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Tag: Behold

  • Behold, the Lagos Archbishop

    Behold, the Lagos Archbishop

    A thanksgiving service has been held for the new Archbishop of the Ecclesiastical Province of Lagos, Most Revd. Adebayo Dada Akinde. NNEKA NWANERI reports.

    He was full of joy and appeared fulfilled. He has grown in the vineyard of the Lord, and served God the best he could.

    Last September, Revd. Akinde was elected the Archbishop of Lagos in Asaba.

    On January 27, the church held a thanksgiving in his honour. It was the day he was presented as the Archbishop of the Province of Lagos.

    His brother bishops came to share the joy of the occasion with him. It was a service of praise and thanksgiving. Tunes blared from the piano as guests took their seats in the church pews.

    The Cathedral Church of St Jude, Ebute-Metta was agog with worshippers. It was a great day and the faithful turned out in their numbers.

    Beautiful people from all walks of life were present. Stewards decked in their black suits. A red scarf was used on the neck of the ladies, complemented with ash-coloured hats. The men wore red ties on white shirts.

    Other guests and parishioners wore traditional and western garbs. The expansive church auditorium was filled. So also was the gallery. Those who couldn’t get seats inside watch the proceedings through the transparent glass of the church windows.

    There was a long procession of the clergy as the service began in earnest with the hymn Christ is made the sure foundation. They were decked in their full regalia and the Bishops were the last to mount the altar holding their staffs of office.

    The scripture, 1 Corinthians 9:15-23, was read by the Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Mrs. Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire. Soon afterwards, God announced his presence with showers of rain.

    As the celebrator stepped onto the pulpit to give the homily, all he could mutter was God bless you. He gave account of the journey of the church with three provinces. In 2002, it had 10 ecclesiastical provinces, with 13 dioceses, comprising that of Ogun and Lagos, constituting the Lagos Province; it is so till date. Revd. Akinde thanked his predecessor and pioneer Archbishop of Lagos, Revd. Adebola Ademowo, who he served under as Archbishop of Ijebu-Ijesha in 1965.

    “Since my birth, God’s hand has been on me for good. I am here to serve and not be served and I will serve more diligently than ever before. All my expeditions had a reason. It shows me that God’s hand has been upon me for good and he has given me his most precious gift; He made me His child.”

    Reciting Psalm 108, the cleric said it capture the totality of his life, having made a re-commitment to God in November 1960. Thanking his mentor for 21 years, the late Jonathan Adeniyi, who made many prophetic statements on his life in God’s vineyard which are still manifesting.

    Revd. Akinde’s message for the day: “God does not know anyone who he created that he does not love.” The elated Bishop told The Nation he has no agenda than God’s agenda.

    An Electrical and Computer Engineer, the new Archbishop was born in 1946 in Kaduna and hails from Egba in Abeokuta. The sixth of nine children, he attended Baptist Day School, Kaduna and is an alumni of the University of Ibadan and Obafemi Awolowo University, (OAU) Ile-Ife.

    In attendance were many academics led by the Vice-Chancellor of OAU, Prof Adebowale Omole; Prof Isaac Adiwole; Prof Ayo Banjo; Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Prof Rahamon Bello and Dr Christopher Kolade.

    Others were the paramount ruler of Ogun State, Oba Michael Adedotun Gbadebo; Chief Ernest Shonekan; Rev Raphael Okpoko; Chancellor of Ijebu Diocese Otunba Segun Demura, Chief Dan Etiebet; Bishop of Egba Rev Emmanuel Adekunle and Justice A Oyebanji of the Lagos State Judiciary.

    The post of the archbishop was formed for administrative convenience, efficiency and coordination. The Anglican Church is divided into provinces. Nationwide, there are 26 provinces. But that of Lagos consists of Lagos and Ogun states.

    The 13 bishops meet occasionally to harmonise positions and deliberate on issues affecting the church, where they make presentations to the larger body of the Church of Nigeria in Abuja.

    The post of the Archbishop spans five years. Thus, the Diocese of Lagos Mainland will be the headquarters of the province of Lagos for the next five years.

