Unilever seasoning brand, Knorr in partnership with LG Electronics, Chevrolet and Shoprite capped off the 5th Season of Knorr Taste Quest – a reality TV cooking show with Gbolabo Adebakin emerging the winner amongst the five finalists that competed for the ultimate mouth-watering prize.

Gbolabo’s terrific cooking skills earned him a ₦5million cash prize, brand new Chevrolet car, one-year supply of Knorr, Shoprite vouchers, LG refrigerator, gas cooker and microwave oven, after an explosive finale judged by Celebrity Chefs, Dr. Robert and Chef Fregz, along with Knorr Brand Ambassador, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde.

The first runner up, Busuyi Komolafe got a ₦1.5million cash prize, one-year supply of Knorr and LG gas cooker. Dasola Abaniwonda, the second runner up, received a cheque of ₦750,000, one-year supply of Knorr and LG gas cooker.

Speaking after the announcement, Gbolabo described the finale as the biggest moment in his life, saying, “I want to thank Knorr for the amazing opportunity and great learning experience. The judges have been amazing, and the other contestants were fantastic people to compete against. I can’t thank Knorr enough for this valuable opportunity. Beyond the prizes, the knowledge and experience I have gained in the Knorr Taste Quest kitchen is immeasurable and will enable me make the most out of my passion for cooking.”

The prizes were presented by the Marketing Director, Foods, Unilever Ghana and Nigeria, Nsima Ogedi-Alakwe, and representatives of the Sponsors; Mr. Gaurav Kaul, General Manager Koncept Autocentre and Mr. Hari Elluru, Head of Marketing LG West Africa Operations.

Nsima Ogedi-Alakwe had this to say: “As a brand, Knorr has consistently focused on improving the lives of Nigerians by empowering youth through the Knorr Taste Quest TV Show. We are glad that the fifth edition was a success and we look forward to building on this to support more talents in the future.”

Discussing the importance of the cooking show, the Marketing Manager Savoury, Unilever Ghana and Nigeria, Nnenna Osi-Anugwa, stated that “It is a wonderful day for the winners of Knorr Taste Quest 5. I am quite sure that they have had such a great learning experience over the course of the show. Knorr remains committed to supporting the creativity and culinary prowess of Nigerians and we promise to bring an even more exciting and educative show next year.”

Knorr, Nigeria’s top food seasoning brand, aims at constantly improving lives by helping people create great-tasting dishes always, and through initiatives like the Knorr Taste Quest Competition.

Lifebuoy Nigeria has unveiled sensational Afro-pop artiste, Omawumi Megbele as its brand ambassador during the official re-launch of the health care soap on Thursday, 6 September, 2018 in Lagos.

The event, which took place at the Raddison Blu Hotel, Ikeja, is part of a nationwide campaign aimed at helping 2 million children adopt better hygiene practices and reducing child mortality.

Speaking during the launch event, Brand Manager, Lifebuoy, Lanre Odupe, spoke on the brand’s rationale in selecting the artiste to represent the campaign, saying, “Omawumi is an excellent and passionate professional, a singer who is relatable to parents, guardians and their children. Being a mother herself she fully understands the need to address preventable diseases in Nigeria, and we are extremely delighted to have her on this initiative.”

Omawumi expressed appreciation to the Lifebuoy brand while stressing the importance of good hygiene in maintaining good health.

“Basic hygiene interventions like this can make a huge difference to the current issue of child mortality, and it would in turn help improve the health and wellbeing of children especially those under 5 years,” she said.

Present at the launch event were the Deputy Director, Co-curricular Department, Lagos State Department of Education; Assistant Director, Lagos State Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Mrs. Funmilayo Goodluck; CEO, Wellbeing Foundation Africa, Mrs. Amy Oyekunle; Country Director, Sightsavers, Dr. Sunday Isiyaku, among others.

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Photo captions

Photo 1; L-R: Amy Oyekunle, CEO, Wellbeing Foundation Africa; Osato Evbuomwan, Category Manager Skin Cleansing, UNILEVER Nigeria plc; Omawumi Megbele, Brand Ambassador, Lifebuoy; Soromidayo George, Director, Corporate Affairs, UNILEVER Nigeria plc; Dr. Sunday Isiyaku, Country Director, Sightsavers at the relaunch of lifebuoy anti-bacterial soap in Lagos.

