Lola Alonge Wins 2017 UN Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Award

Mrs. Lola Alonge has won the 2017 Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) award organised by the United Nations.

Mrs. Lola Alonge who is the Executive Director of Child Health Advocacy Initiative (CHAI) emerged the nutrition champion for Nigeria and was among the 18 shortlisted out of 50 nominations, for the award at the UN global level.

The Nigerian child health activist became victorious after competing with various first ladies for the prominent award.

Scaling up nutrition (SUN) is a United Nations global movement to scale up nutrition and end malnutrition in various countries.

For over 20 years, Mrs. Alonge has spear-headed awareness campaign on breastfeeding through her NGO – Child Health Advocacy Initiative.

She played a vital role in moving nutrition and breastfeeding agenda forward through collaboration and support to government institutions, private sector and the media.

She is the author of two books titled: “Breastfeeding made easy” and “Baby and Child Care”.

The award is to create a platform to continue to advocate for good nutrition and end malnutrition in Nigeria.

Adesoji Adesina & Bruce Onobrakpeya Win 2017 Nigerian National Order of Merit (NNOM) Awards

Professor Yemi Osinbajo has conferred the 2017 Nigerian National Order of Merit (NNOM) award on Professor Adesoji Adesina and Mr. Bruce Onobrakpeya at the Council Chamber of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

85 -year-old Professor Bruce Onobrakpeya is the winner of Nigerian National Order of Merit Award in Humanity 2017.

In the course of his enchanting career as an artist, Onobrakpeya has held more than one hundred art exhibitions.

The first of which took place in Ughelli in 1959.

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Remi Adeoye Appointed Police Coordinator for African Union Commission [2017]

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.”

GTBank Emerge The Banker Magazine ‘2017 Bank of the Year Nigeria’

Guaranty Trust Bank plc (GTBank) has been recognized as the 2017 Bank of the Year Nigeria, at The Banker Awards which held in London, United Kingdom.

The Bank also won the Best Bank for CSR in Africa award.

The Bank’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Office, Segun Agbaje, won the award for the CEO of the Year, which he won in 2013, thus becoming the first ever repeat winner in the history of the awards.

According to Brian Caplen, Editor of The Banker Magazine:

“The banking and financial services industry continues to develop rapidly, with a few financial institutions cementing their positions as market leaders, pushing the boundaries of innovation and excellence.

GTBank has over the years maintained a reputation for delivering notable financial success hinged on world-class corporate governance standards and excellent service delivery.”

Receiving the 2017 Bank of the Year Nigeria award on behalf of the Bank, Mr. Segun Agbaje, Managing Director/CEO of GTBank said:

“We are honored to be recognized as the 2017 Bank of the Year.

Our vision has always been to create an oasis in the financial services industry and we strive to achieve this by adopting high corporate governance standards whilst pushing the limits of innovation and service delivery to provide our customers with a superior banking experience.

This award serves as further motivation for us as we continue to transform our organization into a platform for enriching lives that offers our customers benefits beyond banking.

It also reflects our sustained commitment to maximize shareholders’ value and deliver a superior and sustainable return, guided by our founding values of hard work, discipline and integrity.”

GTBank has consistently played a leading role in Africa’s banking industry.

The GTBank brand is regarded by industry watchers as one of the best run financial institutions across its subsidiary countries and serves as a role model within the financial service industry due to its bias for world-class corporate governance standards, excellent service quality and innovation.

In due recognition of the Bank’s leading role in Africa’s banking industry, owing to its bias for world-class corporate governance standards and excellent service delivery and innovation, GTBank has been a recipient to numerous awards over the course of the year.

They include Best Bank in Nigeria by Euromoney, Bank of the Year by EMEA Finance and African Bank of the Year by Africa Banker Magazine.

The Banker Magazine, a publication of the Financial Times, is the world’s leading monthly journal of records for the banking Industry, with over 90 years expertise in publishing development in the banking industry both Africa and on the global scale.

The Banker Awards is regarded as the industry standard for banking excellence, recognizing and celebrating the achievements of individuals and financial institutions within the global banking sector.

Winners Of 2017 Diamond Awards for Media Excellence

Winners have emerged in the 2017 Diamond Awards for Media Excellence (DAME).

