The Federal Government recently honoured Nigerians who have distinguished themselves in service and brought honour to the country. Such Nigerians were decorated, by President Goodluck Jonathan on November 14, at the 2011 National Awards ceremony. Amongst the recipients of the National Awards were NLI Founder, Mr. Olusegun Aganga, and NLI Fellows: Mrs. Maryam Uwais; Senator Udoma Udo Udoma; and Mr. Jim Ovia.
Olusegun Aganga: Commander of the Order of the Niger [CON]
Mr. Olusegun Aganga is currently the Minister for Trade and Investment for the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Prior to his current portfolio, he distinguished himself as the Minister for Finance. Before being called upon to serve his country, Mr. Aganga was a Managing Director of Goldman Sachs International, London, having meritoriously served, for 22 years, with Ernst & Young, London where he established and led the European Alternative Investment Management Practice. Amongst his other contributions, Mr. Aganga serves on a number of Boards and Committees including Technoserve and The Prince’s Trust Invest in Futures Committee. A Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants (FCA), he was the former Chairman of the Association for Financial Markets in Europe (AFME), Prime Brokerage Committee (f. London Investment Banking Association), as well a member of European Commission (EC) Alternative Investment Management Expert Group. Additionally, he served on the Nigerian Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) Technical Committee on Nigerian Capital Market Structure. Mr. Aganga is a Chartered Accountant with degrees from University of Oxford, UK, and University of Ibadan, Nigeria.
Maryam Uwais: Member of the Federal Republic [MFR]
Mrs. Maryam Uwais is currently the Managing Partner of the Law Firm of Wali‐Uwais & Co. Prior to her current engagement at Wali-Uwais & Co., she worked at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) from where retired from public service. A former prosecutor with the Kano State Ministry of Justice, Mrs. Uwais was also a member of the Nigerian Law Reform Commission. Amongst her numerous outstanding contributions, to the Nigerian nation and society, were membership on the Boards of several organisations and civil society groups, notably: the National Human Rights Commission (where she was a Special Rapporteur on Child Rights); LEAP Africa; Youth Business Initiative; Women in Successful Careers (WISCAR); the National Consultative Committee on Justice Sector Reform; the Working Group on Fiscal Responsibility Law; the Justice Research Institute; Coalition Against Tobacco; Nigerian Investment Climate Advisory Council; Technical Committees of the Constitutional Reform Dialogue Mechanism and the Gender and Affirmative Action Coalition; and the African Union Committee on the Rights and Welfare of the Child.
Mrs. Uwais was also a founding member of the Nigerian Chapter of Musawah, a Global Movement for Equality and Justice in the Muslim Family. Moreover, Mrs. Uwais, through consultancy work, has lent her technical expertise of various issues and projects on children & women’s rights, entrepreneurship, education and justice sector reform. She has consulted for Open Society Initiative for West Africa [OSIWA], the United Nations Children Education Fund [UNICEF], the World Bank, and UK’s Department of Foreign Investment and Development [DFID]. Some of her writings included several papers and articles on rights (economic, social and cultural), child justice administration, children and women’s rights (especially on the misapplication of Sharia law in Northern Nigeria), and interfaith dialogue.
Senator Udoma Udo Udoma: Commander of the Order of the Niger [CON]
Currently the Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission [SEC] and the Vice Chairman of Linkage Assurance Plc, Senator Udoma is also Director of Unilever Nigeria Plc. In addition to his varying stellar performance in the business sector, Senator Udoma had a distinctive political service as a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, from 1999 to 2007, where he was a Senate Chief Whip and Leader of the South-South Caucus of the Senate (2004 and 2007). Senator Udoma was a former Partner at David Garrick and Company (1981-1983), having also previously worked as an Associate in Chris Ogunbanjo and Company (1980- 1981). His passion for the development of Nigeria’s future leaders was evidenced by his tenure as a lecturer at the University of Lagos. Senator Udoma holds the M.A. Degree in Law from Oxon as well as B.A and B.L Degrees in Law.
Jim Ovia: Commander of the Order of the Niger [CON]
A co-Founder of Zenith Bank Plc., Nigeria, Mr. Ovia served as Zenith Bank’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) from 1990 – 2010. Under his leadership, Zenith Bank Plc. expanded to include Zenith Insurance, Zenith Bank Securities, Zenith Pension Custodian, and more. Taking Zenith Bank Plc. public on the Nigerian Stock Exchange, in July 2004, Mr. Ovia was responsible for the Bank’s growth and success which resulted in a credit rating of AA – from Fitch Ratings. In 2007, Mr. Ovia embarked on another significant entrepreneurial success: he established Visafone, a Nigerian mobile and fixed telecommunications company. Mr. Ovia has a passion for and dedication to issues of tertiary education in Nigeria. Drawing on his impressive professional and pedagogical experiences, he is a member of several Boards of learning institutions: the Governing Council at Lagos State University and the Board of Trustees of Redeemer’s University. Additionally, he was formerly on the Board of American International School Lagos. With a major in Business Administration, Mr. Ovia earned a Bachelor of Science from Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and an MBA (Banking and Finance) from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in 1979. He is an alumnus of the Harvard Business School’s Executive Management Program.
