20 November 2025 Archives

All Posts in "Day: November 20, 2025"

Savannah Energy Clinches Great Place To Work Award

By Winifred Bosa

L-R: Osagie Aghedo, Human Resources Manager, Savannah Energy, Nigeria; Michael Thomas, Founder and Partner, Partners in Africa, presenting the “Best in Promoting People Leadership Practices (Medium Category)” award won by Savannah Energy, Nigeria; Francesca Enase, Senior HR Business Partner, Savannah Energy, Nigeria, and Okwudili Onyia, Communications Manager, Savannah Energy, Nigeria during the 2025 Best Practices Awards in Nigeria organised by the Great Place to Work Institute in Lagos recently.

Savannah Energy PLC, the British independent energy company focused around the delivery of Projects that Matter, is delighted to announce that Savannah Energy, Nigeria has won the “Best in Promoting People Leadership Practices (Medium Category)” award at the 2025 Great Place to Work Institute’s Best Practices Awards held in Lagos.

In addition to this recognition, Savannah Energy Nigeria has also achieved a Great Place to Work® certification for 2025-6, further reinforcing its commitment to fostering an inclusive and high-performing work culture.

The Best Practices Awards in Nigeria are organised annually by the Great Place to Work Institute, the global authority on workplace culture for over 30 years.

The awards celebrate organisations that demonstrate outstanding achievements in fostering trust, innovation, leadership, and employee engagement.

According to the Great Place to Work Institute, Savannah was recognised for its excellence in “nurturing individuals’ talents to foster personal growth and development that improve the organisation as a whole.”

The Great Place to Work® certification followed a rigorous evaluation of Savannah Energy, Nigeria’s workplace culture, employee experience, leadership competence and organisational values, among other metrics.

Otamere Elegon, Country Manager, Great Place to Work, Nigeria and Kenya, said:

“Savannah Energy’s Award as the “Best in Promoting People Leadership Practices (Medium Category)” and the recent certification as a Great Place to Work reflect its leadership’s commitment to nurturing a culture where people truly thrive. This milestone reaffirms the company’s belief that when employees feel valued, trusted, and inspired, extraordinary results naturally follow.”

Pade Durotoye, Managing Director, Savannah Energy, Nigeria, said:

“I want to thank the Great Place to Work Institute for this recognition. We take immense pride in the award and certification because they are about our people. This is an acknowledgement of our unrelenting focus on employee well-being, learning and development and an inclusive culture across our operations.”

Yetunde Onabule, Head of Human Resources, Savannah Energy, Nigeria, said:

“We are honoured to receive this award and the Great Place to Work certification, and are even more excited about the responsibility it places on us to keep raising the bar for our people. ‘Supporting and Developing our Employees’ is one of the key pillars of our sustainability strategy and aligns with our commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 4 (Quality Education) and 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth).

We will continue to invest in leadership development, inclusion, safety, and career growth to sustain a high-performance culture where employees can do their best work.”

by Winifred Bosa — November 20, 2025 in brands and Marketing

Nigeria’s Children At A Crossroads : New Report Shows Progress, But Millions Still Left Behind

By Winifred Bosa

As the world marks World Children’s Day 2025, UNICEF Nigeria is calling for renewed commitment to Nigeria’s youngest citizens, noting that while major challenges persist, significant progress has also been made to improve children’s lives.

According to the “Nigerian Child 2025 Report”, two out of every three children in Nigeria live in multidimensional poverty, meaning they lack access to essentials such as healthcare, quality education, nutrition, protection, and clean water.

The report also shows that more than half of all Nigerian children experience some form of violence before age 18, while two in five girls are married before turning 18.

The report also highlights strong progress in several areas. Over the past five years, Nigeria has expanded routine immunization coverage, launched nationwide campaigns to end child marriage, improved access to clean water for more than five million people, and enrolled more children in school than at any time in the last decade.

Led by government, and with generous support from development partners, UNICEF contributed to innovative social protection programmes, community-based nutrition drives, and media campaigns that continue to shift public attitudes on child rights.

UNICEF Nigeria Representative, Ms. Wafaa Saeed, said that while the statistics are sobering, they also reveal that progress is possible with coordinated effort.

