By Aduragbemi Omiyale

Nearly 200 fresh engineers and other professionals have been put in the payroll of Dangote Cement Plc after the completion of an 18-month Graduate Trainee Programme of the organisation.

They were chosen from various engineering, finance, Information Technology (IT) and other disciplines and formally inducted in the company’s workforce over the weekend.

The training programme comprises both classroom and on-the-job learning conducted at Dangote Academy and across the four plants locations in Nigeria and the head office.

During the programme, the trainees were deployed across Dangote Cement’s plants and operational locations, where they acquired practical industry experience and benefited from the mentorship of seasoned professionals within the organisation.

The cement firm noted that several of the trainees have since been integrated across its cement operations in Nigeria and other African countries.

It was gathered that four engineers were outstanding during the programme and were celebrated at the induction. They are Ms Mary Nnana, Mr Ahmad Sunusi Abdullahi, Mr Ahmed Rufai Ahmed, and Mr Ebenezer Afonja.

These four engineers played key roles in the installation and commissioning of MIS servers at the Obajana Plant, as well as supporting the deployment of cement mill optimisation systems at the Obajana and Okpella plants.

The Programme Coordinator, Mr Iyal H. Abdulkareem, said the awardees demonstrated outstanding hands on industrial competence throughout the programme, noting that their contributions included improving reporting and customer administration systems; undertaking raw and cement mill main drive alignments; carrying out preheater fan dynamic balancing; and developing templates for documenting and tracking key plant performance indicators (KPIs).

The Acting Group Human Resources Officer, Mr Ahmed Ladan Gobir, described the Graduate Trainee Programme as a strategic initiative aimed at equipping newly graduated engineers with world class skills and deep industry exposure.

“Nigeria’s greatest asset is its young people, and at Dangote Cement we are deliberate about empowering them with the skills, exposure, and opportunities required to succeed.

“Through initiatives such as our Graduate Trainee Programme, we are providing young engineers with the platform to build meaningful careers, contribute to national development, and emerge as the next generation of African industrial leaders,” Mr Gobir said.

The chief executive of Dangote Cement, Mr Arvind Pathak, on his part, said, “We are honouring some of our staff for their long service to the company, and we are also celebrating our graduate trainees who are officially rounding off their induction programme.”

The Dangote Cement Graduate Trainee Programme is a structured development journey designed to groom high potential professionals for future leadership roles through cross functional exposure, classroom instruction, executive mentorship, and hands on project execution.

By Adedapo Adesanya

The Bank of Industry (BOI) has appointed Ms Olayinka Mubarak as the Managing Director of BOI Investment and Trust Company Limited (BOI-ITC), its wholly owned subsidiary.

According to the bank in a statement on Thursday, Ms Mubarak brings over 25 years of experience in banking and financial services, spanning development finance, treasury management, public sector, commercial and retail banking, corporate and private banking, as well as investment banking.

The lender added that she has attended numerous local and international training programmes, equipping her with global perspectives and best practices in financial services, leadership, and governance.

Prior to her appointment, Ms Mubarak held various senior leadership roles at the Bank of Industry, where she was part of the team that drove significant impact across key sectors of the economy.

In 2017, she was appointed by the federal government to the Board of the Solid Minerals Development Fund, a role that further underscored her experience in governance and public sector oversight.

As BOI-ITC’s Managing Director, Ms Mubarak will provide strategic leadership for the firm, overseeing its core business areas of trusteeship, custodial services, financial planning, and advisory services.

The bank noted that her leadership will focus on strong governance, operational excellence, and sustainable value creation at the subsidiary.

BOI-ITC was incorporated on February 16, 1987, as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Nigerian Industrial Development Bank Limited (NIDB) now Bank of Industry Limited (BOI). The company is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as a Capital Market Operator to function as Trustees.

By Aduragbemi Omiyale

Business mogul, Mr Tony Elumelu, has been appointed to the board of Seplat Energy Plc after acquiring 20.07 per cent equity stake in the energy firm.

Last month, the chairman of United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, acquired the shareholding of Etablissements Maurel et Prom SA (M&P) in Seplat through two of his companies, Heirs Holdings Limited and Heirs Energies Limited.

The acquisition made the Delta State-born retired banker as one of the major shareholders of Seplat Energy. This also qualified him to be a member of the organisation’s board.

In a statement to the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited on Thursday, Seplat disclosed that Mr Elumelu has now joined the board as a non-executive director effective January 22, 2026 following the resignation of a nominee of M&P, Mr Olivier Cleret De Langavant, yesterday after being on the board since January 28, 2020.

The board expressed confidence that Mr Elumelu’s extensive experience and visionary leadership would significantly advance Seplat Energy’s strategic objectives and reinforce the company’s commitment to sustainable growth and long-term success.

“On behalf of the board and management, I wish to express our profound appreciation to Mr. Langavant for his outstanding contribution to Seplat Energy over the past six years. His expertise and commitment have been instrumental in driving our strategic initiatives.

“We warmly welcome Mr. Elumelu to the board and look forward to leveraging his wealth of experience and leadership as we continue to pursue sustainable growth and value creation for all stakeholders,” the chairman of Seplat Energy, Mr Udoma Udo Udoma, stated.

Seplat described Mr Elumelu as a distinguished African investor and philanthropist, globally recognized as one of the most prominent voices on Africa’s transformation agenda.

He is the founder and chairman of Heirs Holdings, a diversified investment company with interests across strategic sectors of the African economy, including energy, power, banking, insurance, technology, real estate, hospitality, and healthcare.

The businessman also serves as chairman of UBA, Heirs Energies, Transcorp Group, whose subsidiaries include Transcorp Power, and Transcorp Hotels Plc.

In 2010, he established The Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF), the leading philanthropy dedicated to empowering African entrepreneurs across all 54 African countries.

His global influence has been widely acknowledged, including recognition as one of TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World (2020) and the conferment of the Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (2022).

He also serves on several global boards, including UNICEF’s Generation Unlimited Global Leadership Council and the International Monetary Fund’s Advisory Council on Entrepreneurship and Growth.