Our choice of Obasanjo was a difficult one, but we were compelled by the need to focus on the message rather than the messenger.
We are not unmindful of the fact that his choice would come to many of our readers as a surprise, if not disappointment. Yet it is precisely because we have held his feet to the fire whenever we deemed it necessary that we have the courage to acknowledge his message.
We know that the former president was the architect of a number of the current problems facing the country; yet his persistence in speaking up when other statesmen preferred to play the ostrich by burying their heads in the sand make it difficult to ignore him.
From his famous exchange of letters to his direct challenge on President Goodluck Jonathan’s government to curb corruption and save the country from insecurity, Obasanjo spoke up for millions of Nigerians who may not like him but who cannot deny that he said what needed to be said and has stayed on the message.
If he had been silent like the rest who want to be esteemed publicly but prefer to claim privileged access to the powers that be when their voices should have been heard, it is almost certain that things might have been worse than they are today.
Military life
In his two decades in the military, Obasanjo advanced steadily through the ranks. From 1958 to 1959, he served in the 5th Battalion in Kaduna and the Cameroons. In 1959, he was commissioned a second lieutenant. The following year, he was promoted to lieutenant and served in the Nigerian contingent of the UN Force in the Congo. In 1963, he became commander of the only engineering unit of the Nigerian Army. The same year, he was promoted to captain. He became a major in 1965, lieutenant-colonel in 1967, and colonel in 1969.
In his autobiographical work, My Command: An Account of the Nigerian Civil War, Obasanjo wrote this of that tumultuous period in Nigeria’s history: “Within a space of six months, I turned a situation of low morale, desertion and distrust within my division and within the Army into one of high morale, confidence, cooperation and success for my division and for the Army….A nation almost torn asunder and on the brink of total disintegration was reunited and the wound healed.”
Life after the war
Following the war, Obasanjo returned to his former position as chief of army engineers. After he was promoted to brigadier-general in 1972, he enrolled in an advanced training course at the Royal College of Defence Studies in London. Two years later, he returned to Nigeria and was appointed federal commissioner for works and housing.
Military head of state
During his time in office, Obasanjo proved himself to be a tough leader, unafraid to stand up to colonial powers. At one point, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher refused to restore British authority in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) after the country’s white population usurped power. In response, Obasanjo nationalised British Petroleum’s interests in Nigeria, those of Barclays Bank and threatened to boycott British imports. Thatcher eventually relented, and began the process that led to free elections and majority rule in Zimbabwe.
Hand over to civilians
In 1979, after three years as Nigeria’s leader, Obasanjo handed power to elected president Shehu Shagari. In doing so, he became the only military ruler in Nigeria’s history, albeit, in Africa, to voluntarily step down in favour of a democratically-elected government.
While in office, Obasanjo oversaw the creation of a new constitution for Nigeria, and implemented a wide range of governmental reforms.
Obasanjo the farmer
Having retired from the armed forces as a general in 1979, Obasanjo started a company called Obasanjo Farms Nigeria Ltd., in Otta, Ogun State. According to Jonathan Power, writing in the Los Angeles Times, “Obasanjo was so obsessed by his countrymen’s refusal to come to terms with economic chaos, not least the running down of the country’s precious agricultural base, that he decided to show what could be done with the land.” He supervised the construction of the farm closely, often choosing to spend the night in the half-built structures. “I call myself a chicken farmer,” he told Rushworth M. Kidder of the Christian Science Monitor. “Some of my friends don’t like that, but some do!”
Life as a writer
Obasanjo also became a fellow at the University of Ibadan’s Institute of African Studies. During the 1980s and 1990s, he wrote prolifically, publishing My Command and numerous books and articles on Africa’s development. He served on a variety of policy research and advisory committees concerned with the future of African countries. “Democracy, farming, and disarmament are Obasanjo’s passions,” Jonathan Power wrote in the Los Angeles Times, “and he has relentlessly promulgated them.”
Obasanjo was quoted as saying in the Los Angeles Times: “The improvement of living standards and the wealth of nations are more of a journey and less of a destination.”
