Nelson Mandela Posthumous 100th Birthday

This month sees the world remembering and honouring yet again a notable and inspiring historical figure - Rolihlahla Nelson Mandela whose posthumous 100th birthday is on July 18. Beginning from Wednesday July 11, we share some of our past articles and covers on this iconic personality with you. Visit our Facebook Page. Enjoy

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This month on TIMELESS...

Africa’s Growing Art Scene Turns To Private Funding
Across the continent, from Morocco to South Africa, philanthropists are pouring money into developing a cultural ecosystem, opening museums and sponsoring residencies, art fairs or symposia, and sketching out plans to reinvigorate dilapidated state-owned galleries. Read more...https://timelessmagazines.news/


The Nigerian Rice Conversation And The Nexus With Food Security
Nigeria depending on the data being presented and the one you believe consumes between 5.5 -7.0million metric tons of rice per annum. About 3.9 million tons of that is produced locally meaning we technically have a gap of 3 million tons, which can only be met by legitimate imports or smuggling. Read more...


High Heels With Lilian
In this month's High Heels With Lilian, Lilian Imoni speaks with Patricia Omoqui...Life Transformation Coach, Internationally Recognised Speaker And Writer. Read more...


Interview with Dr Tokunbo Alli of AXA Mansard Health Insurance
Malaria continues to constitute the biggest killer disease across Africa especially of children below 5. The World Malaria Day happened recently and the Group Head, Medical Services of AXA Mansard has something to share with Nigerians. Read more...


Obasanjo Delivers Public Lecture at the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford
Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, two-time Head of State and Chairman of the Africa Initiative for Governance (AIG) Panel of Advisors, recently delivered a Public Lecture titled ‘Leadership in the African Context – How to Drive Transformational Change in African Countries’ at the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford. The Lecture was made possible by a partnership between Africa Initiative for Governance (AIG) and the Blavatnik School of Government, based on the shared purpose of building good governance and public leadership in Africa. Read more...

And in our Living & Style section
We serve you a Digitally Simple Chocolate Cake by Cakeflair and Thai Chicken And Vegetable Spicy Stir Fry by Grubsmagazine. Read more...


This Premier League Player’s Position? Left Out
For much of the last 18 years, he has barely played at all: just 95 times in total; only 10 games since 2009 and not at all since 2015. This has earned him a reputation as that of a man who “loves going round clubs, earning money for doing nothing.” Read more...


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World Happiness Day: Nigerians' Social Interactions Remained High Amidst Poor Economic Situation

The United Nations (UN) World Happiness Day is observed on the 20th of March annually. The day aims to recognize the relevance of happiness and well-being as universal goals in the lives of people around the world and the importance of their recognition in public policy objectives. The main theme for 2018 is “Share Happiness – focusing on the importance of relationships, kindness and helping each other”. The day also recognizes the need for a more inclusive, equitable and balanced approach to economic growth that promotes sustainable development, poverty eradication, happiness and the well-being of all people.

In commemoration of the 2018 World Happiness Day, NOIPolls released its findings from its past poll on Personal Well-Being conducted in Q4 2017, which highlighted the satisfaction of Nigerians with respect to various aspects of lives. Though the Economic, Standard of Living and Achievement in Life indices were the lowest ranked indicators, the Social Interaction Index which is a vital aspect of happiness was ranked highly and experienced an increase of 1.9-point from Q3, 2017 to stand at 79.4-points in Q4, 2017. This corroborates a report released by a United Kingdom based charity Age UK in 2017, which revealed that staying social is one of the key ways of staying happy. Social activities such as going to the cinema, joining a sports club, or getting involved in a volunteer group are some of the most effective ways of boosting feelings of happiness and well-being, as well as overall health.

In line with the Day, the World Happiness Report released by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network for the United Nations on March 14th 2018, ranked Nigeria the 91st happiest nation in the world and 5th in Africa. As revealed by the report, Nigerians seem to be happier now, as the country moved up from her previous position of 95th at the global level and 6th in African in 2017. 

Nigeria’s position in the World Happiness Report has shown that despite the economic and security challenges being faced in the country, her citizens strive to remain happy. This substantiates the Q4, 2017 Personal Well-Being Index, which revealed a high ranking in social interaction (79.4-points) and health (76.4-points) indices despite the low ranking of the Economic, Standard of Living and Achievement in Life indices.

