₦airaland Forum

The Lights, Camera, AFRICA!!! Film Festival returns for its ninth edition with the theme “Tales by Moonlight”.

The festival, which will run from September 27 – 29th, 2019 will showcase a suite of films over a packed three days at the Musical Society of Nigeria (MUSON) Onikan. The films will, as is common to the festival, cover various genres including documentary, features and shorts.

Guests at the festival will enjoy award winning, critically acclaimed and genre bending films like Daughters of Chibok, The Lost Okoroshi, Awon Boyz, Ogbu-Oja Eze, My Friend Fela and more.

There will also be special musical presentations and networking as well as learning platforms for filmmakers and ancillaries players in the local film ecosystem, which speak to the 2019 theme.

This year’s theme harks back to one of the earliest art forms – storytelling – by invoking the childhood tableau of night-time stories told to entertain, thrill, delight and teach. For centuries, stories have been deployed as an immersive medium for teaching, for learning, and for passing on cultural truths and preserving traditional mores via the oral tradition.

According to Festival Director, Ugoma Adegoke: “This year’s festival demonstrates our intention to host an edition that articulates film as visual and potent storytelling that keeps us connected with the past, and enabled for the future. Drawing on continuing and supportive friendships and longstanding corporate partnerships, the festival is proud to be able to sustain its commitment to fulfilling its mission of maintaining an open dialogue throughout the world of African film.”

This year’s films are presented as lines drawn in the global narrative, going back and pushing forward all at once – while consistently telling a tale. The theme situates the art form in an idyllic format, a common space and an open world in which stories and indeed life lessons are communally shared. These sub-themes speak to the underpinning philosophies at Lights, Camera, AFRICA!!!

FOR INFORMATION & COLLABORATION info@lcafilmfest.com | www.lcafilmfest.com Twitter/Instagram: @LCAFilmFest

Afro pop singer, Teni the entertainer, Pop singer Fireboy and Hip-Hop artist, Rema are set to take centre stage at the Nickelodeon NickFest brought to you by Maltina and scheduled to take place on Saturday, 28 September and Sunday, 29 September 2019 at the Federal Palace, Balmoral Event Centre.

The entertainment packed event will be hosted by Nigerian radio presenter, Mannie Essien and will be co-hosted by talented Nigerian child singer, Amarachi Uyanne also popularly called Amarachi Dance.

This year, families can anticipate an amazing character lineup and performances by Nickelodeon’s International superstar characters which will feature: SpongeBob Square Pants; Adventure Bay’s intrepid Paw Patrol pups: Skye, Rubble, Marshall and Chase; Shimmer and Shine the genies who can solve any problem will be performing for the first time in Nigeria, family favorites The Rise of the Teenage Mutant Turtles and many more.

Consequently, kids and parents can look forward to a captivating weekend at this year’s NickFest Nigeria 2019 as it promises to be packed with loads of family fun and entertainment. Kids will also enjoy engaging with Happy who will perform his very own show for the first time, a welcome delight to kids and parents at Maltina Happy Land.

One of the major highlights of NickFest will be the Celebrity Slime Challenge, which will feature popular personalities getting slimed green.

Last year, some of Nigeria’s top entertainers such as IK Osakidouwa, Sensei Uche and more were slimed several times. NickFest also serves as an avenue for children to have fun with their favourite Nickelodeon characters and for adults to create cherished family memories and unleash their inner child.

For more information on NickFest Nigeria 2019, brought to you by Maltina, visit the website www.nickelodeon.com, and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. You can also join the conversation using the hashtags #NickFestNG and #NickfestWithMaltina.

Expectedly, after competing in Big Brother Naija, the natural progression for ex-housemates is show business. Take Ebuka Obi-Uchendu, for instance. After appearing in the very first Big Brother Nigeria in 2006, he’s helmed several prestigious TV gigs and has become a well-paid event emcee. Now, for three seasons, he’s been the host of the insanely popular BBNaija itself.
Like Ebuka, you could also name several other ex-mates in who have taken the same path. Efe, Tobi Bakre, Cee-C, and Bisola, Thin Tall Tony, Gideon Okeke, and Uti Nwachukwu, instantly come to mind.
However, if you’re lucky to win the prize money, currently standing at N30million, you know it can be such a stupendous seed capital for other kinds of businesses, right? Plus, Biggie is this year topping the cash prize with a top-of-the-range SUV, brand new mobile smartphone, an all-expense-paid trip amongst others. In short, everything you need to kick-start a CEO lifestyle is in this year’s prize haul.
So, if you suddenly come into N30 million, how do you make sure you’re never broke again? Well, we’ll show you how…

Oil and Gas
In 2018, the National Bureau of Statistics reported that the oil and gas sector received the highest allocation of private sector credit from the banks—22%. It shows that the banks would rather invest in oil and gas than anything else. Why? There’s a ready demand. Now, with your N30million in cash, could you find a place in the value chain to plug into? Absolutely. But first, you may want to speak to some experts on the matter.

Agriculture
Did you know that research has shown you could make 100% returns from investing in the cultivation of rice, Nigeria’s favourite staple? Google that fact. But there’s more. There are opportunities in snail farming, cassava, and poultry because someone has to feed the country’s 200 million population every single day. One major innovation in this area is that these days, several well-funded companies are available to help put your money to work for a rewarding and steady yield in agribusiness.

Furniture
They’re a must-have in every household. Also, they don’t last forever so it’s also a must to periodically replace them. That furniture companies are springing up all across the country is a confirmation that the furniture business is viable. So grab a seat and see if you’d like to invest some of your N30million in it.

Property and Real Estate
As they say, this is a no-brainer. Acquire a piece of property and watch as the value grows, especially in cities like Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and Ibadan. Bonus point for real estate investment is that each asset is a collateral, so you need to secure more funds to acquire more assets.

Hotels, Inns, Short Lets, Resorts
Have you ever found yourself in Lagos or Abuja on a Friday night, looking for a place to spend the night? If you have, you know a cool hotel is rushed like hotcakes every weekend. It provides a steady stream of revenue for its owners, even on slow weekdays. By launching your own hotel, you may put your mind at rest while your cash gets to work.

Building Supplies
Once you open the door to real estate, you’ll also be welcomed into the world of building supplies. But rather than digging your heel into construction, you may choose to pitch your tent with supplies. As the real estate market continues to expand, there’ll be more room for new investors to step in.

Fashion Design
Who doesn’t have a label these days? Just look at Yomi Casual, Kunle Afolayan, Emeka Oparah, and Noble Igwe. As Mr. Patrick would say, “e get why”. A vibrant network, access to gifted tailors, and an understanding of the tricks of the trade are all an investor needs to be perfectly suited to cut through the clutter.

Cakes!
You could be a boss, or you could be the cake boss. The market for sweet confectionery for birthdays, weddings, and everything in between will never dry up. Invest your money in some ovens and watch as your profit rise.

Media
Do you want to start a new one or buy up existing ones and launch a massive digital platform? Do you want to import the most innovative media ideas from, say, Japan and disrupt the industry while you sit back and count your millions? It’s all up to you.

Showbiz
Nigeria being the heart of African entertainment means there’s money to be made in the market. There are almost a limitless number of channels to profit from showbiz in the country. From modelling to costume design, from equipment supply to training and production, and from financing to platform building, you would only be limited by your imagination.

The first time you met Ebuka Obi-Uchendu, he was like Jon Snow. You could say he knew nothing about show business. But did that stop him from being relaxed and having the time of his life on TV in front of the entire African continent? Heck, no.

This was in 2006. And Ebuka’s Westeros was the Big Brother Nigeria house. Ebuka was charismatic, brimming with fun energy, and, of course, charming. Many viewers easily assumed the prize money was for him to lose.

But that was before Biggie threw a spanner in the works. Big Brother unleashed Katung Aduwak on the housemates 21 days into the competition and everything went to hell—well, that’s a story for another day.

Back to Ebuka. He was great, and his personality stood out. And spoiler alert: Ebuka didn’t win that edition of BBNaija.

That was 13 years ago and, as you know, the dude is still here, more famous than the winner of that contest and Ebuka has been hosting BBNaija itself for three seasons now.

If you think about it, you’re likely to conclude that Ebuka and Big Brother Naija are a match made in TV heaven. And I’ll absolutely agree with you. The thing, though, is that I’ve figured out the secret to Ebuka’s success with BBNaija.

Let’s break it down:

1. He embodies the original idea of BBN
Big Brother Nigeria has consistently rewarded authenticity. The trick is always how the players parlay that authenticity into riveting TV. Ebuka, even though he didn’t win the game, was judged to be authentic. Plus, nothing justifies the existence of BBN than ex-housemates, even those who didn’t win, becoming stars on the back of the reality show.

2. He has the looks TV needs
Ebuka once told The Punch newspaper that his first choice of work was as a radio presenter. That would have been a waste of face, wouldn’t it? Thanks to Big Brother, though, he found his mojo on TV and that first appearance has birthed more TV gigs. From Friend or Foe on and the Glo Show on NTA to The Spot and Men’s Corner on Ebony Life as well as Rubbin’ Minds on Channels, he’s been a permanent fixture on the small screen.

3. Ebuka takes chances
Now, we must talk about that time Ebuka broke the internet with one picture of him in that agbada. The funny thing was, before him, others had tried on that style of agbada he wore to Banky W’s wedding but on those people, the concept just didn’t take.

