Category: Security & Law

Funke Abimbola-Akindolie has been conferred the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) by Prince Charles of England at the Buckingham Palace.

The multiple award-winning Nigerian, who is also the founder of the International Women Leader in Life Sciences Network, was honoured because of her numerous contribution to “help diversify the legal profession”.

Profile of Funke Abimbola-Akindolie

• Funke attended Burgess Hill School, West Sussex from 1986-1991. She then attended the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne from 1991-1994 where she obtained her LLB Hons degree.
• She worked as an Assistant Solicitor at Campbell Hooper from February 2001-2005. She then moved to the firm of Picton Solicitors where she worked as assistant solicitor January 2006-Dec 2007. From January 2008- 2011, Funke was a senior solicitor at IBB solicitors.
• In January 2012, she resumed at Roche as Managing Counsel for UK and Ireland.  From June 2015-November 2015 she acted as Company Secretary and in December 2015 she was promoted to her current position of General Counsel and Company Secret
• Funke Abimbola-Akindolie is currently the General Counsel and Head of Financial Compliance at Roche, making her the most senior lawyer in the world’s largest biotech firm.

Funke Abimbola-Akindolie’s recognition in legal directories

• Leading in-house lawyer, Legal 500 directory since 2012
• Leading lawyer from a black ethnic minority background, Black Letter Law since 2012
• Expert in corporate/M&A law, Chambers legal directory 2012
• Listed in “Who’s who in the law” Legal 500 directory since 2011
• Recommended for commercial law, Legal 500 directory 2011
• In 2014 she was invited to join the Innovative GC (General Counsel) Club following her ranking in the Financial Times Innovative Lawyers report.

Awards and recognitions

• 2016 Women4Africa – Recognition award for outstanding achievements and contributions
• 2015 Positive Role Model (Gender) Award, National Diversity Awards 2015 – Winner
• Career Woman of the Year Award, Women4Africa 2015 – Winner
• Outstanding Woman in Professional Services, Precious Awards 2015 – Winner
• Inspiring Member of the Year, Inclusive Network Awards 2015 – Winner
• Top 30 Inspirational Woman Champion of Diversity, Brummell Magazine 2015
• Outstanding Mother of the Year Award, Women4Africa 2015 – Finalist
• Diversity Champion of the Year, Excellence in Diversity Awards 2015 – Finalist
• Most Innovative European in-house legal team, Financial Times (Innovative Lawyer Awards) – 2015 ranking
• STEM Leader of the Year, Black British Business Awards 2015 – Finalist
• Certificate of Merit, British Citizen Awards 2015
• Fellowship of the Royal Society of Arts

In her spare time, the Member of the Order of the British Empire awardee works as a volunteer for various organizations including Friends of Cancer, Research, UK, Speakers for Schools and Aspiring Solicitors.

Remi Adeoye has been appointed the police coordinator for African Union Commission. The appointment takes effect from 1st December, 2017.

The police coordinator for African Union Commission is the highest police position in the organogram of the AU Commission. The responsibilities of Remi Adeoye’s new appointment include providing strategic guidance for police components in all AU Peace Support Operations and Special Operations and that include all AU Missions.

In the words of Remi Adeoye:

“Getting here was not easy. I thank God for His grace, my family for its endurance and all of you for your support. I thank my detractors for keeping me on my toes.

I am grateful to Nigeria Police Force for the confidence it reposed in me and the IGP for his support and encouragement at trying times. I am proud to represent my country on the global stage and I am humbled that the AU Commission found me worthy for this position.

I pledge to always give my best. Going beyond the call of duty has always been my work ethic. I thank my colleagues at the Commission Headquarters and in AU Member States for their cooperation at all times.

I will redouble my effort in service of our continent. The work has just started.”

First Bank of Nigeria Limited (FirstBank) has successfully recertified to the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) version 3.2. The Bank obtained the PCI DSS certification in 2014.

