₦airaland Forum

It was a document of surprise for members of federal house of Representatives as the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) proposed to spend a total of N4.131 billion on refresh­ments and meal subsidies for its staff in the 2021 fiscal year. Daily Independent reports.

This was even as members of the House Committee on Finance expressed dismay at FIRS for proposing to expend a total of N1, 819,556,000 on contract drivers in 2021.

According to budget doc­uments presented before the James Faleke-led Committee on Finance, and sighted by the medium, the service is also proposing the sum of N310 million as security vote for the chairman in its 2021 budget estimates.

The figures which are contained on page 17 un­der the proposed Recurrent Overhead for the Year 2021 of the agency’s budget doc­uments shows that while the sum of N340 million is pro­posed for ‘refreshments and meals’, a whopping sum of N3, 791,456,233 was proposed as ‘meal subsidy’.

However, the total spent on refreshments as a line item in 2020, according to the documents, was N337,320,234.

A closer look at the doc­ument also shows that the concept of meal subsidy as proposed by the service in 2021 is a new introduction to its budget proposal as there was no such thing in 2020.

The agency is also propos­ing to spend another N4.2 billion for staff welfare, fes­tivity, and other unspecified items.

This line item could be seen on page 18 under Re­current Overhead for the year 2021.

The agency, on page 47 of its document, has also pro­posed to erect solar street­lights at unspecified loca­tions across the country.

On page 51, the agency proposed to spend the sum of N150 million for the said project.

Also under a subhead on page 51, captioned, ‘Power Electricity Distribution’, the agency has proposed to spend the sum of N680 million.

Duplication of items

Under a subhead of Secu­rity/Safety Equipment, the agency, on page 48, proposed the sum of N1.175,200,000.

The same item was cited on page 53 and described as Security/Safety Equipment: CSG, N550 million; SSFM, N843 million, respectively.

A total of this sum under the line item would amount to another N1.393 billion.

Under Acquisition of Land and Building, as seen on page 48, serial number 2200, the agency also pro­posed to spend the sum of N470 million on FCT Park and Recreation.

Lawmakers had ex­pressed dismay at the pro­posal submitted by the agen­cy at the review of the 2020 and defence of 2021 budget with the management of FIRS in Abuja.

The lawmakers also ex­pressed concerns at the astro­nomical increase in various expenditures incurred during the period under review.

The committee, which picked holes in what it de­scribed as bogus recurrent expenditure, also frowned at the N369,848,167 proposed to be spent on other contract staff in 2021.

The FIRS also proposed an increase in the person­nel cost for 2021, which is predicated on the payment of 13-month salary equiva­lent to one month salary (es­timated at N5,717,228,982), subsistence allowance of 30% of consolidated sala­ry (N20,582,024,334), 50% performance bonus of an­nual consolidated salary (N34,303,373,889).

According to documents cited, FIRS internally gen­erated revenue stands at N251,189,952 against the sum of N50 million proposed in 2020, while the sum of N50 million was also proposed for 2021.

The lawmakers also queried the projected non-oil cost of collection of 4% worth N137.411 billion which accrued to FIRS in 2020 and the rationale behind the proposed 7% cost of collec­tion worth N298.441 billion for 2021 in breach of extant provisions in the Nigeria Customs Act.

Chief Executive Officers and other top executives of top Nigerian bank are said to be jittery following fresh directives by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for bank employees to declare their assets in accordance with the bank employees declaration of assets act.

The act requires every bank employee to make a full disclosure of all assets within 14 days of assuming duty with a bank.

The anti-graft agency has also set a June 1 deadline for workers to comply with the directive.

Abdulrasheed Bawa, EFCC chairman, disclosed this on Tuesday, while speaking with journalists after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari.

He said they discussed the efforts of the commission towards eradication of financial crimes in the country.

Bawa explained that the move is aimed at checking the role of banks in keeping funds acquired illegitimately.

“Let me just put this, we understood that at the tail end of every financial crime is for the criminal to have access to the funds that he or she has illegitimately gotten and we’re worried about the roles of financial institutions,” he said.

“And we have discussed, but we hope that all financial institutions, particularly the bankers, will declare their assets as provided for by the law, in accordance with the Bank Employees Declaration of Assets Act.

“And that the EFCC, come the 1st of June 2021, will be demanding for these asset declaration forms, filled by the bankers so that the line that we have drawn from the 1st of June is really complied with by bankers in particular.”

The EFCC boss lamented that the agency has arrested about 300 cyber criminals across the country between February and March.

“As a young man, I am appealing to all young Nigerians to desist from these cybercrime activities. It is bringing bad image to our country, it is giving bad name to our country, it is also chasing away a lot of foreign investment that we need,” Bawa said.

“And I call on all parents, guardians, and, of course, elders in the community, in the society to talk to these young people to desist from these crimes.

“These are crimes that they commit online. And of course, there is nothing like patting your back to say go and sin no more. Our laws does not provide for that. It is a crime and as we say in EFCC, EFCC will get you anywhere, anytime.”

Zenith Carex International Limited has been blacklisted by Global Fund for an alleged $3 million fraud.

According to Premium Times, Zenix Carex was accused of systematically inflating invoices for the distribution of health commodities to warehouses and health facilities throughout Nigeria.

In its latest report published March 9, the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) of the Global Fund said Zenith Carex committed the fraud within a period of two years between 2017 and 2019.

The revelation builds on previous yearly reports by the OIG accusing Nigerian companies and government agencies of abusing millions of dollars of the Global Fund aid.

Nigeria responded to some of the allegations over the years by ordering probes by the antigraft agencies, EFCC and ICPC. Nigerian authorities in some instances faulted the findings of the OIG, noting the need for the setting up of an independent committee to review its reports.

These allegations, however, could result in an indefinite termination of such donations to Nigeria if left unchecked, anti-corruption campaigners said.

Global Fund is a funding mechanism that pools the world’s largest financial donations for the prevention, treatment and care of AIDS, Tuberculosis, and malaria.

Giving that Nigeria has the highest malaria burden in the world (one in four cases globally), the world’s fourth-largest tuberculosis burden, and about two million people living with HIV, funding programmes to stem the tide of these grim indices became a central focus for Global Fund.

Since 2003, the Global Fund has disbursed over $2 billion in Nigeria but the country is still dogged by disturbing health statistics partly because corrupt and incompetent officials undercut progress in health management, health experts say.

To understand why its investments are not translating to equivalent and much-expected results, the Global Fund set up the Office of the Inspector General (OIG).

The OIG safeguards the Global Fund’s assets, investments, reputation and sustainability through its audits, investigations and advisory work.

Its latest report detailed how Zenith, a sub-contractor of Chemonics International (Chemonics), who managed an integrated supply chain for Global Fund Principal Recipients in Nigeria and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), allegedly inflated distribution invoices up to ten-fold and misrepresented the services executed, resulting in a $3 million overcharge.

Chemonics, a global development firm based in Washington, has worked with the Global Fund on technical assistance and logistics projects in 12 countries.

In Nigeria, via third parties such as Zenith Carex, Chemonics manages central and regional warehouses, Long-Haul distribution between warehouses, and Last Mile Distribution to 16,000 health facilities, for both pharmaceutical and cold chain commodities.

According to the OIG report, Chemonics approved and paid “Zenith’s fraudulent invoices for over two years. Combined with Chemonics’ percentage-based contract management fees, the fraud resulted in over $3.4 million in non-compliant expenditures charged to the Global Fund.”

“Chemonics’ controls were poorly implemented by negligent staff who missed key red flags when reviewing Zenith’s invoices. Inadequate financial monitoring in the local office and US-based Headquarters, combined with potential collusion between Chemonics and Zenith staff, allowed the fraud to remain undetected, despite significant budget overruns in the Global Fund contract, as well as a 75% contract ceiling increase for Zenith,” the report said.

The Genesis

In April 2019, the Global Fund Nigeria Country Team alerted the OIG after Chemonics made a retroactive request for additional funds and forecast multi-million-dollar budget overruns on their fixed-price Global Fund contracts.

The Country Team engaged the Local Fund Agent (LFA) to examine potential causes of the overspend, which led to the identification of numerous unsupported sub-contractor expenditures.

“As neither the outcome of the LFA work nor statements from Chemonics fully explained the root cause or extent of the budget overruns, the OIG opened a proactive investigation into potential fraud in the supply chain,” the report stated.

The OIG said it reviewed over $20 million in third-party logistics provider charges to the Global Fund from 2017 to 2019, reviewing documentation for six key logistics providers including Zenith. It said it analysed invoices and proofs of delivery.

The OIG said it conducted two field missions to Chemonics’ Abuja office and interviewed various logistics providers and visited warehouses in Abuja and Calabar.

Zenith, the primary vendor of cold chain commodities – specialized, low volume items such as HIV testing reagents – to 400 health facilities across Nigeria was at the centre of the fraudulent overruns, preliminary findings by the OIG revealed.

“Zenith assisted investigators by attending interviews but provided limited documentation in support of their statements,” the report said.

About US$3,429,253 of distribution costs invoiced by Zenith, inclusive of Chemonics’ associated management fees, were fraudulent and non-compliant, the OIG investigation found.

“This investigation uncovered a systemic invoice fraud which drove up the cost of distributing specialist HIV cold chain commodities between and from warehouses in Abuja, Lagos and Jos to 400 health facilities nationwide,” the report stated.

“The fraud was a significant factor in Chemonics’ subsequent requests for additional funding from the Global Fund. Unsustainable costs affected the financial viability of the supply chain in supporting the fight against the three diseases in Nigeria.

“Chemonics has now ceased working with Zenith, taken administrative action against certain employees, and improved controls and oversight over key Field Office processes. The OIG and the Secretariat have agreed management actions to improve the monitoring of projects and risk in strategic, high-value, crossportfolio suppliers such as Chemonics.

“The OIG recommends the Secretariat recovers US$3,155,514, and will evaluate the referral of the investigation findings to Nigerian law enforcement authorities. Due to the findings of this report, the Secretariat has ensured Zenith is no longer providing any service to Global Fund supported programs in Nigeria.”

