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FirstBank Celebrates 2021 Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Week, Calls for All to Adopt Kindness as a Way of Life

The best definition of kindness is not one provided by any of the world’s best dictionaries but one demonstrated by how we treat others on a daily basis. Kindness is a universal language that does not require any special knowledge, exposure, skills, training or background to understand and appreciate it as a beneficiary or observer of a kind act. Neither is any special knowledge or training required to show and extend it to others. Just as anyone and everyone can be shown acts of kindness, all persons without exception can and ought to show and extend acts of kindness to others. Kindness flows from deep within us, from the better angels of our nature. Hence, the common idiom “the milk of human kindness”.

This is probably the backdrop to the theme “Kindness…a Way of Life”, which FirstBank has chosen for commemoration of its 2021 Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Week (CR&S Week). This year’s CR&S Week, scheduled to hold from 26th – 30th July 2021, will feature Kind Comments Days, visits to orphanages/less privilege homes, webinars focused on the kindness theme, SPARK school engagement among other activities – lined up for each of the days. The yearly CR&S Week is a dedicated week designed to offer FirstBank staff, customers and the public opportunities to demonstrate the milk of human kindness that flows in them and give their time and resources to defined causes. It seeks to amplify FirstBank’s innate culture of giving and volunteering as embodied in its Employee Giving and Volunteering programme.

The Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Week was introduced in 2017 as part of the bank’s longstanding Employee Giving and Volunteering programme created to enable and encourage staff to give back to society through donations and volunteering. Specially designed to reignite acts of random kindness in the society with events that are tailored to reorient people towards the right values, it provides a veritable platform for encouraging the citizenry to intentionally create positive impact in their immediate environment. One of the main highlights of the first CR&S Week was the SPARK Initiative. S.P.A.R.K stands for Start Performing Acts of Random Kindness. But originally the “S” stood for “Staff”. It was changed to “Start” to broaden the initiative beyond just staff and encourage everyone else to be part of the kindness brigade. Also, “P” originally stood for “Promoting” but was changed to “Performing” to convey the sense that participants are equally involved in actually doing kind acts and not only promoting kindness.

Held between 25 – 29 September 2017 with “Promoting Kindness: Putting You First” as theme, the maiden CR&S Week was the first of its kind in Nigeria’s financial services industry. It highlighted the role FirstBank’s corporate citizenship interventions was playing in driving positive impact across various communities – all within one compact week. It was aimed at encouraging people everywhere to step out of their comfort zones, shift attention from themselves and their personal needs to others in society who have not been as fortunate as they have and perform a random act of kindness towards them. The first edition of the CR&S Week provided opportunity for FirstBank staff to give their time and resources to promote acts of random kindness within their communities and contribute to the welfare and well-being of others through giving and visits to orphanages/homes of the less fortunate and internally displaced people (IDPs). Within the same Week the bank held career counselling sessions with secondary school students across the six geo-political regions in Nigeria with FirstBank staff coordinating the impactful sessions that inculcated the values of financial literacy and inclusion in young students. Also, staff had the opportunity to nominate beneficiaries they believe are deserving of random of acts of kindness. Through this activity, Baby Ijeoma was nominated as one of the beneficiary that received corrective heart surgery in India which was in partnership with Vama Wave Foundation. The impact of the first edition went beyond Nigeria as FirstBank’s subsidiaries in sub-Saharan Africa and the UK also participated, benefitting people and at least 22 charities in six countries.

The second edition of the CR&S Week held from 19 – 23 June 2018. Themed “Touching Lives: You First”, the 2018 Week was intended to demonstrate FirstBank brand promise to always put stakeholders first. It focused mainly on five key initiatives/activities. First was the launch of a partnership with VisionSpring to advance social impact by providing vision screening and affordable eyeglasses for 10,000 low-income earners. This aligned with the bank’s financial inclusion and financial literacy approach of promoting accessible and affordable financial products and services to disadvantaged groups with the goal of bringing these marginalised populations into the mainstream economy, improving their chances for resilient livelihoods and financial stability. Second were giving and visits to orphanages/less privilege homes. This was the biggest platform for employee engagement during the week. It followed a needs assessment of the orphanages to be visited to enable employees donate appropriate items, and employees responded generously, donating at a scale that had never been done before. In all, eight countries witnessed this initiative while more than 26 charities participated.

Celebration of the UN International Widows’ Day on 23rd June 2018, which coincided with the last day of the CR&S Week, was the third activity. Driven by the International Women’s Society (IWS) in Lagos with whom the bank partnered to organise an empowerment outreach for 500 widows in Lagos, it provided start-up capital and capacity building required to successfully run start-ups and small businesses, to the widows. Fourth was a Career Counselling Day for over 10,000 senior secondary school students, as part of the broader FutureFirst programme of the bank aimed at ensuring the youth are empowered to be financially independent through fulfilling careers and the right financial knowledge. Fifth and final was the SPARK (Start Performing Acts of Random Kindness) initiative, which included a SPARK Day set aside in the bank for people to act within their individual spheres of influence to promote kindness. The initiative also saw the bank receiving about 200 internal and external nominations of people deserving of kindness, out of which 24 beneficiaries were to emerge. The 2018 Week was marked across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones with two states from each zone, totalling 12 states in all. It was also commemorated in the six countries/markets outside Nigeria where FirstBank already had subsidiaries – UK, Ghana, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Guinea, Sierra Leone and Senegal.

