₦airaland Forum

Ondo State Governor, Arakunrin Rotimi Akeredolu has revealed that he has awarded contract for the construction of a coastal road linking Araromi beach in the state with Ibeju Lekki in Lagos.

This is part of an ongoing infrastructural development of the coastal area of Ondo State, which include plans to build a Seaport and an industrial Free Trade Zone.

“Yesterday! Contract for Road already awarded. Feasibility study for Ondo Port and masterplan for our FTZ already done including sand filling of FTZ site in Ugbonla, ” Governor Akeredolu tweeted on Monday.

“We have always believed that developing the South is the key to transforming Ondo State. Transforming The Beach and its environs is a high priority of this administration. The Araromi to Ibeju Lekki road and Ondo Industrial City FTZ both straddle the beach front, “the governor continued.

http://www.todaysecho.com/exclusive/ondo-state-govt-to-build-road-linking-araromi-beach-to-ibeju-lekki/

Fresh from his exoneration from Russian collusion by the Mueller report, American President Donald Trump has launched a tirade against American ‘hostile media’ who have been unfair to him.
His words:
“The Radical Left Democrats, together with their leaders in the Fake News Media, have gone totally insane! I guess that means that the Republican agenda is working. Stay tuned for more!”
“In the “old days” if you were President and you had a good economy, you were basically immune from criticism. Remember, “It’s the economy stupid.” Today I have, as President, perhaps the greatest economy in history…and to the Mainstream Media, it means NOTHING. But it will!” he lamented

‘The best thing ever to happen to Twitter is Donald Trump,’ he tweeted on Tuesday, after criticizing the New York Times and CNN for being part of what he termed ‘Fake news media’

“So true, but they don’t treat me well as a Republican. Very discriminatory, hard for people to sign on. Constantly taking people off list. Big complaints from many people. Different names-over 100 M.

“But should be much higher than that if Twitter wasn’t playing their political games. No wonder Congress wants to get involved – and they should. Must be more, and fairer, companies to get out the WORD!” he continued

http://www.todaysecho.com/features/donald-trump-says-he-is-the-best-thing-to-ever-happen-to-twitter/

Tributes have been paid to an aid worker from Manchester killed by kidnappers in Nigeria.
Faye Mooney, 29, had traveled from Lagos to Kaduna as a tourist and had been attending a party when the tragedy happened, police said.

The British High Commission in Nigeria said it was aware of the incident and released the woman’s name however they refused to speculate on the motive or nature of the attack.
No one has claimed responsibility for the incident and the kidnappers have yet to be identified, Nigerian police say, according to UK-based Trinity Mirror.

Ms Mooney was employed in Nigeria by a non-governmental organisation called Mercy Corps before she was killed late on Friday.
Her next of kin have been informed, the authorities said.

Tributes to the Briton were led by Neal Keny-Guyer, chief executive of Mercy Corps, an American NGO which provides humanitarian aid to 38 countries.

He said: “Faye was a dedicated and passionate communications and learning specialist who had worked with Mercy Corps for almost two years, devoting her time to making a difference in Nigeria, supporting our teams and the communities we work with to tell their stories of impact, and leading efforts to counter hate speech and violence.

“A graduate of University College London and the London School of Economics who had taught in Iraq and worked in Kosovo to combat human trafficking, Faye was deeply committed to fostering cross-cultural collaboration and was an inspiration to us all.”

“We extend our deepest sympathy to those who have been affected by this senseless tragedy, including her family, friends and all of our team members in Nigeria who knew her and loved her.
“Our program operations in Nigeria will continue, but our priority focus at this time remains on the care of the family of our beloved team member and our team in Nigeria.”

A Kaduna state police spokesman told of how the suspected kidnappers were armed with “dangerous weapons” when they entered the Kajuru Castle “shooting sporadically.”
They confirmed a second person had been killed, but did not name them.
Northern Nigeria is plagued by a Boko Haram and Islamic State insurgency as well as clashes between farmers and herders in which hundreds have died.

“We are engaging with the Nigerian authorities, and we understand an investigation is underway,” the British High Commission said in a statement.
Kidnappings are rampant in Nigeria, where both locals and foreigners are targeted – mostly for ransom.

Muhammadu Buhari won re-election as president for another four years in February, pledging to improve security in Nigeria, boost economic growth and fight corruption.
In 2014, more than 270 schoolgirls were abducted by Boko Haram from the town of Chibok, prompting the global #BringBackOurGirls campaign.
Some of the girls remain in captivity five years later.

http://www.todaysecho.com/features/britain-mourns-citizen-killed-by-kidnappers-in-northern-nigeria/

American President Donald Trump has taken to Twitter with a Game of Thrones-themed poster to mock his enemies after he was absolved of colluding with Russia.

“No Collusion, No Obstruction. For the haters and the radical-left Democrats, Game Over,” the poster says
This was after Attorney General William Barr held a news conference explaining takeaways from the Mueller report on Thursday; a huge victory for Trump

No collusion, no obstruction has been Donald Trump’s response to the Mueller report, which absolved him of colluding with Russia to win the 2016 presidential election.

“They’re having a good day, and I’m having a good day too,” Trump told a group of veterans at the White House.

“No collusion, no obstruction,” Trump continued. “There never was, by the way, and there never will be. And we do have to get to the bottom of these things. This should never happen … to another president again. This hoax. It should never happen to another president again.”

http://www.todaysecho.com/politics/game-over-trump-mocks-enemies-as-he-is-cleared-of-russian-collusion/

Ms Felicia Segun, a Nigerian law expert has stated that president Goodluck Jonathan ordered the deal in which two oil giants, Shell and Eni paid $1.1 billion on Oil Mining Lease(OPL) 245 in 2011.

Ms Segun, who is Senior Partner at Nigerian law firm, ACAS was invited by Eni and Shell to be their witness in their ongoing trial in Milan, Italy for involvement in the deal.

“Ms Segun says that as the $1.1bn payment by Shell and Eni for OPL 245 was for settling claims on the block it shouldn’t be considered “public funds” and therefore wasn’t obliged to go into the consolidated revenue fund. She also points out the President ordered the deal.”
Journalist, Barnaby Pace who monitored proceedings from inside the Milan Palace of Justice said
Meanwhile, a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, sitting in Jabi, Wednesday, has ordered the arrest of former Minister of Petroleum, Dan Etete, as well as former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Mohammed Adoke, over the Malabu oil scandal.
In 2011, Shell and the Italian oil company Eni paid $1.1 billion in a murky deal for an oil block located off the coast of Nigeria: OPL 245.

