Faces At Ongoing 2025 WAICA Education Conference In Lagos
All Posts in "Day: October 13, 2025"
Fidelity Bags Awards For Best Export, Trade Support And Innovation Innovation
Amaka Obiefuna
Fidelity Bank’s market leadership has been affirmed once again as the tier-one lender bagged double honours at the BusinessDay Bank and Other Financial Institutions’(BAFI) Awards 2025.
At the awards ceremony, which was held at the Lagos Continental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos on Saturday, 11 October 2025, Fidelity Bank was presented with the awards for the “Best Bank for Export & Trade Finance” and “Most Innovative Bank of the Year”.
Dedicating the Export and Trade Finance Award to its customers, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Fidelity Bank Plc, Dr Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe,OON, who was represented by the Executive Director/Chief Operations and Information Officer, Stanley Amuchie, said, “This recognition underscores our unwavering commitment to promoting non-oil exports and supporting Nigerian businesses to compete globally through initiatives such as the Fidelity International Trade & Creative Connect (FNITCC) and the Export Management Programme (EMP).
“I dedicate this award to all our exporters who continue to showcase the best of Nigeria to the world, our loyal customers, and our partners for their steadfast support.”
The BAFI Awards is the benchmark of distinction for institutions in the Nigerian financial services sector. Now in its 12th year, the awards recognise and celebrate organisations that are excelling in the delivery of financial services in Nigeria. The award acknowledges organisations demonstrating leadership, vision and impact in driving Nigeria’s growth trajectory.
Fidelity Bank’s recent recognition is attributed to significant accomplishments over the past twelve months. Notable milestones include the inauguration of the first privately constructed onshore oil export terminal in Nigeria in fifty years at the Otakikpo Marginal Field, which was funded by Fidelity Bank and commissioned by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu last week. Additionally, the Bank launched the Fidelity SME Hub, a multipurpose facility designed to support small businesses through innovation, collaboration, and capacity-building initiatives.
Furthermore, Fidelity Bank organized the third edition of the Fidelity Nigeria International Trade & Creative Connect (FNITCC) in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, in September 2025. This event provided local businesses with opportunities to engage in deal rooms with U.S. buyers, including prominent retailers such as Walmart and Target, fostering potential partnerships.
“The innovation award is a special one for us as it validates our continued drive to enhance operational efficiency, elevate customer experience, and strengthen business performance. We sincerely appreciate BusinessDay Media for this recognition and reaffirm our commitment to introducing more impactful innovations that empower our customers and advance the Nigerian financial services industry”, commented Amuchie.
Polaris Bank Wraps Up 2025 Customer Service Week With Renewed Commitment To Customer Satisfaction By Winifred Bosa
Polaris Bank has restated its dedication to delivering exceptional customer *experience* as it successfully concluded activities marking the 2025 edition of Customer Service Week themed “Mission: Possible.”The week-long celebration, which ran from Monday, October 6 to Friday, October 10, was filled with engaging customer appreciation activities and staff recognition initiatives across the Bank’s branches and digital channels.
Throughout the week, Polaris Bank celebrated its customers with giveaways, appreciation messages, and interactive engagements across its touchpoints, reaffirming its commitment to continuously improving service delivery. Employees were also recognised for their outstanding contributions to service excellence, underscoring the Bank’s belief that exceptional service begins with an empowered and motivated team.
Speaking at the close of the celebration, the Managing Director/CEO of Polaris Bank, Kayode Lawal, thanked customers for their loyalty and trust, describing them as the driving force behind the Bank’s commitment to excellence.
“Our customers are at the heart of everything we do. Their feedback, trust, and partnership inspire us to keep improving and delivering value every day. This week reaffirms that great service is not just a goal, it’s our way of life at Polaris Bank,” he said.
Mr. Lawal noted that the Customer Service Week provides an opportunity for reflection and renewal of the Bank’s promise to serve with consistency, empathy, and excellence.