Photo 2; L-R: Mr Ogunlamoye Ayodeji, Deputy Director, Co-curricular Department, Lagos State Ministry of Education;Amy Oyekunle, CEO, Wellbeing Foundation Africa; Lanre Odupe, Brand Manager, Lifebuoy, UNILEVER Nigeria plc; Osato Evbuomwan, Category Manager Skin Cleansing, UNILEVER Nigeria plc; Omawumi Megbele, Brand Ambassador, Lifebuoy; Soromidayo George, Director, Corporate Affairs, UNILEVER Nigeria PLC; at the relaunch of lifebuoy anti-bacterial soap in Lagos.

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The days of brick and mortar banking are fast becoming a thing of the past as Nigeria’s leading financial institution, Access Bank keeps its tradition of breaking new boundaries of innovation with its latest offering, Access WhatsApp Banking.

Designed to provide customers with easy and reliable banking transactions, the WhatsApp banking service allows users to automate most parts of the banking experience, providing customers the ease of remote banking with the efficiency of the best personnel and the intimacy of a customized experience.

“Access Bank continues to keep the pace as a leader in the digital banking revolution in Nigeria with the launch of banking services on WhatsApp – one of the largest social media platforms. This is yet another innovative way to connect customers to the plethora of services and banking options available to them from the comfort of their mobile phones,” said Ade Bajomo, Executive Director, IT & Retail Operations, Access Bank.

“Now Access Bank is bringing banking closer to its growing customers by leveraging on the WhatsApp application. We are excited to see the rate at which the service is being adopted and we can’t wait to see more of our customers enjoy the experience,” he added.

Access WhatsApp Banking is a non-intrusive service which does not require users to download a new application or use extra data to access the options available. It works with the existing WhatsApp application and can be used immediately.

To connect with Access Bank on Access WhatsApp, all customers need to do is: add the mobile number- +234 9090 901 901, as a contact on their phones – ‘Access WhatsApp Banking’ – the same way they would any other number. After saving the number on their phones all they need to do to activate the service is send a “Hi”. It is important to note that customers must use the number registered to their personal accounts with the Bank.

All service requests on Access WhatsApp are treated instantly, and the speed of transaction is dependent only on the internet connection of the user. Services customers can access via the Access WhatsApp Banking platform include BVN display, Balance Enquiry, Request Payday Loan, and Account Opening.

Life has gotten easier now that Access Bank has brought banking closer to you on WhatsApp.

Chude Jideonwo, Seun Awolowo, others to teach on flourishing and joy.

Joy, Inc., the benefit corporation focused on building happier, flourishing Africans is set to hold the first London edition of The Joy Masterclass on Saturday, 15 September, 2018 at the London Business School.

The Joy Masterclass, which has been taught in 5 cities across 3 countries, is an intense class administered for individuals, teams, and leaders that weave the confluence of thinking and research about happiness, human flourishing and resilience – across Psychology, Economics, Divinity, and Philosophy – into practical lessons, habits, and tools that help participants transform their thinking, attitudes, and actions.

Teaching at The Joy Masterclass is Chude Jideonwo, founder of Joy, Inc. and 2017 Yale World Fellow. Prior to founding Joy, Inc., Chude had been a Forbes 30 Under 30 honouree, a CNBC Young Business Leader of the Year winner, and Adjunct Faculty at the Pan Atlantic University. He led the African media group, RED for 13 years achieving 100 percent team retention, a 94 percent trust rate, and 96 percent joy rate in his last year; while working on national elections and social movements in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and Liberia. He writes a daily newsletter at TheDailyVulnerable.com.

