₦airaland Forum

We Won’t ‘Calm Down,’ Nigeria Must Breathe by DAVID EDREMODA

“The more things change, the more they remain the same.” – Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr

At the commencement of the Fourth Republic in 1999, Nigerian politicians promised citizens the ‘dividend of democracy.’ Today, 20 years after, nothing has changed despite the appearance of Change, which is an interesting paradox in nation building. Today, Nigeria still grapples with insecurity, incompetence, widespread corruption, hopelessness, unhealthy rivalry among government officials and a clear absence of accountability in governance. Worse is that the unravelling yet sordid stories of massive corruption in high places, are not only disappointing but are indicative of total loss of control by those we elected to lead us to the Next Level.

Case study 1: the secret trial of Ibrahim Magu, the suspended Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). This is a dispiriting commentary on a government that came to power on the mantra of anti-corruption and due process. It is ironic that Magu, the major driver of Nigeria’s crusade against corruption was investigated and questioned on allegations that bordered on abuse of office and financial malfeasance here and abroad. But this matter would probably never have come to light in the public sphere without the power play in the corridors of The Presidency.

Whilst Magu’s suspension may reassure the international community that war on corruption is still being waged by Mr. President, the taint of corruption on the head of EFCC has further exacerbated the problem of credibility suffered by the body. Arguably, EFCC last enjoyed good credibility rating under the leadership of its pioneer Chairman, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu.

Unfortunately, Ribadu triggered EFCC’s credibility crisis by allowing himself to be used as a battering ram against perceived political opponents of the then incumbent President Olusegun Obasanjo who appointed him. The crisis was later heightened by the manner of his disengagement in December 2007 by President Umaru Yar’Adua who succeeded President Obasanjo. Thereafter, the predictably unceremonious sack of successive EFCC Chairmen made the anti-graft agency a laughingstock.

In 2011 Farida Waziri, who was appointed Chairperson in May 2008 by the late President Umaru Yar’Adua was sent packing in the ‘national interest’ by former President Goodluck Jonathan. Ibrahim Lamorde, Jonathan’s appointee, was kicked out on November 9, 2015 by President Buhari. No gift of clairvoyance is required to tell that global investment capital inflow to Nigeria would be negatively impacted by the serial dismissal of EFCC Chairmen. Which investor would be encouraged to bring his money to Nigeria if the organization charged to protect his investment is a painted sepulchre?

Case study 2: the corruption cesspool at the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). In 2000, the Federal Government established NDDC to facilitate “the rapid, even and sustainable development of the Niger Delta into a region that is economically prosperous, socially stable, ecologically regenerative and politically peaceful.”

Regrettably, NDDC in 20 years has yet to become an interventionist agency. Rather, it has been regenerating corruption with successive managements of the Commission working hard to outweigh one another on the scale of corruption. The list is long, unedifying and ludicrous. Samples: in 2008, the Chairman of the agency, Ambassador Sam Edem, allegedly expended N1bn to procure spiritual fortification. In 2015 the Office of the Auditor General of the Federation uncovered N183bn scam that did not draw any sanction. Water Hyacinth Emergency and Desilting Contracts were inflated from N2.5bn to N65bn. In 20 years, the Commission still pays over N300 million per annum as rent for its headquarters building in Port Harcourt; has 12,000 abandoned projects across the nine states of the Niger Delta and has over N3trillion liabilities to its contractors.

Reasons for the malfeasance are not far-fetched. Cairo Ojougboh, NDDC’s Executive Director of Projects, says “once you have a contract in NDDC, it is like you have won a lottery.” The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, also said as much: “The budgeting process in NDDC has been warped. I think people were treating the place as an ATM, where you just walk in there to go and pluck money and go away.” Given these known facts, who then would arrest and prosecute the culprits? Or will the looters be allowed to go scot free? Rather than answer these and other questions, the forensic audit ordered by President Muhammadu Buhari and investigations by the National Assembly have merely served comic reliefs to Nigerians. Today, our lexicon has been enriched by phrases like “Hon Minister, it’s okay”; “please, off your mic,” ad nauseam.

The tardiness with which the nation fights corruption speaks to what our country has now become in the international arena where Nigeria is the biggest loser. The situation may even deteriorate further if citizens refuse to mobilize soon to halt the trend of extremely poor leadership. It is now evident that propaganda can only work for so long. Now, everyone is aware of the true state of governance in Nigeria. This awareness has begun to make citizens to trust government less and this should worry those in power.

As Prof. Femi Odekunle, a member of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC) once advised, the President, needs to “wake up to the ongoing shenanigans of power players that are working from the inside against his anti-corruption fight.”