According to international body, Global Witness, it was able to track documents showing that this money didn’t go to benefit the Nigerian people.
“Instead it went to convicted money launderer and former oil Minister, Dan Etete, who had awarded himself ownership of the block in 1998 via a company he secretly owned, Malabu Oil and Gas, ” Global Witness says in a report.
After six years of denying any wrongdoing, Global Witness’ investigation forced Shell to admit it knew the money would be diverted into private hands, and went ahead with the deal anyway.
The landmark trial, which began hearing evidence in Milan in September 2018, involves current and former senior staff from two of the world’s largest corporations. They include Eni’s current CEO Claudio Descalzi, and former Royal Dutch Shell Executive Director for Upstream, Malcolm Brinded CBE.

The case brought by the Milan Public Prosecutor alleges that $520 million from the deal was converted into cash and intended to be paid to then Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan and other Nigerian government officials. The prosecutors further allege that money was also channelled to Eni and Shell executives, with $50 million in cash delivered to the home of Eni’s then head of African Operations Roberto Casula.

On October 17th 2018, Global Witness co-founder, Simon Taylor, gave evidence in the trial, having triggered the investigation which led to the trial by submitting a criminal complaint by Global Witness, Re:Common, and The Corner House in 2013.
Today’s Echo reported in February that Dutch prosecutors were ramping up their case against Shell and the oil giant may face criminal prosecution in Netherlands. Eni has been facing trial for a while in Milan.
If found guilty, senior executives at both companies could go to jail. Shell and Eni could face enormous penalties, and be forced to hand back one of the most promising oil blocks in Africa.

http://www.todaysecho.com/business/malabu-jonathan-ordered-1-1-billion-deal-with-eni-shell-nigerian-law-expert-testifies-at-milan/

The president of the United States of America, Donald Trump has advised aircraft maker, Boeing to fully rebrand its line of Max 737 planes following a series of unfortunate events that have destroyed trust in the plane’s safety.
Boeing 737 Max aircrafts were involved in the Ethiopia Airline crash in March 2019 that killed all 157 people onboard. The aircraft had earlier been involved in a crash over Indonesia in October 2018, which also killed everyone onboard.
Shortly after these disasters, Airlines and countries around the world started grounding Boeing 737 planes in their jurisdiction and the aircraft lost significant reputation.

One of the largest Airlines in Nigeria, Air Peace was subjected to criticisms when rumours wafted to Nigerians that it had refused to cancel its order for a new set of Boeing 737 Max. Air Peace denied the rumours and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority(NCAA) later stated that there were no Boeing 737 Max planes in Nigeria’s airspace.

Boeing stocks went down and the aircraft maker lost immense revenue during the crisis.
According to Trump, Boeing should rebrand the 737 Max to save its reputation and create a new beginning for it.
“What do I know about branding, maybe nothing (but I did become President!), but if I were Boeing, I would FIX the Boeing 737 MAX, add some additional great features, & REBRAND the plane with a new name. No product has suffered like this one. But again, what the hell do I know?”

www.todaysecho.com/features/breaking-trump-advises-boeing-to-rebrand-accident-prone-737-max/

Astronomers have taken the first ever image of a black hole, which is located in a distant galaxy.
It measures 40 billion km across – three million times the size of the Earth – and has been described by scientists as “a monster”.
The black hole is 500 million trillion km away and was photographed by a network of eight telescopes across the world.
Details have been published today in Astrophysical Journal Letters.
Prof Heino Falcke, of Radboud University in the Netherlands, who proposed the experiment, told BBC News that the black hole was found in a galaxy called M87.
“What we see is larger than the size of our entire Solar System,” he said.
“It has a mass 6.5 billion times that of the Sun. And it is one of the heaviest black holes that we think exists. It is an absolute monster, the heavyweight champion of black holes in the Universe.”
The image shows an intensely bright “ring of fire”, as Prof Falcke describes it, surrounding a perfectly circular dark hole. The bright halo is caused by superheated gas falling into the hole. The light is brighter than all the billions of other stars in the galaxy combined – which is why it can be seen at such distance from Earth.
The edge of the dark circle at the centre is the point at which the gas enters the black hole, which is an object that has such a large gravitational pull, not even light can escape.
The image matches what theoretical physicists and indeed, Hollywood directors, imagined black holes would look like, according to Dr Ziri Younsi, of University College London – who is part of the collaboration.
“Although they are relatively simple objects, black holes raise some of the most complex questions about the nature of space and time, and ultimately of our existence,” he said.
“It is remarkable that the image we observe is so similar to that which we obtain from our theoretical calculations. So far, it looks like Einstein is correct once again.”
But having the first image will enable researchers to learn more about these mysterious objects. They will be keen to look out for ways in which the black hole departs from what’s expected in physics. No one really knows how the bright ring around the hole created. Even more intriguing is the question of what happens when an object falls into a black hole.
What is a black hole?
A black hole is a region of space from which nothing, not even light, can escape its gravity
Despite the name, they are not empty but instead consist of a huge amount of matter packed densely into a small area
There is a region of space beyond the black hole called the event horizon. This is a “point of no return”, beyond which it is impossible to escape the gravitational effects of the black hole
Prof Falcke had the idea for the project when he was a PhD student in 1993. At the time, no one thought it was possible. But he was the first to realise that a certain type of radio emission would be generated close to and all around the black hole, which would be powerful enough to be detected by telescopes on Earth.
He also recalled reading a scientific paper from 1973 that suggested that because of their enormous gravity, black holes appear 2.5 times larger than they actually are.
These two previously unknown factors suddenly made the seemingly impossible, possible. After arguing his case for 20 years, Prof Falcke persuaded the European Research Council to fund the project. The National Science Foundation and agencies in East Asia then joined in to bankroll the project to the tune of more than £40m.
It is an investment that has been vindicated with the publication of the image. Prof Falcke told me that he felt that “it’s mission accomplished”.
He said: “It has been a long journey, but this is what I wanted to see with my own eyes. I wanted to know is this real?”
No single telescope is powerful enough to image the black hole. So, in the biggest experiment of its kind, Prof Sheperd Doeleman of the Harvard-Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics, is director of a project that set up a network of eight linked telescopes. Together, they form the Event Horizon Telescope and can be thought of as a planet-sized array of dishes.
Each is located high up at a variety of exotic sites, including on volcanoes in Hawaii and Mexico, mountains in Arizona and the Spanish Sierra Nevada, in the Atacama Desert of Chile, and in Antarctica.