In his view, it would take three or four generations for Africa to transform its centuries-old culture to fit with the demands of the global marketplace, but at the same time African culture should not be devalued.
“What, for example, is wrong with our traditional society, which respects age, experience, and authority?” he was quoted as saying in the Los Angeles Times. “Or the norm that everybody is his brother’s keeper? Or the practice of stigmatising and ostracising evil doers and the indolent?”
June 12
In 1993, a civil election was held in Nigeria, but the country’s military ruler, General Ibrahim Babangida, refused to hand over power to the winner.
“We demand that the Babangida administration be terminated forthwith,” Obasanjo was quoted as saying in the Boston Globe.
In protest, the European Community suspended aid to Nigeria, but the military government held on.
Phantom coup
By 1995, leadership had passed to General Sani Abacha, who jailed Obasanjo and other military officers on charges of plotting a coup. Obasanjo strongly denied the charges, and after international pressure was applied, he was soon released from prison, although he was restricted to his hometown indefinitely.
Abacha and Abdulsalami
In the summer of 1998, Abacha, whom the Economist once called “the worst ruler Nigeria has ever” had died suddenly – whether from natural or unnatural causes is still uncertain. In his place came General Abdulsalami Abubakar, who quickly announced his intention to restore Nigeria to civilian rule after 15 years of army dictatorship. He released a number of political prisoners, including Obasanjo. Almost immediately, rumours began circulating that he would run for office. In November of 1998, Obasanjo confirmed the rumours, arousing both interest and controversy.
“More than issues, however, the election is about the complex balancing of hundreds of ethnic interests. However, his years spent in house arrest were a definite asset for his campaign: Mr Obasanjo’s aura as a political martyr is expected to help him to overcome the handicap of his uniform,” La Guardia observed.
Why I came back
He told the Daily Telegraph that he had to return to power to “bring Nigeria out of the mess it has been put into by a succession of corrupt army dictators. I believe I have something to offer. If someone has something to offer, he should say so and let the electorate decide.”
Awards
Selected Awards: Grand Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1980; Africa Prize for Leadership for the Sustainable End of Hunger, 1990; several honorary degrees.
LEADERSHIP Governor Of The Year 2014 – Alhaji Kashim Shettima
for his steadfastness and abiding faith in his people in the face of terrorism and for being a true servant and comforter despite the terrifying odds, governor Kashim Shettima is leadership governor of the year 2014.
His state was and still is the hotbed of the Boko Haram insurgency that has brought tears, blood and wanton destruction in its wake. That unfortunate situation thrust him in the eye of the storm and has marked a defining moment in the affairs of that state that held a lot of promise for rural development. In spite of this, the governor has not only identified with the people that voted him into office, but has remained steadfast in his pursuit of the common good (even as the crisis gains a crescendo almost on a daily basis) based on the courage of his conviction – that moments of trials and tribulation and one’s approach to them make the difference between one leader and another. But as the crisis continued to take its toll in a manner that tasked the resolve of even the most committed and gifted leader, Shettima, possibly in exasperation -after the apparent helplessness of the security forces – admitted publicly that leadership at all levels had failed the people as far as resolving the Boko Haram issue was concerned. The matter-of- fact manner in which he uttered his regret, particularly after the abduction of the Chibok girls, and his general candour and humility were touching and fully conveyed the feelings of the people. Shettima has remained admirably unrelenting in his pursuit of measures geared towards the elimination of insurgency in the state even as he continues to provide quality leadership to a people struggling to make a meaning out of the whole mess.
Boko Haram
This insurgent group has continued to pose the greatest challenge to Governor Shettima’s administration. The abduction of the Chibok girls, in real terms, placed him in the eye of the storm, with the state attracting global attention. But he has not let his people down as he has stuck with them in their moments of grief in a practical display of what it takes to be a leader.
The man
Kashim Shettima was born on September 2, 1966, in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital. He studied Agricultural Science at the University of Maiduguri and graduated in 1989 and did his national service in Calabar with the Nigerian Agricultural Cooperative Bank (NACB) from 1989 to 1990. He enrolled for his Master’s Degree in Agricultural Economics the following year. His career in banking can be traced to 1989 -1990 when he served as youth corps member with the NACB in Calabar.