In 2019, the CR&S Week held from 1 – 6 July 2019 with the theme “Ripples of Kindness: Putting You First”. The theme was informed by the bank’s belief that every act of kindness (regardless of how little or in whatever form) ignites a ripple effect that goes on without end. The year’s CR&S Week focused mainly on the SPARK initiative, which had gained so much traction since its humble beginnings in 2017. A Kindness Manifesto for both internal stakeholders and external stakeholders was introduced. There were other new activities or initiatives. A Nice Comments Day was introduced for the first time and scheduled to hold on the first day of the CR&S Week. The basis for it, according to the bank’s committee that oversaw the planning and implementation of the 2019 CRS Week, is the important place of words in the “kindness ecosystem”. The committee underlined this point when it noted as follows: “One of the truest reflections of how kind we are is our choice of words. That’s why we have created Nice Comments Day to help build a kinder world [through kind words].”

Another new initiative introduced in 2019 was the SPARK School Engagement, which involved launching the SPARK initiative in schools to promote the 3Cs projected as the pillars of kindness – Compassion, Civility and Charity. The schools – secondary schools across Nigeria – were to be visited to educate students on acts of kindness, encouraging them to make kindness a lifestyle. A crowd-funding initiative was also added in 2019 to enable both employees and external stakeholders donate to defined humanitarian causes, such as supporting widows, sending children (from indigent homes) to school and providing health care for the physically challenged and the old. As at August 2019, nearly N7 million had been raised through the crowd-funding initiative.

The regular initiatives/activities were also retained in 2019. There were visits to orphanages/less privilege homes. Widows’ empowerment was organised in collaboration with International Women’s Society (IWS), Nigeria to empower a select number of widows across Nigeria. The implementation in Nigeria covered the six geopolitical zones with activities held in four states per zone, amounting to 24 states in all. Six subsidiaries of FirstBank also implemented the programme in their markets/countries – UK, Ghana, DRC, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Senegal. In all, 25 schools benefitted with 6,000 students participating in terms of the School Engagement; 50 charities and NGOs, including Leap Africa and IWS, were partnered. Over 20,000 orphans/less privilege people including widows were reached and impacted.

No CR&S Week could take place in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated restrictions on public gatherings and visits. But FirstBank did not just fold its hand and sit idly. The bank did something absolutely amazing, demonstrating uncommon solidarity with a vulnerable segment of society – children. Realising that the harsh effects of the COVID-19 crisis were borne disproportionally by children, whose education and thus future were being endangered due to the lockdown and prolonged closure of schools, FirstBank embarked on a mission to do something about it. Working with partners, such as IBM, UNESCO, Robert & John, Curious Learning and the Lagos State Government, it launched the bold and ambitious e-Learning Initiative designed to move one million children onto safe online learning platform. The Initiative was to minimise the disruption to children’s education, ensuring that they remained fully engaged during the difficult period and are not left behind by their peers across the (developed) world. There are already over 150,000 students benefitting from the e-Learning initiative in the height of the COVID-19 crises. In addition, the Bank deployed communication material to create more awareness of the SPARK Initiative and to sensitize staff, customers and the public during the unprecedented times.

What greater demonstration of kindness could there have been in 2020 given the circumstances the whole world found itself, especially vulnerable children? So there may not have been a CR&S Week in 2020 but the same kindness narrative that has characterised all activities of the various CR&S Week since 2017 clearly shone through FirstBank’s COVID-19 response, especially its e-Learning Initiative. In future, people would probably easily be forgiven if they assumed the e-Learning Initiative represented FirstBank’s CR&S Week in 2020. FirstBank has demonstrated uncommon consistency over the years to its Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Week and the ideals it seeks to project through the platform. This has earned the bank the right to make the bold call that is the theme of this year’s CR&S Week.

The question is whether we will heed the clarion call to adopt kindness as a way of life. Will we go out there and extend kindness to others in ways that will make them realise that kindness is not just a word taken from the dictionary but an act that should always be expressed to others? Will we embrace kindness as our new way of life? Will we commit to making our everyday a Kind Comments Day, thus giving others permission and the strength to do the same? Will we Start Performing Acts of Random Kindness towards all and make them feel obligated to start acting kindly towards other people as their new lifestyle?

Culled from Nigerian Tribune

Pastor’s Sack: Winners’ Chapel Is Right – Reno Omokri

Winners’ Chapel is currently receiving backlash and condemnation amid the trending video released by a man that identify himself as a pastor in the ranks of the Living Faith Church popularly known as Winners’ Chapel, who claimed he was sacked because he’s not generating money for the church and this has led to the usual antagonists of Bishop Oyedepo like self acclaimed online preacher Daddy Freeze to weigh in his strong criticism.

