News
Chain Reactions Appoints Uche Ugorji As Vice President, Strategy & Business Development
Chain Reactions Nigeria Limited, one of Nigeria’s leading Public Relations and Integrated Communications Consulting firms and Nigerian affiliate to Edelman, the world’s largest Public Relations firm, has named Uche Ugorji as Vice President, Strategy and Business Development.
Israel Jaiye Opayemi, Managing Director and Chief Strategist, Chain Reactions Nigeria, announced in a statement that Uche Ugorji’s appointment as Vice President, Strategy and Business Development was effective Friday 1, November 2019 as part of a holistic and aggressive business development drive the company is embarking upon.
According to Opayemi, “Uche Ugorji’s appointment is aimed at turbo-charging our bold client acquisition drive towards 2020 and beyond. He will effectively function as a Vice President and Chief Operating Officer with the mandate to give our 5-year business growth plan the leadership kick it requires.
“We see in Uche a man with incredible understanding of the art of selling, hence our decision to put him in charge of our growth train.”
The statement further disclosed that Ugorji’s choice was deliberate considering his robust cross-functional marketing communications background.
“We have deliberately primed our business for the age of convergence and this is evident in the kind of work we do for clients and the kind of talents we retain to do them. We do not engage in run-off-the-mill PR works for our clients.
“We have fully embraced Edelman’s concept of Communications Marketing for our clients and so Uche is yet another bright example of the kind of talents we parade in Chain Reactions to deliver amazing results to our clients.”
In his reaction to the decision of the management of Chain Reactions to bring him on board, Uche Ugorji said, “I am super delighted at the opportunities ahead. I love the shared vision of Chain Reactions and the intentionality of its founder. It is bold and daring.
“I love the trajectory of the company, its international flavour in creed and in action. I love the company’s audacity to play big in not just Nigeria but in Africa. That is why I am in.”
Uche Ugorji has about 16 years of practical experience in the Marketing Communications industry within and outside the shores of Nigeria.
He began his career in Public Relations with the then CMC Connect, now CMC Burson Cohn and Wolf before making a switch to core advertising as a strategic planner with Bluebird Communications.
He later joined SO&U Saatchi & Saatchi where he was once described by one of the living legends of the industry, Udeme Ufot as “more than a Star but a genius!” upon his impressive performance on the Guinness account.
“This commendation came off the back of a character and dedication testimonial Uche had received from the Guinness Brand team in which he was described as a “rock” and a man who could deliver against incredibly impossible timelines”.
The Guinness Marketing Manager at the time had cause to describe Uche as a man who exudes “nothing else but a can-do attitude even at the craziest deadlines” within the Guinness brand team.
Uche displayed similar impressive performance at Etuodi Communications and DDB Lagos respectively before joining Ogilvy as Business Director and Agency Council Lead for West Africa Region where he had oversight for all Ogilvy Integrated Marketing Communications interest accounts.
The Chartered Institute of Bankers (CIBN) and the Association of Corporate Communication and Marketing Professionals in Banks (ACAMB) have enjoined banks to further deepen and prioritize financial inclusion, women’s empowerment and sustained growth through strategic mandates and frameworks, aimed at closing the financial gap and empowering more small, and medium enterprise (MSME) owners.
Both organisations made this call during a courtesy visit to the newly invested 24th President and Chairman of Council of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), Dr. Dele Alabi, Ph.D, FCIB, as part of plans to congratulate him on his investiture as well as seek a stronger alliance between both bodies.
The visit followed Alabi’s investiture where he unveiled his “IMPACT” Vision, themed “Consolidating Our Local Impact, Enhancing Our Global Relevance.”
The vision rests on six pillars: Inclusion across geographic, gender, and generational lines; Membership growth and quality; Professionalism and ethics; Accountability; Competencies and skills development; Technology, automation, and innovation. Other areas of shared interest, include women empowerment, financial inclusion and literacy, as well as MSME clinics, all of which are top on his agenda.
Alabi explained that under him, the institute will be prioritising financial inclusion and women empowerment, because of its realisation that women are often the primary financial managers and caregivers in families. Access to savings, micro-credit, and insurance acts as a safety net during crisis and allows them to significantly improve living conditions.