Polaris Bank staff across the country also participated in internal learning and engagement sessions designed to enhance their customer interaction skills and promote a culture of service leadership.
The global Customer Service Week, celebrated annually in the first week of October, recognises the vital role of customer service professionals and the impact of service excellence on business growth. For Polaris Bank, this year’s celebration reinforced its belief that with dedication, innovation, and teamwork, great service is always a “Mission Possible.”
Heirs Insurance Group Announces Inaugural Travel Festival: A Call For Inclusive Travel Ecosystem For Africans
Amaka Obiefuna
Heirs Insurance Group (HIG), Nigeria’s fastest-growing insurance group, has announced the launch of the Heirs Insurance Travel Festival, scheduled to take place on November 29, 2025, in Lagos.
The one-day festival is a bold call for inclusive travel ecosystem for Africans, and will convene thousands of attendees, including travel ecosystem stakeholders, embassy representatives, tourism content creators, and travel lovers, across the tourism value chain for a first-of-its-kind immersive celebration of global cross-border tourism and culture.
With the theme “Promoting Cultural Diversity and an Inclusive Travel Ecosystem,” the event will feature high-level diplomatic dialogues and fireside chats with renowned African travel creators, aimed at fostering strong relationships and promoting global tourism, to build a more connected world.
Guests can look forward to an unforgettable experience, featuring immersive games, live performances, thought-provoking panel sessions, cultural showcases, vibrant music, and a curated marketplace with diverse vendors across food, lifestyle, tourism, and entertainment, all designed to bring the world closer to home.
Speaking about the Heirs Insurance Travel Festival, Ifesinachi Okpagu, Chief Marketing Officer, Heirs Insurance Group, emphasized the uniqueness of the event and the role of insurance in facilitating such deep and meaningful convenings.
She said: “Travel is about discovery, exposure, and connection. The world is more connected than ever, but with border restrictions, it is becoming increasingly difficult to explore possibilities and opportunities. Heirs Insurance Group is creating a platform to address these limitations, as insurance plays a key role in unlocking these opportunities safely. Through the Heirs Insurance Travel Festival, we are championing a physically borderless world and provoking meaningful conversations that promote responsible, inclusive travel for all.”
Registration is officially open for the Heirs Insurance Travel Festival. Interested participants can secure their free passes on the company’s website.
Businesses seeking to showcase their offerings and secure exhibition booths can visit https://heirsinsurancegroup.
Heirs Insurance Group is the insurance arm of Heirs Holdings, the leading pan-African investment company, with investments across 24 countries and four continents. With a rapidly expanding retail footprint and an omnichannel digital presence, Heirs Insurance Group, comprising Heirs General Insurance Limited, Heirs Life Assurance Limited, and Heirs Insurance Brokers, serves both corporate and individual customers across Nigeria.
Heirs Insurance Group is championing financial inclusion and leading the digital insurance play in Nigeria, demonstrating its mission to democratise access to insurance.
Customer Service Week: SEC DG Emphasizes Technology As Key To Building Investor Trust
Amaka Obiefuna
The Director General of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Dr. Emomotimi Agama, has reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to leveraging technology to strengthen investor confidence and transform Nigeria’s capital market into a globally competitive environment.
Speaking at the 2025 Customer Service Week celebration in Abuja with the theme “Building the Market of the Future, One Interaction at a Time,” Dr. Agama said the SEC is embracing digital innovation as a core part of its service strategy to enhance transparency, efficiency, and accessibility across all market operations.
He noted that recent advancements, such as the digitization of SEC processes, deployment of new online service portals, and enhanced engagement with market stakeholders through digital platforms, were designed to simplify regulatory interactions and make the market more user-friendly.
According to him, “The digitization of our processes, the launch of new portals, and our enhanced engagement on social media are all steps in the right direction. They are designed to make our market more accessible, transparent, and user-friendly”.