While all these are going on popular author and opinion leader has lend his voice to the issue through a post on his Instagram handle @renoomokri where he defended the position of the leader of Winners’ Chapel on the sack.

The statement according to Omokri reads; “I read the letter from Winners’ Chapel and it did not mention anything about money. Rather, it used the word “church growth”. Christ called us to engage in evangelism-Matthew 28:18-20. Any pastor that fails at that core duty should be sacked. This is what Christ told us in Matthew 25:14-29.

“The sacked pastor who went to the press after releasing a live video is playing on your emotions. He is not considering that he is undermining the faith of believers.

“In John 15:16, Christ said “I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit.” Now, ask yourself what the consequence of not bearing fruit is. Christ answered that question in John 15:2 “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away”.

“This is why the only thing Christ ever cursed in His lifetime on Earth is the fig tree that bore no fruit-Mark 11:14.

“Winners Chapel is in order.” The bestselling author concluded.

Eid-el-Kabir: Speaker Obasa pleads with Nigerians to let peace reign

The Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, has urged Nigerians to see peace as one of the major ingredients for democracy to thrive.

Obasa made this known in his Eid-el-Kabir message to Nigerians including residents of Lagos and politicians in the state, which is preparing for local government elections.

Obasa, who noted that the yearnings of many well-meaning Nigerians were justified, however, added that going about such demands and requests through violent means would not help the citizens and the country.

“We complain about a dwindling economy today, but the truth is that restiveness, banditry, terrorism, kidnappings and general insecurity are some of the major causes.

“It is not difficult to know that no nation can thrive or succeed when it is violence-ridden.

“Just as citizens must begin to live in peace and neighbourliness, we, as leaders, must also not nap, we must not sleep on ideas to make the country great.

“We must show perfect examples of love for country and sacrifice to humanity as Islam teaches.

“In Lagos, we have remained a good example of a working democracy thanks to our hardworking leaders and faithful residents.

“Like I said earlier ahead of the local government council elections, it is very important that all parties shun violence. We must eschew violence; it is not going to do any of us any good and it is not going to do any party any good also.

“We must allow people of the state to decide and choose leaders that will serve their interests for the next four years. So, we must all come together to condemn anything that has to do with violence.

“We must do that, it is important because anything can become the outcome of violent actions. We don’t want that to happen,” the speaker said as he congratulated Muslims in the country for witnessing another holy celebration.

Iyalaje Oodua: Toyin Kolade Pledges Optima Deliveries

The newly installed Iyalaje of Oduduwa Race worldwide(Iyalaje Oodua) Princess (Dr.) Toyin Kolade, on Saturday stated that she is not unaware of the huge responsibilities and roles attached to her latest status, promising to perform optimally towards wealth recreation as well as human development.

The Ilesa born business tycoon cum philanthropist who has been the global promoter of the popular Annual Aje Festival for about half a decade, gave the assurance at the ancient Ile Oodua Palace of The Ooni of Ife in Ile-Ife before the Arole Oduduwa & Ooni of Ife, Ooni Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi Ojaja II, and a host of other top dignitaries including traditional rulers across Nigeria who took turns to pray for her traditionally.

“Through my close relationship with the Arole Oduduwa which I hold in a very high esteem, I have always been close to the traditional institution and I am glad to state that I have learnt a lot enough to last me a lifetime.

“Let me be specific now, my announcement in itself was done traditionally and that was the start of it all fe months ago.

“Upon my entry on Thursday evening, I was received at Ilero spot at Iremo road, Ile-Ife by the cultural women (Obinrin Ilero) and the Ooni’s traditional aides (Emeses) where the opening rites were performed before we walked to the palace to pay traditional oobeisance to the Arole Oodua before taken to the sacred Yeyemolu well for blessings.

“Today, Saturday 17th July 2021, we opened the day with a procession of Isoros and Iyalajes of different markets to the AJE temple at Oja Ife (Oja Ejigbomekun), where I joined them in company of Emeses, seven horses and my distinguished guests and well-wishers.

“Right there, I was dressed traditionally as the Iyalaje Oodua and fortified for the tasks ahead, after which we returned to the palace and we were received at the palace’s entrance (Enugeru) by Ife High-Chiefs who led me to the Temple of Wisdom (Ogun Laadin) within the palace courtyard for further blessings.

“Am happy to inform you that I got my installation leaves (Ewe Akoko) at the Temple of Wisdom, before being brought before my father; Arole Oduduwa for formal pronouncement as the Iyalaje Oodua. I am so humbled and I promise that I shall justify the basis for my appointment and installation.” Iyalaje Oodua said.

In his remarks, Ooni Ogunwusi who doubles as Co-chairman, National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria(NCTRN) revealed that the selection and installation was purely based on merit, especially because of the sensitivity of the title.

“We exercised a lot of caution because Aje is a big deal in Oodua land. It started here in Ile-Ife and then spread beyond, so we are reawakening it’s spirit particularly now that the economy is in a bad shape.

