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Clean Nigeria Initiative; Ecobank Applauds International Football Star, David Alaba

Ecobank Nigeria has commended David Alaba for his support towards the success of the Clean Nigeria Initiative being part of the Federal Government’s efforts to end open defecation in Nigeria by 2025, under the distinguished Chairmanship of Vice-President Osinbajo.

Ms. Adebukola Ademiluyi, Head Diaspora Banking, Ecobank Nigeria, said Ecobank will facilitate the disbursement of funds donated by David Alaba to build public toilets in Ogere Remo in Ogun State, but is also prepared to partner other Nigerians abroad who have interest in funding specific projects back home. Alaba, who is a private sector Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (OPS-WASH) Clean Nigeria Campaign Ambassador as well as a Real Madrid player recently donated N13.3 million towards the initiative to curb open defecation in the country, with Ecobank, the number one Diaspora Bank facilitating the disbursement of the project funds.

Further, Ms. Ademiluyi disclosed that Ecobank was working closely with Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), ably led by the Chairman/CEO, Hon Abike Dabiri-Erewa towards the engagement of Nigerians in the diaspora on policies, projects and other initiatives geared at developing the nation, noting that the bank understands the peculiar needs of the Nigerians living abroad and has created tailor-made solutions to serve them effectively.

Stating what the bank is currently doing to support Nigerians abroad on easy repatriation of funds, she advised them to avail themselves of the bank’s Rapidtransfer solution to send money home to their loved ones particularly during this yuletide season, stating that “you can download the Rapidtransfer app to send money home and your beneficiary can pick up USD cash at any Ecobank branch nationwide or have it directly credited into their Ecobank domiciliary account. You can also send money through our remittance partners such as Ria and Small World for cash pick up and direct credit. Other partners such as Western Union and MoneyGram are available for cash pick up only. You can wire funds directly to your foreign currency account through our correspondent bank in dollars, British Pounds and Euro.” She noted that the bank is currently running an end of year reward scheme for remittances.

Ms. Ademiluyi added that Ecobank also helps Nigerians in the diaspora with resources for wealth management through investment in the money market, capital market, real estate and treasury products at attractive and competitive interest rates on both foreign and local currencies, stating that the bank offers financial planning advisory, including information on stocks, bonds, real estates and insurance products, in addition to helping customers retrieve outstanding dividends and missing shares. She advised them to open a multi-currency online account in Naira, GBP, USD and EURO via its website, adding that they can also download the bank’s award-winning mobile banking app, Ecobank Mobile, which is available on app stores to enjoy real-time access to their accounts from the comfort of their home. She further said the bank is offering mortgage loans to Nigerians living abroad to finance property ownership in the country, stressing that the terms and conditions are flexible and easily accessible.

FIRSTBANK UNVEILS 2021 DECEMBERISSAVYBE CALENDAR, REINFORCES ITS COMMITMENT TO ENABLING DREAMS

In the spirit of providing enabling opportunities for families of its customers and other stakeholders to come together to celebrate, live better and achieve their dreams, FirstBank – through its yearly DecemberIssaVybe campaign – has unveiled the 2021 calendar of events as it reiterates its impact on the arts and entertainment industry.

The campaign which started in 2018 has been making waves across the cities in the country and Nigerians across ages have started Vybing, enamored in excitement.

The 30-day activity loaded event include musical shows and concerts, comedies, fashion, arts and food fairs and are specifically supported to evoke joyful moods as everyone gears up for the celebrations of the end of the year, especially the yuletide. Showcasing an array of the hottest and coolest entertainment platforms, and superstars, FirstBank DecemberIssaVybe campaign offers free massive gifts and ticket giveaways to premium events aimed at creating fascinating and memorable experience for stakeholders in the Yuletide season as they bond with family and friends, whilst connecting with their favourite superstars, music, plays.

FirstBank DecemberIssaVybe is also designed to inspire kindness in all stakeholders. December is a season for giving and given FirstBank’s culture of showing kindness through initiatives such as SPARK (Start Performing Acts of Random Kindness), DecemberIssaVybe campaign integrates kindness and spreads its message of transforming lives.

Excited about the 2021 DecemberIssaVybe, the Group Head of Marketing & Corporate Communications, FirstBank, Ms Folake Ani-Mumuney said “we are delighted to be back with DecemberIssaVybe. The 2021 edition is enriched with loads of impactful and celebratory activities to build the excitement of witnessing the year-end as we celebrate into 2022. As a Bank woven into the fabric of society, we have ensured that the events are spread across the country and there is an event for everyone, irrespective of age.

