IoD Nigeria Confers Fellowship Awards on Members and other Distinguished Personalities
The Institute of Directors Nigeria held its 2020 Fellows’ Investiture on Thursday, October 15, 2020. The event witnessed the conferment of five ‘Distinguished Fellowship’ and Thirty One ‘Fellowship’ categories of the Institute on its members.
The President & Chairman of the Governing Council of the Institute, Chief Chris O. Okunowo, F.IoD, in his welcome speech, noted that the Fellows’ Investiture was a major event of the Institute, where outstanding members who have continuously abided by the Institute’s core values and its objectives in their personal and business lives are honoured. In his word, “the Institute confers fellowship status annually on deserving members who have meritoriously distinguished themselves in the service of the Institute in various capacities while making notable contributions to the success stories of their respective companies and the Nigerian business community.”
Continuing, he charged all members, for the sake of the Institute, to remain steadfast and focused in the pursuit of issues that will bring about positive growth and development in the Institute, while noting that, the Institute would continue to demonstrate greater visibility in influencing government and corporate initiatives. He added that ‘the strategic position of the Institute in the Nigerian business environment is one that comes with a lot expectations and challenges and with God on our side, this administration is poised to see that IoD Nigeria walks its talks.’
In the same vein, while welcoming all participants to the event, the Chairman of the Fellows and Awards Committee, Arch. Thomas C. Awagu, DF.IoD, noted that ‘the current realities and challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has brought in its wake various regulations, especially those of restricted social interactions and gatherings has forced us to host this event in a Hybrid version.’
He used the opportunity to appreciate the members of the Fellows & Awards Committee for the hard work, dedication and commitment they had put in to ensure the success of the event. He also congratulated the new fellows, and urged them to continue to abide by the Institute’s code of ethics and related obligations and commitments, as they make utmost contributions to the growth and development of the great Institute in particular and the country in general.
The guest speaker at the event - Prof. Kwaku Atuahene-Gima, a distinguished Professor of Innovation & Marketing, and Founder & President, Nobel International Business School (NIBS), Accra, Ghana, speaking on the theme, “Innovations in Crisis Environments – The Role of Directors” challenged the managers and administrators of Nigerian economy to pay keen attention to what makes other countries and economies thrive at all time.
The Professor of Innovation & Marketing, stressed the need to invest more in Research & Development (R&D), noting that ‘Nigeria can seize the future market Place in the world if men who understand the dynamics of economics steer the affairs of the country.’ He maintained that ‘Nigeria can do great things even more than China and other countries (on whose shoulders Nigeria partly depends for survival) only if we learn their secrets of productivity.’
He observed that “copying is not really stealing, we need to be humble to learn what keeps those countries ahead of us. We must look above the shoulders and understand that value offering goes beyond tangible and intangible,” Continuing, he noted that ‘in times like this global pandemic, serious minded world leaders are taking the bull by its horns by challenging the ingenuity of their human resources to create solutions for themselves rather than depending on other countries for aids.’ In his word, “Nigeria and Africa can do better. It’s a matter of giving everyone equal opportunities to explore potentialities. And we must learn to place premium on what we produce. We must deploy backward integration and let talents shine.”
The names of the Fellowship awardees and their pictures are shown below:
