idahor, represented by Permanent Secretary, Edo State Civil Service Commission, Reverend S.O Uwuangue.

    The recipients were Erokpadamwen Andrew, who won Senator David Dafinone’s prize for Further Mathematics in SS3, the Godwin Ize-Iyamu prize for Mathematics in JSS 3 students went to  Ajah Success Ifeanyi, the Senator David Dafinone Foundation prizes for Economics  and Accounts in SS3  were clinched by Eguavoen  Constance, the Edward Iyamu prize for Physics  in SS3  was given to Igbinijesu Samuel, the SS3 prize for Fine Art, donated by Michael Omo-Osagie, went to Akhigbe Ofure,  Air Vice Marshall Joe Ehigie’s prize for Drama was given to Enofe Eseosa, Osazenaye Osarenkhoe’s prize for Agricultural Science in SS3 was awarded to Uwadiae  Erickson who also won the Madam Ofure Akpata’s prize for Biology, while the Omaha Endowment Foundation prize for Geography went to Odoemenem Chinedu.

    At the JSS 3 level, Ambassador Vincent Okobi’s prize for Best student in French was given to Ehimhen Stevenson

    Other award recipients were Igbinijesu Samuel who won the Overall Best Performing student award, Okeghemu E. Emmanuel, Best Performing Student in JSS 3 and Igiehon Ekpenede who bagged the most hard-working student award.

    In the staff category, Jeffery Igbinedion won the Best Administrator award, Ifueko Evbenage, Best English Teacher award, while Mrs. Ighile Esther was awarded Most Resourceful Staff.

    Chairman on the occasion, who is also an old boy of the college, Ambassador Okobi congratulated the students for their success after many years of study in the school.

    The Principal, Mr. Raphael Omorogbe, congratulated the graduating students, saying the boys have done well by upholding the true value of the college, and for obeying the rules and regulations.

    Omorogbe appreciated parents and staff for their support throughout the 2016/2017 academic session, stressing that the occasion wouldn’t have been possible without their moral and financial support.

    In his lecture, the Dean, Faculty of Education, University of Benin,Prof E.O. Iyamucommended the hard-work of the students and admonished them to stay away from any form of deviant behavior that might put them and their parents to shame.

    He encouraged the students to always have regard for constituted authorities and obey rules and regulations wherever they find themselves. He added that they should keep on the reading culture as they have already been equipped with tools to guide them towards excellence.

    Also advising the students, the Head of Service, Edo State Civil Service Commission, Mrs. Gladys Idahor represented by the Permanent Secretary, Edo State Civil Service Commission, Reverend S.O Uwuangueadvised the graduating students to be good ambassadors of the school by keeping the ball rolling anywhere they find themselves.

    Also speaking at the occasion, the Honorable Commissioner for Education, Edo State,Mr. Christopher Adesotu represented by Mrs. A.P Joel congratulated all students of the school, which according to her, is known for academic excellence and assured them of success.

    Highlights of the event was thepresentation of a song by Heavenly Voices, cultural display by Edo College’s Cultural Club, special presentation by members of the press club of the graduating class.

    The event also featured presentation of awards and prizes for excellence by ECOBA to outstanding students and staff, while awards for best French class and best French students was presented by the chairman of the occasion Ambassador Okobi.

  • Buhari’s wife awards scholarships to 60 students

    Buhari’s wife awards scholarships to 60 students

    THE President’s wife, Mrs. Aisha Buhari, has called on Nigerians to make their children’s education a priority.

    Mrs. Buhari spoke yesterday at the presentation of scholarship to 60 primary school pupils of the less-privileged families in Daura, Katsina State.

    She said the responsibilities of educating a child does not reside with governments alone, hence the need to engage relevant stakeholders to invest in children’s education.

    The wife of the president said the scholarship was to support the students in the completion of their education with ease.

    She said education was the fastest way to ensure positive change and progress in any developed societies.