“Behind every percentage lies a child whose potential is being stolen by poverty or neglect. But we are also seeing change, millions of children are getting vaccinated, millions are back in school, and more families are accessing clean water and social protection. These are victories worth celebrating,” she said.

Ms. Saeed added that this moment demands unity of purpose.

“It is time for all of us, government, development partners, donors, the private sector, and communities, to come together and put the Nigerian child at the top of every agenda. They are not just our responsibility, they are our future,” she emphasized.

Reflecting on Nigeria’s journey, Ms. Saeed noted that the country’s vast potential lies in its youth.

“With nearly half of Nigeria’s population under 18, the choices we make today will define the nation’s future. Every investment in children is an investment in peace, productivity, and progress,” she said.

World Children’s Day, celebrated each year on 20 November, marks the anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) in 1989. The day serves as a global reminder of the need to protect, nurture, and empower every child to reach their full potential.

by Winifred Bosa — November 20, 2025 in Health

SEC Unveils Agenda For 2025 Compliance Summit, Targets Innovation-Driven Oversight

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has released key details of the SEC/Nigerian Capital Market Institute (NCMI) Compliance Summit 2025, scheduled to hold from November 24–25 at the Lagos Oriental Hotel, with a strong emphasis on reforms to the Investments and Securities Act (ISA) and the integration of technology-driven compliance practices across Nigeria’s capital market.

Positioned as a strategic continuation of the successful 2024 edition, the 2025 summit will focus on strengthening transparency, efficiency, and resilience within the capital market ecosystem.

According to the Commission, the event aims to promote innovation-led regulatory practices that address emerging risks while supporting the evolving market structure.

The summit, with the theme “Innovation and Compliance – Balancing Risks and Opportunities,” will convene capital market operators, self-regulatory organizations, FinTech innovators, regulators, and compliance professionals to discuss risk-based, forward-looking compliance strategies.

The SEC said compliance officers are expected to participate, given their central role in safeguarding market integrity and ensuring institutions adapt swiftly to regulatory changes.

The Commission explained that the gathering will promote innovation-driven compliance strategies to enhance regulatory efficiency, deepen dialogue on beneficial ownership transparency and customer due diligence, and highlight the importance of RegTech and data analytics for real-time transaction monitoring.

It will also emphasize stronger board and senior management involvement in fostering a robust compliance culture, along with strengthening public-private sector collaboration to sustain Nigeria’s progress in Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT).

According to the SEC, the summit will provide an unparalleled platform for in-depth analysis of regulatory evolution, featuring expert-led sessions examining ISA 2025 compliance requirements and changing expectations for market participants. It will also facilitate multi-stakeholder engagement on technology innovation and risk, especially as digitization accelerates through the growth of Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASPs) and FinTech platforms, creating a greater need for advanced compliance tools such as RegTech and data analytics.

The Commission added that the forum will help build clarity and consensus on leadership responsibilities in compliance by addressing ambiguities, sharing insights, and strengthening governance frameworks that integrate compliance into strategic decision-making. It will further outline both immediate and long-term strategies for implementing the new law, addressing potential gaps, and developing practical solutions.

The summit is also expected to support knowledge transfer and capacity building by aligning stakeholder perspectives, fostering trust, and collectively developing resilient and forward-looking compliance models.

The SEC described the 2025 Compliance Summit as a pivotal step in advancing financial integrity, innovation, and investor confidence in Nigeria’s capital market as the regulatory landscape continues to evolve.

by Online Poster — November 20, 2025 in Capital Market

FG Moves To Bridge Housing Gap As SEC, FMBN Partner On Non-Interest Mortgage Framework

The partnership, unveiled at a high-level meeting in Abuja, Friday, seeks to create and regulate viable, Sharia-compliant financing structures that will enable millions of Nigerians, particularly those excluded from conventional interest-based loans, to access affordable homeownership.

With Nigeria’s housing deficit estimated to be over 28 million units, the initiative is being hailed as a potential game-changer. It directly addresses a key barrier to homeownership: the affordability and religious compliance of mortgage products for a significant segment of the population.

Director-General of the SEC, Dr. Emomotimi Agama while emphasizing the Commission’s role in ensuring the integrity and stability of the proposed financial instruments, stated that the SEC would provide the necessary regulatory guidance and framework to facilitate the issuance of Sukuk (imic bonds) and other non-interest capital market products to fund these mortgages.