The above goes to show that Nigerians can achieve even greater feats if key government policies tackling mental health, happiness and permanently putting to an end the security and economic crisis in the country are formulated and strongly implemented.

YOUREAD INITIATIVE OF GTBANK SUPPORTS ATTEMPT BY NIGERIAN TO BREAK A GUINNESS WORLD RECORD

YouREAD Initiative, a CSR initiative of GTBank launched last year to rekindle interest in reading, has given its support to a 40-year old Nigerian, Olubayode Treasures Olawunmi, who is attempting to break the Guinness World Record for the Longest Marathon Read Aloud.

The current record holder, Deepak Sharma Bajaan attained the feat in 2008 after he read a total of 17 books in 113 hours and 15 minutes. Now, Treasure Olawunmi is taking a shot at breaking the world record by reading over 15 Nigerian published books in 120 hours over a period of 6 days at the Herbert Macaulay Library, Yaba recently refurbished by the bank.

Treasures Olawunmi started the challenge on Monday 26^th February, 2018 at exactly 1:30pm Nigerian time. So far, he has read nine books including Toni Kan’s The Carnivorous City, Sarah Ladipo Manyika’s Independence, Leye Adenle’s Easy Motion Tourist, Elnathan John’s Born on a Tuesday amongst many others.

Today, 1^st March, has been set aside by UNESCO as the World Book Day and it is the 3^rd day of his marathon attempt, he has done over 72 hours of reading. YouREAD Initiative celebrated the day with him, students from various schools in the environs and over 250 readers who filled the library to capacity.

Murtala Muhammed: 42 Years Later, and A Call for National RebirthGen

General Murtala Muhammed

13th February 2018 (last week Tuesday) marked the 42^nd anniversary of the death of General Murtala Ramat Muhammed, Nigeria’s then Head of State and Commander-in-Chief, through an assassination in an attempted coup in Lagos, Nigeria’s then federal capital city. He was just 37, leaving behind his only wife, Ajoke, and six young children. A fine gentleman and revolutionary leader, General Muhammed stood for patriotism, positive nationalism, pan-Africanism, and strategic foreign policy.

In a statement released by the foundation founded in his honour, his daughter Aisha Muhammed-Oyebode, CEO and trustee of the Murtala Muhammed Foundation noted that 42 years later, the time remains ripe as ever to examine and extrapolate the ideas and ideals of the late General in the context of the existential challenges, which our country Nigeria currently faces.

“During his time as Head of State, Nigeria became relevant in Africa and the world. General Muhammed was not only ideologically driven, he was methodical as he employed the power of plans and think tanks. He named Abuja as the new Federal Capital Territory, citing the geographical centrality of Abuja as a uniting factor. He also re-federalised Nigeria with the creation of seven states, including Bauchi, Benue, Borno, Imo, Niger, Ogun and Ondo. He re-organised the Nigerian armed forces and initiated a comprehensive review of the Third National Development Plan, all within his one year at the helm of the affairs.” She noted

On October 1^st 1975, General Muhammed announced the five-stage program of transition to civilian rule, from 1975 to 1979. This comprised the creation of new states and the reorganisation of the local government system, the setting up of a Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC), followed by a Constituent Assembly (CA) to deliberate on the draft constitution, lifting of the ban on politics, elections into state and federal legislatures, and the handing over of power to civilians on October 1, 1979. Muhammed recognised that structural reforms were required with the demilitarization process, to create a viable political system that will be stable and responsive to the needs and realities of the country. However, this transition to civil rule program had barely started when he was assassinated.

“Today, our country Nigeria is still facing problems that General Muhammed sought to eradicate 42 years ago; corruption, poverty, civil unrest and a shaky foreign policy architecture. At the global level, Nigeria can and should leverage on the legacy of General Muhammed, for Africa to once again find its dominant space in world affairs. His Afro-centric foreign policy strategy not only placed Nigeria above its African counterparts, it effectively crashed the pillars of injustice and apartheid in Southern Africa. The ‘neutral’ stance of Nigeria during the cold war era as against the politically correct ‘non-aligned’ movement of the time made Nigeria stand out from the pack. That there is no more cold war should not diminish the voice of Africa’s most populous country,” the statement noted.