The painful truth is that we are all going to live with this unpleasant reality until 2023 even as there are strong indications of brutal power play ahead by politicians who have already taken positions without delivering on their current promises. But the good news is that 2023 is long enough time to address the challenge of leadership and lay the foundation for future leaders who would be ready to serve.

And what does it take to do that? First is knowing that it is not up to your neighbour or a civil rights activist to fight your cause. More important is how you scrutinize public office candidates for visionary leadership the way you would critically appraise where to keep your money. If we do not sort out these disorders and take our chances now that it is still daylight, we may live to regret our actions or inaction.

To save Nigeria and make her breathe, we must all get involved. This is the time to start. Let us refuse to ‘calm down.’

Edremoda, a public affairs commentator, wrote in from Lagos.

Source: https://www.independent.ng/we-wont-calm-down-nigeria-must-breathe/

Africa's biggest smartphone brand TECNO Mobile has released the Android 11 Beta 1 build for it lastest device TECNO Pouvoir 4. The phone which was launched earlier this month has become the first MediaTek SoC smartphone to receive the Android 11 Beta update.

TECNO Mobile also took part in the Android Q beta testing in 2019. Back then, they rolled out a pre-release build of Android 10 for the Spark 3 Powered MediaTek.

The brand provides a special firmware package for the Pouvoir 4 that utilizes the low-level download mode of the MediaTek chipset (equivalent to the EDL mode of Qualcomm Snapdragon SoCs) for installing the beta build of Android 11. In case you want to revert back to stable Android 10, the rollback package needs to be installed in a similar manner.

The stable version of Android 11 is still months away, but Google has already finalized the relevant SDK, NDK APIs, and other components in the second beta of Android 11 that came out earlier this month.

Source: https://www.xda-developers.com/tecno-pouvoir-4-first-smartphone-mediatek-helio-a22-soc-android-11-beta-1-build/

With a good financial advisory from banks like FCMB
I believe anyone with a monthly income of ₦400,000 can live comfortably in Nigeria.

Never allow anyone or anything stop you from achieving your goals in life and in your business. You can take your business to the next level with FCMB.

This is so lovely. Thanks to the lady who gave him the scholarship. FCMB has been following the same path by helping small and medium enterprises achieve their business aim through financial advisory services.

Kudos to her. Meanwhile are youu Looking for the right financial solutions tailored for your business. You can approach FCMB for financial advisory and portfolio management.

Apparently the facemask will prevent the ATM camera from identifying your face. Meanwhile do you know you can do great things with a good bank by your side.

COVID19 is really taking away people sources of livelihood. This reminds of the story of a man who lost his job but was saved by his bank. This period it is very important to seek financial advisory from your bank to prevent uncertainty. FCMB offers financial advisory to their customers especially if you are small and medium enterprises.

Klass99:
Why do you ask? Do you like my writing?

The story does inspire me to take action in my own life, especially in the aftermath of Covid.

Gracias, for sharing it.

Have been reading your takes on every post
You write very well

Klass99:
I saw it, but still wondered.

He could be the one here on NL and the same person on Twitter.

I like to engage with story owners, so I can ask valid questions for a better understanding of different things during their journey or ordeal.

When you share or narrate someone else's story, it's kinda hard to answer burning questions others may have, because you didn't walk the walk yourself.

For example, I asked 2 guys in the romance section, questions about their ex girlfriends and the women they ended up marrying, after they had shared a bit of their story on that thread. Their response was enlightening and helpful.

Hi I found the story fascinating reason I shared it here.
Are you a writer?

I hope this my story will inspire someone today. The company I worked with for almost 9 years could not weather the storm that came with the COVID-19 pandemic, about 3 weeks into the lockdown; they had to lay off over 40% of the workforce.

Unfortunately, I was also affected! (sighs) I was thinking of how to break the news to my family that I have been sacked from work. Around 2:07pm I drove my car out of the office for the last time, with a post-dated cheque of 800,000 Naira in my hand as a compensation benefit...

...for all the 9years spent in the organization. As I was approaching the 3rd mainland bridge, different suicidal thoughts started getting to my head. “Should I park and jump inside this large expanse of water and get it over with?”

“Should I drive on high speed and enter the trailer at my front?” I was asking in my heart. While having all these crazy thoughts, I looked at my dashboard and saw the pictures of my 2 beautiful daughters. I shouted silently with tears in my eyes “NOO, I can’t do this to them. NO

I slowed down to park properly and switch off the ignition; I cried bitterly. The thing is, I am the firstborn, I have siblings I am sponsoring in school, I have elderly ones I am taking care of, I have a family to fend for, my wife is not working… Bills, Bills, Bills!!!

