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Tag: Tony Elumelu

Daily Times to celebrate heroes, heroines

The country’s foremost newspaper, The Daily Times of Nigeria (DTN), on Friday said it would begin its 91^st anniversary with honouring some eminent Nigerians and an exhibition on May 16.

DTN, regarded to as the nation’s heritage newspaper, will honour three Presidents, including Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria, Nana Kufo-Ado of Ghana and former President Goodluck Jonathan also of Nigeria.

The Publisher DTN, Mr Fidelis Anosike and Chairman, Anniversary Organising Committee, Aremo Olusegun Osoba said in a joint statement that the event and the AA top level National and Historic Exhibition on Nigeria would hold at the Abuja International Conference Centre.

President Muhammadu Buhari will be awarded with Nnamdi Azikiwe Leadership Award; President Nana Akufo-Ado of Ghana with Babatunde Jose Leadership Award and ex-President of Nigeria, Dr Goodluck Jonathan with Ernest Ikoli Leadership Award.

The Nigerian Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, will be confined with the Politician of the Decade Award and Abia Governor, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu with the Good Governance Award alongside seven Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode (Lagos) and Ibrahim Dankwabo (Gombe).

Others are Bindo Jubril (Adamawa); Nyesom Wike (Rivers); Willie Obiano (Anambra); Yahaya Bello (Kogi) and Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi), who are also billed to receive the Good Governance award at the event.

Gov. Dankwabo of Gombe will also be honoured with the Governor of the Decade Award.

In the private sector, business icon, Mr Tony Elumelu, Chairman, Heirs Holding and UBA, will be crowned with Man of the Decade Award.

Other awardees are Mrs Ibukun Awosika, Chairman, First Bank Plc, who will be conferred with Woman of the Decade Award, while Pastor Paul Adefarasin, will bag Life Impact Award.

The publisher, Pinnacle Communications Ltd., Nduka Obaigbena, and other Nigerian Media icons such as John Momoh, Linda Ikeji, and Chris Ubosi completed the list.

The theme of the exhibition, “Nigeria through the Times’’ will be hosted at the foyer of the Abuja International Conference Centre on May 16, 2017 from 3 p.m. till 6 p.m.

“The exhibition will also be hosted in Lagos at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Victoria Island Lagos, from June 1 to June 6.

“The exhibition is aimed at bringing back to our memories, the vision and struggles of our founding fathers who laboured vigorously for the Nigerian Independence.

“The exhibition is exclusively documented by The Daily Times and retained in its very rich archives.

“The historic event shall showcase the history of Nigeria viz-a-viz the colonisation era.

“The rise of Nigerian nationalism, pictorial exhibitions of historic constitutional conferences, emergence of political parties, the Nigerian independence pictures,’’ the statement said.

It added that “The Daily Times first issue of June 1, 1926, the Daily Times independence edition, October1, 1960, landmark editorials of the Daily Times will be displayed.

“Also, Photographs of the editors of The Daily Times publications and memorable front pages from Daily and Sunday Times are features of the exhibition.

“The Times Heroes Awards 2017, which comes as icing on the anniversary cake, will hold at the Abuja International Conference Centre Conference Hall from 6.30 p.m. on May 16, 2017.

“The Awards are instituted to honour deserving heroes who have distinguished themselves in various endeavours and whose activities have positively impacted lives,’’ a legacy the Times Nigeria has canvassed over the years,’’ it said.

DTN said that the anniversary planning committee noted that the 2017 anniversary was consolidated because the last awards by the Daily Times was in 1996 when the organisation marked its 70 years anniversary.

“Henceforth, the Times Heroes Awards will now be an annual award.

“Notable icons of the Daily Times are Sir Adeyemo Alakija, Ernest Ikoli and Alhaji Babatunde Jose.

Others are late Chief Innocent Oparadike; Araba Tola Adeniyi, Tunji Oseni, Onukaba Adeniyi-Ojo and others.

“The event, expected to attract people from all walks of life aims at the promotion of humanitarian cause, such as the issues of the Internally Displaced Nigerians (IDPs),’’ the anniversary committee added.