4. He plays the crowd the way a virtuoso would
If you go on Google right now, there’s Ebuka with answers to frequently googled questions about him. In one he says, “I speak English fluently, Igbo fluently, pidgin English, and sarcasm.” Ebuka has been a popular Big Brother Naija presenter, not because of what he says per se, but how he says what he says.

5. He’s a dream Nigerian youth
Ebuka, 37, is quite well educated. He studied that course your parents wanted you to study aside medicine: LAW. A graduate of the University of Abuja and the Nigerian Law School, he also holds a master’s degree from the American University Washington College of Law. He’s successful. He’s scandal-free and, obviously, he gets paid to do what he loves to do. Anyone who gets a chance to live in the House would want the exact same thing, so it makes sense that they also get the chance to have Ebuka to look up to.
Now, let’s pass the question to you: what other assets do you think make this gentleman perfect for Big Brother Naija?

United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, on Thursday, announced that the services of its Chatbot, Leo is now available for customers on Apple Business Chat, where its users can communicate directly with businesses using the Messages app on iPhone and iPad.

“As a brand focused on providing excellent customer experience, we are always looking for new ways to serve our customers easily and on time; we are therefore thrilled to support Apple Business Chat, which gives us a powerful and engaging connection with our customers,” said Mr. Kennedy Uzoka, Group Managing Director of UBA, who spoke at the launch of the service in the bank’s Head office on Thursday.

“Most of our customers prefer iOS, and we always want to exceed their expectations when they experience UBA. Apple Business Chat makes communicating with us as easy as messaging a friend, so we expect it will quickly become our customers’ preferred customer service channel.”

He explained that UBA customers can now use the services of LEO, through the Apple Business Chat to open an account, buy airtime, check account balance, make account transfers and pay bills. With Business Chat, customers can always reach a live person and are always in control of whether they share any contact information with a business.

Uzoka said: “Today, we are covering a segment that has been missing for some time. It is our desire to ensure that we put Leo everywhere, and today it is now on the IOS platform as the users approached us that they needed to enjoy the service which Facebook and WhatsApp users had been enjoying from LEO.

“Consistently, we have been the first in the use of intelligence banking, this is the first time this is happening in Africa. LEO is live in English on the IOS platform, and by the end of October, it will be live in other languages. As you know, LEO is already on WhatsApp and Facebook in English, French, Portuguese and Swahili languages.”

To start Apple Business Chat, customers can click the ‘Chat with Messages’ button on UBA’s website or in mobile banking app, available in the App Store. A conversation with UBA’s agents will open instantly in the Messages app, and users can take their time responding when it’s convenient.

The Group Head, Online, Banking, Austin Abolusoro, who spoke at the event said the bank is always looking for ways to improve upon its services to its teeming customers.

“We are leading financial industry AI in Africa. Our customers have been increasingly asking for mobile services that make their lives easier, and Leo has become a growing choice for his convenience and personal solutions, Over a million customers are already on the LEO platform. Before now, customers can only come to the bank, but today we are on social media as well as on the IOS platform, and the launch of LEO has helped customer to get their complaints resolved without physically visiting the bank. Leo makes use of available data to resolve complaints and where more information is needed, Leo will transfer the customer to human agents.”

“As we continue to advance our work on AI-driven developments, it is important that we listen to our users today and further enhance Leo to align to client feedback in order to better meet and anticipate needs and even continue to give them increased value,” Abolusoro added.

He added that Apple Business Chat is available in beta for users and businesses around the world, and is built into iOS 11.3 and higher. For more information, visit: apple.com/ios/business-chat.

United Bank for Africa, Africa’s global bank, was founded 70 years ago in Nigeria and today, operates in 20 African countries and in the United Kingdom, the USA and with presence in France. UBA serves over 17 million customers across the globe with more than 1000 branches and touch points. In 2018, the bank received the award of Africa’s Best Digital Bank by the Banker’s magazine.

By Linda Nnamani

SME’s is believed to be catalysts for economic growth and national development both in developing and developed countries.
Nigeria as a developing country has a host of opportunities to be tapped into and utilized by its citizens. Majority of these has seized such opportunities to startup businesses as a means of livelihood in order to ameliorate hardship in these volatile economic times and also as an alternative to joblessness which is common in the country; however, more often than not, people undermine the need and importance of giving a legal protection to their businesses.

A lot call themselves business owners and entrepreneurs without giving their businesses the standard legal protection that it needs, this trend is wrong and at times catastrophic.
The first step to take to protect your business while starting up involves:
Registration of your business with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC)
The commission is the authorized agency empowered by law to regulate and supervise the affairs of companies in Nigeria.
There are different types of companies which can be registered in Nigeria. There includes partnership, company limited by shares, company limited by guarantee and an unlimited company, the intending business owner can choose the type suitable for him/her, depending on nature of business the person is willing to undertake.
It is also very important to note that certain legal considerations must be undertaken to form a company. The prospective business owner must be up to 18, be of sound mind, must not be bankrupt etc.
The importance of registering your business cannot be over emphasized as it runs deep into the progress or failure of your business. Registering and starting up a company might seem like a big step however it is accompanied by several rosy benefits.

Benefits of registering a business
As stated earlier, the benefit(s) of registering a business is enormous. The benefits include:
It gives you a unique identity to the exclusion of all others
It validates your business: In this time an era where fraud rate is high, Investors and customers need vendors they can trust.
It protects you from Liability: When you register a limited liability company, your risks are limited to the number of shares taken.
It has perpetual succession: You can pass your business from generation to generation. Leave your footprint in the sand of time, the importance of continuity cannot be over stated. Your business can become another SHELL OR JULIUS BERGER
It helps in establishing a corporate bank account. It is more professional to give your clients a business account for payment instead of your personal account which has your own full name.
It is more convenient to obtain loan with a registered business: You are taken more seriously, Investors want to know that your business is structured, exists legally and is separate from your personal account.
It gets you that desired contract. While bidding for a contract, a registered business always gives your company priority over others.
It prompts funding when opportunities arise from government. There are lots of sustainable processes set up by the government capable of building the prospect of small and medium scale enterprises and consequently can be a path to national recovery of the Nigeria ailing economy. But you need to be seen as someone who is ready.
It may cost you some money, time and effort but it’s really a small price to pay to avoid costly damages and regret down the road. START SMALL, START SMART, REGISTER YOUR BUSINESS NOW.

Linda Nnamani
Corporate Law
TRIAX SOLICITORS
cgov@triaxsolicitors.com

Have you heard of Awoof Berekete campaign powered by Access bank?

The Awoof Berekete campaign is for all customers whose accounts have been dormant or inactive due to various reasons – insufficient documentation, BVN etc.

The campaign is a savings reward scheme, which runs from August to November 2019. Customers will be rewarded weekly for using their Access Mobile Wallet to make transactions.

Customers will get 20% cash back up to N1,000.00 when they purchase airtime on their Access Money Wallet as well as receive 10 times their initial deposit (up to N10,000) when they fund their Access money wallet and save for 7 days.

Account Opening Requirement
Dial *901# to get started or visit any Access Bank branch/ Agent location. You can open an Access Money Wallet account with a minimum of N1,000.

Awoof Berekete:
Get 20% cash back up to N1,000.00 when you purchase airtime on your Access Money Wallet’
Get your reward in 24 hours.
Winners will be notified via SMS/ Phone call
X10 wins on savings

Get 10 times your initial deposit (up to NGN10,000) when you fund your Access money wallet and save for 7 days
Winners will be notified via SMS/ Phone call.
Click HERE to learn more.

A company based in Salehurst, Robertsbridge, East Sussex, United Kingdom (UK), narrowly escaped being scammed by am impostor of Chief Operating Officer, at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
The Corporation, which confirmed this on Saturday, advised that individuals and corporate bodies, locally and internationally, should be wary of unscrupulous elements parading themselves as officials of the corporation.
The warming, NNPC Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Mr. Ndu Ughamadu, said in a statement, came in the wake of the claim by a group of dubious individuals to be representing “a Gas and Power Committee” of the corporation, hosting a chief executive of a United Kingdom based company in a purported “office of NNPC” in Abuja recently.
The release said one of the miscreants had claimed the identity of NNPC Chief Operation Officer (COO), Gas and Power, Engr. Yusuf Usman, all in an attempt to swindle the unsuspecting company based in Salehurst, Robertsbridge, East Sussex, UK.
Mr. Ughamadu said the unsuspecting UK entity was saved from an ordeal when it reached out to the corporation’s London Office, to authenticate the swindlers’ identity, following the difficulties the company had experienced in reconnecting with the conmen on telephone.
The release said one of the miscreants had given the unsuspecting UK company a fake call card of NNPC COO, Gas and Power, Engr. Usman.
The NNPC spokesperson advised individuals and corporate bodies, in their own interest, to verify the identity of any officials of NNPC from relevant units of the corporation before making commitments to avoid falling into the trap of swindlers.

A total of 20 students on Thursday graduated as the inaugural set of the MultiChoice Talent Factory (MTF) West Africa Academy after a full-year, tuition free training in film and television production.

The graduation ceremony held at the Pan-Atlantic University, Lagos, where the graduates received their certificates, with some of them rewarded with scholarships.

The MTF Academy is a 12-month fully funded training launched in May 2018 to create a pipeline of skilled and talented movie professionals that produce high quality content that resonates with African viewers.

Speaking at the event, Chief Executive Officer, MultiChoice Nigeria, John Ugbe, noted that the 20 graduates from both Nigeria and Ghana were chosen from over 3,000 entries in 2018.