We remain committed through resourceful partnerships to nation building; empowering all including the youth to achieve their dreams as these events promote the continued growth of the entertainment industry, unarguably an economic game-changer in the global business landscape, especially a country like ours that is blessed with talents and amazing creative minds.

We encourage everyone including organisers of events to please stay safe and adhere to the COVID-19 protocols. It’s important we all get vaccinated; get our booster jabs where necessary, use face masks, observe social distancing and play our roles to drive full observance and adherence to COVID-19 protocols so we enjoy the season responsibly” she concluded.

The FirstBank #DecemberIssaVybe and #FirstBankIssaVybe giveaway fest is open to everyone. To enjoy premium concerts, plays, fashion and food; lucky customers and followers of the Bank’s social media pages – Facebook: First Bank of Nigeria Limited, Instagram: @firstbanknigeria should look out for the posts on how to participate in the giveaways as there are exclusive tickets to partake in these celebrations promoted through FirstBank’s DecemberIssaVybe end of the year and yuletide celebrations.

The advertising industry in Nigeria: Maximising the post-COVID reality – Seyi Tinubu

Since the launch of the first news outlet in Nigeria in 1859, Nigeria’s advertising industry has grown to become a flourishing self-sustaining ecosystem valued at a whopping 425 million U.S. dollars as of 2017 and a projected foreseeable exponential growth in the coming years as a result of the dominance of internet revenue. While many other industries are gradually recovering and working to bounce back from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, this economic powerhouse is set to remain on an upward trajectory Post-covid.

Amidst several months of grounded airplanes, closed churches and empty streets, several countries and global economies have experienced the shock waves of the COVID-19 pandemic. From real estate to finance and healthcare – especially healthcare – almost every sector of the economy has been touched in one way or another. One industry, however, has remained unshaken, resilient, withstanding all the knocks and shocks and continuing to thrive despite oppositions – advertising.

This is not to say that commercial advertising did not experience its fair share of economic downturn, even taking a significant plunge during the pandemic year. In fact, many brands reordered their priorities entirely, choosing to engage in COVID-19 awareness campaigns across social media. Some others took to leveraging collaborations with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as well as the government to consolidate efforts and flatten the curve of COVID-19 spread, and provide relief packages to vulnerable target groups within the society – although, in hindsight, this may have been a strategic move to ensure that brands are projected positively continuously.

In any case, the advertising industry globally is fast rising back to pre-pandemic levels and even experiencing exponential growth— a vast contrast from the diminishing returns that it had begun to experience a few years back — and the reason is not far-fetched. Several factors are responsible for this drastic turn of events. Firstly, it goes without saying that advertising thrives on consumer behavior. And if there’s one thing we can be certain about post-pandemic, it’s that consumer behavior has changed significantly. What thriving and innovative advertising companies did during the pandemic was to change with the times and seasons that consumers were in. This meant changing from regular TV and radio advertising to digital advertising. This switch was to align with the fact that consumers spent more time at home in front of screens. Commuting time was allocated to binge-watching videos online, and as a result, digital reigned supreme.

Today, COVID-19 has definitely expedited the process of transforming legacy marketing structures and practices for the digital economy. In Nigeria especially, the pandemic served as an exponential accelerator for connected TV and E-commerce marketing- which though were already in place, were struggling to gain widespread popularity. By dwelling more on social media and direct response selling, retailers were able to sell their goods to a wider audience due to shifting consumer behavior to online trade channels, thereby promoting the growth of Nigeria’s e-commerce industry.

This wasn’t the case in the last decade. Just a few years back, advertisers in Nigeria spent a large chunk of their time, effort and resources trying to encourage consumers to buy something they haven’t seen or tried on. Brands across all industries struggled to use the power of their online presence to engage potential customers and drive them down the marketing funnel through video adverts, blogs, email newsletters, or other types of digital lead generation activities. Even before the pandemic, converting that online presence to actual sales was a difficult feat.

However, COVID-19 has drastically altered the rules of the game.

