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Tag: Award

  • Ecobank Group wins the Award for Innovation in Financial Services from African Banker

    Ecobank Group wins the Award for Innovation in Financial Services from African Banker

    The leading pan-African banking group, Ecobank, is delighted to announce that it has won the Award for Innovation in Financial Services at the 2020 edition of the prestigious African Banker magazine Awards. The Awards, which reward banking excellence in Africa, were announced at a virtual ceremony held on 26th August.

    The African Banker’s judging process sought to recognise the African banks that have demonstrated original and practical uses of technology to provide customer convenience, improved and more affordable services and greater access to the financial services sector in Africa.

    Ade Ayeyemi, Group Chief Executive Officer said: “Winning the Award for Innovation in Financial Services from the African Banker magazine is such an honour. It provides public recognition of our pioneering role in harnessing technology to complement our pan-African presence and partnerships, to deliver accessible, convenient, affordable and innovative banking products which are making a difference to millions of lives and businesses across sub-Saharan Africa. Five years ago, we commenced a digital transformation journey to transform our banking products and services. This award attests to the success of that journey and we are delighted that our significant investment in technology is yielding the desired results.”

    “Our one bank model, powered by our robust pan-African banking digital platform provides diverse products and services to governments and corporate clients using our digital platforms including Ecobank Omni Plus amongst others, Ecobank Omni Lite for our SMEs and commercial bank clients as well as our Ecobank Mobile App and Ecobank Online for our consumer clients. These are in addition to the highly effective cash management, transaction banking solutions and our cross-border Rapidtransfer remittance solution – a few of the headline-grabbing innovations that we have delivered to meet and exceed the evolving needs and expectations of our customers. I applaud all my Ecobank colleagues for their continued commitment and dedication to serving our customers especially during these challenging COVID-19 times.”

    Other African banking awards won by Ecobank so far in 2020 include amongst others, Most Innovative Bank in Africa, Best Bank for Payments& Collections, Best Integrated Corporate Banking Site in Africa (Global Finance) and the Best Bank for Corporate Responsibility (Euromoney Awards for Excellence).

  • NCC receives Outstanding Regulator of the Year award

    NCC receives Outstanding Regulator of the Year award

    The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has emerged the best public sector regulatory organisation as it receives the ‘2019 Outstanding Regulator of the Year Award’ at this year’s edition of Independent Awards.

    The award was presented to the Commission at a colourful ceremony held on Friday at the Eko Hotels & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.

    Director of Public Affairs, NCC, Dr. Henry Nkemadu, received the award on behalf of NCC’s Executive Vice Chairman, Prof. Umar Danbatta.

    Receiving the award amidst a loud ovation, Nkemadu appreciated the organizers of the Award for adjudging the Commission as deserving such recognition.

    Nkemadu said the award was a testament to the untiring efforts of the Commission in creating an enabling environment for all telecom stakeholders. He said the award is also a call for the Commission to do more for the consumers.

    The NCC Director of Public Affairs restated the commitment of the Commission to continually strive towards its goals of ensuring high quality of service for the consumers. He declared that the Commission will put in place well-monitored measures toward protecting telecom consumers and consolidating the gains of the Nigerian telecoms sector.

  • DAAR Communications denies conferring award on Buhari

    DAAR Communications denies conferring award on Buhari

    Daar Communications PLC, owners of African Independent Television (AIT) and Raypower, have denied conferring on President Buhari the “African President of the Year” award for 2019.

    According to tweets which refuted the claims earlier made by the President’s media aide, Bashir Ahmed, DAAR Communications noted that the award was an honorary accolade given to four African leaders which included Presidents Paul Kagame of Rwanda, Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana, Abiy Ahmed of Ethiopia and President Buhari of Nigeria.

    The statement released by the media organisation on Twitter also stated that DAAR Awards was hosted in January 2019 and therefore doesn’t reflect the activities of President Buhari for the year 2019 in review.

     

     

    Read statement below:

    “The attention of DAAR Communications PLC has been drawn to an image circulating on social media and amplified by the personal assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on new media, @BashirAhmaad purportedly showing President Buhari as the DAAR Awards African President of the Year.

    2019.
    It has become necessary to respond as follows:

    1. The award given to Mr President was an honorary award given to four African leaders which included Presidents Paul Kagame of Rwanda, Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana, Abiy Ahmed of Ethiopia and President Buhari of Nigeria.
    2. The 3rd DAAR Awards was hosted in January 2019 and therefore the award doesn’t reflect the activities of Mr President for the year 2019 in review.
    3. Further to numerous complaints received from our social media followers to the award, we had on January 21st, 2019 shared the

    The general public is therefore advised to kindly disregard the image been circulated, as it does not represent the position of DAAR Communications PLC for 2019.