Gen Muhammed with Prof Bolaji Akinyemi

It is important at a time like this when our continent is being derided to recall General Muhammed’s speech to the AU leadership on the 11th of January 1976, delivered with so much pride and expectation: “Africa has come of age. It’s no longer under the orbit of any extra continental power. It should no longer take orders from any country, however powerful. The fortunes of Africa are in our hands to make or mar. For too long have we been kicked around; for too long have we been treated like adolescents who cannot discern their interests and act accordingly.”

The foundation further noted that sound and strategic foreign policy can be the bedrock of national development as it was in the days of General Muhammed. Global politics it said is an extension of domestic policies and Nigeria needs restructuring of minds, of attitude, of economic thinking and of course, of governmental structures.

“Above all, if we can begin to train the minds of the young and the old at domesticating pan-African ideologies of self-reliance and self-sufficiency, we will overcome our developmental challenges. An opportunity for our national rebirth is here, if only we can replicate some of the values and virtues of our heroes past, as demonstrated by the Late Murtala General Muhammed (1938-1976). Reflecting on General Muhammed’s short-lived innovative leadership and legacy, we believe time is now for a re-interrogation and re-calibration of new forms of thought towards national rebirth.”

Aisha Muhammed-Oyebode announced that the Foundation is expanding its co-funded educational scholarship and financial aid fund to N50,000,000 a year and the launch of its quarterly conversations in partnership with the Daily Times of Nigeria with a focus on governance, and leadership in crisis leading up to the 2019 elections and beyond.

Heritage Adoption Support And Advocacy Group Holds Conference On Adoption

The Heritage Adoption Support And Advocacy Group held its first conference recently with the theme, “The Power of Adoption”. Special Guest of Honour at the event was Her Excellency, Mrs. Dolapo Osinbajo, wife of the Vice President of the Federal Republic Of Nigeria.

Speaking at the event, the wife of the Vice-President, Mrs. Dolapo Osinbajo urged Nigerians to adopt saying, “We must choose to fight the negativity that is around adoption and raise our voice to speak out against the stigma, uncertainty and fear attached to adoption.

According to the Managing Trustee and project coordinator of the group, Eme Akenzua, “The aim of this conference is to change the negative perception associated with adoption and thereby make it more acceptable to childless couples and any responsible and God-fearing adult that has the heart and resource to adopt. By so doing, we would achieve our aim of getting all abandoned and needy children into responsible, God-fearing homes.”

The Heritage Adoption Support And Advocacy Group is an offshoot of The Heritage Homes orphanage founded in 2006 by Pastor Ituah Ighodalo. The vision of the group is simply to change the negative perception of adoption in the society and render support to prospective adopters, adoptive parents and adoptees and advocates for better adoption laws.

Speaking at the event, Pastor Ituah Ighodalo said “Adoption would depopulate our streets of children who can easily fall prey to all kinds of vices and become criminals and ultimately a threat to the society. Adoption transforms the lives of both childless couples and adopted children. Through adoption, loving and caring parents are able to fulfill a lifelong desire of having their own child. The culture of shame and stigma associated with adoption in our society must stop.”

He said adoption can be embraced by people who have biological children, but they should have the heart and resources to take another child off the street. He appealed to all government authorities to make it easier for people to adopt children without compromising on the stringent checks and balances to prevent trafficking. He called for the co-operation of religious organisations, government and non-governmental organisations (NGO), corporate entities, the press and all Nigerians to take it as a collective responsibility to promote adoption.

The aims of the conference were to dispel the negative impression of stigma and shame associated with adoption in the society, garner support for the adoption cause, enlighten the general public on the subject of adoption and to let prospective adopters, adoptive parents, adoptees and the entire adoption community know there is a support and advocacy group they can be a part of.

The conference highlighted the issue of infertility in the Nigerian society, which affects about 25% of married couples in the country. The conference noted that while some infertile couples will respond to different types of fertility treatments, some sadly will not and fortunately for such couples, adoption offers an opportunity to have a family. Unfortunately though, because of the stigma and shame associated with adoption, this is usually shrouded in much secrecy. It is this stigma and shame that the group seeks to dispel by enlightening people appropriately on the subject of adoption.

