Author: PositiveNaija

Ugo Ijeoma Ndianiefo Wins 2017 National Youth Oratory Contest

Ugo Ijeoma Ndianiefo, of the over 1,000 Nigerian youths drawn from 20 tertiary institutions across the country has emerged winner of the 2017 National Youth Oratory Contest with a star prizes of 1 million Naira and one week leadership training in South Africa.

The topic of the competition being: “Nigeria as entrepreneurial hub of Africa” which the orators argued for and against. Ugo Ijeoma Ndianiefo emerged first with 83.3 points, followed by Nwenyi Ogechi, Placid Martins, Eze nwakuba and Anidebe Collins.

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UNILAG Wins 2017 Young Creative Awards

The University of Lagos (UNILAG) has won the maiden edition of the Young Creative Awards (YouCrea) with a 1 million Naira prize organised by O2 Academy School of Advertising in Lagos.

The competition featured outstanding final year students of UNILAG, Yaba College of Technology (Yabatech) and the Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ).

The competitors, who were into three teams – Star Wars (UNILAG), Avatar (Yabatech) and Matrix (NIJ) – were earlier hosted to an all-expense paid one-week boot camp by O2 Academy for “hands-on” training by advertising practitioners.

They produced advertising briefs against smoking in partial commemoration of the World Health Organisation’s (WHO’s) World “No Tobacco Day” marked every May 31.

UNILAG’s 15-minute campaign, with the theme: Go Ahead, Smoke Yourself to Death, was adjudged the best by a panel of judges comprising the managing directors Creative Zone, Extreme Ideas, 141 Worldwide and Black Sea Communications, among other advert agencies.

Founder of O2 Academy, Ozoemene Mbanefo, who presented the award, said the next edition of YouCrea will include competitors from the University of Nigeria at Nsukka (UNN), University of Ibadan (UI) and the University of Benin (UNIBEN).

Mr. Ozoemene Mbanefo added;

“We felt a need to take advertising to higher institutions. The only way we can do so is to bring in some form of competition because competition is very healthy and it inspires people to do more.

So, Young Creative Awards is simply to inspire schools to inspire interest among more young, talented people in advertising, making advertising more ‘cool’ and interesting again.

I think more schools should engage YouCrea because that way we have a platform that connects the town and gown.”

UNILAG’s team of five students comprised Mass Communications students Abidemi Adesokan, Aboaba Tunde, Omomoh Tamara, Misturah Owolabi and Onike Qudus.

Olusegun Adekunle Emerge OPEC Alternate Chairman of 127th EC Board

Olusegun Adekunle has been appointed the Alternate Chairman of the 127th Economic Commission Board of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

Mr. Olusegun Adekunle was before this appointment Nigeria’s representative to the Organisation.

The Economic Commission Board is responsible for writing reports and making recommendations to the Conference of OPEC Oil Ministers on oil prices and other economic issues. It also assists OPEC in promoting stability in international oil prices at equitable levels.

GTBank & Dr. Benedict Oramah Win 2017 African Banker Awards

Winners of the 2017 African Banker awards have been announced at an event in India. The awards held annually on the fringes of the Annual Meetings of the African Development Bank, celebrates excellence in banking and finance on the African continent.

President of Afreximbank, Dr. Benedict Oramah won ‘Banker of the Year’. Afreximbank has grown considerably in the past year, whilst other metrics, such as income to cost ratio were very competitive.

Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank) won the ‘African Bank of the Year Award’. GTBank posted a 37% increase in profits in 2016, despite difficult trading conditions in its main market Nigeria.

Waheed A. Olagunju, the acting CEO and Managing Director of Bank of Industry was honoured with this year’s African Banker Icon award, which recognizes a banking career that spans over two decades.

5th Nigeria Transport Awards

Two subsidiaries of SIFAX Group, SIFAX Haulage and Logistics Limited and Skyway Aviation Handling Company Limited (SAHCOL) have won the Haulage & Logistics Company of the Year as well as Aviation Handling Company of the Year awards respectively at the fifth Nigeria Transport Awards.

The Nigeria Transport Awards is an annual event designed to reward deserving companies that have shown diligence, innovation and excellence in the country’s logistics industry.

‘Who is Like God’

Akwaeke Emezi has emerged the African region winner for the 2017 Commonwealth Short Story Prize with her work – Who is Like God.

Commonwealth Writers has partnered with Granta magazine to give regional winners of the Commonwealth Short Story Prize the opportunity to be published by Granta online. Akwaeke Emezi’s Who is Like God as well as the work of other regional winners will be published on www.granta.com every Tuesday from 30 May until 27 June (‘Who is Like God’, Akwaeke Emezi – 13 June), in order from East to West across the Commonwealth.

Another Nigerian who also was part of the shortlist is Kelechi Njoku with the story – By Way of a Lifeplot.

Ingrid Persaud from Trinidad and Tobago won the 2017 Commonwealth Writers’ Short Story Prize for “Sweet Sop” – a story exploring harrowing themes of fractured families, death and terminal illness, through the medium of chocolate.