Sharing on the panel at the masterclass is London-based entrepreneur, speaker and founder of Still Dapper, Dr. Sheun David-Onamusi, well known for training individuals and organisations on building trust, valuing excellence, and redefining success through the Redefine Success Conference in London and Lagos. Other panellists are Amara Kanu, fitness coach, health advocate, and founder of AK Healthy, a platform that encourages others through her journey to reclaim, sustain, and maintain a healthy body and mind through fitness while leading a positive lifestyle; and Seun Awolowo, founder of Teach a Girl Nigeria and creator of the 3-D Living Empowerment movement, which helps women hold themselves accountable to the three pillars of earning, dreaming, and sharing.

Intending participants can register for The Joy Masterclass London by visiting register.joyinc.xyz.

Access Bank has shown its commitment to giving back to the communities across Nigeria, through partnerships with other private enterprises, supporting the work of non-profit organizations dedicated to improving the lives of the disadvantaged through outreach programmes, funding and infrastructural development and peer to peer education. It also partners with the government to advocate for causes that affect citizens every day. World Mosquito day is one of those causes.

August 20th 2018, the annual World Mosquito Day, was chosen to recognize the role the insect plays in the spread of diseases like Malaria, Yellow Fever and most recently the Zika Virus that spread through Africa and Europe and caused a global pandemic. In Nigeria, we commemorate World Mosquito Day for its relation to Malaria tropical disease endemic to the country.

Malaria is a major health concern in Nigeria, causing an average of 6000 deaths each year, predominantly women and children. Because it affects all Nigerians, the government and private organizations understand how important it is to contribute their own quota to fighting and eradicating the disease.

The Corporate Alliance of Malaria in Africa (CAMA) is an association of private corporations and businesses who have chosen to pool their financial resources and skill to contribute to the fight against Malaria. To push for the control and eventual eradication of Malaria in Nigeria. CAMA does this through partnerships with GBC Health, civil society stakeholders and non-government organizations who are also dedicated to the cause.

Access Bank as a member of the CAMA and a co-chair on the organization’s board, participated fully in this year’s commemoration and steered the conversation around corporate participation in the eradication of malaria. Through this position, Access Bank has been able to introduce innovative ideas geared towards the control of the disease.

This year, Access Bank partnered with CAMA, GBC Health and HACEY Health Initiative to run a series of awareness programmes across Lagos state. The purpose of these field visits were to engage the indigent communities in Ilaje Bariga, Ibafo local government community, Ajegunle Ikorodu community and Ebute-meta community, educating them on the dangers of Malaria and the preventive measures that are available to protect themselves from mosquitoes, the primary carrier of the disease.

Through the HACEY Health Initiative, Access Bank brought doctors to the chosen communities to run spot tests and distribute treated mosquito nets, a primary tool in the prevention of Malaria. They also received vital information from the guest doctors on how their personal habits and practices could make them susceptible to infection. The doctors also listened to the community’s health concerns and provided answers during a Q&A session.

Also, to celebrate this year’s World Mosquito Day, Access Bank and CAMA visited popular radio station, Nigerian Info FM in Lagos, to talk about the mosquito and how it threatens health and progress, and must be properly protected against through safe practices and persistent education.

Access Bank remains continually committed to the eradication of diseases, and the overall health of Nigerians and will continue to support initiatives like the World Mosquito Day that address the problem head on.

Six Nigerians have been selected out of eleven finalists for the second cohort of the British Council Future Leaders Connect programme. The eleven finalists pitched their policy ideas at the Nigeria Heat event which took place recently in Lagos.

The Future Leaders Connect programme identifies exceptional individuals (aged 18-35) from around the world and builds a long-term network of emerging policy leaders. At the programme the young leaders are trained on how to develop their policy making expertise and gain the skills to make genuine impact. To participate in the programme, interested future leaders were asked to apply stating their area of policy interest and proposed intervention.

In this edition, over nine thousand people applied for the programme in Nigeria and eleven finalists were selected by a panel in the UK and Nigeria. The eleven finalists were invited to a pitch event in Lagos to present their policy ideas to a panel of judges and a live audience.