His career
After a stint as Lecturer 11 with the Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Maiduguri, from 1991 to 1993, he joined Commercial Bank of Africa Ltd as its officer and head of Accounts Unit at its Ikeja Office in Lagos State from 1993 to 1997.
In 1997, he secured appointment with African International Bank Ltd, Kaduna branch, as deputy manager and later rose to be manager between 1997 and 2001.
In 2001, he was appointed deputy manager/branch head of Zenith Bank Plc, Maiduguri Office. In five years, he had occupied various positions in Zenith Bank’s management cadre.
Kashim Shettima’s exemplary qualities made the then outgoing Borno State Governor Ali Modu Sheriff to invite him to continue the development of the state with his experience as a financial guru.
Can-do man
Consequently, Kashim Shettima contested the gubernatorial polls in the state on the platform of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) in the April 2011 general election and won.
The can-do approach to governance by the Kashim Shettima administration in Borno State serves as a tonic to ginger the people into action and work toward making the state achieve meaningful development in all spheres of life.
The Borno State government is currently showing its commitment to act fast and close the gap in human development as well as in the provision of infrastructure.
Governor Kashim Shettima has directly taken on the task by using a multiple approach strategy because of the urgency required in confronting the challenges posed by the developmental needs of Borno State.
The intervention by his government to eliminate unemployment is a policy designed to create equilibrium so as to ensure that the income generated by the state and the products it produces are consistent with the full employment potentialities of its labour force. It is in realisation of this objective that his administration believes that government intervention in developing agricultural sector has become necessary in its desire to move towards achieving full employment and economic wellbeing for the people of the state.
Politician Of The Year 2014 – Alhaji Tanko Al-Makura
For surviving a malicious political onslaught, resisting a vicious attempt to undermine the will of the people and expanding the frontiers of the rule of law, Governor Tanko Al-Makura is LEADERSHIP Politician of the Year 2014.
Against all odds, he was elected governor on the platform of the Congress for Progress Change (CPC) in a PDP dominated state.
Ever since, it has been for him a walk in a minefield. The situation was not helped even with the fusion of the party into the All Progressive Congress (APC); instead of the turf war between him and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) creating undue anxiety and helplessness, the political struggle toughened him and has brought out the best in this quintessential politician. Al-Makura has deftly manoeuvred, and survived, the banana peels in the Nasarawa House of Assembly placed in his path by the dominant PDP. With all the cards stacked against him, and everyone believing that his exit was just a matter of time, Al-Makura weathered an impeachment plot mainly because he allegedly did business with the PDP leadership in Abuja, made easy by the resolve of the people to make the state ungovernable if he was removed. Political expediency prevailed and good sense won the day. As an apostle of realpolitik, he stooped and he conquered.
Political career
In 1980, Al-Makura became the youth leader of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) in the old Plateau State. He was elected to the Constituent Assembly of 1988–89, representing the Lafia–Obi Federal Constituency of what is now Nasarawa State. Al-makura was a founding member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Nasarawa State in 1998.
He defected from the PDP after losing the primary elections for the governorship and was elected governor of Nasarawa State on the platform of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) on April 26, 2011.
Born in 1952, Umaru Tanko Al-Makura was businessman before his election as governor
Impeachment struggle
On July 14, 2014, the Speaker of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly gave a notice of impeachment to the Clerk of the House to serve on Tanko Al-Makura. The document contained allegations of gross misconduct and was signed by 20 of the 24 Assembly members. Four APC members opposed it. Youths from the state took to the state to protest the move by the lawmakers, even vowing to start recall processes for them if they continued with the impeachment process.
On July 20, 2014, it was reported that Nasarawa traditional rulers had called on both sides to refrain from holding rallies for or against the impeachment so as to avoid violence. On July 23, four members of the Assembly tried to seize the speaker’s mace to delay a motion to ask the Chief Judge of the state to set up a seven-person panel to review the allegations of gross misconduct. The members of the House met 20 minutes later and passed the motion by 20 votes against four. Even with this, the governor was eventually acquitted of all counts.