All these are just too much for me! Where would I start from I ask myself?? I have no savings, no specific side hustle, no reasonable connection but I know I have creative and productive ideas.

So I started asking around about banks that can support my idea, people told me Banks in Nigeria don’t really support growing business or Entrepreneurs. I didn’t allow people’s opinions to deter me from submitting proposals to different banks for the financing of my project.

I know is worth the effort, but guess what? all my proposals were turned down with the excuse being the COVID-19 pandemic. At a point, I was totally discouraged!
Many nights I would look at my wife and children and blame God for giving them to me without providing what I will use

...to take care of them… My wife kept on encouraging me not to give up. Within this period, I must have sent over 9 proposals all to no avail. I finally, i found a bank that believed in my ideas; I submitted my proposal, I was asked to open an account.

After a few days, a zoom meeting was scheduled and today is a different story entirely. I can feed my family comfortably and still have extra savings in my bank account. It is MyBankAndI now o. Who says you can’t do something epic with your life during this season?

Don’t give up, take that bold step today, and connect with that bank that allows you do something great and Do Something Epic.

Story source: https://twitter.com/TimYinka/status/1281185428830392320?s=19

Cc lalasticlala , RoyalRoy

Pixel 4 XL needed for a swap with Pixel 2 XL ( I'll add money).

elvischukie:
You forgot to mention the processor, which one is MTK67.....

Search for it.
It's quite easy.

Smartphone manufacturer Tecno Mobile has officially announced the release of the Pouvoir 4 series today on their social media platforms. The Pouvoir 4 is the successor of the Pouvoir 3 that was released last year. The device comes with a big 6000mah battery with an 18W fast charging feature capable of powering your device for days.

The Pouvoir 4 flaunts a high performing and premium glossy design that is light weight, slimmer and sleeker than its predecessors. It comes with a 7 inch dot notch display offering 90.55% screen ratio for all your cinematic viewing experience.

It also sport a dual stereo speakers for your listening pleasure. It is powered by HIOS 6.0 based on Android Q. The device will also be available in a Pro version of 128GB +6GB memory.


POUVOIR 4 SPECIFICATIONS

Dismensions:174.9*79.6*9.2mm

Processor:MT6761 Quad Core(2.0Ghz)
.
Display:7"HD+Drop(720*1640)

Memory: 32GB+3GB

Front Camera: 8M with Dual Flash

Rear Camera: 13M+2M+2M+AI Lens with Quad Flash

Battery: 6000mAh

Charger: 10W Charger

Screen Lock:Fingerprint+Face Dual Unlock

Software Version:vHIOS 6.0 based on Android Q

Price: ₦54,500



POUVOIR 4 PRO SPECIFICATIONS

Dismensions:174.9*79.6*9.2mm

Processor:MT6762 Quad Core(2.0Ghz)

Display:7"HD+Drop(720*1640)

Memory:64GB+4GB|128GB+6GB

Front Camera:16M with Dual Flash

Rear Camera:16M+2M+5M+AI Lens with Quad Flash

Battery:6000mAh

Charger:18W Fast Charger

Screen Lock:Fingerprint+Face Dual Unlock

Software Version:HIOS 6.0 based on Android Q

Price: ₦64,500

https://spot.tecno.com/ng/post-details/index.html?id=97613#pid371138

showafrica:
Out of 200m people, only 100k are tested... Isorite

They're gradually increasing their testing capacity. I recently read in the paper that FCMB donated some test kits and food to the government.

Gradually we thing's are going back to normal in Osun State. Very soon we will see the end of the virus.

.

As a corp member you can make some money using GTB *737# to make transactions.

.

As the COVID-19 (novel coronavirus pandemic) takes an intense twist, with its prevalent negative effect on individuals, households, businesses and health systems, leading financial services provider, First City Monument Bank (FCMB), is stepping up the tempo of its interventions through various humanitarian gestures.

As a caring and responsive Bank, FCMB has ensured the stability of its robust digital channels thereby enabling customers to have full access to financial transactions and other services, while also helping the government, communities and individuals to mitigate the impact of the pandemic.

The institution’s intervention has been hinged on providing relief across a range of areas spanning across testing, the provision of PPEs (personal protective equipment), food for the very needy and ease of doing business for small and medium scale firms.

By far, FCMB's most significant contribution – of N250 million - has been to the intervention initiative set up by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), in partnership with the private sector, to assist the Federal Government respond effectively to COVID-19, known as the Private Sector Coalition Against COVID-19 (CACOVID) . The fund will also support households and businesses to mitigate the impact of the virus, through the building of isolation and treatment centres, providing personal protective equipment and distributing food to over 10 million of the most economically vulnerable Nigerians.

