Nigeria: FG Plans to Honour Top 100 Business 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 on highly performing business concerns presidential honour that will further encourage and ginger them to contribute to the economy in more significant ways.

To actualise this, the minister of trade and investment, Dr 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 at the weekend 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.

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 identity, 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."

Other members of the committee are director-general, Industrial Training Fund, Mrs Juliet Onaeko; managing director, Bank of Industries, Mr Rasheed Olaoluwa; executive secretary, Sugar Council, Dr Lateef Busari; chief executive officer (CEO), Nigerian Stock Exchange, Mr Oscar Onyema; executive chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service, Mr Kabir Mashi; managing director, Nigerian Export Processing Zones Authority, Mr Gbenga Kuye; executive secretary, Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission, Mrs Salatu Umar; chief executive officer, Nigerian Export Promotion Council, Mr Olusegun Awolowo; CEO, Jake Riley Limited, Mrs Funmi Ogbue; a director from the MITI, Bambo Kunle-Salami, and representatives of the minister.

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