… Awarded CFR National Honour and Nigeria Excellence Award in Public Service for Interventions in Education, and Philanthropy
Olushola Okunlade Writes
Industrialist, Philanthropist, and founder of BUA Group, Abdul Samad Rabiu, has been conferred with the prestigious Nigerian National Honour of Commander of the Federal Republic as well as the Nigeria Excellence Award in Public Service (NEAPS) by TBS.
These awards were presented by President Muhammadu Buhari recently on two different occasions to Abdul Samad Rabiu for his exemplary philanthropy, and interventions in the tertiary education sector in Nigeria.
Whilst 53 other Nigerians were honoured with the CFR Award, Abdul Samad Rabiu is the only individual from the private sector recognized by President Buhari at the Excellence in Public Service Awards alongside 43 other prominent Nigerians drawn from the public sector on Friday in Abuja.
President Buhari commenting on the award to Abdul Samad Rabiu, said, “I want to also specially recognise Abdul Samad Rabiu, the Chairman of BUA International Limited for his interventions in Education through the BUA Foundation, the Abdul Samad Rabiu Africa Initiative (ASR Africa), and his other philanthropic initiatives.
“This initiative funds tertiary education institutions in Nigeria from its yearly $100 million ASR Africa Fund for Social Development and Renewal. I am happy that five universities have so far benefited with many more to come,” he said.
Industrialist, Philanthropist, and Founder of BUA Group, Abdul Samad Rabiu, CFR.
President Buhari urged leaders in the private and public sectors to be more mindful of their positions as “trustees of the people”, urging them to always work toward leaving a legacy that will be long remembered.
“I wish that leaders will arise and stand up to be counted among leaders who have distinguished themselves to do the right thing and leave their footprints on the sands of time,” he said.
The president also urged public servants to make accountability and integrity their watchwords.
“This award is a recognition of the giant strides you all have made towards the transformation of Nigeria and you have consistently put hard work and dedication at the centre of your initiatives.”
Commenting on the national honour and excellence in public service award, Abdul Samad Rabiu thanked President Muhammadu Buhari and all Nigerians for the recognition and restated his commitment to sustainable development and impact initiatives through his businesses and philanthropy that will be of benefit to all Nigerians.
The Nigeria Excellence Award in Public Service was set up to recognize distinguished public service to Nigeria, either contributions to individuals, state or local community, or the public through excellence in leadership, service, or humanitarianism.
To be eligible, the recipient must be a living Public Official or a private citizen excelling consistently in a given sphere of influence, in good character standing, and must also be at the forefront of service and innovation.
Fidelity Bank’s upcoming trade expo tagged, the Fidelity International Trade and Creative Connect (FITCC Houston), has received a major boost as the Mayor, City of Houston, Sylvester Turner, has termed it, “A catalyst to support bilateral trade between Nigeria and Houston; and an opportunity for the Houston community and the diaspora to explore emerging trends, forge new partnerships and unlock new possibilities”.
This was made known in a video message recently issued by the mayor. In the one-minute clip obtained by our journalist, Mayor Turner highlighted the several side attractions scheduled for FITCC Houston and encouraged businesses to take advantage of the expo to expand their businesses beyond borders.
The event is scheduled for Tuesday, 24, and Wednesday, 25th October 2023 at the George R. Brown Convention Center, 1001 Avenida de las Americas, Houston, Texas 77010. The bank will be hosting exporters, leading businesses, entrepreneurs, investors, and regulators operating in the commodity, service, creative, fashion, and FinTech sectors in Nigeria and the United States with the view of promoting Nigeria’s non-oil exports and facilitating integrations to global supply-chain networks.
Mr Olaniyi Toluwalope, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, eTranzact International PLC, has bagged Business Day’s Top 25 CEOs award in recognition of his company’s stellar performance on the Nigerian Stock Exchange.
Speaking during the award ceremony last weekend in Lagos, the publisher, Business Day Media Ltd., Mr. Frank Aigbogun stated that the award is more than just a recognition ceremony, but a reward for excellence, innovation, and drive for positive change.
According to the publisher, the eTranzact boss and other awardees have demonstrated extraordinary leadership, resilience and relentless pursuit of a result of success and this remarkable achievement in growing market value within the period of review stands them out as industry leaders, serving as a beacon of inspiration, admiration and respect from their peers and stakeholders alike.
“This has made us gather to celebrate your achievements, passion, and your dedication to excellence. As we recognize the countless hours of hard work, sleepless nights, and sacrifices that go into building and leading a successful business, your resilience in the face of challenges is truly commendable and it is an honour to acknowledge and celebrate your triumphs,” he concluded.
Responding after the award, Mr Olaniyi Toluwalope said the award is a testament to what they have been doing in the financial technology sector within the past 20 years.
Left-Right: Mr. Frank Aigbogun, Publisher BusinessDay presenting Mr Olaniyi Toluwalope : MD/CEO, eTranzact Plc the award recognition of the company’s stellar performance on the Nigerian Stock Exchange during the Top 25 CEOs Award in Lagos.etra
Toluwalope said: “This award means a lot to us since we began the journey of transformation as an organisation a couple of years ago.”He believed the board, the management, and the entire team have worked very hard to reimagine strategy, focusing extensively on execution capability. “We have built more partnerships, deepened our collaboration with the government, private sector, with lots of our financial service partners. The quality of products and solutions we offer coupled with the investment we have made in technology infrastructure is the outcome of all we are seeing now in terms of our improvement and top performance.”
“As one of the top fintech companies in the country, having been around for over 20 years, doing great things and setting new standards and creating pioneer products and solutions, these are the things that have created the pillars which we stand on today, which is what is creating this visibility and identification we are seeing and benefiting from,” he said. It is worth noting that, eTranzact under the leadership of Mr. Toluwalope recorded the highest-ever profitability in the 20-year history of the company in its 2022 financial year.
The company is already on the upward trajectory to build on the gains of the performance by continually providing world-class solutions and products to its discerning clients which cuts across both public and private sectors.
Nnamdi Okonkwo, Group Managing Director of FBN Holdings Plc, has bagged outstanding CEO in the just concluded Top 25 CEOs Awards organized by BusinessDay that was held at the Ballroom of the Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos last Saturday.
Left-Right: Adewale Arogundade, Acting Company Secretary, FBNHoldings, Tolu Oluwole, Head, Investor Relations, FBNHoldings, Nweke (Junior), former Director General, Nigerian Economic Summit Group, Oyewale Ariyibi, Executive Director, Finance FBNHoldings, Frank Aigbogun, Publisher, BusinessDay, and Wasiu Shafe, Financial Controller, FBNHoldings.
In this year’s edition of the BusinessDay Top 25 CEOs, the publication recognised 25 Chief Executive Officers and Managing Directors of various listed firms on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NGX) who experienced outstanding financial development and also made important contributions to their respective industries.
FBNHoldings team that graced the event are Adewale Arogundade, Acting Company Secretary, FBNHoldings, Tolu Oluwole, Head, Investor Relations, FBNHoldings, Nweke (Junior), former Director General, Nigerian Economic Summit Group, Oyewale Ariyibi, Executive Director, Finance FBNHoldings, Frank Aigbogun, Publisher, BusinessDay, and Wasiu Shafe, Financial Controller, FBNHoldings.