What Stakeholders Said About Social Enterprise Report and Awards (SERA) 2008, Corporate Social Responsibility

#1. “In the spirit of the annual SERA we are all gathered here to recognize and reward the organizations and individuals who through various strategies have contributed to the social and economic development of Nigeria… I am aware of the financial and other resources, time and effort that go into organizing projects like SERA. I would like to appeal for more support for this project so we can scale it up and also achieve more impact and add more value. “NIPR is solidly behind SERA because we understand what is known as stakeholder relationships and principles in management and we know that the businesses that will grow and stand the test of time, in the present global and competitive era, are those who constantly feel the pulse of Nigerians and strive to meet their needs.” – Prof. Ike Nwosu, national president, Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) . NIPR partnered with TruContact to implement SERA 2007 and 2008

#2. “No organization can thrive; no organization can sustain superior performance without obtaining and keeping the goodwill of some of its stakeholders… The key for me is that CSR has to be seen as a strategic issue enshrined in the core building blocks of the enterprise… CSR has a direct contribution to the corporate bottom line.

“CSR used to be a cliché, a buzzword for talk at cocktails among those who fancy themselves as enlightened. Not anymore; activists, civil society have forced the corporations to become more accountable in an age where corporate leaders may in fact have much more power than elected politicians.” – Prof Pat Utomi, Director Lagos Business School and keynote speaker, SERA 2008

“I am here on behalf of the Country Representative of the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), Dr. Maman Sidiku. UNICEF congratulates TruContact on the second edition of the SERA with the theme – Beyond Rhetoric: making your CSR count.
“We are particularly excited that there is a special category for CSR projects that focus on the Nigerian child. We congratulate all the corporate bodies here that have child-friendly CSR projects.

“It was very exciting for me and for UNICEF to see that many of the projects that we saw in the documentary really talked about children, the issues of maternal health and education. These are all the things that UNICEF advocates for. The world over, these are the issues that are in the forefront for all children… there is a need to invest in our children. We would like to congratulate TruContact for spearheading this fantastic project and to thank all the companies working to improve the lives of Nigerian children.” –
Ier Jonathan-Ichaver, Private Sector Fundraiser, UNICEF

#3. “We are here to continue to support SERA on this very important activity and indeed we will continue to support SERA because we believe that our work as tax collectors translates ultimately to the developing of our communities and our country. We see the payment of taxes to the national purse as our own little contribution to developing Nigeria. And I hope you also do as well. As we stand here congratulating SERA, we would like to remind us that another way of contributing to your community is to continue to pay your taxes if you are already doing so and if you haven’t, please begin to do so.”
Ifueko Omoigui Okauru, Chairperson, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS). FIRS partnered with TruContact to implement SERA 2008.