Banker Of The Year 2014 – Henry James Semenitari (MD/CEO, Unity Bank Plc)
From rallying the bank from a shrinking asset base to the position of seventh largest bank in Nigeria, with shareholder’s fund at N51.2 billion, Henry James Semenitari is LEADERSHIP Banker of the Year 2014.
When James Semenitari took the reins of management at Unity Bank Plc in 2011, it was evident that he had his job cut out for him. At the time, Unity Bank was still consolidating its hold on the Nigerian banking space after emerging from the largest merger and consolidation in Nigeria’s banking industry. Semenitari, however, came ready for the job; he proved himself a marketer who knew his onions beyond rhetoric. He went to work, chiseling away every impediment to the emergence of Unity Bank as one of Nigeria’s leading banks. He also brought to bear on Unity Bank his more than two decades banking experience and the result is exciting to both customers and shareholders. However, Semenitari was not done with repositioning Unity Bank; he took the bank to the next level in the consolidation ladder through rights issue and private placement of N39.224 billion. Perhaps, Semenitari did not bargain for the outcome of the issue; the N39.224billion offer was oversubscribed.
Prior to assuming the position of MD/CEO in 2011, Semenitari served as executive director, Public Sector and Government, First City Monument Bank Plc . He has valuable and consistent banking experience in Operations, Internal Control, Commercial and Retail Banking, Consumer Banking, Corporate Banking (Energy), etc., acquired from various banks over a 22-year career at First City Monument Bank (FCMB), Zenith Bank, Diamond Bank, United Bank for Africa, ACB International Bank and Continental Trust Bank.
Mr. Semenitari holds a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from University of Lagos (1987) and an MBA from University of Navarra (I.E.S.E.), Barcelona, Spain (2000). He is also an alumnus of both the Harvard and the Cambridge Judge Business Schools.
LEADERSHIP business person Of The Year 2014 – Adewale Jubril Tinubu
For turning Oando into a global brand and creating wealth that has impacted scores of businesses and thousands of lives, Wale Tinubu is LEADERSHIP Business Person of the Year 2014.
Forbes Africa magazine described the Chief Executive Officer of Oando plc, Mr Wale Tinubu, as “the Nigerian Oil Baron Buying up America”.
His successful spearheading of the Conoco-Phillips deal marked him out as one of a kind in the corporate world. Oando, which he heads, started 20 years ago with no money and today are probably an enterprise of $3.5 to $4 billion. By the time it completed its last acquisition, Oando has a valuation of USD $6 billion with zero equity. Explaining the success of his enterprise, the oil chief said he had relied essentially on the minds and intellectual prowess of his workforce. However, Wale believes that it is one thing to have an idea, or a team that can execute it and it’s another thing to raise the capital for it and noted that most of the time, the capital for business in Nigeria is unconventional and said that his first loan was at 10 per cent per month in interest and paid back at 120 per cent a year. Wale is excited by the rise of the indigenous entrepreneur who enable capital to flow into the continent and effectively bridge the economic gap by pulling in global sources, technology and knowledge. He attributes the success of Oando to the emphasis on people who are not only intellectually superior but people who have a curiosity and aspiration to understand how things are doing in other markets.
In particular, having a “first world” mentality helps in the process of implementing and executing on things and in a manner that you can extract a valuable return. More importantly, he not only works hard but also works smart and has been able to attract to his organisation the super smart, people with a certain intellectual capacity, who are able to deal with problems and challenges. “In my experience, I found that the only way you are going to get someone to lead is if they are very knowledgeable in their area of expertise, they are confident and they have a sense of right and wrong.” That is our Business Person of the Year.
Career:
Wale Tinubu started his career with the family law firm, K. O. Tinubu and Co, where he was responsible for corporate and petroleum law. In 1994, he partnered to found Ocean and Oil Limited, an indigenous oil company, to supply and trade petroleum products globally. He also co-founded Oando PLC, and guided its strategic development leading to the acquisition of Unipetrol during the Federal Government of Nigeria’s privatisation exercise in 2001.
