By Henry Uche
Chief of Defense Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, and 149 other distinguished Nigerians were on Thursday conferred with the Fellowship cadre award by the Nigerian Institute of Management (Chartered).
In an address, the President and Chairman of Council of the Institute, Dr (Mrs) Christiana V. N. Atako, at the Institute’s 2024 Awards, Fellows and Spouses’ Day Luncheon held in Lagos, maintained that the award is not an end in itself but rather a call to higher responsibility and service to the Institute, the management profession and the nation.
Atako, who urged them to make impact through any of NIM’s faculties, admonished them saying, “I charge you not to be satisfied with just adding the appellation, FNIM, to your names. From today, each of you is required to devote more of your time, talent, treasure and thinking to the service of the Institute, the profession and the nation. Kindly avail the Institute your competencies and specializations when the need arises.”
In appreciation, the CDS revealed that he joined the Institute in 2007, when he saw the focus and direction of the institute in addressing the myriad of the management and leadership problems of Nigeria. General Musa who identified mismanagement as the bane of the nation’s development, urged the Institute not to relent in its resolve to foist good management practices in the workplace and the nation at large.
“I enjoin everyone here and Nigerians at large to condemn and report cases of bad management practices where they exist. I call on Nigerians to join the military and government to rid the nation of cases of all forms of crimes and criminality as the task of securing the nation is a collective one,” he implored.
Speaking on ‘Integrating Sustainability into Strategic Decision-Making: A Path Towards Long-Term Business Success’, the Guest Speaker and Financial Advisor to the CFO, NNPCL, Mrs Hafsatu Abdu-Gusau, advised NIM members and others to take Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) issues serious in their decision, planning and policy design processes.
According to her, the benefits of integrating sustainability into strategic decisions making are enormous but not limited to value creation and addition, risk mitigation, attracting more investors, cost reduction, innovation, enhancing brand reputation.
“Collaboration plays a crucial role in sustainability, as it enables organizations to leverage partnerships and alliances to access complementary resources, capabilities, and markets. By working together, businesses can share knowledge, reduce costs, and enhance innovation, which are essential for implementing sustainable practices.
“These collaborative efforts can lead to improved operational efficiencies and greater impact in addressing sustainability challenges. Leveraging partnerships is key to creating a sustainable business model that benefits not only the organizations involved but also the broader community and environment” she stressed.