    • Mgt”

     

     

  • Buhari congratulates Jos Imam who saved over 200 Christians for receiving U.S. award

    President Buhari has expressed delight at the International Religious Freedom Award conferred on Imam Abubakar Abdullahi of Nigeria by the U.S. Department of State.
    On behalf of the Federal Government, President Buhari heartily congratulated Imam Abubakar on the well-deserved honour by no less a credible and formidable government agency of the United States.
    The President, in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and publicity, Garba Shehu, believed the recognition bestowed on the 83-year-old Muslim cleric is towering and befitting for the patriot who risked his own life and that of his family on June 23, 2018 to save the lives of hundreds of Christians, fleeing from attacks by suspected bandits in Yelwan Gidin Akwati, Swei and Nghar villages in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State.
    Like Vice President Yemi Osinbajo said, on May 30, 2019 at the State House Abuja when he received the Imam, the Village Head, Damafulul Mangai; community leaders and a delegation from the US, UK and European Union, the cleric ‘‘has done so much to promote peace by his singular act than most politicians could do and deserve all the commendation and high honour.’’
    President Buhari is, therefore, elated that a Nigerian national has written his name in gold in the international arena and his deeds will resonate wherever and whenever there are discussions on religious tolerance, cordiality between Christians and Muslims in the country and around the world.
    The President recommended the sterling virtues of Imam Abdullahi to all clerics, in particular, and Nigerians in general.
    He also strongly affirmed the commitment of this administration to freedom of religion and worship for all Nigerians, as guaranteed by the Constitution.
    He stressed that under no circumstance will any religion or faith be imposed on the nation.

  • Ecobank wins CBN/NIBSS Award for Data Integrity

    Ecobank wins CBN/NIBSS Award for Data Integrity

    Ecobank Nigeria over the weekend carted away the “Electronic Data Rendition Compliance and Integrity” Award at the 2019 edition of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Electronic Payment Incentive Scheme (EPIS) Efficiency Awards.

    The CBN EPIS Efficiency Awards is organized to celebrate financial institutions, merchants and other stakeholders at the forefront of driving electronic payment in Nigeria. Now in its fourth edition, the awards are based on objective analysis of all E-payments data collated by the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) over a full calendar year.

    According to the NIBSS, the annual award puts into consideration electronic payment transactions data rendered to CBN by Banks and other licensed payments service providers as well as public voting and surveys administered to industry stakeholders for transactions within the year under review.

    Commenting on the award, Managing Director, Ecobank Nigeria, Patrick Akinwuntan stated that the award lends credence to the accuracy and integrity to “our electronic data and the proper rendition and compliance to the regulator’s standard. This also attests to Ecobank’s digital contributions and innovation in the Nigerian financial sector. We are using our digital strength to push financial inclusion in Nigeria. Our array of electronic products include the EcobankPay, Rapidtransfer, Omni-Lite”.

    Further, he reiterated that Ecobank is “excited to receive the NIBSS award for outstanding performance in Electronic Data Rendition, Compliance and Integrity. We are at the forefront of financial inclusion in Nigeria. Our digital offerings have simplified financial transaction processes and are safe, fast and reliable. There are testimonies on the efficiency of our products and we are happy that the regulators recognise our efforts”.

    Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System Plc (NIBSS) is owned by all licensed banks including the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). It possesses modern world-class infrastructures for handling inter-bank payments to remove potential bottlenecks associated with inter-bank funds transfer and settlement. The company also operates the Nigeria Automated Clearing System (NACS) which facilitates the electronic clearing of cheques and other paper based instruments, electronic funds transfer, Automated Direct Credits and Automated Direct Debits.

  • Veteran rapper Missy Elliott, others to receive Honorary Doctorate degree

    Veteran rapper Missy Elliott, others to receive Honorary Doctorate degree

    Veteran American rapper, Melissa Elliott aka Missy Elliott, alongside pop royalty Justin Timberlake and conductor Alex Lacamoire are set to receive an honorary doctorate degree from the prestigious Berklee College of Music.

    Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world.

    Elliott 47, who will become the first female Hip Hop artist inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in June, is a five-time recipient of Grammy Award winner with nominations spanning three decades.

    The college made the announcement via its twitter handle, https://twitter.com/BerkleeCollege
    “ ANNOUNCEMENT: @jtimberlake, @MissyElliott, and @LacketyLac to Receive Honorary Doctorates at #Berklee Commencement.’’

    The school President, Roger H. Brown would present Elliot, Lacamoire and Timberlake with honorary Doctor of Music degrees at the college commencement ceremony on May 11 at Boston University’s 7,000-seat Agganis Arena.

    This year’s honorary doctorate recipients are being recognised for their “achievements and influences in music and for their enduring global impact.”