The invoice scheme, according to the OIG, started from the first invoice Zenith submitted to Chemonics in August 2017, which charged $33,953 for transporting 60,000 kilogrammes of materials from Abuja to Jos.

“Zenith inflated the charges tenfold: supporting documentation revealed that only 6,009 kg of packaged commodities had been transported, which should have cost US$3,400,” the report stated.

“Zenith defrauded the Global Fund by US$712,588, or 93% of the total charges, by invoicing for truck tonnage (the gross weight of the trucks used to transport goods).”

According to the report, Zenith confirmed invoicing Long Haul based on truck tonnage, saying this reflected the vehicle volumes required to transport the commodities.

“Zenith claimed they received verbal approval to charge by truck tonnage in a 2017 meeting with a former Chemonics procurement specialist, but could provide no records, or contract amendment, to support this.”

Zenith continued with the truck tonnage invoicing scheme until June 2019. Following the LFA’s review, the company changed its invoicing practice and began invoicing in commodity weight rather than truck tonnage.

“The commodity weight charged, however, continued to be fraudulently inflated by up to ten times,” the report stated.

Zenith also misrepresented the capacity of the vehicles deployed, increasing the overcharging, the report stated. Several charges were beyond the capacity of the vehicles in Zenith’s fleet, according to the OIG.

In a review of a separate throve of inflated invoices, Zenith from May 2017 allegedly misrepresented its delivery practices and inflated invoices for a period of over two years, overcharging the Global Fund by $2,284,518, or 91 per cent of $2.6 million Last Mile Delivery (LMD) fees.

Contacted, a representative of Zenith said the company is aware of the OIG report. He told our reporter to visit the company’s Abuja office on Monday for its own side of the story.

Zenith Carex International Limited has been blacklisted by Global Fund for an alleged $3 million fraud.

According to Premium Times, Zenix Carex was accused of systematically inflating invoices for the distribution of health commodities to warehouses and health facilities throughout Nigeria.

In its latest report published March 9, the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) of the Global Fund said Zenith Carex committed the fraud within a period of two years between 2017 and 2019.

The revelation builds on previous yearly reports by the OIG accusing Nigerian companies and government agencies of abusing millions of dollars of the Global Fund aid.

Nigeria responded to some of the allegations over the years by ordering probes by the antigraft agencies, EFCC and ICPC. Nigerian authorities in some instances faulted the findings of the OIG, noting the need for the setting up of an independent committee to review its reports.

These allegations, however, could result in an indefinite termination of such donations to Nigeria if left unchecked, anti-corruption campaigners said.

Global Fund is a funding mechanism that pools the world’s largest financial donations for the prevention, treatment and care of AIDS, Tuberculosis, and malaria.

Giving that Nigeria has the highest malaria burden in the world (one in four cases globally), the world’s fourth-largest tuberculosis burden, and about two million people living with HIV, funding programmes to stem the tide of these grim indices became a central focus for Global Fund.

Since 2003, the Global Fund has disbursed over $2 billion in Nigeria but the country is still dogged by disturbing health statistics partly because corrupt and incompetent officials undercut progress in health management, health experts say.

To understand why its investments are not translating to equivalent and much-expected results, the Global Fund set up the Office of the Inspector General (OIG).

The OIG safeguards the Global Fund’s assets, investments, reputation and sustainability through its audits, investigations and advisory work.

Its latest report detailed how Zenith, a sub-contractor of Chemonics International (Chemonics), who managed an integrated supply chain for Global Fund Principal Recipients in Nigeria and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), allegedly inflated distribution invoices up to ten-fold and misrepresented the services executed, resulting in a $3 million overcharge.

Chemonics, a global development firm based in Washington, has worked with the Global Fund on technical assistance and logistics projects in 12 countries.

In Nigeria, via third parties such as Zenith Carex, Chemonics manages central and regional warehouses, Long-Haul distribution between warehouses, and Last Mile Distribution to 16,000 health facilities, for both pharmaceutical and cold chain commodities.

According to the OIG report, Chemonics approved and paid “Zenith’s fraudulent invoices for over two years. Combined with Chemonics’ percentage-based contract management fees, the fraud resulted in over $3.4 million in non-compliant expenditures charged to the Global Fund.”

“Chemonics’ controls were poorly implemented by negligent staff who missed key red flags when reviewing Zenith’s invoices. Inadequate financial monitoring in the local office and US-based Headquarters, combined with potential collusion between Chemonics and Zenith staff, allowed the fraud to remain undetected, despite significant budget overruns in the Global Fund contract, as well as a 75% contract ceiling increase for Zenith,” the report said.

The Genesis

In April 2019, the Global Fund Nigeria Country Team alerted the OIG after Chemonics made a retroactive request for additional funds and forecast multi-million-dollar budget overruns on their fixed-price Global Fund contracts.

The Country Team engaged the Local Fund Agent (LFA) to examine potential causes of the overspend, which led to the identification of numerous unsupported sub-contractor expenditures.

“As neither the outcome of the LFA work nor statements from Chemonics fully explained the root cause or extent of the budget overruns, the OIG opened a proactive investigation into potential fraud in the supply chain,” the report stated.

The OIG said it reviewed over $20 million in third-party logistics provider charges to the Global Fund from 2017 to 2019, reviewing documentation for six key logistics providers including Zenith. It said it analysed invoices and proofs of delivery.

The OIG said it conducted two field missions to Chemonics’ Abuja office and interviewed various logistics providers and visited warehouses in Abuja and Calabar.

Zenith, the primary vendor of cold chain commodities – specialized, low volume items such as HIV testing reagents – to 400 health facilities across Nigeria was at the centre of the fraudulent overruns, preliminary findings by the OIG revealed.

“Zenith assisted investigators by attending interviews but provided limited documentation in support of their statements,” the report said.

About US$3,429,253 of distribution costs invoiced by Zenith, inclusive of Chemonics’ associated management fees, were fraudulent and non-compliant, the OIG investigation found.

“This investigation uncovered a systemic invoice fraud which drove up the cost of distributing specialist HIV cold chain commodities between and from warehouses in Abuja, Lagos and Jos to 400 health facilities nationwide,” the report stated.

“The fraud was a significant factor in Chemonics’ subsequent requests for additional funding from the Global Fund. Unsustainable costs affected the financial viability of the supply chain in supporting the fight against the three diseases in Nigeria.

“Chemonics has now ceased working with Zenith, taken administrative action against certain employees, and improved controls and oversight over key Field Office processes. The OIG and the Secretariat have agreed management actions to improve the monitoring of projects and risk in strategic, high-value, crossportfolio suppliers such as Chemonics.

“The OIG recommends the Secretariat recovers US$3,155,514, and will evaluate the referral of the investigation findings to Nigerian law enforcement authorities. Due to the findings of this report, the Secretariat has ensured Zenith is no longer providing any service to Global Fund supported programs in Nigeria.”

The invoice scheme, according to the OIG, started from the first invoice Zenith submitted to Chemonics in August 2017, which charged $33,953 for transporting 60,000 kilogrammes of materials from Abuja to Jos.

“Zenith inflated the charges tenfold: supporting documentation revealed that only 6,009 kg of packaged commodities had been transported, which should have cost US$3,400,” the report stated.

“Zenith defrauded the Global Fund by US$712,588, or 93% of the total charges, by invoicing for truck tonnage (the gross weight of the trucks used to transport goods).”

According to the report, Zenith confirmed invoicing Long Haul based on truck tonnage, saying this reflected the vehicle volumes required to transport the commodities.

“Zenith claimed they received verbal approval to charge by truck tonnage in a 2017 meeting with a former Chemonics procurement specialist, but could provide no records, or contract amendment, to support this.”

Zenith continued with the truck tonnage invoicing scheme until June 2019. Following the LFA’s review, the company changed its invoicing practice and began invoicing in commodity weight rather than truck tonnage.

“The commodity weight charged, however, continued to be fraudulently inflated by up to ten times,” the report stated.

Zenith also misrepresented the capacity of the vehicles deployed, increasing the overcharging, the report stated. Several charges were beyond the capacity of the vehicles in Zenith’s fleet, according to the OIG.

In a review of a separate throve of inflated invoices, Zenith from May 2017 allegedly misrepresented its delivery practices and inflated invoices for a period of over two years, overcharging the Global Fund by $2,284,518, or 91 per cent of $2.6 million Last Mile Delivery (LMD) fees.

Contacted, a representative of Zenith said the company is aware of the OIG report. He told our reporter to visit the company’s Abuja office on Monday for its own side of the story.

The Lagos State Government has affirmed the selection of Chief Anthony Folami for the stool of Baale of Kirikiri, in the Oriade Local Council Development Area, (LCDA).

The government said its decision followed “painstaking deliberation and examination of the Obas and Chiefs Law, and Customary Law of the community, (Kirikiri).

The Lagos State government therefore directed the Executive Chairman of Oriade LCDA, Honourable (Mrs) Ramotalai A.O Hassan, to implement the decision and recognise Chief Anthony Babatunde Folami as the Baale.

It also said a full-fledged committee set up on the matter identified two ruling houses as those eligible to produce a candidate for the stool. These are the Agunbiade, and Folami ruling houses.

Prior, the two ruling houses had petitioned the government against a certain Babalola Shabi. The petitioners, through their lawyers Taiwo Lakanu &co, affirmed they were the legitimate royal families and traced their ancestry to chief Tumbulu who became the first Baale of Kirikiri Town in 1893.

The ruling houses, more so, accused Shabi of usurping the stool, despite he not being a royal. Shabi, as stated, “wandered into Ebute (waterside) area of Kirikiri Town to make a living by assisting sand dredgers and sand buyers to load sand into tippers”.

During this time, Shabi met Gilbert Cardoso, who was from one of the land-owning families in Kirikiri. Cardoso reportedly took him in “and accommodated as an errand boy”. During his lifetime, Cardoso was said to have leased swathes of land to certain Chiefs Mosheshe and Akhere. The petitioners said upon Cardoso’s mysterious death, Shabi made himself the prime agent of the family land. He was also said to have set members of the Mosheshe family against themselves and willy-nilly made himself their land agent.

The Cardoso family eventually removed Shabi as their land agent, but he continued to function as same.