A team of 200 scientists pointed the networked telescopes towards M87 and scanned its heart over a period of 10 days.
The information they gathered was too much to be sent across the internet. Instead, the data was stored on hundreds of hard drives which were flown to a central processing centres in Boston, US, and Bonn, Germany, to assemble the information. Prof Doeleman described the achievement as “an extraordinary scientific feat”.
“We have achieved something presumed to be impossible just a generation ago,” he said.
“Breakthroughs in technology, connections between the world’s best radio observatories, and innovative algorithms all came together to open an entirely new window on black holes.”

The team is also imaging the supermassive black hole at the centre of our own galaxy, the Milky Way.
Odd though it may sound, that is harder than getting an image from a distant galaxy, more than five light-years away. This is because, for some unknown reason, the “ring of fire” around the black hole at the heart of the Milky Way is smaller and dimmer.

President Buhari on Monday morning, addressed the ongoing Annual Investment Meeting in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
The theme of the event is “Mapping the Future of Foreign Direct Investment: Enriching World Economies through Digital Globalization.”
Buhari spoke the audience on Digital Globalization, praising the advancement of ICT in Nigeria and the ingenuity of Nigerian tech start-ups.
Read full text of speech below:
It is with great pleasure that I address you today on this occasion of the 2019 Annual Investment Meeting here in Dubai.
I wish to thank His Royal Highness, Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the President of the United Arab Emirates, for inviting me to speak at this event.
This is the 9th edition of such a gathering. At this point, I want to congratulate HH, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum for his vision to support such a platform where world leaders in both the public & private sectors exchange ideas on how to make this world a better place.
This morning, my brief remarks will be on digital globalisation, which we all agree is transforming the world as we know it. Almost every day, innovations and transformative ideas are rolled out. This trend is here to stay.
Today, we have a cyber world that is intangible but real. This borderless world is powerful, and it impacts the lives of billions of people, no matter how remote their physical locations are.
People work in it. People socialise in it. And people invest in it. This presents enormous opportunities. But it also remains a constant threat if left unregulated.
On the one hand, it has made the human race more productive and more efficient. Today, we have digital banking, virtual currencies and many social platforms that connect people and cultures.
On the other hand, we have seen platforms hijacked and manipulated as evidenced by the steady rise in fake news and cybercrimes.
More recently, we are also witnessing the use of the cyber space to manipulate elections, subvert the democratic rights of citizens as well as propagate violence.
In effect, the digital world has become the new frontier for both good and evil. Therefore, the challenge for world leaders must be to ensure that this space is inclusive, accessible and safe.
In Nigeria, our mobile phone penetration exceeds eighty per cent. This means majority of Nigeria’s one hundred and ninety million citizens are fully connected to this new digital world; especially our youth.
Sixty five percent or one hundred and seventeen million Nigerians are under the age of 25 years. These bright minds are the drivers of this emerging digital sector.
Today, Nigeria has close to ninety technology hubs and every day, new ones are coming up and they are all developing solutions for Nigerian, and indeed global problems.
Already, these young entrepreneurs have attracted investments of over one hundred million dollars. A sizeable amount from overseas including Silicon Valley.
As many of you from this region are aware, Nigerian start-ups always have a very impressive outing at the Gulf Information Technology Exhibition (GITEX). Many have won prizes.
As leaders, it is therefore our responsibility to create the enabling environment for these minds to flourish and reach their full potential.
When we came in 2015, we immediately agreed that any future economic growth must be inclusive.
As the Nigerian youth population are fully digitalised, it is clear that the idea of having an inclusive economy cannot be achieved without digital inclusion.
We therefore leveraged and supported digital platforms in our numerous socio-economic programs: from training extension workers in agriculture, health and education sectors; to enabling micro-credits to increase financial inclusion.
However, whilst this digital globalisation has occurred rapidly in the private sector, many governments and regulators have not kept pace.
New waves of cybercrime and terrorism continue to threaten the positive strides being made.

On cyber security, Nigeria has taken the lead in cyber policing in West Africa. In this, we are working with our regional and global partners.
Furthermore, our public sector reform programs focus on digitising key operations. From procurement to payroll to revenue collections, we are using digital platforms to reinforce our objectives of improving efficiency, accountability and transparency in governance.
We are also working on creating the largest digital database in Africa. Already, our digital identity system has captured over thirty million Nigerians and legal residents.

As earlier observed, the digital world is borderless. In many instances, the criminals in this world are faceless and without physical addresses. This is why we must all come together to protect the good while eliminating the bad.
Emerging threats are difficult to prevent or manage unilaterally. It has to be a collective effort, led by both public and private sector leaders – many of whom are here today. A certain level of regulation is needed to preserve the integrity of the digital economy.

http://www.todaysecho.com/politics/buhari-salutes-nigerian-tech-start-ups-at-annual-investment-meeting-in-dubai/
I therefore would ask all of us here present, over the coming days, to put our heads together and come up with proposals on how we create a digital world that is accessible, inclusive and safe.

The United Arab Emirates Nigerian embassy has denied reports that the country has suspended issuing tourist visas to Nigerians.
This is contained in a press statement issued by the embassy last night.

See full statement below:

Press Statement
In light of the press reports published today alleging that the UAE has suspended issuing tourist visas to Nigerian nationals, the UAE Embassy in Abuja announces that these news are inaccurate and stresses the importance of sourcing news from its official channel

Reports that the UAE has suspended tourist visas for Nigerian passport holders wafted through the media in the aftermath of the arrest of five Nigerians who had robbed a Bureau de change shop in Dubai, one of the major cities in the UAE.

http://www.todaysecho.com/features/we-have-not-suspended-visa-for-nigerians-uae-embassy/

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has projected an economic growth of 2.1 per cent for the Nigerian economy in 2019. This is contained in a report on the IMF’s Executive Board’s 2019 Article IV Consultation with Nigeria, released on April 3, 2019.

