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Enyimba Football Club, Nigeria’s most successful football club, has issued a scathing response to former player Brown Ideye, condemning his recent public outburst as a “distortion of truth” aimed at tarnishing the club’s reputation and the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL).

The club expressed disappointment over Ideye’s allegations, describing them as misleading and a betrayal of the warm reception he received upon his return to Nigerian football. Read full story https://newsedgeng.com/2025/07/25/enyimba-football-club-slams-brown-ideye/

E-commerce is still in its infancy in Nigeria and Africa in general. Despite this, many would agree that a lot of progress has been made in the industry. What we have today is a big leap to what obtained twelve years ago. More consumers are onboarding the e-commerce train. The hardest skeptics are beginning to have a taste of what online shopping entails.

Urban centers are gradually becoming a beehive of e-commerce activities, as the majority of small businesses now showcase their wares online. Several logistics brands are springing up to meet the delivery demands of sellers and customers. Hardly would you ply major roads in states like Lagos, Rivers and Abuja, without coming across a delivery van or motorcycle. Their presence is an indication of e-commerce momentum in the country.

More important is the improvement on service delivery by the industry players. The early days of online shopping was fraught with complaints. Late delivery of orders, wrong items and payment itches were prevalent at the time. Though these issues are still being experienced at intervals, it is fair to say that online platforms have put in effort to reduce such occurrences.

And in cases where this happens, measures are in place for a speedy refund process. These efforts are also being appreciated by customers. "I have been using Jumia for like six years now and my experience with Jumia has been nice. Even when I returned my order, I got my refund back less than the time they gave me. Even on their JumiaPay wallet, which you have to pay online before you get your order, I have had a very good experience with them," said Ogechi Celestine, a Civil Servant resident in Rivers State.

Another interesting way e-commerce brands are improving service delivery and customer experience is pick up stations. With a station close by, a customer can walk in and pick his item. It takes e-commerce closer to rural residents and further eases the deal for urban dwellers. "Today is my first time coming to their pickup station to pick my order. I give kudos to Jumia and the team. They should keep it up," Celestine added. The initiative is not only taking the service closer to customers, but also having ripple impact on small businesses

Though the e-commerce industry still has a lot to improve on, the work being put in by the major industry players gives hope of a good future for e-commerce services in Nigeria.

Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami has stated that the federal government is visibly at work to improve digital economy activities in the county.


The Minister made this remark in a congratulatory message to Jumia on its 9 years anniversary celebration, adding that the current administration is building the foundation for a strong digital economy in Nigeria and the effort is already yielding positive results.



He said “Internet penetration in Nigeria in the last one year is unprecedented. Based on available records, the internet came to Nigeria most probably around the year 2000. Up to 2919, the penetration was 33%. Averagely, that's about 1.7% penetration annually. But from August 2019 to November 2020, the penetration catapulted to 47%. That is about a 12% increase within one year. So most probably, by the end of 2021, we could have more that 50% internet penetration in Nigeria and this is encouraging indeed. E-commerce, leverages on internet penetration, without it's very difficult. So the more we have broadband penetration, by implication, the more e-commerce activities in the country.”


The Minister explained that that penetration is increasing because the government has been working to provide the enabling environment for the mobile network operator and other internet service providers in the country. “Most of the challenges like right of way, multiple taxation, vandalisation of infrastructure. We have been working to address these issues, and a lot has been achieved. For the right of way, we have addressed 90% of the challenges now.


For vandalisation, Mr President has approved that investment in the sector should be under critical national infrastructure so as such, security institutions must provide security for them. When it comes to multiple taxation, we have been engaging the federal government, state and many more through the national economic council and governors forum to ensure taxation is harmonised.”


Pantami furthermore stated that the government has been working to ensure that citizens get digital skills which will immensely contribute to the growth of digital economy activities. “These trainings were conducted in collaboration with tech giants like IBM, Microsoft, Huawei and the rest. So when you provide more digital skills, you are promoting e-commerce in your country. Citizens are also encouraged to open bank accounts. The percentage of bank accounts opened in Nigeria is increasing by the day. If you look at all these things, they are foundations for e-commerce to be successful in the country.”


It would be recalled that the Minister recently commended the enormous impact of e-commerce on Nigerian businesses in a congratulatory message to the leading e-commerce platform, Jumia on the occasion of the company’s 9th anniversary.

In recent years, the activities of e-commerce companies have opened up growth opportunities for individuals and businesses, as corporations and SMEs partner with ecommerce brands to increase their sales and further expand the frontiers of online sales and services in the country.

One of the SMEs leveraging these e-commerce opportunities is Nano Strix, a 3PL logistics company based in Abuja. The company entered a partnership with Jumia in 2015 to provide third party logistics services, thus becoming the first logistics hub for Jumia in Northern Nigeria.

This was at the onset of e-commerce in the country, with a lot of reservations and skepticism about feasibility of the services. “When we first started with Jumia in 2015, we were the first pilot hub in Northern Nigeria. We started this in ecommerce infancy in Nigeria. When we first started, the package volume was low and it had to do with slow user adoption of ecommerce. People didn't necessarily trust puting their debit cards online. people didn't necessarily trust that what they placed an order for would come.

Over time, Jumia has built a name for itself where we now see a more positive trajectory in the industry. People are now more trusting of the services Jumia offers, putting their credit cards or debit cards online ordering items without the fear of being stuck with something they don't like or expect,” explained Nano Strix CEO, Mohammed Maikudi.

For Nano Strix, it has been a journey of knowledge acquisition and growth with Jumia. According to Maikudi, partnering with the ecommerce firm has helped grow the business, created job opportunities, provided capacity building and technical support which has gone a long way in bringing the staff into the digital age.

“Our package volumes have started to increase over time, allowing us to employ more staff, provide more benefits to our staff and actually bring in our staff into the fold. For example, our volume has increased to a point now where we allow staff to bring into our own 3PL fleet, so everyone benefits from it,” He said.

Jumia’s logistics network occupies an important space in the logistics ecosystem in Nigeria. Jumia's investment in the logistics sector has boosted hundreds of independent logistics companies by incorporating them into the Jumia logistics network. The impact of this on SMEs has been immense. To further extend its impact on SMEs, the company opened its logistics network to businesses outside its marketplace. During the pilot conducted in 2020, Jumia shipped almost half a million packages on behalf of more than 270 clients.

It has been nine years of e-commerce service in Nigeria and Africa in general, with Jumia being the foremost player in the industry.


In his congratulatory message to Jumia in commemoration of her 9th anniversary, Director General of National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Abdullahi, commended the company for creating jobs for thousands of Nigerians through its operations in the digital economy ecosystem.


Abdullahi stated that Jumia has had an impressive nine years of e-commerce journey which has seen it expand to several African countries, creating employment opportunities and becoming a good reference for innovative startups on the continent.


He said: "for me honestly, it's an impressive journey. Jumia started as a startup and in very little time you expanded your operations to many African countries and became the first unicorn company in Africa and you are still expanding.


These are the kind of startups we are encouraging to try and be an innovation driven enterprise. You look at the global market and huge capital investment and job creation. And also you are innovative and creating a lot of jobs in the ecosystem. Aside from the logistics, I think you have an ecosystem you are working on. So those are the kinds of innovation we encourage our startups with; innovation that creates jobs, wealth and prosperity for all. So I wish you more successful years ahead and congratulations for your 9th anniversary.”


Adbullahi also touched on the impact of e-commerce on everyday life and its crucial space in the digital economy. "The most profound impact for me is how it makes life more convenient and less disturbing. Before covid, a lot of people didn't like using online services. When covid came, we were disrupted and the only way to keep going was these online services. E-commerce is critical to any online services or digital economy because when you consume a service, you need to make a payment and you can only do that through e-commerce," he said.


In its nine years of operation, Jumia has also connected over 11,000 SMEs and brands to millions of consumers in Nigeria, boosted hundreds of independent logistics companies by incorporating them into the Jumia logistics network, and empowered many women-owned businesses through various empowerment initiatives.

Nigeria’s Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami) has reiterated the enormous impact of e-commerce on Nigerian businesses, majority of whom are MSMEs. He made the disclosure in a congratulatory message to the leading e-commerce platform on the occasion of its 9th anniversary which is slated to be celebrated throughout the month of June 2021.