TIMELESS Magazine Offers Mouth-Watering Advert Rates Cut For The 'Ember' Months

Google Trains One Million African Youths In Digital Skills In 11 Months

Reporting by Ayodeji Jeremiah

Juliet Ehimuan Chiazor, Google Country Manager Nigeria and Vanessa Morris

Mayowa Oshindero, Segun Aboderin, Vanessa Mbaramah, Tele Aina and Vanessa Morris

Bunmi Banjo, Head of Google Africa and Mrs. Moni Udoh,
Director of ICT. Ministry of Communication

Titi Akinsanmi, Policy and Govt Relations Mgr Google and
Taiwo Kola Ogunlade, Communication Mgr. West Africa, Google

On April 12, 2016, Google Nigeria announced an initiative that will provide free digital skills training for one million youths (between ages 18 and 35) within a one year period. The programme was designed to address the issue of unemployment especially amongst young people and provide opportunities for them to succeed in today's digital economy.

Google convened a media briefing in Lagos recently to announce that it had achieved the one million milestone albeit in 10 months. At the event witnessed by partners, the media, participants and Google executives, Google Country Manager for Nigeria, Juliet Ehimuan-Chiazor in her welcome address said young people accounted for 60% of unemployed people on the continent; "it's very important to empower young people with the right digital skills for them to create opportunities for themselves and take advantage of the digital economy.”

Titi Akinsanmi, Google Government and Policy Relations Manager moderated the panel discussion that included Mrs. Moni Udoh (representative of the Ministry of Communications), Mr. Smart Akande (from the office of the Special Assistant on the SDGs to the Vice-President) and Mr. Tayo Olosunde (from Mind The Gap, one of the major training partners on the initiative).

Feedback from participants centered mainly on the realisation that most now knew what they wanted to do career wise; they could now be more productive online and they can use the present resources they have more efficiently.

One of the main goals of the MDGs (now replaced by the SDGs) is addressing poverty within the population. With the average age of an African being 19.5 years, the bulk of those that will be affected by poverty will be the youths. With this realisation and the fact that these young people still have their future ahead of them, empowering and educating these sub set of the population (which the Goodle Digital Skills Training provides) is crucial in addressing economic and political challenges on the continent. Bunmi Banjo, Google Brand Lead for Sub-Saharan Africa said “Having one million digitally skilled young people in Africa is good for everyone. If young people have the right skills, they will build businesses, create jobs and boost economic growth across the continent.”

Google is extending its committment by providing offline kits that don't need data to access the training, roll out the training using indigeneous languages, and go outside of their area of operations to reach local communities they ordinarily won't reach.                 

14th Timeless Magazine Anniversary Advertising Offer

For our 14th anniversary next month, we are offering 50% off our usual advert rates in the April edition. In addition to the 50% discount, YOU GET A FREE ADVERT of the same size in the May edition for every advert placed. Essentially, you are getting two adverts at 75% off.

With the 50% Discount, you get:
Full page 12 by 10 inch for N75,000;
Half page (6 by 10 inch horizontal or 12 by 5 inch vertical) N45,000; 
Quarter page 5 by 6 inch N25,000 and
Strip size 11 by 3 inches N20,000.

All adverts have to be booked and confirmed by 20th of March. We look forward to receiving your placements. Pleae call or SMS 08026861642 or email timelesscourage@yahoo.co.uk..

BELLAFRICANA ANNUAL CREATIVE EXHIBITION (ACE) AND AWARDS

“Celebrating Creativity and Innovation”

The management of Bellafricana has announced the first edition of the Bellafricana Annual Creative Exhibition and Awards coming up on the 17th of April, 2017. Termed the Bellafricana ACE Awards, the event is endorsed by the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), the Nigerian-British Chamber of Commerce (NBCC) and the Nigeria Britain Association and will take place at D-Venue, Water Corporation Drive, Off Ligali Ayorinde, Oniru, Lagos, Nigeria.

The event is for enterprising Nigerian MSMEs seeking wider access to both internal markets and international markets and investors seeking joint-venture partners. With the theme “Celebrating Creativity and Innovation”, the organisers believe the time has come to come together to recognise and encourage hardworking and highly skilled men and women who are making a significant impact through their various industries/sectors.

The event will be a three phase event with two of the phases running simultaneously while the third phase will be held as the peak of the event. The phases are the Exhibition, the Conference and the Awards Dinner. While the Exhibition and the Conference will be held simultaneously, the Awards will be held as a dinner to close the event.

The watch word at Bellafricana is quality, to this effect; the organisers have assured of the availability of top quality creative Afrocentric businesses for the exhibitition. Participants and visitors will be able to access a wide variety of discounted quality made in Nigeria products under one roof in five focus categories namely Arts & Crafts, Fashion, Health & Beauty, Home & Living and Food Produce & Snacks.