“Princess Toyin Kolade is a successful business woman who is prominent for spreading wealth through giving even from her personal earnings, this is one among several countless enviable human qualities upon which she is being installed today as the Iyalaje Oodua.” The Ooni noted.

The event which was well attended by top dignitaries including the Executive Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello who was represented by his Deputy, Edward Onoja, also had traditional rulers like Olubadan of Ibadan, Olowo of Owo, Alara of Ilara-Epe, Ajero of Ijero Kingdom, Oore of Otun Ekiti, Deji of Akure, Dein of Agbor in Delta state. Prominent women like the wife of the Osun State Governor, Alhaja Kafayat Oyetola, Chief Mrs Olufunso Amosun, Erelu Abiola Dosumu, among others in attendance.

The grand finale of the history-making event held in the 3,000 capacity Meeting Incentives Conference and Event (MICE) Centre branded ‘Ojaja Arena’ within the premises of the newly commissioned Ife Grand Resort and Industrial Park, where guests were entertained by the ace Fuji musician, Alhaji Wasiu Ayinde, popularly called K1 De Ultimate in the presence of other dignitaries like Aare OnaKakanfo of Yorubaland Chief Gani Adams, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, Basorun Dele Momodu among others.

Optimism Of Francophone’s Strategic Cooperation Against Insurgency As Buratai Resumes In The Republic Of Benin

National Association of Online Security Reporters, NAOSRE, in this piece, cast a diagnostic review and analyses of the appointment of General Tukur Buratai as Ambassador to the Republic of Benin. The association predicts sound health resulting in a reinvigorated diplomatic relationship between Nigeria and its Francophone neighbour, capable of checking illegal arms and ammunition smuggling that fuel insurgency in Nigeria

Judging by Standard Performance Evaluation, SPV, even the most incurable cynics, among public affairs analysts, cannot help but attest to the fact that Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai (retd) was a performer and an achiever, who reclaimed zones and territories which were hitherto occupied by insurgents prior to his appointment as the Nigerian Chief of Army Staff in 2015.

At the time, terrorism had become a national nightmare, a worrisome development that needed immediate remedies as insurgents occupied and hoisted their flags in five states of Borno, Adamawa, Yobe, Bauchi and Gombe.

In these states, no fewer than 21 local government areas were seized and occupied by the deadly jihadists, who perpetrated their inordinate territorial expansion with mindless bloodshed and untold atrocities.

With Gwoza as their main caliphate administrative centre, the insurgents turned the surrounding areas to a killing field where many emirs, community leaders and their people were killed at will. Over 20, 000 Nigerian hostages, including the Chibok schoolgirls were scattered in different locations of Boko Haram secret camps. So bad was the situation that the Northeast region was substantially closed to public or social life for dread of the atrocities of Boko Haram.

But on the assumption of duty in July 2015 at the height of the insecurity problem, Buratai, an infantry combatant, hit the ground running. Incidentally, he did not assume the position of Army Chief unprepared. From the records, he had spent the best part of his military career in the trenches, fighting wars to keep Nigeria together.
In some important respects, he was involved in the UN Peace Keeping Missions in Angola and other countries. At a time, he was in the creeks of the Niger Delta fighting incendiary militants, vandals, and economic saboteurs bred in the region.
He was the Field Commander of the Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF), the multi-nation military outfit conceptualized by Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Cameroun and later on, Benin Republic to battle terrorism in the sub-region.

In all these assignments, he earned medals and awards for his exemplary and excellent performances, which consequently earned him accelerated promotions in recognition of his exceptional military exploits and results.

As Chief of Army Staff, Buratai demonstrated courage and leadership on the battlefield and supervised the counter-terrorism operations against the resilient Boko Haram insurgents and terrorists of Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in line with global best practices.

His initiatives transformed the Nigeria Army into an entirely new institution with reforms and innovations.
Before he left office, he got the Army new specialized Army schools while old and abandoned army institutions were revamped.

He returned Nigeria Army to its glorious path of self-dependence where it manufactured some of its warfare equipment and visibly changed the narratives of the anti-insurgency combats, progressively.

Buratai, Grand Patron of the National Association of Online Security Reporters, NAOSRE, also established far-reaching synergies with the armies of other countries, in the West African sub-region and outside the continent, with the likes of India, Brazil, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
Sensitive knowledge sharing and exchange of experiences on combating terrorism became a regular feature of his leadership.
This accounted for his success in the anti-insurgency war.

He reorganized and empowered the Department of Civil-Military Affairs (DCMA) to function effectively, especially in the campaign for the protection and respect for human rights by the Nigerian Army. The first step he took to checkmate human rights abuses was to rejig and strengthen the DCMA.

Consequently, sensitization workshops and campaigns on the protection of human rights were dynamically conducted for members of the Nigeria Army.

Worthy of mention, as an attestation of his sophisticated diplomatic and public relations skills, was the Human Rights Workshop in 8 Task Force Division, where he was represented by Major General Nuhu Angbazo, the then Chief of Civil-Military Affairs.

