With more than 550 locations across six continents, Hilton Hotels & Resorts provide an authentic and contemporary experience for guests worldwide.

Close to government offices and local businesses, the Transcorp Hilton hotel in Abuja, Nigeria hotel features 667 guest rooms, 7 restaurants and a casino.

With both indoor and outdoor dining, live entertainment and an impressive array of gastronomic influences from around the world, the restaurants and bars at the Transcorp Hilton Abuja hotel offer innovative cuisine and impeccable service.

All hotel rooms feature large windows with city views, comfortable beds, work desks, WiFi access, marble bathrooms and more.

All hotel rooms feature luxurious beds, marble baths and internet access. Indulge in the expanses of the Presidential Suite, admiring the impressive views over the city from the private balcony.

Visit: http://www.hilton.com/

Samuel Tyonongo Ukura, B.Sc, MBA, M.Sc, ACTI, FCA, OFR

Born on 5th June 1956 at Akpa-Mbakor in Tarka LGA of Benue State, Mr Ukura is a graduate of Accounting from Bayero University and also holds an MBA from University of Nigeria Nsukka, Enugu Campus. In 1992, he was conferred with the Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, (FCA) and also an associate member of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria, (ACTI). Mr. Samuel T. Ukura served in various capacities and in various Ministries in the Benue State Government of Nigeria. He served as Accountant in-charge of salaries of Ministry of Education, Markudi, 1985; Accountant Sub-Treasury, Markudi, 1986; Principal Accountant  Final Accounts-Office of the Accountant General, Benue State, 1990-1993; Chief Accountant- Hospitals Management Board, Markudi, 1993-1997;  Member of Funds Management Committee set up by the Benue State Government; and Auditor General for  Benue State, 1997, amongst others.

He is a member of various committees such as:
(A) Chairman, Markudi and District Society of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) 2007 till Date.
(B) Lecturer – ICAN Revision Classes for Markudi and District Society.
(C) Member, Representing the North Central on Committee set up by the Auditor- General for the Federation (AGF) to draft Audit Law for Nigeria.
(D) Chairman, Committee to determine total revenue collected and amount remitted to Government  between 1996-1998 in Benue State.
(E) Represented State Auditors –General during Public Hearings of both Houses of the National Assembly on the Bill for an Act to Provide for additional  powers and for the office of the Auditor – General for the Federation and matters connected there with.

On June 9, 2010, Mr S. Ukura was counted very worthy to be appointed the Auditor-General for the Federation by the late President Umaru Musa Yar-Adua and was subsequently confirmed by the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Also, on 20th September 2014, Mr Ukura was conferred with the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR) award by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr Goodluck Jonathan (GCON). The Auditor General has attended various courses/workshops within and outside the country.  He is happily married with three Children.

Obiageli Ezekwesili

(Guest Speaker on Leadership – “Turning Leadership from Capacity to Capacity)”.

    Obiageli Ezekwesili is a Nigerian Chartered Accountant. She was a co-founder of Transparency International, serving as one of the pioneer directors of the global anti-corruption body based in Berlin, Germany. She served as Federal Minister of Solid Minerals and then as Federal Minister of Education during the second-term Presidency of Olusegun Obasanjo.
    Since then, she served as the Vice President of the World Bank’s Africa division from May 2007 to May 2012. As Vice President she was in charge of the bank’s operations in 48 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and supervised a lending portfolio of over $40 billion.
In the aftermath of the nearly 300 mainly Christian girls who were abducted from Chibok by the Islamist militant group (Boko Haram), Ezekwesili was instrumental to the start of the viral #BringBackOurGirls campaign on social media, which trended internationally.
Ezekwesili holds a Master’s Degree in International Law and Diplomacy from the University of Lagos, as well as a Master of Public Administration degree from the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. She trained with the firm of Deloitte and Touche and qualified as a Chartered Accountant.
Prior to working for the Government of Nigeria, Ezekwesili was working with Professor Jeffrey Sachs at the Center for International development at Harvard.

Jim Obazee

(Guest Speaker on Audit Innovation - “The Impact of IPSAS on Reforming Government Financial Management and Information Systems”.)