Beginning of Acquisition:
In 2002, Tinubu led the largest ever acquisition of a quoted Nigerian company, with the acquisition of Agip by Unipetrol through an international bid conducted by Agip Petroli International B.V. In 2003, he oversaw the merger of Unipetrol and Agip Nigeria to birth Oando.
Oando Heads for the Skies:
Oando is the first African company listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange with a market capitalization of more than three billion South African Rand. This is considered to be the biggest single listing since telecommunications giant Telkom came to the South African market a few years ago. Oando also became the first Nigerian company to achieve a cross-border listing.
Wale Tinubu is widely recognised for his role in the successful transformation of Oando from a petroleum marketing company to an integrated energy group, adding international supply & trading, gas & power, energy services and exploration and production. Presently, Oando PLC has investments across the energy value chain, and is one of sub-Saharan Africa’s foremost indigenous integrated energy solutions group providing employment to over 15,000 direct and indirect employees.
LEADERSHIP Public Officer Of The Year 2014 – Gimba Ya’u Kumo (MD/CEO, Federal Mortgage Bank Of Nigeria, FMBN)
For making housing finance a central issue in the nation’s economic development, helping to expand access to mortgage finance and improving the coverage rate from 25 percent to 40 percent in three years, Gimba Ya’u Kumo is LEADERSHIP Public Officer of the Year 2014.
In arriving at the decision, the editors recalled that in the last three years, Kumo through his well thought out initiatives as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Mortgage Bank Of Nigeria (FMBN), has been able to prove that housing and housing finance are key drivers of economic development, political stability and contribute a huge part to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). To appreciate the good work Kumo is doing at FMBN, it is interesting to note that before now the home ownership rate was a paltry 25 per cent. But that has improved to 40 per cent. Kumo was born on November 5, 1959 in Gombe, Gombe State. He holds a B.sc in Business Administration from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in 1983 and a Master’s degree in Business Administration and Management (MBA) from Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi in 1999.
He is a member, Nigeria institute of Management (NIM); Fellow, Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (FCITN) ; Fellow, African Business School (ABS); Fellow, Institute of Research & Leadership Technology (IRLT) Member, Institute of Management Executive & Administration of Nigeria (MIMEA), Member, Nigeria Institute of Certified Credit Administrators (AICCA).
Mr. Gimba Ya’u Kumo was appointed MD/CEO of the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria on December 4, 2010. He is married with children. He was conferred with the national honour of Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON).
LEADERSHIP CEO Of The Year 2014 – Benedict Peters (Founder, Aiteo Group)
For a path-breaking deal that deepens the country’s capacity to manage its oil assets and one that will create local content valued at $2.7billion, Benedict Peters is LEADERSHIP CEO of the Year 2014.
Mr. Peters is the founder of Aiteo Group and is responsible for managing the company in terms of strategic development, policy formulation and execution.
A graduate of Geography and Regional Planning from the University of Benin, Peters has over 14 years of strategic experience in energy trading, commodity trading and banking. Six of his seven years in energy trading were in senior and top executive positions where he gained invaluable industry knowledge serving at top Nigerian energy trading companies that include Ocean and Oil Limited, MRS Oil and Gas (Managing Director) and OUR GROUP (Group Vice President).
Under him, Aiteo Group has grown rapidly within the last decade, becoming a significant player in the Oil and Gas industry in Nigeria. Its latest feat is the acquisition of 85 per cent equity in Oil Mining Lease, OML 29, being divested by the Shell Petroleum Development Company, SPDC. The purchase of the asset, reputed as one of Shell’s most prolific oil block makes it Aiteo’s largest asset in Africa from local content point of view. Peters and Aiteo sealed the deal worth $2.7billion, which also includes the Nembe Creek pipelines.
LEADERHIP Product Of The Year 2014 – INNOSON VEHICLE
For his entrepreneurial exertions and single-minded commitment to create a truly Nigerian automobile brand symbolised by the Innoson 4-wheel drive, Innoson Is LEADERSHIP Product of the Year 2014.
