The Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria, ICSAN have performed the Groundbreaking/Sod-Turning ceremony for the construction to build a new state of the art modern National Secretariat.
L-R Mr. Taiwo 'Gbenga Owokalade, FCIS; Immediate Past President, ICSAN; Mrs. Uto Ukpanah, FCIS; Vice President. ICSAN; Mrs. Funmi Ekundayo, FCIS; President and Chairman of Council, ICSAN; Mr. Francis Olawale, FCIS, ICSAN Honorary Treasurer; Mr. Babatunde Oladipo Okuneye, ACIS, Registrar/CEO, ICSAN, Mr. Dele Togunde, FCIS, Chairman Membership Committee, ICSAN.
The Groundbreaking/Sod-Turning ceremony was performed by ICSAN President and Council Chairman, Funmi Ekundayo, Vice President, Uto Ukpanah, Honorary Treasurer, Francis Olawale, Registrar/CEO, Babatunde Oladipo Okuneye, Chairman Membership Committee, Dele Togunde, Immediate Past President, Taiwo 'Gbenga Owokalade, with other past presidents and staffs.
According to the ICSAN President and Council Chairman, Funmi Ekundayo, the "Turning of Sod" is a traditional ceremony to commemorate the commencement of construction of the New ICSAN National Secretariat building.
In her words, the Institute had been nurturing the idea of erecting a befitting National Secretariat for many decades now, saying there have been various propositions on the issues of scaling the National Secretariat, the most memorable being the one proposed during the ICSAN @50 Anniversary held in 2016, when a mighty 15-storey ICSAN Tower was proposed.
According to her, the actualisation of that dream in the form of a major landscape in the Alausa Central Business District topography was botched when the agreement were reach with a foreign partner did not eventually go through, and since then, economic realities and pragmatism has swayed our discretion to a more modest proposition.
In her words, the current prototype was unveiled at the 2021 Award Dinner of the 2021 Annual Conference of the Institute at which event, Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, was conferred with the ICSAN Award for Excellence in Corporate Governance (Individual Category).
Ekundayo said the current prototype is conceived as a modest four-story building, albeit with modern and state-of-the-art facilities, saying the prototype of this building is here for display, we believe it is a dream possible, especially with the goodwill and support of our stakeholders.
In her words, the Institute has a giant profile as a leading voice on Corporate Governance in Nigeria and has made noticeable impact through diverse contributions as evinced in recurrent guidance to both the private and public sectors of the economy, the truth is that our financial strength is minimal.
Our main source of revenue being members' subscriptions and incomes from trainings/ paid programmes. The bulk of these revenues are routinely channeled into operational costs and funding of myriads of activities necessitated by mission actualisation exigencies.
Thus we have not been able to accumulate the kind of fund that can conveniently cater for the project, hence the delay till now.
Now, we have decided to take the bull by the horn and start off with whatever resources we can muster, hoping to succeed by all legitimate means and by the help of God.
As today's marks the first day of construction of this dream project, we hereby once again call on all our members, all those who have made diverse promises and undertakings and indeed all stakeholders harbouring our goodwill not to forget to come to our aid.
Ekundayo highlighted that her administration is committed to the course of the construction of the ICSAN national secretariat because it has been one project past leaders committed too.
Ekundayo reinstated the Institutes commitment to continue working with corporate organisations and governments alike to propagate good governance in both the private and public sector.
She harped on the importance of corporate governance practices such as transparency and information dissemination when necessary to avoid issues.
According to her, ICSAN wants Nigeria to strengthen her corporate governance regime to reap the benefits of economic growth and sustainable development.
She believed in the viability of emergence of a Nigeria that is strong, self-reliant and prosperous, saying one of the cogent ways of moving in this direction is by entrenching good governance in the public and private sectors.
Over the years, ICSAN have consistently promoted the ideals of Corporate Governance through periodic issuance of policy papers and Guidance materials on Corporate and Public Administration.
For the past 58 years that we have been in existence, we have regularly produced seasoned professionals who had contributed their quota to the nation's economic advancement. Many of our members are at present occupying various responsible and enviable positions across the whole gamut of Nigeria's socio-economic life.
The Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria (ICSAN) is a leading and recognized Professional Body in Nigeria dedicated to enhancing the status and practice of Corporate Governance and Public Administration.
ICSAN is the only Professional Body authorized in Nigeria to conduct the examinations leading to the qualification of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators,
Our Vision is to be the foremost professional Institution in the country in the area of Corporate and Public Governance Administration.
And, our Mission is the Promotion and advancement of the efficient administration of commerce, industry, public/private and non-governmental establishments by the continued development of the study and practice of Corporate Secretaryship and Administration.
Although ICSAN started in Nigeria in 1944 as an associate of the international body based in Britain, it elected its first president in 1966 that was about 58 years ago. ICSAN became Chartered by Decree 19 of 1991 (Now Act CAP I13 LFN 2004.
ICSAN is a member of the Corporate Secretaries International Association (CSIA), a global organization originally registered in Geneva, but now in Hong Kong, and dedicated to developing the study / practice of Secretaryship and Administration to improve professional standards, the quality of governance practice and organizational performance. The Association is the global voice of Corporate Secretaries and Governance Professionals.
Our education curriculum is expansive and has been acclaimed as one of the best in the professional education scheme in Africa if not in the world.
Our aspiring members are trained in law, finance, accounting, administration, strategy development and corporate governance. Our graduates are thoroughly-baked, competent and well-equipped with requisite skills to excel not only in our core areas of specialisation but indeed in any sphere within the governance spectrum.
Today, we are now reputed as champion of Corporate Governance, sounding board on due process and ethical integrity, and a beacon of light on Governance matter.
The Institute will appreciate sincerely all kind gestures in whatever forms towards the successful completion of this all-important project.
Once again I welcome you all to this historic occasion of the sod-turning of the Institute's new National Secretariat building project.
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