Each finalist gave a five-minute presentation explaining why their policy idea will improve the world, and demonstrate that they had the competence to lead on the desired change. The winners will join others around the world from Canada, Egypt, Indonesia, India, Pakistan, Kenya, Mexico, Morocco, Tunisia, the USA and UK in the British Council’s Future Leaders Connect programme. The programme is scheduled to take place in the United Kingdom in October this year, where members of Future Leaders Connect will meet with members of the UK Houses of Parliament, learning from today’s decision makers, seeing effective policy making first hand, and discussing the most significant global issues facing the next generation globally. They will also meet with inspiring leaders and policymakers and take part in a number of days of advanced leadership training and policy discussions at The Møller Centre, Churchill College Cambridge.

Discussed at the heat event were policies around female genital mutilation, increasing access to contraceptives, violence against women and gender inequality, cyber-bullying laws, access to healthcare, and more. The 2018 winners are Mary Dinah, Edwin Oyoma Akpotor, Dolapo Oladayo Olaniyan, David Oluwadiya Ashaolu, Oluwaseun Ayodeji Osowobi, and Yemisi Christiana Fawibe. They will be travelling to the UK in October to become part of a global network of emerging policy leaders.

While commenting on this year’s event, Adetomi Soyinka, Director Higher Education, Skills and Enterprise British Council alluded that “through Future Leaders Connect programme we are helping a new generation to understand practical policy development by putting them in contact with the leaders of today and helping them to develop the skills and international contacts they need to make positive change.”

Speaking on the selection process, one of the judges Habiba Balogun, an Organisation Effectiveness Specialist, Certified Leadership Coach and the Director and Principal Partner, Habiba Balogun Consulting said: “All the finalists’ presentations were impressive and reaching a decision was quite an intense process. However, the process was made transparent and fair for me and the other judges due to the predetermined criteria against which the contestants were judged which were; relevance of policy, clarity and presentation, and leadership quality.”

For more on Future Leaders Connect programme, visit www.britishcouncil.org.ng.
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Photo: Winners from L-R: Mary Dinah, Edwin Oyoma Akpotor, Dolapo Oladayo Olaniyan, David Oluwadiya Ashaolu, Oluwaseun Ayodeji Osowobi, and Yemisi Christiana Fawibe.

With the airwaves still in recovery mode following the release of her enthralling single titled, ‘Malowa’, Omawumi is set to blow our minds with amazing visuals for the song.

‘Malowa’ is off Omawumi’s upcoming EP which comes off the heels of her widely popular single, ‘Me Ke’ with Kizz Daniel.

The video features a spurt of colours from start to finish with great synergy among talented artistes, Slimcase and DJ Spinall. Best believe that you can’t help but burst into ‘shaku-shaku’ moves whenever the video airs.

‘Malowa’, produced by Killertunes, is a testament to Omawumi’s creativity, versatility and consistency in the music industry.

Find link to download video below;

The Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr. Oluranti Adebule has commended Peak 456 Growing Up Milk and the Nutrition Society of Nigeria (NSN) for their continued effort in promoting healthy eating and active lifestyle habits in children and communities across the country.

She stated this at the media launch of the Peak 456 Drink Move Be Strong (DMBS) pre-school programme which held in Lagos on Thursday 9th August, 2018.

Speaking at the event, Adebule who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Office of the Deputy Governor, Lagos State, Mrs. Yetunde Adefolahan Odejayi and the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Lagos State, Mrs. Adebunmi Adekanye, stated the importance of ensuring that children imbibe healthy eating habits from an early age for a positive impact on their well-being.

“The future of our nation is dependent on the children we raise today. We need to ensure our children receive the right nutrition and education to secure the socio-economic and political well-being of our nation. Your intervention through this programme is a welcome development that will help many homes, families and children have access to the nutritional values and requirements for proper healthy living,” she said.

In 2017, Nigeria’s leading dairy company, FrieslandCampina WAMCO piloted the Peak 456 DMBS Pre-School Programme in partnership with the Nutrition Society of Nigeria (NSN) to promote healthy eating and exercise among children in Lagos aged four to six years old. The results of the pilot were positive lifestyle changes in nutrition and exercise among teachers, pupils and parents.

The partnership is in line with the FrieslandCampina WAMCO global project tagged ‘Drink, Move Be Strong’ school programme that will engage and educate school children on healthy eating and active living.