That workshop confirmed that the Nigerian army had embarked on a drive to educate troops in the Laws of Armed Conflicts and therefore avoid unprofessional conducts that could destroy their careers and tarnish the good image of the Nigeria Army.

Buratai took a bow from military service on Tuesday, January 26, leaving Nigeria on a better anti-terrorism rating than he met it.
President Buhari, who superintends over the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and supervised Buratai at close range in his capacity as Army Chief, nominated him for Ambassadorial assignment.

The nomination on Thursday, February, received mixed reactions in the public space.
While some applauded the presidential foresight on account of Buratai’s commitment to degrading insurgency, others simply went for his jugular, citing imperfections on the battle front, which in their estimation, resulted to infringement of fundamental human rights.

Senate confirmed the nomination on February 23 and letter of credence was issued on Wednesday, June 23.

Erudite scholar, Samson Aboh of the Federal University, Lafia, in a piece, emphasizes that Buratai’s encounters and relationships with foreign countries, especially in the Francophone bloc, would benefit Nigeria tremendously in his new assignment as Nigeria’s ambassador to the Republic of Benin.
“It is my utmost conviction that Nigeria can better resolve its internal problems of insurgency if the country strikes a strong diplomatic synergy with francophone countries.
“Ambassador Buratai stands in good stead to anchor these diplomatic relations between Nigeria and these francophone countries,” he writes.

In like manner, Governor Mala Buni of Yobe State, in a recent public statement, expressed confidence and trust in the appointment of Buratai as ambassador to the Republic of Benin.

He noted that the former army brass has the implicit skills and knowledge to represent Nigeria and develop synergy with the Beninoise to check illegal smuggling of weapons into Nigeria through the 809 km Benin–Nigeria border which stretches from the tripoint with Niger in the north down to the Bight of Benin in the south.

Buratai, he added, can replicate his military successes in diplomacy.
Governor Mala-Buni, the chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC), said the newly appointed ambassador would be a worthy representative of Nigeria in Benin, noting that he would bring to bear his wealth of experience in discharging his duties.
“l have great confidence in your ability to build a viable and strong relationship between Nigeria and the Republic of Benin.
“Your meritorious service in the army has built great confidence around you, which earned you this appointment,” he said.

This submission by Governor Buni reinforces the belief in many quarters that the strategic intention by President Muhammadu Buhari to build a wall of defence around Nigeria by posting immediate service chiefs as ambassadors will sufficiently check the unchallenged free movement of arms into the country.

These remarks and beliefs are the needed conviction of a new dawn that is capable of strengthening internal security mechanisms led by the current service chiefs and the team of retired officers as ambassadorial rings around Nigeria’s borders.

Without doubts, General Buratai would up his diplomatic and public relations game to synergize with the neighbouring countries and put a check to the movement of illegal arms. This would help Nigeria a great deal considering how Nigeria’s current epidemic of insecurity has brought illegal possession of guns into public view.

The more illegal arms that have entered into circulation, the higher the death toll and the more widespread the atmosphere of fear and insecurity.
The proliferation and easy access to small and light arms has of late attracted the attention of both government and the elite.

General Abdulsalami Abubakar (retd), former Head of State and Chairman of the National Peace Committee disclosed the extent of arms proliferation in the country in a report by his committee.

The report indicated that there are over 6 million (6,145,000 to be exact) guns in the hands of private citizens.
The current total population of Nigeria’s armed and security forces is about 300,000 with 89,000 reservists.

If Police are added, Civil Defence, Customs and other departments officially allowed to bear arms, the entire security architecture does not have more than 500,000 legal arms in the holding of the state.

This simply means that the state and its security forces are outgunned by a high deficit ratio, a development Buratai would tackle as Benin Republic Ambassador.

In all of this, however, the appointment of Buratai signals diplomatic fresh onslaughts against insurgency and an end to subsisting challenges in the fight against terrorism including lukewarm strategic cooperation with francophone countries.

Ecobank Celebrates Nigerians In The Diaspora; Announces Zero Fees for Transactions on Rapidtransfer

In commemoration of this year’s National Diaspora Day event, Ecobank Nigeria is joining the rest of the country to celebrate Nigerians in the diaspora by making transactions on its proprietary money transfer app, Rapidtransfer, free of charge.

The Federal Government has set aside July 25 of every year as the National Diaspora Day in recognition of the contributions of Nigerians living outside the country towards the development of their homeland.

In a commemorative message, Managing Director, Ecobank Nigeria, Patrick Akinwuntan stated that Nigerians in the diaspora contribute significantly to the socio-economic development of the country. Mr. Akinwuntan lauded the decision of the Federal Government to set aside a special day every year as the National Diaspora Day, adding that the recent launch of the National Diaspora Policy (NDP) by the government would further promote and harness the resources and capacity of Nigerians in the diaspora towards national development.

“As a pan-African institution positioned to foster the economic growth and integration of our continent, we are particularly pleased to work closely with 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. From our constant engagement with Nigerians in the Diaspora, we understand their peculiar needs and have created tailor-made solutions to serve them effectively.” He noted further that Ecobank has partnered NiDCOM on webinars, diaspora quarterly lecture series and will continue to seek other collaboration opportunities to deepen engagement with the diaspora community.