He commended the students, saying that their passion, dedication and willingness to learn helped them create magical moments throughout the course of the training and successfully complete the programme.

“From the first meeting with them at the welcome breakfast till now, I have watched them grow into confident and promising film and TV professionals; soaking up knowledge and skill from our esteemed Academy Director – Femi Odugbemi – and other leading industry experts who have tutored them. Their story that of growth,” Ugbe said.

Ugbe enjoined the graduates to maintain the personal attributes which helped them preserve throughout the programme. He also encouraged them to use the skills learned to create a positive impact in the African film industry.

He said: “Today, as you prepare to positively impact the creative industry and change it one story at a time, remember – You are now part of a small but growing class of young, creative professionals equipped to tell Africa’s stories through authentic lenses while recognising and embracing her growth possibilities and opportunities. You were not built to be an extra in this story nor were you built to break. You are the power that is integral to changing and owning our collective narrative.”

Femi Odugbemi, MTF West Africa Academy Director, described the training as a landmark programme, noting that the students aptly demonstrated their skills as filmmakers.

“Over the course of the programme, the students expertly honed their raw talent into professional skill. This is the essence of the MTF Academy – giving upcoming talent the chance to hone their abilities thereby increasing the pool of available talent and world class professionals in the industry. This graduation is therefore a landmark moment both for the students and the programme,” Odugbemi said.

Students who excelled during the programme were rewarded with scholarships and grants respectively.

Gilbert Bassey, a 26-year-old Nigerian, won a scholarship to enhance his skills at world-renowned New York Film Academy College of Visual & Performing Arts (NYFA) as he displayed his multidisciplinary abilities during the programme.

Also, Edmund Asamoah from Ghana won a two-week internship with Nihilent Limited, a Bollywood production.

Similarly, Joseph Adeniyi and Metong Minwon were rewarded with an AVID Media Composer Licence (in perpetuity) for the most-promising film video editor and an AVID Pro Tools License (in perpetuity) and dongle for the most-promising sound engineer respectively by Jasco Broadcast Solutions.

On his own part, Ugbe awarded the CEO Award for Entrepreneurship to two 24-year-olds, Kemi Adeyemi and Salma Saliu, for exhibiting great entrepreneurial skills during the year. They received $1,000 each for their exploits

The 2018 set of graduates produced two films while undergoing the programme. The first, Life of Bim, will air on Africa Magic Showcase (DStv channel 151) on 21 September, while the other, Dreamchaser, will air on 28 September on the same station.

Both films will also be available on the DStv Now app and on Showmax.

Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) Mr. Babatunde Fowler, has advised accountants against colluding with tax evaders, warning that they have no power to substitute accounts.

Fowler gave the advice on Wednesday at the ongoing 49th Annual Conference of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), where he was the keynote speaker at a panel discussion on FIRS Power of Substitution. Critical Review and Matters Arising. The discussion was chaired by former FIRS Chairman, Mrs Ifueko Omoigui-Okauru.

While explaining the dynamics involved in the substitution of accounts, Fowler urged accountants at the conference to partner with FIRS in order to improve the revenue collection efforts of all tax authorities.

Before the FIRS decided to place lien on bank accounts of defaulting taxpayers, noted Fowler, it granted a waiver of penalty and interest for three years (2013-2015), followed by the Voluntary Assets Income Declaration Scheme (VAIDS). According to him, it was when millionaire and billionaire taxpayers, with turnover of between N11 million and N1 billion, passed up the opportunity to pay their taxes that the FIRS decided to place lien on defaulting taxpayers’ accounts.

“All defaulting taxpayers were considered, provided that such taxpayers came forward to declare their indebtedness; pay at least 25% of the outstanding amount and present a payment plan on the outstanding tax liability that was acceptable to the Service. This window was opened from 5th October to 24th November, 2016. A total of 2,400 companies took advantage of the window, from which FIRS realized about N98.8 billion,” he said.

He noted that without chartered accountants, it will be very difficult to ensure that adequate taxes are being paid and called on accountants to be diligent and forthright when reviewing clients’ financial status.

“Do your own internal assessment on what your clients should pay; drop accounts that are not willing to do the right thing,” he said.

He explained that the revenue collected by the FIRS is distributed among the three tiers of government, adding that over 30 states rely on that monthly collection without which the service delivery in those states would have been considerably poorer.

“We are all here for this conference, certain that chartered accountants came from various states across the nation. If in your state, we were not able to support your revenue drive, what level of security would you have in your state?

The FIRS boss explained that the Service has been empowered Section 8 (1) (a) of the act establishing it to assess persons chargeable with tax under the extant tax laws and enforce payment of taxes as may be due to government. Section 8 (1) (c) of the FIRS Establishment Act, he said, empowers the Service to collect, recover and pay to the designated account any tax under any provisions of the Act, while Section 8 (1)(g) of empowers the Service to adopt measures, to identify, trace, freeze, confiscate or seize proceeds derived from tax fraud or evasion. He added that Section 31 of the FIRSEA provides for the power of substitution, which is one of the enforcement powers of the Service.

However, his position was rejected by accountants and lawyers at the conference. Wole Obayomi, Head of Tax, KPMG in Africa, maintained that Sections 33 of the FIRSEA and Section 49 of Companies and Income Tax Act (CITA) do not grant the FIRS such powers.

Omoigui-Okauru, who chaired the session, insisted that the FIRS is acting within the law and suggested that FIRS and disaffected taxpayers should seek a middle ground, possibly through an Ombudsman to address the complaints.

The Globacom-sponsored CNN African Voices Changemakers will this weekend continue its tradition of showcasing Africans who are making positive impacts on the African continent with two entertainment stars from Zambia.

The magazine programme which goes on air at 8.30 a.m. on Friday will feature hip-hop artiste, Mwila Musonda, and dancer, Taonga Tembo. There are repeat editions on Saturday at 11.30 p.m., 4.30 p.m. and 7.30 p.m. and on Sunday at 4.00 a.m., 8.30 a.m. and 7.30 p.m. Further repeats of the programme are broadcast at 4.30 a.m. on Monday and at 5.30 p.m. on Tuesday.

Musonda, who is popularly known as Slapdee, was born in 1987. He began his career in hip-hop and rap as a high school student, and grew to become one of the pioneers of Zambian Hip-hop music. He has won multiple awards since his first effort “Asembe Isebenza” was released in 2006. He followed this up with four studio albums So Che, Black na White, True Story and The Business. He is currently signed on to the Zambian record label XYZ Entertainments, which he founded as a platform for supporting the growth of local music in his country.

His achievements have not gone unnoticed as he has received several nominations and awards, including the 2009 Ngoma Music Award for best hip hop artist and the AFRIMM Award nomination(s) for Best Male (artist) Southern Africa. He also won nine Zambian Music awards for best male and hip-hop artist and six Sun FM Kwacha Music Awards.

The second guest on the programme, Tembo, has achieved a lot through dance which she regards as a way of giving back to her society. She owns a dance studio where she teaches kids exceptional dance techniques to widen their vision and showcase their creative talents with the flexibility of their bodies.

Tembo is expected to discuss how she established her foundation, Barefeet Theatre, through which she coaches kids at the Lubuto Library in Lusaka, Zambia, and how she intends to reach more Zambian kids. She is also a cinematographer, director and producer.

Nwogu Ijeoma, a trader in Alaba international market and one thousand and fifteen customers (1,015) across Nigeria emerged winners at the second quarterly draw of the DiamondXtra season 11 reward scheme powered by Access Bank Plc.

Speaking shortly after receiving the N1 million prize cheque, Ijeoma while expressing excitement at the winnings, told newsmen that she had been a customer of Access Bank for years and was not expecting to win anything. She encouraged Nigerians to open DiamondXtra account in order to partake in the initiative as it was real.

She said: “I have been banking with Access Bank for a long time now. The first time I got a call from the bank, I did not even listen, I hung up the phone but when they called again, I decided to give them a listening ear only to discover I have won a million naira. I am excited and I would encourage my friends and family members to bank with Access Bank so that they can partake in this initiative.”

Also speaking at the prize presentation ceremony, Head, Retail Product Insight and Capabilities, Access Bank Plc, Rob Giles, noted that the bank has stuck to its promise of keeping the initiative growing and ongoing.

Giles revealed that over N5.4 billion in prize money have been doled out while, adding that Access Bank is trying to make the prizes more accessible so that more Nigerians win every year.

He said: “The special thing about DiamondXtra season 11 is the difference we are making for people by giving rent allowance for a year and we had winners today who won in that category as well as education grant for 5 years; that is something that is really impressive in this season. We are also helping our youths get education, which helps to make more businesses grow.

“This product has been a successful product since the launch in 2008 and you do not have to have a large amount to start. For every N5,000 you save, you get one entry into the prize draw and that entry could win you any category of our prizes.”

Corroborating him, Head, Retail Market and Analytics, Access Bank, Chioma Afe, explained that the motivation behind the DiamondXtra initiative was borne out of the need to transform the lives of its customers.

“We have 31 million customers across all our various products and for DiamondXtra, we have about 2.7 million customers and we want to ensure every single one of these customers have been impacted positively by this initiative in some way.

“The beauty about DiamondXtra is that in the draws that happen in the markets, we reward our customers with N10,000 – N50,000 because we realise that not everyone can be a millionaire but every kobo counts and I think after banking with us for such a long time, it would not be bad if we reward our customers. The motivation is that for every time we do this, we find that these monies are used to transform their lives. So we want to keep doing that,” she said.

DiamondXtra is an interest yielding hybrid account, which allows deposit of both cash and third party cheques. Hybrid means a combination of both savings and current account features. The reward scheme has given away over N5 billion in cash and household items to over 15,000 loyal customers over the last 10 years.

To open a DiamondXtra account simply dial *901# from your mobile phone and follow the prompts and fund the account with a minimum of N5,000.

Click  HERE to know more.

Speaker Mudashiru Obasa of the Lagos House of Assembly has described financial autonomy to state legislatures as one of the catalysts for good governance in Nigeria.

Obasa, who is the chairman of the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures, said this at the induction of new speakers into the conference in Abuja on Tuesday.

The speaker, who earlier led a delegation to the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami, also tasked his colleagues in other states on ensuring that they fulfill their individual promises of serving the people.

Noting that as speakers, the weight of stabilizing their states through legislative practices rests on their shoulders, Obasa appealed to them to focus on people-oriented laws and motions that would serve a larger interest and ultimately help in the development of Nigeria.

“There is the need for all speakers of state legislatures to settle down and look at the nitty-gritty of our jobs, having in mind the progress of our dear country within the frame work of our legislative power,” Obasa said.

According to him, the time for celebrations over victories recorded at the 2019 general elections are over and legislators must now focus on governance.

The speaker also said the meeting was necessary for the new speakers to understand the workings of the conference, share same ideas and visions as well as get acquainted with its goals.

He further said the meeting would afford the speakers an opportunity to agree on a road-map to move state parliaments forward towards greater achievements in the next four years.

“Evidently, this sitting will be an inaugural one for the new speakers as well as an avenue to intimate you all with what we have been doing, particularly concerning the issue of financial autonomy for the state legislatures in Nigeria and its implementation.

“Let me remind us of the pending issues that are yet to be resolved like the constitutional amendment that was ongoing during the eighth Assembly in the Senate and House of Representatives as well as state police.

“We should all work together in the current Assembly to continue with the process of constitutional amendment, which is geared towards enhancing the wellbeing and improved standard of living of our people,” Obasa said just as he condemned the recent fresh attacks on Nigerians and other nationals in South Africa.

The speaker of the Lagos state House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, has urged every Nigerian to return to the era where they cared for their neighbours saying this is one way to curb the increasing rate of suicide across the country.

Speaker Obasa said this in a message to mark the World Suicide Prevention Day held globally on September 10.
Obasa lamented that suicide which was hitherto alien to Nigerians have become a recurring incident mostly because of influences that ordinarily could be controlled.

The speaker also said it was saddening to note that people take their lives over reasons that could best be described as flimsy and which could be resolved with determination to succeed.

He, however, said it was a bit soothing to note that Nigeria is not on the red line concerning the rate of suicide compared to some other countries.

“The World Health Organisation (WHO) says despite efforts to curb the challenge, one person dies from suicide across the world every 40 second.

“With this alarming statistic, it is just expedient that we do more to be our brothers’ keepers. We should also know that life is precious and that it is full of challenges, which when surmounted, become lessons in progress and success.
“The youth must avoid the get-rich-quick syndrome and learn the ropes to success. There is hardly anyone who became rich overnight. There are ladders that must be climbed,” Obasa admonished.

Obasa, who is the chairman of the Conference of Speakers of State Houses of Assembly, commended the federal government for banning the production of some insecticides and other substances mostly used by the victims while promising that he and his 35 other colleagues would continue to play roles that would end the menace in Nigeria.

He further advocated effective care for citizens suffering from depression and mental health issues just as he advised Nigerians to constantly check their health status.

Big Brother Naija 2019 housemates, on Monday, nominated fellow housemates for possible eviction next week.

Biggie had last week changed the nomination process.

He said the nomination will not be in groups as housemates will go to the ‘diary room to nominate other housemates’.

However, Omashola, who was nominated but had the veto power card, replaced himself with Seyi.

The housemates up for possible eviction this week are Tacha, Mike, Seyi, Khafi.

Here is how the housemates voted:

Seyi – Khafi and Tacha

Mercy- Omashola and Khafi

Frodd- Mike and Ike

Omashola- Mercy and Tacha

Tacha- Seyi and Mike

Khafi- Seyi and Mercy

Mike- Omashola and Tacha

Ike – Diane and Khafi

Diane- Omashola and Mike

Elozonam- Frodd and Tacha

Cindy- Diane and Ike

Popular Fuji star, Wasiu Ayinde a.k.a K1 De Ultimate has denied new marriage claims to one Nigerian socialite Aramide Adenle.

K1’s publicist, Kunle Rasheed, made this known in a statement released to NAN on Monday, September 9, 2019.

The statement reads;

“Our attention has been drawn to a story making the rounds that King of Fuji music, K1 De Ultimate had married a new wife.

” The peddlers of this story also stated that he already has a daughter with the same woman and recently spent 15 million naira to host a party for her.

“For the avoidance of doubt, we wish to state that marriage is a holy rite ordained by God.

‘A man of K1’s calibre and accomplishments cannot be one to enter into such union without the knowledge of his family and friends which indeed include top media practitioners.

“We find it repulsive that K1’s name can be dragged into one fictional marriage story wiithout any attempt to confirm the veracity or otherwise of such story.

“We wish to inform friends, family, fans and the general public that indeed K1 performed at the mentioned ceremony because he was contracted to play at the Ibadan party.

“How that translated into his marriage ceremony is one that we are yet to understand.

” All K1 did at the event was to deliver a 100 percent A-class performance the K1 brand is known for and nothing more.

“Indeed, the universal standard practice in journalism demands proper and adequate confirmation of stories before rushing to press,” it stated.

Wasiu Ayinde reportedly has 38 children from different women also dispelled rumours of spending N15million to host a party for her.

According to K1, marriage is a holy rite ordained by God, he also added that he wouldn’t into such relationship without the knowledge of his family and friends.

In demonstration of its commitment to consistently promote and support the growth and development of the real sector, Keystone Bank Limited has embarked on a series of capacity building trainings in digital marketing and bookkeeping for its micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) customers across the country.

According to the lender, the first phase of the workshops held in strategic locations in Nigeria such as, Lagos, Abuja, Benin, Enugu and Onitsha, is part of the bank’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) aimed at creating a new breed of entrepreneurs in Nigeria.

The highly engaging, interactive and exciting sessions provided platforms for over 700 entrepreneurs to look inward, develop and deploy their business skills through practical trainings facilitated by experts and successful business owners.

In Lagos, Benin, Enugu and Onitsha, Keystone Bank in partnership with social media giant, Facebook (Rabbington Media) and Google (Innovation Growth Hub) trained entrepreneurs and self-employed individuals on how to leverage digital social media to achieve their business goals. The participants (comprising of both existing and prospective customers of Keystone Bank) were trained on the advantages of internet marketing through the digital social media to achieve business growth.

In Abuja, the bank in partnership with Pundit Book-keeping Services Limited took its MSMEs customers on the importance and benefits of effective book-keeping and taxation.

Speaking at one of the sessions, the Executive Director, South & Corporate, Keystone Bank Limited, Mr Yemi Odusanya said the bank is providing businesses and organizations the opportunity to expand their customer reach by projecting their message on global platforms such as Facebook thereby promoting widespread exposure.

“Globally, SMEs are established drivers of the strongest economies and Nigeria is not taking a back seat. With over 15million SMEs dotting the Nigerian landscape, we are poised to ensure our customers in this segment actively grow their businesses through our partnerships and focused initiatives in the segment, and this is the basis for our strong support of the MSME sector. MSMEs are the engines of socio-economic transformation, including industrialisation, as they provide vital platform to enhance technological and entrepreneurial capacity among various segments.

“We are committed to ensuring that our self-employed customers thrive at their various businesses hence we constantly seek ways and means to connect them to the market and ensure they succeed in reaching their customers.

“Giving them a social media presence will aid their appeal to the emerging middle-class customers in Nigeria who will most likely form a larger percentage of their customer base in the near future and are mostly upwardly-mobile youths who connect daily on these platforms at a reassuring rate.

“The capacity building trainings are available to all Keystone Bank customers who seek a competitive edge to transform their businesses and will be coming to other parts of the country soon.

“Our SME proposition, which is the “Growbiz Account” has three variants that address their cycles of growth from infancy through maturity and stability.

“We are also empowering SMEs through our Agency Banking initiative by signing them up as agents for basic off-site cash-in/cash-out services,” Odusanya explained.

He further stressed that the bank recently re-launched her MSME drive to ensure businesses are well equipped with required knowledge and skills for their growth and survival.

Keystone Bank Limited is one of the financial institutions that has a long-running support for the growth and development of small businesses in Nigeria because of the recognition of critical roles of MSMEs as vital agents of economic development and transformation.

The bank, a technology and service-driven commercial bank offering convenient and reliable solutions to its customers, has a full-fledged SME banking division which over the years, has developed various engagement programmes focused on empowering entrepreneurs.

Nigeria’s leading financial institution, Zenith Bank Plc, is set to light up the social and entertainment scene this month with the announcement of the Bank’s “Aspire Music Festival”.

Dubbed as the most anticipated entertainment event of the year, the music festival holds on Saturday, September 21, 2019 by 8.00pm at the Harbour Point Event Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos.