    The veteran rapper, who is also a songwriter, dancer, record producer, and actress embarked on her music career with all-female R&B group Sista in the early-mid 1990s and later became a member of the Swing Mob collective.

    Missy Elliot launched her solo career in 1997 with her debut album Supa Dupa Fly, which spawned the top 20 single ” Sock It 2 Me’’.

    The album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200, the highest-charting debut for a female rapper at the time.

    The music veteran also produced the singles “ She’s a Bitch’,“All n My Grill’’ and top five hit “ Hot Boyz’’. The remix broke the record for most weeks at number-one on the US R&B chart on the issue dated January 15, 2000.

    Elliot has sold over 30 million records in the United States and is and is the best-selling female rapper in Nielsen Music history according to Billboard in 2017.

  • Airtel Nigeria Named ‘Brand of the Year 2018’ by Leadership Newspaper

    Leading telecommunications services provider, Airtel Nigeria, has been named ‘Brand of the Year 2018’ by the Board of Editors of one of Nigeria’s foremost newspapers, Leadership Newspaper.

    The well-respected editors, in a citation, said Airtel was deserving of the honour because it has demonstrated intense interest and commitment to supporting laudable causes through its Corporate Social Investment initiatives just as it has also produced some of the best advertisements and value offerings in the industry and the market.

    “Leveraging on its award-wining Touching Lives programme, Adopt-a-School initiative and Employee Volunteer Scheme, Airtel has invested massively, within the past years, to assist many communities as well as uplift hundreds of underprivileged people across Nigeria.

    “It’s various CSR initiatives have directly impacted thousands of people as well as millions of Nigerians indirectly.”
    Etsu Nupe, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar; Deji of Akure, Oba Aladetoyinbo Ogunlade and Chairman of Leadership Group, Sam Nda-Isaiah presented the award to Airtel Nigeria’s Regional Operations Director, North West Region, Muhammad Bashir and Erhumu Bayagbon, Head: Public Relations, Airtel Nigeria, at a colourful ceremony, which held at the International Conference Centre, Abuja, today (7/2/19).

    In his acceptance speech, Airtel Nigeria’s Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director, Segun Ogunsanya who was represented by Muhammad Bashir, Regional Operations Director, North-West, expressed profound appreciation to the Board of Editors of Leadership Newspaper for creating an independent and highly credible platform to reward excellence.

    “Airtel is pleased with this award, especially as it is coming from a well-respected and leading newspaper in Nigeria. Indeed, this recognition bears eloquent testimony to the dedication and hard work of all my colleagues and I must thank them for always choosing to go the extra mile.

    “Most importantly, this award is for all our customers across the country. We are being recognized today because millions of telecoms consumers have not just chosen Airtel but have demonstrated strong loyalty to our brand.”

    He further assured that Airtel will remain relentless in its passion to “creating amazing experiences and innovative value offerings for all our stakeholders. We are also committed to touching more lives and also building communities as well as uplifting underprivileged Nigerians.”

    The Leadership Award and Conference is an annual event put in place by LEADERSHIP Group Limited to celebrate those it acknowledges as having distinguished themselves in the public and private sectors in the previous year. The theme of this year’s conference was ‘Multiparty Democracy, Stability and Peaceful Elections: Connecting The Dots’.

    Nigeria’s Ambassador to the United States (US), Justice Sylvanus Nsofor and statesman and seasoned administrator, Alhaji Ahmed Joda were among dignitaries, who attended the Conference and Awards.

  • Ganduje wins ‘governor of the year’ award

    The New Telegraph newspaper has crowned Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State the Best Governor in 2018 in the areas of health and education despite an unresolved bribery allegation against him.

    The award came at a time Ganduje is facing allegation of collecting $5 million kickback from contractors.

    Meanwhile, at the Telegraph organised award occasion, after eulogising Ganduje, the Managing Director of the newspaper, Funke Egbemode, said “it is good to celebrate those that are making a difference in our lives”, in obvious reference to the governor.

    A statement released by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor quoted Egbemode as saying: “We believe that if we appreciate those that did good things we are at the same time encouraging them to do more in life.”

    She reportedly added that, “Globally, education and health are two significant areas where successful governance and credible development index are often measured and rated.

    “As a consummate politician and administrator par excellence, Ganduje realised from the outset, he had to make indelible impact on the lives of his people. And he truly did with affordable healthcare and functional education.”

    The managing director also acknowledged that, “Ganduje believes strongly in the words of former South African President, Nelson Mandela, that, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”

    Presenting the award to the governor on Saturday night at Federal Palace Hotel, Lagos, a former minister of petroleum, Don Etiebet, on behalf of the company, acknowledged how Ganduje transformed both the health and education sectors in Kano State, “within a twinkle of an eye.”.