    Mrs. Buhari, therefore, called on parents to show more commitment in the education of their children, especially the girl-child.

    According to her, only education has the capacity of transforming the lives of not only the child and his mother but the entire community.

  • NB praises interest in Golden Pen Awards

    •Entries hit 250

    Nigerian Breweries (NB) Plc has praised the media for number of entries for the Ninth Golden Pen Awards sponsored by the company.

    Submission of entries, which started on July 3, closed on August 4.

    About 250 works for various categories were received by officials in charge of the award’s entry portal.

    The award was introduced by Nigerian Breweries to promote professionalism in journalism practice in Nigeria.

    Its Corporate Affairs Adviser, Kufre Ekanem, said an independent panel of judges, which comprises distinguished professionals, would analyse the entries for originality, news value, use of resources, credibility and factuality at the end of the collation.

    According to him, other areas of interest are info-graphics, lay out/headline, clarity and social responsibility.

    Ekanem said the awards would hold on Friday, October 6, and winners would be announced.

    Winners will emerge in the three categories of the award: the Nigerian Breweries Golden Pen Reporter of the Year, the Nigerian Breweries Golden Pen Photojournalist of the Year and the Nigerian Breweries Report of the Year.

    According to him, the prizes have also been reviewed upwards. The Nigerian Breweries Golden Pen Reporter of the Year will get N2 million and a gift item.

    The first runner-up will get N1 million while the second runner-up will go home with N750,000.

    Ekanem added that in the photojournalist category, the winner would receive N1 million and a gift item, while the first and second runners-up would get with N750,000 and N500,000.

    The winner of the Nigerian Breweries Golden Pen Reporter of the Year will receive N1million and a gift item.

    In the previous three editions, the focus of the award was on the role of the media in setting agenda for the future of Nigeria with the theme – education, youth empowerment and talent development.

    With the completion of the three-year focus on education, youth empowerment and talent development, Ekanem said the company was directing the attention of the Nigerian media to agriculture, local sourcing and industrial development as the themes for the 9th Nigerian Breweries Golden Pen Award.

  • CNL gets multiple awards at NAICE SPE

    Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL), operator of the joint venture between the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and CNL, emerged Best Exhibitor at the Nigeria Annual International Conference and Exhibition (NAICE) of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), which held at the Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.

    At the award night, to round off the conference, CNL’s Frank Ogbuagu, a Reservoir Simulation Engineer, clinched the prize for the Best Technical Paper.

    Frank’s paper titled: “Managing reservoir and operational decline without a Rig: An Okan case study,” was co-written by Femi Afolayan, Femi Esan and Nsitie Obot – all CNL employees.

    CNL was adjudged the best exhibitor based on its excellent performance in the assessment criteria of content/quality of material exhibited, aesthetic of booth, audience engagement and conduct of booth personnel. The assessment of exhibitors was conducted by Price Waterhouse Coopers (PWC), an international Consultancy Service Company engaged by SPE to appraise exhibitors.

    CNL was honoured with a Distinguished Corporate Support Award by the Lagos Section of the SPE at its Annual General Meeting (AGM).

    The award was received by Eddie Agbongiator,the firm’s Onshore Asset Manager.

    Mr. Esimaje Brikinn, the General Manager, Policy, Government and Public Affairs (PGPA) of CNL, expressed the company’s appreciation for the recognition and award. “We are delighted to receive the awards because SPE and members of the adjudication panel thrive on excellence,” Mr. Brikinn said.

  • BON Awards goes to Ogun

    BON Awards goes to Ogun

    Nollywood traveling reward show; Best of Nollywood (BON) Awards will, for the second time since inception, be hosted in Ogun State, organisers have revealed.

    The decision was reached last week when Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun received the BON Awards organising team which presented him the hosting rights for 2017 at the Governor’s Office, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.

    Receiving the team, Governor Amosun said he was happy that the BON Awards, now in its ninth year, was returning to the state, having been hosted in 2010 by former Governor Gbenga Daniel.