The breathtaking festival promises to be a night to remember, as it will feature captivating and thrilling musical performances by some of Nigeria’s biggest artistes including Olamide, Flavour, Phyno, Niniola, Mayorkun and Rema.

The Aspire Musical Festival, which is a must attend event for music lovers, tourists and fun seekers, is one of a series of events lined up by Zenith Bank to usher in “Style by Zenith 2.0”, the bank’s annual lifestyle fair which will take place towards the end of the year.

Attendance at the music festival is exclusively reserved for Zenith Bank customers. However, non-Zenith customers can still participate by simply opening a Zenith Bank account and registering to attend at www.zenithbank.com/style.

Zenith Bank Plc is recognized as one of the most innovative financial institutions in Nigeria and was voted the most customer-focused bank in Nigeria for the Retail and SME segments in the 2018 KPMG Annual Banking Industry Customer Satisfaction Survey (BICSS).

The Election Petition Tribunal Panel II, presided by Justice C. O Onyeabo in Asaba, Delta State, has sacked James Manager as the Senator representing Delta South senatorial district.

This was in a judgement delivered on Saturday by a three-man panel led by Justice Onyeabo.

The tribunal in a unanimous judgment ordered fresh election in the senatorial district.

Dr. Uduaghan, the APC candidate through his counsel, Tomson Okpoko, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) had petitioned and complained before the tribunal that the election was marred by irregularities and urged the tribunal to do justice to the petition.

The contention of the Petitioner, are among other things, that the first Respondent, PDP, the second Respondent, INEC and third Respondent James Manager connived with each other to allegedly perpetrate electoral malpractices and the tribunal should cancel the election.

Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki’s second term bid might see the light of day if the rumours making the rounds in Benin City about his alleged plan defection to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are anything to go by.

Recent romance with big PDP chieftains in the state will further attest to the fact that the Edo Peoples Movement (EPM), top members of the APC ruling party in Edo, are not willing to make peace with Obaseki, hence the governor, who is popularly known as ‘wake and see’ is considering the PDP option.

Fillers reaching us revealed that Obaseki and the PDP state Chairman, Chief Dan. Orbih, are currently in the US, allegedly holding meetings over his defection. It will also be recalled that the Delta State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, recently held a closed door meeting with Obaseki shortly before the governor travelled to the US. A PDP source, who is privy to this, said:

“As I speak with you now from New York in the US, I want to say that I’m very happy with the current romance between Obaseki and the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party in Edo State.

“Edo State does not belong to a particular group of persons or politicians, we are all stakeholders in the state, and we will support a governor that mean well for the poor masses. I would advise governor Obaseki to be focused because I can see that people who do not want good life for the poor masses of Edo people are bent on ensuring that Obaseki does not return to the government house in 2020.

“As a concerned citizen of Edo State, I want to say that we are ready to back Obaseki if he gets a ticket from another political platform.

“Greedy Edo politicians are not happy with him simply because it is no longer business as usual where they pack the people’s money to foreign banks abroad, thereby impoverishing the people and making life miserable for them. With the current move by Obaseki, I’m very sure that Edo electorate, who voted massively for him in 2016, will come out in their thousands to vote for him again.”

However, efforts to get Obaseki’s media aide, Mr. Crusoe Osagie, comment on this new development proved abortive as at the time of filling this report.

Enoch Adeboye, general overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), has appealed to Nigerians not to retaliate against South Africans living in the country.

Speaking on Friday at the monthly Holy Ghost service of the church at the Redemption camp in Ogun state, he urged the people to protect the South Africans living around them and let the government handle the situation.

Foreign businesses and properties have come under attack in the country, which has deepened diplomatic row between Nigeria and South Africa in the past few days.

On Friday, the South African police announced that they had arrested 497 suspects who have been looting shops owned by foreigners.

The police said the looting still continues till date.

“You don’t know what it means to be in another man’s land, not knowing what will happen. Be careful,” he warned.

“Don’t retaliate against South Africa because of the Nigerians who are still in South Africa.

“The average South African is a decent person, I know that. Those who are causing the trouble are not many. If you have a South African living near you, show them love, protect them from any harm.

“If the government was to repatriate all Nigerians from South Africa, they will be back in the next two months. Do we have enough jobs for those who stayed back in Nigeria, in the first place, not to talk of repatriating people back?

“For the sake of your kit and kin, don’t retaliate against South Africa, let us leave this issue for government to handle, while we pray for God to give them wisdom and understanding to handle the situation.”

As in many developing countries, cash has been the most prevalent mode of payment in Nigeria until 2012 when the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) introduced the cashless policy with the aim of promoting the use of electronic payment channels instead of cash.

Since then, banking services in Nigeria have shifted from physical and tangible distribution to technology-enabled, such as internet, automated teller machine (ATM), mobile phones, point of sale (POS) and mobile money channels.

African economies are also in support of driving cash out of the financial system and the introduction of digital payment solutions is in line with their cashless strategies.

It is also worthy of note that one of the prerequisites for the development of national economy is to encourage a payment system that is secure, convenient, and affordable. In this regard, developed countries of the world, to a large extent, have moved away from paper payment instruments toward electronic ones, especially payment cards.

Looking at data from the CBN official website on E-Payment transactions from 2012 to 2018, it is clear that there has been an exponential increase in the volume of transactions carried out through various channels.

For instance, the volume of ATM transactions carried out in 2012 was approximately at 375.5 million compared to 875.5 million recorded in 2018. Also, the volume of transactions recorded from the POS and Internet channels rose from 2.58 million to 295.89 million, and 2.27 million to 50.8 million in the review period respectively.

This suggests that, the e-payment channels, if well implemented will help achieve the CBN‘s objective of expanding, deepening and modernizing the payment system in Nigeria, and also galvanize the apex bank in ensuring that Nigeria ranks among the top 20 economies of the world in line with the nation‘s vision 2020 aspirations.

To this course, and in line with its pioneering strategy and focus at smartly improving payments infrastructures and greater usage of non-cash means in the country, First Bank of Nigeria Limited recently launched Visa Multi-Currency card, the first of its kind to be offered by any financial institution in the country.

This All-in One-Card has by all means added to the array of FirstBank’s card offerings: Naira MasterCard and Visa Gold card.

The FirstBank Naira MasterCard, a chip and PIN Debit Card, offers a convenient alternative to the use of cash, and cheques. It is a naira denominated card linked to customer’s current or savings account, and can be used to make purchases online, pay bills and access cash at ATMs point worldwide.

With it, cardholders go cashless, have zero need for Personal Travel Allowance (PTA) or Business Travel Allowance (BTA), and also have increased limits for international transactions up to $5000 monthly on all channels with a daily ATM cash withdrawal limit of $300.

While the FirstBank Visa Gold card, an international premium credit card, is a U.S. Dollar- denominated card, secured also by chip and PIN technology. Its higher daily spending limits on ATM, POS, and Web are $1,000, $10,000 and $5,000 respectively, anywhere in the World.

However, in addressing challenges many Nigerians faced while travelling abroad, FirstBank has introduced the Visa Multi-Currency card with some unique features. Before now, the major pain points for travelers have been how to source different currencies with high and non-transparent exchange rates.

In today’s businesses where expectation is significantly increasing, consumers have to embrace innovative new technology made available, such as the FirstBank Visa Multi-Currency of card, for global transactions.

The newly launched FirstBank Visa Multi-Currency card is an enhancement to the existing Visa Debit Dual Currency card. Having other unique features, the card can be linked to either or all customer’s NAIRA, USD, EURO and GBP accounts. It is designed to enhance customer experience when transacting globally outside Nigeria, and to address challenges many Nigerians faced while travelling abroad thereby positioning the bank at meeting the needs of its increasingly global customer base.

Besides other benefits are POS and Online purchases, access to and use of ATMs worldwide, and no cash collateral requirement prior to its issuance.

It is an international card secured by Chip and PIN technology with a lifespan of 3 years, and it has additional protection for web-based transactions with “Verified by Visa” (VbV). In fact, it is a one card that enables access to funds throughout the world, providing maximum protection for all card users.

It has a daily withdrawal limit of N150,000 and $1,000 for local and International transactions on the ATM channel, and N1,000,000 and $6,250 for local and international on Web. While on POS, Current account cardholders have a withdrawal limit of N2,500,000 and Savings account cardholders N500,000 distinctively for local, but $2,500 parallel for International transactions.

In the words of Mr. Chuma Ezirim, Group Executive, e-Business & Retail Product, “FirstBank takes pride in pioneering the Visa Multi Currency Card in the country, as we remain committed to providing products and services that are designed to ensure the banking convenience of our customers regardless of their location.”

“This card is designed to make traveling fun for our customers and ensure they have a seamless transaction experience during their vacation, tourism and other business-related trips around the globe,” he added.

True and true, FirstBank has shown itself to be a digital innovating bank since the craze of technological transformation in the financial sector, with various Awards, achievements, and recognitions.

This Nigeria’s Bank of first choice was named the first financial institution in the country to achieve sustained alternative channels transaction volumes of 100 million transactions in December 2015 and May 2016.

In 2015, FirstBank won two awards in the eBusiness category: MasterCard Cardless Champion award for International acceptance across all POS channels; and MasterCard Cardless Champion award for Mobile POS (MPOS) merchant acquisition.

