By Edwin Nwachukwu
Lenders Consult International Limited is widely recognised as the founder and lead organiser of the Nigeria Pitch Awards, acknowledged as Nigeria’s longest-running football awards programme.
The company’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Shina Philips, is also a FIFA-licensed football agent. As a responsible corporate organisation, the firm has consistently maintained a cordial relationship with the media since the launch of the Nigeria Pitch Awards at a world press conference in 2011.
Driven by Dr. Philips’ strong belief in capacity building across all sectors, the company later initiated a collaboration with the Nigeria Police Force by proposing the organisation of an annual Conference and Retreat for Senior Police Officers. The initiative was conceived as part of efforts to support professional development and strengthen capacity within the force.
As part of the proposal, Lenders Consult International Limited undertook to approach potential sponsors to fund the conference and retreat. Recognising the potential benefits of such a gathering of senior police officers, the proposal was formally approved, and the programme has been operational since 2019.
The retreat provides a platform for officers from the rank of Commissioner of Police and above to engage in peer review, share ideas, and deliberate on strategies for addressing policing and security challenges. The maiden edition of the conference was held in 2019, with the Lagos State Government serving as host sponsor.
The event was declared open by the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, who was represented by the then Vice-President, Yemi Osinbajo. Following the success of the inaugural edition, subsequent conferences were held in Uyo in February 2022 and later in Owerri between 2022 and 2024, while the 2025 edition took place in Abeokuta.
For four years, the company successfully organised the annual Conference and Retreat, maintaining that it never received funding from the Nigeria Police Force to host the event. Instead, it remained a private initiative designed to support the police. As a corporate organisation, Lenders Consult International Limited worked tirelessly to sustain the conference, even when sponsorship funds were insufficient to cover the full cost of organising the event.
According to the company, the Conference and Retreat has served as a catalyst for police transformation and reform. One of its notable outcomes is the establishment of the Police Institute in Abuja.
Building on the success of the conference, the firm later proposed the creation of the annual Nigeria Police Awards and Commendations to recognise and celebrate outstanding officers within the force. Two editions of the awards have already been held in 2024 and 2025 in Abuja, fully sponsored by the company and its partners.
Over the years, Dr. Shina Philips has maintained a longstanding professional relationship with senior police officers through various initiatives.
This relationship led to his appointment as a consultant to the Nigeria Police in 2020, where he was tasked with coordinating activities for Police Week 2020. However, the event was later cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since his appointment, Dr. Philips has continued to support several police initiatives without receiving payment. In some cases, official trips he undertook alongside the immediate past Inspector-General of Police were self-funded.
Dr. Shina Philips holds the Nigeria Police in high regard and remains committed to partnering with the force to strengthen its capacity and support its mission of effectively policing Nigeria.