Jim Obazee has been Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer at the Financial Reporting Council, Nigeria (formerly Nigerian Accounting Standards Board) since November 2010.
Mr. Obazee has played very active roles in the development and issuance of accounting standards in Nigeria. In his role as accounting standards setter, he has been on attachment to the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB), USA, Accounting Standards Board, Canada and at other times, on working visit to the International Accounting Standards Board (ISAB) and Accounting Standards Board, United Kingdom.
Mr. Obazee holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting from the University of Benin, a Master of Science Degree in Accounting from the University of Lagos and a certification in Strategic Financial Analysis for Business Evaluation from Harvard University, USA. He is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria and a Professional member of the Nigerian Institute of Management and the American Accounting Association (AAA). He has so many written works.

Abuja is located in the centre of Nigeria, within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Abuja is a planned city, and was built mainly in the 1980s. It officially became Nigeria's capital on 12 December 1991, replacing Lagos, though the latter remains the country's most populous city. At the 2006 census, the city of Abuja had a population of 776,298, making it one of the ten most populous cities in Nigeria.

Abuja has witnessed a huge influx of people into the city; the growth has led to the emergence of satellite towns such as Karu Urban Area, Suleja, Gwagwalada, Lugbe, Kuje and smaller settlements to which the planned city is sprawling. The unofficial metropolitan area of Abuja has a population of well over three million and comprises the fourth largest urban area in Nigeria, surpassed only by Lagos, Kano and Ibadan.

History

The land now called Abuja was originally the south-western part of the ancient Habe (Hausa) kingdom of Zazzau (Zaria). It was populated fore centuries by several semi-independent tribes. The largest of the tribes was Gbagyi (Gwari), followed by the Koro and a few other smaller tribes. In early 1800s when Zaria fell to Fulani invaders, Muhammed Makau, fled south with some followers and his brothers- Abu Ja and Kwaka. Abu Ja succeeded Makau in 1825.

The full name of the king was Abubakar; Abu was his nickname. By some accounts his fair complexion earned him the nickname “Ja” which means “red” or “fair-skinned” in Hausa. He became known as “Abu-Ja” meaning Abu the red” or “Abubakar the fair one “other sources say that the “Ja” is a shortened form of Ishaku Jatau, his father’s name. King Abubakar founded the kingdom of Abuja.

Abuja became a major commercial centre where goods were exchanged by long distance traders. The inhabitants successfully fought off the Fulani and were not conquered as the neighbouring lands were. In 1902, Abuja was occupied by the British colonial army. The British re organised the kingdoms and called them “emirates” which means “kingdoms” in Arabic. Until 1975, it remained a quiet part of Nigeria

The problems associated with the capital being in Lagos, as mentioned earlier, led to the search for a new capital that year. Abuja was selected from amongst 33 possible sites. The criteria used for selection included: centrality, healthy, climate, land availability and use, water supply, multi-access possibilities, security , existence of resources, drainage, good soil, physical planning convenience and ethnic accord. The Emir of Abuja at the time, Altai Suleiman Bara, was asked to meet with his Emirate Council to approve contributing four of the five districts to Abuja to become the new capital. The council was divided as some districts considered it too much of a sacrifice; but at the end, they approved the request from the Federal Government. Thus, the Abuja in Niger State contributed 80% of the land of the territory, Plateau State (Now Nassarawa State) contributed 16 percent of the South east territory and Kwara State (now Kogi State) contributed about four percent of the south-west territory.

The Emirate was then asked to give up the Abuja for the Federal Capital Territory. Again the council was divided. In the end, they agreed believing that the name of the emirate would become famous throughout the world. The previous town of Abuja was renamed Suleja after the then Emir of Suleiman Barau and “Ja” the last syllable of the first emir’s name.

Another interesting historical fact is that in the Gbagyi (or Gwan) language, the word “Aso means “success” or “victory” According to tradition, the original inhabitants of the region lived at the base of the rock for centuries without being conquered. The rock was a refuge as well as mystical source strength. Asoro “(Aso Koro”) the name of the one of the local areas, therefore, means “people of victory.” In addition, the term “Aso Rock” is increasingly being used to refer not only to the physical structure of the most imposing rock in the area, but also as a symbol of government power and a nation.  

Abuja FCT Administration

There are six Area Councils in the Federal Capital Territory, each subdivided into words headed by local councils. The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory is the overall leader and is appointed by the President of Nigeria

 
The Three Arms Zone

The “Three Arms Zone” or TAZ is fashioned after Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. where the U. S Congress, the Supreme Court and the White House are within a short distance of each other. In Abuja, the TAZ consists of the presidential Villa, the National Assembly and the Supreme Court, all surrounded by a ring road.

See more about Abuja