In 2016, it won three awards also in the eBusiness category, viz: Asian Banker award for Best Mobile Payment Product for West Africa; Asian Banker award for Credit Card of the Year for West Africa; and Global Finance Award for ‘Digital Bank of Distinction – Emerging Markets, Africa Category’.

For two consecutive years, 2016 and 2017, the bank was honoured with the Digital Bank of Distinction, Nigeria award in the Global Finance Best Digital Banks Awards.

While still counting, in 2017, FirstBank won the Cashless Champion Award of MasterCard International on POS International transactions acquiring, and same year won Interswitch awards on Fastest Mobile Penetration in Africa; Highest Card Transacting Bank in Nigeria; and Highest Verve Issuing Bank.

For FirstBank to sustain its relevance and be part of the banks of the future, it must continue to be proactive to customers’ goals, their ‘next big thing’, and invest heavily, rediscover and reassert its core role in society, while securing ongoing support of policymakers.

Chinwe Bode-Akinwande is the founder of Chinwe Bode Akinwande (CBA) Foundation. The quintessential banker is a compassionate fellow who has devoted her time, talent and treasure to extending hope to underprivileged widows in Nigeria as well as helping and supporting their vulnerable children through her foundation. A self-motivated, focused and energetic performer with an upbeat, positive attitude, CBA, as she is fondly called is a seasoned motivational speaker, entrepreneur and a ‘doer’ with a difference who with her husband also runs the affairs of a Singles Forum known as SinglesConnect as relationship gurus.Bode-Akinwande holds a degree in banking & finance with certificates in strategic brand management from University of Austin, Texas, USA; Digital Marketing with EduPristine USA; Consulting Tool Kits with the prestigious Harvard Business School in Boston, USA. With over 20 years professional experience and expertise in relationship matters, branding, brand quality assurance, strategic brand management, strategic planning, project management, event planning & management, corporate identity refresh expertise, coaching/mentoring and consulting she is a valuable resource to empower and make impact in her sphere of influence. In this interview , Chinwe reveals all that make her foundation tick. Excerpts



Tell us about CBA Foundation.

CBA Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to promoting the protection of widows in Nigeria and their vulnerable children. The foundation promotes immediate and lasting hope, confidence and courage in their lives through various activities not limited to grants, provision of relief materials like clothing, food supplies and importantly economic empowerment.

What inspired you to create an organisation like CBA Foundation?

The inspiration is a couple of many things, first of all I felt led by God, and secondly the foundation is rooted in kindness. Kindness driven to put a smile on the faces of women that thought they had lost hope and thirdly, I know there are couple of NGO’s around the country but I have realised that less attention is paid to under privileged widows and I am very specific with the term ‘under privilege’ because there are widows that are privileged so apparently their husband left something for them, then I have heard from my friends who are victims of what they have gone through from the hands of the family they got married to as a result of them being widows. They have been thrown out of the house, their kids were sometimes taken from them, and some of them would go with their kids but must drop the last name, which is the name of their husband.

There was just quite a lot of dehumanisation going on, injustice, while they are still at the brink of taking care of the kids, asking questions such as, ‘how do I start my life having lost my husband?’, there are families asking for travelling documents, asking for papers of the land and all that, so I felt I should bring my little quota to this as a self-less act to what they are going through. Also having done this for over four years, I have realised that we have over 600 profile authentic widows and the truth without exaggeration is that about 90 per cent of their kids are out of school. When you talk to them, they keep telling you, ‘madam make I chop first, make my children chop first before we think of school’. So that drives me; even if it is the basic education with the support of people to send them back to school; at least they should get the basic knowledge of primary and then maybe another organisation takes up their secondary education.

Was there any childhood experience that inspired you to do this?

I always start any interview with this narrative, my father is still alive and my husband is still alive so it means I am not a victim of widowhood. I am favoured; it is not by my power or my own doing, it has been God. Like I said earlier on, I have watched closely what happened to this people in our society, I have also listened in and run through research, my friends have been victim of such, I have one friend that the only thing they could not take from their house is the carpet because it was glued to the floor, the family moved in and the mother was at the corner of the house crying and they packed everything in the house.

What are the major tasks of your organisation and who has benefited from your programmes?

The task of CBA Foundation is enormous and very encompassing. As much as we are focused on the unprivileged widows and their children, the multiplier effects of our impact have been far-reaching beyond our target beneficiaries. Interestingly at CBA Foundation, we categorise our beneficiaries into two groups: the direct and indirect; the direct being individuals that are impacted at our event, they are the primary recipient of our impact. The indirect are what we call secondary recipient(s) of our impact. They are those that are impacted by our primary beneficiaries. So from these, you would agree with me that the society at large has benefitted from our outreach programmes.

How is CBA Foundation funded?

The bulk of our funding is through donations from friends, colleagues, members of the society as well as corporate organisations that have over the years partnered with us due to the their belief in us not just our impact but what we stand for. We reach out to this individuals by telling them that this is the email address if you need us to send you receipt we would do. That is our transparency. We allow you to know what your money is being used for. We are grateful to them for their support and implore many more to reach out to us as indeed we cannot do it alone.

In what ways can Nigerians and the world at large contribute to CBA Foundation?

Our website; www.cbafoundation.org provides all information on contributions and partnerships. In addition, by attending our events and following us on the social media. Our Instagram and twitter handles are cbafoundation_ and @cbafoundation respectively.

What do you think the government can do to support NGOs like this and what steps have you taken to attract such support?

Primarily, it is sad that we are in a society that doesn’t recognize the role of women in impacting the nation, especially the economy. In this regard, I would say that is the starting point. Once the gender inequality gap is addressed, identifying with widows won’t be a far cry. There is so much to do, it’s not just about giving money to these women but showing them how to economically use the money.

Also, there is a Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act (VAPP) which the act itself have the protection for the widows but the government should please do more. One thing is to have the policies and another is to have the act, but when it is not being enforced it lies in vacuums, it lies in isolation, and nobody uses it. So it is just doing more of advocacy letting this people know that there is a law out there that can protect them, they should push it the more and support, and that is all we are asking for.

What measures do you employ to ascertain that the beneficiaries are genuinely those in need of such intervention?

We have a team that carry-out intense background checks on these women. In addition, our partnership with the traditional rulers – Kings/Baales, Churches and Mosque leaders who already have them in their database provides relief on our identification.

We profile the widows to know about what they do, to even ascertain if they are truly under privilege widows not that you just come around and take food, clothing and not letting it go round for those who have nothing. We go further to research, we visit where they live. We listen to business idea from these widows and set up the business for them in the location that is suitable for them, we don’t want to do more of cash because there are needs you can just spend it on immediately.

Most importantly for us, we like them to go through check-ups, their health is key before running a business, we educate them on the fact that they need to live so this could only happen if they go through the series of check-ups and use their medication. The sustained part of this is that we go back to that community to enrich them. When we started this initially, they thought we are from a political party coming to solicit for vote.

What are the challenges of running an organisation like CBA Foundation?

Inadequate volunteers at meeting projected impact levels. Societal factors, as it relates to gender inequality. Being a foundation, we aren’t profit based which sheds more light on the limitations we experience on funds generation. But in all, with the passion we have for this course, we pay very little attention to the challenges that might arise.

How can government reduce poverty level in the country knowing that such will make the task of your organisation easier?

That is by frowning at gender inequality. With the employment of more women, poverty would largely be a thing of the past and I agree with you that such would ease our task a great deal.

However, on a holistic scale, the government must ensure that the opportunities to stimulate employment generation are readily available. Opportunities like regular and effective power generation, good road network.

Also, the government needs to step up its attention on the education sector. It is indeed a shame that Nigeria is far from meeting United Nation’s 26% limit of National budget that should be used for education. In 2017, it was reported that 7% of the national budget was allocated to education.

Skill acquisition is one other way. The unskilled segment of the society is enormous, largely due to the education gap. So I see this as a very strategic way of bridging the poverty gap.

Does the current state of the nation, especially as it relates to insecurity have any direct impact on your activities as an NGO?

Yes, it does have an impact. Security issues limit our free movement, security issues make us reconsider our spread to certain locations across the nation and if we do have to go there – the IDPs in the North East for example, it would mean spending much more on logistics.

So the security hitches I would say is venom that needs to be contained and treated with the greatest attention.

Do you have any words of encouragement to the widows and those in need of help and support?

I encourage everyone not to lose hope nor give up. As a believer, the grace of God is sufficient as indeed when there is life there is hope.

Naledi Pandor, South African minister of foreign affairs, says there are many Nigerians in the country involved in drug and human trafficking.

Pandor said this on Thursday while responding to criticisms that South Africa’s security agencies are not doing enough to protect foreigners in the wave of xenophobia rocking the country.

Many Nigerians based in South Africa lost properties worth millions of dollars in the fresh attacks.

But in an interview with eNCA, a South African outfit, Pandor said South Africans believe many Nigerians are “harming our young people.”

Asked if the country’s security agencies have helped in protecting foreigners including Nigerians, she responded: “I would appreciate them in helping us as well to address the belief our people have and the reality that there are many persons from Nigeria dealing in drugs in our country.

“I believe that Nigerian nationals are involved in human trafficking and other abusive practices.

“These kind of assistance of ensuring that such persons do not come to our country will be of great assistance to our nation.”

The xenophobic attacks forced Nigeria to pull out of the ongoing World Economic Forum in South Africa.

In its initial response to the fresh attacks, the federal government summoned Bobby Monroe, South Africa’s high commissioner to Nigeria.