This year, in Nigeria, the initiative has scaled up to include seven more locations namely Ogun, Ibadan, Benin, Enugu, Abuja, Kaduna and Kano, as well as Lagos, focusing on “eating healthy and staying active.”

Speaking at the media briefing, the Corporate Affairs Director, FrieslandCampina WAMCO, Ore Famurewa, said: “From childhood, we form our eating and lifestyle habits and these habits have impact on us into adulthood. It is of utmost importance to inculcate in children from their developmental years a healthy lifestyle and behavior through education and modelling.

“Schools play an important role in teaching children the importance of adequate nutrition and developing good eating habits. An early start of making healthy choices as children, will make it easier for them to keep up these habits as adults,” Famurewa said.

Specialized Nutrition Director, Zatur Hassim,further emphasized the role of schools in the development of healthy children. “Children at the age of four to six years are influenced by teachers almost every day during the school term. Teachers need to be equipped with the right knowledge and tools to educate their pupils on healthy eating and active lifestyle.

“The aim of setting up teachers’ workshop by FrieslandCampina WAMCO in partnership with Nutrition Society of Nigeria is to empower pre-school teachers with the right knowledge on child nutrition,” Zatur said.

In line with this, the company gave out Peak 456 DMBS toolkits to support teachers in their classrooms. The teachers were equipped with nutrition knowledge to pass on to their pupils. In addition, teachers were taught the ‘Peak 456 Exercise Moves’ – a simple exercise routine synced to the Peak 456 song. To aid easy access to information on healthy eating and active lifestyle tips, the Peak 456 exercise routine is available on the brand’s Facebook page.

Also speaking at the launch, the President of Nutrition Society of Nigeria (NSN), Dr. Bartholomew Brai, explained that nutrition especially in young children not only impacts their physical well-being but their mental development.

“Adequate nutrition supports the mental and physical development of our children. All the five food groups must be eaten every day to deliver an adequate diet to our children. A commonly forgotten food group is dairy, yet dairy contains key macro- and micro-nutrients that support your child’s mental and physical development,” Brai said.

He urged government at all levels to prioritize nutrition by promoting a healthy eating culture among children while also commending FrieslandCampina WAMCO for the laudable Peak 456 DMBS pre-school programme.

FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria PLC recommends children between the ages four to six years to drink at least a glass of Peak 456 Growing Up Milk a day to help support their physical and mental development.

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Photo 1: Mrs. Ore Famurewa, Corporate Affairs Director FrieslandCampina WAMCO, delivering the welcome address at the Peak 456 ‘Drink Move Be Strong’ Pre-school program launch in Lagos.
Photo 2: Akon Imoh, Senior Brand Manager, Specialised Nutrition FrieslandCampina WAMCO speaking at the Peak456 ‘Drink Move Be Strong’ Pre-school program launch across 8 states.
Photo 3: Dr. Bartholomew Brai, National President, Nutrition Society of Nigeria speaking at the Peak456 ‘Drink Move Be Strong’ Pre-school program launch across 8 states.
Photo 4: Dance Na The Main Thing Kids performing at the Peak 456 ‘Drink Move Be Strong’ Pre-school program launch in Lagos.
Photo 5: Mrs. Adebunmi Adekanye Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education; Mrs. Ore Famurewa, Corporate Affairs Director, FrieslandCampina WAMCO; Mrs. Yetunde Adefolahn Odejayi, Permanent Secretary, Office of the Deputy Governor, Lagos State; Dr. Bartholomew Brai, National President, Nutrition Society of Nigeria; Mrs. Zatur Hassim, Specialised Nutrition Director, FrieslandCampina WAMCO, during the launch of the Peak456 ‘Drink Move Be Strong’ Strong’ Pre-school program across 8 states.
Photo 6: Mrs. Zatur Hassim, Specialised Nutrition Director, FrieslandCampina WAMCO at the Peak 456 ‘Drink Move Be Strong’ Pre-school program launch in Lagos.

Access Bank deepened its commitment towards providing easy banking experience to customers by leveraging the pervasive WhatsApp social media platform to bring its Banking Relationship Managers closer to its customers.