On October 15, 2010, President Goodluck Jonathan officially commissioned Innoson Motors range of products which comprise 17 and 43 seater buses (luxury buses, midi-buses and mini-buses), pick-up vans and sports utility vehicles.
Made in Nigeria Cars: Recently, cars were added to the Innoson Motors range. The vehicles are about 80 to 90 percent made in Nigeria as all the components are designed and moulded by the company while other parts are sourced from several automotive parts companies in Nnewi, Anambra State, Nigeria. Innoson Group Nigeria Limited, a Nigerian Automobile Company which manufactures the vehicles dates back to 1986 when it started with the importation of motorcycle parts into the country.
How it all began: By early 2000s the company decided to start the local production of motorcycle parts and its assembling in Nnewi in order to reduce the price of motorcycles in Nigeria. The success of this motivated Innoson to go for the bigger picture which is the manufacturing of vehicles.
THE House of Representatives Committee on local content, in appreciation of the effort, has approved the use of Innoson vehicles for its official activities. The approval was endorsed by the law makers after visiting the motor plant at Nnewi, Anambra State.
LEADERSHIP Company Of The Year 2014 – Stallion Group
For its consumer-focused approach, commitment to expansion and quality, and for giving a truly Nigerian face to a global brand in spite of the daunting odds, Stallion Group is LEADERSHIP Company of the Year 2014.
The LEADERSHIP Board of Editors in arriving at this decision considered the company’s contribution to the nation’s business and economy. Stallion is a 40-year-old business enterprise that has grown from its modest start in West Africa into a fledgling multi-business conglomerate, one of the largest in the sub region.
Today Stallion has a multi-national presence in 18 countries involved in commodities, agri-business, food, industries, automobiles and services. It draws its strength from its high calibre and experienced human resources with extensive operational expertise in the complex African markets. It targets to be Africa’s leading company through pioneering global best practices and playing an integral role in achieving Africa’s unlimited potential. Recently, the Nigerian government listed it among the 100 top businesses in the country. From the very beginning, Stallion’s approach to business was highly consumer oriented – delivering the best quality product at the most economic pricing.
Sensing the growing demand for quality products, Stallion invested heavily in infrastructure comprising warehousing, cold storages, factories, office buildings, showrooms, workshops, logistics equipment and transportation. Stallion established a stable infrastructure that supported optimal distribution of products at the most economic terms to its customers. Stallion also employed several thousand local staff and invested in their development through education, training and experience across industries.
LEADERSHIP Government Agency Of The Year 2014 – SMEDAN (Small & Medium Enterprises Development Agency Of Nigeria)
For its outstanding contributions in core mandate areas of focusing on skills acquisition, entrepreneurship training and access to finance, SMEDAN is LEADERSHIP Government Agency of the Year 2014.
The LEADERSHIP Newspapers Board of Editors in voting the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) as the Government Agency of The Year 2014, considered its policy of tackling the challenges of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Nigeria in a holistic manner.
With the introduction of the National Enterprise Development Programme (NEDEP), the agency set out to generate 3.5 million jobs and an estimated five million direct and indirect jobs between 2013 and 2015. It is also focusing on Skills Acquisition, Entrepreneurship Training/Business Development Service (BDS) and Access to Finance. The entrepreneurship training component of NEDEP is being executed under the One Local Government One Product (OLOP) platform.
LEADERSHIP Microfinance Bank Of The Year 2014 – Fortis Microfinance Bank Plc
For its sterling and robust record in providing micro-credit to vibrant but disadvantaged economic groups, including hundreds of women and young graduates, Fortis is LEADERSHIP Microfinance Bank of the Year 2014.
The LEADERSHIP Board of Editors has voted Fortis Microfinance Bank Plc as the Microfinance Bank of the Year 2014. It was a unanimous vote powered by the bank’s track record of performance over the years especially in the small and medium enterprises sector.