With the pandemic keeping everyone at home, time spent on convincing was less, and many more consumers became more inclined to buy things and use services they needed online. As a result, several mega-companies across Nigeria took advantage of this, leaving advertisers no choice but to keep up with the times, spending about $350 million on advertising and marketing. Whilst there was no dominant sector, the likes of telecommunications giant MTN and beverage colossus, Nigerian Breweries led the table as the highest spenders in the year.

The influencer niche is one area that has been cemented fully into the world of advertising. If there’s one thing that took the internet by storm in 2020, it was influencers. With the rise of social media, apps like TikTok, Instagram and Facebook (Now Meta) became entertainment hotspots for millennials and Gen Zs, more and more people rose to the influencer status, making the position crucial to Nigeria’s advertising industry. In fact, a survey carried out by the Nigeria Influencer Marketing Report (NIMReport) revealed that over 30% of advertisers now value influencer marketing as part of their marketing strategy.

Although we are no longer in the heat of the pandemic, it is incontrovertible that the pandemic brought a lasting shift to Nigeria’s advertising ecosphere. We may have coined the term “post-covid era”, but in actual fact, the pandemic has ushered us into a new age, a new season that we may never return from. This means that the bar has permanently risen for advertising agencies and businesses across Nigeria as consumers are now holding them to higher standards. What they demand nowadays are tactful and mindful marketing strategies. They’re no longer asking if you have what they want but rather expect you to have what they want.

To navigate this new terrain, advertising in Nigeria will need to be more data and technology focused, with advertisers working to integrate some form of artificial intelligence or machine learning into the mix. With the right data, advertising companies will be fully equipped to create the right consumer experiences across one or more dimensions of the four Cs of marketing: Commerce, Community, Content, and Convenience. Rather than a one-size-fits-all approach to these four areas, consumers require a more personalized experience.

Experts such as PWC have predicted that Nigeria’s entertainment market is poised to reach $10.8 billion (N4.4 trillion) in 2023, having reached $4.5 billion in 2018. With the interconnectedness of advertising and entertainment and the recent tactic of presenting advertising as entertainment, it is imperative that relevant stakeholders properly harness the immense benefits available for the advertising sector. This can be done in several ways, with collaboration being paramount. Partnerships between sectoral groups in marketing and communications will expand the advertising landscape of the Nigerian market and will bring world-class advertising opportunities and a broader reach to the target audience, clients and agencies. Advertisers Association of Nigeria (ADVAN), Media Independent Practitioners of Nigeria (MIPAN), Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN), Broadcasting Organizations of Nigeria (BON) and other Industry leaders should consolidate their cooperations expertise on growth-focused activities that will cause the advertising industry to skyrocket in the coming years.

The pandemic has undoubtedly elevated the status of advertising and marketing, with both taking their rightful places as drivers of digital transformation, a key leader of the customer experience journey, and the voice of the consumer — all of which are of utmost importance to C-suite executives. This means that advertising now has the opportunity to seize an ongoing critical role in high-level dialogue and decision-making processes, thereby driving the company’s broader objectives and innovation agenda.

For brands willing to be creative and experimental with their advertising strategies, the post-COVID-19 reality is a unique moment to aim for higher market share.

Seyi Tinubu is a Nigerian entrepreneur. Seyi is the Chairman/CEO of Loatsad Promomedia and a member of the advertising practitioners council of Nigeria

Next Titan contestants explore product advantage of Heritage Bank’s Octiplus

Nsikak Ifet, Head, Content and Digital, Heritage Bank Plc; Kyari Bukar and Chris Parkes, judges of The Next Titan, during the board room judging session of the Heritage Bank’s 2nd task to housemates, themed, “Show Your Innovation,” held in Lagos.

Heritage Bank’s advanced all-in-one digital banking experience; Octiplus’ product benefits were explored by the Next Titan contestants for its ground breaking innovative solution, crafted to meet the demands of the ever-growing active banking populace.

Presenting their tasks, themed, “Show Your Innovation,” during a boardroom session, eight (8) of the contestants were expected to create compelling video advert for octiplus and its prime product awareness.

However, at the end of the Heritage Bank’s second task, the participated housemates successfully identified the non-vanilla features of the digital app which were that personal investment savings could be done with the app as well as group savings usually known as “esusu.” Aside the regular features that were known by all including Payment features, buying of airtime, pay bills, flight bookings, movie tickets and one of the most interesting features that was mentioned, was that with Octiplus, you can add all your debit cards from other financial institutions to this App and enjoy easy banking, easy life.

