A Welcome Address by Mr. Yunusa Ikani, ISACA Abuja ChapterPresident, on the Occasion of ISACA, Abuja Chapter Dinner/Award Night Held on March 9, 2012 at Valencia Hotel, Wuse II, Abuja.
Protocol:
Invited Guests,
Representative of our sponsor, Phillips Consulting Nigeria
Present ISACA Chapter Board Members
ISACA Abuja Chapter Past Presidents,
ISACA Abuja Chapter 2011 Exams Successful Candidates,
ISACA Abuja Chapter Members,
Gentlemen of the Press
Ladies and Gentlemen.
I will start this short speech by welcoming my respected questsand congratulating the past three ChapterPresidents who are being honoured today with ISACA Meritorious Service Award for selfless service to the Chapter and by extension Nigeria. I also congratulate members who were successful in their various ISACA certification exams in 2011, especially those of you who distinguished yourselves by emerging as the top scorer in the various exams in June or December diet of the certification examinations.
In recognition of your effort, the chapter has decided to honour you with ISACA Exam Top Scorer Award while celebrating each and every one of you who sat and passed any of the ISACA certification exams in 2011. It is important to note that while it is worthwhile celebrating yourachievement tonight, alot still needto be done in the area of acquiring the requisite experience needed for you to earn your most desired certification and therefore, I urge you to seek and obtain qualitative work experience that will not only guarantee your certification but that would put food on your table throughout your life time.
Ladies and gentlemen, permit me to say a word about ISACA for the benefit of those of us who do not know what ISACA stands for. ISACA is an acronymfor Information Systems Audit and Control Association. It is a global professional body based in USA with chapters and members scattered across the globe. In its professional certification portfolio are Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), Certified Information Security Manager (CISM), Certified in Governance of Enterprise IT (CGEIT) and Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC). ISACA and its affiliate, IT Governance Institute has done a lot in providing global professional framework for effective corporate IT Governance.
In Nigeria, there are two chapters of ISACA. Namely: Lagos and Abuja. Abuja Chapter as at today is the second most vibrant chapter in Africa going by ISACA International data. For further information about ISACA, please visit
Furthermore, I want to seize this unique opportunity to intimate this noble gathering that this chapter administration is just a month old and within the short time in office, the administration has been able to conceive and deliver this event we are witnessing today. Besides, the administration has been able to secure a corporate sponsor of no less a consulting firm than Phillips Consulting Nigeria to support this event and the chapter is at the verge of signing a standing professional collaboration Memorandum of Understanding with the firm. Similarly, the administration is working seriously on the transformation of the chapter website and hosting of the same with ISACA International among other things being looked at by the administration. It is on this note that I congratulate the Chapter Board members for these unparalleled achievements within the spate of one (1) month in office and urge them to be steadfast as the journey is still far. To the Annual Dinner/Award Night Committee that packaged this event, I say well done and to Phillips Consulting Nigeria who is not only supporting this programme but committed to having a professional working relationship with the Chapter, I say you are partnering with right professional body and its chapter.
Ladies and gentlemen, permit me to complete the speech by mentioning some developments on the local scene that challenge ISACA mandates and provide opportunities for its certification holders to tap into. These developments include: Central Bank of Nigeria drive towards cashless economy and commercial banks’ compliance with Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), Federal Government of Nigeria effort and desire to make the country cyberspace secure, and the global pressure on significant corporate bodies to be ISO 270001 certified for better patronage. All these, I believe would provide us with the right challenges and opportunities which we must contend with.
Finally, I am pleased to use this medium to tell my esteemed guests that the Chapter is ready to partner with their organizations in any way that will be mutually benefitting to all of us while at the same time urging members of the chapter to always participate actively in the chapter activities and begood ambassadors of ISACA at their various places of work. It is on this note that I say thank you and enjoy yourdinner why leveraging onthis event to network for yourself and the chapter.
Long live Federal Republic of Nigeria, Long live ISACA, Abuja Chapter.
Signed:
Ikani Yunusa, ACA, CISA, ACTI, Associate of (ISC) 2, HND
ISACA, Abuja Chapter President.