By Peter OBIORA InvestAdvocate
Lagos (INVESTADVOCATE)-The Nigerian stock exchange (NSE) Tuesday said its set to hold its first ever corporate challenge.
According to a statement made available to InvestAdvocate by Dante Ibidapo Martins, seniour manager, corporate communication at the Nigeria’s Exchange said the NSE in partnership with key publicly quoted companies will be holding the firstNSE corporate challenge.
The statement said the one-day event scheduled for May 17, 2014 in Lagos Nigeria will be a highly competitive and fun-filled 5 kilometre walk, run or jog competition to promote and support teamwork, company pride and corporate wellness.
The NSE says the competition is open to the broker dealer community and companies listed on the Nigerian bourse.
Bola Adeeko, head of corporate services division at the NSE, said the idea behind the corporate challenge is for responsible organisations and their employees to take part in the initiative as a way of enhancing employee-employer relations and boost goodwill by bringing all together for fun, fitness and fellowship.
“The inaugural NSE corporate challenge is a professionally organised and volunteer-driven initiative involving over 350 companies listed on the Exchange and support organisations from the capital market community. To achieve this aim, we are working in close partnership with public and private sector organisations such as the Lagos Island Central Business District, First Bank of Nigeria, Unilever, Unity Bank, Nestle Nigeria, Malta Guinness, First City Monument Bank, Nigeria Info FM, BusinessDay and CNBC Africa to mention a few”said Adeeko.
Adeeko affirmed that the corporate challenge is a corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative of the NSE which is aimed at promoting the health & wellbeing of its operating community and would also present a platform for teamwork and networking. ‘’The initiative will enhance the concept of volunteerism within participating companies,” he said.
On his part, Cima Sholotan, CSR Lead at the NSE, said that proceeds from the competition will be donated to support the national drive aimed at providing mobile cancer centres (MCCs) across Nigeria in partnership with the committee encouraging corporate philanthropy (CECP).
Sholotan said the partnership with CECP was entered into on February 25, 2013 during the commemoration of the international corporate philanthropy day with the aim of ‘Taking Cancer Prevention to the Grassroots’ with the specific goal of acquiring thirty- seven (37) MCCs, one for each State and the federal capital territory, Abuja.
‘’This takes advantage of the scientific evidence that, one-third of all cancer cases are preventable, another one-third is curable and the last third can have good quality of life with appropriate care, “said Sholotan.
The NSE said though the challenge will be primarily open to teams of employees from companies listed on the Nigerian bourse, non-commercial organisations such as federal, state and local governments, quasi-governmental organisations, educational institutions and NGOs will be invited to compete as well.