    The leader of the church in Nigeria is the Primate. The head of the Diocese is the bishop. The Archbishop is the coordinator, who sees to issues that transcend the immediate confines of the Diocese.

  • Behold, the CSR compliant brands

    Globally, corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a tool used to grow brands in an ever-expanding competitive market. The Nigeria Social Enterprise Report and CSR Awards for 2012 were recently unveiled in Lagos. WALE ALABI, reviews the awards and the report.

    Guaranty Trust Bank won the coveted SERA crown as the most socially responsible company in the country this year at the sixth season of the Nigeria CSR Awards. The event, which drew a large audience, witnessed the presentation of awards to companies (and individuals) who have contributed significantly to the socio economic development of Nigeria through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

    The event which took place at the Shell Hall, MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos, at 5: 30pm, with a red-carpet and cocktail segment. The highlight of the event was the unveiling of the Nigeria Social Enterprise Report 2012—the premier journal on CSR and Sustainability in Nigeria by the Secretary to the Cross River State Government, Mr Mike Aniah, who was joined by Ken Egbas, Managing Partner, TruContact and Steve Akonni, Senior Pastor, First Assembly Ministries.

    A project of TruContact in collaboration with the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), the SERAs — Nigeria CSR Awards, is the biggest and most credible corporate awards for unveiling Nigeria’s finest corporate citizens. It presents a very unique and strategic platform for corporations who participate to demonstrate to stakeholders that they care about people (community) and the environment even as they rake in the profits. It is designed to promote growth, sustainable development and livelihoods in Nigeria by rewarding Corporate Organisations as well as individuals who have contributed to social giving and social transformation of Nigeria.

    While welcoming guests to the event, Egbas traced the history of the SERAs this way: “it’s been six years now since we began the race… today, of the leading 100 companies,92 of them have documented policies on CSR or sustainability and (or) stakeholder engagement”.

    “We at TruContact”, he continued, “are pleased to establish that we have provided the required technical capacity building and training to about three quarters of the stated number”.

    Like the 2011 edition, organisations and individuals who emerged winners in all 20 categories of Awards on the day were assessed in line with the ISO 26000 set of standards which provides guidance on how businesses and organizations can operate in a socially responsible way.

    “We can confirm that the awards that will be handed out tonight represent our views on all the companies who will be receiving The SERA statuettes and plaques. The winners were reached after due deliberations and in accordance with the ISO 26000,” enthused Jide Ologun a member of the SERA jury.

    He went on to declare that the judges struck out the Human Rights and Gender category because organisations had not done enough in this regard, and added that more work needed to be done by corporate Nigeria. In conclusion, he revealed that “the decision to choose winners in different categories, was closely allied with the theme: Creating Shared Value in a New Economy: Pushing Back The Frontiers”, which examines ways that business can create and share in what it terms a “New Economy” which thrives on doing business with minimal harm to the economy, the people and the environment.

    Guests were treated to enthralling entertainment. The soulful music of talented Sewa was on display to serenade the audience intermittently, as she performed the SERA theme song and a host of delightful melodies. This was followed by the encompassing and masterful performance from the ensemble of Nitche entertainment group; who masterfully wove the tapestry of dance, drama and music into a rich blend as they creatively interpreted the concept of creating shared value. The act wouldn’t have been so enjoyable without the lighting and set design adding to the ambience.

    The atmosphere was thus set for the awards, as the first set of awards was in recognition of individuals who are contributing positively to society based on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Senator Liyel Imoke, Executive Governor, Cross River State was recognised for strides achieved in the development of Cross River State in the areas of Education (MDG 2); Health (MDGs 4 & 5); and Infrastructural / Community Development.

    Otto Orondaam was recognised for the”SLUM-2-School project”, which is helping to bridge the gap in the health and educational sector, while Access Bank and its Group Managing Director/CEO, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede were recognised, for Institutional Leadership Role in the Strategic Sustainability Working Group (SSWG) and the Development of Nigerian Sustainable Banking Principles. Attention quickly riveted on the organisations as the winners began to emerge thick and fast to the resounding applause of the audience.

