GIANT STRAITS
EDET AMANA, A STUDY IN PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCE
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ir Edet James Amana, an exemplary engineer, Philanthropist, High Chief and Oron Community Leader. Knight of John Wesley. God's gift to the Nigerian engineering industry. Epitome of dignity, Integrity and Sincerity. A man destined for distinction. Even as a little College student from Kings College, excelled gallantly and obtained distinctions in all his papers and was rewarded the college Prize and the librarian Consul General Cash prize. A model of the modern engineering aspirants. A pacesetter in his field with uncountable idol worshipers. An organizer, a caring and cautious gentleman, highly principled with a high taste and a workaholic. A man who would never mortgage his conscience for any mess of pottage. Endowed with an agile mind, highly motivated. Possessed of an iron-will, courage and prodigious industry. A man destined for success. Chief Dr. Edet J. Amana is a Nigerian engineer, born December 11, 1938 in Oyubia Oron, Akwa Ibom State. He was educated at Methodist College, Uzuakoli and King's College, Lagos. His drive for excellence which characterized all his academic and social activities took him to Imperial College, London University where he obtained First Class Honours in Civil Engineering, coming first overall on his graduating class (1963/64) and PhD in Structural Engineering (1967). After which Sir Edet Amana began working for a British firm of consulting engineers in London for 3 years. On his return to Nigeria in 1969 to help with the reconstruction of the country ravaged by civil war, he was employed as a service engineer for ShellBP Petroleum Development Co. Ltd in Warri, Port Harcourt and Lagos till 1972 when he left to establish his own company. SIR EDET AMANA In the same year (1972) he IN OFFICE READING THROUGH HIS PAGE IN AKWA IBOM BOOK OF RECORD setup Amana Consulting Engineers. Over a 15-year period the firm was responsible for the design and implementation of projects valued at about $2bn. The engineering services division held services for A.W.Chesterton of Boston, Massachusetts, and Hewlett Packard (1982). In 1981 a joint venture was set up with Earth Technology Corporation of California for geotechnical and geophysical surveying and mapping. Another venture involving Israeli interests covered architectural planning. At its peak, the company employed 30 engineers, including 10 expatriates. From 1980, the group began to develop rubber farms and has recently established a rubber processing
venture. The group is also involved in insurance brokerage and trading in supply for the oil industry. Investments have been made in banking, publishing and property. Edet Amana was a founding director of Citibank Nigeria Limited and served on the board of the bank from 1985 to 2010. Today Edet Amana is the chairman of Amana Group of Companies and President of the Nigerian Academy Of Engineering. He is also a fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), immediate past president of the Association of Consulting Engineers Nigeria (ACEN), fellow Nigerian Institute of Management and fellow International Institute of Directors. He is also a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and the Association of African Development Experts. A recipient of several awards including National Honour of Officer of the Order of Niger (OON), Nigerian Record Breakers Awards, DSC (Honoris Causa) of the University of Uyo (2010) and Sixteen (16) Traditional chieftaincy Titles. He was recently appointed Pro Chancellor/Chairman of Council, Wesley University of Science and Technology, Ondo State. Chief Edet Amana is very active in the service to God and humanity. In December 2003, he was made Eti-unwam, Methodist Diocese of Oron, in recognition of his contribution to the developmental projects in the Diocese. He was made Knight of John Wesley in 2005 and Lay President Diocese of Oyubia in 2012. The Akwa Ibom born engineer, Sir Edet Amana is also a notable philanthropist who has used his enormous resources to advance the cause of humanity. He is also widely known as a promoter of qualitative education and, has over the past 40 years awarded over 2000 grants and bursaries to indigent students and established several academics functions to encourage the growth of learning in general and science and technology in particular . Over this period, he was responsible for the training of several Methodist ministers some of whom have since risen to the rank of Bishop. He has contributed immensely to community development. His involvement in community development speaks volumes of his leadership acumen. Dr Amana was married to Chief (Mrs.) Doris Amana who went to meet with the Lord on December 11, 2004. He is married to Lady Hilda Edet Amana. He is father of many children and grandchildren.
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World's Billionaires 2013: A Record Year in Numbers,
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his 27th year of tracking global wealth is one to remember. The 2013 Billionaires’ List breaks two records: total number of lists and combined wealth. Atop the heap is still Mexico's Carlos Slim Helu, who is holding down the first position for the past four years now more than any other billionaire. Bill Gates still maintains his second position on the Forbes list while a new face, Spain's Amancio Ortega claimed the third place. Warren Buffett is now found at the fourth position while Larry Ellison, America's third richest man is at the fifth place this year. The combines wealth of this five billionaires beats the records of wealth of many civilized nations of the world. Here is the way they stand. Carlos Slim Helu Carlos Slim Helu is the world's richest man for the fourth year in a row. He clocks in at $4 billion more than a year ago, thanks to surging stock prices at his financial arm, Grupo Financiero Inbursa, and at his Grupo Carso industrial and retail giant. Pan-Latin American mobile telecom outfit America Movil remains his most valuable holding at $36.3 billion; the company spread its wings to Europe in the past year,
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buying pieces of Dutch telecom company KPN and Telekom Austria. Other listed companies focus on mining, real estate and infrastructure. Slim does not hold an executive position at any of the companies he controls, but remains engaged and advises on strategy. He put his sons, Carlos, Marco Antonio and Patrick, in charge of the industrial, finance and telecom companies he controls. In September America Movil bought stakes in two Mexican professional soccer teams; in November Slim bought a majority of struggling Spanish soccer team Real Oviedo. Early 2013 saw a surge in Slim's philanthropic activity. The Carlos Slim Foundation pledged to translate into Spanish 1,000 videos from the Khan Academy education nonprofit website. Slim also hosted Bill Gates in late February; the two men announced they were funding research to improve farmers' yields and reduce hunger. Bill Gates Bill Gates, the world's most generous person, says that as long as he helps eradicate deadly diseases like polio and malaria, he doesn't care if he's forgotten after his death. Not that there's any chance of that: Gates has already given more than $28 billion, but said in his fifth
annual letter for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation that the total amount invested is less important than precise measures of impact, like child mortality rates. Gates has been spreading his gospel to other billionaires near and far: he and his good friend Warren Buffett recently added 12 non-Americans to their Giving Pledge, including U.K.'s Richard Branson and India's Azim Premji, bumping the total to 105 high net worth individuals. He also partnered with Carlos Slim to build a new $25 million agricultural research center in Mexico. Gates' net worth increased from $6 billion to $67 billion in the past year with no help from the company he cofounded, Microsoft, in which he still has a 5% stock. Most of his fortune these days are spread across private equity, bonds, and stocks like hygiene tech firm Ecolab, Mexican TV broadcaster Televisa, and Latin America's largest beverage company FEMSA. In February, Gates said the only thing left on his bucket list was, "Don't die." Amancio Ortega Spain's Amancio Ortega is the year's biggest gainer, upto $19.5 billion. He moves into the top three among the world's richest for the first time. He stepped down as chairman of Inditex, best known for its Zara brand, in 2011, but still owns nearly
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