News
Eziaku Esther, Emerges Winner of UBA Foundation’s NEC 2021
UBA Foundation, the CSR arm of the United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, on Tuesday, held the Grand finale of its eleventh annual National Essay Competition (NEC) at the Tony Elumelu Amphitheatre at the UBA House, Marina Lagos, in a ceremony that was well-attended by students, staff and parents.
A visibly excited 15-year-old Eziaku Esther, a student of His Grace High School, Enugu State, emerged the overall winner with the best essay.
For the fifth consecutive year the girls have clinched the best prize as, Esther beat 11 other finalists selected from over 7,000 entries received digitally by the UBA Foundation from students of senior secondary schools across Nigeria.
Esther won an educational grant of N3 million to study at any African university of her choice.
She also received a brand-new state-of the-art laptop and many other educational tools from the UBA Foundation.
She will be supported throughout her educational career and beyond with constant mentoring by the UBA Foundation.
The 15 year old winner who was escorted to the event by her mother, Mrs Joy Chika Eziaku, said she was excited to have come top in the competition, adding that the experience has bolstered her confidence; “I am so grateful to UBA Foundation for this grand opportunity. it was not very easy as I had to study hard and conduct a lot of research, but I am happy that it paid off for me. This opportunity has changed my life, made me want to learn more, read more and to aspire to be a better person and I really appreciate the UBA and the UBA Foundation for this,” she said.
The UBA Foundation’s Education initiative has been changing lives for over a decade as the tertiary education scholarship programme continues to impact the lives of many students and their communities at large.
The second prize was bagged by Nduka Chukwuemeka, male, aged 17, of Oxfords international School, Abia State, who won a N2,500,000 educational grant and a laptop; while the third prize of N2,000,000 and a brand new lap top went to 15-year old Hajarat Abdulwahab of Addy Basic School, Kano.
The other 9 finalists also received brand new laptops as well as consolation prizes, including books and other learning materials.
In his remarks Mr. Kennedy Uzoka, managing director/chief executive officer of UBA Plc, said UBA as a bank is happy that it has been touching lives and making a solid impact through the UBA Foundation, adding that the annual competition which is in its 11th year, has produced hundreds of winners, some of who have long graduated from higher schools and have been impacting their communities.
He said, “Like we did last year, we again increased the prizes to match the rising cost of living. Over the years, we have been assured that we are doing something very unique and truly African, and this is why the initiative is for those who wish to study in Africa, because we are proud of our continent.”
Bola Atta, MD/CEO, UBA Foundation, whilst congratulating the winners, commended them for their exceptional brilliance. “Every student who sent in an entry is a winner. To be confident about your writing skills and ambitious enough to enter a competition to further enhance your educational path is laudable. For those that did not win, I would say do not be discouraged. Take it as a challenge to perfect your writing skills and enter for the competition again next year” she said.
According to Atta, UBA Foundation, being the CSR arm of UBA Plc, makes it a point of duty to give back to communities where UBA operates. Education remains one of the Foundation’s focus areas as it is the bedrock of any nation
UBA Foundation’s National Essay Competition has been rolled out to other African countries including Ghana, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Guinea, with plans for more footprints in 2022.
UBA Foundation, the CSR arm of the UBA Group, is committed to the socio-economic betterment of the communities in which the bank operates, focusing on development in the areas of Education, Environment, Economic Empowerment and Special Projects.
News
9mobile Addresses Recent Service Outages, Apologizes for Inconvenience
9mobile has apologized for the recent service outages experienced by its valued customers which has affected their ability to provide voice, data, internet services. “We understand the frustration these disruptions have caused and deeply regret the inconvenience.
“Our technical team has identified the root causes of the outages including a fire incident at our Main Data Centre in Lagos last night which severely impacted services especially in the Lagos and South-West. We are grateful for the swift intervention of the Lagos State Fire Service, which helped prevent further damage.
“Prior to the fire incident, our network experienced major fibre interruptions leading to varying degrees of outages. We had a fibre cut on the backbone links in Lagos which led to a total data outage across the country.
“This was followed closely by two vandalism incidents in Lagos and Abuja, leading to total service outage in South-West and data service outage in the North. Services have now been fully restored in the North & South-South States while restorations work is ongoing in others. We expect to fully restore services as soon as possible”
At 9mobile, customer satisfaction is remains top priority. “We value the trust you place in us and appreciate your patience and understanding during this challenging time. Customers who continue to experience issues can reach out to our customer service team via our social media touchpoints or our experience centres”.
Once again, we sincerely apologize for the disruption and thank you for your continued support.
News
Nasarawa Technology Village Attracts 12Bn Investments
Modern Shelter Systems and Services Limited, one of Nigeria’s leading real estate firms has announced that the Nasarawa Technology Village has attracted investments of N12 billion since the project commenced.
The real estate firm added that it has officially commenced feasibility studies for the Aso-Pada Toll Road, which will catalyse the development of the tech-driven innovation hub, creating value for investors and transforming lives along the Keffi-Nyanya-Abuja corridor.