Customers can now use the Bank’s market leading and feature rich Mobile App, Access Mobile, available on IOS and Android platforms, to effortlessly engage their Relationship Manager in the provision of customised and responsive banking services, using the WhatsApp messaging platform.

The service, which is first of its kind in the Nigerian Banking Sector and launched in April 2018, according to Access Bank GMD/CEO, Herbert Wigwe is in line with its vision to change the face of banking on the continent by leveraging innovation and technology, while ensuring that customers are provided with the opportunity to enjoy ease of access and engagement in their banking transactions and maximise their financial opportunities. He stressed that the three core values – speed, service, and security – upon which the Bank remains steadfast, requires a high level of innovation and thought leadership which again is demonstrated with this WhatsApp feature.

“Driving customer intimacy and providing engaging and convenient access to financial services across all channels remain a key focus area for us and we will continue to drive and implement solutions to provide a best in class service for our customers”, Wigwe stated.

The WhatsApp banking tool for reaching Access Bank’s Relationship Officers is the latest in the series of innovative features championed by Access Bank. Several of these efforts, especially in the areas of customer experience, personal banking and sustainability have fetched recognitions and awards from local and international platforms, the most recent being the Karlsruhe and Euromoney awards.

The game of Polo to an average Nigerian may be nothing more than a group of men riding on a horse trying to hit a round object, but for Access Bank, a leading player in the Nigerian banking industry, the game is an avenue to further deepen its commitment towards impacting the environment and positively affecting the lives of its teeming customers.

The successful finale of the annual Access Bank’s UNICEF Charity Shield Polo tournament in partnership with Fifth Chukker held at the prestigious Guards Polo Club, Windsor, United Kingdom further demonstrated the Bank’s commitment to making a difference. The event saw hundreds of game lovers throng the pitch to watch the Nigerian duo, Adamu Atta and Babangida Usman play alongside the number one Polo player in the World, Argentine, Adolfo Cambiasso.

The Emir of Kano, HRH Sanusi Lamido Sanusi; businesswoman and philanthropist, Bola Shagaya; CEO of Oando Plc., Wale Tinubu; and entrepreneurs, Kola and Tunde Karim were some of the distinguished guests present to support Access Bank’s cause by purchasing artworks worth $30,000 (N11 million) from notable masters of the arts; Ben Enwonwu, Muraina Oyelami, Ablade Glover and Bruce Onabrokpeya. Another $2.2million (N800 million) was raised in pledges to renovate dilapidated classrooms and provide a better learning environment for underprivileged and displaced children in Kaduna over the next five years.

The first edition organized in partnership with UNICEF and Fifth Chukker saw Access Bank raising funds to support services for 240 orphans and at-risk children in six local government areas in Kaduna, with a specific focus on 12 communities. With the event growing in influence and popularity, it has established itself as a destination for some of the best polo players in the world, fans of the game, and leading philanthropists.

The tournament continues to expand for impact with the 2017 edition successfully raising funds to support full and partial scholarships for 12,500 children. It also allows for the provision of community-based projects like boreholes, sanitary toilet facilities and improved classrooms for institutions in the government-run school network – all important indices of the drive to improve rates of enrolment in schools for at-risk children.

Jamie Simmonds, Access Bank UK MD/CEO, commented on the success of this year’s edition saying, “The way we balance our economic, environmental and social impact while continuing to grow our business and enhance our reputation is an area of key importance to us.”

“This year we have grown our balance sheet by 26 percent and increased year on year profits by 76 percent. Our achievements owe much to the strong partnership we have with our parent Bank. Our joint support of this new decade of the Access Bank Group/UNICEF Charity Shield with Fifth Chukker is an evidence of the social and economic value of that partnership,” he added.

Herbert Wigwe, Group Managing Director of Access Bank Plc. in his remark confirmed that the Bank’s continued support for the Fifth Chukker UNICEF initiative is predicated on its role as a change agent in Nigeria and Africa, which can help institute socio-economic development through responsible business practice, social initiatives, and environmental consideration.

“We will continue to look for ways through which more resources can be pooled towards supporting the children. We are part of the community and as such we support its wellbeing,” he stated.