Winners Of 2017 Diamond Awards for Media Excellence

1. The News Agency of Nigeria Prize for Agriculture Reporting

Winner – Gbenro Adeoye (The Punch)

2. The S.O Idowu Prize for Sports Reporting

Winner – Taiwo Alimi (The Nation)

3. The Hakeem Shitta Memorial Prize for News Photography

Winner – Suleiman Husaini (New Telegraph)

4. The UNICEF Prize for Child Friendly Reporting

Winner – Olatunji Ololade (The Nation)

5. Best Designed Newspaper

Winner – ThisDay

6. Sovereign Trust Insurance Prize for Insurance Reporting

Winner – Nike Popoola (The Punch)

7. The UNICEF Prize for Child Friendly Medium

Winner – ThisDay

8. The Hon. Justice Moronkeji Onalaja Memorial Prize for Judicial Reporting

Winner – Olatunji Ololade (The Nation)

9. The Alade Odunewu Prize for Informed Commentary

Winner – Martins Oloja (The Guardian)

10. Tunji Oseni Memorial Prize for Editorial Writing

Winner – The Punch

11. The Sam Amuka Prize for Investigative Reporting

Winner – Toluwani Eniola and Umar Mohammed (The Punch)

12. Newspaper of the Year

Winner – The Punch

13. Editor of the Year

Winner – Martin Ayankola (The Punch)

14. The Lifetime Achievement Award

Winner – Dapo Olorunyomi (PREMIUM TIMES)

According to Mr. Dapo Olorunyomi, winner of the 2017 DAME Lifetime Achievement Award:

“I think the debate is settled about the value and importance of the media in Nigeria.

The biggest lie we’ll be telling ourselves is that all is well with the media, the Nigerian media is going through the most critical time of its life.

It’s going to be a major crisis, it needs to be surfaced and discussed. There is no problem that cannot be solved but you have to start by admitting there’s a problem.”

Abidemi Adegboye Wins 12th African Economic Conference Top Paper Prize

Abidemi Adegboye, a doctorate student at the University of Benin, Nigeria, has emerged winner of the top paper prize, for his paper on “Economic regulation and employment elasticity of growth in Sub-Saharan Africa,” at 12th African Economic Conference in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Senegalese economics lecturer, Ameth Saloum Ndiaye, from the Department of Economics at the University of Cheikh Anta Diop, Senegal, was awarded the second-best paper prize, for his research on the impact of institutional tax reform and its contribution to the improved well-being in Senegal.

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Winners Of 2017 ZUFF Rock of Fame Awards

Eminent individuals have been honoured at the 2017 edition of the ZUMA Film Festival (ZUFF) Awards with the 2017 ZUFF Rock of Fame Awards.

Late Nigerian movie veterans: Sam Loco-Efe; James Iroha, popularly known as ‘Giringori Akabogu’; Kashim Yero; Late Oba Funsho Adeolu; Hajiya Amina; and the late actor and producer Adeyemi Afolayan, a.k.a Ade Love (father of veteran movie director Kunle Afolayan), were given posthumous honour of the 2017 ZUFF Rock of Fame Awards.

Also, other living and practicing professionals were honoured with the Life-Time Achievement Awards category. The recipients include: Ola Balogun; Sadiq Daba; Edward and Abdulkaraem Muhammed; Brenda Shehu and Femi Shaka, Professor of Film Studies, University of Port Harcourt.

According to Dr. Chidia Maduekwe, Managing Director of the Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC) and Chairman of the festival organising committee::

“This is our modest attempt in appreciating the enormous contributions of these film practitioners in the Nigeria film industry and their achievements thereof.

They are today recognised as the first recipients of the Nigerian Film Society Rock of Fame Award, the highest professional recognition within the Nigeria Film industry based solely on merit.

The labour of love and commitment to Nigeria’s development of our industry geniuses shall continually be recognised and rewarded.

We have institutionalised the recognition and award as part of ZUMA Film Festival, and therefore shall recognise several veterans during each and subsequent edition of the festival.”

Dr. Maduekwe added that the awardees will be formally inducted into the ‘Rock of Fame’ at the Rock of Fame Arena of the Nigerian Film Parliament in Jos, the Plateau State Capital, in 2018.

He explained that in order to effectively showcase Nollywood as a viable investment opportunity and alternative means of employment and wealth creation, the once biennial ZUFF, is to henceforth be held annually.

The ZUMA Film Festival, now in its 8th edition, is platform for Nigerian film practitioners to network with their counterparts from other parts of the world and thus stimulates co-production and financing opportunities. It presents the Nigerian film industry as a vibrant and viable investment option to Nigeria and international business communities.