ICSAN urges graduate to take advantage of Internship scheme

The Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria, ICSAN, has urged fresh graduates and other professionals wanting a career in administration to take advantage of the Institute’s Graduate Internship Scheme.

ICSAN Chairperson, Corporate Members Committee, Abiola Laseinde, gave the charge during a media parley at the weekend to highlight activities of the institute in the first quarter of 2021 and beyond.

She said the platform provided fresh graduates the opportunity to acquire hands-on experience in corporate governance, compliance, and share registration and company secretarial practice in reputable organisations in Nigeria.

According to Laseinde, the ICSAN has special arrangements with leading corporate bodies where the interns are placed in various capacities for a minimum of three months.

“The interns are placed in companies to acquire hands-on experience in corporate governance, company secretarial practice and other needed experiences. It is not limited to fresh graduates alone but also opened to other professionals who wish to expand their scope in the company’s administration.

“The internship is for a minimum of three months, but could be extended to six months, but not beyond one year. Many of our interns have through this internship scheme secured permanent employment and valuable expertise needed to stimulate their professional growth,” she added.

Laseinde also disclosed that the 2021 ICSAN annual Company Secretaries and Registrars Forum scheduled for 4th March, 2021 with the theme: “Managing Unclaimed Dividends and Unutilised funds in Dormant Bank Accounts: Issues, Options & Way out,” will have seasoned technocrats and skilled professional in attendance.

According to Laseinde, Founder and Chairman of Phillips Consulting Limited, Mr. Folusho Phillips will chair the forum, while Mr. Ajibola Olomola, a partner at KPMG will deliver the keynote address.

Other key discussants at the forum Sir Sunny Nwosu, who is the National leader, emeritus of Independence Shareholders Association of Nigeria, Mrs. Toyin Basir, Special Aide to the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo and Mr. Oluseye David Awojobi, FCIB, Registrar/Chief Executive of Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, CIBN.

In her own comment, Mrs. Lynda Onefeli, FCIS, Chairperson of ICSAN Publicity and Advocacy Committee, said forum will address controversies surrounding some provisions on unclaimed dividends, including those in Section 124 of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, 2020 and Section 13 of the Companies Regulation 2021 on unclaimed dividends.

According to her, it is not the best time for the government to take drastic decisions capable of aggravating the plight of people especially those who have labored and deserve their rewards.

She said unclaimed dividends belong to the investors and their beneficiaries, and that the federal government worked together with the Organised Private Sector to eliminate the bottlenecks in the whole process of accessing the dividends.

ICSAN’s Head of Research, Kayode Ketefe, FCIS, assured Nigerians of the institute’s plans to engage the government by proffering solutions that would engender the review of some of the provisions.