Also speaking, Korede Demola-Adeniyi, Head, Consumer Banking, Ecobank Nigeria said Ecobank will apply zero fees to all Rapidtransfer transactions from 1^st July till the end of October, 2021, thereby enabling Nigerians living abroad to send money to their loved ones affordably. According to her, the decision to waive charges underscores the bank’s commitment to helping Nigerians abroad remit money home without placing an additional burden of charges on them, especially at this period of global economic downturn.

Rapidtransfer is Ecobank’s proprietary money transfer service which enables users send funds across borders, affordably and instantly. The Rapidtransfer app is available for use by Ecobank and non-Ecobank customers. Remittances can be received directly into the recipient’s account or as cash at any Ecobank branch. Beneficiaries who wish to receive funds into an account but do not have domiciliary accounts have the opportunity to open in Euro, GBP or USD instantly and enjoy all the benefits that come with Ecobank foreign currency accounts.

In addition, N5 is paid on every one dollar received as cash or direct to account in line with the Central Bank of Nigeria’s ongoing Naira for Dollar initiative.

Nora Johnson’s Co-Conspirators Refund N507m

Sources within the Economic & Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have confirmed that N507m has been recovered from Nora Johnson, the Sierra Leonean woman involved in a case of multi-million naira fraud against her former employers, and her co-conspirators.

It was gathered that while Nora Johnson refunded N100m on account of her involvement in the fraud to the EFCC, some of the conspirators in the years-long racket refunded N400m, another accused person refunded N7m on behalf of Nora Johnson.

However, Nora Johnson, according to the EFCC source, reneged on paying the expected balance, which led to her present predicament.

Nora Johnson came into public consciousness days back when she did a video wailing about the confiscation of her house.

It would emerge that Justice A. Lewis Allagoa, Presiding Judge, Federal High Court (Lagos Division) had ordered that the EFCC should take possession of all properties and bank accounts owned by Johnson and five others.

This followed an application on behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria by the EFCC, which charged her to court and subsequently led to the interim forfeiture of her assets on the order of Justice A.M. Liman on February 16, 2021.

However, on March 21, 2021, Ms Johnson and the other respondents: Babajide Aremu Johnson, Olabose Ibrahim Falobi, Steve Nnamdi Izebu, Steve Ibem and Bakoliza Limited went to court to suspend or stay execution on Justice Liman’s order. They had sought the following: an order to discharge the interim order of forfeiture of assets, an order discharging the final forfeiture and any other orders as deemed fit by the court.

In his judgment after hearing J.O. Adeyemi Esq, Counsel for the Applicant/Respondent and V.C. Nwokafor Counsel for the 1st, 2nd and 6th Respondents/Applicants, Justice Allagoa ordered that the motion of Ms. Olumide and the other respondents dated March 12, 2021, be set aside.

The judgment, delivered on July 14, 2021, stated further: “That the order of Justice Liman stands in all its ramifications” and “That the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) are entitled to take possession of all that property subject of the Order of my Lord A.M. Liman on the 16th day of February 2021.”

Femi Adesina Goofed in His Attack Against Primate Elijah Ayodele’s Predictions

I was surfing the internet on Thursday night after a stressful day at work and because the federal government has banned twitter, I had to enjoy my Facebook app which I have made an alternative whenever I want to read or watch funny and educative posts. I follow several pages on Facebook, most especially those ones operated by political leaders and appointees like Femi Adesina and others, this is due to my love for politics and my never quenched thirst for information that comes from the seat of power.

One of the pages I have followed consistently over the years is that of Femi Adesina, the President’s special adviser on media and publicity. This is because I see him as an intelligent, factual, and interesting person who serves as a leader to every journalists in Nigeria, I mean, He has reached the peak of his career and people really look up to him. Although in recent times, some have called him names for his view on some issues but I have never for once joined bandwagon because I feel they are not being sincere in their criticisms. However, Thursday night actually confirmed what people have always said, I couldn’t believe my eyes as journalism suddenly went down the drain in the hands of its custodian, Mr Femi Adesina, arguably the most envied journalist in Nigeria at the moment.

Mr Femi Adesina as usual made a long paragraphed post titled ‘Some Prophets See Nothing’ talking about Prophets in Africa. He started by mentioning a man who prophesied the victory of England at the just concluded Euro 2020 cup before moving to the main target of his post, Primate Elijah Ayodele of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church.

Primate Ayodele is a very popular man of God who has made several warnings to power, he is known for his courage and boldness in speaking the truth to power, I quickly focused on the post to see what the highly respected writer has written this time around. Shockingly, Femi Adesina went on by stating some prophecies of Primate Ayodele that didn’t come to pass according to him, continued by saying Primate Ayodele is a very good humanitarian and ended with advising him to focus on his philanthropic activities and leave the prophetic ministry.