While acknowledging the transformative power of technology, the SEC boss stressed that human engagement remains central to building trust.
He explained that “technology is only an enabler,” adding: “The heart of excellent service is the human connection—the ability to listen, understand, and provide solutions that make every stakeholder feel valued.”
Dr. Agama pledged that the Commission would continue to invest in digital infrastructure, continuous staff training, and tools that empower frontline officers to deliver superior service to investors.
He described customer-facing staff as the “true heroes” of the capital market, whose work directly shapes investor perception and confidence in the system.
He stressed that the SEC’s vision is to build a deep, vibrant, and technology-driven capital market powered by efficient service delivery and sustained trust.
“Let every day be Customer Service Day at the Nigerian SEC and across our capital market. Let us continue to build this market of the future, not with grand pronouncements alone, but with one successful interaction, one resolved complaint, and one satisfied stakeholder at a time”, he stated.
SON seeks improved stakeholders’ collaboration to strengthen trade through standards
The Standards Organisation of Nigeria has called for collaboration with stakeholders to strengthen trade through standards.
The Director General, SON, Ifeanyi Okeke at the 2025 edition of the World Standards Day themed “Shared vision for a better world, spotlight on the Sustainable Development Goal 17” celebration in Lagos, said the event is not only to commemorate the global significance of standards, but also to demonstrate collective commitment through the work of standards, a symbolic expression of unity and shared vision for national and global development.
According to him, the theme is both timely and also compelling, noting that it reinforces the fact that sustainable development cannot be achieved by any single institution.
“Collaboration, cooperation, partnership are true drivers of progress and standards are the common language that makes such partnership possible.
“For Nigeria, this theme speaks to the realities of our development journey. Our goals, from food security to industrialization, from energy transition to trade expansion, require cooperation between the government, the private sector, academia and civil society.
“By spotlighting this Sustainable Development Goal 17, we affirm that partnerships are not simply supportive, but are the very backbone for achieving other Sustainable Development Goals.
Okeke said that national quality infrastructure is the underpinning, that determines Nigeria’s level of development, in terms of its ability to ensure that imported and exported products meet the required standards, either national, regional and global standards.
“We cannot do conformity assessments alone.
We need the collaboration, we need the partnership, we need the cooperation.
“In this regard, for imported products, we need to have our internationally accredited experts, because SON cannot be found everywhere in the world.
“We need to have organizations that have been accredited and recognized globally to be able to help us test and certify our products.
“So we need that support, we need that collaboration internationally for imported products,” he added.
To boost export of locally produced goods, the Director General said, “We have the SONEXCAP which is our certification programme for exports. Nigeria cannot just continue dwelling on imports.
“What really sustains any nation is the ability to export. So SON is also playing in that field. Through the SONEXCAP, products that will leave this country to other countries with the SONEXCAP certification, those products can be accepted in most of the countries especially in Africa because of this African free trade area agreement.
“Because what it simply means is that with our SONEXCAP certification, we have a mutual recognised agreement with other African countries.
“This means that any products that leave Nigeria to other African countries will be wholeheartedly accepted,” he averred.
Archbishop Nzekwesi Celebrates Birthday In Grand Style
By Nnedinma Michael
The Chief Executive Officer ( CEO) of Pineeaf Estate and founder of Jesus Is Alive Church, Archbishop Onyekachukwu Joseph Nzekwesi, on Friday, October 10, 2025, celebrated his birthday in Eziowelle, Anambra State, Nigeria.
The celebration attracted numerous dignitaries, including politicians and business leaders, who gathered to wish him a happy birthday.
Some notable attendees include Chief George Muoghalu of Labour Party,
Chief Obinna Iyiegbu (Obi Cubana), Chief Chimezie Nwankwo (Abig Nwankwo), Chief Ikenna Iyiegbu (Ike Cubana), Hon Ikenna Offordeme of Anambra State House of Assembly, Chief Humphrey Anuna, President-General of ASMATA and others.
