Author: PositiveNaija

Captain Robert Emmanuel Hayes Wins 2017 Karis Award

Nigeria’s first pilot, Captain Robert Emmanuel Hayes, has been bestowed with the Karis Award at the G.R.A.C.E. 2017, for his contributions to the country’s aviation industry and aeronautical education sector.

The event, which was held at the Household of God Church, Ikeja, Lagos, was pioneered by the General Overseer, Pastor Chris Okotie, and was chaired by Gen. Esio Obada (Rtd), a former member of the Supreme Military Council.

In his opening remarks, maritime lawyer, Mike Igbokwe (SAN), said GRACE, an acronym for God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense, was established in 1990, for donations of cash and support to charity organisations.

He explained that the purpose of the Karis Award is for the recognition of, and giving of an award along with cash reward to any Nigerian living or dead, who had distinguished themselves through their contributions to the development of Nigeria.

In the words of Mike Igbokwe:

“The Karis Award is borne out of patriotism, and the need to foster national unity and zeal, but it is without any religious, political, geo-political, tribal or social bias. This is one of the Church’s ways of giving back to the society, recognising those who have contributed to national development, and also to encourage patriotism and excellence in national development.

It is a social/charity event to celebrate God’s grace, encourage patriotism and support the needy and the poor. Nigerians from different walks of life, different faiths, tribes, political leanings, geo-political zones and social backgrounds, had been conferred with this award in the past.

In some cases, the governments and other Nigerians had followed suit in honouring the Karis Award recipients.

For instance, after Mrs. Margaret Ekpo became the Karis Awardee in 2001, the Government named the Calabar Airport after her, after Mr. Taiwo Akinkunmi was honoured in 2003, he was given a National Honour; Chief Gani Fawehinmi SAN, who was honoured in 2010, had gardens and monuments named after him by the Lagos and Ondo State Governments, among others.”

Speaking about the awards, Pastor Chris Okotie said:

“We are motivated by love; we are actuated by Christ likeness to do what our master has mandated us. In a world where there are political imbalances, and economic instability, we still have people who believe in love, who believe in community, who will look after their neighbour, and be their brother’s keeper. We are saying it very clearly that God, who so loved the world gave Jesus Christ to us, and that same spirit is what has brought all this.”

In his response, 82-years old Karis Awardee, Captain Robert Emmanuel Hayes, expressed appreciation to Rev. Okotie and the Church for the award.

In the words of Captain Robert Emmanuel Hayes:

“Today is one of the unique days of my life. I have never been so honoured. I thank you all sincerely.”

Martin Odoh Wins Plateau Governor’s Cup 2017 Golf Tournament

Martin Odoh of Minna Cantonment Golf Club has emerged winner of the Plateau Governor’s Cup 2017 Golf Tournament in the professional category.

Martin Odoh defeated other players with the net score 298 with over 10 gross to emerge as winner and a cash prize of ₦1.864 million as his reward.

The prize money was ₦864,000 but Governor Simon Lalong gave him an additional ₦1 million as an encouragement.

Martin Odoh in his remarks after collecting the cheque, dedicated his victory to God the giver of victories. He said that he had longed for the victory and worked very hard and thanked God that he won.

The first runner-up was given ₦700,000 while second runner-up got ₦500,000 from the Governor.

In the amateur and veteran categories of the Plateau Governor’s Cup 2017 Golf Tournament, the winners went home with different gifts including televisions, deep freezers, washing machines, vacuum cleaners and water dispensers.

Governor Lalong expressed happiness with the tournament having different golfers trooping to the state to compete.

The Governor said that his administration would work hard to sustain the existing peace to keep attracting people to the state.

Tang Dapoet, Captain, Lamingo Golf Club, said that it was the first time the tournament was played on 18 green holes since the club was established in 1968.

He commended the Governor and the sponsors for making tournament, which took place from Dec 11 to 17 [2017] a huge success.

Charles Onu Invents Ubenwa [2017]

Charles Onu has invented an artificial intelligence system Ubenwa that analyses a baby’s cry to give warning signs of baby asphyxia.

Ubenwa, which means “baby’s cry”, helps parents and caregivers detect birth asphyxia earlier, without having to wait on doctors.

Birth asphyxia happens when a baby’s brain and other organs do not get enough oxygen before, during or right after birth. It is the third leading killer of infants worldwide.

Ubenwa, an Android app, takes an infant’s cry as input, analyses the amplitude and frequency patterns of the cry and provides instant diagnosis of birth asphyxia.

Clinical trials with nearly 1,400 pre-recorded baby cries reveals over 95% prediction accuracy.

The startup has earned international recognition and is in the final round for the global IBM Watson AI XPRIZE competition, which has a $5 million prize.

Charles Onu, Ubenwa’s founder and principal innovator, says the company is presently conducting clinical validation exercises in Nigeria and hopes to make the service available and free for use.

In his words:

“We want to do the tests in the hospital, interact directly with the babies, and compare how Ubenwa performs given all the new environmental challenges that would come up.

We are still finalising a hybrid model. But in the meantime, we are planning to make it free for individuals and paid for organizations such as hospitals, clinics, governments, and others.”