He later manipulated the system through the assistance of some local government officials and pronounced himself as the baale.

This latest development was met with wide jubilation by the inhabitants of kikikiri who said they were tired of his constant intimidation, oppression and harassments in the community.

A prominent member of the community told us that ” this man is from ijebu ode and never a prince, not from any of the ruling houses and cannot lay claims to the stool of the royal family. We are glad the rule of law has finally prevailed. We can now sleep with our eyes closed in Kirikiri.

We are grateful to the government and all the people involved in making sure that the truth prevailed at last.

The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Brigadier General Mohammed Buba Marwa will on Thursday, March 19 commission a newly built multi-purpose Clinic and rehabilitation center in Ogbomoso in Oyo State.

The 16-bed rehabilitation Center named The Behavioral Action Care Foundation Centre was built by a group of indigenes of the ancient town, Ogbomoso First Community Initiative otherwise known as “O 1st Group” as part of their efforts to stem the dangerous tide of drug abuse in the area.

The board Chairman of the Behavioral Action Care Foundation, a unit of the O 1ST Group, Otunba Bayo Babatunde said in a statement that the hospital was built to check the prevalence of drug usage and abuse prompted by the location of a university community in the town as well as the large presence of immigrants from Ghana, Niger, Benin, India and China among others.

“Historically, Ogbomoso indigenes are Republicans, peaceful, enterprising and widely travelled. However, things have changed and as in other parts of the country and the traditional values of hard work and moral standards are disappearing and giving way to acts alien to our community. This is worrisome especially when you consider the potential insecurity of lives, property and most especially the future of the community when majority of the youths are drug dependent,” he stated.

As a remedial measure, he disclosed that the group agreed on a position around the fight against drugs and substances abuse in the community and have been spreading the message to all, that, the high rate of consumption and abuse of various drugs and substances which are inimical to the health of the consumer is a visa to mental distress and psychiatric disorders and ultimate collapse of the future development of the youth population.

Otunba Babatunde said the group in collaboration the NDLEA had in the past embarked on steps to facilitate the sensitization of the populace through Radio talk shows, lectures on the dangers of drug abuse as well as 1,000-man match around Ogbomoso township against the use and abuse of drugs.

He disclosed that the new clinic and rehabilitation center is equipped with state of the arts furnishings and equipment, indoor games, 40 kva Diesel Generator and one unit 7.5 kva Tiger Petrol Generator to ensure that The Behavioural Action Care Foundation Centre in Ogbomoso is able to carry out its responsibilities of counselling, engaging, educating, treat and provide rehabilitation therapy for substance abusers.

Otunba Bababtunde also hinted that other activities lined up for the ceremony include the commissioning of projects like the reticulated water supply to the community, transformer to power the oke osuru, community base of O’ First Group while there will be a media launch of the Women search initiative – a program designed by the indigene’s joint team and the NDLEA (Ogbomoso first group+ NDLEA) stressing that all the senior paramount rulers, Chiefs, Political leaders, other leaders of thoughts, religious leaders, youth forum, security agencies, National council of women societies are expected to attend the event.

One of the Fatgbems Petroleum Company Limited outlets situated on IBB Way in Abeokuta, Ogun State was at the weekend exposed for selling water as fuel to motorists.

An unsuspecting motorists who have been experiencing malfunctions in the vehicle operation lifted the lid on the sharp practice by the fuel station.

It was not known whether water leaked into the fuel tanks or it is the handiwork of the management or some unscrupulous staff
SEE WATCH VIDEO

First Bank of Nigeria Limited, Nigeria’s premier and leading financial inclusion services provider, has announced the launch of First Global Transfer (FGT) to promote international transfer of funds across its subsidiaries in sub-Saharan Africa.

The Bank’s subsidiaries in Africa include FBNBank DRC, FBNBank Ghana, FBNBank Gambia, FBNBank Guinea, FBNBank Sierra-Leone, FBNBank Senegal.

The First Global Transfer (FGT) initiative is specifically designed to ensure safe, timely and improved efficiency in the transfer of funds across the network of FirstBank subsidiaries in Africa. The FGT is not restricted to FirstBank and FBNBank Customers alone but it is also open to every individual resident in the country the funds transfer is originating from.

Intending users of the initiative are to visit any of the Bank’s branches in Nigeria or subsidiaries in Africa, which are: FBNBank DRC, FBNBank Ghana, FBNBank Gambia, FBNBank Guinea, FBNBank Sierra-Leone, or FBNBank Senegal to enjoy the service. For example, with First Global Transfer, individuals and customers in Sierra-Leone can walk into any FBNBank branch to send money to FirstBank customers in Nigeria as well as FBNBank customers in Gambia, Ghana, DR Congo, Senegal or Guinea.

Speaking on the initiative, Dr. Adesola Adeduntan, CEO, FirstBank said “today’s customer is influenced by the technological advancement shaping businesses across various industries and our First Global Transfer (FGT) initiative is one of those advancement created to impact every individual in our host community in Africa, whilst promoting the ease and swift transfer of money from one country to another for business or personal activities.”

“With the launch of African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) on 1 January 2021, the First Global Transfer (FGT) is indeed very timely as it will play an essential role in stimulating business activities across borders, thereby impacting the growth and development of the continent. I enjoin everyone to visit any one of our branches nearest to you in Nigeria or our subsidiaries in Africa and send money to your loved ones or business partners with FirstBank or FBNBank account(s),” he concluded.

Justice Oluremi Oguntoyinbo sitting at a Federal High Court in Lagos, on Thursday, ruled that the court will proceed with contempt proceedings against Alta Semper Capital, Chidi Okoro and their other local collaborators in the dispute between the founder and Chief Executive Officer, Mrs Bukola George, and Alta Semper, the other shareholder of HealthPlus Limited, a leading retail pharmaceutical company in Nigeria.

HealthPlus has been embroiled in a crisis since Alta Semper, a UK private equity firm breached its agreement to invest USD 18million in HealthPlus in two tranches. The PE firm invested the first tranche of about USD 9.5million in March 2018 and was to complete the deal 12 months later.

Unfortunately, Alta Semper ran into troubled waters. Its original source of funds was expensive and the firm has been unable to secure cheaper funds. It therefore has not been able to come up with the second tranche 24 months later, causing dire consequences for the company and its shareholders.

A PE executive in the UK stated that “The Alta Semper story is common knowledge in the PE circles in the UK. They clearly have problems raising money. Their original fund raised through two family offices was very expensive. They are struggling to find new money at lower cost. Seemingly, HealthPlus is one of their prime assets, especially with the COVID situation. There is a lot of pressure for Alta Semper to increase their stake and look for an exit or IPO. So that’s probably why they are behaving how they are. There is a little bit of desperation and opportunism.”

Alta Semper may have found the seeming “anything goes” business environment in Nigeria an opportunity to grab HealthPlus since it believed it could easily circumvent the laws and regulations in a manner similar to the P&ID debacle that the Federal Government is currently challenging in the English courts.

Alta Semper also breached the conditions upon which the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN), the regulator of the retail pharmacy chain issued a “No Objection” letter/waiver which facilitated the investment. This led to the withdrawal of the waiver recently. A second blow in two weeks. The implication is that the bottom has been knocked off the deal.

Reacting to the ruling, a senior colleague of the founder and CEO stated that “The recent developments leave Alta Semper with only one option – to come to the round table, negotiate its exit and allow the legit management team rebuild and restore HealthPlus to its former glory and more. At inception, Alta Semper bought into a growth strategy only to make a u-turn, forcibly shrinking the company into a shadow of its old self. The partnership has been nothing short of a nightmare.

“While Nigeria is desirous of foreign investments, our doors are open to investors who are genuinely committed to supporting local entrepreneurs achieve their aspirations. Our doors are not open to investors who renege on agreements, only to use armed security officials and other extra legal means to perpetuate a hostile takeover of the company’s operations. The rule of law is alive and well in Nigeria. We are not a banana republic!”

Denmark has suspended use of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine currently been circulated across Nigeria because of concerns surrounding fatal blood clots.

Denmark’s health minister Magnus Heunicke said in a tweet translated from Danish: “The health authorities have, due to precautionary measures, suspended vaccination with AstraZeneca following a signal of a possible serious side effect in the form of fatal blood clots.

“It is currently not possible to conclude whether there is a connection. We act early, it needs to be thoroughly investigated.”

Danish health officials had approved the vaccine’s use on March 5 for people aged over 65, citing evidence from a Scottish study.

Heunicke did not specify where the blood clot concerns had come from. Newsweek has contacted the Danish Health Authority for comment.

On March 7, Austrian authorities suspended one particular batch of AstraZeneca COVID jabs—batch number ABV5300—after one person died and another became ill after receiving doses. The death was due to multiple thrombosis, a formation of blood clots in blood vessels, and the illness was pulmonary embolism.

The European Medicines Agency said on March 10 there was no indication vaccination had caused the conditions.

Denmark has so far administered 759,160 doses of COVID vaccines so far, according to Reuters analysis.

Nonso Okpala, VFD Group Boss jumps on the #TEFChallenge in an interview and spoke on the importance of the 2021 TEF Entrepreneurship Programme for young entrepreneurs.


What were you up to before this call came in?
Well, my morning rituals of responding to emails, a thousand and one of them. But I think I’m almost through.

Do you mind? What that item over there (points to an artwork on the table)?
Right… It’s the sculpture of honorable Nnamdi Azikiwe, the first indigenous governor-general of Nigeria. This was done by an artist in 1962.

I noticed there are a lot of art pieces here, which one of them is your favourite?
Hmmm… That’s a tough question! Believe it all the art pieces (Gives the interviewer a tour of all his art collections and his favourite spot in his living room).

Do you mind if we pick up the pace a little bit?
Sure, no problem.

So 9 to 5 or entrepreneurship?
It is obvious… Entrepreneurship.

Movies at the cinema or live musicals?
Maybe I’m not that classy right… Movies at the cinema it is.

Low cut or Afro?
Afro.

Akanna, Nnoma or Chinedu?
I’ll take all of them.

Instagram or Twitter?
Instagram.

So what’s one side of you that people don’t get to see a lot?
Movies… I like movies a lot (points to a huge TV in the living room), as I spend a lot of time watching TV. This is another thing that most people don’t like about me. I have a house, but I prefer to chill in an exclusive room where nobody comes to ask for anything.

Any message for young Africans?
Well, you need to keep working hard to make your dreams come true. Speaking of dreams you should go on tefconnect.com to take a chance at it, you never can tell you could be the next Aliko Dangote or the next Tony Elumelu, or the next Niyi Adenubi. You never really know.

In the bid to boost the facilitation of payments between SME and retail customers in the digital space, Access Bank Plc recently unveiled SWIFTPAY, a digital payment service that facilitates the receipt of business payments by enabling customers make quick, easy and secure digital payments on social media platforms to merchants.

Speaking to newsmen during the launch of the new service in Lagos, Group, Head, Emerging Businesses, Access Bank plc, Ayodele Olojede, noted that the lockdown, experienced in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, resulted in less in-person interactions and less in-person payment options.

She revealed that statistics from a survey carried out post-lockdown showed that MSMEs were impacted by cash flow, revenue and sales while adding that the impact of the pandemic made more apparent the lack of infrastructure and access to digital resources for small businesses.

“This is why Access Bank introduced SWIFTPAY to support the digital transition and growth of SME businesses. This product is part of the Bank’s commitment to support SMEs to meet their business objectives despite the times. The new service comes in form of a payment link that can be hosted on merchants’ social media pages and sent to anyone to pay and conclude business transactions. It is easy and takes less than 5 minutes for interested merchants to sign up as it is convenient and time saving for everyone.

Ayodele also revealed that the Bank is committed to providing very practical solutions that support the growth of small business in Nigeria.

“SWIFTPAY is free and the processing charge is discounted up to 15 per cent to ensure merchants keep most of their earnings. In recent times, e-commerce has been challenged with the rise in fraud on social media, we have ensured that every merchant registered on SWIFTPAY carries a ‘verified by access ‘ stamp to authenticate the page giving customers confidence when they transact.

“We have been focused on providing solutions targeted at boosting the economy because we believe it is our responsibility to contribute to the stimulation of economic growth. With the launch of “SwiftPay by Access”, we are renewing our commitment to providing the much-needed technological support to our SMEs.” Olojede concluded.

Access Bank Plc is recognized as one of the most innovative financial institutions in Africa. With over 40 million customers and 600 branches nationwide, it offers a range of products and services tailored to suit needs and lifestyle of its customers across multiple segments.

To know more about SwiftPay, please click HERE.

‘It is only as we develop others that we permanently succeed’ by Harvey S. Firestone.

When shortly after the end of the Nigerian and defunct Biafra hostility of the 1967-1970 era, the young, tall, handsome, water fatigued but determined Awa Uma Kalu boarded the Bus sometime in 1973 en route the university of Ife to study Law; little could anyone have correctly predicted the breath, length and extent of his influence in his chosen vocation in time to come. For the past 43 years, Awa Kalu has quietly but steadily influenced generation of lawyers to aspire to attain distinction in life. Yes, impactful influence though intangible is considered a humongous wealth and preferred legacy of enduring nature. The status of an influencer of an enduring nature is earned by chronicle of creative, positive and dynamic change around/within one’s operational environment. According to John Maxwell; a leader of considerate influence, is not just a trailblazer but a person that others intentionally follow behind, follow his lead and act on his vision. Frankly, Awa Kalu fits squarely into the mold as numerous legal minds and aspiring ones look unto him as beacon of inspiration.

The academic and professional laurels of Awa Kalu who was born on March 9, 1953 are sufficiently documented in the public domain. His parents were devout Christians from Ohafia, in the present Abia State. He had his early education at the then Anglican Grammar School, Umuahia and the famous Methodist College, Uzuakoli where he attended classes for his “A” Levels, majoring in physics, Chemistry, and Biology. He enrolled to study Law at the then University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) Ile-Ife and abandoned the “A” Levels and distinguished himself as an academic numero uno and won several elite awards. Some of such awards were Olu Ayoolaprize as Best Over-all LL.B. part 1. Student; Irvine & BonnerScholarship as best over-all LL.B. part II student and Justice Madaraan prize as best over-all final year law student. He graduated in 1977 and earned the LL.B (Hons) Upper Second Class Degree. He is among the 1978 set of Nigeria Law School that is adjudged eminent in the legal community.

Awa Kalu, SAN who is fondly and variously called ‘Prof, Papa, Papus and ‘Wakay by his peers and friends was at different times, Law Lecturer at the Law Faculty of the University of Lagos and the Imo (now Abia) State University. The litany of his students from the two citadels of learning is acquitting themselves admirably in diverse fields of human endeavours; and include Judges, Learned Silks and well-respected members of the Outer Bar.

As a teaching and research university don, Awa Kalu, SAN was consummate. As a practicing lawyer, he is painstaking. He leaves no stone unturned in marshaling out succinctly what he considers the crux of the dispute. As a technocrat, he is meticulous and mindful of the verdict of history. He enjoys the respect and the admiration of his superiors, mates and subordinates alike. In 1989, he was appointed Special Adviser to the then Hon. Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice and he had the unique opportunity of serving two Attorneys General in a stretch, namely; Hon. Prince Bola Ajibola SAN, KBE (who served meritoriously as a Judge at the International Court of Justices) and Hon. Sir Clement Akpamgbo SAN, both of illustrious memories.

It is said that this era of the Federal Ministry of Justice witnessed advancement of the frontiers of our corpus as the hitherto moribund All Nigeria Law Reports was revitalized. Therevised Laws of the Federation 1990 were unveiled. The maiden Company and Allied Matters Decree 1990 and the Banking and Other Financial Institutions Act (BOFIA) were enacted and the Journal of the Justice Ministry known as ‘JUSTICE was initiated.

 

Awa U. Kalu’s testimonial in public service both at national, sub-regional, continental and international fora is a veritable reference to budding jurists. At different times he was Secretary National Committee on Corruption and Economic Crimes; Secretary National Committee on Malpractices in Banks and other Financial Institutions; Member, National Committee on Town Planning Law in Nigeria; Member, Editorial Committee, All Nigeria Law Reports; He was also a member of the Nigerian Delegation on the Democratization Process in Ethiopia, 1992; Member Steering Committee of the 2nd, All-Africa Law Ministers Conference, Cairo Egypt,1992; Member, Nigerian Delegation to the 46th and 47th Session of the UN General Assembly 1991 and 1992; Delegate, Human Rights Workshop, Banjul, the Gambia, 1989: He also provided a platform for robust academic and intellectual pursuit through the publication of Lawyers’ Bi-Annual, a journal of Nigeria and Comparative Law of which he is the Editor-in-chief.

At the dawn of democratic governance in 1999, Awa Kalu was appointed the Attorney-General and-Commissioner for Justice, Government of Abia State and he served in that capacity from 1999 till 2006. To analysts of Abia State developmental strides, his tenure as AG, witnessed enhanced efficiency in the justice sector and the State government framework in its entirety owing largely to far reaching policy over haul at his behest of Awa Kalu. A historical touchstone of that era is the legal contest the Attorney-General of Abia State together with the Attorneys-General of the other 35 States approached the Supreme Court in its original jurisdiction to seek the interpretation of some sections of the Electoral Act, 2001. The celebrated dispute is reported as Attorney General of Abia State & 35 ORS. vs. Attorney General of the Federation (2002) 6 NWLR (PT. 763) AT PAGE 264.

Awa Kalu has the uncommon dexterity to put to test existing legal principles with the objective of subjecting the law to satisfy contemporary human needs in sync with the sociological school of jurisprudence that sees law as instrument of social engineering. He is in pre-eminent good standing with his constituents. He is accessible, forthright and often laced his penetrating insight on matters of law with good sense of humour. As a Lecturer in the Law of Evidence, Criminal Law, and Law of thoughts etc, he was delightful to his students as his illustrations stick to the memory for all time retention. His sense of humility, candour, comportment and fidelity to the justice sector is unique and indeed exemplary. In recognition of his sterling qualities as an advocate, Awa Uma Kalu was on August 3, 2000 conferred with the distinction and privilege of the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria by the Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee.

Today 9th March, 1953, as he celebrates his 68 years of impactful life, his family, friends, students, associates, colleagues and admirers warmly felicitate with him for the giant footprints in the legal horizon for the past 20 years as a distinguished member of the elite inner Bar. Of significant note is that in addition to the iconic roles, Awa Kalu, SAN played in the teaching and mentoring of generation of lawyers that passed through him at the University of Lagos and Abia State University, he has as a member of the Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee profiled a galaxy of lawyers that were admitted to the rank of SAN for the two terms that he served in that capacity from 2015 to 2019. Furthermore, Awa Kalu, SAN was again decorated with the additional recognition and professional award of the prestigious Fellow of the Nigeria Institute of Advanced Legal Studies.

As is the case with mortals, Awa Kalu, SAN has had his bumpy rides in life. For instance, having lost his ‘hero-father very early in life, he battled with the post-civil war economic asphyxia that was the lot of persons of South-Eastern Extraction to acquire his education by the combined sheer determination and struggle of his beloved mother who was a teacher. Between years 2016 and 2017, he suffered health turbulence that occasioned multiple surgeries under extreme emergency situations within and outside the country. For the great deliverance by God Almighty and the restoration of his wellness, Awa Kalu, SAN, his dotting wife, EGORO, an astute lawyer herself together with their lovely children and grandchildren are exceedingly grateful to God.

It is befitting therefore, that as Awa Kalu, SAN today reflects on his journey these 68 years on planet earth and with innate resolve to march on to the biblical year of age 70 and beyond; his family, friends, ex-students, colleagues and admirers propose a toast of good health and all round serenity of the mind. Undoubtedly, turning 68 years in our clime together with the commemoration of 20 solid years of elevation to the elite rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria are indeed worthy milestones that deserve the rolling out of the drums for measured celebration.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, my venerated teacher and learned brother Silk, Chief Awa Kalu, SAN; the ÓNOCHIE, Enia of Ohafia Udumeze!


Dr. Sonny Ajala, SAN, a legal practitioner writes from Abuja.