According to the IMF, Nigeria’s economy is recovering. Real GDP increased by 1.9 percent in 2018, up from 0.8 percent in 2017, on the back of improvements in manufacturing and services. It is expected to increase by 2.1 per cent in 2019.

“Headline inflation fell to 11.4 percent at end-2018, reflecting declining food price inflation, weak consumer demand, a relatively stable exchange rate and tight monetary policy during most of 2018, but remains outside of the central bank’s target range of 69 percent. Record holdings of mostly short-term local debt and equity and a current account surplus lifted gross international reserves to a peak in April 2018, while the three-times oversubscribed November 2018 Eurobond helped cushion the impact of outflows later in the year”

However, the international financial institution noted that persisting structural and policy challenges continue to constrain growth to levels below those needed to reduce vulnerabilities, lessen poverty and improve weak human development outcomes, such as in health and education.

“A large infrastructure gap, low revenue mobilization, governance and institutional weaknesses, continued foreign exchange restrictions, and banking sector vulnerabilities are dampening long-term foreign and domestic investment and keeping the economy reliant on volatile oil prices and production. Under current policies, the outlook remains therefore muted.”

Recall that in January, the IMF had cut Nigeria’s 2019 growth forecast to 2%

http://www.todaysecho.com/business/imf-forecasts-2-1-economic-growth-for-nigeria-in-2019/

International oil giant, ExxonMobil is planning to sell some of its oil and gas in Nigeria, worth up to $3 billion, according to Reuters.
According to reports, Exxon Mobil is divesting in Nigeria as the company focuses on new developments in U.S. shale and Guyana. The potential disposals are expected to include stakes in onshore and offshore fields

“Exxon is actively divesting in Nigeria,” one source who was briefed on the divestment plans said, although Exxon has declined response to enquiries on the matter.

The Irving, Texas-based company is one of the largest oil and gas producers in Nigeria, with 106 operated platforms. Its oil output in the West African country reached 225,000 barrels per day (bpd) in 2017, its website says.

Exxon officials have held talks in recent weeks with several Nigerian companies to gauge their interest in the fields.

One source said Exxon was soon due to open a “data room” – which would provide technical information on the fields, such as seismic and production details – in Nigeria.
The discussions focused on a number of onshore fields Exxon shares in joint ventures with Nigerian state oil firm NNPC, including oil mining leases 66, 68, 70 and 104, one source said. Exxon’s share of oil production in those fields reached 120,000 bpd in 2017, the last year for which data was available.

Exxon is also weighing the possible sale of stakes in offshore fields in Nigeria, two sources said.
It is looking into offering for sale assets in Equatorial Guinea and Chad, according to two sources.

The Nigerian government has in the last decade supported a drive by domestic firms such as Oando, Seplat and privately held Aiteo to expand their operations in the country as international companies including Royal Dutch Shell sought to lower their presence due to oil spills resulting from pipeline sabotage.

Exxon recently launched the sale of its stake in Azerbaijan’s largest oilfield, which would mark its retreat from the former Soviet state after 25 years.

Exxon announced earlier this year plans to boost its capital spending from $26 billion in 2018 to $30 billion in 2019 and up to $35 billion next year as it seeks to develop oilfields in Guyana and the U.S. Permian basin as well as gas projects in Mozambique and the U.S. Gulf Coast.
In an analyst presentation last month, Exxon said it would accelerate its divestments to around $15 billion by 2021.

http://www.todaysecho.com/features/exxonmobil-to-sell-nigerian-oil-fields-worth-3-billion/

Football fans and legends across the country have hailed Nigerian billionaire and business tycoon, Benedict Peters, CEO of energy giant; Aiteo for giving Nigerians a night of splendour that many will remember for a long time. The second edition of the Aiteo-NFF Awards took place on Monday night at the Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.