MD/CEO of the Bank, Ifie Sekibo disclosed that Heritage operates with a philosophy to offer world-class banking services with guaranteed convenience on the platform of simplified service innovation, leading technology solutions and experience-driven relationship management.

Reviewing the presentations of contestant’s individual tasks, Sekibo who was represented by the Head, Content and Digital, Nsikak Ifiet commended some of them on the marketing strategies adopted, captivating messages which highlighted product advantage, abilities to identify the target audience and the clear call to action with relevant information.

He advised the contestants not to de-market competitions’ products when promoting their own brand. According to him, it is important to focus on your product, what it has to offer and the value it will give to the consumers.

Chris Parkes, boardroom judge of The Next Titan; Victoria Sotunde, Group Head, Head Office Audit, Internal Audit, Heritage Bank and Kyari Bukar, boardroom judge of The Next Titan, during the board room judging session of the Heritage Bank’s 1st task to housemates, themed, “Show Your Innovation,” held in Lagos.

To ensure a balanced form of assessment during the boardroom session presided over by the experienced panel of Judges and in the spirit of meritocracy, each contestant was given a time limit to strictly adhere to during their presentation. After which, each Judge meticulously took out time to allot their assessment on each contestant with constructive criticism.

Five of the eight contestants who presented before the panel were saved and will remain in the house until the grand finale of the show. The successful contestants include; Victor Emaye, Joy Badaki, Esin Mariah, Dolapo Quadri and Adausu Taiwo, while the evicted contestants who were meant to give their final words before leaving the house were Omobolaji Shittu, Fiberesima Ibi and Orji Hyacinth.

Also, the Judges of the boardroom session comprised Chris Parkes, Kyari A. Ebuka and Nsikak Ifet.

AB Rollings Set To Launch And Open A Pop Up Store In London This Sunday

Top fashionista, Abiodun Odukoya and his upscale fashion house A.B Rollings Clothiers, is a fashion lovers dream come true, because of ABR‘s ability to uniquely combine fast and slow fashion together, under thesame umbrella and with great ease and precision.

The fashion house whose vision is always constant – to rule the world of fashion and provide the needs of fashion savvy buddies – is at it again.

The fashion outfit which had origin in the lively streets of Surulere, Lagos, has come a long way since the heady days of the ’90’s when it catered to the needs of fashion buffs in Lagos. The fashion house has grown into a recognized and trusted brand now straddling three continents with flagship stores in Lagos and London.

With over two decades experience, A.B Rollings which started from a one stop store on Adelabu Street, in Surulere, Lagos many years ago has continued to meet the fashion needs of diverse clientele in Africa, Europe and America. The fashionpreneur, Abiodun Odukoya enthuses “at A.B Rollings there is something for everyone. We meet the needs of the young and the not so young, men and women, black and white and in all shapes and sizes”.

Word reaching us is that the fashion house is set to launch in London – to the general public – having gotten a nod of approval from a host of Nigeria and U.K’s finest connoisseurs of high end fine fashion.

A.B Rollings is set for the next phase of expansion as one of Africa’s finest, Obi Cubana is set to collaborate with the fashion house.

It would be recalled that a couple of weeks ago Obi Cubana, a Nigerian socialite stopped by at the A.B. Rollings Clothiers store in London, to buy some exclusive clothes and ordered for some personalized bespoke outfits.

Obi Cubana is so impressed with the brand that he is investing in it now and with a firm commitment to continue to work with the fashion house as he forays into the fashion business.

Come Sunday the 19th of December 2021, the clothing store is set to launch its Bespoke, Suits, Blazers, Footwear and accessories store on Brook Street, Mayfair London.

This event is an epoch making one for a fashion house out of Lagos. Many celebrities and celebutanties are set to support their man ‘Biodun Oduoya, popularly known as “Father Rolling” as he and the fashion house he built glides smoothly into a new era of expansion across continents still with the undiminished vision to meet the fashion needs of all fashion lovers who choose A.B Rollings.

Karen Akpagher And Premiere Academy: The “Truth” They Are Trying To Bury By Noah Christopher

Nearly six months ago, Premiere Academy entered media spotlight when news broke that one of its students, Karen Happuch Akpagher, had died in a hospital in Abuja. The news of the death of the 14-year old diabetics’ patient which occurred on 22nd June, 2021 soon became a hot issue as several media stories authoritatively claimed she was raped to death, sodomized and forced into an oath of secrecy to booth.

