General News
The Pivotal Role Of An Executive Assistant Especially During A Global Pandemic
By Precious Emechebe, Executive Assistant to John Ugbe, Chief Executive Officer of MultiChoice Nigeria,
There is this saying that “behind every great CEO is an exceptional and committed Executive Assistant”. The Executive Assistant job has recently become a lot more complicated because asides the novel experience of working from home fully and potentially alongside family demands, you are also working your hardest to go above and beyond to provide some sense of certainty and regularity for the Executive, which of course is one of the core functions.
But truly, this is the time for EAs to shine. Why? The Executives will need all the support they can get in this time of uncertainty. And there is perhaps no one more qualified to give this support than the EA. Proactivity and empathy are very crucial both to provide the best support possible and to show how valuable you are to the team regardless of non-physical availability.
Adapting to the new order implies retaining the star that you are. You are pliable enough to fit in into the new ways of doing things; Putting in conscious effort to wow the Boss and other executives through courageous help and ambitious progress; Focusing on what matters and what works. You must respond to that task speedily and timely with zero or very minimal excuses. You must be a fixer.
You must set up your workstation and ensure little or no network interruptions. This implies that you must work with the best internet provider as being irresponsive may be tagged as inefficiency. EA’s must present a professional and credible image on behalf of the bosses. They are the filters that allow the executives to remain focused on priorities even in these peculiar times where physical meeting requests are minimally advised. You must work side-by-side with the executive to absorb his or her knowledge and learn how the business functions as the pandemic elongates.
Exceptional EAs are high-performing, excellent professionals who must have basic knowledge of the business such that they can operate as a seamless extension of the executive. The EAs understand that for their executive to be effective, they must take over the functions that are not a good use of the executive’s core or basic focal point. EAs never doubt what their executives want or do not want because the executive communicates to them their objectives and vision. Consequently, EAs speak on the executives behalf with confidence and authority. They also keep them protected from non-essentials or calamities.
During this pandemic, EA’s must take charge and accept responsibilities even more than they used to. They must get clarifications to ensure they are working within scope. All gaps must be closed without prompts. You must forestall, anticipate, look ahead, avert crisis, resolve issues and be a problem solver. Be resourceful, using good instincts and constantly looking for ways to improve and ease the Boss.
Self-Development in relevant professional areas is also one of the very keyways to adapt in this critical time. Online courses that would widen your horizon is a good way to go.
Exercise helps hugely. You do not want to look totally out of shape when you eventually resume physically at work. if you’re not into anything high intensity then yoga is awesome, dance exercise is fantastic, same as taking walks. Loads of videos are online to guide you. Remember you are now doing this in the comfort of your home.
Have you considered exploring that project you’ve been set to work on, go beyond just completing your responsibilities – research possibilities, explore beyond the job on hand? You have more time, so use it to fall in love with what you do and other things you are passionate about because when you do, staying inspired is easy.
Remain proactive, not reactive. Find other ways to bring value – be the eye of the boss even at the tiniest feedback that would make a meaning to the business. Become more than an EA. Keep your ears wide open for advice that would matter.
Indeed, walking over to the boss’s office or the fact that you do not see yourselves daily as the case may be, may seem like your relationship with your boss is slipping away, so you need a new way to maintain that. Keep at it daily. Set up catch up online meetings where you can run through your plans and progress. It keeps you on track while making sure your interactions are still valid.
When the day hits you hard, it is so easy to just move to the sofa, switch on the TV and stare blankly at your screen waiting for the hours to tick by. Knowing how to overcome these days can be tough: There aren’t colleagues celebrating birthdays, or clients and customers interface that could take your mind away or motivate you, so you’ve got to do it for yourself. Take a break, play some music, play with the kids, get your brain moving again and then when you come back to your workstation, throw yourself into the most intense piece of that task and deliver.
In all seriousness, the flexibility of working from home is incredible, however, it can be hard to turn off your laptop or phone sometimes when you are working from home because you really do not want slip-aways. Ensure work is not still heavy during this time otherwise it would become difficult to separate life and work when they are unified.
Keep staying safe, think big and self-motivate.
Chinonso Akujobi, former staff of Access Bank in Lagos, has been remanded in Ikoyi prison after she was arraigned on a five-count charge bordering on stealing to the tune of N294.5m.
Akujobi who is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was arraigned before Justice I.O. Ijelu of the State High Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos.
EFCC alleged that Akujobi stole the money between January and December 2025 while under the employment of Access Bank Plc.
