Former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Professor Kingsley Moghalu, has given a snippet of the issues that would headline his discussion as the keynote speaker at the LEADERSHIP Conference on March 5, 2023.
The former central bank executive-turned-politician said he and other speakers at the forum would review the nation’s economic issues and challenges, with a focus on generating solutions to the crisis confronting Africa’s largest economy.
“In my own view, I don’t think we should waste this crisis, as difficult as it is. People are hungry, people are angry; what’s the way forward? I am sharing my thoughts. I hope that you will join us at this great event,” Moghalu said in a televised video clip yesterday.
He promised to interrogate the economic crisis facing Nigeria and how the country should take advantage of this crisis to fix the economy for good.
“There are so many questions about how an economy is managed. We must find the answers. We must have hope, but hope is not a strategy.
“I will be discussing the strategy that we should use to get out of Nigeria’s mess economically and create wealth for all of us, the citizens, and create jobs for our young people, and to get revenues and have a currency that has fair value,” he said.
This year’s conference with the theme: An Economy In Distress: Which Way Forward? brings together prominent Nigerians, critical stakeholders from various sectors, legislators, and members of the diplomatic corps to brainstorm on the way out of the present economic quagmire.
The selection of the award recipients as usual followed a critical review of their various contributions to the growth and development of Nigeria as laid down by the founding chairman of the LEADERSHIP Newspaper Group, the late Sam Nda-Isaiah.
The 2023 award is phenomenal with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu clinching the Person of The Year award for braving monumental odds to clinch the APC presidential ticket and subsequently win the keenly contested election.
For providing exceptional leadership qualities in their states, four governors emerged as LEADERSHIP 2023 Governor of the Year. They are Benue State governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia; Umar Dikko Radda of Katsina State, Muhammed Umar Bago of Niger State and Seyi Makinde of Oyo State.
For the 2023 Politician of the Year category, the duo of the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, and the senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial district, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, both emerged winners.
Obi, a first-timer in the presidential race, changed the narrative of the conduct of the election, making history with the Obidient Movement which saw a majority of Nigerian youths defying the usual voter apathy and coming out en masse to cast their votes. Senator Uduaghan-Akpoti, on her part, is the first female senator from Kogi State who surmounted all odds to reclaim her mandate through the courts after she was initially denied victory.
The LEADERSHIP Public Service Person of the Year was jointly won by Interior Minister, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, and the managing director/CEO of Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), Engr. Abimbola Akinajo.
Tunji-Ojo, a.k.a. ‘Minister Talk and Do’ won the hearts of many Nigerians for his exceptional reforms in tackling the perennial passport booklet problem while Akinajo’s exceptional commitment culminated in the delivery of the Lagos blue rail line under Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
United Bank of Africa, UBA clinched Bank of the Year for its unbroken record performance in the first three quarters of 2023.
Yemi Edun, a seasoned banker, chartered accountant and MD/CE of First City Monument Bank (FCMB) emerged as LEADERSHIP Banker of the Year. Edun successfully steered the bank through increased SME lending as well as facilitating credit to small businesses.
CEO of the Year was jointly clinched by a trio of the CEO of Emzor Pharmaceutical Company, Dr Stella Chinyelu Okoli; the CEO of Transcorp Hotels, Dupe Olusola, and the CEO of Marvelous Mike Press, Engr Michael Bayo Akinola.
LEADERSHIP Social Impact Person of the Year went to the Emir of Bauchi, Dr Rilwanu Sulaimanu Adamu, for touching and shaping the lives of his subjects by promoting unity, and tremendous upliftment against myriads of social constraints that had bedevilled the people of Bauchi for long.
The Business Person of The Year Award was won by the chairman of the Gerewa Group of Companies, Isa Mohammed Gerewa for building one of the most successful companies that helped in the achievement of economic diversification.
Other winners of LEADERSHIP’s coveted awards are the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) which took the Government Agency of the Year, and Seplat Energy Plc which won the Oil & Gas Company of the Year.
The Company of the Year was won by Zeberced Group, while the Oil and Gas Local Content Champion of the Year went to Aradel Holdings Plc.
IT Company of the Year went to CWG Plc, while Brand of the Year was won by Flour Mills Nigeria Plc.
Fintech Company of the Year was won by MoniePoint.
The Artiste of the Year award went to Nike Okundaye Davies for her unwavering dedication to promoting and empowering Nigerian youths and women through arts and crafts.
The Sports Persons of the Year award went to D’Tigress for winning a historic fourth consecutive AfroBasket title, while Awwalu Sani, for displaying honesty when he found and returned N15 million to Chadian merchants who forgot it in his tricycle, won the Outstanding Young Person of the Year award.
