Jobs/Appointments
Nigerians Trust Their Employers More—Report
A new report has shown that of the four mainstream institutions of government, business, media and non-governmental organisations, Nigerians trust more in business and believe that their employers should take the lead on change rather than waiting for the government to initiate it.
This revelation amongst others was contained in the 19th Edelman Trust Barometer Survey Report unveiled by Edelman and its Exclusive Nigerian Affiliate and the Preferred West African Partner, Chain Reactions Nigeria, in Lagos on Thursday, May 30, 2019.
Edelman Trust Barometer launched in 2001 is the annual global trust and credibility online survey conducted by Edelman Intelligence, the independent research arm of the Edelman global network, testing how well people trust the institutions of government, business, media and nongovernmental organisations to do what is right.
Presenting the data from the Nigeria Trust Breakout, Managing Director, Edelman Africa, Jordan Rittenberry, said, “Ninety-five per cent of respondents agreed that employers can create positive change in skills training, while 93 percent said that CEOs can influence economic prosperity in Nigeria. 88 percent agreed that their employers can create positive change in job creation while another 83 percent believed in the ability of their employers to initiate positive change in discrimination.”
The survey conducted by Edelman Intelligence between October 19 to November 16, 2018, further revealed that 72 percent of the Nigerian respondents see their employers as a trustworthy source on the global economy while 58 percent perceive business as a reliable source on technology.
Rittenberry added that, “Fifty-eight percent of respondents look to their employer to be a trustworthy source of information about social issues and other important topics on which there is not general agreement. A further 77 percent believe that a company can take specific actions that both increase profits and improve the economic and social conditions in the communities where it operates.”
He revealed further that trust across the four mainstream institutions in the country decreased by 24 percent from 2018 with a drop from 66 percent to 42 percent and that in Africa in general, trust fell four points from 2018 to 2019.
Rittenberry disclosed that in Nigeria and nine other African countries included in the survey, “government is the least trusted institution while trust in media amongst the 10 African countries exceeds the global average of trust in media at 47 percent. Business is the most trusted institution amongst the 10 African countries, while NGOs are trusted in six of the 10 African Markets.”
The 2019 Edelman Trust Barometer with the theme, ‘Trust at Work’, is the second exclusive deck on Nigeria, the first being that of year 2018 survey while this year also made it the third time the report was presented in Nigeria. 2017 was the first time the report was ever presented in Nigeria although Nigeria was not included in the study then. The other African countries surveyed are South Africa, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Cote’d Ivoire, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Angola.
Speaking further, Rittenberry disclosed that for the media in Nigeria, search engines were the most trusted at 84 per cent followed by earned media (69%), social media (64%) and traditional media at 60%. Online media was the least trusted with 56 per cent.
“Trust in government is really low while trust in media is fairly balanced; business is the most trusted institution in Africa while trust in NGOs varies across the continent”, he said.
Earlier in his welcome address, Managing Director/Chief Strategist, Chain Reactions Nigeria, Mr Israel Jaiye Opayemi, affirmed that the importance of trust could not be over-stated, noting that trust played a key role in the last general elections and called on government to invest in its trust quotient.
“Trust is built by what we say as well as by what we do and so for a government like ours, perhaps this is an auspicious time for those who are responsible for managing the institutions of government in Nigeria to begin to think about investing in that asset of trust.
“My admonition to President Muhammadu Buhari and his Vice, Prof Yemi Osinbajo is to make a deliberate effort to earn the trust of Nigerians in their second tenure of four years.
“For them to earn our trust as Nigerian citizens, one of the things my experience has taught me on this job is, perhaps, we need to rethink the entire communication architecture of government once more. I ask that fundamental question, ‘in what way has the present architecture helped the government to earn the trust of the people?’ And President Muhammadu Buhari, our appeal (this morning) is that as you select the next set of ministers, you must reign them in. What we saw in the last four years was that there were too many people speaking for your government.”
To curb the increasing menace fake news in the media, Mr Opayemi suggested self-censorship for professionals. “Can we begin to do what our colleagues are doing in other countries? That weekly, we do a compilation of all the false stories and the fake news that newspapers have published or that TV and radio stations have broadcast and name and shame them. This is going on with a lot of impunity. Let us generate ideas on how to tame this monster that’s in our society,” he advised.