It was a night of glamour and elegance at Nigeria’s premier football awards. Several top shots across various facets of the society were in attendance.
Lagos State governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, who received a special award from the NFF attended alongside Lagos Governor-elect, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Kwara state Governor-elect, Abdulrahman Abdulrazak, and Abia state Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu.
From the football community, FIFA Secretary-General Fatma Samoura, also received a special award, graced the event alongside members of football royalty across the world. Members of the NFF were led by the NFF president, Amaju Pinnick and the first Vice President, Seyi Akinwunmi, who is the Chairman of the Awards Committee. There were also representatives of NFF sponsors and partners, chairmen of various football Clubs, members of the diplomatic corps, past NFF Presidents and General Secretaries, award nominees and their friends
Oil and gas giant; Aiteo, the sponsor of the event was represented by a delegation of senior executives, led by its Deputy Managing Director; Francis Peters, Executive Director; Andrew Onyearu, and Group Managing Director; Chike Onyejekwe.
There was musical performances from some of Nigeria’s biggest stars, including Reekado Banks, D’banj and Timi Dakolo.
At a point in the show, the NFF President, Amaju Pinnick called for a standing ovation to honour Aiteo’s CEO, Benedict Peters for his steadfast commitment to football in Nigeria.
According to Pinnick, Aiteo now accounts for up to 30 percent of the total funds for the NFF.
Several prominent football legends and fans interviewed by Today’s Echo also poured encomiums on Benedict Peters and Aiteo.
Segun Odegbami, former Nigerian player known as Mathematical for his football skills, ‘says this of Aiteo’s intervention in Nigerian football:
“It is fantastic, it is great. The company is rewarding the Super eagles and promoting football, so it is a positive thing.”
Linda Obi, a sports item merchandiser who attended the event commended the sponsors and the organizers.
“I am having a great time at the event. The music performances are electrifying, and the ambience is just beautiful. Kudos to Aiteo and the NFF for packaging this together,” an elated Linda Obi told Today’s Echo.
“My special appreciation goes to the Aiteo boss, Benedict Peters for taking the bold step to finance football in Nigeria at a difficult time. He will be remembered for taking football to the next level in this country.”
Taribo West, former defender and a member of the iconic 1994 Super Eagles team has this to say about Aiteo’s sponsorship:
“It is wonderful and progressive. We pray that they will not stop here but do more for football in Nigeria”
Kola Ijogun, a Civil Servant who is watching the event on TV spoke to Today’s Echo’s correspondent on phone. He was full of praise for the show’s sponsor
“I really want to appreciate the CEO of Aiteo, Benedict Peters, for making this possible; he is a man with a golden heart. Aiteo is a company that cares for football in Nigeria and on the African continent as a whole.”
Chuma Okolo, a student who called in from Enugu said he has followed the story of Aiteo’s intervention in Nigerian football and is amazed by Benedict Peters’ generosity.
“We are talking about a national award now because Benedict Peters decided to make the difficult decision in 2017 to start sponsoring the NFF,” Okolo said.
“Aiteo’s investment has turned around the state of football in Nigeria. I notice players no longer complain about non-payment of allowances and there is renewed interest in the local teams with Aiteo’s sponsorship of the Federations Cup and change of name to Aiteo Cup. The prizemoney for the winners gone up.”
Aiteo is currently Nigeria’s largest indigenous oil and gas company by output. In April 2017, Aiteo announced a five-year partnership agreement with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) worth an estimated N2.5billion. This partnership saw the Group emerging as the NFF’s Official Optimum Partner and funding the salaries of coaching staff of the Super Eagles, a move which is believed by many as the singular most important factor that led to Nigeria’s emergence as the first African nation to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
In June 2017, Aiteo followed up this sponsorship with a fresh N2.5billion agreement to underwrite the cost of the Federation Cup, now renamed Aiteo Cup, which they have taken to greater heights, adding glamour and colour to the game, and making it the largest televised finals in the history of the FA.
Aiteo signed a deal last year with the NFF to sponsor the awards, which is the first of its kind in Nigeria. It celebrates the best performers in Nigerian football and the those who have led indelible marks on football in Nigeria. The maiden edition took place in February 2018 with 15 awards presented.
This year, in addition to the celebration of football feats, the Super Eagles team of 1994 was honoured.
The class of 1994 is still regarded as Nigeria’s best team ever and is still the most highly ranked by FIFA. Rachidi Yekini, the legendary striker who scored Nigeria’s first World Cup goal is late, so also is the captain of the team, Steven Keshi. They were remembered last night for their heroics.
Members of the team present to receive their awards include Daniel Amokachi, Peter Rufai, Sunday Oliseh, Austin Jayjay Okocha, Ben Iroha, Finidi George, Victor Ikpeba, Uche Okechukwu, Taribo West, Samson Siasia, Austin Eguavoen, and Mutiu Adepoju.
Ahmed Musa and Onome Ebi received the awards for Male and Female player of the year respectively.
The event was broadcast live on Supersports 2 and AIT.

http://www.todaysecho.com/other-news/football-fans-legends-hail-benedict-peters-for-a-splendid-aiteo-nff-awards/

The 2018 Aiteo-NFF Awards scheduled to hold today, has been trailed with a lot of optimism amongst football fans in the country.
As preparations for the highest football award in Nigeria is being concluded, football fans in Calabar, Cross River state capital have stated their expectations about the award ceremony, put together by the Nigerian Football Federation, and sponsored by indigenous oil giant, Aiteo.

A final year student at the University of Calabar, Patrick Offiong stated that “I am excited about the Aiteo-NFF awards. It’s an opportunity to honour our local football stars doing great things in both local and international league. And I must commend Aiteo for the great job in supporting NFF with funds for the ceremony. I however look forward to Iwobi winning player of the year in the men’s category”

For Otobong Akpan, a resident at Yellow Duke street in Calabar south, “Nigerian football has been suffering for long for lack of sponsorship. It was as if NFF was abandoned may be due to poor performance of the Super Eagles within that period. But it took sponsors like Aiteo to help support us to the world cup. Though, we didn’t go too far, but at least we qualified after previous failed attempt, and there is bigger hope with such support coming from Aiteo.”

A trader at the popular Watt Market, Michael Onwudiwe commended Aiteo. According to him. “They (Aiteo) have supported the Super Eagles right from World Cup qualifier stage, to the World Cup in Russia. They have also been able to help support local league in a way that previous sponsors have not been able to do. Now they are trying to honour local stars, by sponsoring the NFF awards. I wish the ceremony were to hold in Calabar so I can attend live. But I’m looking forward to watch it on TV.”

A civil servant Henry Ikpi also commended the award sponsors. According to him, “We need more sponsors like Aiteo to help fund grass root football in Nigeria. Only Aiteo is paying salaries of super eagles’ squad. Only them are funding the federations cup. They even support female league. And now they are sponsoring the NFF awards, which they also did the previous time. I think we should encourage them. God bless them.”

Aiteo is currently Nigeria’s largest indigenous oil and gas company by output. In April 2017, Aiteo announced a five-year partnership agreement with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) worth an estimated N2.5billion. This partnership saw the Group emerging as the NFF’s Official Optimum Partner and funding the salaries of coaching staff of the Super Eagles, a move which is believed by many as the singular most important factor that led to Nigeria’s emergence as the first African nation to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

In June 2017, Aiteo followed up this sponsorship with a fresh N2.5billion agreement to underwrite the cost of the Federation Cup, now renamed Aiteo Cup, which they have taken to greater heights, adding glamour and colour to the game, and making it the largest televised finals in the history of the FA.

This year’s Aiteo NFF award has nine categories, some of which include: Player of the year (men & women), coach of the year (men & women), young player of the year (men & women), team of the season (men & women), amongst others.[font=Lucida Sans Unicode][/font]

http://www.todaysecho.com/features/aiteo-nff-awards-nigerians-hail-sponsors/

Brexit: Threats sent to Nigerian-British MP Chuka Umunna, four others

Chuka Umunna, Nigerian-British politician and spokesperson for the Independent group is one of five members of the British Parliament opposed to Brexit, who received a photo of a crossbow alongside a message reading “We are ready for civil war… are you?”
A man and a woman have been arrested in connection with the incident.

“Twitter accounts belonging to four Independent Group MPs – Anna Soubry, Chuka Umunna, Angela Smith and Sarah Wollaston – and Labour MP David Lammy were tagged in the threat which had a photo of a crossbow hanging from a door, ” Daily Mirror UK reported.
South Yorkshire Police said two people were arrested Tuesday afternoon in connection with the tweet.
The tweet was sent last week from an account named Sheffield and Yorkshire Direct Action Brexit Group.
A spokeswoman for the force said: “A 40-year-old-man and a 33-year-old woman were arrested in Sheffield on suspicion of sending malicious communications. Enquiries are ongoing.”

MPs Anna Soubry, Chuka Umunna, David Lammy, Angela Smith and Sarah Wollaston – all of whom have backed calls for a second referendum on leaving the EU, including the option to remain in the union – were tagged in the tweet posted in the early hours of March 22.
The biography on the Twitter account which posted the crossbow photo read: “We need to leave the EU and the politicians are not listening.
“We want to start a movement to help as many people as possible have their voice heard. Help us.”

A pinned tweet described the group as “a new movement for the poor and the working class who are so often overlooked and ignored”.
Born in London to an Igbo-Nigerian father and Anglo-Irish mother, Umunna was educated at St Dunstan’s College before studying at the University of Manchester and Nottingham Trent University. He worked as a solicitor in the City of London, first for Herbert Smith and then Rochman Landau, while writing articles for the Compass think tank. Joining Labour while it was controlled by the centrist “New Labour” project, he ideologically aligned with the party’s “Blue Labour” trend and was a member of the Labour Friends of Israel group. In 2008 he was appointed Labour parliamentary candidate for Streatham and was elected MP in the 2010 United Kingdom general election.

In February 2019 he joined other centrist Labour MPs in splitting from the party to form The Independent Group.

The trial of two international oil giants; Shell and Eni for an alleged corrupt oil deal in Nigeria has resumed in Milan, Italy on Wednesday, Today’s Echo gathers.

Shell and Eni have been accused of participating in shady deals that led to their acquisition of Oil Prospecting Lease(OPL) 245 in Nigeria from a company called Malabu, owned by former Petroleum Minister, Dan Etete.
According to journalist, Barnaby Pace, who works for international body, Global Witness, “the companies, senior executives and a former minister are charged with international corruption offences for allegedly paying $1.1bn into a bribery scheme in Nigeria, they deny the charges.
Pace, who will be monitoring proceedings today from the Milan Palace of Justice, said the middleman Emeka Obi, already convicted in a related trial, was slated to give evidence today but he’s likely to decline to answer questions.

Malabu Scandal
In 2011, Shell and the Italian oil company Eni paid $1.1 billion in a murky deal for an oil block located off the coast of Nigeria: OPL 245. According to international body, Global Witness, it was able to track documents showing that this money didn’t go to benefit the Nigerian people.
“Instead it went to convicted money launderer and former oil Minister, Dan Etete, who had awarded himself ownership of the block in 1998 via a company he secretly owned, Malabu Oil and Gas, ” Global Witness says in a report.
After six years of denying any wrongdoing, Global Witness’ investigation forced Shell to admit it knew the money would be diverted into private hands, and went ahead with the deal anyway.
The landmark trial, which began hearing evidence in Milan in September 2018, involves current and former senior staff from two of the world’s largest corporations. They include Eni’s current CEO Claudio Descalzi, and former Royal Dutch Shell Executive Director for Upstream, Malcolm Brinded CBE.

http://www.todaysecho.com/features/malabu-shell-eni-trial-for-corrupt-nigerian-oil-deal-resumes-today-in-italy/

More photos

There are urgent calls for help as three African countries; Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi experience untold devastation in the aftermath of Cyclone Idai, regarded as one of the worst tropical cyclones on record to affect Africa and the Southern Hemisphere as a whole.
Joao Domingo, interviewed by Aljazeera TV returned to his home in the devastated town of Beira on Sunday after collecting the few remaining maize cobs from the family’s small communal farmland in Nhamatanda, located 101km away.
He recounted the days his family had spent stuck in the house without food, as floodwaters engulfed the surrounding area.
“We did not have food when we were trapped inside our small house – myself, my wife and four children – we starved,” said Domingo. “After makeshift roads were erected, I had to catch the bus today to Nhamatanda, but a plastic bag full of maize is all I could salvage.
“My children were crying when we were trapped inside the house for three days. My 14-year-old-son kept asking if we would emerge alive, and if he would ever go to school again”.
Another survivor, Ricardo Pereira, 28, said he used to spend most of his time on the beach, working as a “helper” for holidaymakers, but now he wandered around aimlessly, chatting with people about the carnage and its effects.
“It’s something we really don’t want to be reminded of,” said Pereira. “But you can’t avoid talking about it. When you see people sitting around on street corners as if nothing happened, it is because [we] are just trying to put a brave face on. But we do talk about it.”
The Western Media puts the death toll at about 800 but the reality is more heartrending as residents say thousands must have perished in this tragic disaster.

Thousands remain stranded in remote rural areas. International aid is starting to reach the region, while workers struggle to repair roads, restore power, and care for the survivors—with special attention toward preventing cholera outbreaks.
Today’s Echo has come across several agonizing images online: dead bodies washing up on beaches, hordes desperate people standing on tiny patches of land in the midst of a deluge, multitudes of children wading desperately through water to reach what they see as safety; an aid helicopter that has no space left to save them.

There are now widespread calls for assistance to save those who are trapped, provide aid to millions who have been rendered homeless and help rebuild the countries devastated by the cyclone.

http://www.todaysecho.com/features/urgent-calls-from-mozambique-zimbabwe-malawi-as-cyclone-idai-wreaks-untold-havoc/

See some images below

Boko Haram terrorists have killed at least 23 Chadian soldiers overnight, Chadian security sources said on Friday, in what appeared to be the deadliest such attack inside Chad by the Islamist insurgents.

Boko Haram has been fighting for a decade to carve an Islamist caliphate out of northeast Nigeria, and has carried out regular raids over loosely guarded borders into neighboring Chad, Niger and Cameroon.

According to Reuters, Friday’s attack occurred in the town of Dangdala, near the banks of Lake Chad, two security sources reported
One of them added that the assailants were believed to have crossed the frontier from Niger before attacking Chadian soldiers around 1:25 a.m. (0025 GMT).

An army spokesman declined to comment after being contacted by Reuters
Chadian soldiers are part of a U.S.-trained West African task force deployed to counter Boko Haram. The violence over the past decade has killed more than 30,000 people and forced about 2 million to leave their homes.

http://www.todaysecho.com/politics/breaking-boko-haram-kills-23-chadian-soldiers/

More photos from Ubomi free medical and surgical outreach going on in Lekki area

Ubomi, the free medical and surgical outreach organized by the Pistis Empowerment Foundation is in its third day running and thousands of people have been attended to already.

About 4,000 people are being targeted in the Lekki-Epe area while there are over 200 medical personnel including Doctors, Nurses, etc.
The Chairman of Pistis Foundation, Pastor Godman Akinlabi has stated that access to health care should be at little or no cost to the less-privileged in Nigeria.

Several ailments, ranging from Malaria to Diabetes, and eye problems are being diagnosed and treated by the medical volunteers on ground. The people requiring surgery are taken to nearby partner hospitals where volunteer medical personnel carry out required surgical procedures.
All these are being done for free.

Ubomi commenced on Monday, March 18 and will end on Friday, March 22, 2019.

http://www.todaysecho.com/features/ubomi-free-medical-outreach-targeting-4000-people/

Pistis Foundation, which organized Ubomi, was set up by The Elevation Church.

The 2019 presidential election was bound to be one of the most fiercely contested ever. However, it turned out to be a disappointment for many who had expected the contest to be close. With President Muhammadu Buhari clinching over 15 million votes and his closest rival Atiku Abubakar getting barely over 11 million votes, this election is below that of 2015 in terms of competitiveness. However, that is not the only unusual thing about the election. Today’s Echo presents you five other weird things the 2019 presidential election revealed:

1. Highest number of registered voters ever, yet lowest turnout ever.
In 2019, the number of registered voters in Nigeria increased to 84,004,084, the highest ever. However, the results of the election did not reflect this huge increase as the total number of votes cast fell below expectation. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) recorded 28,614,190 total votes, indicating 34.75 per cent of total votes cast for all the over 70 parties involved in the election.

This is the lowest ratio of votes to registered voters in the history of elections in Nigeria. In the 2015 presidential election, there were 67,422,005 registered voters with 29,432,083 total votes cast, representing 43.65 per cent turnout. In 2011, there were 73,528,040 registered voters with 39,469,484 total votes cast, representing 53.7 per cent turn out. An analyst on Channels Television calls the large number of non-voting, registered citizens, the ‘I don’t care group’.

The 2019 presidential election results reveal that the ‘I don’t care’ group is growing and is actually the winner of the poll.

2. Atiku won more states than Jonathan but far less votes
The 2019 presidential election was very close in terms of the number of states won. President Buhari won 19 states while Atiku Abubakar won 17 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). But that is as far as it goes. There is a gap of almost 4 million votes between them. Buhari polled 15,191,847 to defeat his Atiku who scored a total vote of 11,262,978.
Whereas, in 2015, Buhari won 21 states to poll 15,424,921 votes out of over 29 million votes counted while his opponent, Goodluck Jonathan won 16 states to poll 12,853,162 votes.


3. More Yoruba people voted for Atiku than Igbos but he lost the South-West
Just like PDP chieftain and fierce government critic, Femi Fani-Kayode (FFK) said, Atiku Abubakar got more votes in the South-West than in his primary strong-hold; the South East. The Igbos of the South East gave him 1. 67 million votes while the Yoruba of the South-West gave him 1. 75million votes.

How did this happen?

The South-West simply has a higher number of voters than the South-East. The South-West has the second largest number of registered voters at 21 percent, while the South East has the lowest at 11 per cent.

4. An unknown candidate without a campaign came third
It was surprising to many that Dr Nicholas Felix of the Peoples Coalition Party(PCP) came third in the election ahead of people like Omoyele Sowore(AAC), Kingsley Moghalu(YPP), Fele Durotoye(ANN) and Olawepo Hashim(PT), who ran more elaborate campaigns and are better known.

There is only one simple reason many people can think of; PCP was placed next to PDP on the ballot paper. Many people who wanted to vote for PDP may have erroneously voted for PCP, giving its candidate 110,196 votes.

5. Areas under conflict returned the largest number of votes
One of the weirdest things about the 2019 presidential election is the huge voter turnout in areas ravaged by the Boko Haram crisis, especially Borno State. In the 2015 presidential election, total votes cast in Borno was 544,759, with Buhari getting 473,543. In 2019, total votes cast had risen to 955, 205, with Buhari getting 836, 496. This is an incredible 75.3 per cent increase in turn out. Analysts are still struggling to explain this aberration.

http://www.todaysecho.com/politics/5-weird-things-the-2019-presidential-election-results-tell-us/

Etinosa Idemudia, the upcoming actress who is currently under fire for going naked on the live Instagram video stream of Nigerian musician, MC Galaxy, reportedly attended Covenant University, a tertiary institution founded by the Winners Chapel on Christian principles, Today’s Echo has gathered.


According to a source who asked not to be named, Etinosa graduated from Covenant University in 2010 with a Bsc in Mechanical Engineering.
Today’s Echo confirmed from the profile on her Facebook page that she indeed, attended the school
Etinosa has set her Instagram account on private after the saga. Etinosa who has over 201K followers on Instagram, might have taken the decision to set her Instagram account on private to wade off any troll attack.

http://www.todaysecho.com/entertainment/etinosa-actress-who-stripped-on-mc-galaxys-ig-attended-covenant-university/

Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, has tweeted his condolences to the victims of the attack, and confirmed that there will be “highly visible” and armed police around mosques in the UK capital on Friday.

“I want to reassure the Muslim communities in London. I have been in touch with the Met Police. There will be highly visible policing around mosques today, as well as armed response officers, as Londoners go to pray,” he said.
London has a large Muslim community. In 2017, one person was killed and several were injured when man drove a van into pedestrians near Finsbury Park Mosque in north London.

http://www.todaysecho.com/features/new-zealand-attack-london-beefs-up-security-around-mosques/

It has been said that Nigeria is the only country that buys what it already has in abundance. With an average of 2.5 million barrels per day (bpd), Nigeria is the eight largest producer of crude oil in the world and the largest in Africa. It is, therefore, an anomaly that the country relies on importation of petroleum products to meet the demands of its populace.

According to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), the Nigerian government currently has four refineries; two in Port Harcourt, and one each in Kaduna and Warri. The refineries have a combined installed capacity of 445,000 bpd. Official figures from the NNPC in 2018 indicates that none of the refineries was operating at up to 50 per cent capacity.