Recently, FirstBank was named the first financial institution in Nigeria and the West-Africa sub-region to issue 10 million cards to customers across the country. This makes FirstBank the second bank in Africa to achieve this feat. With this milestone, the bank has maintained a 95 percent active card ratio and currently processes about 33 percent of card transactions in the entire banking industry.

At least 230 Nigerian peacekeeping troops serving under the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) have been awarded the United Nations, UN peacekeepers medal.

The UNMIL, which announced the awards stated that the peacekeepers were conferred with the UN medals at a ceremony in Morovia in recognition of their contributions to peace and stability in Liberia.

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General, SRSG, Farid Zarif, presided over the ceremony at Camp Abuja in Monrovia, the capital city of Liberia.

The UNIMIL said the UN medals were also presented to Staff Officers, Military Observers, and the Pakistani Medical Contingent, PAKMED.

In his remarks, Mr. Zarif said the peacekeepers contributed towards strengthening and consolidating peace and stability in Liberia.

In his words:

“They have brought pride and honour, not just to their contingents, but also to their nations.

You have also given meaning to the United Nations services throughout the world by helping nations in distress in order to fight back some of the challenges that may have gone beyond their capacity.”

The SRSG urged the peacekeepers to take pride in their contributions to serving the common cause of the United Nations by helping humanity and nations in distress.

He said by so doing, peacekeepers justify the presence and continuation of the work of the United Nations as the most indispensable organization without which humanity would be in difficult distress.

Mr. Zarif further stated:

“Be proud of what you are doing in supporting and maintaining peace around the world and helping other nations.”

The event was graced by top officials of UNMIL and UN Country Team, including the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary General, DSRSG, for Peace Consolidation, Yacoub El Hillo, Force Commander, Salihu Zaway Uba, a major-general and Director of Mission Support DMS, David Penklis.

However, UNIMIL said the Security Council at its 7851st meeting held on December 23, 2016 adopted the Resolution 2333 (2016) that extended its mandate for a final period until March 30, 2018.

A request has also been sent to the Secretary-General to complete the withdrawal of all uniformed and civilian UNMIL components, other than those required to complete the Mission’s liquidation, by April 30, 2018.

Nigeria has become the only country in Africa to have its two airports attain Global Safety Standard certified by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and the only country in West Africa sub-region with internationally certified airports.

This was made known by the Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Captain Muhtar Usman during the ceremony to mark the certification of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja. Last September, the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos was certified, thus recognising two major airports in the country as meeting global safety standards.

Continue reading Two Nigerian Airports Attain ICAO Global Safety Standard

Adaku Ufere, has won the ‘Attorney of the Year’ in 2017 edition of the African Legal Awards.

Adaku Ufere was selected from thousands of entries across the African continent. She is the youngest ever, and first Nigerian winner of the Attorney of the Year award. She is a graduate of Law from the University of Nigeria, obtaining a Second Class Honours Upper Division grade from the Nigeria Law School, Abuja, before proceeding to the University of Aberdeen in Scotland for her Master’s Degree in Law, where she specialised in Oil and Gas Law.

Adaku Ufere is an international oil and gas lawyer and is Head of the Energy Practice at the Pan African Law firm, the Centurion Law Group with its Headquarters in Johannesburg, South Africa.

In 2016, she received an award as one of the 40 under 40 Leading Lawyers in Nigeria at the Nigerian Legal Awards 2016, which held at the Civic Centre in Victoria Island, Lagos.

The African Legal Awards recognises exceptional achievements from within Africa’s legal community, and is hosted by Legal Week (organisers of the British Legal Awards), in association with the Corporate Counsel Association of South Africa (CCASA)

Digital Encode Limited has been awarded the 2017 Risk Management Leadership in Nigeria Award by Risk Managers Association of Nigeria (RIMAN).

The Award was presented to Mr. Obadare Peter Adewale, the Co-Founder and the Chief Operating Officer of Digital Encode Limited.

Continue reading Digital Encode Wins 2017 RIMAN Risk Management Leadership in Nigeria Award