    Aside carting home the most lucrative prize of all— the most Socially Responsible Company, GTBank also won two more statuettes as the best company in Corporate Governance and the Environment due to its entrenchment and functionality in its system and the consistency in the sustainability journey and prevention of pollution Sustainable resource use (Innovative solar-powered ATMs) respectively.

    Guinness won the Labor Practices category because of the conditions of its work place in addition to the social protection, health and safety it afforded its staff. Access Bank ran home with the Fair Operating Practices prize for promoting social responsibility in its sphere of influence (strong institutional standard and partnership to build capacity).

    FirstBank brushed off other contenders to cart home the statuette for the best company in consumer Issues because of its strong consumer data protection and privacy which has witnessed consistent improvements over the years. Promasidor brushed off stiff competition in its category to emerge the best company in Child Focused CSR due to its strong commitment spanning a decade in which it has promoted the love of the sciences and allied disciplines in young people through its National Secondary Schools Mathematics Competition (NASSMAC).

    Fidelity Bank were deserved winners in Youth-Focused CSR after half a decade of promoting the International Creative Writing Workshops which have built the capacity of Nigerian youth in an area of cultural and social development that is often neglected.

    Telecommunications giant, MTN scooped two awards: Community Infrastructure for its consistency in strategic and critical interventions in sectors important to the Nigerian economy – health, education, environment and community infrastructural development, nationwide. It also walked away with the award for Partnerships for Development for fostering a unique partnership between a telecommunication operator and a recognised environment-focused NGO (FADE) to create awareness on an important environmental concern to Nigeria – Desert encroachment. It also emerged as the first runner up for the ‘most socially responsible company’.

    Oil major Chevron, won in the Health category for bringing healthcare and critical health personnel closer to the riverine communities through the use of speedboats and other innovative tools. Etisalat won the prize as the best company in education for its CSR Centre which was found to have Unique and long term Impact in raising awareness on social, economic and environmental impact of business on lives; and consistent interventions in Nigeria’s education. Its CSR Manager, Ismail Omamegbe emerged as CSR Practitioner for 2012 due to the ground breaking and unique strategic partnership with the Lagos Business School – The Etisalat CSR Centre.

    Debutants, Nestle and Total Nigeria made a strong showing as they took home the coveted SERA statuettes. In what could be called the icing on the cake, Nestle won the creating shared value category which was the theme of the 2012 Nigeria CSR Awards for its investment in research work that has led to better yielding and resistant strains of cassava; building capacity and supporting farming communities to produce more and improve own livelihoods. It also emerged as second runner up in the most socially responsible company category.

    Total Nigeria won the Sustainability Reporting category. Its 2011 Report was specific to Nigeria covering key areas of Total’s environmental and other impact on Nigeria and includes transportation safety, economic and community contributions. Moreover, it was found to enjoy buy-in from the highest level of its organizational structure, by the SERA Jury.

    BATN continued its winning streak by grabbing the sustainable agricultural development category. It has been providing improved farming techniques for Nigerian farmers especially in the northern part of the country and for sustained and innovative agricultural interventions for many years.

    Nigerian Breweries clinched best company in supply chain value creation, as it enhanced the volume of sorghum production in the country throughout its supply chain, thereby empowering and aiding local farmers with new techniques and improved species. It is also improving livelihoods of the farming communities.

    Multinational, Shell, was not left out, as it won the wealth and income generation category for providing support to community vendors to grow their business. Due to its easy-to-use recycling equipment for paper, cans and plastics, used car tyres, batteries, bottles amongst others, it also bagged awards for Most Innovative CSR.

    Ella Olamiju, the business correspondent of National Mirror grabbed the Tunmise Adekunle Award for CSR Reporting which was sponsored by Fidelity Bank. She won as a result of consistently writing stories with refreshing angles that interrogate the engagement of Nigerian businesses with stakeholders and that challenge businesses to step-up to the challenge of building sustainable businesses.