President Muhammadu Buhari also dispatched a special envoy to convey his concerns over the attacks to President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Nigeria demanded full compensation for its citizens affected in the latest attacks, but Pandor had earlier said there is no provision for such.

https://www.thecable.ng/sa-minister-many-nigerians-in-our-country-are-drug-traffickers/amp

Following the hypersensitivity of the issues surrounding the lives and well-being of Nigerian citizens living in South Africa and to contribute his voice against the poor state of security regarding foreign nationals living in Africa, the Founder/Chairman of Zenith Bank Plc, Mr. Jim Ovia has withdrawn from further activities at the World Economic Forum Africa 2019, taking place in Cape Town, South Africa.

Before taking his exit, Mr. Ovia stressed the need for youth empowerment and better government policies to curb continual attacks on persons living within and outside Africa.

He belaboured that until positive change towards collective growth happens on this front, the continent would not reach its potential.

Mr. Ovia added that full support should be rendered in vocational education of the young persons living in not just Nigeria but Africa.

According to him, the Jim Ovia Foundation has taken up a stance on this issue, having empowered over 3,500 students and entrepreneurs since its inception. He called on other members of the private sector to join hands and solve this menace plaguing the African continent.

The latest housemates to be evicted from the Big Brother Naija ‘Pepper Dem’ season 4 house has open up on their stay in the house.

For us, it was an opportunity to speak with the reality TV stars on their experiences in the house. Esther who had a very interesting relationship with fellow housemate, Frodd gave us an insight about their friendship.

One interesting thing about this interview was the fact that we got to ask Sir Dee which of the other female housemates would he have shown interest in if he wasn’t in a relationship.

“Of course, I am very human-like that,” he said. We wanted to dig further as we asked him to share with us the possible names of housemates.

“There are a few names, of course, you know…I was attracted to people on different levels. So if I was emotionally available, I would have pursued some of those attractions. I would say, Esther. Esther is a very smart girl and very intelligent and intelligence is something that is very attractive,” he said.

Esther left viewers of the reality TV show glued to their TV screens when she left Frodd crying after she rejected his love advances. We wanted to find out how that turned into a beautiful friendship later on in the show.

“I think that we all know that, when you are persistent with something, there is a high probability that it will come through. Frodd is persistent with his friendship, I think that’s the kind of person that he is. Because he was always at it, always talking to me like I also reciprocated by talking back to him. And eventually, we just got close. When you spend time with somebody, it is bound to happen.

“He was a good person. Our friendship wasn’t forced. But Frodd is very intense with his emotions and feelings and I am not that kind of a person. For me, it takes time to warm up to someone. It is really rare for me to just hit it off with people, but it does happen. But in that regards it didn’t happen like that,” she said.

We asked her if anything would happen between Frodd and herself after the show eventually ends.

“I don’t know what the future holds, so I’m opened to the possibility that the future holds,” Esther added.

Esther revealed that before going into the house, she was blank. She had no idea she was going to be the love interest of two housemates. She, however, said she was open to meeting anyone in the house.

In case you didn’t know, Sir Dee has a girlfriend who is an identical twin. We asked the former banker turned reality TV star how he he is able to differentiate between his girlfriend and her twin sister.

“They are different expressions on their face. One looks calmer, the other is tougher. Unfortunately, the tougher one is my girlfriend (Laughter) Not unfortunate, I’m with the tougher one, so it may seem…let’s leave it like that,” he said.

One of Esther’s major highlights in the house was being the ‘Head Of House’ not just twice but the first female housemate to achieve that feat. For Sir Dee, he got to do a lot of things in the house that he didn’t know he would be able to do.

Sir Dee doesn’t plan to go back to the banking sector as he has his eyes set on the entertainment industry where he has always felt is his first love.

Same goes for Esther who bluntly said she plans to join Nollywood as an actress and give her wig and rob a rest for now.

The executive governor of Ogun State, Prince Dapo Abiodun, has sued for peace and tolerance in the wake of xenophobic attacks against Nigerians in South Africa.

The governor made his call as tension mounts and the Federal Government expressed “deep concern” over persistent attacks against Nigerians resident in South Africa.

According to Abiodun, this is the time for aggrieved parties to exhibit patience and caution as officials of both countries meet to resolve the ugly situation and salvage the friendly ties that had hitherto sustained their relationship as business associates and neighbours.

Rumours of a reprisal attack against the South African franchise, Shoprite, in Lekki axis of Lagos by a mob of protesters has generated concerns over the situation.

Nigerians at home and abroad are particularly aggrieved over persistent attacks against compatriots living in South Africa; mobs comprising natives of the host nation, descend on business hubs and townships in various parts of South Africa, looting dozens of shops and torching trucks driven by foreigners in a surge of anti-migrant sentiment.

Nigerians have suffered heavy losses in the heat of such attacks.

Just a week after xenophobic attacks erupted in Pretoria and two months after Nigerians were being attacked in Hillbrow, the South Africa is experiencing yet another spate of xenophobic attacks which began yesterday.

According to media reports, two people have been confirmed dead, including a woman who was shot at close range. A hundred others have been arrested thus far.

The reasons for the xenophobic attacks echo the pervasive anti-immigrant sentiment around the world. In a country with growing inequality, unemployment and poverty, many disenfranchised South Africans feel that foreign nationals are responsible for the lack of job opportunities and increasing crime.

South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa has condemned the wave of xenophobic attacks by South Africans against foreign nationals, especially Nigerians across the country.

The attacks, he said, unjustifiable and condemnable.

Ramaphosa also promised to summon a security meeting with ministers on Tuesday to discuss ways of halting the attacks.

The President, in a post on his verified Twitter handle, said: “ I condemn the violence that has been spreading around a number of our provinces in the strongest terms.

“I’m convening the ministers in the security cluster today to make sure that we keep a close eye on these acts of wanton violence and find ways of stopping them.

“The people of our country want to live in harmony; whatever concerns or grievances we may have, we need to handle them in a democratic way.

“There can be no justification for any South African to attack people from other countries.”

“We express our deep pain, support, solidarity and love to the families, friends and loved ones of all those who have lost their lives in the last month (Uyinene Mrwetyana, Leighandre Jegels, Nolunde Vumsindo, Meghan Cremer, Jesse Hess to mention but a few).

“Our security forces are on high alert. Whilst in no way, can we take away the sense of deep loss and unbearable pain you experience, as a country we commit ourselves to continue to work tirelessly to building the kind of South Africa, where indeed women and children will be safe.”

For the 10th week, Biggie changed the process of populating the eviction nomination list as housemates did the nominations.

Elozonam, Omashola, Venita, Frodd, and Khafi have been nominated for eviction ahead of Sunday, September 8, 2019.

The four housemates and the immediate ex-Head of House will have their popularity and strength tested as the struggle for the grand prize of N60 million continues.

Frodd and Venita polled four votes each, while Elozonam, Omashola and Seyi polled three votes each.

Although Khafi escaped the initial Nominations, Seyi ended up putting her up to Save himself.

The eviction list was announced on Monday night, September 2, 2019, a night after the eviction of Esther and Sir Dee.

All doesn’t seem well between Khafi and Venita. Although they put up a front that all is well, it doesn’t appear so and it was no surprise that they both put each other up for Eviction.

Frodd recently got into a fight with Elozonam and we wonder if that had anything to do with him putting Elozonam up for Eviction.

Here’s how housemates nominated for Eviction
Seyi has just Nominated Mercy and Frodd for Eviction.

Mercy has just Nominated Omashola and Venita for Eviction.

Frodd has just Nominated Omashola and Elozonam for Eviction.

Omashola has just Nominated Elozonam and Diane for Eviction.

Khafi has just Nominated Elozonam and Venita for Eviction.

Tacha has just Nominated Mercy and Frodd for Eviction.

Mike has just Nominated Frodd and Seyi for Eviction.

Ike has just Nominated Venita and Khafi for Eviction.

Venita has just Nominated Frodd and Khafi for Eviction.

Elozonam puts up Seyi and Mike for Eviction.

Diane Nominates Omashola and Venita for Eviction.

Cindy has just Nominated Diane and Seyi for Eviction.

After an interesting 45 minutes, trying to win the most coveted challenge of the week, Mercy and Ike emerged as joint heads of house for this week.

This week’s challenge was the simple game of ping pong. Housemates were told to play the game of ping pong and any housemate who wasn’t able to throw in the ping pong didn’t make it to the next round.

After the first round, Diane and Frodd were the first housemates not make it to the next round and were followed by Mike, Venita, Seyi, Tacha, Cindy and Khafi didn’t make it past the second.

Mercy, Ike, Elozonam, and Omashola all made it to the third round of the game. It was an easy sail for Elozonam, Ike, Mercy as they scaled through the next round of the challenge.

Apparently, the trio of Ike, Mercy, and Elozonam weren’t bulging as they made the game look so easy in the next round. Biggie decided to make the game a bit harder for the guys as he instructed the ninjas to reduce the cups.

After another interesting round, Ike and Mercy made it to the final round. Biggie in his usual unpredictable style then suggested that both housemates should become a joint ‘Head Of House,’ a decision they both agreed to.

However, only one of the head of house is entitled to immunity. Mercy decided that Ike should be the ‘Head Of House’ with the immunity. They both will enjoy the ‘Head Of House’ privileges.

Big Brother housemates Esther and Sir Dee have been evicted from the show, making them the 13th and 14th to be evicted from the Big Brother Naija 2019 Pepper Dem house

Esther who was head of house for a short while had her privileges halted when Khafi took over after winning a game.

