Seplat Petroleum Development Company Plc, United Capital Plc, Dantata Food & Allied Products Limited (DFAP), NPF Microfinance Bank Plc and CAP Plc were the big winners in the Nigerian Investor Value Awards (NIVA Awards) which took place at Lagos Continental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos on Saturday.
The NIVA Awards, organised by BusinessDay Media Limited, Nigeria’s foremost business and financial news provider, and the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), celebrates CEOs of public companies who have created sustainable alpha-generating value through strategic intelligence, operating efficiencies, market leadership and organisational values. NIVA replaces the annual Top 25 CEOs & Next Bulls Awards.
The occasion was graced by Oba Alayeluwa Saheed Ademola Elegushi, Kusenla III, Dame Gladys Olajumoke Simplice, president & Chairman of Council, the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN), Ibukunoluwa Oyedeji, president of CFA Society Nigeria, and other distinguished and notable members of the business community.
Seplat won two awards in the Listed Companies category, namely, Most Profitable Company (Oil & Gas: Exploration and Production) and Board Chairman of the Year. NPF Microfinance Bank also won two awards – Best Performing Stock (Financial Services: MicroFinance Banks) and Most Profitable Company (Financial Services: MicroFinance Banks).
United Capital won Most Profitable Company – Financial Services: Other Financial Institutions and Shareholder Capital Allocation Company of the Year (Dividends Payments); CAP Plc won Best Performing Stock and Most Profitable Company in Industrial Goods: Chemicals & Paints Sub-sector; and First Bank Nigeria Holdings Plc won Listed Company of the Year.
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Additionally, Neimeth International Pharmaceuticals Plc won Best Performing Stock (Healthcare); May & Baker Nigeria Plc won Most Profitable Company (Healthcare); NEM Insurance Plc won Most Profitable Company (Financial Services: Insurance); and Honeywell Flour Mills Plc won Most Profitable Company (Consumer Goods: Food Products).
For the Next Bulls category of the award, Eunisell Limited, Dantata Food & Allied Products Limited, Revolution Plus Property, Ultimus Holdings, Zylus Group International, Fortune Global & Shipping Logistics Limited, Xpress Payment Solutions Limited, GVE Projects Ltd, SpringRock Group and TGI Distri Limited got the awards.
There was also a Special Judges Award for distinguished business leaders. Haruna Jalo-Waziri, managing director/CEO, Central Securities Clearing Systems Plc, got the award for the Markets Choice of the Year; Tajuddeen Aminu Dantata, chairman/CEO, Dantata Foods and Allied Products Limited (DFAP), won the Industrialist of the Year; and Ichechi Chinarhu Okonkwo, CEO, Victoria Crest Homes Limited, won Boldness in Business.
In his welcome address earlier on the theme of the event ‘Bullish on a Recovery’, Frank Aigbogun, publisher, BusinessDay, said a lot was happening which raised the hopes on the outlook for the stock market.
“When COVID-19 hit Nigeria, many had thought that it signalled the end of times. But here we are, still standing,” Aigbogun said.
“There is no denying that it was a tough year. At the same time, what stood out was the resilience and improvisation capacity of Nigerian companies,” he said.
Temi Popoola, newly appointed chief executive officer, Nigerian Exchange Limited, in his opening remarks said the awards, a collaboration between the Exchange and BusinessDay, have in the past seven years “seen exceptional leaders gain much-deserved recognition in their contribution to economic growth in Nigeria”.
“These prestigious awards are testimonials of the quality of leadership in Nigeria,” Popoola said.
The NIVA Awards replaces the annual Top 25 CEOs Awards which has successfully run for seven years. This year’s edition gave recognition to leaders of public companies and private companies that have demonstrated the governance and investor appeal to qualify for a public listing if the owners choose to do so within the next three years.
Winners were selected by a proprietary survey carried out by the BusinessDay Research and Intelligence Unit (BRIU). Respondents included equity analysts, retail and institutional investors, financial journalists, sectoral experts, and professional advisers.