“The operations of Jumia, as far as I am concerned, have been highly commendable. I know Jumia was launched in Nigeria in 2012 and has expanded to other Africa countries. a There is no doubt that e-commerce is supporting many businesses in Nigeria, majority of whom are MSME enterprises and are not income earners. Without e-commerce, it is difficult for them to do their businesses effectively because the profit they generate on their own without e-commerce is generally not a huge amount of money. E-commerce provides a certain form of support so that their businesses can be very successful,” Pantami said.


Jumia Nigeria CEO, Massimiliano Spalazzi: "It has simply been an amazing journey. If I went back to how we started and where we are, being the number one e-commerce company in Africa and in Nigeria, it makes us very humble. We believe that e-commerce has played an even more important role in people's life and to celebrate the achievement and to better serve our consumers and sellers, that is why the slogan for our 9th anniversary is ‘Celebrating You’. The anniversary will be celebrating you as our consumer, employee, seller, logistics partner, and those in the ecosystem and our environment for which we make their lives better every day.”


In its nine years in Nigeria, Jumia has created thousands of direct and indirect employment opportunities, connected over 11,000 SMEs and brands to millions of consumers in Nigeria, boosted hundreds of independent logistics companies by incorporating them into the Jumia logistics network, and empowered many women-owned businesses through various empowerment initiatives.


At the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Jumia also provided support to the Nigerian government, its employees, and host communities. Some concrete examples of actions done are: donation of 100,000 CE mask to the Nigerian Ministry of health to protect the communities; partnership with MasterCard to encourage cashless transactions; partnerships with Coca-Cola, Nike, Reckitt Benckiser, Carrefour, Procter & Gamble to increase availability of sanitary and hygiene products.

Jumia collaborated with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), alongside the European Commission and Kantar Public, on a report titled Women and e-commerce in Africa, the first research of its kind in Africa. Covering entrepreneurs in Nigeria, Kenya and Ivory Coast, the report found that increasing the number of women selling on online platforms such as Jumia by providing them with training and financial support can lead to more inclusive growth on the continent.

“It is absolutely essential for women to be factored into the future of e-commerce." said Juliet Anammah, Jumia Group Head of Institutional Affairs. “Africa is at the start of its e-commerce growth trajectory. Now is the time to ensure women entrepreneurs are at the forefront of Africa’s digital journey.”

Jumia is uniquely positioned to support women-owned businesses in Africa to reach consumers online, providing them with the necessary tools, technology and training to operate their businesses online. IFC’s research found that e-commerce supported women entrepreneurs by helping them grow their businesses, enter male-dominated sectors, access training, and achieve personal goals and increased flexibility.

“E-commerce in Africa is thriving, yet we are already seeing a widening gender gap in the sector. IFC’s report not only highlights the gap, but also shows how it might be addressed so that women entrepreneurs can succeed in this important and rapidly growing marketplace,” said Sérgio Pimenta, IFC Vice President for the Middle East and Africa

On the Jumia platform, over a third of businesses in Côte d’Ivoire and over 50% in Kenya and Nigeria are owned by women. The company aims to further drive the penetration of women-owned businesses across all countries where it operates. E-commerce is particularly attractive for women because it gives women the unique opportunity to sell to consumers in an environment without any of the gender related biases that may exist in physical markets

“Initially it was hard to get physical retailers to take my hair products on board, but joining Jumia was simple and after registering with them I immediately had direct access to thousands of customers.” says Wacu Mureithi Founder of Mosara Ltd (Natural hair products) in Kenya.

Beyond providing them with a digital route to market, Jumia aims to further support women-owned businesses by helping them access credit to fund the growth of their ventures. Historically women have taken less advantage of emerging fintech offerings such as in-platform loans compared to their male counterparts, a situation that Jumia intends to change by raising awareness on financial services and credit with women sellers.

“Through the loans received from the Jumia lending program, my business has grown bigger with time.” said Jumoke Akinsanya, founder of an online store in Lagos, Nigeria, Deeski.com. “We started with two staff members and a smaller warehouse. Now we have a bigger warehouse and fourteen staff members.”

Supporting women entrepreneurs has taken on renewed urgency since the outbreak of COVID-19. In the first year of the pandemic, women-owned businesses in the three countries studied in the report experienced a 7% drop in sales, while male owned businesses recorded a 7% rise in sales. Targeted support initiatives towards women are key to addressing this inequality and ensuring inclusive economic recovery.

Founder of online store, Deeski.com, Jumoke Akinsanya, has lauded the human capital development initiative of e-commerce market leader Jumia, saying the company trained her on the rudiments of online sales which has helped grow her business ever since.

"Jumia has taught me how to understand consumer behavior in e-commerce; how to process orders and how to create products on the e-commerce platform," Akinsanya said.

A report by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) in partnership with Jumia, had said Africa’s e-commerce market could grow by more than $14.5 billion between 2025-2030, partly by increasing the number of women selling on online platforms and providing them with better training and financial support to help them match sales made by men.

According to Akinsanya, the continent market leader has been providing financial support to sellers on its platform through a lending programme. The seller said "through the Jumia lending program, the company has helped grow the business bigger than when we started with them. We started with two staff and a smaller warehouse. Now we have a bigger warehouse and fourteen staff."

She further stated that joining the e-commerce train has eliminated some gender problems faced while running a brick and mortar store. "One of the challenges I have as a woman is most times when I try to acquire brands, and I speak with them on the phone, they feel more comfortable. But by the time we are trying to have a physical meeting with them and they realise that the person that spoke with them the other time is the owner of the business, few of them get onboard immediately, while some of them decide to step out, probably take some time before they approve the business.

However, with e-commerce, I have been able to overcome this fear because I don't need to face brands or anybody. So e-commerce has helped women to keep their face behind their business and anybody is ready to deal with a business that is growing," she explained.

Global fast-moving consumer goods manufacturer, Unilever has entered a strategic partnership with Jumia Nigeria to make its latest toothpaste variant, Closeup Triple Fresh Formula, accessible and available to consumers across Nigeria at the best market prices.

Speaking on the partnership, the Field Sales Manager Unilever Nigeria, Ibidare Adegunle said the aim is to make the new product and its unique benefits available to millions of Nigerian customers through an online platform with the widest reach in the country.


“As Nigeria’s leading ecommerce platform, the partnership with Jumia will let Closeup meet its millions of users across the country and give them the opportunity to get the new Closeup Triple Fresh. As the best brand that gives long-lasting freshness, the new Closeup with Triple Fresh cleans deeply, fights up to 90% of bacteria, and cools intensely. It gives superior cleaning, protection and cooling benefits which leaves customers fresh and protected. This partnership with Jumia will help drive awareness for Closeup Triple Fresh and increase purchase intent of customers,” Adegunle said.

With the partnership, Unilever is also offering customers free delivery on its laundry, hygiene and seasoning products on Jumia Express which makes delivery within 24-48 hours possible.

Jumia Nigeria’s Chief Commercial Officer, Omolola Oladunjoye while commenting on the partnership said Jumia is committed to treating its customers to best innovative products with easy and convenient shopping experience.

“This partnership is part of our commitment to ensuring Jumia customers continue to have access to quality products with ease and comfort while keeping safety measures at this time. Unilever is a household name in the FMCG sector with a track record of quality products that meet the daily needs of our customers. We are partnering with them to deepen consumers access to essential products at the best market prices and also enjoy the additional benefits such as free and speedy delivery on our Jumia Express platform,” she said.
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About Jumia
We are fueled by the belief that technology has the potential to transform everyday life in Africa, for the better. We built Jumia to help consumers access millions of goods and services conveniently and at the best prices while opening up a new way for sellers to reach consumers and grow their businesses.

Jumia is a leading e-commerce platform in Africa. Our marketplace is supported by our proprietary logistics business, Jumia Logistics, and our digital payment and fintech platform, JumiaPay. Jumia Logistics enables the seamless delivery of millions of packages while JumiaPay facilitates online payments and the distribution of a broad range of digital and financial services.