The conference will feature enlightening and engaging talks from renowned business men and women who have garnered experience in their fields with conference topics such as

• Marketing Your Creative Business Globally
• How to Monetize your Creative Idea
• Branding For Local And International Market
• Taking Your Non-Oil Export Global (Export)
• Financial Management For Creative Businesses
• Growing A Sustainable Creative Business
• How to Receive Payment Globally

The Awards opens for nominations in various categories. Participants are offered a unique opportunity to showcase their talents and to have their work judged by consumers and experts. Awards categories include:

1) Best Indigenous Textile Designer

2) Best Emerging Beauty Brand

3) Best Emerging Fashion Brand

4) Best Creative Solution (ICT)

5) Best Supportive Made-in-Nigeria Celebrity of the Year

6) Best Eco-friendly Product Innovation

7) Best Innovative Product of the Year

8) Best Pioneer Craftsman/Woman of the Year (Over 10 years)

9) Best Food Produce Innovation

10) Best Creative Kidpreneur

11) Best Creative Social Enterprise of the Year

Bellafricana is an initiative with a focus on Made-in-Nigeria (non-oil) products where customers and suppliers engage and transact to bridge the buyer-seller gap and create a wider outreach for Nigerian products locally and globally. Bellafricana has enabled creative businesses a platform to receive the recognition they have long deserved. They aim to laud the creative works of Nigerians, which makes open competition affordable and accessible. Bellafricana is always finding ways to help both budding and established creatives to harness the resources available to build their businesses.

Bellafricana founder, Bukky Asehinde

The event is an important annual occurrence aimed at attracting an audience that includes Captains of Industry, Investors, Upwardly Mobile Youths, Marketers, Trade Delegations & Missions, Procurement Officers, Brand and Business Managers, Art Lovers, Government Representatives and Key Decision Makers.

For partnership and sponsorship details, please contact the organisers: Call: +2348086363970 or +2348184457403 orEmail: info@bellafricana.com, community@bellafricana.com

ART X LAGOS 2016

The maiden edition of ART X Lagos took place between the 4th and 6th of November at the Civic Centre in Victoria Island, Lagos. The three day art fair was designed by TP-Collective to widen Nigeria’s connection to the contemporary art scene across Africa and internationally. ART X Lagos was created to provide the best insight into what the visual art sector in Africa has to offer to a wider local and international audience, and encourage African and international patrons to visit Lagos.

ART X Lagos had a record breaking 5,000 visitors spread over the three days, who got to see the best art works by over 65 African artists such as South Africa's William Kentridge, Zimbabwe's Kudzanai Chiurai, Ghana's Jeremiah Quarshie, Cameroon's Barthelemy Togou, Mali's AmadouSanogo and Nigeria's Sokari Douglas Camp, Rubi Onyiye ChiAmanze, Ade Adekola, Rom Isichiei, Alimi Adewale, George Osodi, Victor Ehikamenor and Lakin Ogunbanwo to name a few.

ART X Lagos was a unique fusion of art, lifestyle and culture. The VIP Opening Preview on the first day witnessed a large turnout of art collectors, artists, gallery owners, film and music celebrities, members of the diplomatic corps, captains of industry, media gurus and A-listers on the social scene. They got to experience first-hand the various works on display. The winner of the ART X Prize was also announced at the Opening Preview, after a rigorous and diligent process that began in September 2016.

Day two and three of the art fair also witnessed a large turnout of guests who, besides viewing the works on display, were part of ART X Talks- an integral component of the fair’s special programmes. The talks provided a dynamic and vibrant discursive platform to highlight some of the topical issues concerning contemporary art and its evolving infrastructures across the continent. Composed of panel discussions, presentations and conversations, the distinguished list of guest speakers included artists, collectors, curators, gallerists, writers and entrepreneurs, who all engaged in the possibilities of art as a vehicle through which our contemporary experience can be articulated and understood.

Speakers included Nigerian collector, Omooba Yemisi Shyllon, who owns over 6,000 art works, Chief Curator and Director of the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa, Cape Town, Mark Coetzee, and Curator at the Tate Modern, London, and Zoe Whitley. Other speakers on the various panels were the renowned artists Professors El Anatsui and Bruce Onabrakpeya, the art patrons Ngozi Edozien and Femi Lijadu, and the cultural entrepreneurs Mo Abudu, Reni Folawiyo and Bolanle Austin-Peters, who brought a wealth of knowledge and experience to the panel discussions.