During the celebration, Archbishop Nzekwesi expressed gratitude to God for his blessings and prayed for his church members, business partners, sons and daughters in the real estate business, and for peaceful conduct of the November 8 Gubernatorial Election in Anambra State.
The Permanent Secretary, Anambra State Ministry of Transport and Commerce, Chief Engr. Michael Obiekwe( Mmilioma Ogbunike), praised Archbishop Nzekwesi for his philanthropic efforts, noting that he has been a hope for many, a child of God that has created ripple effects of kindness and generosity that has transformed lives and the community.
He prayed and thanked God for the celebrant’s life and that of his family, wishing him a peaceful birthday celebration.
A consultant with Pine Leaf Estate, Mr Austine Eke, described Archbishop Nzekwesi as a good man, a mentor in the real estate business, praising his exceptional work in real estate, and encouraged others to emulate his example to contribute to the development of the South East Region.
He added that his selflessness serves as a powerful reminder that everyone has the capacity to make positive impacts.
“Bishop has impacted many lives through his mentorship and empowerment to youths, women and others,” he concluded.
Stakeholders Seek End To Infrastructure Deficits, Barriers to Achieving $1trillion Economy for Nigeria.
The quest for economic intelligence and
strategies that will mitigate infrastructure deficits and barriers on pathways to achieving $1trillion economy in Nigeria will dominate discussions at the Finance and Business Online Publishers (FiBOP) Annual National Conference 2025.
Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun and his team will be aggregating emerging solutions to put the economy at an even keel at the upcoming event.
The Annual National Conference provides a platform for technocrats, economists, and thought leaders from across all sectors to brainstorm on fundamental ways to fast track the achievement of $1 trillion economy target.
The Ministry has confirmed full participation at the conference which is scheduled to hold on October 18th and 19th 2025 at Orchid Hotels Lekki, Lagos.
Specifically, the conference is also billed to identify innovative strategies for diversifying from dependence on oil, by adapting technology, fostering innovation, investing in renewable energy, insurance, agriculture, and services.
Absolutely designed to chart a clear plan for securing successful mutual accountability and investment strategies of crucial importance for Nigeria’s economic growth development.
Furthermore it is intended to show how technology innovations, tax reforms, renewable energy, and agriculture will severally and jointly contribute to achieve the target of $1 trillion economy.
National development minded corporate Organizations have thrown their weights behind the conference.
Cornerstone Insurance PLC, NGX Group, Nigerian Agriculture Insurance Corporation (NAIC) and NASENI are amongst the latest to join forces with emPLE Insurance, Universal Insurance, Nigerian Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC), Nigerian Agriculture Insurance Corporation, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Nestle Nigeria PLC and banks like Zenith, Polaris and Fidelity to ensure a grand and successful confab.
Commenting on preparations for the event, Chairman, Conference Planning Committee, Mr. Godson Ikoro, is very optimistic that FiBOP will pull off a very utilitarian conference that will generate fresh strategies to drive home Nigeria’s $1 trillion economy by 2030.
In the same vein, FiBOP President, Mr Charles Onwuatogwu in appreciating the support of the various partners backoned on more and organizations to join forces with other stakeholders to fast track the $1 trillion economy agenda and ensure better standard of living for Nigerians.
He reiterated that partners and sponsors will enjoy a wide range of benefits from well articulated media exposure and publicity plan.
FiBOP is a registered body by the Corporate Affairs Commission made up of seasoned online publishers and editors, with wealth of experience in the print and electronic media, who are dedicated to promoting informed and balanced reporting of economic events and activities, wealth creation, and contributing to the growth and development of the Nigerian economy and the continent of Africa.
The association’s annual conference provides the needed platform for experts and stakeholders to contribute to issues of great national importance aimed at fostering inclusive growth, unity, and national prosperity.