₦airaland Forum

Wins award for Nigeria’s Best Bank for a record 10th time


Guaranty Trust Bank Plc has been awarded the Euromoney Excellence in Leadership Africa Award, a premier award category set up to recognise banks around the world who are playing a pivotal role during the Covid-19 pandemic. The foremost African financial institution, which was also named Nigeria’s Best Bank for a record 10th time, was lauded for its swift reaction in responding to the Covid-19 crisis and for addressing the impact of the pandemic on its customers and communities.

Announcing GTBank’s Excellence in Leadership Award, Euromoney said: “One of the first things Nigeria’s Guaranty Trust Bank did with the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic was to get in touch with local authorities to see how the bank could help. Recognising that the pandemic would stretch the public healthcare system, the Bank partnered with local authorities to set up a care facility for people with Covid-19.

“GTBank also granted small and medium-sized enterprises a grace period of 90 days [which has since been extended by a further 3 months] on all loan payments. It is also developing other resources to help SMEs better understand and navigate the impact of the pandemic,” the magazine added.

Whilst being lauded for its exemplary leadership during a global crisis, GTBank is also receiving accolades for its digital drive to radically expand access to financial services and consistency in delivering the best performance across key financial indices. Key to the bank’s emergence as Nigeria’s Best Bank at the Euromoney Awards is its leading role in driving world-class corporate governance standards, excellent service quality and innovation in Africa’s banking industry

Commenting on the Bank’s Euromoney Awards, the Chief Executive Officer of GTBank, Segun Agbaje, said: “We feel very humbled to be awarded the Excellence in Leadership in Africa Award and immensely proud to be named Nigeria’s Best Bank for a record tenth time. These awards reflect what we are all about at GTBank—giving back to society and adding value to people’s lives. They are also testaments to our commitment to always be there for our customers and communities as a beacon of hope, an engine of progress and a platform for enriching lives.”

He further stated: “As we continue to navigate the fallout of this pandemic, the imperative of our time as an organization remains safeguarding our lives and livelihoods. This means that we will continue to lead from the frontlines by protecting our employees, serving our customers wherever they may be, helping businesses make it through these uncertain times and supporting public authorities in combatting the pandemic.”

GTBank is regarded by industry watchers as one of the best run financial institutions in Africa and serves as a role model within the financial service industry due to its bias for world class corporate governance standards, excellent service quality and innovation. Renowned for its forward-thinking approach to financial services and customer engagement, the Bank was recently ranked Africa’s Most Admired Finance Brand in the 10th-anniversary rankings of Brand Africa 100: Africa’s Best Brands, the pre-eminent survey and ranking of the Top 100 admired brands in Africa.

So one renegade reporter began spewing some lies about the Vice President last week but what Nigerians know about the impeccable integrity and unquestionable character of Prof. Yemi Osinbajo is not a new subject of public discourse.

On July 3, 2020, President Muhammadu Buhari said some flattering words about his deputy, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo. It is not the first time he has showered praises on Prof. Osinbajo or lauded him for his integrity on the job.

The latest offering of commendation came following the declaration of Nigeria as polio-free by the World Health Organisation. “This is to express our profound appreciation for your leadership of the Presidential Taskforce on Polio Eradication and Routine Immunization. The declaration of Nigeria as a Wild Polio free country is the result of your effective coordination of the Nigerian Polio eradication program through the Presidential Taskforce on Polio Eradication and Routine Immunization, Federal Ministry of Health and the National Primary Health Care Development Agency”.

While some might argue that it is commonplace for a boss to shower praises on his deputy, others will tell you that it has to be earned and I think the latter is true. But Osinbajo’s long history of integrity was not built overnight.

In 1999, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu had just been elected Lagos governor and he needed a man with a stellar, impeccable record to lead the legal reforms in Lagos. At the time, he did not know Prof. Osinbajo and had never met him but the recommendations from neutrals to pick the Vice President as attorney general was overwhelming. It was not just his unmatchable brilliance that caught the eye but his integrity.

He was subsequently appointed Commissioner of Justice and Attorney General. During his time as attorney general many reforms where undertaken including the establishment of the Office of the Public Defender, fiscal and legal restructuring among other notable things but something else also happened. This encounter was recounted by Richard Akinnola, renowned lawyer and journalist.

According to him, many years ago, when Osinbajo was the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in Lagos state, he revolutionised the infrastructures of the Lagos judiciary with new modern buildings. So one day, the main contractor, a foreign one very popular in Nigeria (name withheld), came to meet Yemi Osinbajo to show appreciation.

The officials of the contractor gave him an offer as they normally do to Nigerian government officials as show of “appreciation” after a lucrative contract. They asked him to give them a location where they could put up a structure for him as personal house, to show appreciation. Osinbajo didn’t say anything.

He dialed the intercom and invited his Solicitor-General, Fola Arthur-Worrey. As soon as Fola came, he asked him to show the contractor the site of the new court library the ministry had wanted to build but put in abeyance due to paucity of funds.

He asked the contractors to follow Arthur-Worrey to show them the site. The officials of the contractor were shocked. They apparently were encountering such a government official with such integrity for the first time.

But Osinbajo’s integrity has swelled since then. As Vice President and acting President, he has rejected uncountable amount of offers from oil companies, multinationals, etc that many stand in awe of him, often describing his actions as ‘rare’.

Politicians, religious and traditional leaders have at different times offered their thoughts on the personality of Prof. Osinbajo. Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, once described him as a man of integrity, praying that he continued to grow in wisdom, when Prof Osinbajo celebrated his 60th birthday in 2017.

Speaker of the House of Representatives also described him as a honest person. “Apart from being a reliable human being, the VP is one of the most honest people I have come across in my life. I make bold to say that the VP has qualities worthy of emulation by other Nigerians.”

Osinbajo’s integrity has also endeared him to traditional rulers. Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III, paid a glowing tribute to Prof. Osinbajo at the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) in 2019.

“He has leadership given to him by the lord God Almighty, it is a trust and responsibility and he is here in his capacity as VP and we invited him to give the keynote speech as VP of Nigeria and he accepted to be here,” the Sultan said.

Former Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi II once told Prof. Osinbajo to consider Kano his ‘second home’, this is similar to what many other monarchs have said to him across the country.

The Emir of Daura, Alhaji Farouk Umar who holds him in high esteem described him as the most honest Nigerian leader. “I want to specifically commend the Vice President for his loyalty, his commitment and dedication towards the transformation of Nigeria to its present state. We are fully aware of the situation President Buhari and his deputy, Osinbajo, met the country but today, things are changing for the better because of their efforts.

“This is attributable to the excellent working relationship between President Buhari and Vice President Osinbajo. Prof. Osinbajo is the most honest person and leader Nigeria has produced in recent times.

“His relationship has remained cordial with Buhari largely because of his honesty, I commend you, Vice President. I am particularly happy with the Vice President for the way he has shown loyalty to President Buhari, Daura Emirate is extremely grateful, for your commitment and confidence transforming Nigeria despite the challenges.

The respect Prof Osinbajo commands has resonated among the Christian community especially with regards to politics. Ask Pastor Sunday Adelaja, founder and senior pastor of the Embassy of the Blessed Kingdom of God for All Nations, a megachurch based in Ukraine and he will tell you that, “I dare say that I personally do not know any other Christian leader in Nigeria with the kind of impeccable reputation, character and integrity as that of Professor Osinbajo.”

Revered Bishop Francis Wale Oke shares a similar sentiment. The president and founder of Sword of The Spirit Ministries International says Prof Osinbajo is incorruptible. “The VP is always reaching out to Christians leaders on the need to support President Buhari; he is too loyal to a fault. So, those plotting his downfall through orchestrated campaigns should fear God. This man is not corrupt,” he said.

Renowned professor of law, Itse Sagay said this of Prof. Osinbajo. “The Vice President is an incorruptible man of God, a man of high moral standing who is as clean as a whistle. He will not appropriate any money that doesn’t belong to him to himself.

What about internationally? How do people view the Vice President? Joel Rainey, a US-based pastor who has never met urged Nigeria to lend United States the services of Prof Osinbajo for four years.

Prof. Osinbajo is indeed a man who places his good name above silver or gold. I will leave you with this quote from his opinion orginally published in The Guardian-while an employee of the then Federal Military Government-on Tuesday, November 4, 1992 titled ‘A Matter Of Honour’ in which he brought his courage to bear by urging former Head of State, General Ibrahim Babangida to keep to his word and handover government as promised.

Then a Special Adviser to former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Bola Ajibola, Osinbajo wrote, “It is for this reason, that those who say that government should extend the transition programme or refuse to handover in a chaotic situation, must stop this call to denigrate a solemn vow of the rule to the ruled. That unscrupulous politicians could frustrate a carefully-planned six year transition must mean that an additional few months of planning cannot be failsafe. It follows therefore that government must select the option that make its exit possible on the agreed date. This is the way of honour.”

Osinbajo said that even though he was a Special Adviser in that same government. Eventually he had to resign soon after as the powers that be were uncomfortable with such courage and moral clarity.

This is why Nigerians, by and large, understand that when fake news merchants and political schemes concoct lies designed to tarnish Osinbajo’s sterling reputation, it’s all a futile attempt. The Vice President is known by his good fruits already, his image will survive the ongoing 2023 murky permutations and schemes.

Seun Bisuga is a journalist, social media analyst and political commentator. He can be reached on Twitter @bisuclef

As the coronavirus pandemic forces firms to downsize and cut their wage cost to cope with the adverse economic realities, First Bank of Nigeria Limited (FirstBank) is bucking the trend with a different approach that puts its staff first, writes Segun Adams.

In a pandemic year where employees are agreeing to pay cuts to keep their jobs and businesses are either downsizing or simply liquidating, First Bank of Nigeria Limited is an outlier, taking an unusual approach to demonstrate how organisations can still ensure the best outcomes for both employer and employees.