He also urged businesses and NGOs to invest in trust, noting that, “how well can businesses further invest in this asset of trust the same way they invest in machinery and other things?”
The highpoint of the presentation ceremony was a panel discussion featuring eminent professionals drawn from business, government, media and NGOs, who shared their perspectives on the report.
They included publisher of BrandCrunch, O’Lekan Babatunde; Assistant Director, Programmes, Radio Nigeria, Lagos Operations, Funke Treasure-Durodola; Coordinator, Campaign Against Impunity, Shina Loremikan and Executive Chairman, Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership, Debo Adeniran.
The others were former sole administrator, Eti-Osa East Local Council Development Area of Lagos State, Prince Babatunde Ayo Ayeni; Head, Brand Communications, SUNU Assurance Plc, Oluwayemisi Mafe and Bukola Oluyadi, Enterprise Transformation/Corporate Planning and Strategy, Polaris Bank Limited. The TV personality, Oscar Oyinsan, moderated the session.
Founder and chairman, Proshare Nigeria Limited, Mr Olufemi Awoyemi, in his brief keynote speech, said trust was paramount in all aspects of life and that trust issue is not only a Nigerian problem, but generally a common problem across human society.
Chairman, Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, Lagos State chapter, Mr Olusegun McMedal and President, Public Relations Consultants Association of Nigeria, (PRCAN), Mr John Ehiguese, also gave goodwill speeches at the event.
Mr McMedal expressed happiness that Nigeria was considered in the global report for the second time and noted that the report is perfect for Africa.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The former Governor of Ekiti State, Mr Ayodele Fayose, has been appointed by President Bola Tinubu as the chairman of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), with immediate effect.
A statement signed by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, on Monday night said Mr Tinubu also made 25 other new appointments into 10 federal government agencies and commissions.
Also appointed was Major General Junaid Bindawa as chairman of the National Salary and Wages Commission.
On the board of REA are Mr Ahmadu Abubakar and Engineer Ilyasu Ibrahim Makinta as members and non-executive directors. The incumbent DG of the agency, Abba Abubakar Aliyu, and three executive directors previously appointed make up the remaining board members.
President Tinubu made eight other appointments to the Wages Commission, along with Mr Bindawa. Former member of the House of Representatives from Lagos, Olajumoke Okoya-Thomas, is the new secretary of the commission. Dr Ogbole Ene Lilian, Oladele Olatubosun, and Yakubu Umar Barde, representing Benue, Oyo and Kaduna, were appointed as commissioners.
Dr Mai Adamu Yau, from Borno, Ginika Florence Tor (Enugu), Engineer Lawrence Okoh (Edo) and Bello Morenike Iyabode (Kogi) were appointed as members of the commission.
Tosin Johnson Adeyanju, who was previously appointed as the Executive Secretary of the National Lottery Trust Fund (NLTF), has now been moved to the Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Commission as Secretary.
Mr Tinubu also appointed Dr Abuh Mohammed as the DG of the National Population Commission, Dr Akinola Odeyemi as Managing Director of the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading (NBET), and Dr Anthony Inalegwu Godwin as chairman/CEO of the Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission. Engineer Julius Oloro, a former council chairman, is the new CEO of the Kwara-based National Centre for Agricultural Mechanisation (NCAM), replacing Dr A.R. Kamal, who died last January.
The President constituted the board of the Fiscal Responsibility Commission, with Dr Abdullahi Maikano Saidu as chairman. Members include Mohammed Asmau, Mohammed Aliyu Makama, Dr Suleiman Gidado, Louis O. Ndukwe, Amaechi Ugwele and Olaniyi Idowu Onikola.
Shuni Muhammad Dahiru is the new executive secretary of the National Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult and Non-Formal Education, replacing Professor Shu’aibu Shehu Aliyu, who was reassigned to the Petroleum Trust Development Fund (PTDF) in April.
To replace Mathias Byuan, the former executive director, finance of the Federal Housing Authority, who resigned to contest the governorship election in Benue, President Tinubu named Gisaor Vincent Iorja. The new occupier of the position is an economist, legal scholar, and academic currently serving as the secretary of the Benue State Independent Electoral Commission (BSIEC).