May 5, 2017
Saraki, Ambode, Elumelu others win Consumersng awards

Consumersng, an online consumer rights advocacy platform has named Senate President, Bukola Saraki; Lagos Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, Philanthropist, Tony Elumelu and seven others among its 10 outstanding personalities who impacted Nigeria positively in the year 2016.

Each year, Consumersng recognises individuals, organisations and governmental bodies who have demonstrated a strong commitment to serving Nigeria while maintaining a global mindset.

The advocacy group, in a media release on Monday, said Saraki is being conferred with a leadership award for the several pro-people roles played by the 8th assembly under his leadership.

Meanwhile, Lagos governor, Ambode and his counterpart in Kebbi, Atiku Bagudu, were both chosen for the agricultural business relationship between the two states which apart from feeding several homes kept thousands of Nigerian farmers in Kebbi employed at a time the country is in dire need of a boost in local production/consumption.

The group also recognised Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State for the infrastructural development in the state and his relentless commitment to improving the lives of his people despite seeming political challenges plaguing Rivers.

Other awardees include philanthropist, Tony Elumelu who has touched many lives through his Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF), one of the largest private philanthropic organizations in Africa; Chairman Ifeanyi Ubah FC, Dr. Ifeanyi Ubah, who is being recognized for “his exemplary leadership and roles in the improvement of Nigeria’s league games.”

Others winners are; Managing Director, Eko Electricity Distribution, Oladele Amoda, who is being recognised for “his timeless efforts and roles in corporate leadership .” Also on the list of the Consumersng’s top 10 outstanding personalities award is the Mr Roomans Jacques, President, Seatruck Group, who is being rewarded for his gallantry efforts in developing local content (oil and gas).

Young entrepreneurs, Sijibomi Ogundele of Sijimoto Construction Company; Dr Nasko Ibrahim, CEO HMG Group and Mr Suleiman Yusuf, CEO, Blue Camel Energy Ltd; were all rewarded for their unwavering support towards employment creation and contributing immensely towards achieving a stable economy.

Announcing this year’s awards the Chairman, Consumersng Awards, Anefiok Akpan said: “The award is to encourage leaders and organisations to continue to be forces for positive change and to inspire solutions to some of the prevalent issues faced by the country. The award goes to someone who has built bridges.

The awardees will be virtually celebrated on15th, March 2017, a day which marks World Consumers Day.”

February 22, 2017
How Elumelu inspired my career – Uzochukwu

Chairman of Stanel Group, Stanley Uzochukwu has attributed his career success to inspiration and mentorship by Chairman, United Bank of African (UBA), Tony Elumelu .

Uzochukwu spoke during a courtesy visit to Elumelu along with a team of his staff in appreciation for the mentorship.

He said his first encounter with Elumelu who is also Chairman of Transcorp and Heirs Holdings was at a Maritime Security Retreat held at the Aso Villa, Abuja in 2012.

Uzochukwu who was just 28 and the youngest entrepreneurial at the meeting said Elumelu’s inspirational words that triggered his vision included “believe in yourself…,” “only entrepreneurship can create opportunities where none seemingly exist.”

“Those words sunk into my head and motivated me to press further into investing in the oil and gas sector,” the Stanel Chairman said.

Uzochukwu disclosed that “Stanel Group is one of the fastest growing companies in the oil and gas industry as a result of those inspirational words.”

“Since inception in 2011, Stanel Group has expanded and diversified into rendering other basic services within the sector.

“Stanel Oil is not only rendering services but now also offering its products ranging from high standard and customised gas cylinders in different sizes affordable even to the poor. These include Stanel Engine Oil and Stanel tires that can now compete with any standard in the world.”

Congratulating Uzochukwu on his impressive achievements and speed of success within six years in the highly competitive industry, Elumelu commended him for his burning passion to make a difference at an early age.

“Stanley, I like your humility. You are humble and I am proud to be your mentor as you have proudly identified with me as my young mentee.

“You started very young and you have gone this far because you are focused, passionate, disciplined and determined.