Expectedly, the Nigerian Police, first through the FCT Police Command and, later, the Office of the Inspector General of Police, promptly commenced investigations into the matter same June, leading to an autopsy conducted in July. Several other government agencies such as the Ministry of Education, the Directorate of Quality Assurance, National Human Rights Commission and a few other external bodies also waded into the case by conducting probes and investigations on diverse scales and to cover different angles. The Premiere Academy PTA and Board also conducted internal investigations. However, despite all the probes, answer to the key question of Who/What killed Karen has not been found. Interestingly, none of these probes has indicted the school or led to halting its operation.

Perhaps, tired of waiting for official police reports on the autopsy and investigation and seeking to prevent the issue from being swept into silence, Lemmy Ughegbe, an Abuja based journalist, human rights activist and school proprietor instantly activated his NGO, Coalition of Gender Based Violence Responders, to promote the cause of championing justice for Karen Akpagher. With Karen’s mother by his side, Lemmy Ughegbe and GBV Responders have launched a coordinated multi-pronged advocacy spanning media and political institutions, with the aim of getting the death of Karen hanged on Premiere Academy. The evidence, according to the media interventions by the group, is a report allegedly issued to the Akpagher family by Queen’s Hospital, Abuja that said decomposed condom particles were found in the late teenager’s genital, in addition to dead spermatozoa. No audio or video recording of the victim accusing the school or any staff of raping or sexually molesting her; no notation on rape or sexual molestation in the victim’s diary (from which a few media stories have lifted entries); no conclusive report from the autopsy witnessed by all parties and supervised by the police; no report from the police or any private investigator has surfaced to back the claim of rape to date.

Perverting Cause of Justice…

In what appears like frustration by failure of the coordinated campaign to nudge the relevant state and non-state institutions into a mob-styled condemnation of the school, the GBV Responders has further accused the school of blocking the Akpagher family from getting justice. The coordinated social media campaign to push this viewpoint claimed because the owner of the school is a highly connected Nigerian, he was using his connection to obstruct justice for Karen. However, to accuse a school that has opened its doors to and provided its officials for not less than sixteen (16) investigations, invitations, probes and interviews on this Karen matter by several interested bodies from June 25th to December 9th of persecuting the cause of justice seems unfair. Curiously, a check at the school revealed that the GBV Responders that has been championing this claim was one of the NGOs that visited the school on July 3rd to conduct an investigation. Others that have also visited the school, apart from the Police, include the Federal Competition & Consumer Protection Council (2nd July), Directorate of Quality Assurance, FCT Headquarters (2nd July), NAPPS, FCT Chapter (9th July), Abuja Municipal Area Council (9th July), Federal Ministry of Education (8th October), Association of Nigerian Female Students, FCT Chapter (22nd July), NANS, FCT Chapter (22nd July) and FCIID (Severally between 9th November and 9th December).

None of the visitors has accused the school of non-cooperation or obstructing investigation. This may be what has prompted the school to continue to declare that it has nothing to hide and would always welcome every noble effort made to get to the bottom of this sad event.

In trying to prove its innocence and disprove the charge of perverting the cause of justice, the school said it has written three letters to the police pleading for the public release of the autopsy report and report of investigation in the case. From copies sighted, the first letter dated 27th August, 2021 was addressed to the FCT Police Command while two other letters dated 1st December, 2021 and 6th December, 2021 respectively were addressed to the Inspector General of Police. While the police acknowledged receipt of the three letters, it has not responded to any of them or granted the school’s prayer. It is doubtful if the school’s action fits the charge of obstructing the cause of justice

Twisting The Story To Fit A Purpose…

It appears in order to get the school hanged for the allegation of rape, efforts had to be made to show that Karen left the school premises on the 19th June in “serious pains and barely able to walk” (to quote a respected columnist and social commentator who has weighed in on the matter) when she went home, never to return to the school.

Facts are sacred. So, here are a few incontrovertible facts our investigation turned up on how Karen left the school campus on the fateful day.

First, she was picked from school by her mother in person (together with an uncle of hers who had always been coming to pick and drop her on the mother’s instruction). She walked out of the school gate unaided, carrying her luggage to meet her mother. Her mother received her; they rode in the same vehicle and was taken home by her mother. It is doubtful that if she was in pains and unable to walk or manifesting any sign of unwell, the mother would not make immediate contact with the school and/or take her straight to the hospital. But, the mother drove with her from the school without any complaint and they went home together.