    He said, “I’m happy that the journey of Nollywood Awards started in Ogun State because this state is the home of notable figures in the entertainment industry like Hubert Ogunde, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, Olu Jacobs and many new generation entertainers and we shall continue to support the industry by providing an enabling environment for the growth of that sector and all sectors of the economy.”

    The governor said he was particularly excited at the contributions of the entertainment industry to the Nigerian economy saying, “When the economy was rebased, people forgot to look at entertainment which accounted for about 40% while the real sector didn’t get near that. What this means is that nothing would help us more than our creative industry. We focused too much on oil and it has made us lazy. Yes, agriculture will lead to industrialisation but creative people will continue to work and provide jobs. This is why our government would continue to look for ways to improve the structures of the creative industry.”

    The governor then promised that the state would join forces with the BON Award team to produce an event that would surpass all other editions.

    “Whatever we do, we do well. BON Awards 2017 would be more than just hosting a ceremony; you would all be proud of what we will do. We would have a beautiful outing,” he said.

    BON Award Founder, Mr. Seun Oloketuyi, recalled that they started the journey by taking the BON Awards to different cities in Ijebu Ode, in Ogun State. “It is a known fact that Ogun State is a major player in the Nigerian film industry today, as among the Yoruba sub-sector of film makers, there is a faction popularly called ‘Abeokuta film makers’; represented here by Bolaji Amusan, popularly known as Mr. Latin.”

    Continuing, he said, “We know for a fact that the filmmakers based here in Ogun State have refused to relocate to Lagos, which is reputed as the hub of entertainment, because the Ogun State government provided them an enabling environment to ply their craft and business.”

    He announced that BON Awards 2017 will hold on December 16, “and we shall have everyone that is relevant in the film industry all present under one roof.”

    He said, “before the main event, there would be build-up events like the BON Reading, where celebrities and past BON Awards winners read literature to motivate and inspire young pupils of the state; Talent Meets Class, where the corporate world and Nollywood practitioners meet in a forum to chart a course for mutual benefit while exploring the potential of the host state.”

  • Spinning firms lead at Commerce & Industry awards

    Job spinning firms with demonstrable contribution to local sourcing and backward integration initiatives in  downstream sectors led the pack at the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) Awards.

    The entrepreneurship giants were honoured based on direct and indirect impact on employment  creation, market share output, promotion of Small and Medium Enterprises and investment commitment to encouraging Nigerian products.

    The Murtala Muhammed Airport Two (MMA2), operated by Bi-Courtney Aviation Services, clinched the Public-Private Partnership Award; Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) – Infrastructure Project of the Year Award; School Media – Innovation & Technology in Education and the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), the CSR company of the year awards, among others.

    President of the Chamber Dr. Nike Akande, said the selection of nominees and winners was subjected to painstaking and analytical procedures, following entries from various sectors of the economy.

    She urged players in the private sector to infuse more dedication to the business of wealth creating while the government stayed put to fixing the power sector, security challenges, foreign exchange, infrastructural and institutional bottlenecks.

    She said: “We are today celebrating enterprises that have excelled in the economy amidst that many of them are also indigenous enterprises. The LCCI Commerce & Industry Award would, among others, continue to promote healthy competition among corporate organisations as well as competition as it is a major driver of excellence. We recognise that there is no perfect time to make an impact in any system.”

    Governor Akinwunmi Ambode said the government was relentless at initiating policies and strategies enhance a globally competitive condition for business opportunities in the various economic sectors.

    Represented by the Commissioner for Commerce and Industry Rotimi Ogunleye, he said: “Strategic technological development have changed the way business is done globally. Therefore our local investors and business entrepreneurs to leverage on its strength by pushing Nigerian products on the global stage. I urge the organise private sector to continue to partner with us as we redeem commitment to finding solutions to the dynamics of the business sector. We are making progress on the ease of doing business, global policy initiatives and infrastructural development.”