“My advice for you is that you should remain focused, futuristic, determined and above all, keep your discipline and integrity,” Elumelu stated.

February 4, 2017
Elumelu wins investors ‘Africa’s Person of the Year’ award

Chairman of Heirs Holdings, Tony Elumelu, on Tuesday won the ‘Person of the Year’ award at the Africa Investor CEO Institutional Investment Summit hosted alongside the UN General Assembly in New York.

Elumelu, while receiving the award, enthusiastically praised stakeholders in the public and private sectors committed to improving access to power in Africa.

His words: “In accepting this award, I want to dedicate it to Transcorp Power staff who remain committed to realizing our dream of improving access to electricity in Nigeria and making our vision of a well-lit, fully powered Nigeria come true.”

According to a statement made available to newmen, Transcorp Power has supported U.S. President Obama’s Power Africa initiative with a $2.5billion commitment.

He further added: “I also dedicate this to all stakeholders working hard to improve access to power in Africa. I call on others to please join us in this journey to powering Africa out of poverty.

“Africa has been faced with this same challenge, in my view, for far too long. I choose to look at the recent episodes of economic contraction across the continent as opportunities to diversify our economies and invest in building critical infrastructure, especially in power, to reduce our susceptibility to commodity shocks and break out of the perpetual boom-bust cycles.”

Elumelu stressed that to ensure a different type of growth trajectory for Africa, one that does not rely exclusively on the export of primary commodities, there must be reliable, accessible, affordable power supply to support industrialization.

“Industrialization must occur on a massive scale for our countries to be powered out of chronic dependency on commodities. We must power Africa’s next phase of development, by targeting and prioritizing growth of our manufacturing, industries and services. And power is the fulcrum that will make this happen,” he summed.

September 20, 2016
Elumelu seeks review of laws for economic growth

Vice-Chairman, Competitiveness Council of Nigeria, Tony Elumelu, said Nigeria’s laws are not perfect, saying there is need to review, amend and enhance them so as to improve both the lives of the people and the economy.

Elumelu, Founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF), spoke yesterday at the National Assembly Business Environment Roundtable in Abuja. He said the proper role of government, is not to provide employment for everyone, but to create, sustain and secure an enabling environment for citizens to independently create their own jobs and their success, using their own talents.

He said the private sector is the engine for economic growth in Nigeria, and indeed anywhere else.

“On behalf of my colleagues in the private sector- the established big corporates, the small enterprises and the budding entrepreneurs, I thank Senate-President, Bukola Saraki and the National Assembly for taking a thorough, systematic and transparent approach to this review, and for understanding that for the best results, the public, particularly the private sector must participate in the process of identifying and debating laws meant to increase their numbers, productivity and success,” he said.

He praised the National Economic Summit Group, which has been pushing for several years for a comprehensive revamping of our laws relating to the private sector.

He praised John Smith International, the Department For International Development (DFID) and other partners for the excellent work they’ve done with the Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) survey and “to report that it is the basis of today’s discussions, adding that The Tony Elumelu Foundation has also made a submission based on our survey of applicants to the Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Programme.

“I am a proponent of Africapitalism, which advocates for the private sector to acknowledge and embrace its critical role in Africa’s development. Through the $100 million Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Program, over the next 10 years, we will seek to identify nurture and seed 10,000 African businesses based purely on the merit of their ideas and tomorrow.

March 22, 2016
Tony Elumelu Foundation backs private sector economic growth

The Tony Elumelu Foundation has reiterated its commitment to private sector economic growth and giving the operators a leading role in Africa’s development.

Africapitalism, the economic philosophy first developed by Tony O. Elumelu, back in 2010, and has been heavily influenced by his long career as a banker, investor, entrepreneur and philanthropist.

The Africapitalism Institute and Durham University Business School, co-hosted a day-long academic symposium on the economic philosophy called “Africapitalism” at the Foundation’s headquarters in Lagos.

The primary goals of Mr. Elumelu’s Africapitalism mission are to promote public policies that facilitate private sector growth, to educate established businesses about how Africapitalist business practices can enhance both profits and prosperity, and to address the specific needs of Africa’s emerging entrepreneurs as the best source of new and inclusive local value creation.