In May 2018, while speaking at the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in Houston, Texas, US, the Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Dr. Maikanti Baru said that the nation will achieve at least 90 per cent refining capacity by the end of 2019.

Nevertheless, even at full operating capacity, the government-owned refineries cannot convert Nigeria’s huge amount of crude oil into refined petroleum products. It is therefore, imperative that more refineries come on board to stimulate the country’s transformation from crude oil producer to exporter of petroleum product.

Both the government and private organizations are making efforts to bring new refineries on stream and these initiatives are beginning to take shape.

The upcoming refineries in Nigeria are divided into two types; Conventional Refineries and Modular Refineries

a. Conventional Refineries (Minimum of 50 bpd)
Within the past 8 years, The DPR has issued over 45 licences for private refineries. However, most of them have been revoked because the projects failed to take off after an 18-month deadline, due to political interferences, a lack of finance and technical know-how and inability to get the assurance of crude oil supply from the Federal Government.

Below are the most feasible ones at the moment:
1. Dangote Refinery, Ibeju-Lekki
The 650,000-bpd refinery, being built by Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, is also expected to be the continent’s largest when it comes on stream in 2020.
Located at the Lekki Free Zone near Lagos, it is expected it is expected to create over 4,000 direct jobs and help Nigeria save over $7.5 billion through import substitution. This is because it will help the Federal Government reduce petroleum products imports, which remains a major drawback in our economic development.

2. Petrolex Refinery, Ibefun
The second largest refinery coming on stream is the 250,000-bpd privately-owned Petrolex Refinery being built at Ibefun, Ogun State. Petrolex is owned by Segun Adebutu, son of popular lotto king; Adebutu Kesington, known as Baba Ijebu.

According to the DPR, this refinery is a conventional plant capable of producing transportation fuels PMS, HHK, AGO; heating oils’ LPFO, and petrochemicals. DPR issued a Licence to Establish in December 2017 and the project is expected to be completed by 2021.

The Petrolex refinery is being built on the company’s mega oil city, which is also home to the largest tank farm in Sub-Saharan Africa.

3. Resource Petroleum & Petrochemicals International Incorporated
Located in Ikot Abasi, Akwa Ibom State, this conventional refinery with the capacity to process 100,000bpd, got its Approval to Construct (ATC) revalidated in 2017.
The firm secured bank guarantee letter for $5.5billion in January 2017. According to the DPR, construction of the refinery was to commence August, 2017. However, there are no activities at the moment.

4. Katsina Refinery, Mashi
The proposed refinery, to be located in Mashi, Katsina State is a partnership between Nigeria and the government of Niger. The 150,000-barrel capacity refinery is expected to cost over $2 billion and will be completed in 2021.
According to media reports, the project will gulp about $2 billion and is facilitated by Niger Republic, Nigeria’s neighbour to the north. The refinery is billed for completion in 2021.
The Nigerian Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, IKachikwu announced the proposed project in July 2018 while signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on behalf of the Nigerian government with the Nigerien Minister of Energy, Foumakaye Gado.

5. Bua Refinery & Petrochemicals Ltd, Ntaikang, Akwa Ibom State
The project operated by Nigerian conglomerate, Bua Group, is a proposed conventional plant that will use the conversion cracking method to refine crude oil into petroleum products. It will be capable of capable of producing Polypropylene, Propane, Benzene, Butane, Gasoline, DPK, ATK, AGO, LPFO.

According to the media sources, DPR, gave the Bua group a Licence to Establish in September 2017, for the 150,000 bpd refinery. DPR says fund sourcing for the project is ongoing.

b. Modular Refineries ( Maximum: 25,000 bpd)

A modular refinery as the name implies, is a refinery whose parts or equipment are constructed in modules designed to be transported quickly and easily anywhere in the world. The components have been linked together to form an easily manageable process and they come in a variety of sizes with capacities that range from 500 to 20,000 barrels per day. Besides increasing the country’s refining capacity, the modular refinery initiative is also targeted at replacing illegal refineries in the Niger Delta.

The NNPC GMD announced in May last year that the government has given licenses to 13 firms to establish modular refineries. A total of 35 firms had expressed interest to establish the refineries but less than half of them got it. There are at least 21 Modular refineries that can realistically come onboard.

See the upcoming modular refineries attached

Pistis Foundation, a non-profit social intervention organisation is set to hold a 5-day medical and surgical outreach to cater to about 4,000 underprivileged people in the Lekki-Epe axis of Lagos State.

This free event tagged “Ubomi…Restoring Lives” will commence on Monday 18th to Friday 22nd March 2018 at Pistis Annex, 3 Remi Olowude Street, by Marwa Bus Stop, Lekki, Lagos.

Today’s Echo gathers that Pistis Foundation is an offshoot of fast-emerging Lekki based Christian ministry, The Elevation Church(TEC).
In a a press statement signed by TEC’s head of communications; Chinny Ugorji, Chairman, Board of Trustees of Pistis Foundation and Lead Pastor of The Elevation Church; Godman Akinlabi said:

“Ubomi is how we impact the lives of those in our immediate community, who may be suffering from illnesses that may lead to avoidable deaths for children and adults. Healthcare in Nigeria is generally poor and it requires the collective support of government and non-governmental organisations to enhance current standards. At Pistis Foundation and The Elevation Church, we believe that greatness means service and we are happy to serve our communities and make many lives better”.

Ubomi means “life” in Xhosa, a South African language. It is designed to cater to indigent people who cannot afford medical/surgical fees for their health conditions. As such, Pistis Foundation will be attending to everyone who fits this profile, irrespective of religious or ethnic background, within the 4,000 person-limit, during the outreach. Being attended to will be on a first-come basis, except in emergency cases.
Pistis Foundation is working in partnership with Pro Health International, a reputable health NGO with many years of experience in offering medical and surgical aid to indigent communities across Africa to actualise this major project that will improve thousands of lives and provide otherwise unaffordable healthcare services to many.

Ubomi will host over 200 healthcare professionals and volunteers providing medical consultations, health education and various surgeries. Surgeries will include general, gynaecological, dental, eye, paediatric and more.
Pistis Foundation was founded by The Elevation Church with its three key focus areas as education, health and shelter.