The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki at the weekend maintained that he has no personal grudges against his predecessor and former chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, but only dislikes his style of politics.

Obaseki disclosed this to journalists in Auchi, Etsako-West Local Government Area of the state, at the Centenary Birthday Thanksgiving of Msgr. Thomas Oleghe and 18th Canonical Erection Anniversary of the Diocese of Auchi held at Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Auchi.

Obaseki, who exchanged greetings with an elbow-bump in compliance with COVID-19 preventive protocols, with his predecessor, said they are both sons of Edo with the interest of the state at heart.

The governor said: “I don’t have anything personal against Oshiomhole. I may not like his politics, but he has not done anything personal against me. We all are interacting with the interest of the country and the development of our community at heart.”

The governor said the Zonal Congress of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which was scheduled to hold this Saturday, was postponed due to the local government elections taking place in Delta State.

“The Zonal Congress, which was to hold today has been postponed to Tuesday and it’s a normal routine to satisfy the party’s constitution; there is nothing amiss,” he added.

On his part, Oshiomhole, who was a guest at the event, hailed his successor, Governor Obaseki, describing him as ‘his brother and friend.’

Oshiomhole stated: “Once the governor speaks, the matter ends. The governor knows that pensioners here might not be able to do much, that is why he said every other thing required to complete the hostel of the Catholic School of Nursing and Midwifery in Uzairue, his government will do.”

The Nigerian equities on Friday recorded a strong rebound from the previous losses, following renewed investors’ interest in banks and telecommunication stocks.

Consequently, the market capitalisation gained N472 billion to close at N28.157 trillion from N27.685 trillion on Thursday.

During the week, rebounds in FBN Holdings, Airtel Africa, Zenith Bank and Guaranty Trust Holding Company (GTCO) and International Breweries were major drivers of the positive performance.

The All-Share Index (ASI) at the Nigerian Exchange Ltd. (NGX) rose by 1.71 per cent to close at 52,215.12 points from 51,339.01 recorded on Thursday.

Also, the year-to-date gain rose to 22.24 per cent.

Furthermore, performance by sub-sector index was also on a bullish sentiment as the NGX Banking Index, NGX Insurance Index, NGX Consumer Goods Index and the NGX Oil/Gas Index gained 0.10 per cent, 0.51 per cent, 0.33 per cent, 0.83 per cent and 0.06 per cent respectively.

However, the NGX Industrial Index went down by 1.87 per cent.

Analysis of today’s market activities showed trade turnover settled higher than the previous session, as the value of transactions increasing by 242.43 per cent.

A total of 190.10 million shares valued at N4.13 billion were exchanged in 3,893 deals.

Market breadth closed negative as 20 stocks appreciated against 22 that depreciated.

Wema Bank and Airtel Africa led the gainers’ chart in percentage terms by 10 per cent each to close at N3.74 and N1905.40 per share.

UPDC followed with a gain of 8.62 per cent to close at N1.26 while Champion Breweries rose by 8.45 per cent to close at N3.85 per share.

Prestige Insurance also went up by 7.89 per cent to close at 4k per share.

On the other hand, Fidson Pharmaceuticals and Northern Nigeria Flour Mills (NNFM) led the losers’ chart in percentage terms by 9.95 per cent each to close at N9.41 and N8.60 per share respectively.

Linkage Assurance shed 8.62 per cent to close at 53k per share.

Courtville Business Solution lost 7.84 per cent to close at 47k per share, while Honeywell Flour lost 7.41 per cent to close at N2.75 per share.

Titan Trust Bank Limited partners International Finance Corporation to train over 200 entrepreneurs on digital marketing.

The Moment Nigeria reports that as part of its initiative to continuously support entrepreneurs in the country by providing financial and advisory services for the growth of their businesses, Titan Trust Bank in collaboration with the IFC, recently, launched an online platform to empower business owners with knowledge to manage and grow their businesses amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

A statement by the lender said that the programme tagged, “Doing Business Online”, is aimed at helping business owners cope with the operational stress of the current pandemic and also serves as an enabler for them to create an active online presence, digitalize their product, services and find new ways to connect with their customers.

“The sustainability of businesses in the private sector is paramount as they are important contributors to the economy and are a source of job creation and global economic development. Nigeria is no exception with the private sector dominating the business landscape in the Nigerian economy.

“The wave of the global pandemic had a significant impact on not only economic activity but also the way of doing business and both large and small businesses had to develop coping mechanisms to survive in the ‘new normal’.

“Titan Trust Bank recognized an opportunity to add value to a segment that may sometimes be ignored and leveraged on its relationship with the International Finance Corporation to provide an interactive knowledge session for its customers,” the statement said.

Participants at the first virtual edition of the initiative held on the 18th of February 2020, gave positive testimonials on how relevant and rewarding they found the training.

During the training, participants numbering over 200 were taken through series of webinars by business and digital experts on how to use the social media and online tools to transform businesses from the traditional space to an online digital marketplace, how to set up an online business, identifying the best ways to make product offerings available online and finding target market.

Others included understanding how online payments work, how to deliver purchased goods and services to clients, and other value adding business tools to improve business branding, visibility, profitability and easy connectivity with customers.

In her remarks, executive director, Titan Trust Bank, Adaeze Udensi, Ph.D, said that the bank recognises the needs of businesses and is focused on delivering simple digital and non-digital banking solutions to its customers.

According to her, “with the emerging trends, it is either a business goes digital or it dies.”

On his part, managing director cum chief executive officer of Titan Trust Bank, Mudassir Amray, who also attended the webinar noted that the current pandemic and its untold impacts has caused a lot of panic in the business scene all around the world and Nigeria is not left out.

“And as a financial service provider that is passionate about the future and committed to tomorrow, it is important we constantly update our customers with knowledge of current trends for them to excel, promote and grow their businesses,” he said.

Amray further added that other interesting sessions have been lined up for the coming weeks “which will be delivered in partnership with seasoned business experts and promises to be relevant during the pandemic and beyond.”

In just 15 months of its commercial operations, Titan Trust Bank was recognized on the global stage by the New York-based Global Finance Magazine, as the ‘Best Trade Finance Provider in Nigeria for the year 2020’, an award previously won by only the first-tier banks in Nigeria.

Zenith Bank Plc has announced its gross earnings for the year ended December 31, 2020, rose by 5per cent to N696.5 billion from N662.3 billion reported in the previous year.

In a clear demonstration of its commitment to its shareholders, Zenith Bank Plc also proposed final dividend payout of N2.70 per share, bringing the total dividend to N3.00 per share.

This is following the release of the bank’s result for the year ended December 31, 2020, with profit before tax (PBT) rising by 5% to N255.9 billion from N243.3 billion reported in the previous year. This is in spite of a challenging macro-economic environment exacerbated by the COVID 19 pandemic.

This increase arose from a combination of growth in the topline and a significant reduction in interest expense from N148.5 billion in 2019 to N121.1 billion in 2020, significantly increasing the net interest income from NGN267.0 billion in 2019 to NGN299.7 billion in 2020.

According to the bank’s audited financial results for the 2020 financial year presented to the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) on Tuesday, the Group recorded a growth in gross earnings of 5% from N662.3 billion in the previous year to N696.5 billion. The Group recorded a 8% growth in non-interest income from NGN232.1 billion in 2019 to NGN251.7 billion in 2020 and a 1% increase in interest income from NGN415.6 billion in 2019 to NGN420.8 billion in 2020.

The Group’s increased retail activities translated to a corresponding increase in retail deposits and loans. Thus, retail deposits grew by NGN612.7 billion from NGN1.11 trillion to NGN1.72 trillion year-on-year (YoY), while savings balances significantly grew by 88% YoY and closed at NGN1.16 trillion. This retail drive, coupled with the low-interest yield environment, helped reduce the cost of funding from 3.0% to 2.1% and also reduced interest expense.

However, the low-interest environment also affected the net interest margin, which declined from 8.2% to 7.9% in the current year due to the re-pricing of interest-bearing assets. Operating costs grew by 10% YoY but are still tracking well below inflation which at the end of the year stood at 15.75%.

Although returns on equity and assets also reduced from 23.8% to 22.4% and from 3.4% to 3.1%, respectively, the Group still delivered improved Earnings per Share (EPS), which grew 10% from NGN6.65 to NGN7.34 in the current year.

The Group also increased corporate customer deposits, which alongside the growth in retail deposits, delivered total deposit growth of 25%, to close at N5.34 trillion, driving growth in market share.

Total assets also increased significantly by 34%, from N6.35 trillion to N8.48 trillion. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated challenges, the Group managed to create new viable risk assets as gross loans grew by 19%, from N2.46 trillion to N2.92 trillion.

This was achieved while maintaining a stable and low overall NPL ratio of 4.29% (2019: 4.3%) across the entire portfolio and an increase in the cost of risk from 1.1% to 1.5%, reflecting the elevated risk environment in 2020.

The Group recorded impressive liquidity and capital adequacy ratios of 66.2% and 23.0% and remained above regulatory thresholds of 30% and 15%, respectively.

As a testament to this superlative performance and in recognition of its track record of excellent performance, Zenith Bank was voted as Bank of the Year (Nigeria) in The Banker’s Bank of the Year Awards 2020, Best Bank in Nigeria in the Global Finance World’s Best Banks Awards 2020 and Best Corporate Governance ‘Financial Services’ Africa 2020 by the Ethical Boardroom.

Also, the bank emerged as the Most Valuable Banking Brand in Nigeria, for the fourth consecutive year, in the Banker Magazine “Top 500 Banking Brands 2021” and Number One Bank in Nigeria by Tier-1 Capital in the “2020 Top 1000 World Banks” Ranking published by The Banker Magazine.

Similarly, the bank was recognised as Bank of the Decade (People’s Choice) at the ThisDay Awards 2020, Retail Bank of the year at the 2020 BusinessDay Banks and Other Financial Institutions (BOFI) Awards, and Best Company in Promotion of Good Health and Well-Being as well as Best Company in Promotion of Gender Equality and Women Empowerment at the Sustainability, Enterprise and Responsibility (SERAS) Awards 2020.