One program that had guests at the exhibition really excited was ART X Live! which had two components. ART X Live: The Studio curated by A Whitespace Creative Agency, where a collective of emerging artists drew and painted live at the venue! These artists included: Uthman Wahaab, Wura-Natasha Ogunji, Yadichinma Ukoha-Kalu, Osi Itegboje, Stacey Okparavero, Olatunde Alara, Kadara Enyeasi and Karo Akpokiere.

There was also ART X Live: Intersections, a live art and sound performance installation that fused emerging visual artists and four of the fastest rising music artistes, produced by Ikon. Intersections was co-curated by Fatherland Media and A Whitespace Creative Agency, and featured stars such as Vector, Simi, Falana and Poe performing alongside visual artists Yadichinma, Stacey Ravvero, Tunde Alara and Dricky.

Speaking at the closing, Tokini Peterside, ART X Lagos Founder, and Managing Director of TP-Collective, said: ‘The response to ART X Lagos has been simply phenomenal. Over three days we have watched visitors from various parts of Nigeria, Africa and the international community, engage with the best contemporary art from around our continent. These visitors were excited by the talent on display, and their reactions to the work and our interactive projects, have solidified our commitment to the mission and ambition of ART X Lagos. We are so motivated by the turn out that we have already begun the journey towards ART X Lagos 2017. We thank our sponsors and our Media Partners and Lifestyle Partners, as well as the galleries and artists, without whom this would have been impossible. We look forward to seeing you next year, as we set out to further reinforce the city of Lagos’ position as a cultural capital in Africa!

2016 AR-CSR (Africa CEO Roundtable & Conference on Corporate Sustainability & Responsibility) To Hold In Lagos

www.ar-csr.com

The Board of Trustees and Strategic Partners of ThistlePraxis Consulting and the Foundation for Sustainability and Responsibility in Africa (FSRA) have announced the sixth edition of the Africa CEO Roundtable & Conference on Corporate Sustainability & Responsibility (AR-CSR).

The AR-CSR provides a platform that brings business leaders, Governments, experts and practitioners together to engage on issues of sustainability, social responsibility & sustainable development in Africa. Scheduled to hold on Friday November 11, 2016 at the Best Western Island Hotel, Lagos, Nigeria, the foremost industry flagship event continues to attract the crème of Africa’s leading figures and decision makers in order to commence and sustain best practices on sustainable development in Africa.

This year’s edition of the AR-CSR will discuss the need for global leadership to drive inclusive growth and businesses; the existing and successful startup and ecosystem models for inclusive businesses; multiplying and scaling impact through investments as well as fostering SME growth through inclusive business.

At the last Africa CEO Round-table Conference on Corporate Sustainability and Responsibility (AR-CSR), which marked the 5^th edition, the conference was restructured as a flagship of the Foundation for Sustainability and Responsibility in Africa (FSRA), an independent organization for the promotion of the advancement of sustainability. 2016 AR-CSR will kick start a series of regional fora across the continent. FSRA consists of a network of organisations and professionals driven by a common passion and commitment to not only mainstream sustainability across the continent but ensure that Africa emerges as a best practice reference on related issues.

ThistlePraxis Consulting Limited is the preferred Management Consultancy firm in advising corporations, government agencies, and multilateral and non-governmental organizations on the integration of international principles of social responsibility and sustainability to be operational and profitable in the long term. The company in a summarized focus through a six-point portfolio advocates standards, responsibility and sustainability as key elements for ensuring profitability and tangible impact. For more information about the event visit www.ar-csr.com

TIMELESS Special Season Offer

Trinity House To Hold 2016 Honour Nigeria Awards To Commemorate Nigeria’s 56th Independence

As part of its activities to commemorate Nigeria’s independence anniversary celebrations, Trinity House will be holding the sixth in the series of its annual Honour Nigeria Awards ceremony on Sunday October 2, 2016 at the church’s main auditorium, Zion Centre, situated on Trinity Avenue, through Water Corporation Road, off Ligali Ayorinde Street, Victoria Island, Lagos. The event will hold by 9.30 am.

The Honour Nigeria Awards ceremony inaugurated in 2011 is a day set aside to honour outstanding Nigerians of high integrity who have exemplified themselves in different areas of life. The objective of the awards ceremony is to recognise those who have contributed to Nigeria’s national development and acknowledge them as role models for present and future generations. The awards are in the areas of Leadership, Professionalism, Industry, Philanthropy, Female Leadership and Role Model and the Africa Prize.