If Femi Adesina was factual with the prophecies he listed as not coming to pass, there wouldn’t have been need to pay attention but for the sake of excellent journalism, the need to call him to order is highly important.

Let’s take a look at his list of unfulfilled prophecies of Primate Elijah Ayodele which will be quoted below

‘’ Let’s look at all these facts: in the build up to 2015 presidential elections, Primate Ayodele said Goodluck Jonathan would win. The man lost. He said the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) would take Kaduna by a narrow margin. Nasir el-Rufai of the All Progressives Congress (APC) won. Again, he said Yobe, Gombe, Benue, Delta, and Akwa Ibom States would be won by PDP. The APC won three of those States. Who hit the crossbar? You know the answer.

PDP will shock APC in Lagos. It didn’t happen. Boko Haram would bomb South West. Mercifully, it didn’t happen. APC would break, Buhari won’t do second term. You know the truth. And in 2017, when the President was on medical vacation abroad for many months, he said the seat was vacant, and the man would never return. You now know who didn’t speak the truth, who didn’t hear from God’’

To start with, Primate Ayodele never said Goodluck Jonathan would win election in 2015, I wonder where Femi Adesina was when Vanguard Newspapers published a detailed story on how what Primate Ayodele said about Goodluck Jonathan’s fate in his second term bid. The man of God started talking about it since 2013 that Goodluck Jonathan’s victory is dicey and that He will not win. (https://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/04/my-warnings-to-the-nation-have-come-to-pass-primate-ayodele/)

On PDP Shocking Lagos in 2015, it seems Femi Adesina was too busy with campaigning to secure an appointment when PDP nearly took Lagos from APC if not for the intervention of some leaders of the party in a crooked way. PDP won seats in the house of assembly which was unusual and till date, every political analyst still maintain that PDP was robbed off that election, was that not shocking enough that PDP shook APC’s stronghold?

On the Kaduna Election that Nasir El Rufai won, Primate Ayodele never said PDP would win, He categorically said it will be difficult for PDP to retain the state, and for the other states Femi Adesina mentioned, it would be best for him to make his findings and provide video proof of Primate Ayodele making these statements because as far as I know, the man of God never said this and as a journalist that Femi Adesina is, wouldn’t it have been proper for him to call Primate Ayodele then to confirm if he said all of these? The official statement from the man of God media office is stating a different thing with the record on prestigious media publications. Funny enough, Femi Adesina used to have a personal relationship with Primate Ayodele, he was even at his church to preach at a time, how come he never resorted to hearing directly from the man of God on these prophecies, or is this one of his pull him down syndrome tactic against Primate Elijah Ayodele as ordered by his paymasters?

On Buhari’s seat becoming vacant, Primate Ayodele never meant death for President Buhari, infact Primate Ayodele ordered Nigeria to pray for President Buhari’s health when he was away. This was even published on a popular website (https://thewhistler.ng/i-see-nigerian-flag-flown-half-mast-cabal-dethroning-osinbajo-primate-ayodele/)
so we wonder where Femi Adesina got his version from.

Talking about the All progressive congress breaking, if truly Femi Adesina is informed, even the blind man knows APC has broken into pieces, it has not just being admitted publicly. We see the national leader of the party kicking against policies made by the acting national chairman, we saw how this played out during the party’s registration, another crisis is also rocking the party’s national congress which has been shifted twice, how then can we describe this as togetherness?

On Boko Haram bombing South west, that prophecy was just made this year as a warning to awaken the security system of the south west in general, if a man of God has made some revelations or warnings, the fact that it is yet to come to pass doesn’t mean it won’t and why should Femi Adesina expect bombings in South west. Who should go and start praying to God to avert if it not him? It’s unfortunate that everything Femi Adesina mentioned on this post of his are nothing but false. It’s sad that one of the longest serving journalists in Nigeria has given himself out to hearsays and unconfirmed reports to attack a man of God who does nothing but reveal God’s mind and warnings to nations beyond Nigeria and Africa.

The main reason for his post was to talk about the recent prophecy of Primate Ayodele that talked about Nigeria breaking before 2040. Femi Adesina beastly described the prophecy as one that wasn’t heard from God and assured that Nigeria will survive beyond 2040, the question is, How can a man who doesn’t see beyond his nose, a mere man who operates in the physical realm be sure of what will happen in the next minute not to talk of many years to come? A prophet sees things long before they happen, Femi Adesina should not read prophecy like novels or articles. These are very important warnings and instead of praying to God, he is out there attacking Primate Ayodele for speaking God’s mind, may God forgive him.

He also frowned at Primate Ayodele’s negative prophecies, explaining that prophecies are supposed to edify the soul. Maybe we should ask him if he didn’t hear about Prophet Jeremiah’s prophecy to Judah in the bible or Prophet Elijah’s many prophecies that were not palatable. A prophet says what he sees, not for anyone’s edification but for the name of God to be glorified.