The Speaker and the Clerk of Delta State House of Assembly, Mr. Sheriff Oborevwori, and Mrs Lyna Ochulor, respectively, have been summoned and interrogated by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abuja.

The invitation followed a petition bothering on alleged fraud, abuse of office, exorbitant prices on the purchase of vehicles and wanton looting of the legislative treasury.

An Abuja based anti-corruption organization, Initiative For Advancement & Accountable Integrity In Governance, in the petition to the EFCC Acting Chairman, alleged that the Speaker and his clerk quoted exorbitant prices for the purchase of official vehicles for members of the Delta State House of Assembly to the tune of N1,621,226,250.00 (One Billion, Six Hundred and Twenty one Million, Two Hundred and Twenty Six Thousand, Two Hundred and Fifty Naira).

“While it is within the scope of legislative duties to provide Honourable members with functional official vehicles, we were taken aback by the huge sums used in the purchase of different brands of vehicles for Honourable members when in fact, the state is faced with so much task to deal with.”

The Civil Society Organisation also accused the Speaker, Mr Sheriff Oborevwori of tax evasion, stating that “the sum of N77,201,250.00 (Seventy seven million, two hundred and one thousand, two hundred and fifty naira) calculated at 5% of the total vehicle purchase sum was claimed as VAT when in fact, no such sum was claimed as VAT when in fact, no such was paid neither was VAT paid on purchase.”

The CSO urged the EFCC to urgently commence comprehensive investigation into the petition and to ensure that all illicitly acquired monies from the proceeds of this purchase and wanton looting be recovered and returned to the legislative account.

An investigator with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Monday Moley, has narrated to a Lagos State Special Offences Court how a former Secretary, Lagos State Scholarship Board, Stephen Oshinowo, diverted the sum of N127m.

Oshinowo was arraigned on an amended eight counts bordering on criminal conversion.

He pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Moley, while being led in evidence by the EFCC counsel, Usman Buhari, told the court that Oshinowo used his account domiciled in the United Bank of Africa to perpetrate each of the alleged fraud on the charge sheet.

According to Moley, the defendant received the sum of N30 million in tranches of N10 million from the account of the Board domiciled with the FCMB for the use of staff welfarism and office renovation but later converted same to personal use.

She said: “The commission froze the defendant’s UBA accounts and commenced an investigation into the allegations, but at the time of freezing the account, the defendant had converted parts of the proceed of the fraud to personal use.

“Our investigation revealed that the defendant sent part of the proceed to his wife, Adenike’s account domiciled with Zenith Bank, pay for flight trips, supermarket sales, POS transactions and kept others in a fixed deposit account.”

However, after the evidence of the witness, the EFCC counsel sought to tender the defendant’s statements to the court.

But the defendant counsel, Lawal Pedro (SAN), opposed the submission of the statements on the grounds that the statements were obtained under physical and emotional torture.

Following the arguments of the counsel, Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo adjourned till March 7, 2021, for a trial within trial.

All is set for the return of popular singing competition show, Nigerian Idol. The organisers of the show, MultiChoice Nigeria, has announced that the sixth season of the show will start airing on March 14, 2021 on DStv and GOtv.

The Moment Nigeria learnt this announcement was made at a virtual media session today, February 18, to officially unveil plans for the season

Nigerian Idol Season 6 will premiere on DStv Channel 198 and GOtv Channel 29 on Sunday, March 14 at 6pm with a special airing of the most memorable and entertaining moments from the auditions which took place late last year. The main episodes will air weekly starting Sunday, March 28 at 7pm on Africa Magic Showcase, Urban and Family.

Speaking during the session, the Chief Customer Officer of MultiChoice Nigeria, Martin Mabutho said: “This season of Nigerian Idol is like nothing you’ve ever seen. In line with our promise to always bring the best and most entertaining content to our customers, we have put together a show that we’re sure will have viewers on the edge of their seats. Nigerian Idol is famed for producing superstars and this season, we’re going even bigger – with the grand prize and with everything else. We can’t wait to show you all we have planned.”

Wangi Mba-Uzoukwu, Africa Magic’s Channel Director added: “We believe that this season’s Nigerian Idol will produce a fresh crop of talent who will be well grounded to conquer both the local and global music scene. This year, we received over 3,600 entries and I thank our outstanding judges for painstakingly reviewing every participant to ensure we got the best from the pool of entries.”

Mba-Uzoukwu went on to say that the company is following strict COVID-19 guidelines and will implement the necessary safety measures including social distancing, wearing of masks and daily temperature checks for the duration of the show.

MultiChoice Nigeria had previously unveiled the legendary creative entrepreneur, Obi Asika, singer Seyi Shay and celebrity DJ Sose as the judges on this season of the show. The mix of judges with distinct experiences and backgrounds is one the organisers say will bring a dynamism to the show that the contestants will undoubtedly benefit from. This season of the show will be hosted by popular media personality, IK Osakioduwa

Nigerian Idol season 6 is sponsored by Bigi and will air on DStv channel 198 & GOtv channel 29 starting March 14. Viewers can watch Nigerian Idol Season 6 via the DStv app on multiple devices at no additional cost. The app is available for download on iOS and Android devices.

Nigerian Idol will also be available in the United Kingdom, Italy, France, Australia and 23 other countries via online streaming service, Showmax. This is in addition to the series being available across Africa on the streaming service.

For more information, visit www.africamagic.tv/nigerianidol. You can also follow the official Nigerian Idol social media pages for news and updates with the hashtag #NigerianIdol on Twitter @nigerianidol, Instagram @nigerianidol and Facebook www.facebook.com/nigidol

The National Steering Committee on Alternate School Program held its inaugural meeting on Monday at the Treasury House, Abuja.

The meeting sets the ball rolling for mapping out strategies and an action plan to address the challenges of out-of-school children in Nigeria and to rapidly reduce the number by providing them with quality basic education and skills in special settings  not addressed in a conventional school system.

In her opening remarks, the co- chairperson, convener of the meeting and Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development Sadiya Umar Farouq  said that Nigeria topped the list of out-of-school children in the world, hence the decision of the federal government to develop strategic plans by the recently  inaugurated Steering Committee.

“You are all aware that Nigeria is the leading Nation in the World with the most out-of-school children. Consequently, President Muhammadu Buhari launched the Alternate School Programme ASP to ensure that every out-of-school child in Nigeria gains access to quality basic education, irrespective of social, cultural or economic circumstance.
“The Alternate School Programme is expected to help provide opportunities for out-of-school children to develop life supporting skills from vocational and entrepreneurship training for effective functioning in the society.
“Each member of this National Steering Committee has been carefully chosen in expectation of the immense value you will bring in charting the strategic direction of this programme”.

The Alternate School Programme is designed to improve access to education for all Nigerians children in line with the aspirations of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG-4) on ‘Qualitative and inclusive education for all and significantly reduce the number of Out-of-School-Children through the integration of formal and informal educational systems.
It aims at eliminating or substantially reducing itinerancy, child begging and foster tolerance, unity and integration of all children with diverse backgrounds.

The Terms of Reference for the National Steering Committee include ensuring engagement and effective uptake of the ASP initiatives across the country, refining and focusing on the vision of the initiative, reviewing and approving all work, implementation plans andundertaking any other task that will enhance the effective delivery of the initiative.

The 17 man committee is co- Chaired by the Minister of Education MallamAdamu Adamu. Other members are the Minister of State of Education, Senior Special Assistant to the President on the Sustainable Development Goals,  Minister of State, Budget and National Planning, Chairman, Northern Governors’ Forum, Executive Secretary, Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Representatives of United Nations’ Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)  United Nations’ International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and Global Partnership for Education. Others are Chair, Private Sector Advisory Group (SDGs) Chair, Civil Society Coalition on Sustainable Development – , Chair, Senate Committee on Basic Education, Chair, House Committee on Basic Education, Hon. Dr. Shehu Balarabe Kakale, Director General NYSC, and the  Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development Bashir Nura Alkali- Secretary.

Join AHF for ICD events under our popular “Always in Fashion” theme as we call for increased access to affordable condoms around the world to help prevent HIV and sexually transmitted infections—along with promoting healthy lifestyles!



COVID-19 has impacted many aspects of our lives, and access to condoms was unfortunately not spared from the effects of the pandemic. AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS organization, invites you to join us for our “Always in Fashion” International Condom Day (ICD) to remind everyone how important it is for people globally to have access to free and affordable condoms—which are still the best way to protect yourself from sexually transmitted infections (STI), including HIV.

Obstacles created by the pandemic have further reinforced the necessity and importance of advocacy to prioritize access to condoms. For young people, “Always in Fashion” is life-affirming and essential to curbing HIV and STI rates.

ICD was started by AHF in 2008 with the aim of promoting creative condom marketing and their use, because condoms are still the most cost-effective method for preventing STIs and unplanned pregnancies. The annual celebration is observed globally in conjunction with Valentine’s Day—and AHF Nigeria have exciting and informative virtual and in-person “Always in Fashion” events planned for 2021!

This year, between 12th – 14th of February, AHF-Nigeria is teaming up with the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), to produce and air an innovative jingle that highlights safer sexual practices and that also harps on abstinence.

Also with NACA, a testing campaign is being run with a notable radio station in Abuja, ‘Berekete family’ given the reach of the station, while at the NACA office, stakeholders shall gather for the dissemination of the Condom Access and Utilization Survey conducted in 2020 to ensure gaps identified in the survey are streamlined in interventions. Importantly, AHF-Nigeria with NACA is also partnering with Premium Times Center for Investigative Journalism (PTCIJ), the training arm of Nigeria’s foremost investigative newspaper for a Tweet-meet to engage Nigerians on the challenges, opportunities and gaps needing to be bridged in our condom programming, while that presents an opportunity to interact directly with the people.

‘‘Across our program states of: Abuja, Kogi, Anambra, Nasarawa, Akwa Ibom, Benue and Cross River state, AHF-Nigeria shall be providing free HIV testing and promote healthy lifestyles with the year’s theme of the ICD, “Always in Fashion”, while we distribute free condoms to Nigerians, said Dr. Echey Ijezie, AHF-Nigeria Country Program Director.