Islamic tenets and the new generation entertainment cravings will be the point of deliberation, as Islamic scholars gather for a round table discussion 11th of October 2020, at the Ostra Halls and Hotel, Ikeja. The Roundtable series is put together by renowned Nigerian actress and producer, Kabirah Kafidipe, popularly known for her role in the movie Saworoide as Araperegangan, as a prelude to the premiere of her latest movie titled 'A date with Asmau'

The theme of the event which is “Islam and entertainment in today’s generation” will provide a lot of insight into the position of Islam and contemporary entertainment. The round table series will have great Islamic scholars as guest speakers: Ustadh Muhammad Abubakar the founder of 1 ummah convention, Sheikh Abdulfattah Adeyemi a marriage councillor, Hon. Abdulhakeem Abdullateef, Surveyor Hassan Elias Fnis, Brother Mufutau Adebowale and Sis. Fatimah Habeeb Adeyemi.

The event will feature activities like Quran Competition, Nasheed, Business Empowerment Session and also an opportunity for guests to Network

The round table panellists are Sherif Bakare, Ibraheem Mohammed, Muhammad Muttin, Ramzan, Safee Peter, Mutiat Olagoke, Rahmah Zakareeyah and Aishah Adams.

A special feature at this event is the premiere of “A date with Asmau”, a dawah movie written by Kabirah Kafidipe. featuring Ibrahim Chatta, Afeez Oyetoro, Kabirah Kafidipe and many more.

The movie according to Kafidipe “will trigger a lot of emotions, create a better understanding of Islam on some issues especially Marriage, Polygamy, family among others and put these in the right context as against the stereotype understanding people peddle in the society which in most cases have no basis in Islam” she further stated that “A Date With Asmau” promises to be entertaining to viewers as well.

Round table series is proudly supported by Lotus Capital ltd, Invigorate visuals, touche royal, the essence, Haltv, Siddiqah foundation, classic meals and others.

Sallah celebrations: Thrilling your loved ones with ease and safety

By Adedoying Giwa

Realities of COVID-19 pandemic necessitated low key Easter and Eid-al-fitr celebrations, this Sallah celebrations will be no different. Globally, authorities are stressing the need for caution and protective measures in every human activity. The holy city of Mecca won't witness troops of pilgrims like previous years, as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has limited this edition to only residents of the country amid fears of the virus.

In Lagos State which is the epicentre of the outbreak in Nigeria, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu is also leaving nothing to chance. "Fellow Lagosians, we need to calm down as we enjoy the coming holiday and festivity. We need to be moderate in our celebration and observe prescribed protocols towards defeating the deadly coronavirus. The world needs the responsibility and commitment of its people to oust coronavirus, " the governor said in his Eid kabir message to Lagosians.

Consequently, recreation centers: parks, bars, cinemas, clubs houses, are still under lock and key due to social distancing embargo. People are thereby limited as to where and how far the festivities can go. In this era, the most feasible option one would have thought of exploring to excite loved ones, especially the kids is visiting shopping malls and supermarkets. The option is however a tricky one, as malls and shops have been identified as one of the places the virus can easily be contracted. Likewise, fast food restaurants and eateries are also not available for the eat-in service for now.

More stinging is the dire economic situation the pandemic enforced on the globe. Everyone is becoming more frugal with what they dispense. But be that as it may, citizens of the world, especially Nigerians, will still do their best in the confines of their domain to have the best of the celebrations as possible. The lot who are imaginative can still thrill their loved ones by doing little things in a big way, and e-commerce offerings and cost effectiveness are suitable for this purpose.

Imagine initiating and completing a surprise package process for your wife and children while sitting next to them in the comfort of your home. All by visiting an online store like Jumia, to make orders and get them delivered at your doorstep. Many will agree that movement restrictions have denied them seeing or meeting with friends for months. Hence, this might also be a time to extend love from afar by surprising them with gifts via contactless delivery options of ecommerce platforms.

How about ordering that favourite food for your loved ones from the comfort of wherever you are. There are several online food outlets to choose from; oFood, Jumia food, and the likes are readily available and reliable options. If you happen to be a new customer, Jumia Food offers 20% off on your first order via their app. Many have missed the opportunity of making a great impression by thinking they might not appreciate the gesture for coming a bit late. Buying that 'Ileya' cloth for your friend is not too late, especially for a female friend. You can easily source and order them at online stores.

While conventional banks are prone to all sorts of transaction issues during festivities, fintech solutions come in handy as well. For. Instance apps like JumiaPay and KongaPay can be used for payment of utility bills and mobile top up. They can also serve as a convenient payment gateway for those who can't afford to miss out on pay TV entertainment for timely subscription.

With ecommerce, an interesting celebration is still very much possible, especially for those who are ready to explore the emerging new normal of the global economy.

By Emmanuel Nwachukwu

Eight years might seem too short to achieve great feats, but this is not the case of Jumia as they celebrate their 8th year of reputable service holding from June 22nd till July 15th, 2020 themed ‘Stronger Together’. Jumia has proven beyond doubt that one can accomplish in 8years what others may not stand to achieve in 80years. Since its inception in the year 2012, it has evolved rapidly and successfully recorded significant feats in several areas of its operations in Nigeria. While others may be at an “eight ball” struggling to survive through the harsh conditions of business in the country, Jumia keeps impressing us and alleviating beyond expectations.



Jumia Nigeria has grown from being just an idea to a full-blown thriving e-commerce business, surviving through barriers and implementing new business ideas, incorporating Jumia Logistics, Jumia Services, Jumia Prime, Jumia Force, JumiaPay, Jumia Mall and Jumia Foods. All of these innovations have been doing beautifully well and generating revenue for the country. Jumia has helped place Nigeria on the frontline of efficient e-commerce operating countries. Here are some of the notable ways Jumia has proved its ability:



Benefitting Partnerships



Over the years, Jumia, is notable for partnering with brands and organizations to help bring their customers better deals. Some of these partnerships are with P&G to provide citizens with hygienic and essential products, Reckitt Benckiser, Mastercard, IrokoTV, Coca Cola. Also notable is Jumia’s diverse partnership with the government, this serves to prove its sentiment for the betterment of humanity and its environs, a recent contribution was the handwashing campaign with Lagos state government to further sensitize Nigerians about the threat that the recent pandemic poses, another was volunteering their Jumia Logistics services to deliver COVID-19 kits safely to health workers and also donating over 100,000 face masks to the federal government, their patriotic efforts cannot be ignored.



Authenticity and Quality Products/Services

Jumia’s vision is to build the most beloved and trusted shopping destination for Africans, and it has been able to achieve this by providing people with genuine products at unbeatable prices from local & international vendors for 8years nonstop. In a bid to ensure optimum quality of goods sold on their platform, Jumia revealed the various levels of quality control check put in place to ensure this is continuously achieved and that sellers of fake goods are fined a sum of N70,000.



Best Deals & Offers

Jumia undoubtedly offers the widest assortment of products at an unbeatable price, ranging from their price slash, treasure hunts, flash sales, they offer an explosion of amazing deals and discounts, best prices on desired products, discount vouchers.


Employment Opportunities and MSMEs Empowerment

Private sectors do a lot in supporting the government’s effort to curb the level of poverty in the country, Jumia is one of these private sectors, Jumia currently has over 5,000 employees in Africa and quite a number of vendors currently selling on its platform. Jumia has created room for business sustainability over the years for MSMEs, and economic growth has become phenomenal. Jumia consistently invests in physical and network infrastructure and manpower, this remains a significant contributor to the growth of Nigeria’s economy and that of Africa as a whole. Jumia’s promotion of adopting online shopping, logistics, digital payment and supply value chain as a lifestyle made it easier for several MSMEs and startups to survive instead of completely shutting down operations during the COVID19 pandemic.


Unique Innovations



Another significant achievement of Jumia is their numerous innovations for the betterment of their service to their customers and the country, one of which is the JumiaPay which was introduced in 2015, a secure payment gateway for people to shop on all Jumia digital platforms. They enforced the “payment on delivery” policy, therefore, gaining the trust of people. Also, other services like Jumia Logistics, Jumia Services, Jumia Prime, Jumia Force, Jumia Mall and Jumia Food were introduced and they’ve been doing really well in serving their customers.


Image Building and Good Reputation



Again, Jumia has received notable awards that have brought about recognition and good image to the country. Jumia has a record of 15 million monthly visitors, many app downloads during Black Friday in 2015, referred to as the number one eCommerce website in Nigeria, Jumia went public on the New York Stock Exchange in April 2019 which put Nigeria on the “E-commerce world map”. In 2013, Jumia became the first African company to win the world retail awards. Jumia ranked among the MIT 50 smartest companies globally in 2016 and 2017.


Emmanuel Nwachukwu,A Business and Communications Strategist writes from Lagos

Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA) only Thursday reopened Jumia’s warehouse situated at Surulere industrial road, off Allen, Ikeja, which was sealed on Wednesday for contravening the lockdown order by the Federal government in the state.

Putting up the update on its Twitter handle, @LasepaInfo, the agency said the warehouse was opened “having established that Jumia can be classified as an ‘Essential supplier’ as contained in the Infectious Disease Regulation signed by the Executive Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu on the 27th March 2020.”

The initial sealing of the popular online retail store had elicited condemnation from social media users, who lamented why the Jumia outlet should be closed down at a time Lagos residents have been asked to stay at home to stop the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

In response to LASEPA's tweet and action, Nigerians on twitter blamed the agency for not doing proper fact finding before sealing the warehouse, and asked LASEPA to tender an apology to Jumia.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, Jumia Nigeria has demonstrated responsible corporate citizenship. The company on Wednesday announced its partnership with Lagos State Government on MyHandsAreSafe campaign, as an information tool to curb further spread of COVID-19.

Recently, Jumia announced the implementation of Contactless Delivery as safety measure for customers to further enhance social distancing measures. In response to the pandemic, Jumia announced a partnership deal with Reckitt Benckiser to enable customers have access to hygiene products at affordable prices during the lockdown.

The Lagos State Government has launched a hand washing challenge titled “MyHandsAreSafe,” in partnership with Jumia Nigeria. The challenge which debuts on Monday, 30 March 2020 is aimed at encouraging regular washing of hands which is a very potent tool in the fight to contain the spread of COVID-19.

The Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on the Sustainable Development Goals and Investment, Mrs Solape Hammond made the announcement today. According to her, the handwashing challenge will not only teach Nigerians in general and Lagos State residents in particular the right way to wash their hands as advised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and encouraged by the State Government and health authorities, but will also encourage them to imbibe the habit so as to stay safe of CoronaVirus.

In her own statement, the Special Adviser further said “In this instance, Prevention is not only better than cure - it’s all we have at the moment”. The #MyHandsAreSafe challenge is a deliberate effort to use an online viral challenge towards minimising the spread of the disease,” she said. “Nevermore have SDG3 (Health and Well-being) and SDG6 (Clean water and sanitation) been so important”.

Juliet Anammah, the Chairwoman of Jumia Nigeria, said “Jumia is very happy to leverage our online ecosystem to collaborate with Lagos State in this challenge and we enjoin all Lagosians to participate. Washing our hands is at least one thing we can all do to support our Government and our healthcare workers who are at the frontline."

The rapid spread of COVID-19 has disrupted businesses, communities, education, livelihood and the lives of billions of people globally. As individuals and businesses react and desperately try to minimize the impact and spread of the virus, the government is also taking action. President Muhammadu Buhari ordered the lockdown of Lagos, Abuja and Ogun State during the national broadcast on Sunday evening to further strengthen the initial announcement of the immediate closure of open markets and stores, with the exception of those that sell essential items by Lagos state government.

While these moves are highly commendable, it is imperative to point out, at this point, that Nigerians can still survive and live modestly if we all embrace eCommerce and explore alternative payment systems and delivery methods to ensure that people are still able to stock up on essential items like food, drugs, water, toilet paper, soap, etc and business owners do not completely shut down and run at a total loss during this period.

For instance, according to the President, the lockdown order “does not apply to businesses in “food processing, distribution and retail companies.” Therefore, my interpretation is that restaurants in the locations affected are not mandated to close up, but they cannot serve walk-in customers due to the restriction of movement. These measures are very critical to strike a delicate but critical balance between containing this pandemic and the inherent risk that the gathering of people together in a restaurant or medical retail store poses, and the need for availability of food and medical supplies for survival

In the light of this reality, e-commerce giant, Jumia Nigeria already has the contactless delivery and e-payment option in place to keep consumers, dispatch riders and vendors safe in the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak. To drive the initiative, the ‘contactless safe delivery’ option has been implemented on JumiaPay, the payment platform. This enables consumers to make prepaid payments for products online and get them delivered without a direct body contact or cash exchange with the delivery agent. Jumia Food platform with restaurants all over the country as partners is a reliable option in providing several restaurant options for consumers during the lockdown.

Jumia’s contactless delivery services are considered safe, with strict hygiene practices that ensure all packages leaving the warehouse are protected. With its integrated logistics network, Jumia makes these deliveries available to consumers all over the country, including remote and rural areas. Jumia’s delivery agents have been trained to enforce necessary standards during delivery. They are instructed to call or text when they arrive at the customer's place and drop off the package at their doorstep, then step back to a safe distance limit and wait for the customer to take the package before leaving.

Days before the lockdown announcement by the President, walking into a shopping mall like Shoprite wasn’t easy because consumers had to join long queues and wait turns to get in, in line with Lagos State government directive of not more than 20 people in a gathering at a time in observance of social distancing. Now the lockdown is in full force, then it is imperative that we all now play our part.

With all these fears and inconveniences in place, finding an alternative means of buying and selling such that reduces human-to-human contact has become a must.

In countries like the U.S, the U.K and a few European countries, restaurants and other retail companies are already using the contactless payment method to reduce the impact of the virus in the daily lives of citizens. While restaurants stay open, customers are however not allowed in. The staff in charge of preparing food or making deliveries take all the necessary precautions to protect themselves and consumers, by wearing preventive gear and avoiding or having limited contact with consumers. This sort of delivery allows delivery personnel to leave packages at the doorstep of consumers, as payment would have already been made online.

Without these measures in place, the coronavirus epidemic will leave millions of Nigerians struggling to get back on their feet even years after the virus has been contained. Jumia Food, with restaurants in major cities such as Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt as partners, is a reliable alternative for providing several restaurants for consumers to choose from during the lockdown.

Jumia’s contactless delivery service is considered safe, with strict hygiene practices that ensure all packages leaving the warehouse are protected. With its integrated logistics network, Jumia makes these deliveries available to consumers all over the country, including remote and rural areas.

By Ayomide Oriade

As the world battles to save humanity from the clutches of the deadly COVID-19 virus, activities that make the world go round are being grounded. Human freedom is eroded like never before, human contact is being limited to the barest minimum with social distancing measures, and movement is being banned or limited to extremely necessary instances in several regions of the world. To ensure adherence, authorities are imposing penalties for flaunting of restriction orders meant to prevent humans' physical interaction with fellow humans; all in the name of humanity.


France, Italy, England, Belgium, Israel, and many others are leveraging location data to help the government observe trends in public movements, such as tracking whether citizens are following recently-issued social distancing rules. In the face of all these, special consideration is given to public movement for punches of essentials such as groceries, pharmaceuticals, beverages, and other foodstuffs. Despite measures to prevent overcrowding at these brick and mortar stores, there's still the risk of human contact in the process.


While authorities deploy technology for restrictive measures, online marketplaces are leveraging it as a lifeline for home delivery of the essentials. Instacart, Good Eggs and Amazon Fresh are filling the gap in North and South America. In a recent post, online grocery delivery service Instacart said it is aiming to add 300,000 workers across North America over the next three months as demand surges amid the coronavirus pandemic.


Interestingly for Africa, COVID-19 might just be the catalyst for embracing e-commerce on a continent where the online marketplace is still in the gestation phase. Commendably, industry players like Jumia, Konga, Jiji are also stepping up their game with strategic partnerships and service offerings to customers, as well as home delivery of essentials at this trying time.


Recently, the leading industry player on the African continent announced its partnership with the global health product manufacturer, Reckitt Benckiser, to help African consumers access hygienic products at the lowest price in the COVID-19 era.


Speaking on the move, Senior Vice President, at Jumia Group, Romain Christodoulou, said: “At Jumia, we strive to continue operating so that customers continue to use e-commerce as a safe way to shop in this challenging time through the “Stay Safe” campaign, which shares consistent information about COVID-19 and provides access to key hygiene products at the most affordable price possible for our consumers.”


To help drive distancing measures on the continent, Jumia also announced the commencement of contactless delivery of Prepaid Packages on the platform across all countries where Jumia operates, with the aim of ensuring safer delivery of packages to customers. With contactless delivery, a Jumia Delivery Associate will leave the Customers’ Package at his doorstep on a clean surface (After customers’ consent over a call). Afterward, he steps back (by -1m) and waits for the customer to collect the package.



In support of the governments’ bids to reduce the risk of transmission through physical cash, the company has also limited payment on delivery to just PoS and JumiaPay on delivery. Jumia delivery agents will no longer accept cash payment on postpaid deliveries. This decision also complies with the government's drive for a cashless economy. In addition, Jumia said it will “provide access to affordable basic foods and sanitary essentials on the marketplace platform. By partnering with thousands of vendors, like Reckitt Benckiser, and others, we are able to maintain fair prices and fight against speculation”


Online grocery shop Applecart in a recent statement revealed that it is also experiencing more demand and new orders, and as a result beefing up its delivery service as buyers stock up on essentials to prepare for potential lockdown in Nigeria.


With the effort of these online stores and malls and the complementary services of other online groceries cum food delivery services like Food Trolley Organic; Haive; Pocketfriendly; Mart.ng; social distancing can help to curtail the spread of COVID-19. It is left for Nigerians to acquaint themselves to leverage these services. Through this, we reduce physical contact and potentially curb person to person infection.

By Adeolu Seyi-Smith, (a development economist)


Job cuts, layoffs, wage cuts, and employee redundancy have continued to exacerbate as the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic continues to disrupt social life, the economy and every other human activity across countries.

Hundreds of jobs have been wiped off like almost all the value chains including manufacturing, sales, and marketing, distribution, wholesale and retail, governance, aviation, tourism amongst others have been impacted negatively by COVID-19.

The aviation industry – one of the worst-hit as a result of travel restrictions imposed by many countries – has recorded more job losses. For instance, WestJet has laid off 6,900 workers due to a downturn in business because of COVID-19. In a similar circumstance, Air Canada has put 600 pilots on compulsory unpaid leave pending improvement in the situation of things.

Coming home, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has estimated that the restriction on air travel by the Federal Government aimed at curtailing the spread of coronavirus would cost the aviation industry USD434m in revenue, 2,200 lost jobs, and loss of approximately 2.2 million passengers.

The Wall Street Journal put the U.S. job losses at around 5 million while experts have predicted that economic shortfall arising from the effects of COVID-19 could hit up to $1.5 trillion across the U.S. and a probable economic recession.

As travel bans, restrictions on large gathering and enforcement of social distancing amongst other preventive measures to curb the widespread of the deadly virus intensify, both the Federal and state governments in Nigeria are even rolling out stricter measures to halt the spread, some of which may hurt more in the long run.

Given that the number of infected persons in Nigeria has risen significantly including the confirmed cases of high profile victims (a state governor, a top aide of the president and families of prominent Nigerians), it is pertinent to advise the government to exercise caution in pronouncing total lockdown or shutdown of the entire system especially the e-commerce operators that become the obvious lifesavers in time of lockdown.

Reasons include the fact that the Nigerian economy is largely driven by the informal sector. About 70 percent of the working people earn daily wages, and total lockdown or shutdown will create ripple dysfunctions including worsening the current high unemployment level and inflation in the country. The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reported a 33.5 percent unemployment rate and inflation rate at 12. 2 percent as of January 2020.

Countries like Nigeria whose economy depends largely on oil even face dire consequences amidst falling global oil price, which is around USD25 per barrel, down from USD65 at the start of the year. Credit rating agency Standards & Poor has even warned of a further slide in the oil price to USD10 amidst falling demand for crude oil due to coronavirus. This can trigger job cuts, especially in the Nigerian public sector as the federating states depend largely on revenue allocation from the central government.

In spite of the gloom and impending recession staring us in the face, however, the e-commerce industry can help reflate the Nigerian economy at this time, especially if well leveraged to serve as a buffer for hunger, starvation and job creation as demand for essential daily needs rises and scarcity of goods and services loom in days ahead.

Logistics is a critical factor in lockdown or any emergency situation, which COVID-19 is heading to, if not urgently nipped in the bud. Thus, e-commerce platforms like Jumia, Jiji, and Konga amongst others will enable Nigerians and other residents in the country to stay through this trying period.

In view of the rise in the number of infected persons, which may compel the government to declare a total lockdown or shutdown, or the elongation of the initial one-week that Lagos State government has declared with effect from March 26, the surge in demand for food, toiletries, and drugs in Nigeria is inevitable.

Certainly, sick people will need someone to get their prescribed drugs to them at home to prevent more deaths than COVID-19 would have caused. Families must restock as the supply of food and toiletries will run out someday soon, so they need to shop online and get their supplies delivered to their homes.

This is how the government and organizations in other climes are thinking, and Nigeria cannot be an exception. The good news, however, is that we have what it takes to respond to this challenge as appropriate.

For instance, Africa's leading e-commerce platform, Jumia has innovated Food service that will be at full service to deliver healthy meals to people right in their homes and at the same time offer riders income on a daily basis while COVID-19 lasts.

It has also commenced its innovative “Contactless Safe Delivery” on the checkout pages of Jumia mall. The ‘contactless safe delivery’ option enables customers to make pre-paid orders for products on the platform and get them delivered without a direct body contact or cash exchange with the agents.

Jumia Nigeria CEO, Massimiliano Spalazzi explained that the process is to help customers keep to safety and health-conscious directives in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. He said contactless promotes convenience, social distancing, and cashless measures are woven into one.

The availability of e-payment platforms including JumiaPay, EcobankPay, Paystark, Flutterwave, Opay, etc., will not only enable convenient shopping, efficient funds’ transfer as well as eliminate the risks of contracting coronavirus via physical cash exchange.


Tens of jobs will also be created as they partner with operators in the restaurant hospitality, pharmaceutical, essential daily needs sectors as a result of increased demands for these essential needs during coronavirus shutdown or lockdown.

Good examples abound in regards to what e-commerce like Jumia, Konga, Jiji, etc. can do to help in time of COVID-19. E-commerce platforms including Amazon, Walmart and Papa John's to mention a few, have demonstrated innovation in this regard by hiring more people in the midst of COVID-19. Amazon has announced a plan to hire additional 100,000 full and part-time workers as it foresaw a surge in demand for food, toiletries, drugs and other essential daily needs as more people stay at home.

Walmart has also unveiled plans to hire 150,000 hourly workers for its stores and distribution centers through the end of May as online orders surge with households stocking up. Spokesman Dan Bartlett added that the temporary jobs may become permanent as the company was reaching out to industry groups in the restaurant and hospitality industries, which are also affected by lockdown and travel bans.

“Obviously, people are going to make more use of home deliveries, it makes perfect sense,” Dan Griswold, a senior research fellow at the Mercatus Centre said.

So, we can actually halt coronavirus from taking the shine off our active human and socio-economic ecosystem if we can push the frontiers of the e-commerce system to drive the vehicle for meeting the rise in demands for foods, water, toiletries, and drugs amidst COVID-19 pandemic.

If this is the actual story, it means Ecobank has started a deliberate action to end casualisation in the Bank. The Tellers in involved are not direct staff of Ecobank. They are contract staff and i also learnt they have been asked to apply to become full staff of the bank if they so wish. From what I can remember, Nigerians have been against the issue of contract staff/ casual workers for long. So this is more of a potentially positive move.

I don't know how true this is, but i heard affected contract staff are also offered option to be Xpresspoint Agents which is under Ecobank’s Agency Banking franchise across Nigeria.

An Enugu based pastor, Gabriel Obiano (Gabriel Ooc), has emerged winner of 2019 Monster Hit Story Contest. The competition is an initiative of Ororo Pattaya 20km and David Jones, who is known for his Anti-Drug Advocacy among Nigerian Youth.


The contest, which ran on Instagram and Facebook between April and May, was designed for Nigerian youths on social media to share true-life story that borders on any life changing experiences on drug and substance abuse.



Report of a survey conducted by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), in collaboration with the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), revealed that the rate of drug abuse in Nigeria in 2018 was more than twice the global average of 5.3%.



According to the report, 14.3 million Nigerians are involved in abuse of drugs such as marijuana, opioids and cough syrup. The report further showed that those involved in abuse of such drugs are mainly between age 15 and 64, while one in every four of them is a woman.


Obiano's story titled "How I Lost My Girlfriend To Drug Abuse" was a revelation on the disturbing trend of drug abuse and addiction among Nigerian women.


The Port Harcourt based pastor narrated how he met Esther and later proposed to her, only to discover she was a drug addict who has gone as far as using cocaine.


"I met Esther in God's Word Outreach Ministry, in Port Harcourt. As a young preacher who was willing to settle down as of that moment after my Bible School. I picked interest in her. We started dating and finally I proposed to her. She accepted the proposal. Meanwhile she told me how the father abandoned her and her mom at her early stage of life. She told me, she can't give account of where the dad is now. Due to hard life; she(Esther) left her mom too and moved to Port Harcourt.


"I felt her pain and advised her to make out time to visit her mom and know how she was doing and find out if she is aware of her dad's whereabouts. She turned the advice down.


"She was seeing male friends who were in the military and some cultists who live a thug life. I was not aware of this until I was desperate to find out what she was doing with her time.



"On a Thursday, I visited her, coming close to her she was drunk and also offered me some drinks(I am not a drinking type). The drink she offered me was missed with "Tramadol", sitting in her apartment I saw some used " tramadol": as at that time I never knew it was a hard drug. I thought she was just taking medicine.


"The next day she sat beside me and told me plainly she has been using hard drugs and most especially cocaine. I doubted her: "you can't get cocaine in Nigeria" I said. She laughed and replied in a gentle voice as she whispered into my ear, "I get them from the barracks, I have a couple of military friends who use them."


Obiano, explained that despite his many efforts to help Esther retract her wayward steps, she ended the relationship citing the sharp contrast in their lifestyle.

"The more I talk about it or try to change her mind, the more she began to hate me. She detests me because I was not buying her lifestyle. She stopped picking my calls. She started avoiding me. She stopped coming to church.


"One day, I decided to visit her after calling her several times. When I reached her door post, I was hearing noise inside, what I saw that day destroyed my mind. I was heartbroken that my mind was not right anymore. At the door post I sighted her getting high with friends, male and female.

I was discouraged to enter before I will be afflicted. I stepped outside and tried calling her, she came out and said: " what are you doing here, I have told you I don't want you anymore. It's over.


At this moment she brought out my engagement ring from her room not even in her finger anymore and threw it at me. "We have no lifestyle in common, leave me to live my life the way I want."


Obiano's story attracted 377 likes, and 849 comments on Instagram, making a total of 1,226 votes to emerge winner of the contest.


Traction records revealed that the contest enjoyed good followership from social media users across Facebook and Instagram. The competition attracted 42 entries. A total of 5,700 likes, 2,900 comments, 4,200 views, and 48,000 impressions were recorded on Instagram entries.

Discussion on Yoruba history especially as it concerns Afonja, a onetime Aare Ona Kakanfo of the Oyo Empire, will be at the front burner at MUSON Center, Lagos this Sunday, as historians and top culture enthusiasts, including a leading Yoruba Storyteller and Cinematographer, Tunde Kelani, take a look at Yoruba history and life and times of Afonja and Alaafin of Oyo - Aole Arogangan.

The roundtable talk is being organised to launch a book –Afonja: The Rise, written by Tunde Leye, a former Banker and former staff of Interswitch, whose person for writing has produced four good books.

The Literary community in Nigeria will be well represented at the launch. The book will be reviewed by one of the eminent voices in the Arts in Nigeria, Molara Wood, the erstwhile Arts and Culture Editor of Next newspaper

Mrs. Elizabeth Ajayi, a former Chief Lecturer of History at Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education, who fact checked the book, will be on the panel of discussion. The penal will also have one of the custodians of Yoruba culture, Mr. Tunde Kelani of Mainframe Productions.

Popular musician, Aduke will be on ground to spice up the the eventful evening which will also feature live performance of “Spoken Words” by RezThapoet.

According to the author of the book, the discussion is being organised to further give hindsight into the history of the Yoruba before the colonial masters came to give the people alternative government.

On what informed his reason to write the book, Leye said he was compel to research and put the story together because of the poor knowledge people of his generation has about Yoruba history.

“I've always loved history generally not just the Yoruba version. Before my sojourn into this, I took it for granted that everybody knows our history. I have a couple of friends and we discussed history but most of what we discussed was Western history. Of course, they were very knowledgeable at it. One day, I just mentioned Kiriji War and they looked at me like; what is Kiriji War? Meanwhile, these are guys that if you ask them about the battle of Waterloo, they will tell you the type of Calvary and artillery used. I became confused that how could they be knowledgeable in other people’s history and as Yoruba guys, they didn’t know about Kiriji War,”

The author, who expresses his regret over the way young men and women today in Yoruba nation, engage history as if it started when the white men came, said with the Sunday roundtable talk, stakeholders will appreciate the need to protect the African culture and history.

” When you mention our history, they tell you about the Amalgamation and those things, but are unable to tell what happened before the white men came. I realised that I wanted to write about Kiriji War, but when I started researching, it became very clear to me that I can't start the story from Kiriji War because something led to the Kiriji War. During the research it became clear that the magical point to start the story was from the decline of the Oyo Empire. And everybody says that the person responsible for the decline of the Empire is Afonja. So this story is my take on who Afonja is and his role in the decline of the Oyo Empire," he said.

While calling on Yoruba leaders to attend the roundtable talk, Leye recommends the book, which is written as a novel, for scholars, students and Yoruba elites who are passionate about their culture.

Discussion on Yoruba history especially as it concerns Afonja, a onetime Aare Ona Kakanfo of the Oyo Empire, will be at the front burner at MUSON Center, Lagos this Sunday, as historians and top culture enthusiasts, including a leading Yoruba Storyteller and Cinematographer, Tunde Kelani, take a look at Yoruba history and life and times of Afonja and Alaafin of Oyo - Aole Arogangan.

The roundtable talk is being organised to launch a book –Afonja: The Rise, written by Tunde Leye, a former Banker and former staff of Interswitch, whose person for writing has produced four good books.

The Literary community in Nigeria will be well represented at the launch. The book will be reviewed by one of the eminent voices in the Arts in Nigeria, Molara Wood, the erstwhile Arts and Culture Editor of Next newspaper

Mrs. Elizabeth Ajayi, a former Chief Lecturer of History at Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education, who fact checked the book, will be on the panel of discussion. The penal will also have one of the custodians of Yoruba culture, Mr. Tunde Kelani of Mainframe Productions.

Popular musician, Aduke will be on ground to spice up the the eventful evening which will also feature live performance of “Spoken Words” by RezThapoet.

According to the author of the book, the discussion is being organised to further give hindsight into the history of the Yoruba before the colonial masters came to give the people alternative government.

On what informed his reason to write the book, Leye said he was compel to research and put the story together because of the poor knowledge people of his generation has about Yoruba history.

“I've always loved history generally not just the Yoruba version. Before my sojourn into this, I took it for granted that everybody knows our history. I have a couple of friends and we discussed history but most of what we discussed was Western history. Of course, they were very knowledgeable at it. One day, I just mentioned Kiriji War and they looked at me like; what is Kiriji War? Meanwhile, these are guys that if you ask them about the battle of Waterloo, they will tell you the type of Calvary and artillery used. I became confused that how could they be knowledgeable in other people’s history and as Yoruba guys, they didn’t know about Kiriji War,”

The author, who expresses his regret over the way young men and women today in Yoruba nation, engage history as if it started when the white men came, said with the Sunday roundtable talk, stakeholders will appreciate the need to protect the African culture and history.

” When you mention our history, they tell you about the Amalgamation and those things, but are unable to tell what happened before the white men came. I realised that I wanted to write about Kiriji War, but when I started researching, it became very clear to me that I can't start the story from Kiriji War because something led to the Kiriji War. During the research it became clear that the magical point to start the story was from the decline of the Oyo Empire. And everybody says that the person responsible for the decline of the Empire is Afonja. So this story is my take on who Afonja is and his role in the decline of the Oyo Empire," he said.

While calling on Yoruba leaders to attend the roundtable talk, Leye recommends the book, which is written as a novel, for scholars, students and Yoruba elites who are passionate about their culture.

ring7:
Guys am not Good with flow of Grammar, So Pardon any Mistake.

Yesterday Being Thursday at about 2pm,I went to Ecobank Enugu, Okpara Avenue , to Do some Transaction ,I went straight to Western Union Point, After Filling my Detail ,I sat Down, was Waiting for my Transaction to be Process. Within an Interval of 30mins .A guy in his late 30 Walk straight to me, and said " Stand Up and Follow Us ,We've been Searching for you all this Long, We are from The EFCC"
I smiled and asked him "Can I see your ID Card"? Which he Didn't show me, I Picked my Phone to put a Call to my Brother, He said that I shouldn't try such,
I got Infuriated and Asked him "Are you OK"?
Do you know who you are speaking with? .One of them came to him and asked him "Is he still proving Stubborn? Lemme go and ask Oga .That was when I stood up and Raised my Voice Exchanging words with the So called man. Now a Mobile Police on Uniform Approached to me and Asked me to follow them that I shouldn't say anything. I smiled and told the Police man that am not going anywhere. He told me "Even seeing a Uniforms Man that am still proving Stubborn, I answered him,by telling him that the Uniform is Cheap, that Nollywood and Guys in the Hood use it as Rags. I told them that if am to go with them ,that I have to take they Pictures/Selfie and send it to my Social media Account ... The Idiots Said No.

Customers and the Bank Security were there looking at Us as the Drama Unfold .
The next Thing i saw was one of the Staff Called One of the so called "EFCC" and Whisper to him. The Idiot now came to me and Said "Pls Sir we are very Sorry, We are looking for One Mr Okechukwu Sunday, We Mistake you for him"
That was when I started my Own Drama ,I started Raining Curse on them and the So Called Bank Security, Even the staffs, The Stupid Security ,Staffs, where there watching they wouldn't say or Do anything,
What if those Guys are Kidnappers?. Or they want to Change me with The So called Okechukwu Sunday?.

Pls Guys When any Uniform Man Approach you, do Speak you Mind, Don't be Shy,Timid or ....Try and Defend yourself. I think its Official Kidnapping
Thanks,Pls Push this To Front page.

No customer deserves such wrong identity treatment. I suggest you make the the complaint official via mail Engcontactcentre@ecobank.com so the branch can be monitored by Ecobank management to prevent re-occurrence of such scenario. I think Ecobank management will be interested in such case and you will get a proper apology.

Dettol, the world’s leading antibacterial brand has called on all Nigerians to imbibe the handwashing habit as a day-to-day activity, a practice which will reduce the incidence of communicable diseases by 59% according to recent findings of the World Health Organisation. This call comes as Nigeria joins the rest of the world in celebrating the 2018 Global Handwashing Day, today October 15.


During the event marking this year’s GHD in Abuja, over 2,000 school children drawn from 7 public and private schools which have benefited from Dettol’s School Hygiene Programme across 4 Local Governments in the FCT, participated in a symbolic hand-wash relay. The event held at L.E.A Model Primary School, Maitama, Abuja, where Dettol also donated 12 hand washing stations to help facilitate and maintain the habit of proper handwashing by the school children.


Present at the event were Mrs. Jumai Muhammed, Director, Child Development, Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, representing Minister Of Women Affairs, Mr. Fubara Chuku, National Coordinator Food Safety and Quality Programme, representing the Honorable Minister of Health, Katherine Arron Rengkwar, Headmistress of L.E.A Model Primary School, Maitama, Abuja, and senior executives of RB West Africa.


Dettol has been promoting good hygiene practices amongst millions of Nigerians especially children in the last eight years, through regular school outreaches and its School Hygiene Programme. Dettol has also executed various activities promoting healthy lifestyle such as donation of hand wash sites to schools, organising workshops for nursing mothers and partnering with the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) amongst others.


Speaking on Dettol’s 2018 Global Handwashing Day activities, the General Manager, RB West Africa, Mr. Dayanand Sriram says, “Dettol has been the trusted champion for good health and hygiene for over 50 years in Nigeria, and we believe that it is important to inculcate good habits such as proper handwashing at an early age. A simple act of washing hands with soap can prevent illnesses and arrest diarrhoea related deaths. This is why we are continuing with the tradition of driving habit change, and provision of needed infrastructure.


“Over the past years, Dettol has provided over handwashing sites and educated over 7 million children, parents and teachers about the importance of handwashing through the School Hygiene Program, which is a mass education program about proper handwashing and hygiene habits,” he added.


Dettol has been running health and hygiene programmes across Nigeria where new mothers are educated from pregnancy to the birth of the child on healthy hygiene habits across various milestones of their newborn’s life. Over 700,000 mothers are engaged every year through the programme in public hospitals and clinics across Nigeria.

Ecobank Nigeria is offering an all-expense paid trip to Achimota Golf Club in Ghana to 10 lucky winners in a week long promo as part of the 2018 edition of ‘The Nigeria Cup’ Golf Tournament. The week-long annual golf tourney which kicked off on September 22 is organized by the Ikoyi Club 1938 to commemorate Nigeria’s Independence anniversary. The 2018 edition is set to be even bigger as it marks the 21st anniversary of the Tournament.



Group Head, Personal Banking, Ecobank Nigeria, Ms. Ayodele Osolake who announced this mouthwatering offer said Ecobank is partnering with Ikoyi Club to make the 21st Anniversary edition of “The Nigeria Cup” more fun and even more interesting for golfers. “It is based on this that we have introduced the Promo into this year’s edition. Participants (including members and spectators) are expected to open an Ecobank current account in the course of this tournament with a minimum balance of N50,000 and maintain same in their account for at least three months; 10 lucky winners stand a chance to win an all-expenses paid golfing trip to Ghana’s prestigious Achimota Golf Club. As part of the promo participants whose accounts have gone dormant can reactivate it with the sum of N50,000 to qualify for the promotion. Multiple deposits of N50,000.00 are encouraged as each deposit of N50,000 represents one entry in the draws which will hold during the Club’s Christmas golf tournament, later this year” she noted.



According to Ayodele “Ecobank recognizes that the impact of sports on individuals, communities and the wider society. As a bank, we believe in leveraging the passion points of our customers and golf happens to be a keen favourite of our clients. We believe that facilitating the opportunity for them to enjoy their favorite sport will further enhance our relationship. For a more exciting competition we have introduced this promo that will see ten (10) lucky winners getting an all-expenses paid trip to the esteemed Achimota Golf Club Achimota, Ghana where they will participate in a Golf Tournament.



Earlier, Vice-Captain of the golf section and Chairman 2018 Nigeria Cup Organizing Committee, Mr. Babatunde Johnson, commended Ecobank for their contribution in facilitating one of the most prestigious titles in Nigeria’s golfing calendar disclosing that this year’s theme, ‘Who the Cap Fits’ is aimed at celebrating Nigeria’s culture and national heritage.

Good to know the fire was put out before it could cause big havoc at the main building. Kudos to Lagos Fire service.

itspzpics:
From praizenews.com


Fire outbreak at Ecobank head office, V.I, Lagos, after a diesel tanker explosion.

More details later


News source :: http://www.praizenews.com/fire-outbreak-at-eco-bank-head-office-lagos-photos/


Cc lalasticlala fynestboi

France President, Emmanuel Macron, will make an official visit to Lagos, Nigeria on Tuesday, July 3rd 2018, during which he will announce the launch of the Season of African Cultures 2020, a French celebration of Africa’s rich and diverse cultures, as part of a cultural event organised by TRACE and sponsored by Ecobank, Africa’s leading pan-African bank.

TRACE Event, the event department of global broadcast and digital Afro-urban media group TRACE, was chosen to host and organise the high-profile meeting between representatives of Africa’s creative industries and the President of France, thanks to its strong track record of producing large scale entertainment events on the continent, The media group also has a long-standing role as a cultural bridge between France, Africa and the rest of the world. Entitled A Celebration of African Culture, the event will take place at the New Afrika Shrine, the home of the legendary Nigerian musician Fela Kuti.
Co-founder and Executive Chairman of TRACE, Olivier Laouchez, explained that "TRACE's mission is to support, nurture, cherish and celebrate Afro-urban music and cultures and to bring them to the world, because we believe that the world can only benefit from a better understanding of the richness and the diversity of these cultures, which have long been undervalued.
"It is for this reason that we have organised this momentous event, to launch the Season of African Cultures 2020 in France. One of the objectives of this season is to change the French perception of the African continent through the promotion of contemporary African creation, and this is what TRACE strives to do every day," he said.

Over a thousand VIP guests, including representatives from the African creative and arts sectors have been invited to attend the multicultural event, with music provided by an almost exclusively female line-up featuring pan-African queen of Afro-pop Yemi Alade, Franco-Nigerian singer Asa, and Cameroon’s Charlotte Dipanda. They will be joined by leading performer Femi Kuti, son of Fela Kuti and the New Afrika Shrine’s patron. The evening is set to be a celebration of Africa’s diverse and rich cultural heritage and will honor young creators from the worlds of art, design, fashion, and African cinema, with a Nollywood scene being filmed live on the night by renowned Nigerian Film Director, Kunle Afolayan.

Commenting on the sponsorship, Managing Director of Ecobank Nigeria, Charles Kie, said Ecobank was proud to support such a noteworthy event that perfectly synchronises with the Bank’s ongoing and strategic intent to support and develop economic growth and financial integration in Africa.

“Ecobank is delighted to be sponsoring this showcasing and celebration of the growing universal impact of African culture,” he said. “Sustainable economic growth is essential to increase our continent’s global competitiveness thereby improving standards of living and prosperity for all Africans. It is fantastic to see that Africa’s burgeoning creative industries are playing their full part in doing this by entertaining and attracting the global audiences that will in turn help increase both international interest and investment in African nations and businesses to the benefit of all.”

Slimdoug:
Since this morning, I've been dumbfounded by the total lack of class by Ecobank Nigeria. I mean, I've operated accounts with several banks in the country, but my experience with this one just gets me dazed every time I think about it.

If it was not because I live and work at a location where Ecobank is the closest bank and ATM by proximity, and my need to move cash easily, I wouldn't have dreamt of even visiting the bank not to talk of opening an account with them. So, on a fateful day, I visited the branch and made enquiries about opening a savings account. I was directed to the Account opening section where I met just one person, a woman, who gave me the list of requirements needed to open the account. So, I dashed out the bank, homewards, got the requirements and then back to the bank in just about 30 minutes. The time reads 1:52pm. I went straight to the account opening section to continue the process, but there was no one there. Went back to the customer care to ask about the account opening manager's whereabouts, but was told to wait because she went for a break.

So, there I sat. Patiently. Waiting for the woman to return from her break. Waited some 40 minutes more and asked the customer care again. This time was told to still wait, but rather harshly. I could have been at work, but I kept my calm still. Waited some more and the time reads 3:15pm. Again, I asked the customer care about the woman's whereabouts, but this time, they were fed up and started to ignore me. Note that this is me with my money coming to open an account that will obviously profit the bank and pay its staffs, but no one in this bank seem to have the required nous to deal with customers appropriately. Heck, the account opening section of the bank; a department that is meant to bring more business to the bank has no staff to attend to individuals and businesses willing to trust the bank with their money!

By this time, I knew I wouldn't be able to get back to work. The time was already reading quarter to four and the customer care reps couldn't care less. I went out of the bank, talked to the security and asked him about the account opening manager's whereabouts. The security helped searched for the woman who supposedly went on a break, but to no avail. By this time, I had already searched twitter for Ecobank customer care Whatsapp number and sent them a message on Whatsapp about the issue I'm having at one of their branches. No response. The security man came back and told me bluntly that the woman had gone for marketing. Hey!

Ok, what do we do now? I don't think I would have the time to come to this bank again o. The security man then offered to let the customer care reps know that the woman in charge of account opening had stepped out for marketing. They then printed out an account opening form, which I filled and then left the bank.

Fast forward to 5 days later, I got a response from Ecobank's Whatsapp number asking how they could help me. this is 5 days after sending them a message. Talk of more classlessness. You wouldn't imagine how baffled I was. I deleted the message with no response since I didn't need it any more. Then 2 days later, I got a call from the bank. That is, 7 days after filling an account opening form. 7 days. And surprisingly, they weren't even calling me to let me know that my account was active. They were calling to ask for directions to my house for inspection. Boom! I gave up.


Then 3 days later which was last Friday(10 days after filling their account opening form), I got an sms congratulating me about my shiny new account with ecobank! Welcome to Ecobank, the Pan African Bank ! And that was quickly followed by a call on Tuesday asking me to deposit money into the new account. I promised I would deposit some cash on Wednesday, but couldn't go to the bank due to some busyness. But alas, this morning, being Thursday, I got a call again from the same Ecobank, but this time with a full dose of complete classlessness. The caller was threatening to close my account if I didn't deposit some money in it ASAP. And this is just 4 business days after getting a message that the account was now active. Seriously, I don't know what to feel right now because I'm beyond shocked as well as amused by this total lack of organisation and classlessness by Ecobank. Guess I'll have to stay away for now.

My brother sorry for your experience. However I would advise caution when writing about an organization that has a reputation to keep like us, individually. This things happen with all the banks, there are certainly some unruly staff in all institutions. What is important is for the person involve to try and reach out to the leadership of the bank. For instance when I had issues with Ecobank in the past someone shared their ombudsman number which is not controlled by the branch and my issues was resolved immediately.

Even the first bank man talking. I have had a similar delayed service issue with them and it took like forever to get it resolved. So I do not think any of the banks is an Eldorado as his is trying to paint.

Please simply goggle any bank’s name and you will get information on who to call on their website / corporate information where numbers are always available to call should you have a challenge.

musicwriter:
Please save your life by realizing whatever email your sender received is just a random phising message that has nothing to do with access bank. What you don't know is that thousands or millions of people who don't even know access bank also received same message.

Note: I am not saying Nigerian banks aren't stealing because Ecobank once tried stealing my money in the past. You have no case against access bank based on a phising email you or your sender received. Drop the case and save your life, please.

My brother sorry for your experience. However I would advise caution when writing about an organization that has a reputation to keep like us, individually. This things happen with all the banks, there are certainly some unruly staff in all institutions. What is important is for the person involve to try and reach out to the leadership of the bank. For instance when I had issues with Ecobank in the past someone shared their ombudsman number which is not controlled by the branch and my issues was resolved immediately.

Even the first bank man talking. I have had a similar delayed service issue with them and it took like forever to get it resolved. So I do not think any of the banks is an Eldorado as his is trying to paint.

Please simply goggle any bank’s name and you will get information on who to call on their website / corporate information where numbers are always available to call should you have a challenge.

Ecobank has apprehended and handed over an internet fraudster, James Nwagalezi who attempted to hack into its Mobile app to swindle huge sum of funds running into several millions of naira to the Police authourities.

A reliable source in the bank was quoted as saying the Management of the bank quickly alerted the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in Ikoyi, Lagos who deployed his investigative team to unravel the perpetrators.

The Police have since arraigned Nwagalezi alongside his accomplice, Okoli Nmesoma at a Lagos state Magistrate Court on a four count charges.

HardMirror:
please let me have your email address i have a very important business to give you. Thank you

Good to know he was caught in the process by Ecobank officials and handed over to the police. such activities should not be encouraged in the society.

HardMirror:
please let me have your email address i have a very important business to give you. Thank you

Good to know he was caught in the process by Ecobank officials and handed over to the police. This should not in anyway be promoted in the society.