Honourees in past years have included Chief Olu Akinkugbe, Chief Arthur Mbanefo, Chief (Mrs) Leila Fowler, Late Pastor Joshua Adah, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, Chief Mrs Opral Benson, Chief Chris Ogunbanjo, Mr. Akintola Williams, late Chief Mrs HID Awolowo, Gen T.Y. Danjuma, Pa Laban Namme, Prof Grace Alele Williams, Mr. Otto Orondaam, Dr. Christopher Kolade, Chief Mrs Priscilla Kuye, Otunba Subomi Balogun and late Dr. Ameyo Stella Adadedov amongst others.

The event is the church’s own way of contributing to the development of the Nigerian nation. According to the Senior Pastor of the church, Ituah Ighodalo, “Nigeria has as her citizens, some of the most outstanding people that the world has ever seen. We must begin to celebrate all these people and begin to celebrate the good about Nigeria and as we begin to speak great things about this country; we must raise up bright and new role models. As we honour Nigeria and outstanding Nigerians, thanking God in spite of all that has happened, Nigeria will begin to be outstanding. Nigeria is still looked upon as the giant of Africa and one with the greatest potentials on the continent; in spite of everything, Nigeria is still a dominant force along the West Coast, has the largest economy in Africa and amongst the top 20 in the world. Nigerians must join hands together, and work hard to ensure that in the next 10, 30 and 50 years, Nigeria becomes truly outstanding and makes its mark amongst the committee of nations. We must begin to look right now for the right kind of leadership; we must begin to look into the right kind of processes that will take us to where we are going; we must begin to make use of our natural resources and use them optimally; we must begin to encourage again the spirit of labour, hard work, and honesty. We must begin to look at the things we can do to take Nigeria forward and say no more to all the elements of backwardness that has held this nation back. We must begin to honour our own, say good things about Nigeria and as we do that, God in His infinite wisdom and mercy will begin to move the right people into the right places. That is why we are honouring Nigeria.”

Nominations have opened for this year’s awards in the following categories: Professionalism Award Nomination which is to recognise an outstanding Nigerian who has excelled in their chosen profession e.g. Law, Accountancy, Engineering, Medicine, Journalism etc. Industry Award Nomination to recognise an outstanding Nigerian who has excelled in building an enterprise, creating employment for Nigerians while adding value to the Nigerian economy. Leadership Award Nomination to recognise an outstanding Nigerian leader whose leadership has been transformative and who has mobilised and unified people, institutions, or causes that improved people's lives. Female Role Model Nomination to recognise an outstanding female who has distinguished herself in her life endeavours, thereby acting as an inspiration to women to achieve their full potential. Philanthropy Award Nomination to recognise an extraordinary individual of integrity who has made innovative personal financial contributions to social development and who has demonstrated initiative and leadership in building philanthropy in Nigeria and the Contribution to Society Award Nomination which is to recognise an individual who has contributed in some form to the Nigerian society, against all odds.

Completed nomination forms are available at Plot 318, Akin Ogunlewe Street, Victoria Island, Lagos, or 2 Fawole Lane, Off Ikorodu Road, Obanikoro, Lagos. Nominations can also be sent via email to timelesscourage@yahoo.co.uk or info@trinityhouseng.org. Nomination form can also be filled online at www.trinityhouseng.org   

Trinity House Celebrates Sixth Anniversary…To Hold Youth Entrepreneurship Seminar

Trinity House will be celebrating its sixth anniversary on Sunday July 24, 2016 at the church’s main auditorium, Zion Centre, situated on Trinity Avenue, through Water Corporation Road, off Ligali Ayorinde Street, Victoria Island, Lagos. The event will hold by 9.00 am.

Inaugurated on Sunday July 18, 2010 at the Civic Centre in Victoria Island, Lagos in a ceremony witnessed by church leaders and large cross section of the Nigerian society, the church is a non-denominational, free flow Christian worship centre powered by leaders, professionals and leaders to be with the vision to build a people of change, influence and impact.

The church, which obtains its motto from the book of Acts chapter 10, verse 38, “Everywhere he went he was doing good,” intends to be a voice to leadership across all spheres of society and challenge leaders to do the right things in the right way that will bring about a positive change. Speaking at a media conference held on Monday July 18 to herald in the series of events for the anniversary, the Senior Pastor of the church, Pastor Ituah Ighodalo said, "We intend to ‘take the church out of church’ to meet the people and their needs."