Moreover, she was at home with the mother from 19th to 21st when the mother said she developed a health crisis that made her to be taken to the hospital IMMEDIATELY on the 21st.

School’s CCTV clips on You Tube (https://youtu.be/hqOa2jg_Ym8) shows Karen in school from 17th June to the moment she exited school on the 19th. Before leaving school, she went to see an ophthalmologist outside the school, on the mother’s instruction, same 19th June. School’s academic record also shows she wrote CA tests on Friday, 18th June.

Could a 14-year old have been so super human to hide her pains effortlessly and appear bubbly while undertaking all the multiple tasks that filled her day in the manner the late Karen did?

The late Karen, it should be recalled, was a Diabetics’ patient constantly under strict health watch. She had been diagnosed to be diabetic since age nine years.

DNA As A Way Pointer…

The House of Representatives has directed that DNA test be conducted on all male staff of Premiere Academy, to fish out the alleged rape culprit. While the directive is commendable, our investigation shows that there is need to even cast the net wider in view of certain peculiarities uncovered about the Akpagher family environment.

For instance, it was discovered that Karen has two elder brothers who were also students of same Premiere Academy with her. While one graduated in 2020, the other was still a student in the school until after the unfortunate event.

She also has a custodian uncle who, it was discovered, was always going to pick and drop her in school. Unconfirmed report said this uncle organised a birthday party for Karen and some of her friends in a restaurant in town on April 10th to mark her 14th birthday. The uncle, it was further learnt, took her to the party.

It was also learnt that the same uncle picked only Karen from school during the id-el-fitri break on 12th May while leaving his brother behind to observe the break in school. This, from investigation, was found to be a departure from the regular practice of picking and dropping both students together.

Upon further probe, it was discovered that while the said Salah break was meant to end on 16th May, Karen was only returned to the school by her uncle on 23rd May, clear 7 days after resumption.

She was to die one month later; allegedly from a rape incident whose features, according to her mother and GBV Responders, left decayed condom particles in her genitals.

With the late Karen surrounded by two brothers who have their other male friends visiting the Akpagher home as well as an uncle who was found to have been mostly responsible for picking and dropping her in school, it is only fair and commonsensical to look way beyond the school in order to unravel the question of who could have raped the teenager, if indeed she was raped.

Justice Begins With Disclosures…

For justice to be done and seen to be done in the case of Karen Akpagher, the police needs to release the autopsy and investigations reports. So many questions begging for answers may remain unresolved until the Police reports are released. According to a cross section of analysts’ opinion, all parties in the case – the Akpagher family, GBV Responders and Premiere Academy – should jointly and individually put pressure on the police to do the needful rather than continue to throw mud around and promote wild, unfounded accusations. Unless the mud throwing is designed to achieve an end that the larger public does not yet know.

How God’s grace kept us throughout 2021 – Speaker Obasa

The Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, has urged Nigerians not to despair but be thankful to God for His grace.

According to Dr. Obasa, it was only the grace of God that has kept Nigeria and Nigerians till December 2021 despite the many challenges the country and her citizens have had to face within the year.

The Speaker said this on Thursday at an end of the year thanksgiving and Christmas outreach organised for staff of the Lagos State House of Assembly and their wards at the Assembly complex.

He explained that the House had every reason to thank God for the year because of the successes it recorded in legislative activities including in the passage of bills, motions and resolutions that are meant to improve living, peace and happiness among the residents of the state.

“I will sing praises because, together with my colleagues, members of staff of this Assembly and my team at the Office of the Speaker, we recorded huge successes in terms of legislative activities this year,” Obasa said.

Concerning ‘Abundant Grace’, the theme of the thanksgiving, Speaker Obasa noted that the Bible is replete with verses emphasising the grace of God upon individuals which make them victorious each time they have to face some of the challenges of living.

In his sermon, Prophet (Dr) Samuel Kayode Abiara, the General Evangelist Worldwide of the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), who was the guest minister, emphasised the need for Nigerians to be closer to God at all times.

He also prayed for Nigeria ahead 2022.

