Publisher of The Guardian Newspapers Limited, Lady Maiden Ibru, has been honoured by Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) for her pioneering contributions to women’s empowerment, leadership and inclusivity.
The award was presented, yesterday, to her at The Guardian headquarters in Lagos on International Women’s Day (IWD) celebration.
While receiving the award, Lady Ibru expressed her gratitude, saying: “It came as a surprise. I really appreciate it. We thank God Almighty.”
The Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the institute, Akin Morakinyo, explained the inspiration behind the recognition, describing women as powerful force in society.
According to him, Lady Ibru’s dedication to promoting women’s initiatives has been evident for years, stressing that her work at The Guardian Newspapers, her advocacy for women’s rights, and her unwavering support for female empowerment are all key factors in the institute’s decision to honour her.
“We have watched and followed The Guardian, and we know that one of the forces behind it is Lady Ibru. Over the years, her antecedents and exploits in empowering women have stood out. Any time there is a women’s initiative programme, you will find her involved, creating opportunities for women to sit at the table and have a voice.
“We believe that anyone in the vanguard of such emancipation deserves to be commended. Too often, we wait until our heroes pass on before celebrating them, but we at CIBN believe in recognising their impacts while they are here.”
He further identified gender inclusivity as a core focus of CIBN’s leadership.
According to him, the institute’s current president has introduced the LEGACY agenda, in which the “G” stands for Gender.
“Teach a man, you have taught a family; but teach a woman, you have built an entire nation,” he said, adding that Lady Ibru’s groundbreaking work and unwavering consistency made her a natural choice for the honour.
Beyond the banking and finance industry, CIBN deliberately chose Lady Ibru for her contributions to the media and society at large.
While CIBN also celebrates women in banking, particularly female managing directors of banks, it felt compelled to recognise Lady Ibru as a symbol of resilience, empowerment and leadership.
On whether women were receiving enough recognition, the spokesperson admitted that there was still work to be done.
“If we think women are recognised enough, we wouldn’t be making these efforts. That is why gender inclusion remains a cardinal agenda for CIBN. We must do better. As we continue to build and empower women, they will stand tall and compete with any man in the world,” he said.