Also, FCMB is providing relief items to challenged individuals and households across Nigeria affected by the lockdown by working with various charities and state governments. The palliatives include Personal Protective Equipment for health workers and food items to sustain a large section of the population whose means of livelihood have been affected by COVID-19 and the prevalent lockdown.

In addition, the Bank has provided support to givefood.ng coalition, coordinated by Babban Gona Farmer Services Nigeria (an agricultural franchise), which aims to provide meals for 1 million vulnerable Nigerians every week. This will go a long way to sustain a large section of the population whose means of livelihood have been affected by COVID - 19 and the prevalent lockdown.

In partnership with 54gene, FCMB is also sponsoring the testing of 3,000 people in Ogun state to determine their COVID-19 status. This support is complementing the State’s effort to determine and mitigate the extent of the spread of the pandemic.

The financial institution is equally supporting borrowing customers by providing payment moratoria during this period, to ensure they are able to survive and continue to pay their workers.

FCMB has continued to distinguish itself through innovation and the delivery of exceptional offerings and the institution firmly believes that the nation will emerge stronger and much more resilient at the end of the pandemic.

dominique, puskin, naijacutee, FOD

Niswayne19:
Since our government has failed us then private institutions can bail the people out. God bless FCMb for that initiative

It's not as if they've totally failed us but we still have to give it to both the government and the private sector.

I believe it is as a result of more testing. If we test more people we can easily tackle the virus and put an end to it. Thanks to FCMB and other private company donating test kit to the government..

Job2004:
The Scam Covid19 has turned many of these guys in government multi millionaires to the detriment of the common man.
There shall be no peace for our wicked leaders.

Covid19 is real my brother because FCMB recently donated some test kit to Ogun State government to assist them in the first against the virus.

Life is gradually retuning back to normalcy most especially here in Lagos. People are slowly going back to work. We shall overcome the pandemic.

ItrendNaija:
What other state are the partnering...or is it just Ogun State?

I believe they won't stop at Ogun. It should extend to other States also.

Going to bank now is stress. You have to wait outside before you're allowed to enter inside. The customer service sometimes is terrible slow wish they could be a better alternative to account opening.

One of Africa's popular smartphone brand TECNO Mobile yesterday donated Medical suppliers worth millions of Naira to the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) in support of the fight against COVID-19 pandemic.

The material donation was handed over to the Lagos office of the NCDC yesterday by officials of TECNO Foundation included over 100,000 medical masks, 10,000 medical gloves, 1,000 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and 5,000 googles amongst others.

Speaking during the presentation, Mr Attai Oguche a member of TECNO foundation reiterated the importance of adequately equipping medical personnel who are at the forefront of the battle against the deadly virus.

While receiving the donation on behalf of the Director General of NCDC, Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, Mrs. Olajumoke Babatunde, Head, Lagos NCDC expressed gratitude and acknowledges the kind gesture by TECNO Foundation in showing care for the health care workers who are at the fore front of the fight.

She added that the PPEs donated will be used judiciously because NCDC is supporting 36+1 states. Some of these items will be taken to the other states of the federation to support the response activities.

Also speaking at the donation, Dr. Everistus Aniaku, Director & Team Lead Emergency Operations Centre Establishment, NCDC, stated that “TECNO Foundation’s goodwill will go a long way in helping us to respond to COVID-19 pandemic in Lagos state and Nigeria because we are here to support Lagosians and protect the life of Nigerians. We sincerely appreciate”.

According to Mr Oguche, “health care workers are the most exposed to the virus because they deal directly with the cases. For Nigeria to win the fight against coronavirus, medical personnel should get all the support needed in terms of equipment and motivation.”

“There is a need for material intervention at this time as we collectively battle COVID-19. Obviously, health care workers need more protective equipment to fight the virus and care for the cases. That is why TECNO Foundation is donating today” he said.

Mr Oguche further thanked the government of Nigeria, the NCDC and all medical personnel involved in the fight against the pandemic for the progress recorded so far and promised the continuous support of TECNO Foundation.

Below are pictures from the presentation.

Cc dominique , sissy3 , lalasticlala

Melaninprincess:
are you using it to sell airtime? Or just for personal use

You can use it for both personal and business.

You earn while transferring Airtime have tried it couple of times and I can say the rate is good.

Why depend on your friends in diaspora when you can earn buying selling Airtime using Airtel Xpress recharge. Dial *432# to start.

Melaninprincess:
Please how do I make money by sending Airtel airtime to people? I'm interested

It's through Airtel recharge Xpress
It allows you to transfer Airtime and get paid for it.
You also get interest on the Airtime