Winners Of 2017 Lagos Advertising And Ideas Festival (LAIF) Awards

Winners have emerged at the 2017 Lagos Advertising and Ideas Festival (LAIF) awards aimed at rewarding and recognising creative excellence.

Noah’s Ark Communications Limited emerged the overall best creative agency at the Lagos Advertising and Ideas Festival (LAIF).

Continue reading Winners Of 2017 Lagos Advertising And Ideas Festival (LAIF) Awards

Winners Of 2017 She Leads Africa (SLA) Demo Day

Farmties, Taeillo and Greymate Care have emerged winners of the 2017 She Leads Africa (SLA) Demo Day.

The Demo Day signalled the closing ceremony to the three-month She Leads Africa Accelerator entrepreneurship development program.

The first place winner of ₦2 million was Farmties, represented by Dara Adekunle of the OCP Agribusiness Cohort. Farmties works closely with farmers in sourcing and aggregating farm products whilst investing in the right technology to reach out to customers, taking advantage of the growing agriculture industry in Nigeria and providing a platform to trade agriculture commodities.

The second place winner of ₦1 million was Taeillo, represented by Jumoke Dada of the Lagos Creative Cohort. Taeillo is a furniture and lifestyle brand that designs and manufactures furniture by harnessing traditional local resources with both local and modern technology to create premium urban African pieces.

The third place winner of ₦500,000 was Greymate Care, represented by Chika Madubuko of the Intel technology cohort. Chika created an online platform that connects the elderly and vulnerable adults to a highly trained and insured caregiver thus, taking the stress of care off busy professionals.

The other two companies that pitched their businesses to the room full of investors and business stakeholders were CEO Consultancy & Translation Services and Food-i-Like.

She Leads Africa (SLA) is a community that helps young African women achieve their professional dreams. With development events and engaging online content, SLA has become a leading platform for ambitious young women in Africa.

Supported by the Work in Progress! Alliance (VC4Africa and Oxfam), OCP, Guaranty Trust Bank, and Intel Corp, the SLA Accelerator worked with 20 promising companies looking to grow and scale their businesses. However, at demo day, five of the top companies were able to pitch their businesses in front of esteemed business leaders to win cash prizes.

Afua Osei, Co-Founder of SLA said:

“Since August, it has been truly impressive to see the growth and development of these women entrepreneurs.”

Peter Ayeni Develops Mbele App [2017]

Peter Ayeni has developed Mbele App, which increases access to quality education using technology and creating a fun learning environment in Nigeria.

According to Peter Ayeni:

“Mbele is a social enterprise in Nigeria that uses technology innovation to provide access to quality and fun learning environment for all’’.

Peter Ayeni said that the App’s mission is to increase access to quality education anywhere in the country.

He said that Mbele App will also enable young people to compete by providing curriculum based, soft skills, general knowledge and vocational video lessons delivered online in a fun and interactive manner.

Mr. Ayeni explained that this would also equip the youth to become social entrepreneurs and build a community for them to help each other to succeed.

According to him, with over 10.5 million children and youths out of school in Nigeria, which is the total population of Liberia and Libya, achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) might be a mirage if drastic steps are not taking.

He said with over 70 million Nigerians online and the ever decreasing prices of data and high penetration of smartphone, Nigeria could take advantage of the available technology. This, he said, would provide access to quality education for the children and skills for the youth, adding that Mbele App would make learning accessible to anyone anywhere via the smartphones.

Winners Of 2017 Nigerian Stock Exchange CEO Awards

The Nigerian Stock Exchange CEO Awards has produced winners, who were unveiled on December 13, 2017, at the Stock Exchange House, Lagos.

Dangote Cement Plc was named the Most Compliant Listed Company for 2017, having demonstrated the highest degree of compliance with the rules and regulations regarding disclosure obligations of listed companies on the Exchange in 2017.

The award for the Best Dealing Member firm went to Stanbic IBTC Stockbrokers Limited, for a high performance culture. It was the firm’s sixth consecutive win in the NSE CEO Awards. Stanbic IBTC Stockbrokers Limited accounted for the highest value of trades on the Exchange in 2017.

Pilot Securities Limited won the award for the Most Compliant Dealing Member firm of the year 2017, for demonstrating the best level of compliance with the NSE Rules and Regulations. The firm was honoured for its compliance with the Minimum Operating Standards of the Exchange, adequate and timely rendition of statutory and regulatory returns.

Chief Executive Officer of NSE, Mr. Oscar Onyema stated:

“I would like to congratulate all the 2017 award winners who are all deserving of recognition. The awards are given solely on merit and are awarded to commend listed companies and dealing members for their excellent and exceptional performance, compliance to NSE rules and regulation, high ethical standards and impressive customer service that leave no room for any penalties.

The awards offer winners a year-round marketing opportunity and a big morale-booster for companies who have made extraordinary contributions to the Nigerian capital market and exemplify the highest standards.”

The Nigerian Stock Exchange CEO Awards was initiated in 2012 to motivate listed companies and dealing members to a higher level of corporate governance and compliance to reinforce investor confidence in the Nigerian capital market.