    “The outstanding performance of governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje made him stand out among his peers. While understanding the relevance of education in the state development, Ganduje believes in healthy population. That is why he did it diligently to see that he leaves indelible marks in these all-important sectors.”

    In a three-minute acceptance speech, the governor appreciated the award. He spoke about the multi-cultural nature of the state, saying that “being the most populous state in the country, we don’t want to have a population that will be a liability to us. We want see that our population becomes an asset. Not a liability. That is why we are doing our best in these and all other areas in this administration.

    “We assure you that Kano will continue to excel in all sectors of the state. This honour, as being presented here, is meant to encourage us to continue building a stronger state with viable economy and productive population,” he reportedly said.

    Ganduje added that “We are grateful for such recognition, as you are receiving this intimidating entourage on the podium.”

    Meanwhile, the newspaper listed over 200 achievements recorded in the state’s health sector and others in education under the leadership of Ganduje

    Other governors who received awards as tweeted by the newspaper’s handle “@newtelegraphng” are: governors of Delta Ifeanyi Okonwa (good governance), Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa (human capital development and infrastructure), Dave Umahi of Ebonyi (agriculture), Yahaya Bello of Kogi (security), Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara (youths empowerment) and Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto (man of the year).

    Other recipients are: PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar (political icon of the decade), Senate President Bukola Saraki (politician of the year), chairman of BUA group, Abdussamad Rabiu (man of the year), minister of power, Raji Fashola (most outstanding public servant), and John Basco (humanitarian award).

    On the media, entertainment and sports category, the proprietor of DAAR Communication, Raymond Dokpesi (media icon-broadcast), Ajibola Ogunsola (media icon of the year-print), Esther Onyema (sports person of the year – female), Bolanle Ninalawo (actor of the year) and Shaffy Bello (actress of the year).

    The public and corporate organisations awarded at the event were Bureau of Public Enterprise (most productive government agency), UBA (Bank of the year), Access Bank (sustainability award of the year) and Transcorp Hilton hotel (hospitality brand of the year).

     

  • NCC bags consumer satisfaction award

    The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) received the award for Consumer Satisfaction Guarantee Agency of Government, an award organized by the Nigeria Assembly Public Orientation And Awards Ceremony (NASS Award 2018) on Saturday, 10th November 2018 at the Merit House, Abuja.

    The Commission was nominated for the Award because of its leadership, commitment to consumer satisfaction, resolution of consumer complaints and its effective regulatory functions for the industry.

    Amina Shehu, NCC’s Head of Legislative and Government Relations, received the award on behalf of the Commission.

    She noted that the Commission remains committed to protecting the rights of Telecoms Consumers which was why 2017 was declared Year of the Nigerian Telecom Consumer, a declaration tied to one item of the 8-Point Agenda of empowering and protecting Consumers of Telecoms services by keeping them informed and educated to make the right choices about services provided in the industry.

    Consumers are also empowered by the 2442 Do-Not- Disturb Code to stop unsolicited text messages or send help to 2442 to select preferred text messages; also NCC provided the 622 Toll Free Line so that Consumers can call the Consumer Affairs Bureau Department of NCC and escalate their complaints unresolved by service providers.

     

  • David Beckham to receive UEFA President’s award

    David Beckham will become the third Englishman to receive the UEFA President’s Award.

    The former England captain was described as “a true football icon of his generation” by UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin and will receive the award in Monaco later this year.

    Sir Bobby Robson (2002) and Sir Bobby Charlton (2008) are the previous English winners.

    “The President’s Award recognises outstanding achievements, professional excellence and exemplary personal qualities,” said Ceferin.

    “I have chosen David Beckham as the recipient of this year’s award because he has been a global ambassador for football, promoting the game and all its values in every corner of the planet.

    “His tireless humanitarian efforts, which have helped the lives of many children around the world, should also be celebrated. Beckham is a true football icon of his generation.”

    Beckham made 762 appearances for club and country, scoring 130 goals in a career that spanned over 20 years, and was a member of the Manchester United side that won the Champions League in 1999.

    “During my career I always gave 100 per cent and tried to uphold the values of teamwork and fair play and I am proud to join the illustrious list of players who have previously won this award,” said Beckham.

    “Many of the unforgettable moments I had on the pitch came in the UEFA Champions League such as that magic night in Barcelona in 1999 when we beat Bayern Munich in such dramatic fashion.

    “My career in football allowed me to actively participate in helping to improve the lives of numerous children across the globe in cooperation with UNICEF and it gives me great pleasure that I am able to give something back to society.

    “When people believe in you, you believe in yourself. By giving children, especially girls, the support they need, my 7 Fund is helping them realise their potential.”