Ecobank Group Announces N143.7bn Profit Before Tax in 9 Months

Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI) has announced N143.7 billion profit before tax in its audited nine months ended September 30, 2021, an increase of about 316 per cent from N34.5billion reported in nine months ended September 30, 2020. By the results filed with the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX), the bank triple-digit growth has resulted in earnings per share of over N3.01 kobo during the period under review.

Profit after tax also grew by 916 per cent to N104.51billiion from N10.28billion reported in prior nine months of 2020. Growth in gross earnings, net investment income, Other operating income and decline in operating expenses were major financial parameters that contributed to the Group’s significant increase in profits amid macro economy challenges where it has branches.

Gross Earnings for the period grew by 12 per cent to N686.8billion from N614.5billlion reported in 2020. As net investment income rose by 523 per cent to N5.56billion from loss of N1.3billion in 2020; Other operating income closed at N11.59billion from N3.3billion reported in 2020. The group’s total assets grew by five per cent to N10.9trillion as at September 30, 2021 from N10.38trillion in full year ended December 31, 2020.

In his comment, Group CEO, Ecobank, Ade Ayeyemi said: “We reported strong results, reflecting the continued diligence of Ecobankers in putting our customers first and ensuring that we meet their respective needs.

“For the nine months period up to September 2021, we earned $352 million in pre-tax profit, a 41per cent increase compared to the prior year and revenues of $1.3 billion, a four per cent growth. Hence return on tangible equity increased to 17.9per cent, and we grew the per-share value of our shareholders’ equity by 11per cent to 5.52 US dollar cents.

“These results also demonstrate the hard work invested in driving efficiency in all our businesses in line with our deliberate focus on driving down our cost-to serve, sustain improvement in the quality of our credit portfolio, and strengthen liquidity and capital buffers.”

“As a result, our cost-to-income ratio has been declining consistently quarter on quarter, currently 58.3 per cent. In addition, the stock of nonperforming loans as a percentage of loans outstanding is now at 6.9 per cent compared to 9.9per cent a year ago. We have boosted the firm’s liquidity profile, thanks to growing customer deposits fueled by an acceleration in digital channel adoption, partnerships with Fintechs, Telcos, and businesses in the Payments Ecosystem,” Ayeyemi added.

“Finally, we continue to invest in new digital and mobile capabilities to enhance customer experience, alongside the investments we are making in our people, processes, and controls, to ensure the continued resilience of our business and service delivery to our clients. I am deeply grateful to all our customers and the Ecobank team for the remarkable job,” Ayeyemi added.

FirstBank DecemberIssaVybe: Showing Kindness as You Vybe

The roof is already getting raised with #FirstBankIssaVybe, #DecemberIssaVybe campaigns. With FirstBank, it is always a total experience of being woven into the fabric of society from banking at its finest, to music, fashion, arts, and sports. Across the spectrum of human endeavour, FirstBank stands tall behind its over 32 million customers and counting.

As FirstBank makes every day a vybe every December, it is also passionate about ensuring that everyone vybes with kindness. This is in sync with the words of Maurice Elias, Professor of Psychology, “without kindness, our communities, families, schools, and classrooms become places of incivility.” As we get the blast of the season, the 127 years strong banking brand in furtherance of its kindness campaign has created a simple calendar to ease your ability to create a SPARK in the lives of people around you.

At FirstBank, SPARK stands for Start Performing Acts of Random Kindness. The SPARK initiative was launched 4 years ago to make a difference in the nation by seeking to inspire and institutionalize kindness. By encouraging kindness, empathy and consideration for others, SPARK is placing FirstBank at the forefront of the social impact space. The unique way FirstBank is amplifying kindness is through its different directorates and departments. This way the Bank is reaching more communities, touching more lives, and spreading kindness.

The FirstBank kindness drive stands on three (3) pillars of compassion, civility, and charity. Compassion and charity readily come tops when we think about kindness, and FirstBank is championing the cause to also promote civility through the SPARK initiative. Civility covers the aspects of kindness that does not cost you anything to use in igniting the world around you. Imagine as you get to the venue of the next FirstBank’s DecemberIssaVybe show, and you give up a parking lot closer to the event hall to the car behind you?

The global head of marketing and corporate communication of FirstBank, Folake Ani-Mumuney says “At FirstBank, we spend every waking moment working to create meaning in the lives of our customers and publics. We are inspiring kindness because it brings meaning to lives and creates a happier society. So, as you vybe this Yuletide, vybe with kindness.”

