They may say a prophet is not recognized in his hometown, we disagree with that adage as we choose to celebrate two great Nigerians who are making us proud of our motherland. Once again, the world acknowledged our beloved country as the NCAC Gala was held to celebrate Nigeria’s independence on the 1st of October, 2022.
They may say a prophet is not recognized in his hometown, we disagree with that adage as we choose to celebrate two great Nigerians who are making us proud of our motherland. Once again, the world acknowledged our beloved country as the NCAC Gala was held to celebrate Nigeria’s independence on the 1st of October, 2022. Mr Philip Oduoza, the Chairman and founder of NOVA Merchant Bank was awarded the Distinguished Citizen Award, presented to him by the Honourable Kaycee Madu, the Alberta Minister of Labour and Immigration and Mr Patrick Ekotudo, the President of the NCAC. Unsurprisingly, he was chosen for this award for his remarkable contributions to the banking/finance industries. With over 30 years of experience in the banking industry, Mr Philip Oduoza now sits as the founder and Chairman of the board of NOVA Merchant Bank Limited. He is a man that combines notable knowledge and accomplishment in the field of commercial and corporate banking and he is recognised internationally for his vast background and knowledge in the banking industry.
Before Nova, he was the global CEO of UBA and also aided in pushing and establishing Diamond Bank in the 90s. His remarkable performance quickly projected him to rise to the position of the bank’s Executive Director. Long before that, he started his banking career with Citibank.
Mr Oduoza is fondly described in some quarters as a banking guru. He is indeed
among the list of banking premiers of his time across Africa.
It is right to say that Mr Oduoza made huge contributions to the Nigerian banking industry in the past three decades. The banks he worked through his journey are celebrated as major successful banks in Nigeria.
To say the least, he was not only involved in the Nigerian banking sector but equally contributed to agriculture, oil & gas, debt restructuring and infrastructural financing and development in Africa. His involvement in transforming the banking industry led to the introduction of BVN, ATM, POS systems and many other transfer services that simplified bank payments.
He has served on the board of many financial institutions like Interswitch, Valuecard, Nigeria Interbank Settlement System (NIBSS), Nigeria Payment System, Nigeria Economic Summit Group (NESG) and Financial Markets and Dealers Quotations (FMDQ). Currently, he is on the boards of Lagos State Security Trust Fund, Veritas University Abuja etc.
Mr Philip Oduoza has a BSc. Hons with First Class in Civil Engineering, MBA in Finance, and graduated from the Harvard Business School, now an Alumnus. He has received many honours and awards worldwide to commemorate his achievements. The adage beware of little beginnings is very true of the story of Mr Oduoza.
After his primary education at St Kevin’s Catholic Primary School, Ogbaku, Owerri; he was admitted into Owerri Government Secondary School OGSSIAN – Up OGSSIAN where he completed his secondary education before proceeding to the University to further his studies. He is a professional on every level; his accomplishments and contributions are very inspiring and commendable. He is indeed a very unique icon.
Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was also honoured with The Distinguished Citizen Award, for her triumphant entry into the World Trade Organisation as the Director-general. Also, she has a huge track record of contributions to the improvement of economic and financial development in Nigeria and worldwide. According to the President of the NCAC, “The two recipients represent the best
of Nigeria”, and we couldn’t agree more.
This award serves as a call to various distinguished Nigerians to contribute to the development of our beloved country.
As Mr Philip Oduoza remarked, Nigerians should come home and help to develop
our country. He pointed out that Nigeria is not as bad as the media portrays it to be.
This gala award ceremony was a special event marking the Nigerian independence celebration in Canada on the 1st of October 2022, just as the independence celebration was going on back home in Nigeria and the Diaspora.
A symbol of strength and success for women in Nigeria and worldwide, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala never stops to amaze the world with endless success stories:
In 2021, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala emerged as the winner of a lengthy contest amongst a list of rivals to become the first female Director General DG of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
This year we are celebrating her several milestones as she is honoured by the Nigerian Canadian Association Calgary and the Nigerian National Award she received from President Buhari.
Dr Ngozi is an economist known for her global impact on finance and development. Not only is she a good economist, but she is also a well-recognised negotiator who has negotiated several international agreements worldwide. She has served her country as finance minister twice and foreign minister, being the only woman to hold both positions. While in these core positions, she was able to reform the finance and economic sectors of Nigeria.
Her 25-year career at the World Bank was her most reputable role, where she was a development economist and managing director.
With the power of trade, she firmly believes she can move Africa away from Poverty, and she joined several trade negotiations to achieve this. She is a dreamer and a doer with a vital aim for change and development.
Sitting at the World Bank as Managing Director, she worked to help Africa reduce its financial debts and problems.
Previously she sat on the boards of Vaccine Alliance, Standard Chartered Plc and Twitter Inc. to combat COVID in Africa; the African Union and WHO appointed her as a Special Envoy.
In 2021; Time and Financial Time listed her among the most influential leaders in the world and one of the 25 most influential women.
Dr Ngozi has received many awards for her global achievement, including the Global Leadership Award in 2021, the Vanguard Award by Howard University in 2016 and many more honours from several academic, political and professional institutions. She also chairs the board of the Nelson Mandela Institution, which is responsible for the African Institute of Science and Technology.
Other institutions she is affiliated with as a board or trustee member are the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Harvard University International Advisory Board, Women’s World Banking Africa Advisory Board, Tsinghua University Beijing, Lumos, Business and Civic Leaders and many more.
She studied Economics at Harvard University, graduated in 1976 and got a PhD in Regional Economics and Development from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1981. Dr Ngozi has several honorary degrees from all around the world.
We wish her continued success and congratulate her again on the honour received from the NCAC and the Nigeria National Award given by the President to recognise her active participation in developing the country.
The book of contributions of these two Nigerians is a great testament that Nigeria is a great country that produces excellent sons and daughters richly talented and are making remarkable contributions in different works of life globally. We celebrate our freedom this month of October. Long Live Nigeria!!!
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