The first-tier lender last Friday promoted a crop of its staff across all levels in a rare show of corporate resilience in the banking industry and beyond, both locally and across the borders.

According to FirstBank, keeping staff motivated during these unprecedented times is not only crucial for the soul of businesses, but it also demonstrates corporate responsibility.

In the wake of the new coronavirus pandemic, there have been unprecedented layoffs across the world as companies went bust, unable to generate cash to sustain their operations.

The United States, the world’s biggest economy has recorded a historic rise in unemployment with over 45 million initial unemployment claims in the last three months.

In Britain, HSBC, a giant global bank, is reviving plans for a 35,000 job cut due to pre-existing problems thought to have been worsened by the pandemic. Big banks like Morgan Stanley, Deutsche Bank, Citigroup, Barclays, Société Générale among others have announced about layoffs exceeding 60,000 jobs.

In Nigeria, 38% of the workforce was jobless in April due to the virus and lockdowns, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) estimates. In the MSMEs sector, 50,000 jobs were lost and 10,000 businesses have shut down according to Auwal Bununu Ibrahim, the National Vice President, North Central of the National Association of Small and Medium Enterprises, (NASME) and in the Aviation industry, some 24,000 jobs were lost as of April.

While banks in the country have been barred by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) from laying off staff without regulatory approval, there is no obligation for banks to implement promotions or raise pay. In fact, most lenders have initiated pay cuts to cope with the excess capacity arising from skeletal operations and depressed levels of economic activities in the economy which is reeling from the coronavirus and lockdown shocks.

But against the odds, FirstBank promoted its staff and didn’t cut down salaries.

In a recent article, Forbes stated that the manner in which firms treat their employees during the ongoing health and economic crisis will not only be remembered for years to come but have a direct effect on their productivity going-forward.

“How businesses respond will have a lasting impact on employee behaviour including, engagement, productivity and loyalty,” the American business magazine noted.

Hertzberg’s Two-Factor Theory also known as dual-factor theory postulates that career progression is a motivating factor for employees to work harder.

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to take a toll on the mental health and focus of employees in the country, and across the world, due to uncertainty of job status, lower income and a disruption to their career development, FirstBank stands out as a safe and rewarding place to work.

The stability and confidence enjoyed by the bank’s staff are the vital environment human resources experts say is necessary for firms that will successfully navigate the tides of current realities.

In a recent BusinessDay Webinar, Nkemdilim Begho, CEO, Future Software Resources Limited advised that businesses can engage their team and see how they can help in creating new ideas and products that the company can deliver. The resultant effect will be greater efficiency of staff and innovation whereas, elsewhere organizations are bound to struggle with a demotivated workforce which could lead to inefficiencies and higher costs for the businesses with adverse implications for bottom-line.

To realise optimal human resources contributions, Begho acknowledged the need for firms to sustain team bond and ensure that morale of their staff is high.

Even before current events, FirstBank has always proven to be conscious of the impact a stimulating and rewarding environment can have on the overall employee performance and thus, provided value accretion to shareholders, customers and other stakeholders.

From its competitive remuneration across cadres including mid-level and senior-level employees to benefits that cover medical insurance and disability insurance, sick leave and vacation, and retirement options, FirstBank puts its workforce first ensuring that they are well motivated and equipped to deliver higher productivity.

FirstBank has featured on some of the best workplace rankings including A Great place to Work and Jobberman. Last year, the big bank ranked among the Jobberman 2019 best 100 companies to work for in Nigeria, a list that scrutinizes over 60,000 companies to pick the best 100 based on strict metrics. The bank has enjoyed positive reviews from credible job/career sites like Indeed where it banks a 4.1/5 positive rating.

A former employee of the bank Aderemi Adebiyi commended the institution for its keen interest in the welfare and career progression of its employees. “I worked in the Bank for 15 years and do not regret it. It’s fast-paced, performance-driven with varied streams of career development,” Aderemi said. “The company also offers paid trainings.”

FirstBank’s talent management strategy is aimed at supporting employee engagement, employee motivation and increased productivity, and leadership development across all levels of employees within the organization, according to its website. As a tenet of career development, FirstBank has devoted itself to creating a culture of continuous learning tailored to the needs and aspirations of the employees and the business itself.

The bank’s FirstAcademy and learning centres strategically located around the country allows for e-learning, mobile learning, physical classrooms and virtual libraries to allow all employees the opportunity to equip themselves for future roles that benefit both them and the organization. This means pandemic or not, learning is continuous and uninterrupted.

FirstBank also prides itself as an equal opportunity employer so that qualified persons irrespective of gender, culture, age, nationality, sexual orientation, disability or social background can participate in its business.

At the same time, FirstBank remains a performance-driven organization and merit-based, allowing individual talents to be rewarded for their hard work and contribution to overall organisational goals.

With people as one of the bank’s greatest assets, it strives to maintain a pool of multi-skilled and well-rounded employees relying on initiatives like Job Shadowing, Coaching, Counselling, Mentoring, Succession Planning and Career Maps to develop and retain talents at all levels of the organisation’s operations.

In light of prevalent economic realities of COVID-19 on businesses across the globe, Keystone Bank Limited, has advised Micro Small and Medium Enterprises in the country on the need to increase online presence and grow sales using digital tools.

This was the takeaway of a 5-day capacity building training tagged: “Boost With Facebook Digital Marketing Webinar Series”, organized by the bank in partnership with Facebook via its Nigerian representative, Rabbington Media, for SMEs in the country.

According to the lender, the webinar series which is part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives, aims to find new ways to help SMEs wade out of the harsh economic tide posed by the onset of the corona virus pandemic.

“The widespread outbreak of the novel Covid-19 (Coronavirus) has impacted the world economy negatively and has led to significant shift in customer needs and behaviour as well as a total overhaul of operating models of businesses. In the face of this current socioeconomic reality, the need to increase online presence and grow sales using digital tools has become a burning concern for a lot of small businesses.

“It is in the wake of this rising need that Keystone Bank partnered with Rabbington Media to host the “Boost with Facebook Digital Marketing Webinar Series”, a 5 days’ session which ran from the 1st to the 7th of July with two sessions per day.

“The topics covered ranged from “Using Facebook Ads to reach your target audience”, “Using WhatsApp to scale your business”, “Finding new customers using Instagram” and more. It was a packed series of 10 episodes of exciting trainings with over 2,000 attendees participating in the sessions,” the bank said.

Commenting on the initiative, the Head of MSME at Keystone Bank, Helen Nwelle, said: “the COVID-19 pandemic has affected a large number of SMEs who can no longer operate through physical stores and outlets and as such, the need to have an active online presence cannot be over-emphasized.

“Hence, the sessions provided a lot of learnings to enable businesses take advantage of the digital tools available on Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram etc to reach new customers and grow their businesses.

According to Okemini Otum, the Chief Executive Officer of Rabbington Media, the Sessions were very impactful and engaging, with an ever-ready and keen audience for each session.

“The turnout was far beyond our expectations, and we want to be able to reach many more SMEs through more partnerships like these. We commend the passion and commitment from Keystone Bank in seeing to the success of the project”.

“The numerous testimonials from participants at the webinar proved how timely the training was and the needs it addressed in their various businesses and participants took away learnings which a lot of them immediately began to apply into building an online presence for their businesses,’’ Otum added.

Keystone Bank, a technology and service-driven bank offering convenient and reliable solutions to its customers, with a full-fledged Retail Banking Division which over the years, has developed various capacity building events focused on empowering entrepreneurs in the country.

The bank recently launched an online MSME Academy and the next Webinar which is scheduled for 17th of July will build on the take-aways from the Facebook Digital Marketing series and is tagged “Maintaining a thriving SME brand in the face of COVID-19.

Pay TV operator, StarTimes, has acquired the rights to broadcast LaLiga matches live on its platform in Nigeria from next season.

The news comes as relief for the country’s teeming football populace, millions of whom are followers of LaLiga, as the latest development affords them the chance to watch live Spanish top-tier league matches on the platform of StarTimes.

It also brings to an end the exclusivity clause in live sports content broadcasting rights in Nigeria, after stakeholders had clamoured for its removal.

In January, the Federal Government prohibited exclusivity rights in broadcasting sporting events in the country.

Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, directed the National Broadcasting Commission to implement a new regulation mandating broadcasters and exclusive licensees to share such exclusive rights with other broadcasters.

Mohammed stated, “This regulation prevents the misuse of monopoly or market power or anti-competitive and unfair practices by a foreign or local broadcaster to suppress other local broadcaster in the television and radio markets.

“This is so, having removed exclusivity from all content in Nigeria and mandated the sharing of all content upon the payment of commercially viable fees.”

StarTimes’ entry into LaLiga is expected to redefine the Pay TV sector and further attract more Nigerians to the league, which boasts some of the biggest names like Lionel Messi, Sergio Ramos, Jan Oblak, Luiz Suarez in world football, a top stakeholder told our correspondent.

“Their (StarTimes) affordable pricing, when compared to the other major players in the sector, will bring a competitive edge,” our source said.

With the countdown to the season five premiere of Africa’s popular reality TV show, Big Brother Naija officially on, MultiChoice Nigeria has revealed that this season’s winner will walk away with a whopping N85m grand prize!

The grand prize which includes a N30m cash prize, makes this season’s winnings the biggest since its debut back in 2006 and highest prize for reality TV show on the continent!

Chief Executive Officer, MultiChoice Nigeria, John Ugbe said: “The fifth season of BBNaija marks a major milestone in the reality TV series. We are making this season significant by not only increasing the winnings, but by also implementing other creative and innovative ways to ensure the show lives up to the premium entertainment especially during the current pandemic.”

