AXA Mansard Named Insurance Company Of The Year At 2025 Nairametrics Capital Market Choice Awards

By Winifred Bosa
The 25th anniversary edition of the MILO Basketball Championship came to an exciting close at the Indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, with Father O’Connell Science College, Niger State, and Government Secondary School (GSS) Karu, FCT, emerging as national champions in the male and female categories, respectively.
The national finals brought together the best secondary school basketball teams from across Nigeria in a thrilling celebration of sporting excellence and youth empowerment. This milestone edition highlighted the impact of the championship, which has helped shape the lives of students in over 13,000 schools this year.
In a hard-fought match in the male category, Father O’Connell Science College clinched their third championship title, defeating Bishop Dimeari Grammar School, Yenagoa, Bayelsa, with a final score of 66–64. This latest victory cements their position as one of the most successful teams in the tournament’s history.
In the female category, Government Secondary School, Karu, FCT, delivered a commanding performance, defeating Lanreleke Sports Academy, Ile-Ogbo, Osun State, with a 55–42 win to claim their first-ever national championship title. The victory is especially significant, as the team had previously finished in second place on three separate occasions, making this long-awaited triumph a defining milestone in their journey.
Speaking on behalf of Wassim El-Husseini, Managing Director and CEO of Nestlé Nigeria Plc, Boladale Odunlami, Commercial Manager, commended the athletes and applauded the coaches for their dedication to nurturing young talent. He also reaffirmed Nestlé’s purpose behind the MILO Basketball Championship.
“For 25 years, we’ve stayed true to our belief in growing champions through sport.
The MILO Basketball Championship has supported hundreds of thousands of young athletes, some of whom have gone on to play on the international stage and earn scholarships.
Take Rueben Abuchi, now at the University of Florida, an NCAA National Champion with the Florida Gators, or Murjanatu Musa, recently drafted into the WNBA and currently playing for the Phoenix Mercury. They started with MILO, and they soared. But this isn’t just about creating stars on the court, it’s about building champions in life. That’s why we remain committed, not just as sponsors, but as partners in purpose,” he said.
Ifeanyichukwu Orabuche, Category Manager, Beverages, added “This championship has become a powerful symbol of the MILO basketball championship empowering boys and girls across Nigeria to discover their strength, showcase their talent, and unlock their full potential. We’re not just crowning new champions; we’re marking 25 years of transformation, purpose, and impact. Because every child who steps onto a MILO basketball court isn’t just playing a game, they are building the mindset, discipline, and resilience to win in life”
This year’s tournament included an inclusive match for young individuals with disabilities, highlighting the championship’s commitment to inclusivity and Nestlé’s dedication to ensuring that everyone can participate and thrive.
Both winning teams received trophies, cash prizes, full basketball kits, and MILO products. Their victory at this landmark 25th edition makes them part of the long history of Nigeria’s biggest grassroots youth basketball platform.
Now celebrating 25 years of impact, the MILO Basketball Championship continues to be a key youth program, showing Nestlé Nigeria’s commitment to building talent, encouraging healthy lifestyles, and developing future champions, both on and off the court.
The winners, budding entrepreneurs developing innovative solutions across various business value chains including fashion design, bag making, pastry making, event management, beauty, vegetable farming, and more, emerged tops after participating in a business pitch competition held recently for Batch A Stream 2 across 10 NYSC Orientation Camps in Cross River, Niger, Abuja, Nasarawa, Taraba, Kaduna, Plateau, Jigawa, Anambra, and Lagos States.
At the NYSC Orientation Camp in Ipaja, Lagos State, corps member Adeniyi Stephen Gbemininyi, who pitched a fashion design business, emerged as the overall winner, clinching the ₦800,000 grand prize. Kolawole Opeoluwa Darasimi, a budding bag maker, won a ₦500,000 grant, while Johnson Elizabeth Ene received a ₦300,000 grant to support her cake and pastry business.
Across the remaining nine states, 27 other winners also emerged after pitching business plans in diverse sectors such as fish production, poultry farming, fashion, soap and cake making, printing, piggery, beverage production, and more.
Over the past six years, the Unity Bank Corpreneurship Challenge has become an integral part of the NYSC programme, aligning with the Federal Government’s commitment to upskilling fresh graduates amid the growing dearth of white-collar jobs. The programme attracts thousands of applications from serving NYSC corps members, whose business plans are evaluated for originality, marketability, employability potential, and overall business acumen.
Speaking during the grand finale in Lagos, Unity Bank’s Divisional Head, Retail & SME, Mrs. Adenike Abimbola, said: “At Unity Bank, we believe that empowering young people to shape Nigeria’s economic future must be supported to provide longer-term sustainability. Through the Corpreneurship Challenge, we are not just providing funding, but nurturing a new generation of entrepreneurs equipped with the skills, resources, and confidence to create jobs and transform communities. The success stories we see year after year reaffirm our commitment to youth empowerment and SME development.”
She added: “The overwhelming interest and high quality of business ideas we receive in every edition demonstrate the incredible potential among Nigeria’s youth. We are proud to partner with the NYSC SAED to make these dreams a reality.”
The Corpreneurship Challenge has earned Unity Bank national recognition for its contribution to youth empowerment and job creation, attracting over 2,000 applicants per edition.
In partnership with the NYSC Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) programme, the initiative features a business pitch competition that allows participants to present their business plans and win grants of up to ₦800,000.
So far, Unity Bank has invested over ₦100 million in the initiative, producing over 160 winners since its launch in 2019.
Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX Group), a leading integrated market infrastructure provider in Africa, has signed a funding agreement with DEG Impulse gGmbH, a subsidiary of the German Development Finance Institution, DEG – Deutsche Investitions-und Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH, part of KfW Bankengruppe, to commence the implementation of its flagship NGX Net-Zero Programme (N-Zero).
The recently signed agreement in Cologne, Germany, marks a major step forward in NGX Group’s efforts to strengthen climate resilience and promote low-carbon development across Nigeria’s private sector. The multi-billion-naira funding was secured under DEG Impulse’s develoPPP programme, which supports innovative private sector initiatives with high development impact.
N-Zero is designed to support businesses with the tools, frameworks, and technical guidance required to set, validate, and achieve science-based emission reduction targets. It aligns with Nigeria’s commitment to the Paris Agreement and the global goal of limiting temperature rise to 1.5°C.
By bringing together global climate partners, including implementing partner Africa Foresight Group (AFG), NGX Group, through N-Zero, will assist companies in developing credible transition plans and carbon projects that generate verifiable carbon credits, thereby supporting economic resilience, promoting green investments, and contributing to a decarbonized future.
Temi Popoola, Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of NGX Group, said:
“The signing of this agreement with DEG Impulse marks a significant milestone in our sustainability journey. This partnership demonstrates strong confidence in our vision to drive sustainable finance, build a climate-conscious private sector in Nigeria and champion climate action across Africa. Through N-Zero, we aim to translate ambition into measurable impact by reducing emissions and positioning Nigerian corporates to benefit from emerging opportunities in the global carbon market.”
Alhaji (Dr.) Umaru Kwairanga, Group Chairman of NGX Group, added:
“This initiative represents a bold step toward positioning NGX Group at the forefront of climate leadership in Africa. As we activate the N-Zero Programme, we reaffirm our long-standing commitment to innovation, sustainable development, and creating long-term value for the Nigerian economy. It is our firm belief that capital markets must play a central role in delivering climate solutions, and this partnership is a model for what is possible when global institutions collaborate with local expertise”.
Dr. Hubertus Pleister, Managing Director of DEG Impulse, commented: “With the support of the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the develoPPP initiative contributes to NGX’ transformation journey by addressing climate risks and advancing sustainability through strategic and innovative collaboration – reinforcing our shared commitment to building resilient capital markets and enabling long-term impact.”
The “NGX’ N-Zero Programme” will run from June 2025 to April 2027 and is expected to reduce or avoid 20,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions. It will support at least 26 businesses in implementing environmental and social standards and provide access to carbon markets through credit registration and emissions offsetting. This collaboration underscores NGX Group’s commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 13 (Climate Action) and its role in advancing Nigeria’s transition to a more sustainable and inclusive economy.
By Amaka Obiefuna
The Universal Insurance Plc, National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) as well as Rite Foods Limited will sponsor the 2025 Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Nigerian Association of Insurance and Pension Editors (NAIPE).
This year’s NAIPE AGM will be held on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, at the Nigerian Insurers House in Victoria Island, Lagos.
NAIPE is the umbrella body for journalists covering insurance and pension sectors in Nigeria.
NAIPE holds its AGM in July every year and companies that sponsor the AGM have the unique opportunity to market their products and services to NAIPE members in the course of the event who will in-turn push out the information to the general public through publication of stories and analysis in their mediums and platforms.
Stories generated from the event will be in the media for over one month.
The Universal Insurance Plc is one of the nation’s largest personal lines insurer with over N8 billion in assets, selling eight major lines of insurance, including auto, property and commercial.
Universal Insurance offers a broad spectrum of insurance products for all types of businesses, corporate and individuals with unique services delivery.
According to Universal Insurance Plc, “Our vision is to be a dominant, specialised non life insurer in Nigeria, creating and delivering value to stakeholders while our mission is to offer specialised non life insurance protection to clients inspired by innovation, efficiency and prompt claims settlement.”
On the other hand, the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) was established under the National Health Insurance Act which was signed into law on 19 May 2022, replacing the National Health Insurance Scheme Act of 1999.
As of today, data shows that about 20 million Nigerians are covered by the scheme.
NHIA offers several benefits, including financial protection against high medical costs, access to quality healthcare services, and a comprehensive benefits package that covers a wide range of medical needs.
Also, the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) was established in 2013 and drawing its mandate from the Pension Reform Act of 2014, PTAD was tasked with consolidating and managing pensions under the Defined Benefit Scheme (DBS) for pensioners who retired on or before June 30, 2007 and did not transit to the Contributory Pension scheme.PTAD has marked a significant milestone of revolutionizing Nigeria’s public sector pension administrative system.
When the Directorate was created, it inherited a host of challenges that had long plagued the legacy pension offices. These offices, comprising the Police, Customs, Immigration, Prisons, and the Civil Service, as well as the Boards of Trustees of Treasury funded Parastatals, Universities and Research Institutions and Agencies, were historically managed in a fragmented, inefficient, and underfunded manner. By 2004, this mismanagement had culminated in pension liabilities exceeding N2 trillion.
On the helm of affairs of the Directorate is the Executive Secretary, Tolulope Abiodun Odunaiya, a dynamic and results-oriented professional with a proven track record of managing complex workflows and consistently driving measurable outcomes. She was appointed to the position in November 2024, by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Rite Foods Limited is the producer of Bigi Drinks, Fearless Energy Drinks, Sosa Fruit Drinks, and Rite and Bigi Sausage Rolls.
The company ably led by managing director/CEO, Mr. Seleem Adegunwa, believes in the power of innovation and its potential to change the recycling business.
As Nigeria’s top food and beverage manufacturer, it said: “we are committed to helping recyclers to adopt cutting-edge techniques to recycling plastic trash, particularly in coastal areas, among other Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives.