Dangote clinches CEO of the year award

Sunday Ojeme
The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, was on Thursday named as the 2007 CEO of the year at the Nigeria’s Most Respected Company and CEO 2007 awards.
The event, organised by BusinessDay and PricewaterHouseCooper also saw produced the Managing Director of Guarantee Trust Bank, Mr.Tayo Adenirokun, and his counterpart at Zenith Bank Plc, Mr.Jim Ovia, emerging as first and second runners up respectively.
In his keynote address, the Chairman at the event and former Nigerian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Dr. Christopher Kolade, advised Nigerian industrialists to imbibe the culture of integrity while carrying out their businesses.
He said he had always advocated that there must be ethics and integrity if corporate organisations in Nigeria were to become world class.
Going down memory lane, he said, “Ten years ago, we already had a convention on business integrity in Nigeria, with a view to making corporate leaders know and understand that integrity is an invaluable asset in business.”
He said as high commissioner, there were several challenges that he faced, which only served to make him more conscious of the fact that integrity in both public and private dealings was the only way that one could reach the top, saying that all the chief executives should imbibe the spirit of integrity.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Managing Director of PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Mr.Ken Igbokwe, said the awards were meant to promote accountability and discipline in corporate governance.
He said 2007 edition was the third in the series in Nigeria, and the ninth worldwide, pointing out that in the past, winners were determined differently from what obtained this year as they were chosen and decided by fellow CEOs.
In the most respected company of the year category, Guarantee Trust Bank Plc emerged the company of the year followed by Nestle Plc.
Some other nominees included the Managing Director of First Bank Plc, Mr. Jacobs Moyo Ajekigbe, the Managing Director of Oando Plc, Mr.Wale Tinubu, Chairman of Globacom Nigeria, Mr.Mike Adenuga, and the Managing Director of Intercontinental Bank Plc, Mr.Erastus Akingbola.
The event is put together annually by PriceWaterHouseCoopers and BusinessDay Newspapers to select the outstanding CEO of the year, with a view to promoting accountability and integrity in corporate governance in the business environment in Nigeria.
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