The breakdown of the grand prize for BBNaija season five includes: a N30m cash prize; a two-bedroom apartment courtesy Revolution Plus; a top of the range SUV from Nigerian automaker, Innoson Motors; a trip to Dublin courtesy Guinness; home appliances courtesy Scanfrost; a trip to Dubai packaged by Travelbeta; a year’s supply of Indomie noodles, Munch it and Colgate toothpaste; a year’s supply of Pepsi, a branded chiller and a trip to watch the UEFA Champions League finale; and a brand new Oppo mobile smartphone

Meanwhile, MultiChoice will in the coming days reveal other surprises for viewers and fans of the show.

BBNaija season 5 will be broadcast live and 24/7 on DStv channel 198 and GOtv Max and Jolli packages on channel 29. DStv viewers can also follow the drama this season with the DStv Now app on a smartphone, tablet or laptop.

DStv customers who would like to opt out of viewing the show can do so by sending “Smart card number [space] BBOUT” to 30333. While GOtv customers can do same by sending “IUC Number [space] BBOUT” to 30333. Additionally, customers can activate the parental control option on their DStv and GOtv decoders for viewers younger than 18 years.

In order not to miss a moment of the entertainment on BBNaija season 5, fans are encouraged to sign up on DStv today via www.dstvafrica.com or get GOtv Max or Jolli on www.gotvafrica.com, and download the MyDStv and MyGOtv apps from the app store for more self-service options.

Betway is the Headline sponsor of BBNaija season 5 and the Gold sponsor is Guinness.

Given the prevalence of the COVID-19 pandemic, MultiChoice Nigeria has assured viewers that global best practices, precautions and preventive measures will be followed throughout the show. To find out more about this and other information on the fifth season, visit www.africamagic.tv/bigbrother. You can also follow the official Big Brother Naija social media pages for news and updates with the hashtag #BBNaija on Twitter @bbnaija, Instagram @bigbronaija and Facebook www.facebook.com/bigbrothernaija as well as all verified social media pages of DStv Nigeria, GOtv Nigeria and Africa Magic.

By Bilyaminu Kong-kol

 

The objective of communication is, indisputably to attain a desired result; definitely for it to serve the purpose for which it is designed, intended or planned, positive or negative.

Communication has been perhaps the most important aspect of human and social existence even during the primitive age. Therefore, care must be taken to preserve its sanctity and values and that demands that the content being pushed out is not distorted or cooked, espousing the public good and sometimes truthfully exposing wrongdoings in the society.

A medium which hurts, destroys people and elicits growling phone calls and libel suits has little chance of survival. Ethically, objectivity, fairness, sticking to the facts, weighing facts against truths and demanding the other side are hallmarks of good reportage. One of the dictums is that as reporters you should not LIE; it should not be the figment of the imagination of the organization.

The Sahara Reporters team has crafted a different set of canons for its recruits; their specialty, to say the least, is taking the frontier of reporting away from facts to the inglorious realm of groundless speculation and dementia. It is an absurdly false and characterless brand of gutter and blackmail journalism; a pack of chatterboxes and clamps whose stock in trade is falsehoods, obnoxious and villainous “beer parlour’’ gossips.

By constantly waging wars against those in authority and vilipending them, the online medium is gradually tightening the noose around its neck as purveyor of fake news and propaganda.

At best Sahara- Reporters’ variant of journalism is no-par-value as against evidence-based, factual, authenticated and verified reports of a credible medium. The nontradable products of the medium are fertile grounds for a classical study of an abuse of the new media and its irresistibility by gullible few who are wont to be rather quick jn swallowing their churn-outs hook, line and sinker and disregarding rebuttal or apologies by such errant media.

Unlike a renowned restaurateur with wide ranging traditional clientele who are pernickety, the likes of Sahara Reporters are piffling, pigheaded and higgledy-piggledy. The dysfunctional aspect of their reportage is fast becoming a phenomenon contrived mainly to destroy, damage reputation and integrity built over the years all in a bid to get rich quick extortionately. In the absence of any regulation or regulatory body or union, the only option is to approach the court to checkmate this errancy and miscreants in journalists’ toga whose watchword is publishing dishonesty, malicious, repulsive, contemptible and loathsome reports.

They continue to relish in it because the wheel of justice for libel and defamation cases is supposedly slow as most cases are not expeditiously tried – taking several years to serve justice. The question is: How many people who have consumed the fake news ab initio will ever get to read the judgment obtained against such errant medium or media? Even apologies are taken with a pinch of salt!

Since most media are near shutdown or distressed with zero-assets, damages to the tune of millions can’t be settled by them while they resort to out-of-court settlement and getting monarchs and personages to intervene, typical of the miscreants they are. Sahara Reporters as a medium is in and out of court with fusillade of lawsuits and it may just be adding to the long list inadvertently.

The speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, ex-Lagos State Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode, Ogun State Government, the Central Bank Governor Godwin Emefiele even Nigeria’s Presidency have had to refute their stories time and again with some of them ending up in litigation.

Sadly, there is character or profession in Sahara Reporters that can act as institutional gatekeeper to checkmate these inanely, insubstantial and irritatingly silly bush telegraphs, spreading gossips swiftly without restraint. It would have been better for the medium to go back to the medieval and primitive method of communication by words of mouth or gongs or drumbeats that can be denied or disowned.

A litany of some of the fake news published by Sahara Reporters include: In March 2020 –  Sahara Reporters published a report that the Government IT clearinghouse, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA)  received one billion naira from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) on the orders of the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy,  Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami.

According to Sahara Reporters it was intended for a “digital learning scheme”.

NITDA has maintained it is not promoting and has never promoted any programme with the title “Digital Learning Scheme” and has therefore never received any sum from the NCC for this phantom project or any other project.

NITDA in strong terms publicly and unequivocally denied the false report and has challenged Sahara Reporters to publish proof. Till date the media house is yet to respond.

In 2018: Sahara Reporters in a report said that a former minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode’s two-year old union with wife Precious Chikwendu had allegedly “hit the rocks and threatening to explode in dramatic fashion”.

“We wish to put it on record that there is absolutely no an iota of truth in any part of that story and it is nothing but fake news” the minister said in a statement.

“As a matter of fact, it is a total fabrication put together by a desperate and vicious media house that seeks to destroy the lives of every member of the Fani-Kayode family.

The wife, Precious Chikwendu, also came out to accuse Sahara Reporters of publishing falsehood and asked the media house to apologize.

The couple is still together and both had triplets last year. Again, Sahara Reporters is yet to apologize for publishing fake news.

Also in a report fraught with lies and embarrassment, the online medium alleged that the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, purchased a multi-million Naira Abuja mansion for his son who recently got married.

Malami described the report as ‘fabricated allegations’ that had become the trade of his traducers.  The report also alleged that the Attorney-General was planning “a second leg” of wedding for his son and had allegedly chartered private jets to convey guests to the purported venue.  The minister had responded, saying the son does not even reside in Abuja.

“It is one of such libelous publications of which the newspaper is commonly known for, the AGF said. It targets a selected few for unsubstantiated fabricated allegations while overlooking more serious reasonable allegations visibly against its favoured sectional kinsmen.”

The AGF challenged anyone with evidence on his alleged purchase of the said mansion and charter of private jets to make such public.

“Who is the vendor of the purported house bought for my son in Abuja at N300m? Where is it located? Where are the title documents?” he queried.

On the alleged chartered jets: “It is common knowledge that I have neither a father nor mother anywhere in Nigeria to convey to Kano for the wedding.”

“Who then am I using the chartered flight to convey? Which jets are chartered? Who paid for the charter? Through which means was the money paid?” he further queried. Till date, Sahara is yet to publish any evidence to support the story.

Sahara Reporters is on a mission: engaging in needless and self-destructive controversies to tarnish the image of public officers and citizens who are resolute in executing an agenda without kowtowing to powerful vested interest groups who resort to mudslinging when their demands are not met.

Quackery appears to be the vision, mission and centrestage of Sahara Reporters publishing devoid of decorum. In this time and age, no sound professional journalist worth his salt should sit down after quaffing some beer to do a story unmindful that there are consequences. Typing out squiggles from the reporter’s notebook, if not from the head, on the computer represents lives and the reporter and the organization should be conscious of what they do those lives.

Kong-kol is of the Department of Mass Communication, Bayero University, Kano. He can be reached via: bilyaminugambokonkol20@gmail.com

StarTimes has refreshed its content offerings, bringing more sought-after content to its subscribers at the most affordable rate in the market.

This is even as a new blockbuster Hollywood movie channel and two premium sports rights are coming on the platform.

To bring these exciting offerings within the reach of every Nigerian, the pay-TV entertainment provider said it pioneered and remains the only player in the Nigerian market offering flexible subscription options – daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly, allowing Nigerians to subscribe according to their needs and means.

Disclosing this during a virtual conference meeting with journalists, on Friday, in Lagos, Viki Liu, Marketing Manager of StarTimes said that due to StarTimes’ giant stride to make digital TV affordable to all families, the price of pay-TV has been greatly lowered, from average $50 per month to 3 or 5 dollars per month.

She noted that the pay-as-you-go options are available for all bouquets; and whether a customer subscribes daily, weekly or monthly to a bouquet, he will have access to the same channels and services, adding that flexible billing systems are reasonable for people who do not spend reasonable time watching television after subscription.

Viki said that although the sharp drop in naira has forced the brand to adjust some of its bouquet prices upwards from August 1, subscribers will get more value for what they are paying, without compromising affordability.

Her words, “Over the last couple of months, StarTimes has been adding new and exciting channels, great local and international channels for the viewing pleasure of our teeming subscribers without an additional charge. These channels, including other existing flagship channels and content, were acquired at a cost which StarTimes has continued to bear to cushion the economic pressure on subscribers.”

“For sports lovers, StarTimes offers varieties of international football tournaments for the entertainment of our teeming subscribers. Europa League, Bundesliga and Coppa Italia are exclusive on StarTimes. We also air English FA Cup, Copa Del Rey among others.

“We also brought back FOX; FOX LIFE; National Geographic; Nat Geo Wild; ESPN; ESPN 2 and BABY TV. We will very soon also be including a new Hollywood blockbuster movie channel on our list of entertainment content,” she also noted.

Speaking on the challenges that the company is facing in its quest to provide cable TV entertainment to subscribers, the StarTimes marketing manager said that earlier this year, the Federal Government increased the rate of the Value Added Tax (VAT) from 5% to 7.5%. “This increase did have an effect on our cost but in consideration of our customers’ plight, we continued to bear that extra cost.

“More recently, the impact of the foreign exchange rate has had an overwhelming adverse effect on our business. Our business is not exempted from the effect of the naira depreciation affecting all businesses in the country.

“All of our foreign content is bought in dollars and to continually serve our subscribers the best content, we have been constrained to make some slight review on our subscription rates. The decision to make this review is based on compelling external factors beyond our control.

“By this review which will take effect from August 1st, for our DTT (antenna) users: basic bouquet subscribers will now pay N1,700 as against N1300 monthly to enjoy close to 80 exciting channels; Classic Bouquet subscribers will pay N2,500 as against N1,900 monthly to keep enjoying close to 100 channels. While Nova bouquet remains unchanged at N900 with over 43 exciting channels.

“For DTH (Dish) users: Smart bouquet subscribers will pay N2,200 as against N1,900 monthly; Super Bouquet subscribers will pay N4,200 as against N3,800 monthly. While Nova bouquet remains unchanged at N900. DTH has close to 200 exciting channels.

“We hope our customers understand as we are not known for incessant price increase. Rather, StarTimes’ subscription prices had on different occasions been reduced in order to make digital TV affordable for every Nigerian.”

Responding to enquiries from the media, Liu assured subscribers that as a business, the brand will continue to make it a priority to broaden its content offerings to meet a variety of their interests without compromising affordability.

“Despite the price adjustment, we shall continue to delight our subscribers with more value at the best cost in the Pay-TV market. Consumer’s interests are duly taken care of with these flexible subscription options which give them access to pay for what they watch as low as N90 daily,” she said.

By Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa

It has been over 24 hours, yet I am still in search of the right words to portray how I feel currently. It did not come like a lightening. No. It hit like thunder. Maybe. Maybe worse than that. Or how best can one describe the blow death brought upon us with the sudden demise of Hon. Tunde Braimoh? How best can I understand that one backbone of the Lagos State House of Assembly has been expunged, not even like something taken away temporarily to be returned someday? How best can I pull myself together knowing that we will not see this scholarly politician whose meritorious service has added to the gains of Lagos?

As I sit quietly, ruminating about our journey on this earth, how we became close pals, the circumstances that brought us together, Briamoh’s unique voice, his brilliant arguments and postulations, his sequence and enviable use of words that sometimes got us bursting with laughter and respect, his gait, his carriage, then the reality that none of these would be heard or seen again, I melt with thick sweats on my forehead. Can our tears cease?

Two times I have tried to put something together within the last 24 hours. Yet, same two times I have been at a loss for what to say.

Tunde Braimoh was not just a lawmaker, he was an ally, he never had ‘no’ for an answer. He knew what to do even before such was brought to his attention. He had a ready answer for all questions. I remember the many times he would walk up to me to tell me about issues. A constant characteristic was that he solved most of them before I got to know.

Yes, he was not perfect; he was a human being like all of us, but who can judge him when his good deeds, which are unquantifiable, are there before everyone? There is no doubting the fact that he touched lives personally and on behalf of the House of Assembly. He had feelings for the downtrodden – they benefitted immensely. In everything he did, he always placed himself in the shoes of the other person.

He was neat, his dress sense was unique. He was always careful with life and he took his health as a priority. His laughter still rings. I can’t imagine – and do not even want to – that in our next sitting, we would all be greeted by an empty seat without that handsome, tall and gallant man, whose brilliance was never in doubt. This is truly a blow to us.

Hon. Braimoh had plans, great ones, for Lagos State. He had shared some with me. He also always had his constituents in mind constantly thinking of how best to reach them and give them reasons to be happy.

This year 2020 has shown its troubling uniqueness. Between June and July, we lost two strong pillars. We were still grappling with the reality of the demise of Senator Sikiru Oshinowo, whose valedictory session Braimoh played a role in as the Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Security and Strategy.

We will be consoled by the fact that the late two-term lawmaker served his State and the Federation of Nigeria with his might and intelligence and contributed immensely to their advancements. But, again, our hearts will continue to grieve. Rest on, dear brother and friend.

Rt. Hon. Obasa is the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly and Chairman, Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria.

Chief Executive of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), Mr. Babatunde Irukera, has stated that the pay-as-you-go billing model in telecommunications is not necessarily applicable to pay television.

Irukera said this on Friday while appearing on Sunrise Daily, Channels Television’s flagship public affairs programme. Responding to a question on the subject, Irukera said many pay television subscribers confuse the operations of telecommunications with those of the pay television industry.

He explained that it what obtains in telecoms is not necessarily applicable in pay television, as broadcast content must have been paid for and customers only pay for access unlike in telecommunications where the subscriber only pays when the timer starts.

He added that that what consumers mean to ask for is actually pay-per-view and went further to differentiate the two terms.

“My challenge with what sometimes is the discussion around pay-as-you-go in pay TV is that there is a disconnection and we’ve been through this.

“We have conducted some investigations and we have done some surveys in different parts of the world.

“The pay-as-you-go model in telecommunications is not necessarily applicable and so we confuse it sometimes with pay-per-view.

“Pay-per-view is not that you pay for what you view from the point of when you turn your television on.

“It is primarily that there are certain programmes, maybe a boxing match, a soccer match or some movies that are still in the cinemas that some of the pay TV operators have bought and you can literally request instead of going to a stadium or going to a cinema to watch, you can watch it in your home and pay for that view.

“That is pay-per-view, but we confuse it with pay-as-you-go.

“What people are asking for in pay-as-you-go is when you turn on your television and you are watching, you pay. When you turn off your television and you are not watching, you don’t pay.

“It is difficult because the content has been created, what you are paying for is access.

“How you use the access is entirely discretionary and up to you.

“Unlike the telephone where the clock starts and the airtime goes down, you have paid for content,” he said.

The agitation for the implementation of pay-as-you-go in Nigeria is a loud one. An Ad-hoc Committee of the House of Representatives is currently investigating the non-implementation of pay-as-you-go by pay television service providers. In a presentation to the committee on 30 June, Information and Culture Minister, Alhaji Lai Mohammed said the adoption of pay-as-you-go will allow consumers select channels for themselves, pay daily, weekly or bi-monthly for packages.

Leading retail bank in Nigeria, Access bank Plc is set to reward more than 1,000 DiamondXtra customers with various grants and cash prizes in the second DiamondXtra quarterly draw of Season 12 scheduled to hold on Wednesday, July 15, 2020.

According to Adaeze Umeh, Head, Consumer Banking, Access Bank Plc: “We are gearing up for the DiamondXtra quarterly draw this month and we will be rewarding more than 1,000 lucky customers with various cash prizes, business grants, family health insurance, rent advance and other exciting rewards.

“It is the bank’s little way of rewarding its loyal customers and creating more value to meet customer needs during these trying times. We rewarded ten customers last month with N1million each at the monthly draw and we are here again to reward more customers in the quarterly draw.

To join the winning train, all you need to do is keep saving if you have a DiamondXtra account already. If you don’t have an existing account, simply dial *901*5# to open a DiamondXtra account with just N5, 000 and save multiples of ₦5,000 to increase your chances of winning,” Adaeze told newsmen in Lagos.

Some of the DiamondXtra rewards for the quarterly draw include:

· Salary4Life (N100,000 every month for 20 Years)

· Rent for a Year for 21 lucky customers

· One Year Family health coverage for 7 lucky customers

· N1Million business grant for 6 lucky customers

· ₦500,000 for 15 lucky customers

· ₦100,000 for 45 lucky customers

· ₦50,000 for 300 lucky customers

· ₦20,000 for 300 lucky customers

· ₦10,000 for 300 lucky customers

The DiamondXtra Reward Scheme is the most rewarding way to save, don’t miss out on this opportunity to become a millionaire or a star prize winner. To participate; simply open a DiamondXtra account, save in multiples of ₦5,000 and you stand the chance to win amazing prices in the quarterly draw this month.

FCMB Group has notified the Nigerian Stock Exchange that its pensions arm, FCMB Pensions Limited, is to acquire 96 per cent of AIICO Pensions Limited.

 

FCMB Pensions has since grown its assets under management (AUM) to N325 billion with 350,000 customers as at March, this year, while that of AIICO Pensions is estimated at N126 billion with over 240,000.

A combined AUM of N451 billion and almost 600,000 customers will take the entire Group’s customer base to 8,000,000 and its total AUM (inclusive of investment management) to over N560 billion.

In addition, the enlarged pension business will benefit from FCMB’s extensive distribution platform, comprising 205 branches, a strong web and mobile presence; and the recen launch of its Pensions’ online enrollment platform.

Analysts have expressed positive views of its impact for FCMB Pensions and FCMB Group. One investment banking analyst described it as, “a positive move and a statement of intent from FCMB’s management to leverage its non-banking businesses to drive profitability”.

Another described this as a “landmark transaction giving a mid-tier player a great opportunity to bulk up”.

He added: “We believe the combined entity will be better positioned for stronger organic AUM growth and fee income contribution to the Group’s performance.”

FCMB Pensions Chairman, Ladi Balogun, said: “The business intends to use its scale to positive effect towards investing in the growth of the economy, while ensuring safety and the most competitive returns for its customers.”

Last year, FCMB Group increased its stake in Legacy Pensions (now FCMB Pensions) to 91.6 per cent.

President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has debunked online reports that he has endorsed Edo State governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki as his preferred candidate in the upcoming governorship election in Edo.

A statement on Sunday by the Group Chief Corporate Communications Officer of the Dangote Group, Mr. Anthony Chiejina, said the statement credited to the businessman and industrialist was an outright falsehood and a figment of the imagination of the writers.

According to Chiejina: “Our attention has been drawn to an online publication titled “Edo Guber: Dangote endorses Godwin Obaseki for second tenure.

“This is the first time that I have seen people publicly campaign for electoral office using the name of my boss and I have to stop it immediately so that others will not try it in future.

“The said interview allegedly granted by Aliko Dangote in Abuja is an outright falsehood, a malicious, irresponsible and mischievous act aimed at tarnishing my boss’s reputation. Dangote has not travelled out of Lagos since March 19, 2020. He has not crossed the Lagos Third Mainland Bridge since that date. His name and personality should not be drawn into any political campaign.

“Dangote is an entrepreneur and business leader whose focus is on development, job creation and philanthropy. He has not endorsed anyone for electoral positions in Edo or any other state of Nigeria.

“We caution the public to ignore claims from any quarter that associate the Dangote name or brand with partisan politics.”

The family of Nigerian music legend, Ebenezer Obey-Fabiyi, has debunked claims that the jùjú musician is dead.

As said, the music legend, nicknamed Chief Commander is hale and hearty contrary to claims making rounds on social media.

Reacting on Saturday, Lanre Obey-Fabiyi, confirmed that news on the alleged death of his father were false and urged Nigerians to disregard the news.

More details shortly…

How the American trained allegedly misappropriate over N400 million, suspended



LAWMA is the state government agency under the supervision of the Commissioner for Environment saddled with the responsibilities to manage waste and keep the state generally clean.

The agency prides itself as being committed to developing and implementing sustainable waste management strategies and activities targeted at improving public health standard waste management systems by employing adaptable solutions and best practices as well as encouraging regional integration and customer focused service delivery methods.

Our investigation revealed that Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin who took over the reins of power from his predecessor, Ola Oresanya, only assumed his new role at a handing over ceremony held at the LAWMA office, Ikeja, just on Thursday, August 8, 2019, fresh after his successful and progressive roles in the last Oyo State administration.

Interestingly, Dr. Gbadegesin, is a brilliant chap who holds a doctorate degree in Neurosciences from Georgetown University and a Bachelor of Science, summa cum laude, from Howard University, Washington, DC.

‎Following his return to Nigeria in 1999, the Okeho-Oyo State born technocrat ‎worked as a senior special assistant to former governors of Lagos State; Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu (1999 – 2007) and Babatunde Fashola (2007 – 2015). From 2011, he served as Special Adviser on Projects, later as supervisory Commissioner for Lands and Housing, then Commissioner of Health and later Deputy Chief of Staff, all with the late former Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State.

From a sneak peek, he is ideally a symbol of youthful, intellectual and fresh breed of progressive leadership that’s worth recommending as a role model.

Though it was gathered that Gbadegesin lived up to expectations by bringing new innovations and fresh ideas to LAWMA as expected, a source blamed politicians and the system which ensured Gbadegesin couldn’t resist the urge to spend and in the process almost ran the agency aground.

Reportedly, he consequently shot up the agency’s running cost from around N540 million to 1 billion, subsequently leading to his query and suspension by the state government over “poor performance” to give way for unbiased audits and assessment.

While some stakeholders felt disappointed and shocked because of Gbadegesin’s pedigree and track record as a crack strategist, others felt he was merely a pawn on a big chessboard in the Lagos polity.

Further to his exit, the Lagos State government brought in the current Acting Managing Director, Ibraheem Odumboni who has since been grappling to steady the ship including managing the recurring news of dysfunctional staff welfare system, and restoring stakeholders conference.

Curiously, Olamide Sulaiman, the young man who had in a viral video lambasted the agency over neglect and unpaid salaries also made a u-turn apologising profusely, claiming he was misled into defaming the agency.

The agency has also moved to capture biometrics of its genuine workers, apparently to arrest the ghost workers monster.

As part of the repositioning, just some weeks ago, for the second time in 2020, Lagos state auditors commenced fresh round of investigation, quite unusually, within the space of 3 months intervals in an organization.

Fast forward, huge revelations began to manifest after the state government in a statement said it has terminated the contracts of some of its contractors over breaches and sundry infractions.

The intensive audits have reportedly uncovered various breaches by some contractors who had worked with the agency during Gbadegesin’s tenure.

The contactors were alleged to have refused to pay street sweepers despite collecting funds from the government.

We gathered that Mrs Wuraola Williams, aka Iron Lady, a key contractor among the 650 operators who was said to be in charge of 66 of the 600 routes was exposed during the audits, consequent upon which she reportedly bolted.

It was also reported that as against the N80m the operator was collecting, her fees were supposed to be about N34m.

According to an official source, the Lagos State Government pays the contractors over N560m monthly as salaries for their workers.

However, an audit of the agency’s account revealed that a large chunk of the money was going to ghost workers and non-existent contractors.

The contractors, many of whom are politicians, allegedly inflated the wage bills of the street sweepers and supervisors under them.

LAWMA has 652 operators with 15,498 workers, including sweepers and supervisors working for them and operators are allocated different areas of Lagos, which are designated as routes. There are 600 routes in Lagos.

It was learnt that each contractor employed the number of sweepers to cover their assigned routes and a sweeper gets N25,000 per month as salary, while a supervisor is paid N40,000 per month.

However, the contractors reportedly padded wage bills and passed the cost to government as the salaries of their workers.

“If as a contractor, I am supposed to have 40 sweepers on a route, I will simply employ five, while telling government I have 40 people working for me. I will then collect their money, in addition to the money paid to me by government as a contractor,” a source said.

With the sordid revelations, how culpable is Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin is the curious question begging for answer. Did he enriched himself through the accused contractors and wreaked havoc on the pitiful sweepers? Was he just a pawn outwitted by politicians? Are there other clandestine dimensions to the saga?

An insider source insisted Gbadegesin’s fate was not unconnected with his uncompromising attitude and refusal to dance to the tunes of the commissioner for Environment, Tunji Bello.

Tunji Bello was the Chief of Staff to former Governor Ambode, whose leaked memo appeared to indict the then out of favour governor in the twilight of the administration.

Also, a public analyst, Alabi Akinrogun in defence of Gbadegesin described the entire saga as a “willful power grabbing at its worst with an eye on the supposed “Kitty” that LAWMA is perceived as.”

Akinrogun maintained that it was a “mindless brain-numbing political cross currents of a few political hawks and hacks operating at the top echelons of the state’s governance and political structures.”

Meanwhile, Assistant Director, Public Affairs at LAWMA, Akinleye Hakeem Kayode said the issue, concluded that: “The agency has gotten to a stage where we would rather focus more on our core mandate which is to ensure that the streets of Lagos is clean and healthy for all tenements and residents.

The enormity of waste management and regulations is so challenging and we’d rather channel our energy and efforts towards achieving our core mandate so that Lagosians will be glad to have a cleaner and more liveable city.”

Stakeholders and critical observers continue to monitor updates on this conundrum with a view to unmasking the mysteries in the whodunit.

Heritage Bank Plc said it has closed down an Experience Centre- EC (branch) at Allen Avenue; Ikeja over “unconfirmed case” of Coronavirus for deep hygiene clean up after an employee took ill last week.

The bank in a statement made available to the press and customers, noted “in line with our emergency response plan and following regulatory practices, we have taken immediate steps to close down Allen Avenue, Ikeja Experience Centers- EC (branch) for thorough disinfections of the affected location.”

Contrary to rumour, the bank disclosed that whilst the suspected staff awaits her medical test from the Covid-19 Test Centre in Yaba, she had not exhibited any symptoms related to the virus.

“Neither of the suspected person or others in the EC had exhibited any symptoms,” the bank said in the statement.

Specifically, the bank stated that staff were advised to self-isolate for 14days forthwith which was in consonance with Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

The bank stated that the EC will undergo “thorough disinfections,” further affirmed, “Customers and staff safety remains paramount; hence we will recommence business with new set of relief employees, as the current staff self-isolate.”

In the interim, the bank advised customers, “please visit other ECs or branches in Ikeja where you can conduct your daily transactions. Otherwise, you can use our alternate e-channels for seamless service deliveries.

“Heritage Bank remains resolute to continually serve you seamlessly despite prohibitions imposed on physical contact through our bouquet of electronic products which have been made available on notable mobile stores and our website (www.hbng.com).”

The bank noted that it would continue to intensify ongoing efforts via its intranet and other channels to keep staff and customers up-to-date with the latest COVID-19 information and provide clear direction and guidance expected of workers and customers.

“We have setup a COVID-19 Support Centre to offer COVID-19 safety tips to all our customers during this period, in support of the efforts of the Government and relevant bodies. Please send any information relating to the COVID-19 pandemic via these channels: E-mail: HeritageBankCovid19Support@hbng.com  and contact number:   01-2369099,” the bank stated.

First Bank of Nigeria Limited, Nigeria’s leading financial inclusion services provider, has graduated 28 successful candidates in its inaugural FirstBank Management Associates Programme (FMAP), virtually held on Tuesday, 30 June 2020 via the Zoom video conferencing application. The programme which commenced in 2018 had a total of 48 candidates selected from thousands of entries and applications received nationwide.

FMAP is a 24-month fast-track comprehensive developmental programme targeted at young, dynamic, self-motivated and highly driven individuals that possess the right skill set and excellent leadership potential among Junior and entry-level cadre staff. Entries and applications for the programme enrolment was also extended to the public

Speaking about the programme, Dr. Adesola Adeduntan, CEO, FirstBank said: “It is an intensive skill development programme structured to enhance acute thinking, financial, methodical skills of staff. The bank would continue to reinvest in its human capital to create a kind of leadership needed for future growth and development.

“This is part of the Bank’s strategic objectives of infusing and developing leadership at requisite levels across its staff hierarchy, aimed at building the next generation of leaders who will be groomed to drive the Bank’s vision of being Africa’s Bank of first choice,” he concluded.

At the end of the programme, successful candidates are moved to middle management, becoming Management Associates irrespective of their grades at the point of entry.

Cross country postings and secondment opportunities is also offered to such staff to provide them with global exposure and network.

A young Nigerian, Miss Adjwoa Awe, 15 years of age has been honoured with The Diana Award for going above and beyond in their daily life to create and sustain positive change.

The award was announced on Wednesday 1 July; during the 2020 Diana Awards Virtual Ceremony held to celebrate all the awardees amazing achievements and introduce them to the rest of the world.
Awe is being recognized with the highest accolade a young person can achieve for social action or humanitarian efforts – The Diana Award.

Established in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales, the Award is given out by the charity of the same name and has the support of both her sons, The Duke of Cambridge and The Duke of Sussex.

Awe, a student of Olashore International School had an active role in the development of several new projects in her community. Her activism began with the development of ‘Our Voices Have To Be Heard’, an initiative committed to raising awareness of child rigshts and prevent abuse.

Recognising the further needs of her community, she and her schoolmates followed this project with ‘Healing Every Living Person’, to combat poverty by equipping young people with skills through entrepreneurial training. This brought a tremendous impact in Awe’s community with 100 new subscribers to the programme. Awe’s kindness and leadership have provided essential skills for her community and inspired others to take similar positive action.

Speaking on the award, the CEO of The Diana Award, Tessy Ojo stated: “We congratulate all our new Diana Award recipients who are changemakers for their generation. We know by receiving this honour they will inspire more young people to get involved in their communities and begin their own journey as active citizens. For over twenty years The Diana Award has valued and invested in young people encouraging them to continue to make positive change in their communities and lives of others.”

Reacting to development, the awardee’s parents, Olugbenga and Linda Awe expressed their appreciation, thereby stating, “We are proud of the impact our daughter is making in co-creating sustainable livelihoods. She has our continuous support. We also commend her school Olashore International School Iloko-Ijesha in creating the conducive environment for her as she nurtures her dreams.”

WHAT IS THE NOMINATION PROCESS?Award recipients have been put forward by adults who know the young people in a professional capacity and recognised their efforts as a positive contribution to society. Through a rigorous nomination process, these nominators had to demonstrate the nominee’s impact in five key areas: Vision, Social Impact, Inspiring Others, Youth Leadership, and Service Journey.

There are 13 Diana Award Judging Panels representing each UK region or nation and a further three panels representing countries outside of the UK. Each panel consist of three judges; one young person, an education or youth work professional, and a business or government representative. The panels have an important main purpose: to determine which nominations from each UK region/nation/country will receive The Diana Award.

Nominations are judged using the Criteria Guide and Scoring Guide which have been created to measure the quality of youth social action.

For interviews or further information, please contact info@protostar.com.ng, www.protostar.com.ng

Publisher and author of the life-changing devotional booklet, Our Daily Manna (ODM) Worldwide, Bishop (Dr.) Chris Kwakpovwe and his wife, Rev. (Mrs) Flora, on Monday, 30th May 2020, celebrated their 22nd wedding anniversary with some throwback pictures.

Bishop Kwakpovwe in a post, shared pictures of himself and wife, Flora, on their wedding ceremony and thanked God for keeping them together.

The televangelist further eulogised his wife whom he met 24 years ago, describing her as a gift sent to him from heaven.

According to the bishop who is also a pharmacist, “From flow to the overflow. From flora to the fluorescence! Celebrating of over 20 years of God’s faithfulness and fruitfulness.

It’s that time again when the clock of life chimes to remind us it’s our wedding anniversary.

To my beautiful wife, Flora, thank you for being there for us. You came into my life at a time I decided to end it because of the troubles of life and you changed the narratives. You are truly heaven sent.

Thank you for all you do. Thank you for who you are. None like you – ever! If I was asked to choose a wife a million times, I will choose you again and again and again, a million and more times over!
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for giving me this gift and jewel above value. Please, join us to celebrate grace that cannot be disgraced.”

Some of “Our Daily Manna” readers and members of the Manna Prayer Mountain, an inter-denominational ministry of the devotional also took to their Facebook pages to shower encomiums on the couple.

According to one of the users: “From the word ‘go’ to the goal. If God started it, He will certify it.

Over 20 years ago, what started a humble celebration of grace has blossomed into a bounty the world harvests from.

With gratitude to Jehovah-overflow, we celebrate the wedding anniversary of the founders of Our Daily Manna and MPM (MANNA PRAYER MOUNTAINS) worldwide, the voice and visioners sent to set the captives free by the instrument of the word!

It’s more than 20 years, but it has been full of fruits.”

Bishop Dr Chris and his wife have been fulfilling their kingdom Prophetic mandate of Pulishing OUR DAILY MANNA, the WORLDWIDE INSPIRING Daily DEVOTIONAL. They are regulary supporting the needy and touching lives. Year after year, they spend to provide for the needy across the country.

SuperSport, broadcast rights owners of the English Premier League (EPL) in Nigeria and most of the rest of Africa, and MultiChoice, parent company to DSTV and SuperSport are considering not renewing rights for the EPL, the UEFA Champions League, when they come up for renewal at the end of the 2020/21 football season, THISDAY has learnt.

A reliable source close to the companies attributed the development to the rising cost of international sports rights and the continually falling value of the naira against other major currencies.

“It is becoming impossible to maintain many of these sports rights, especially the EPL, for Nigeria. The recent fall of the naira against the dollar has equally not helped matters,” the source said.

The company’s annual report, published at the end of last month, showed a gaping hole in its Nigerian operations, a situation the source attributed to the cost of EPL rights, as well as those for other competitions such as the UEFA Champions League to Nigeria, which is charged separate to the rest of Africa.

“Rights for the African continent used to be bought singly, but this changed in 2007 when a competitor, backed by the federal government, forced the EPL to excise Nigeria from the rest of Africa. Now, the cost of the rights for Nigeria has risen to almost the same with the rest of the continent put together, while the number of subscribers Nigeria is only about one quarter of the rest of the continent,” the source said.

The decision to reconsider the continued purchase of the EPL rights, THISDAY learnt, was not exactly new.

Two years ago, the source said, MultiChoice almost did not renew the rights because the company was having difficulties justifying the huge cost when placed side by side with what its subscribers were able to pay as subscription when compared with the rest of Africa.

According to it: “The cost of subscription in Nigeria continues to lag behind what is paid in the rest of Africa, especially in the face of the falling value of the naira. The company is approaching a situation in which it may be forced to choose between continuing to broadcast the EPL and its business survival.”

MultiChoice pays about $250 million dollars for the rights to the EPL and about 100 million Euros for the UEFA Champions League, another football property the company may have to jettison if it wants to stay in business, explained the source.
MultiChoice Nigeria, according to the group’s annual report available on the company’s website https://www.multichoice.com/, is only managing to break even in spite of rising subscriber numbers that keep it only second to South Africa in subscriber count.

The results show that percentage increase in expenses exceed a percentage increase in revenues, an indication that while it is spending more on its operations, it is not making enough to keep up.

This, the source said, is attributable to the high cost of content like the EPL and UEFA Champions League.

Attempts to reach MultiChoice Nigeria for comments on this failed, as the company’s communication department continued to decline comments on its business relationship with content providers.

First published in ThisDay.

Ingressive for Good (I4G) is a nonprofit dedicated to empowering African youth with micro-scholarships, technical training and talent placement.

Their mission is to create and increase the earning power of African youth through tech training and resources.

“We believe it is our responsibility to empower, inspire, educate, and connect the next generation of African tech talents in need of opportunities, through education and the power of work. More specifically, our core programs include – micro-scholarships, technical training, talent placement, and community: I4G circles, where we provide resources to empower them,” said Blessing Abeng, Director of Communications.

Africa has the largest youth population, which creates a growth opportunity. This opportunity is stifled by poverty and unemployment, with the current COVID19 crisis expected to further drive unemployment, foreclosures, and an economic recession, thereby placing tremendous stress on millions of African youth.

The emerging digital/tech ecosystem is particularly crucial as a multiplier of growth because access to technology enhances consumer information, networking, job-creating resources, and even financial inclusion.

Interested participants can register here to be part of the I4G network and also access opportunities like the micro-scholarship, technical training and access growth resources on www.ingressive.org

“The three core goals of Ingressive For Good are to create 5,000 jobs through partnerships, connect 1,000,000 African youth to technical skills training and award partial scholarships to qualified individuals studying computer science courses, in line with our overarching mission to leverage need-based resources, learning, and the power of work to empower African youths in tech,” said Sean Burrowes, COO and Co-Founder of Ingressive for Good.

“We are ecosystem architects, and this is the next phase of building the pipeline for Africa to the world,” says Maya Horgan-Famodu, Co-Founder and Board Member.

The Petroleum Product Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) has announced an upward review of the retail pump price of petrol from the previous N121.50 .

In a circular dated July 1st, the downstream regulator said oil marketers are now expected to sell petrol within the price range of N140.80 and N143.80.

The circular reads in part;

“Please recall the provision for the establishment of a monthly price band within which Petroleum Marketers are expected to sell PMS at the retail stations, based on the existing price regime.”

“After a review of the prevailing market fundamentals in the month of June and considering Marketers’ realistic operating costs, as much as practicable, we wish to advise a new PMS pump price of N140.80 to 143.80/Litre for the month of July 2020.”

I am not sure whether Sadiya Umar Farouq, the youngest minister in President Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet listens to hip hop but if she does she must be familiar with DJ Khaled’s monster hit – “All I do is Win.”

While the self-effacing minister many not agree with the in-your-face braggadocio and thug life sentiment expressed by the quartet made up of Snoop Dog, Ludacris, Rick Ross and T-Pain, I wish to quickly borrow the title and refrain for this piece.
No minister in Buhari’s cabinet has been so attacked, harangued, traduced and vilified as Sadiya Farouq but in spite of all the attacks, she continues to push forward, doing the work and earning accolades and plaudits along the way.

Many people have talked about her age as reason for their opposition. At 45 she is the youngest minister in the federal cabinet, but they forget to mention her experience both academic and career wise.

Sadiya Umar Farouq holds three degrees; a Bachelors, Masters and an MBA. Those three degrees aside from making her one of the most academically qualified in the cabinet, gave her a good introduction to public and business administration.
Ahh, she is educated all right but isn’t she too young to lead a freshly created ministry, nay sayers quipped but a look at her resume and the quick wins she recorded will show that she came prepared for this.

Sadiya Umar Farouq cut her teeth in Public Administration as Administrative Officer at the National Assembly Service Commission (NASC), Abuja in 2003 but it was her work as the Honourable Federal Commissioner of the National Commission for Refugee, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI) that prepared her for the leadership role she now plays at her current ministry. As Federal Commissioner of NCFRMI, she successfully positioned the Commission as the leading government agency responsible for co-ordination, protection and assistance of Persons of Concern (PoC).

The mandate of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development covers impactful interventions for poor and vulnerable Nigerians, oversight over the management of disasters, both man-made and natural as well as social interventions and development.

So, Sadiya Umar Farouq was, as they say, in pole position to hit the ground running and as she commented in a recent interview – “It was challenging and exciting because we live in a fraught world but I was lucky to have come to the saddle with some preparation having served as Honourable Federal Commissioner at the National Commission for Refugee, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI). Now, working at the Commission was in many ways, my preparation for Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development even though the ministry is a lot larger in scope.”

Upon assuming office, Sadiya Umar Farouq did more than evolve a blue print for running a ministry that has been described by a commentator as the “UN of Nigeria.”
She literally folded her sleeves and went to work but first she had to understudy in order to learn how to proceed. To do that she looked for a country in Africa where a similar ministry exists. Her search led her to Niger republic where a Ministry of Humanitarian Action and Disaster Management currently exists.

She paid a working visit to Niger as part of efforts to understand existing structures and to apply global best practice to the discharge of her mandate.

Upon her return she turned her attention to a burning issue the decade-long insurgency in the North East and how the inability of humanitarian actors to work in synergy was having a deleterious effect on their efforts. To fix that problem, Sadiya Umar Farouq quickly convened the Civil-Security Cooperation (CISEC) workshop. The objective was to bring stakeholders together to deliberate on ways of fostering understanding amongst humanitarian and security actors. This was to ensure a more effective and seamless delivery of humanitarian aid to affected communities in the North East.

Having inherited a suite of programmes, Sadiya Umar Farouq did not go the usual Nigerian route of dumping the old and starting out afresh. She instead chose to continue the programmes while reviewing and realigning them for efficiency and it was in so doing that she ran into what may well be the greatest headwind of her almost one-year ministry – N-Power Batch A and B beneficiaries.

What has Sadiya Umar Farouq done to keep her perpetually in the cross hairs of the N-Power beneficiaries? The quick answer to that question is nothing. She is just unlucky to have been entrusted with managing 500,000 young and boisterous people with a thing for hurling insults on social media.

The second answer is that the programme has experienced hiccups since being domiciled with the ministry; the most disruptive of which has been the constant delay in payments which came about following the federal government’s migration of all payments to the new GIFMIS platform.

The N-power programme, a key component of the National Social Investment Programme, is for Nigerian youth between the ages of 18 – 35 who are currently unemployed but ready to learn skills that would enhance their employability or detour into entrepreneurship.

The N-Power programme which is open to graduates and non-graduates (for specific segments) was inaugurated by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2016 under the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP) with the mandate of lifting citizens out of poverty through capacity building, investment, and direct support. This effort is also expected to contribute to the administration’s vision of lifting 100 million people out of poverty by creating opportunities to enhance the productivity of the Nigerian youth.

The programme has enrolled 500,000 beneficiaries thus far – 200,000 from Batch A which started in September 2016 and 300,000 from Batch B which kicked off in August 2018. Of that number, over 100,000 have gone on to set up businesses in their communities, thus underlining the impact and imperative of the N-Power programme.

That impact is about to be felt again following the commencement of enrolment of Batch C. The announcement of a Batch C enrolment was greeted with anger and vitriol on and off social media especially by Batch A beneficiaries who despite having spent over 40 months (instead of the agreed 24 months) did not seem willing to make way for other youths to access the programme.

The application portal opened on Thursday June 26th and in 48 hours, despite rumours and speculations clearly intended to derail the programme, 1,000,000 young and eligible Nigerian youths had applied on the portal to show, clearly, that the N-power programme is one that many young Nigerians believe and want to access to help provide them with skills that would propel them further on their road to success.

The application process is still on-going but Sadiya Umar Farouq is already confident of a successful outcome as the tweets she shared on twitter seem to indicate.

“Of the 500,000 beneficiaries enrolled in Batches A & B, about 109,823 have gone on to set up businesses in their communities, underlining the impact and imperative of the N-Power programme.
I want to thank the outgoing beneficiaries of Batches A & B for their service. They have been worthy ambassadors of the National Social Investment Programmes and I look forward to many of them impacting the economy in positive ways.

“As the Batch C application and enrolment continues, I await more success stories of positive impact from young men and women who remain the hope and future of this country.”

A Lagos Magistrates’ Court sitting in Igbosere, on Tuesday, handed down five years jail term to a customer service representative of Airtel Nigeria Ltd, Jeremiah Mustapha, for facilitating a fraud to the tune of N2.2 million.

Mustapha, 32, alongside one Nurudeen Salimu, 35, was arraigned on June 14, 2017, on a nine-count charge bordering on conspiracy, stealing, fraud, and diverting messages from a phone number to another.

They however pleaded not guilty and were granted bail.

During the trial, the second defendant became mentally incapacitated and could not continue with the trial.

Magistrate Mrs. A. G. Omoyele, who handed down the verdict, sentenced Mustapha after finding him guilty of five counts out of the nine-count charge preferred against him by the police.

The magistrate sentenced Mustapha to one year on each of the five counts and ordered that the sentence should run concurrently.

She sentenced him without an option of fine and ordered that the sentence should take effect from the day of sentencing.
Earlier, the prosecutor, Sergeant Cyriacus Osuji told the court that the duo and others at large committed the offenses on October 10, 2016, in Lagos.

Osuji said that the first defendant, Mustapha, used his position as the customer service representative of Airtel Nigeria Ltd and diverted all short messages service (SMS), alerts, and calls from an Airtel no. 08023843032 belonging to one Kazeem Dele to a fraudster phone number.

The prosecutor said that the defendant unlawfully disconnected all network services linked to the Airtel number above without the consent of the owner.

“The number swap aided the second defendant to steal the sum of N2.2 million from the Skye Bank account of the complainant.

“The second defendant forged the signature of the complainant, falsely represented himself as the owner of the account, and withdrew the said sum from the account,” Osuji said.

According to the prosecutor, the offenses committed are contrary to and punishable under Sections 287, 333(1), 340, 334, 365(1), 337, 380, 411and 415 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, has tested positive for COVID-19

He disclosed the information through a video broadcast on his Facebook account, saying that he is asymptomatic and on isolation as a result of the infection.

According to the post: “Earlier today, I got confirmation of a positive result for Covid-19. I am asymptomatic and not displaying any symptoms. I am currently self-isolating and supervised home management will be administered by the wonderful team at our Infectious Disease Hospital. I ask that we all stay safe and be well.”

Access Bank has offered to pay stamp duty charge for February to April on behalf of its customers.

It also said deductions made between Saturday and Sunday would be reversed to customers.

In a statement on Sunday, the bank said it recognised that it is a tough period for customers.

The bank’s customers had complained using various social media platforms on Saturday and Sunday over stamp duty deductions.

“We have considered your feedback and have decided to pay the stamp duty on our customers’ behalf for the affected period only,” the bank said in a statement.

“This means that individuals and SMEs who were debited for the accumulated stamp duty charge for February to April 2020 will be refunded.

“While we still have to remit these funds via the CBN to the federal government, we realise that we got it wrong by debiting our customers late, and we are refunding the affected stamp duty charge today to all affected customers.

“We hope this gesture goes some way to make this better.”

In an earlier statement, the bank had notified customers that it did not deduct stamp duty charges on transactions that occurred between February 1, 2020, and April 30, 2020.

The 2019 finance act provides that bank customers pay a N50 stamp duty charge on every N10,000 deposit.

A Senior Pastor with High Impact Christian Centre, in Sapele, Delta State, Pastor Wilson Okotie, has reportedly lost his life to coronavirus.

In a report monitored by the Vanguard, the late senior pastor Okotie, was said to have been rushed to a private hospital, in Sapele, on Thursday of last week, against the protocols of COVID-19, after showing symptoms of the dreaded pandemic virus.

