By Seun Ibiyemi
The Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) has reaffirmed its commitment to youth leadership development and stronger collaboration between academia and industry through a strategic immersion programme organised in partnership with Nile University of Nigeria.
The initiative, known as the Executive Industry Immersion Challenge (EIIC), brought together students of the executive MBA programme of the Nile Business School for a four-day experiential learning exercise at the NDIC headquarters in Abuja.
Speaking during the opening ceremony, the Managing Director and Chief Executive of the NDIC, Thompson Oludare Sunday, described the programme as a strategic response to the widening gap between academic learning and the realities of the corporate world.
According to him, the rapidly evolving global work environment demands professionals equipped with both theoretical understanding and practical industry experience.
He explained that the EIIC programme provides participants with real-world exposure to policy formulation, institutional governance, and public sector management, while also strengthening leadership capacity among young professionals.
L – R: NDIC’s Executive Director (Operations), Dr. Kabiru S. Katata; Team Lead, Nile University Business School, Engr. Bamidele Kayode; NDIC’s MD/CE, Mr. Thompson Oludare Sunday; and Nile University Business School Team Member, Mr. Ogo Akabogu during the closing ceremony of the NDIC/Nile University Business School Executive Industry Immersion Challenge.
The NDIC boss reiterated the Corporation’s commitment to promoting financial system stability and enhancing depositor confidence in Nigeria’s financial sector.
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He urged participants to embrace values such as integrity, transparency, accountability, and good governance as essential pillars for effective leadership and national development.
Also speaking, the Project Coordinator of the programme and Director of Research, Policy and International Relations Department at the NDIC, Ibrahim Aliyu, noted that the immersion challenge was deliberately designed as an experiential learning initiative aimed at bridging the gap between classroom theory and industry practice.
In his remarks, the Dean of the Nile Business School, Hauwa Lamido, represented by senior faculty member Festus Ekechi, said the choice of the NDIC for the programme was informed by the Corporation’s reputation for professionalism, sound corporate governance, and integrity within Nigeria’s financial landscape.
He added that the institution would integrate lessons from the programme into its academic curriculum to ensure practical application of knowledge by participants in their respective workplaces.