“The purpose of today’s discussion is to explore the key issues influencing Africapitalism as an economic philosophy from the perspective and scrutiny of academia,” said David Rice, Director of the Africapitalism Institute at the Tony Elumelu Foundation.

“Years ago, Mr. Elumelu developed this philosophy from the perspective of a practitioner and his role as a banker, businessman, investor, and entrepreneur. Now his Foundation is supporting the rigorous, independent analysis of Africapitalism’s merits.”

Several distinguished faculty members from Durham University made presentations to a diverse audience that included scholars, students, business people and investors.

Participating faculty members included Professor Geoff Moore, Chair of Business Ethics and Deputy Dean; Professor Mehmet Asutay, an expert in Islamic Finance; senior lecturer Dr. Emmanuel Adegbite, who spoke about Africapitalism and corporate governance; and Mark Learnmonth, Professor of Organizational Studies. The day’s agenda was driven by Dr. Adegbite, who is a member of the Africapitalism Research Project team led by Professor Kenneth Amaeshi, who has appointments at Edinburgh University in Scotland and at Lagos Business School.

July 23, 2015
Tony Elumelu acquires new private jet

It is a world of different strokes for different folks. While the country battles economic depression, wealthy Nigerians are having a swell time. And these include the Chairman of United Bank for Africa (UBA), Mr. Tony Elumelu.

The popular banker has just added a brand new Falcon 7X private jet to his fleet of exotic ‘toys’. Those who have seen the new acquisition say it is one of the most luxurious.

In acquiring the jet, Elumelu is said to be motivated by the need to travel with utmost comfort as he attends to his businesses beyond the shores of Africa.

Luxury cars, yachts and private jets have become status symbols around the world and wealthy Nigerians are not left out of the vogue.

May 30, 2015
Tony Elumelu ups the ante

Former Managing Director of United Bank for Africa (UBA), Tony Elumelu, is no doubt a giant with feet firmly planted on the ground of business. An alumnus of the Harvard Business School, Elumelu is a celebrated public speaker.

Upon his retirement as the chief executive of UBA in 2010, many had thought that he would soon fade into oblivion. But that was not the case. An insightful entrepreneur, Tony returned with Heirs Holdings and later emerged the Chairman of UBA.

And the Onicha-Ugbo, Delta State-born businessman is far from slowing down. According to those in the know, he has another big project in the offing.

May 9, 2015
Tony Elumelu funds young African entrepreneurs

Billionaire businessman, Tony Elumelu, stands out among Nigerian industrialists by his unique way of carrying out business and expanding his empire. He is further set apart from other African billionaires by his decision to fund 1,000 budding African entrepreneurs as part of a $100m (£67m) initiative to boost the continent’s private sector.

To Elumelu, the young entrepreneurs are Africa’s hope for the future. The 1,000 come from 52 African states and territories and were chosen from some 20,000 applicants.

Last year, Forbes magazine listed Elumelu as the 28th richest African with an estimated net worth of $1 billion. According to BBC’s Lerato Mbele, Elumelu’s donation is the largest by any businessman towards the development of small businesses in Africa.

In a statement issued by the philanthropist billionaire, he said the selection of the 1,000 entrepreneurs had brought him closer to his ultimate goal of driving Africa’s economic and social transformation from within and radically create jobs on the continent.

He plans to spend $100m to support 10,000 entrepreneurs over the next decade and create one million jobs through the initiative.

March 28, 2015
Psquare visit Tony Elumelu

Popular Music duo, Peter and Paul Okoye of P-Square recently visited Chairman of UBA and Transcorp, Mr Tony Elumelu. Elumelu is known for this work to groom the next generation of successful African entrepreneurs through his foundation, the Tony Elumelu Foundation. He recently committed $100m over the next 10 years to 10,000 entrepreneurs across Africa. According to Forbes, 51-year old Elumelu is worth over 1 billion U.S dollars.

He recently hosted Empire Mates Entertainment (EME) boss, Banky W.

March 2, 2015