With the signing of the Aso-Pada Toll Road project, Modern Shelter said it is one step closer to realising the vision of Nasarawa Technology Village, which is powered by innovation as the project will connect communities, attract investments, and unlock socio-economic opportunities while providing sustainable, affordable housing for the future.
Commenting on the development, Abdulmalik Mahdi, chief executive officer, said that “The Aso-Pada Toll Road will serve as the backbone of Modern Shelter’s Nasarawa Technology Village, bringing 1,962 homes, a tech incubation centre and more to life.
“The Aso-Pada Toll Road will not only enhance connectivity but also drive the success of our Nasarawa Technology Village project, powered by NGN12.5 billion in investments. Together, we’re creating a hub for innovation, sustainability, and opportunity,” he explained.
News
Chain Reactions Africa Claims Three Awards
Chain Reactions Africa, one of Africa’s leading public relations and integrated communications consultancies, continued its awards-winning streak in 2024 by clinching three more prestigious awards in the recently hosted Lagos PR Industry Gala & Awards (LaPRIGA) 2024, which was held in Lagos.
Chain Reactions Africa emerged as winner of the ‘Public Sector PR Campaign of the Year’ for the firm’s Windfall Tax Policy Campaign for the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).
The campaign was aimed at first, sensitising the Nigerian public about the Windfall Tax Policy and then, securing the compliance of key stakeholders for the policy.
The same campaign also clinched the ‘Best in Crisis Management’ award, off the back of its use of strategic communication to manage and avert the crisis that would have been precipitated by the enforcement of the Windfall Tax by the FIRS.
The highpoint of the day for the company was the crowning of its Managing Director and Chief Strategist, Mr. Israel Jaiye Opayemi, as the ‘Most Influential PR Professional’ for his exceptional professional persona, charismatic industry leadership, enviable profile, and commitment to the growth of the Public Relations industry.
Commenting on the LaPRIGA Awards recognitions, the Managing Director and Chief Strategist of Chain Reactions Africa, Mr. Israel Jaiye Opayemi, expressed appreciation for the honours.
“Once again, I say a big thank you to the awards organisers, the Lagos State Chapter of NIPR, for raising the bar in organising this award to celebrate hard work and honour the resilience of deserving winners”, he said.
Opayemi charged the winners and all practitioners to drive better storytelling of their organisations and clients. “Let’s be the best. We are Public Relations people, let’s tell the stories of our respective organisations and clients better than ever before”.
He acknowledged the invaluable contributions of his team to Chain Reactions Africa’s unceasing accomplishments, describing them as the real shining stars of these honours.
“These award recognitions are emphatically dedicated to all the creative rebels in the Chain Reactions Africa Tribe. You are truly the shining stars spurring these honours, and there wouldn’t be a Chain Reactions Africa without my team. Your unwavering commitment to client satisfaction and sacrifices are matchless; you are the reason we are not just winning, but also breaking more boundaries of excellence”, Opayemi said.
Speaking at the event, the Chairman, Nigeria Institute of Public Relations (NIPR Lagos Chapter), Comfort Obot Nwankwo, congratulated all the winners for their recognition as shining stars and urged them to be an inspiration to others while sustaining the momentum of success, character, and bravery.
“As we honour our shining stars tonight, let us reflect on our collective responsibilities and use our influence to advance inclusivity and sustainability in Public Relations.
I challenge each of you to champion youth involvement, prioritise community breeding narratives and uphold highest standards of integrity in all that you do. I congratulate all nominees and winners tonight – may your success serve as an inspiration to others”, she said.
Themed, ‘The Shining Stars’, the 9th edition of LaPRIGA Awards expectedly turned out to be a resplendent and colourful get-together of the who-is-who in the integrated marketing communications industry with stakeholders drawn from the corporate, private, and public sectors.
According to the Chairman of the Selection Committee, Lead Consultant/CEO, Leap Communications, and Publisher of Breezy News, Muyiwa Akintunde, the ceremony had 22 award categories, and 81 entries were submitted in 21 categories, with the ‘Best in Political Communication’ not having any submission for this year’s edition.
Others are ‘Special Honorary Awards’ and ‘Lifetime Achievements Award for select public relations industry veterans.
With three awards, Chain Reactions Africa has once again shown its unparalleled dominance in the marketing communications industry.
Earlier in 2024, the company reached an unprecedented height by winning seven awards at the 2024 SABRE Awards. It also emerged winner of the Edge Awards 2024 most coveted prize, ‘Outstanding PR Agency of the Year’, with its MD/ Chief Strategist, Opayemi, carting away the ‘Edge Grand Prix in PR’, Edge Awards’ most enviable and highest individual awards category.
The company, with offices in both Lagos and Abuja, won four deserving honours at the 2024 Brandcom Awards, including the ‘Most Outstanding PR Agency of the Year’; ‘Most Outstanding Agency in Political and Public Sector PR’, and ‘Strategic Communication Consultancy of the Year’. Its MD/ Chief Strategist also won the ‘CEO of the Year (Public Relations) category for his sound leadership qualities and desirable profile.
LaPRIGA is a high-profile award that recognises excellence and celebrates practitioners in public and corporate organisations as well as stakeholders to boost professionalism and more investment in the practice of public relations.
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