Judging from recent Twitter polls, Esther seem to be the least liked housemate and some social media users have been anticipating her exit from the house especially because of her relationship with Frodd. However, Sir Dee’s eviction came a little as a shock to viewers who are now realising that Cindy got more votes than him.

As for the first evicted housemate of the evening, some had opined that Esther is manipulative and only using Frodd because she is aware of how he feels about her. However, since the game host, Ebuka, announced the eviction of Esther, Frood could be seen taking it the hard way.

This week Tacha, Sir See, Frodd, Venita, Cindy and Esther were up for eviction and Esther and Sir Dee were the housemates with least amount of votes.

Although, Esther took it in good fate, her lover, Frodd was captured shedding tears and weeping over her departure.

As an element of surprise, Jidenna, showed up in the house and just as he walked in with Ebuka, the housemates were asked to freeze.

Meanwhile, evicted housemates of the 2019 Big Brother Naija (BBNaija) were hosted at the Abuja residence of controversial Nigerian politician, Senator Dino Melaye.

In a series of photos that flooded his official Instagram page, Melaye was spotted striking individual and group poses with evicted contestants of the Pepper Dem season.

Among those spotted in the pictures include, Nelson, Jeff, Kimoprah, Jackye, Enkay and Joe.

Chief Executive Officer, MultiChoice Nigeria, Mr. John Ugbe, has called for better balance and increased diversity of perspectives in the country’s Brands and Marketing Communications industry.

Ugbe made the call on Friday in a keynote address delivered at the third annual Women in Marketing and Communications Conference and Awards (WIMCA), organized by Brand Communicator Magazine.

The conference, which held at the MUSON Centre in Lagos, is a foremost industry thought leadership platform. This year’s edition was conceived to address issues of equity, equality and balance in the Brands/Marketing Communications sector.

In his address, Ugbe noted that balance transcends gender and is actually about diversity in thought, skills, age, gender, socio-economic and demographic strata, ethno-religious lines as well as across experience.

Balance, Ugbe contended, is about “more representation and the ability to represent our target communities and audience”.

He stated that the survival and relevance of the Brands/Marketing Communications industry rests on ensuring it has more diverse perspectives

“We need to talk about how we can be a more representative industry; that is, representative of the population we represent, our customers, clients, communities, organizations and societies.

“When we speak about balance, it is beyond gender balance, so not only ensuring that we have more women in our industry, although this is important, very important in fact.

“It is also ensuring that we move beyond focusing on an element of balance – the gender element, to asking ourselves, how can we be more representative of the communities we serve, the industries we serve, the organizations we serve and our society,” he said.

Ugbe explained that having a board on which both genders are equally represented does not exactly indicate balance, given that its members could be from the same state, ethnic or religious group.

“How representative is this for an industry that seeks to be truly innovative? How are we ensuring better diversity across socio-economic demographic, experience, age, ability and disability, skills disability? We need to expand our understanding of balance, and start to see how we can be truly representative,” he added.

He admitted that the starting point for balance should be gender, noting that there have been many extreme cases of bias against women.

“Gender balance is really important across every level in our organizations. One way to achieve this is to recognise and celebrate the achievements of women in our organizations and in our industry. As I mentioned in my introduction, today we launch the Multihoice Women’s Forum. It’s our way of celebrating the achievements of women across MultiChoice and keeping them in the forefront always,” he stated.

The Federal High Court in Abuja has granted the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) application to take over the assets of the Chairman of SEPLAT Petroleum Development Company, Ambrosie Orjiako.

The court also ordered the take over of the assets of two of Mr Orjiako’s affiliate companies, Shebah Exploration & Production Company Limited and Allenne Limited.

SEPLAT Petroleum is a Nigerian independent oil and gas company operating a portfolio of oil and gas assets in Nigeria’s Niger Delta region.

The court order, issued on August 15, was accompanied with the letters to the Managing Directors of 29 commercial and merchant banks in the country where Mr Orjiako and his allies have accounts. A copy of the court ruling was obtained by PREMIUM TIMES on Friday.

Details of the application
The order followed an application by Mojisola Owoseni of Lexavier Partners, legal practitioners, legal counsel to AMCON in suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/945/19 against ABC Orjiako, Shebah Exploration & Production Company Limited, with RC No 499348, and Allenne Limited.

In the application, AMCON asked the court to grant Francis Chuka, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, right to exercise its function as Receiver/Manager of Mr Orjiako’s assets in Nigeria and abroad, including Shebah Exploration & Production Company Limited.

Mr Chuka was appointed by AMCON as Receiver/Manager on July 30, 2019, with the mandate to “take possession of and preserve all its assets and undertakings” by Mr Orjiako.

The assets and undertakings included his personal properties at Nos. 10C and 25A Lugard Avenue, Ikoyi, Lagos; an oil vessel, MT Trinity Spirit, used as a floating, Production, Storage, and Offloading (FPSO) facility in Ukpokiti Oil Field belonging to Shebah Exploration & Production Company Limited.

Also affected are all movable and immovable assets of Shebah Exploration & Production Company Limited in and outside Nigeria, including the oil production facilities and other assets belonging to Shebah Exploration & Production Company Limited and located in and around Ukpokiti Oil Field.

Court order
In granting AMCON’s application, the FCT Federal High Court presided by Justice Taiwo Taiwo, gave the Receiver/Manager judicial protection to take over and manage Shebah Exploration & Production Company Limited till the full determination of the case.

The court also permitted the Receive/Manager to take over all shares belonging to Mr Orjiako and his affiliate companies, Shebah Exploration & Production Company Limited, and Allenne Limited, which they own directly or through proxies.

Their equity holdings are in registered corporate entities like Seplat Petroleum Development Company Limited, Platform Petroleum (Joint Ventures) Limited, Abbeycourt Trading Company Limited, Helko Nigeria Limited, Shebah Petroleum Development Company Limited BVI, Plumage Management Limited, Sinclair Commercials Limited BVI and Allenne Limited BVI.

The order also authorized the Receiver/Manager to take over Mr Ojiako’s property in Parkview Estate, Ikoyi, Lagos, and Maryland in the United States as well as London, United Kingdom.

By the order, counsel to AMCON said the Receiver/Manager was also ordered to take steps to take over the assets of Shebah Exploration and Production Company Limited for the purpose of liquidating its outstanding indebtedness to AMCON.

Mr Orjiako and other directors of the Shebah Petroleum Development Company Limited was ordered to desist from harassing the Receiver/Manager from doing his job.

In the letter to the 29 banks that Mr Orjiako and his affiliates had accounts, the managers were all directed to prevent all further withdrawals of funds and other debit transactions from the accounts.

The court also granted a request for an order restraining Mr Orjiako and his allies from interfering with or removing from the court’s jurisdiction in respect of the oil firm’s funds in the banks and financial institutions in and outside the country without the consent of the AMCON.

The legal firm urged the banks to furnish the Receiver/Manager within seven days the comprehensive statement of each account showing the outstanding balances of the defendants.

It is not clear as at press time if the banks complied with the court’s order to make available those details. Some of the banks contacted on Friday promised to cross-check the information and revert. None did.

The firm threatened to initiate contempt proceeding against any bank and its officials that flout the court order.

The banks AMCON wrote to included Access Bank, Citi Bank Nigeria Limited, Ecobank Nigeria, Fidelity Bank, First Bank of Nigeria, First City Monument Bank, Guaranty Trust Bank, Heritage Bank Limited, Keystone Bank Limited, Mainstream Bank Limited, Polaris Bank Limited Providus Bank Limited, Stanbic IBTC, Standard Chartered Bank, Sterling Bank, Suntrust Bank, Union Bank and United Bank for Africa, all in Lagos.

Other banks include Unity Bank, Wema Bank, Zenith International Bank, Titan Trust Bank, Globus Bank Limited, Coronation Merchant Bank FBNQuest Merchant Bank Limited, FSDH Merchant Bank Limited, Rand Merchant Bank Limited, and Nova Merchant Bank Limited in the Lagos as well as the African Export-Import Bank in Abuja.

The Debt
Mr Orjiako has been having a running battle over a multi-billion debt AMCON has been battling to recover.

Although AMCON was not forthcoming with the exact figure of the debt, pressures for a recovery compelled Mr Orjiako early this month to offload about 3.5 million units of the equity he controlled in SEPLAT Petroleum to enable him to defray part of the obligation.

After the sale, Mr Orjiako now holds a direct interest in 16,151,325 ordinary shares and indirect interest in 26,300,000 ordinary shares of the company totalling 42,451,325 shares which equates to a voting interest of 7.21 per cent.

The transaction took place in London and a notice of the transaction was sent to the Nigeria Stock Exchange (NSE).

In the notice, the Chief Financial Officer of SEPLAT, Roger Brown, said the shares sold at an average price of 114.5 pence per share.

Mr Brown said the shares were “registered in the name of Vitol Energy Limited held for the benefit of Shebah Petroleum Development Company Limited, which is an entity controlled by Dr. A.B.C. Orjiako and members of his family”.

SEPLAT Petroleum Development Company is a Nigerian independent oil and gas company which operates a portfolio of assets in the Niger Delta region. It is a leading supplier of processed gas to the domestic market.

SEPLAT was formed in June 2009 through the partnership of Shebah Petroleum Development Company Limited and Platform Petroleum Joint Ventures Limited.