He added that CIBN would be happy to drive joint knowledge sharing and exchange sessions with CBN and ACAMB across various platforms. “Educating the public through public awareness programmes, with ACAMB as the rallying point, is central to what we do,” he noted.
ACAMB President, Jide Sipe, who led the delegation, spoke in unison with the CIBN president, as he noted that, closing the inbalances in financial access help economies grow faster, reduces inequality, and encourages greater civic participation by all.
Lagos State has become the first sub-national government in Nigeria to establish a comprehensive Greenhouse Gas Registry, a move aimed at strengthening climate governance, improving emissions accountability and accelerating the state’s transition to a low-carbon economy.
The Lagos State Greenhouse Gas Registry (LGHGR) was unveiled at the Central Business District, Alausa, Ikeja, at a ceremony attended by Prof. Akin Abayomi, commissioner for Health, members of the State Executive Council, representatives of the Federal Ministry of Environment, development partners, TPHG Technologies, the diplomatic and business communities, academics, civil society organisations and the media.
Describing the initiative as a landmark achievement in the state’s environmental sustainability drive, Dr. Babatunde Ajayi, general manager of the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), said the Registry marks a defining moment in Lagos’ climate action journey and reflects Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s commitment to building a resilient, climate-smart and environmentally sustainable economy.
According to Ajayi, the digital platform will enable the state to accurately measure, monitor, report and verify greenhouse gas emissions across key sectors, providing credible data to guide environmental policies and climate interventions.
He said the Registry would strengthen evidence-based decision-making, improve transparency and accountability, support national and international climate reporting obligations, unlock carbon market opportunities and boost investor confidence in Lagos’ environmental initiatives.
Ajayi also commended TPHG Technologies for providing the technical expertise that made the pioneering project possible.
Delivering the keynote address, Prof. Abayomi described the Registry as a major milestone that positions Lagos at the forefront of climate governance and emissions accountability in both Nigeria and Africa.
He noted that climate change has evolved into a significant public health and governance challenge, stressing that access to reliable emissions data would enable the state to formulate evidence-based policies, attract climate financing, strengthen resilience and accelerate its transition to a low-carbon economy.
Providing insights into the technical framework of the project, Dr. Mofoluso Fagbeja, lead consultant and chief executive officer, TPHG Technologies, explained that the Registry was developed from the greenhouse gas inventory jointly undertaken by LASEPA and TPHG Technologies in 2022, using 2019 as the baseline year for emissions assessment.
He said the platform is designed to close critical emissions data gaps, particularly within the industrial sector, while supporting effective climate policy implementation, emissions management and sustainable development.
Fagbeja also disclosed that the greenhouse gas inventory estimated that poor air quality contributes to about 35,000 premature deaths annually in Lagos, underscoring the urgent need for stronger emissions control measures and cleaner environmental practices.
In a goodwill message, Balarabe Abbas Lawal, minister of Environment, represented by Mrs. Adenaike Olunimpe Oludunni, federal controller of Environment in Lagos, commended Lagos State for pioneering the initiative, describing it as a significant contribution to Nigeria’s climate commitments.
He said the Registry aligns with the country’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement and supports the Federal Government’s Energy Transition Plan, while reaffirming the ministry’s commitment to deeper collaboration with Lagos State on climate governance and environmental sustainability.
A recently released Henley Passport Index 2026, showed that Nigerian citizens can travel to at least 20 destinations outside the African continent where entry is allowed either visa-free, with a visa on arrival (VOA) at no extra cost, or via an e-visa.
This expanded access opens doors for Nigerian travellers to experience countries in the Caribbean, Asia, and beyond with greater ease.
Below is a comprehensive guide to countries outside Africa which Nigerian passport holders can visit without a traditional visa.
Visa-Free Countries outside Africa for Nigerian Passport Holders:
Barbados
Cambodia – Visa on arrival
Comoros Islands – Visa on arrival
Cook Islands
Dominica
Fiji
Haiti
Iran – Visa on arrival
Kiribati
Lebanon
Maldives – Visa on arrival
Micronesia
Montserrat
Niue – Visa on arrival
Palau Islands – Visa on arrival
Samoa – Visa on arrival
St. Kitts and Nevis
Timor-Leste – Visa on arrival
Tuvalu
Vanuatuul
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