FG honours top 100 firms

The Federal Government has concluded plans to honour 100 top business endeavours in Nigeria in December.

The initiative, a brainchild of President Goodluck Jonathan, is aimed at identifying and bestowing presidential honour on highly performing business concerns in order to encourage them to further contribute to the economy in more significant ways.

To actualise this, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr. Olusegun Aganga, has set up a Business Assessment Committee, headed by the Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria, Mr. Jim Obazee.

Inaugurating the committee on Friday in Abuja, Aganga said the body had a mandate to critically scrutinise businesses operating within the Nigerian economic space and come up with top 100 among them that meet global best practices.

Such business that would qualify for the presidential award, the minister added, would be among the companies generating high volume of employment opportunities in the economy.

A statement by the Consultant to the initiative, Mrs. Funmi Ogbue, said, “The aim of the presidential honour for the top 100 businesses in Nigeria is to identify, recognise and celebrate businesses that are contributing to the economy and are ethically above board in their business dealings in line with global best practices.

“Nigeria as the largest economy in Africa and one of the emerging economies on the world stage needs to encourage ethical corporate governance and celebrate businesses that are growing the economy.”

Members of the committee include the Director-General, Industrial Training Fund, Mrs. Juliet Onaeko; the Managing Director, Bank of Industries, Mr. Rasheed Olaoluwa; the Executive Secretary, Sugar Council, Dr. Lateef Busari; the Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Stock Exchange, Mr. Oscar Onyema; and the Executive Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service, Mr. Kabir Mashi.

Others are the Managing Director, Nigerian Export Processing Zones Authority, Mr. Gbenga Kuye; the Executive Secretary, Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission, Mrs. Salatu Umar, and the Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Export Promotion Council, Mr. Olusegun Awolowo.