Unfortunately, Pastor Okotie lost the battle to save his life, as he was pronounced dead at 6.40pm, on Friday, at the private hospital, Treasurehold Specialist Hospital along Ugbeyiyi road in Sapele, Delta state, where he was said to have been secretly admitted and being treated, in defiance to the protocols of COVID-19.

Reports have it that tofficials of the Delta State Ministry of Health, from Asaba, have shut down the hospital, following information that the medical facility was managing two COVID-19 patients.

The ambulance that came to the hospital to evacuate the remains of late Pastor Okotie was attacked by people believed to be relatives of the clergyman.

It will be recalled that Federal Ministry of Health has warned severally against the treatment of COVID-19 related issues by private medical facilities in the country.

The Chinwe Bode-Akinwande (CBA) Foundation, a non-governmental organization in Lagos, on Friday, donated chairs and industrial standing fans to the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Lagos State.

While presenting the items to the management of the NYSC at its secretariat in Lagos, a board member of the CBA Foundation, Mr. Bode Akinwande, who represented the founder of the foundation, Mrs. Chinwe Bode-Akinwande, said the gesture was in appreciation of the NYSC for its unwavering support to the foundation over the years.

“We are here today to thank the management of the NYSC for partnering with us in our drive to support and raise underprivileged widows and their children in the society.

“You have been there for us over the years with the release and participation of your staff and youth corps members during our annual charity walk tagged, ‘Walk4Hope’ and we would like more collaborations in the future in other areas as well,” Mr. Bode Akinwande said.

In his reaction, the Lagos State coordinator of the NYSC, Mr. Eddy Megwa, thanked members of the CBA Foundation for the gesture and promised to keep supporting the NGO.

According to him “We are grateful for the support and I want to commend your NGO for all the good works you have been doing in the society. May the Almighty God continue to guide and strengthen you to do more.”

Established in 2015, the CBA Foundation, under its 5-point agenda, has reached out to thousands of underprivileged widows and children through skills acquisition training, health intervention, business start-ups and provision of clothing, nutrition and tuition fees for the children.

In breakdown, 5,600 widows have been empowered through its women empowerment and capacity building initiative; over 3,500 underprivileged widows have received health intervention; over 3,500 have also received food items. The foundation has also reinstated 45 children in school, empowered 120 widows financially to start a business of their own and also provided palliatives to 250 widows during the COVID-19 pandemic lock-down.

First Bank of Nigeria Limited, Nigeria’s premier and leading financial inclusion services provider, has announced that its all-female online community www.firstgem.com.ng , offers mentoring, support and capacity building opportunities for all to create a new generation of financially literate women.

With the aim to increase its engagement and reach a wider audience, an online repository for its FirstGem product was created and designed to provide a virtual online community where like-minded women irrespective of where they are in Nigeria and abroad, gather to connect, grow and share knowledge on everything about lifestyle, parenting, career development, entrepreneurship, health, work and family. Financial empowerment and wealth creation ideas are shared to encourage women to play their part in providing financial support for their families.

The portal provides varied contents ranging from Blog stories to Vlogs, Newsletters, Chat rooms which are built on 6 pillars – Health, Wealth and Finance, Food and Recipes, Events, Entrepreneurship, Lifestyle and Beauty. The FirstGem online community presently has over 61,634 members drawn from all walks of life sharing ideas, insights and experiences.

According to Chuma Ezirim, Group Executive, e-Business & Retail Products, First Bank of Nigeria Limited, “FirstGem is suited for the Nigerian woman, and we are using this online community as the ideal opportunity to position the Bank’s gender initiatives to meet the required needs on a wide range of issues affecting women from lifestyle, skills acquisition, finances, wealth acquisition and management, business support, etc.

We encourage all women to join the community by signing up via this link https://firstgem.com.ng/community to enjoy this experience.

FirstGem is a gender specific account designed to meet the needs of women, aged 18 years and above. It is targeted at a broad spectrum of women, working professionals, entrepreneurs and MSMEs with a view to promoting growth via an array of benefits, from free business advisory services, regular information or insights on business opportunities in various sectors and industries, as well as mouth-watering discounts at partnered stores and outlets. FirstGem has successfully empowered women in states across the geo-political zones in Nigeria and the UK.

Ecobank has extended its zero charge fee for digital money transfers below N5,000 till the end of September this year. In addition to the free USSD session fee currently enjoyed by Ecobank customers, users of Ecobank Mobile, Ecobank Online, USSD – Ecobank *326# can continue to enjoy zero fee charge for digital money transfers below N5,000.

New customers can also benefit from this by opening an Xpress account from the comfort of their homes by simply dialling *326#. The zero charge for mobile money transfers by Ecobank commenced in March as part of the bank’s corporate action to cushion the rising spread of Corona virus.

The decision to extend the zero charge policy is hinged on the bank’s drive to continuously encourage citizens to adopt digital banking particularly with the ongoing social distancing campaign targeted to check the spread of COVID-19.

According to Olukorede Demola-Adeniyi, Head, Consumer Banking, Ecobank Nigeria: “As a bank, our priority is people’s wellbeing. We place great emphasis on rewarding and identifying with our customers and citizens of Nigeria especially at a time like this. We are determined to ensure that the impact of the pandemic is minimal on citizens.

“We encourage our customers to utilize our digital self-service solutions including Ecobank mobile app, Ecobank Online, EcobankPay, Ecobank Omniplus, Omnilite and the rapid transfer app; where they can easily access their bank accounts, make payments, transfer funds, process salaries and carry out ancillary banking transactions from the comfort of their home and offices without having to visit the branches”.

She further stated: “At Ecobank, we are always finding ways to improve our customer experience digitally, which is why I encourage our customers to upgrade to the new Ecobank mobile app 4.0. Customers can carry out banking transactions and enjoy some of the new features that the app provides, such as the ability to send money via email or SMS and of course, take advantage of the zero charge on money transfers below N5,000”.

She added that the bank was also supporting over 50,000 farmers across the country to grow maize, under the CBN Anchor Borrowers program with the Maize Growers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria(MAGPAMAN).

…as Osun begins compilation of rape, gender-based offender’s register

 The Governor of the State of Osun, Mr Adegboyega Oyetola, has reiterated his administration’s commitment to the fight against rape, sexual assault and other gender-based violence.

He said the State has zero tolerance for anything capable of undermining the human sanctity, dignity and right to life.

Oyetola spoke on Wednesday in his office at the Governnent Secretariat, Abere Osogbo, while playing host to his wife, Mrs Kafayat, who led other women including wives of political office holders and government functionaries in the state on courtesy call to the governor.

The governor who described rape and other forms of sexual assault and gender-based violence as crime against God and humanity, dislcosed that the State would soon release  its maiden edition of Sex and Gender-Based Offender’s Register.

He said the Register would among others help to blacklist offenders and forestall recurrence.

The Governor averred that the state government was determined to deploy the full weight of the law against perpetrators of rape and all other crimes against women and children, adding that legislations against the ‘heinous acts’ would be strengthened by the government through its support to the legislature.

“Rape and sexual violence against women and children are assuming an unacceptable prevalence rate in the nation. As a responsible government, we roundly condemn this barbarous act in its entirety. Indeed, we have zero tolerance for them. Rape attracts life imprisonment while an attempt to commit the offence will earn the offender upon conviction 14 years imprisonment.

“As part of our zero tolerance resolve, the State is compiling the maiden edition of Sex and Gender-Based Offender’s Register. This Register will among others help to blacklist offenders and forestall recurrence”, he said.

Oyetola appealed to parents, guardians and teachers to counsel their male children, wards and pupils on crimes against women and children just as he advocated massive sensitisation and enlightenment programmes that would help to fight against rape and sexual violence.

The governor also lauded the efforts of his wife at ridding Osun of open defecation, noting that he was glad to hear that Ifedayo Local Government Area of the State had been declared Open Defecation free through her efforts.

Earlier in her remarks, the Wife of the Governor, Mrs Kafayat commended the State government for prioritising the welfare and well-being of women and children in the state.

She also acknowledged the support that her office had received from the government in the fight against rape, sexual offenses, open defecation among other societal vices.

Mrs Oyetola revealed that herself and wives  of other Southwest Governors had resolved to continuously wage war against rape by taking vigorous campaign to all the concerned authorities particularly the three arms of government across the region.

Mrs. Oyetola therefore sought the continued support of the government and other relevant stakeholders in ensuring a safe and secure environment for women and children in the state.

This June, creators, and entrepreneurs across the globe gathered to learn How to Start and Quit from the Marketing Guru and best seller of 19 books, Seth Godin. Blessing Abeng, the Director of Communications at Ingressive for Good (a non-profit empowering young Africans in tech through learning and the power of work) got to sit down virtually with Seth Godin for 15 minutes and thought-provoking lessons were shared, these are our top 5:

1. Start where you are with what you have. Start with the smallest viable project and grow from there.

2. Start generous projects that are more about the people whose problems you want to solve, than yourself. The more generous your project is, the easier it is to get people’s buy-in.

3. Of course, we are worried that we are going to fail. People fail all the time. Almost everyone who starts a tournament is going to fail. Start by acknowledging that it MIGHT fail but if you don’t start at all, you have certainly failed.

4. You get better by consistently doing. Go to work on a daily basis and keep your promise to your audience. Staying consistent is like brushing your teeth. You’ll miss a day, but you have to keep going.

5. You have no idea when or what to quit but you know you have to decide. There’s no formula. No formula, There’s no way to say “If it’s like this you should quit” or “If it’s not like this you should keep going” You just need to know that you’ve been quilting all your life and sometimes you quit at the wrong time and some times you quit the wrong things. Look back, look at other people ahead of you, what did they decide to quit or not quit and look for clues, look for symptoms.

Watch the full video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_rawPNakxU It is probably the best 15 minutes you will spend today.