Fortis is a leading Nigerian financial institution licensed by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in 2007 and listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange as the first private sector led Microfinance Bank in 2012. The bank provides flexible banking solutions to support the development of entrepreneurship and empowerment of the economically disadvantaged micro, small and medium scale enterprises (MSME) as well as individual.
Fortis runs a viable business model that provides access and financial empowerment to those at the base of the economic pyramid that constitute over 80 per cent of the about 160 million Nigerians and also provide huge returns on investments.
The bank currently has a growing customer base, made up of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), individuals and groups who have benefited from Fortis loans and other value added services
Its microcredit scheme is created to encourage women who engage in petty trading and other economic regenerative activities to grow their businesses and eventually become economically independent. These women are organised into small self-select groups (5 to 8) and are coached through a mentorship programme to determine their suitability for the microcredit. As part of its contribution towards poverty reduction, wealth creation and promotion of entrepreneurship, it engages in strategic partnerships with relevant public agencies including the National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP), Development Finance Department of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Abuja Enterprise Agency (AEA) and the National Directorate of Employment (NDE). Through these relationships, it disburses credits, build capacity, promote entrepreneurship among youths, and individuals.
LEADERSHIP Bank Of The Year 2014 – JAIZ Bank
For rapidly growing its asset base in spite of the difficult circumstances of its initial take off, expanding liquidity enjoying the confidence and patronage of wide customer base, including many circular depositors and businesses, Jaiz Bank is LEADERSHIP Bank of the Year 2014.
Jaiz Bank Plc emerged as a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) from former Jaiz International Bank Plc with the aim of establishing Nigeria’s first non-interest bank. By non-interest banking, Jaiz seeks to offer almost all the services offered by conventional banks except that they do not give or receive interest, nor finance anything that could cause harm to society like alcohol, tobacco and gambling. In 2011, it sought a regional banking licence to operate in the Nigerian banking space and has since proved its viability as the country’s premier non-interest bank. Its banking principle is based on the ethical principle of fairness, transparency and objectivity.
Its non-interest banking model has also elicited wide interest among Nigerians. When it went to the market for its Initial Public Offer (IPO), it was oversubscribed by 120% because of the huge demand for interest-free banking in Nigeria.
Beyond interest-free banking, Jaiz Bank has also proved its competence in products development with innovative banking products that cater for a wide gamut of Nigerians. The Jaiz Auto Financing (JAF) designed for salary account holders in public, private and other reputed organisations has made it easy for Nigerians to purchase brand new cars. The bank has also taken the lead in mobile banking. It recently entered into partnership with Teasy Mobile on mobile money services with the aim of implementing financial services inclusion to meet the needs of the unbanked in the society.
Jaiz also recently applied to the CBN for a national banking licence to operate in every nook and cranny of Nigeria, an indication that interest-free banking has been profitable.
LEADERSHIP Brand Of The Year 2014 – Brains & Hammers
For emerging as one of the fastest growing real estate firms in Nigeria with over 600 housing units in Abuja and for setting up the first fully dedicated customer service department in the real estate sector, Brains & Hammers is LEADERSHIP Brand of the Year 2014.
Brains & Hammers, a real estate firm, has been voted Leadership Newspapers Board of Editors’ Brand of the Year 2014. The company is one of the fastest growing Nigerian real estate development and management companies in the Federal Capital Territory. In a sector that is generally fraught with poor construction and finishing of buildings, it has stood out as one with a knack for high grade buildings, finished with quality fittings. Since its entry into the real estate sector of the nation’s capital city about five years ago, the company owned and managed by a group of young enterprising Nigerians has become one to be reckoned with. This is in terms of the quality of its projects and general service delivery.
Brains and hammers started operations in 2011 and has risen to become one of the fastest growing real estate firms in Nigeria with a focus on the mid luxury range. By maintaining control throughout the design and construction process, the company ensures that each of its estates is built to the highest quality standards, with utmost attention to detail.
The budding company has built over 600 housing units in Abuja. Good customer service is at the core of the company’s business. Brains & Hammers is actually the first company that started a dedicated customer service department in real estate in Abuja.