“Our collaboration with FMBN is pivotal to unlocking long-term financing for the housing sector,” Dr. Agama said. “By creating a clear regulatory pathway for non-interest mortgage-backed securities, we can attract ethical investors, both domestic and international, to channel funds into this critical area. This will create a virtuous cycle of funding, construction, and ownership.”

In his remarks, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of FMBN, Mr. Shehu Osidi, stated that the collaboration marks a critical step in fulfilling the bank’s mandate to provide affordable housing for all Nigerians.
“For a long time, a substantial number of our citizens have been unable to participate in the National Housing Fund (NHF) scheme due to the interest-based nature of conventional mortgages. This partnership with SEC is a strategic response to that gap.

We are committed to developing non-interest mortgage products that are not only ethical and inclusive but also financially sustainable.”,”Osidi said.

Also commenting, Housing and finance expert, Mr Ebilate McYoroki , welcomed the development describing it as “long overdue.”
“This is a masterstroke in financial inclusion,” he said. “It taps into a vast pool of potential homeowners and investors who have previously been on the sidelines. If implemented transparently, it could significantly accelerate the pace of housing delivery in the country.”

The successful implementation of this framework is expected to not only reduce the housing deficit but also stimulate the construction industry, create jobs, and foster greater financial inclusion, ultimately contributing to national economic growth.
How the Non-Interest Mortgage Model Works
Unlike conventional mortgages that charge interest, non-interest financing is based on principles of risk-sharing, asset-backing, and equitable returns. The models under consideration include:
· Musharakah (Diminishing Partnership): The bank and the customer jointly purchase a property. The customer gradually buys out the bank’s share through periodic payments, eventually becoming the sole owner.
· Ijara (Lease-to-Own): The bank buys the property and leases it to the customer for a fixed period. A portion of the rental payments goes towards the eventual ownership transfer.
· Murabaha (Cost-Plus Sale): The bank acquires the property and sells it to the customer at a pre-agreed markup, payable in installments.

by Online Poster — November 20, 2025 in Capital Market

Celebrating Our Men Who Strive For Excellence … STI MD

As the world marks the International Men’s Day, on November 19, 2025, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Sovereign Trust Insurance Plc, Mr. Olaotan Soyinka has described the male employees of the Underwriting Firm as the very rudder responsible for steering the ship of the organization to greatness in the quest for achieving excellence in every area of the company’s operations.

In his message to the male colleagues of the Underwriting Firm at a special session organized for them in commemoration of the global event, Soyinka seized the moment to eulogize them to the admiration of all. In his words,

“It has been a very elating experience for me having worked with you colleagues over the span of two decades that you have all stood the test of time even in the midst of those turbulent periods that one would have thought would consume us but alas, we have on every occasion come out unscathed.

No doubt, we have been so blessed as an organization to have the crop of men like you running the affairs of our great company in the last 30 years. You have all proven that you are men of valor and grit in the most professional manner that anyone can think of.”

The Executive Director, Finance and Corporate Services, Kayode Adigun, expressed appreciation on behalf of the male employees in the organization and particularly to the Managing Director/CEO for providing instructive leadership worthy of emulation.

According to him, “right from the day I joined the organization, I have never had any reason to doubt the capabilities and enormous potentials that my male colleagues have in their arsenal. The teamwork and cooperation have been quite phenomenal both from the male and female counterparts of the organization.”

He equally enjoined his colleagues to also respect and honour their female counterparts as they are also a formidable force in the journey to attaining service excellence in the comity of insurance companies in the country.

He expounded on one of the core values of the organization which borders on Teamwork and reiterated that what the company has been able to achieve till date despite all the seeming challenges in the Nigerian business landscape and the insurance industry in particular, can only be attributable to that very germane core value of teamwork and respect for one another within the organization.

In his words, “the success story of the organization has not been fortuitous, but rather, it has been very intentional premised on hard work, dedication to duty and commitment to the business philosophy in words and in intent.

As the world celebrate the men today, Sovereign Trust Insurance Plc is wishing all of them and the boys a hearty International Men’s Day celebration as they continue to provide the rudder for greater achievements in all spheres of life.

by Online Poster — November 20, 2025 in News