Kindness does not have to cost you a kobo, so click here download and share your kindness calendar for those simple tips to start performing acts of random kindness every day this December.

The need to promote kindness in our homes, schools, fun places, and the society at large cannot be over-emphasized especially with the increased incidence of bullying prevalent around us. In promoting the need for kindness in education and ‘cyber kindness’, FirstBank sponsored two impactful webinars during its corporate responsibility & sustainability week in July 2021. You can click here to access the Zoom recordings of the webinars.

Kindness should be a way of life, and FirstBank is at the forefront. Join the kindness train, vybe with kindness this Yuletide and always!

Eziaku Esther, Emerges Winner of UBA Foundation’s NEC 2021

Group Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer, United Bank for Africa, (UBA) Plc, Kennedy Uzoka; 1ST Prize Winner, 2021 UBA National Essay Competition, Eziaku Esther Enwereuzo, (Middle) and Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer, UBA Foundation, Bola Atta at the grand finale of the UBA Foundation, National Essay Competition for Secondary Schools, held at UBA House, Marina, Lagos on Tuesday

UBA Foundation, the CSR arm of the United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, on Tuesday, held the Grand finale of its eleventh annual National Essay Competition (NEC) at the Tony Elumelu Amphitheatre at the UBA House, Marina Lagos, in a ceremony that was well-attended by students, staff and parents.

A visibly excited 15-year-old Eziaku Esther, a student of His Grace High School, Enugu State, emerged the overall winner with the best essay. For the fifth consecutive year the girls have clinched the best prize as, Esther beat 11 other finalists selected from over 7,000 entries received digitally by the UBA Foundation from students of senior secondary schools across Nigeria.

Esther won an educational grant of N3 million to study at any African university of her choice. She also received a brand-new state-of the-art laptop and many other educational tools from the UBA Foundation. She will be supported throughout her educational career and beyond with constant mentoring by the UBA Foundation.

The 15 year old winner who was escorted to the event by her mother, Mrs Joy Chika Eziaku, said she was excited to have come top in the competition, adding that the experience has bolstered her confidence; “I am so grateful to UBA Foundation for this grand opportunity. it was not very easy as I had to study hard and conduct a lot of research, but I am happy that it paid off for me. This opportunity has changed my life, made me want to learn more, read more and to aspire to be a better person and I really appreciate the UBA and the UBA Foundation for this,” she said.

The UBA Foundation’s Education initiative has been changing lives for over a decade as the tertiary education scholarship programme continues to impact the lives of many students and their communities at large.

The second prize was bagged by Nduka Chukwuemeka, male, aged 17, of Oxfords international School, Abia State, who won a N2,500,000 educational grant and a laptop; while the third prize of N2,000,000 and a brand new lap top went to 15-year old Hajarat Abdulwahab of Addy Basic School, Kano. The other 9 finalists also received brand new laptops as well as consolation prizes, including books and other learning materials.

In his remarks the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of UBA Plc Mr. Kennedy Uzoka, said UBA as a bank is happy that it has been touching lives and making a solid impact through the UBA Foundation, adding that the annual competition which is in its 11^th year, has produced hundreds of winners, some of who have long graduated from higher schools and have been impacting their communities.

He said, “Like we did last year, we again increased the prizes to match the rising cost of living. Over the years, we have been assured that we are doing something very unique and truly African, and this is why the initiative is for those who wish to study in Africa, because we are proud of our continent.”

The MD/CEO, UBA Foundation, Bola Atta, whilst congratulating the winners, commended them for their exceptional brilliance. “Every student who sent in an entry is a winner. To be confident about your writing skills and ambitious enough to enter a competition to further enhance your educational path is laudable. For those that did not win, I would say do not be discouraged. Take it as a challenge to perfect your writing skills and enter for the competition again next year” she said.

According to Atta, UBA Foundation, being the CSR arm of UBA Plc, makes it a point of duty to give back to communities where UBA operates. Education remains one of the Foundation’s focus areas as it is the bedrock of any nation

UBA Foundation’s National Essay Competition has been rolled out to other African countries including Ghana, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Guinea, with plans for more footprints in 2022.

UBA Foundation, the CSR arm of the UBA Group, is committed to the socio-economic betterment of the communities in which the bank operates, focusing on development in the areas of Education, Environment, Economic Empowerment and Special Projects.