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
In line with the 12-year tenure prescribed for non-executive directors of banks by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Tony Elumelu will on August 21, 2026, cease to be chairman of United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc.
The board of the financial institution at its meeting on July 6, 2026, has elected Mr Emmanuel Nnorom as the new chairman.
In a notice to the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited, the lender said Mr Elumelu’s successor, a non-executive director of the company, will assume the new role on August 21, 2026.
Mr Nnorom is a chartered accountant with over 40 years of experience in banking, finance and audit. He brings to the role extensive leadership experience and deep institutional knowledge of UBA.
“I am honoured by the trust the Board has placed in me and deeply conscious of the legacy I inherit.
“I look forward to working with my colleagues on the board, management and our staff across all our markets to sustain UBA’s momentum and continue delivering long-term value to our shareholders, customers and stakeholders,” Mr Nnorom stated.
Commenting on his retirement, Mr Elumelu said, “Serving United Bank for Africa has been one of the great privileges of my career.
“UBA has a unique competitive position, across Africa and globally, and I leave the Board with great confidence in UBA’s future.
“Emmanuel Nnorom is a leader of integrity, experience and sound judgement, and I am confident that the Bank will continue to thrive under his leadership.”
The board thanked him for his visionary leadership and exceptional contribution to the growth, transformation and institutional strength of the UBA Group.
By Adedapo Adesanya
WACT-APM Terminals Nigeria has announced the appointment of Mr Courage Obadagbonyi as Managing Director, effective July 1, 2026, succeeding Mr Jeethu Jose and becoming the first Nigerian to hold the post.
The appointment reflects the organisation’s continued focus on developing strong leadership from within its global talent pool while ensuring sustained growth and operational excellence.
A seasoned executive with more than two decades of international experience, Mr Obadagbonyi has held leadership roles across finance, operations and general management at leading global organisations, including APM Terminals, General Electric and Lafarge.
Prior to this appointment, he served as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for the APM Terminals Nigeria cluster, with responsibility for financial strategy across Nigeria and San Pedro, Côte d’Ivoire.
He also served in an acting capacity as Managing Director of APM Terminals Apapa between 2025 and March 2026, further strengthening his operational leadership experience.
With experience spanning sectors such as oil and gas, power generation, logistics and healthcare, Mr Obadagbonyi brings deep expertise in financial management, risk optimisation and business performance.
Speaking on his appointment, he said, “I look forward to building on the strong foundation already in place at WACT. The terminal plays a critical role in connecting businesses in Eastern Nigeria to global markets, and we will continue to focus on safe, reliable and efficient operations.”
On his part, the Chief Executive Officer of APM Terminals Nigeria, Mr Frederik Klinke, noted that the appointment reflects the company’s commitment to leadership development and long-term growth.
“Across APM Terminals globally, we see strong collaboration and talent development across our teams. This appointment reflects the depth of experience within our organisation and our continued focus on building capabilities that support sustainable growth. Nigerians have continued to distinguish themselves through exceptional performance and leadership. Colleagues from our Apapa and Onne terminals have contributed their expertise internationally while also bringing back valuable best practices to strengthen operations in Nigeria.”
He added that Mr Obadagbonyi’s experience would support the next phase of operational excellence and value delivery at WACT.
The outgoing MD, Mr Jose, said, “It has been a privilege to lead WACT-APM Terminals Nigeria during a period of meaningful progress. The team has built a strong platform for the future, and I am confident in the continued success of the organisation.”
West Africa Container Terminal (WACT)-APM Terminals in Onne, Rivers State, is one of Nigeria’s leading container terminals, having commenced commercial operations in 2006.
The company has continued to invest in capacity expansion and modernisation, including a $115 million terminal upgrade project launched in 2020. The upgrade also includes the deployment of reefer racks with a 600-plug capacity, as well as the expansion of the existing yard, a new workshop, a new terminal auto gate, modernised offices and state-of-the-art technology. These investments have enhanced efficiency, strengthened service delivery and reinforced WACT’s role as an important gateway for trade beyond Lagos.
