Attia Nasreddin
Attia Nasreddin is a businessman of Eritrean origin who currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Nasco Group in Nigeria.
Personal life
Born in Eritrea , Nasreddin enjoys the latitude of having been exposed to useful life skills at an early age, and which experiences have conditioned his worldview. He has also travelled far and wide across all the continents of the world. Nasreddin is a graduate of several colleges across the globe and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the American College of Switzerland among his array of academic accomplishments. He has in addition attended several courses and seminars facilitated by a Harvard University USA-based Professor , and has received training in Japanese Management through a seminar organized by TEAM Management International Tokyo.
Business activities
Nasco Group
The Nasco Group was established in Jos in 1963 by Nasreddin's father, Ahmed Idris Nasreddin. The company grew from its small roots to become a major conglomerate with four major manufacturing units and other investments in the service sector. The company has a strong focus on agro-business and is involved in backward integration in this sector.[1]
In 1981, Nasreddin became the Managing Director of Nasco Estate Company Limited, Lagos, Nigeria. By 1983, he had become Vice President of Nasco International, Milan Italy. In 1990, he assumed the office of President of Nasco Group Nigeria Limited, until 1999, when he was elevated this time as the Vice Chairman of Nasco Group International Milan Italy. Since 2004 Nasreddin has served as Chairman/CEO of Nasco Group Limited Jos.
Other business activities
Nasreddin is a Fellow of the Institute of Management Consultants, a business management consultancy.
Nasreddin participates actively in the annual events of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, which brings together some of the most brilliant and focused captains of the private sector. Nasreddin is an active participant in the formulation and construction of economic models that serve to harness and reinforce the performance of the public and private sectors of the economy.
Community involvement
Philanthropy
Nasreddin has kept touch with the communities that constitute his immediate constituency, and to who he has rendered services such as road construction and rehabilitation, building of bridges that connect communities for economic and social integration, construction of overhead bridges for the safety of school children and other pedestrians.
He has a passion for issues relating to children and youth and has invested massively in building and donating schools and related facilities, as well as other learning centres for the purpose of training them. In the same token he is busy constructing lecture halls, science laboratories, libraries and providing sporting facilities for youth empowerment and development.
He has provided medical care as part of community social obligations projects; and he is in the forefront to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS via education and enlightenment activities, and the provision of related logistics for the campaign against the killer disease.
Nasreddin is a global campaigner for responsible road usage and collaborates with regional, continental and international media in support of the campaigns to educate road users everywhere, to curtail the rate of road accidents.
By a deliberate choice long ago made, Nasreddin is unashamed of his relationship with agricultural workers and farmer’s groups, who are beneficiaries of the value-chain created and driven by his foresight in backward integration through food manufacturing.
And as a major player in the development of real estate nationally and internationally, Nasreddin is a global citizen, who is easily at home anywhere in the world – Dubai, London, Delhi, Milan, Shanghai, Zurich, Tokyo, Johannesburg, Addis Ababa, Lagos, New York, Canberra, or even on Yakubu Gowon Way.
Awards and recognition
Nasreddin is a recipient of the Rotary Foundation's Paul Harris Fellow award, in appreciation of his role in the furtherance of global peace. In 1997, the Institute of Corporate Administrators of Nigeria awarded him a Fellowship for distinguishing himself in the field of Administration.
The prestigious Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) also awarded to Nasreddin, the Leadership Award in Corporate Governance. Industry groups such as Manufacturers’ Association of Nigeria (MAN) have recognized his commitment towards the welfare of his staff and to community development, and for adopting best practices in the maintenance of environmental friendliness.
The Nigerian Social Insurance Trust Fund also awarded Nasreddin with the Most Valuable Employer Award. He received the Bankers Company Award in 2003 awarded by the Financial Times of London, whilst the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies gave him recognition for his support to strategic studies in the institute.
References
- ↑ David S. Fick. Entrepreneurship in Africa: A Study of Successes, Quorum Books, 2002. p 16-17 ISBN 978-0-313-01173-3.