The sixth anniversary celebrations began on Saturday July 16 with a six-hour praise program organised by the women’s group of the church, The Timeless Woman. It featured artistes such as Tope Alabi, Efe Nathan, Big Bolaji, Onos, The Trinity Voices amongst others. This will be followed by an anniversary praise night on Wednesday July 20 by 6pm. On Thursday July 21, the church will be hosting youths to an entrepreneurship summit. The event, tagged ‘Today’s Youths, Tomorrow’s Leaders’, is being organised by the church’s leadership training school, the Trinity Leadership School (TLS). Pastor Bayo Rotimi, the minister in charge of the TLS said this is another of the church’s own way of contributing to the development of the Nigerian nation through the capacity development of her youths. The event will feature speakers such as Leke Alder, Tara Fela-Durotoye, Peter Bamkole, Kate Henshaw, Fisayo Okunsayo and Funke Soyibo.

The Trinity Leadership School is one of several initiatives of the church set up to achieve its vision of bringing the impact of Christianity beyond Christians and the immediate Church into the larger society. With its 14 NGOs and various welfare programs, Trinity House is a church that goes beyond the walls of church to reach society to change lives and transform nations. Pastor Ighodalo noted that the Church must become actively involved in nation building, governance and politics. “Nigerian youths need to be mentored to start taking up their rightful leadership positions. The military incursion into Nigeria robbed us of that natural process of succession but now sixteen years after democracy has taken roots, it is time to start thinking of the future and the government cannot do that. Individuals, organisations, churches must step into that role”. He commended the Buhari administration for its anti-corruption drive noting that the rot and decay in the system is quite deep and will take time to heal. He however also enjoined the government to come up with a clearer vision of where the Nigerian nation is headed both economically and politically.  

AgriHub Plans to Take Made-in-Nigeria Food Global

In a bid to combat the recent economic turmoil and increasing dollar crunch, AgriHub has taken it upon itself to organize a workshop aimed at encouraging production of local food products that would easily replace the international brands on the shelves of retail stores and supermarkets in Nigeria.

The workshop is geared towards sensitizing the populace in patronizing “Made in Nigeria” products since it will be impossible to compel consumers to purchase substandard products in the name of patriotism. The workshop will also comprehensively educate Nigerian producers on how to improve Made-in-Nigeria products while ensuring they are competitive in terms of packaging, branding and quality.

While speaking on the AgriHub workshop, the facilitator, Aderinoye Aderonke, bore her mind on the challenges besetting entrepreneurs in the country: “The challenge with most entrepreneurs is they believe the capital outlay required in packaging their products to international standards is high. Another belief that seem to possess prominence is that one needs to travel and meet with foreigners to come up with designs and packaging solutions that would meet international standards. Meanwhile, a lot of these solutions can be sourced locally and are affordable.

The AgriHub workshop for May 2016, with the theme “Simple steps to take Made in Nigeria food” is a multisector workshop that will provide actionable solutions to food processing, packaging, marketing and distribution.  It will present solutions that are locally available and simple tips on how to market and reach a wide audience without breaking the bank.

It is also aimed at providing a learning and networking avenue for small and medium agribusiness owners and stakeholders to determine challenges and help improve current systems and procedures in doing business.

Experts in the field of branding, processing, packaging and marketing with experience spanning FMCGs and multinational organizations will facilitate sessions and provide insights on improved technologies and local available solutions affordable to small and medium agro processors to make their products compete globally. As part of the take-home benefits of the workshop, participants will be able to: address challenges in the food processing, identify affordable world class packaging solutions, identify new and traditional food marketing channels; determine business opportunities to export, determine business opportunities to import, understand the increasing shift from consumption of unpackaged, unbranded food to stronger demand for packaged and processed food, get onsite support and discount on photography, packaging and marketing solutions for your business, learn basic social media and IT hacks that can be used in promoting one’s business to a wider audience.

The workshop, which takes place on the 11th of May, 2015 at Quad T events Centre, Gbagada opposite UPS by 9am, is open to individuals who seek financial freedom through agro-business as well as small and medium agro-processors seeking to learn how to make their products global competitive using locally available solutions.

To register for the event visit www.agrihub.org