“Lockdowns and restrictions due to COVID-19 have been an ongoing threat to condom access, particularly in countries where stockouts and other barriers already made it difficult for people to get condoms,” said AHF Chief of Global Advocacy and Policy Terri Ford. “AHF remains committed to ensuring people everywhere have access to free or affordable condoms, and our ‘Always in Fashion’ ICD events hosted by AHF’s global country teams are just one way we do that. We encourage everyone in the 45 countries where we operate to find an entertaining event near you and spread the word on the importance of condoms and condom access for all!”

“We have always placed condom access high on our priority list,” said AHF President Michael Weinstein. “International Condom Day gives us a platform to call for governments and public health institutions to ensure that people have the tools to protect themselves and their loved ones, which is especially important when we’re still seeing 1.7 million new HIV infections every year. That’s simply not acceptable when we have the means to distribute condoms to people worldwide to keep them safe from preventable diseases.”

You’ve got Firstmonie Wallet on your phone? Did I hear you say Yes… then, count yourself lucky because your first daily recharge and data subscription between 13 – 15 February will give you the opportunity to speak more to your loved ones, or spend more time on your favourite social media channel.

In sharing love this valentine season, Firstmonie Wallet – the electronic wallet initiative by FirstBank – will gift customers bonus 100% data and 50% airtime on their first recharge each day across all GSM networks… make some Noise!!!

Firstmonie Wallet is your friendly e-wallet to pay for your utility bills, buy airtime and data, transfer and receive money from any account in a seamless and convenient way and much more. It is your wallet with many more possibilities.

You don’t have Firstmonie Wallet on your phone? Then count yourself also lucky because you will be gifted the bonus airtime and data once you download the Firstmonie Wallet app, purchase airtime and data; that’s all, data and airtime is all yours. You can also sign up on Firstmonie Wallet via USSD by simply dialing *894*1#.

To sign up for Firstmonie Wallet using your phone,

Simply download the app from your store (iOS or Android)
Enter your mobile number and agree to terms and conditions.
Follow the steps to complete registration.
To sign up for Firstmonie Wallet via the USSD string,

Just dial *894*1#.
Choose 1 to register without BVN and input necessary information.
Choose 2 to register with BVN and follow the prompt.
Use your Firstmonie Wallet between 13 – 15 February and share in our love this valentine.

Terms and conditions apply.

Nigeria’s leading retail bank, Access Bank Plc, has unveiled a series of exciting offers to celebrate its customers this Valentine season.

The Moment Nigeria learnt the campaign tagged “It’s a Love Thing” is the 4th edition and will run from February 10 to February 28, 2021.

Speaking at the launch of the campaign, Victor Etuokwu, Executive Director, Retail Banking, Access Bank Plc said: “Valentine season gives us another opportunity to show love to our customers and reward their loyalty for banking with us. We are using this opportunity to thank our customers for their commitment to Access Bank. We appreciate our customers as well as non-customers who depend on our services and products to achieve seamless banking transactions and wish everyone a happy valentine’s celebration.”

Commenting further on the campaign, Adaeze Umeh, Group Head, Consumer Banking, Access Bank Plc, said: “In the spirit of the love season we have created unique and amazing offers to meet the needs of our customers this season. Our Device Finance offer allows our customers gift their loved ones with new devices for as low as N1,500 per month. All they need to do is to download the Quickbucks app to get started.

Customers who perform at least 4 transactions daily using our mobile app or USSD service *901# will stand a chance to win N1million at the end of February, 2021. We will also offer 20% discount to the first 4,000 customers who subscribe to our XclusivePlus quarterly plan between today and the last day of February 2021. Our merchant customers are not left out of the fun this season, we will be rewarding them with shopping vouchers when they perform transactions up to N200,000 or more on SwiftPay which is a revolutionary payment platform designed for SMEs who do business on social media. We are offering these and so much more to show how much we appreciate our customers for their consistent patronage.”

“To join the rewarding train, all you need to do is to dial *901# to open a new account or walk into any Access Bank branch close to you to reactivate your account and start transacting today to enjoy the Valentine Campaign benefits,” Adaeze concluded.

Access Bank is the leading retail bank in Nigeria with over 600 branches and more than 40 million customers. The bank offers products and services tailored to suit the lifestyle of every Nigerian irrespective of age and demographic.

To know more about the Access Bank ‘Valentine Campaign’ please click HERE

Union Bank of Nigeria Plc stepped out into a new lending venture in 2020 but that led to more credit loss expenses than it built income — yet, it has now recorded its best profit margin at any time since 2015.

The bank added some N46 billion in new lending in the third quarter to close the nine months of the year with a net credit portfolio of N627 billion.

The increased lending activity resulted in a net loan impairment charge of N1.9 billion in the quarter while interest earnings dropped by 9 percent quarter-on-quarter. This is a bad turn from a net loan impairment write back of N243 million to the charge over the same period.

The bank’s management grew the loan portfolio for the second year in 2020 from a drop it recorded in 2018. Its net credit portfolio had expanded by 14 percent over the closing figure in 2019 at the end of September 2020. It grew by 16 percent in 2019 — the highest loan growth rate for the bank in three years.

Net credit loss expense for the three quarters of the 2020 financial year summed up to N6 billion. This is against a net write back of N4.7 billion in the third quarter of 2019. The effect of this development on the income statement is considerable.

Net loan impairment expenses claimed 14.5 percent of net interest income at the end of the third quarter. In the same period in 2019, net write back represented 13 percent of net interest income. Lending in the bad operating climate that ruled last year seems to offer an explanation for the upsurge in loan losses and the loss of interest income.

The bank recorded a sustained drift from net write back position in 2019 to rising net credit loss charges through the first three quarters of the 2020 financial year. This development constrained the bank’s ability to grow profit at the end of the third quarter.

It closed the nine months of last year with a slight decline in after tax profit. That was a step up from a profit drop of 9 percent at half year. A quarter-on-quarter profit growth of 29 percent to N4.3 billion in the third quarter narrowed down the margin of decline.

The year-on-year position for the bank shows interest income flat at N85.6 billion at the end of the third quarter. Some improvement in non-interest earnings in the third quarter however countered the weakness in interest income and enabled a slight improvement in operating income to N49.5 billion over the review period.

Union Bank closed the third quarter operations with gross earnings of over N121 billion. The figure is an increase of below 4 percent year-on-year, which is a continued slowdown from 16.5 percent growth in the first quarter and 7.7 percent improvement at half year.

Non-interest income was the revenue growth driver for the bank for the year with a year-on-year growth of 26 percent to N33.5 billion at the end of September 2020.

Another favourable event in the year is the realisation of significant cost saving by the bank from interest expenses. Cost of funds increased its pace of decline from 4.5 percent at the end of June to almost 10 percent drop to N43.5 billion at the end of September.

The cost saving achieved from the drop in interest expenses enabled the bank to turn its flat interest income into a 14 percent increase in net interest earnings to over N42 billion at the end of the third quarter operations.

The increase in net credit loss expenses claimed more than all the increase in net interest income, leading net interest income after loan impairment charges to a drop by close to 14 percent to N36 billion.

The bank’s management kept operating expenses in check in the year, which enabled the bank to defend the bottom line at the end of the third quarter. Operating cost margin edged up to 44 percent in reflection of the weakening of revenue in the third quarter.

The increase in cost margin encroached on net profit margin, which declined all the way from 14 percent in the first quarter to 13 percent at half year and further to 12.4 percent at the end of the third quarter. In spite of the downward movement, it stands as the best profit margin the bank has recorded any time since 2015.

A loss of N775 million from discontinued operations against a profit of N102 million over the review period also contributed to the profit weakness the bank suffered in the year. Union Bank closed the third quarter operations with an after tax profit of N15 billion.

The bank ended the third quarter operations with earnings per share of 54 kobo. It resumed dividend payment with 25 kobo per share at the end of 2019, which is expected to be sustained for the 2020 financial year.

The Lagos State House of Assembly on Monday frowned at what it called the unwholesome and illegal sales of supposed drugs for COVID-19.

This was as the Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, directed the acting chairman of the House committee on health, Hon. Hakeem Shokunle, to have further discussions with the executive arm in relation to a bill on COVID-19 that had been passed months ago by the Assembly.

Speaker Obasa, who presided over the sitting, said the state needed to act, monitor and regulate activities around the sales and use of the drugs so as not to make it free-for-all.

Shokunle (Oshodi/Isolo 1) had raised the motion on the floor of the House and complained that some Nigerians were taking advantage of the COVID-19 situation in the state to sell various drugs.

While noting the danger in such illegal action, Shokunle urged the House to revisit the bill on COVID-19 which the House had passed and which was awaiting Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s assent.

He said an amendment of the bill would allow the executive arm of the state government to work maximally in its efforts to combat the pandemic.

In his contribution, Hon. Gbolahan Yishawu (Eti Osa 2), supported Shokunle adding that it was lamentable the way people are bringing vaccines into the country.

He advised that there should be a way to regulate the importation of such drugs as well as their sales, especially as the virus comes with different variants.

He noted that the House already has a bill and that all that is required is a recall of the bill for the purpose of amending it to cover the sales and distribution of related drugs.

On his part, Hon. Temitope Adewale (Ifaki Ijaiye 1), said while COVID-19 is known to be ravaging the world and affecting the state, there is danger in self-medication or administration of drugs that are not regulated or approved.

Supporting that the bill be recalled, he warned that the state faced the danger of people suffering adverse effects from the use of some of these drugs.

The motion was further supported by Hon. Tobun Abiodun (Epe 1) and Hon. Ajani Owolabi (Mainland 1).

The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development Sadiya Umar Farouq has called for a working partnership between state governments and the ministry to stamp out poverty in the country.

The Moment Nigeria report the minister made the call at a virtual extra-ordinary meeting of the Forum of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and Secretaries to State Governments which was convened on Friday 5th February, 2021, at her instance at the Office of the SGF.

The meeting themed ‘Strengthening National Poverty Eradication Stategies and Policies’ is targeted at effectively coordinating poverty eradication programs in Nigeria using a single document in all the states of the federation.

In her presentation, Umar Farouq emphasized that poverty remains the number one challenge in the country, hence the need to coordinate and synchronize effectively, all programmes aimed at eradicating poverty in Nigeria.