Of course, I know for sure that Femi Adesina would never have soiled his reputable journalism career for this cheap campaign of calumny against Primate Ayodele whose tentacles have spread far and wide by God’s grace, he has only sacrificed himself as a tool to shut down every one speaking truth to the power but unfortunately, even if the whole media team, joined by all appointees of the Presidency come together as a force against Primate Ayodele, they will flee in seven ways because no one dares touch God’s project ‘’Touch Not My Anointed And Do My Prophets No Harm’’.

For the record, Primate Elijah Ayodele is the only prophet in Africa to consistently produce an annual book of prophecy titled Warnings To The Nation since 1994. The 27th edition was launched on Saturday, 10th Of July, 2021. He is also the only prophet to have over 10,000 fulfilled prophecies with a compendium published for record purposes. Primate Ayodele isn’t someone that will be easily pulled down by this unprofessional article by Femi Adesina, it can’t even touch the hair on his body but there’s really a need to call Femi Adesina to order before he loses track.

Let’s even talk about the recent fulfilled prophecies of this man of God. Primate Ayodele had warned that He foresees assassination of an African leader, this came to pass in Haiti recently, in the newly released Annual book of prophecy which was compiled from March to June, Primate Ayodele noted that there will be destruction of lives and properties in South Africa if Zuma’s case isn’t handled well, we all know what’s happening now, the sudden change in leadership of GTBank was mentioned in this book, in the areas of sports too, Primate Ayodele accurately prophesied the outcome of Euro 2020 and COPA America semi finals and final matches during live services on his facebook page, this was not recorded, it was a live broadcast before the match were played, they came to pass exactly how he said it (See his facebook page here https://web.facebook.com/inrievangelical) , these are just 0.01% of Primate Ayodele’s prophecies.

Finally, I would love to advise him to remember that South west remains his home after President Buhari’s tenure ends, He has allowed himself to be used as a weapon against his people for too long, the remaining years of his in power should be to retrace his steps and not cause more damages for himself, if not for his sake but for his family who are also full of shame on his behalf.

Written By Olakunle Adejobi, Lagos

Lagos Assembly Backs Southern Governors On Rotational Presidency, Others

Members of the Lagos Assembly on Thursday declared their support for the resolutions reached by the southern governors at a recent meeting held in Lagos.

The governors had demanded that the south produces the next president of the country while also declaring that they should be informed of any operation likely to be carried out in their states by security and law enforcement agencies.

While supporting the unity of the country, the governors condemned what they called selective administration of the criminal justice. Among other demands, they called for the establishment of state police.

In a motion moved by Hon. Akeem Shokunle (Oshodi/Isolo 1) of the Lagos Assembly under ‘Matter of Urgent Public importance’, the lawmakers agreed to commend the governors for the efforts they have made so far for the progress of the country.

The Lagos Assembly is also called on Speakers and lawmakers of the concerned States in the southern part of the country to support the demands of the governors.

Concluding the debate on the matter, Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, said: “We need to commend the southern governors for their efforts to resolve issues troubling our unity. This is the second time they are meeting. Every point in their communique is important.”

Obasa said the governors are supposed to be the chief security officers, yet they are rendered powerless in relation to security of their states.

The Speaker said that it was important that the resolutions of the governors on rotational presidency, state police, ban on open grazing, sharing of resources to the states and others should be accepted by the Federal Government.

Earlier, lawmakers who contributed to the debate, commended the unity among the southern governors urging them not to relent.

The Speaker later directed the Clerk of the House, Mr. Olalekan Onafeko, to inform the Chairman of Southern Governors Forum, Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos state, President Muhammadu Buhari and members of the National Assembly about the position of the House.

Meanwhile, the lawmakers on Monday held a minute silence in honour of Sumbo Ajose, treasurer of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State who reportedly died on Tuesday.

Speaker Obasa, while commiserating with the family of the deceased and the party, said the late Ajose was a loyal party member adding that her death remained a huge loss to the APC.

The Speaker also used the opportunity to advise his colleagues to live their lives ensuring they serve well in whatever capacities they find themselves.

No Room For Criminals in Lagos As Odumosu Arrests 66 Suspects

Hakeem Odumosu led Lagos State Police Command has arrested 66 armed robbers within two months in the State.

This was made known on Wednesday when the State Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu paraded some arrested alleged criminals at the Command headquarters.

During the parade, the CP emphasized that there is no room for criminals in the State.

Odumosu stated further that securing life and properties is their priority.

He unveiled how they have been tackling insecurity in less than three months as 66 Armed Robbers, others were arrested.
The paraded suspects were arrested in various locations across the state with arms and ammunition.

One of the suspects, Ridwan Akeem told NAOSRE that truly he is a cultists along with others in Eye confraternity and they are using gun to protect themselves because they have other opponents with whom they exchange guns together during battles.
He confirmed that the police did not lie against them saying that they are truly cultists.

Ishola Ibrahim, another suspect also said he was arrested for armed robbery.
He said he gives information to robbers adding that the police didn’t lie against him.

Meanwhile in the summary of the Lagos command achievements, 66 Armed Robbers, 110 Arms Recovered, 125 Ammunition, 72 cultists re-arrested, 620 Miscreants, others were arrested from May 1st to July 13th