Lagos State Pays 597 Million Naira To 148 Retirees

The Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode has continued the payment of retirees’ entitlements by paying the sum of 597 million Naira to another set of 148 retirees drawn from the Mainstream Civil Service, Local Governments and State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Teachers Establishments and Pensions Office (TEPO) and other parastatals of Government being accrued pension rights credited into their Retirement Savings Account.

The recent payment increased total payments by the Ambode-administration to 24.426 billion Naira as accrued pension rights to 5,668 retirees under the Contributory Pension Scheme, since August, 2015.

Speaking at the presentation of Retirement Benefit Bond Certificates to the 35th batch of Contributory Pension Scheme retirees, today at NECA House, CBD, Ikeja, Lagos, the Director-General, Mrs. Folashade Onanuga reiterated the Governor’s desire to see retirees enjoy their lives out of office without stress.

While advising them to be extremely careful so as not to fall victims of scammers with their benefits, she informed them that the option for those that would prefer Life Annuity services is now available as against Programmed Withdrawal benefit that was only obtainable in the last two months.

Global Brands Awards 2016

First Bank of Nigeria Limited has won the “Best Banking Brand, Nigeria 2016” & “Best Banking Performer, Nigeria 2016” in the Global Brands Awards. The awards are instituted to identify and recognise the significance of exceptional service delivery and reward performance with the ultimate global recognition.

According to Global Brands Magazine, the awards reflect the countless hours of time and efforts spent by FirstBank employees in achieving the vision of the company and making its customers happy.

Group Head, Marketing and Corporate Communications, First Bank of Nigeria Limited, Mrs. Folake Ani-Mumuney, stated that;

“The awards are a testament to FirstBank’s unwavering commitment to put customers first and at the heart of our business in line with our ‘You First’ mantra. We will always deliver the ultimate ‘gold standard’ of value and excellence”. Our financial services knowledge and practices lead the market in ensuring that we understand our customers and surpass their expectations  as we  strive for a better way of delivering first-class service and experience.”

Global Brands award winners were chosen among large nominees evaluated by an external research team based on data collected from different sources including third party data providers and annual reports.

GTBank Wins 2017 Corporate Governance Awards

Guaranty Trust Bank Plc (GTBank), has been awarded ‘Best Corporate Governance, Africa’, in the Financial services category at the 2017 Corporate Governance Awards.

The event, organized by the Ethical Boardroom Magazine, recognizes outstanding companies who have exhibited exceptional leadership in the area of governance and professional ethics.

According to Mr. Segun Agbaje, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of GTbank;

“Our ardent commitment to global best practices and standards has seen us emerge the first Nigerian Bank to fully implement all ISO certifications namely; ISO/IEC 27001- for Information Security, ISO 20000 – for IT Service Management and ISO 22301 – for Business Continuity Management and PAS 99:2012 Integrated Management System certification by the British Standard Institute (BSI).

Presently, the Bank has the best credit rating assigned to any Nigerian Bank by both local and international rating agencies (B/stable by Standard & Poor’s and B+ by Fitch Rating), which further attest to our adherence to international best practices and standards.”

$25,000 Carnegie Grant & AMERG Laboratory Launched

Consistent with the aim of instituting a training the trainers research group at the Federal University of Technology, Akure, (FUTA), the Advanced Materials and Electrochemical Research Group (AMERG) laboratory has been set up by Dr. (Mrs) Oluwatoyin Olaseinde after winning a $25,000 grant of the Carnegie Corporation of New York through the African Materials Science and Engineering Network (AMSEN) under the auspices of Regional Initiatives in Science and Education (RISE).

Dr. (Mrs) Oluwatoyin Olaseinde is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering of FUTA, a Corrosion Engineer and RISE scholar who responded to the call for proposals to establish Research Groups among the five networks under RISE comprising FUTA; University of Nairobi, Kenya; University of Namibia, Windhoek; University of Botswana, Gaborone; and University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. Her proposal scaled through and won the only one for AMSEN covering Nigeria and the other countries. In accordance with the aim, Olaseinde has set up the AMERG laboratory, which is located in the Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, FUTA.

Dr. (Mrs) Oluwatoyin Olaseinde, who emphasized the importance of collaboration in research, adequate supervision and mentorship, said she learnt and achieved a lot through collaborative effort while doing her PhD at Witwatersrand, South Africa.

Imelme Umana Is 2017 President of the Harvard Law Review

The esteemed  Harvard Law Review has elected the first Black woman elected as president, Imelme Umana, Harvard Law student class of 2018.

According to the Harvard website, “She is also on the board of Harvard Model Congress Boston, the nation’s oldest government simulation conference run exclusively by undergraduates at Harvard College. During the school year, Imelme works as a Research Assistant at the Hiphop Archive at the Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research. She also worked as the Harvard Summer in Washington student coordinator, organizing political events for Harvard interns in DC.”

The Harvard Law Review  is a student-run organization whose main purpose is to publish a journal of legal scholarship. While the Review is formally independent of the Harvard Law School, student editors make all editorial and organizational decisions.

Umana is a doctorate candidate at Harvard Law School, and is most interested in the intersection between government and African American studies by exploring how stereotypes of Black women are reproduced and reinforced in American Political discourse.

2016 Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) Media Awards

2016 MAN Reporter of the Year (Television category)

Abiola Ismail – TVC

2016 MAN Reporter of the Year (Newspaper category)

Odinaka Anudu – BusinessDay

Awarded for his incisive and in-depth reporting and analysis of relevant issues in the manufacturing sector – going an extra mile to do in-depth reporting and analyses of issues and policies affecting the manufacturing sector as well as for conducting relevant interviews and effectively utilising the Association’s position papers and publications. Odinaka Anudu, BusinessDay’s editorial analyst, covers Industry and SMEs. A holder of Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy and Master of Science degree in Development Economics, Anudu has been trained by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) on Trade Negotiation. He was formerly the secretary-general of the National Drug Abuse Control Association. He has received several training programmes in journalism.

The winners were announced at the 2017 MAN annual media luncheon held in Ikeja, Lagos.

2016 International Real Estate Federation, FIABCI Awards

FIABCI Best Journalists in Nigeria’s Real Estate Sector

Chinedum Uwaegbulam (Property Editor) – The Guardian

Awarded for his professionalism and ingenuity in analysing issues and promoting the development of the building industry in the country.

Chuka Uroko (Reporter) – BusinessDay

Awarded for his deep understanding of the dynamics and economics of the real estate market, by consistently providing insights and market intelligence that have aided investment decisions by small, big, local and foreign investors. Uroko, a graduate of English Language from the University of Nigeria (UNN), started his career in journalism as a Proof Reader in Vanguard Newspaper, from where he joined BusinessDay as a Sub-Editor, a function he combined with Politics/Governance reporting.

Architectural and Design Award

ACCL

The Most Influential Investor in the Sector Award

Actis

The Most Influential Financial Partner in Real Estate Award

Stanbic IBTC Bank

The Most Influential Developer in the Industry Award

UPDC Property Development Company

The awards were presented by the International Real Estate Federation (FIABCI), Nigeria chapter at the second FIABCI yearly award and business dinner with the theme: “ Real Estate: It is all about the Economy” in Lagos.

The awardees were celebrated by the professional body, which comprises top real estate developers, investors, real estate reporters and members of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV) after a rigorous selection process conducted by an award selection committee headed by Samuel Eboigbe, an estate surveyor and valuer.