“A careful evaluation of all major programmes and projects of Government since independence on poverty reduction, alleviation and eradication shows that there is a need to harmonise and rationalise intervention strategies and their implementation which will lead to an environment where all programmes are centrally coordinated and monitored with a view to making the overall impacts transparently felt by all Nigerians. Though many actions were taken to address this in the past, the 2018/2019 Poverty and Inequality data in Nigeria, as released by the National Bureau of Statistics shows that the range of poverty headcount is between a high of 87.3% in Sokoto State to a low of 4.5% in Lagos, with a National average of 40.2%.

“This alarming situation and the strategic need to address it is the primary reason why the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari established the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development to provide National Coordination, strategies and policies for intervention.

“To ensure that these activities are well harmonised, it is imperative to intensify consultations to acquire the desired partnerships and coordination to succeed. This reality and indeed the key stake held by the State Governments in this process is the main reason why I requested the SGF to kindly avail us this platform to consolidate our partnerships and cooperation. Therefore, in order for us to succeed in attaining this vision, securing a partnership between the Ministry and the various State Governments is paramount. This meeting today therefore is the first but significant step in cementing this inter- governmental synergy for the benefit of vulnerable people in our country”.

In his opening remarks, the SGF Mr Boss Mustapha emphasized the need for a well-coordinated National, rather than disparate States and Federal programmes aimed at addressing poverty and called on all the Secretaries to the State Governments to ensure effective machinery for state level coordination and federal level interphase with the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development.

“The ‭ ‬theme ‭ ‬of ‭ ‬this ‭ ‬Forum: ‭ Strengthening ‭ ‬National‭ ‭ ‬‬Poverty ‬
Eradication Strategy‭ is a pointer to the importance of dealing with the ‬unacceptable levels of poverty in Nigeria. This situation is not abating in spite of the various efforts of ‭ ‬government at ‭ ‬all levels. Ineffective coordination
between and within various levels of government have been long implicated as a reason for a not too visible performance. It is therefore, necessary to fill gaps, block leakages, remove overlaps and ‭ ‬increase collaboration and partnerships between the Federal and State Governments through the office of SSGs so that we have a real National effort at tackling poverty in the country”.

‭The‬ ‭ ‬Minister ‭ ‬of Women ‭ ‬Affairs,‭ Dame Pauline Tallen in ‬her goodwill‭ ‬message, ‭called for the full integration of women, Children and youths ‬in ‭ ‬poverty re‭duction programmes ‬and pledged her commitment to ‭su‬pport the coordination efforts.

‭ Using the agricultural sector as a key driver of poverty eradication ‬
‭efforts i‭n ‬the country, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural ‬
‭Development ‬Alhaji Mohammed Sabo Nanono ‭solicited a ‬
‭three-tiered collaborative policy implementation through state, multi-MDA and community levels to unlock greater opportunities for agripreneurs across all levels.‬

‭One of the major resolutions of the forum ‬is the need for the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs to anchor collaborative efforts across Federal level Ministries, Extra-Ministerial Departments and Agencies, States and Local Governments, Development Partners, Civil Society Organisations and the Private Sector to harmonise efforts and ensure cost effectiveness and efficiency.
It also called on all Secretaries to the State Governments to strengthen existing coordination mechanisms and where absent, set one up to ensure effective coordination and synchronization at the state level, harmonization and complementarity between and within Ministries and agencies as well as appropriate interphase with the federal government through the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development.

The meeting had 60 virtual participants including Mr Boss Mustapha, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Alhaji Mohammed Sabo Nanono, Minister of Women Affairs, Dame Pauline Tallen, the Statistician General of the Federation, Dr. Yemi Kale, Chairman Dr. Doyin Salami, members of the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC) as well as Secretaries to State Governments from 22 States and Permanent Secretaries.

It’s the season of love, and Union Bank is making dreams come true!

The Moment Nigeria report that Union Bank together with BellaNaija Weddings, they’re poised to deliver the union of a lifetime with an all-expenses paid wedding for one deserving couple, and a dreamy marriage proposal for another special couple … because doesn’t everyone deserve the freedom to live their dreams?

Here’s how to participate-

#Afreeunion #thewedding

Submit a 60-second video (or short write-up) telling us your love story and why you and bae deserve this gift. Share on your social media feed with the hashtags #afreeunion #thewedding.

Tag bae, along with @unionbankng and @bellanaijaweddings.

#Afreeunion #theproposal

For a chance to score an all-expenses paid, out-of-this-world proposal, log on to www.bellanaijaweddings.com/afreeunion and submit a write-up telling us how much you love bae and why you deserve this spectacular gift.

The most romantic and convincing entries will be selected by a panel of judges. Hurry, entries close at 6pm on Wednesday, February 10, 2021. The winning couple will be unveiled on February 13th and the Free Union will take place on Valentine’s Day!!

If you don’t have a Union Bank account, you can still submit an entry. However, you must open an account before the selection process is finalised. Just download the UnionMobile App from the Google Play or App Store and open an account on your phone.

For more updates on #AFreeUnion, follow Union Bank on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Terms and conditions apply.

In furtherance of the need to promote the business activities of its foremost agent banking platform – Firstmonie Agents – Nigeria’s leading financial inclusion services provider, First Bank of Nigeria Limited, has announced the provision of loan facilities – up to one million naira – to its banking agents.

The Bank currently has over 86,300 Firstmonie Agents, spread across the country’s 772 Local Government Areas.

With its location in every neighbourhood, Firstmonie Agents have been integral to filling the financial exclusion gap, providing convenient banking services that are easily accessible, thereby saving time and travel costs for individuals in the suburbs and remote environments that have no access to financial services.

The Bank’s financial inclusion activities is in line with the mandate of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to ensure the availability of affordable financial products and services to all individuals and groups of people in the country; irrespective of location, literacy levels, familiarity with technology and accessibility to modern infrastructural facilities. The Firstmonie Agent channel is amongst the Bank’s many initiatives to expand financial access in the country.

Appreciating the Firstmonie Agents, Mr. Chuma Ezirim, Group Executive, e-Business & Retail Products, First Bank of Nigeria Limited said “the roles played by our Firstmonie Agents in promoting businesses across the nooks and crannies of the country cannot be overemphasized as they have continued to set the pace in extending financial inclusion to communities with little or no access to financial services.

“With our Firstmonie Agents in every neighbourhood, several communities have witnessed a surge in business and financial activities, which is contributory to national growth and development. We commend our Agents and are delighted to support them with credit facilities, which they can access 24hours a day in less than 2minutes.”

The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development Sadiya Umar Farouq has flagged off the Onboarding of 5000 independent monitors for the various National Social Investment Programmes (NSIP).

The Moment Nigeria report that the training programme commenced today at the NAF Conference Centre Abuja.

Speaking at the event in the FCT, Minister Sadiya Umar Farouq said that it is her expectation that the process will strengthen the implementation of the National Social Investment Programme in Nigeria as well as provide data for evidence-based decision making.

“The scope of these programmes are large with about 13 million citizens across 36 states and the FCT benefiting from the Federal Government Intervention. Today, we are flagging off the training of 5000 Independent Monitors who will monitor the programme at the community level. The Independent Monitors will be assigned to monitor programme beneficiaries within their locality in schools, households and market clusters with the focus of ensuring that the primary objectives of these programmes are achieved.

“While this is the initial training to get you acquainted with your schedule of duties, the Ministry will ensure that you continue to receive regular training and guidance for effective monitoring within the communities you are assigned. You will be closely supervised by officials of the Ministry and your activities will also be monitored by the Ministry and other stakeholders at the state level”.

The Minister charged the independent Monitors to carry out their responsibility with utmost diligence and sincerity adding that failure to adhere to the rules of engagement or any indulgence in irresponsible activities will be met with stiff penalties.

“Please be informed that the Ministry will not hesitate to take you off the Programme if you are found violating the terms of your engagement. We are also working with security agents, EFCC and the ICPC to monitor these programmes. If you are found engaging in any form of malpractice or fraud, you will be handed over to them for investigation and prosecution. I therefore urge you to carry out this task with a sense of patriotism as we all work towards the vision of Mr. President to lift 100 Million Nigerians out of Poverty in the next 10 years”.

Earlier, the Permanent Secretary Nura Alkali who was represented by the Director Humanitarian Affairs, Alhaji Ali Grema tasked the Prospective Independent Monitors to shoulder the responsibility of monitoring the National Social Investment Programmes in their various communities with diligence.

“The social investment programme is a flagship programme of the Administration of President Muhammadu Buhari and is meant to support the vulnerable citizens in the Society. I therefore employ you to pay attention and learn from the facilitators brought here to train you on the monitoring process and data collection tools you will use in monitoring these programmes”.

In a goodwill message, the FCT Director National Orientation Agency Mrs Mary Tanko urged the Independent Monitors to shun practices capable of bringing the monitoring process to disrepute.

The State Focal Person Mrs Chinwendu Eteyen- Amba thanked the federal government for the intervention programs to assist the vulnerable especially the National Home Grown School Feeding Programme which she said has increased enrollment in primary schools.

“The children who got promoted from primary 3 to Primary 4 do not want to go to the next class because of the food. I implore the Honourable Minister to please seek to extend the Programme to the senior primary school pupils and secondary school students to lure them to school. We have also recorded an influx in school enrollment and attendance because of the school feeding Programme”.

The selected independent monitors will be based at the community level and will conduct monitoring activities within their locality including schools, households and market clusters.

They are expected to monitor and report on the implementation of the Social investment Programmes at the State level on a regular basis including the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP), N-Power, Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP) and the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) Programme.

The training is a follow up on an intensive two week-workshop and review at the National level by the Monitoring and Evaluation Committee setup by the Ministry to develop a Framework and Data Collection Tools for effective monitoring process.

Other dignitaries who attended the flag off include the Director Finance and Administration NSIP Mallam Abdullahi Musa Yusuf, Director Special Needs Mrs Nkechi Onwukwe, the SAP and Special Technical Assistant to the Honourable Minister on NSIP Dr Umar Bindir, SAP NSIP Dr Mohammed Nasir Mahmoud and staff of the Ministry and the FCT.