Brains & Hammers has also distinguished itself by adding value in all the areas where it finds itself through the provision of access roads, bridges and culverts as well as street lights which serve other residents of the areas. As a direct consequence of its provision of infrastructure which is a responsibility of the government, such areas open up and the value of property in the areas appreciates. This is one of the qualities that stand it out as our brand of the year.
LEADERSHIP Young Persons Of The Year 2014 – Chibok Girls
For their fortitude under the most inhuman conditions and their place as the rallying point in the struggle against terrorism the Chibok girls are
LEADERSHIP Young Persons of the Year 2014.
On the night of April 14, 2014, 276 female students were kidnapped from the Government Secondary School in the town of Chibok in Borno State, Nigeria. Responsibility for the kidnappings was claimed by Boko Haram, an Islamic Jihadist and terrorist organisation based in northeast Nigeria. Ever since, and typical of most things Nigerian, the fate of those unfortunate girls has become like a pun on the nation’s political chessboard. Their continued detention by those purveyors of evil has continued to generate outrage around the country and internationally. The anguish of their parents is unimaginable and we empathise with them. Our hearts are always with those lovely girls who are suffering for daring to take their destiny in their own hands by going to school.
LEADERSHIP Artiste Of The Year 2014 – Ali Nuhu
For his talent, versatility and genuine role model qualities, Ali Nuhu is LEADERSHIP Artiste of the Year 2014.
Handsome, Kano based actor, Ali Nuhu, is Leadership Newspapers Board of Editors’ Artiste of the Year 2014. He is perceived one of the most celebrated stars of the Hausa movie industry, who bestrides the North/South divide like a colossus he really is. Born on the Ides of March, (March 15) 1974, his father hails from Balanga town of Gombe State while his mother is from Bama town of Borno State.
A graduate of University of Jos, Ali Sarki as he is fondly called by his fans, he holds a B.Sc degree in Geography and has to his credit over 160 Hausa movies, plus over 65 English movies. He has become the go-to-actor for Nollywood movie producers who want to market their movie in northern Nigeria.
Over time, Ali became a trendsetter being the only one to have successfully cut across the Northern and Southern axis of Nigeria as a multiple award actor. Many in Nigeria’s movie world call him a king with two palaces. He is presently one of the brand ambassadors to Nigeria’s leading Indigenous Telecom Network Company, GLOBACOM, Omo detergent (Unilever Plc) and Samsung Mobile Nigeria.
He got it all in managing his fame and stardom; the triumphant actor is regarded as one of the most successful artistes in the motion picture industry in Nigeria today.
LEADERSHIP Sports Person Of The Year 2014 – Asisat Oshoala
For inspiring the Falconets, Super Falcons and her club Rivers Angels to the finals of global and regional championships and winning gold medals in all of them Asisat Lamina Oshoala (MON) is LEADERSHIP Sports Person of the Year 2014.
Born on October 9, 1994, the Nigerian professional footballer who plays for Rivers Angels of Port Harcourt was the best player and highest goal scorer at the 2014 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup. Asisat was a delight to watch at world stage and got crowned as the best player and second top goals scorer with Nigeria’s women’s senior team the Super Falcons who won the 2014 African Women’s Championship. Although originally an attacking midfielder in the national teams, Oshoala has continued to find success as a forward. In September 2014, Oshoala was made a Member of the Order of the Niger by President Goodluck Jonathan.
To pursue her dream as a footballer, Oshoala incurred the wrath of her parents when she dropped out of school to take to football as a career. The 20 year old, born in Lagos, started her career at FC Robo in Mushin in Lagos State before moving to join the Rivers Angels. Asisat won both the Adidas Golden Ball and Adidas Golden Boot awards at the FIFA World Cup, scored the second-fastest goal in the history of the U-20 football World Cup of Women and helped Nigeria against the North Korean’s U-20, with a hat-trick. Overjoyed with the honour as MON, she dedicated it to her parents and team mates in both the Falconets and Super Falcons.
The post LEADERSHIP Person Of The Year 2014 – Chief Olusegun Obasanjo appeared first on Nigerian News from Leadership Newspapers.