As stated in one the charges, the defendant stole the money through unauthorized payments from the general ledger of Access Bank to her account number 0036668871 with the name Chinonso A., Uchechi A. and Florence A., thereby committing an offence of stealing, contrary to Section 280 and punishable under Section 287 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
The defendant pleaded “not guilty“ to the charges when they were read to her.
In view of this, S.M.Yabo, prosecution counsel, asked the court for a trial date and also prayed for the remand of the defendant in a Correctional centre.
Justice Ijelu, thereafter, adjourned the case till October 8, 2026, for the hearing of the bail application and the commencement of trial.
The Judge also ordered that the defendant be remanded in the Ikoyi correctional Centre.
The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) says the flight captain of the VMO Aero aircraft that landed on a roadway near Asaba Airport in Delta State told investigators that the observer pilot mistakenly identified the paved road as the runway before touchdown.
The bureau disclosed this in a preliminary report released on Thursday on the June 10 incident, which prompted the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to ground the private jet.
The aircraft had seven people on board, including the pilot-in-command (PIC), second-in-command (SIC), an observer pilot, a cabin crew member and three passengers.
According to the report, the aircraft was cleared by Air Traffic Control (ATC) to approach Runway 11 at Asaba Airport after the crew requested a right orbit.
The crew initially discontinued the approach, executed a missed approach and repositioned for a second landing attempt.
NSIB said the crew reported that the aircraft’s navigation systems indicated it was correctly established on the published RNAV Runway 11 approach.
“The PIC and SIC reported that the observer pilot identified the paved surface ahead as the runway,” the report stated.
However, the observer pilot gave investigators a different version of events.
According to NSIB, he said the aircraft remained inside cloud until late in the approach and that the Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS) repeatedly issued “TERRAIN, TERRAIN, PULL UP” alerts.
He also said he observed a telecommunications mast directly ahead and instructed the flight captain to abandon the approach and climb immediately.
The bureau further disclosed that a cabin crew member reported that one of the passengers became concerned after overhearing discussions among the pilots and asked whether one of them was undergoing training. The passenger was reportedly reassured that all three pilots on board were experienced captains.
NSIB said no abnormal events were reported in the cabin before touchdown.
The aircraft eventually landed at about 8:57 a.m. on an under-construction paved roadway near Asaba Airport instead of the designated runway.
The bureau said its investigation into the incident is ongoing, while the preliminary report highlights conflicting accounts among the cockpit crew over the circumstances that led to the erroneous landing.
European Union has warned Meta Platforms Inc. that it could face a significant financial penalty unless it changes what regulators describe as the “addictive design” features of Facebook and Instagram.
The European Commission issued the warning in preliminary findings released on Friday, saying Meta had failed to sufficiently address risks posed by its platforms, particularly to children and vulnerable users.
The Commission said features such as infinite scrolling, personalised content recommendations and automatic video playback were designed in ways that encouraged excessive engagement with the platforms.
EU Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, Henna Virkkunen, said protecting the physical and mental well-being of European citizens should be a priority for social media companies.
The Commission said Meta should consider introducing design changes, including disabling autoplay and infinite scrolling by default, providing effective screen-time reminders and adjusting recommendation systems to reduce the focus on maximising user engagement.
The findings were issued under the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA), which sets obligations for major online platforms to address risks associated with their services.
Meta, however, rejected the Commission’s conclusions, saying it disagreed with the findings but would continue engaging with European regulators.
The company said it had already implemented measures aimed at protecting younger users, including Teen Accounts that allow parents to manage screen time limits and restrict access during night hours.
The EU said its investigation, which began in 2024, found that existing time-management tools on Facebook and Instagram could easily be bypassed, while parental controls required technical knowledge that limited their effectiveness.
Regulators also expressed concerns over children’s nighttime use of the platforms and the possibility that features such as Reels and Stories could encourage compulsive behaviour.
If the Commission’s preliminary findings are confirmed, Meta could face a fine of up to six per cent of its annual global revenue under the DSA.
The warning comes as the EU steps up efforts to strengthen online safety measures for children, with an expert panel established by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expected to present recommendations on protecting minors online.
Several EU member states, including France, have also supported discussions on restricting social media access for children, following Australia’s decision to ban users under 16 from accessing social media platforms.
Meanwhile, the Commission is continuing a separate investigation into whether Meta’s recommendation algorithms create “rabbit hole” effects by directing users towards increasingly extreme content.
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