One of Africa’s leading financial institution, Access Bank Plc has announced the appointment of Mr. Hassan M.T Usman as its Independent Non-Executive Director, following the approval of Central Bank of Nigeria.
For those who don’t know, before Usman’s new appointment, he was the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Aso Savings and Loans Plc and an Executive Director at Abuja Investment and Property Development Company Limited.
However, Mr. Usman is the Founder/Chief Executive Officer of New Frontier Development Limited, an investment company focused on financial advisory, hospitality, real estate and proprietary investments in startups and challenged companies in the SME space.
He is also the Founder/Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Al-Qalam (Pen) Foundation, a Non-for-Profit Organization that provides educational opportunities to disadvantaged children.
He was at various times the Deputy Director and Head of Petrochemicals and Gas Unit, Transport Sector Reform Team as well as the Deputy Director Telecoms Reform Lead and Head NITEL Privatization at the Bureau of Public Enterprises. He had also worked with the Central Bank of Nigeria, Arthur Andersen and CitiBank Nigeria.
Usman holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics from the University of Sussex and a Master of Philosophy in Development Economics from the University of Cambridge.
He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. He is also an Eisenhower Fellow and Archbishop Desmond Tutu Fellow of the African Leadership Institute.
Over the years, Usman had served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority, Nigeria Mortgage Refinance Company and Council of the Nigerian Stock Exchange.
Commenting on the appointment of Mr. Hassan M.T Usman, Access Bank Chairman, Ajoritsedere Awosika, said; “We are delighted to be joined by Mr Hassan M.T. Usman, a leader with a rich blend of academic, entrepreneurial and public sector experience which are all relevant to the needs of our Board.”
“As we embark on the next phase of our enterprise transformation, we continue to strengthen the diversity of our board, we are strongly convinced that he will no doubt add significant value to our quest to become Africa’s Gateway to the World.”
The September 19th governorship election in Edo State comes with a lot of promises and perils for the political legacy of President Muhammadu Buhari. Lest he is unaware, his claims to a lasting, positive legacy for the All Progressives Congress, APC, are dependent largely on the outcome of the Edo, nay Ondo elections. Alas, it is almost common knowledge that, where he is not directly affected, President Buhari can be patently detached while maintaining a Grand Canyon of distance.
But there is fire on the mountain in Edo State and with the election a few days away, the president needs to shed that passé toga of detachment and adorn the garb of pragmatic proactiveness. This is because the battle for the heart and soul of the state is not just between Governor Godwin Obaseki, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, candidate and APC’s Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu; several powerful forces are tugging at the soul of the state for different pecuniary or political reasons.
As a candidate, Ize-Iyamu has run a good campaign so far. He has creditably sold his SIMPLE (Security and Social Welfare, Infrastructure Development, Manpower Development, Public/Private Partnership, Leadership by Example and Employment Creation) Agenda to the electorate, who now perceives him as a cut above the rest – the one who can liberate them from the shackles of under-development and misgovernance exemplified by the incumbent.
As someone, who is also firmly rooted in the politics of the state, he has also clearly debunked insinuations in several quarters that if he emerged governor, he would be under the shadows and viselike grip of former Governor Adams Oshiomhole.
What many don’t know or are deliberately glossing over is that Ize-Iyamu has been in politics at the local and national level longer than Oshiomhole. In 1999, upon the return of democratic government to Nigeria, Ize-Iyamu was appointed as the Chief of Staff to the then Governor of Edo State, Dr. Lucky Nosakhare Igbinedion.
During Igbinedion’s second term, he was elevated to the post of Secretary to the State Government (SSG). All this while, Oshiomhole was a mere activist and labour leader – serving as President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC. Ize-Iyamu later served as national vice-chairman, South-south zone of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), one of the legacy parties that formed the APC.
Because of his understanding of the Edo political terrain and familiarity with the people, Ize-Iyamu was appointed the Director-General of Oshiomhole’s second term Campaign Organisation and he delivered. So, Ize-Iyamu is no neophyte in politics or a yo-yo that can be tossed about by any person masquerading as a godfather.
This is a fact that has yet to be clearly understood by some frontline members of the APC especially many of the sitting governors and senators, who see Obaseki’s denial of a second term ticket as the handiwork of Oshiomhole. This is the crux of the matter.
Until recently, Oshiomhole was the chairman of the APC. He piggybacked and bankrolled Obaseki’s emergence as governor in 2016. Before that time, Obaseki served in Oshiomhole’s administration as chairman of the Economic and Strategy Team.
The former governor introduced Obaseki into politics, because all his life, he had been in the private sector as a financial expert and chairman/founder of Afrinvest West Africa Limited (formerly Securities Transactions & Trust Company Limited (SecTrust), which has grown to become a reputable investment banking and management firm in Nigeria. So, Obaseki can legitimately be called Oshiomhole’s political godson. There’s no debating that.
Their common song, however, became a byword, when they fell apart over allegations that Obaseki had become imperious and power-drunk. A case in point was his unconstitutional refusal to inaugurate the House of Assembly in 2019, because he perceived that his predecessor had more loyalists there than he does, which he felt would affect him or so. That issue stagnated legislative activities in the state since last year necessitating the intervention of President Buhari and the National Assembly. The Assembly is still a divided house thereby denying the people quality legislative representation.
Last June, Obaseki defected to the PDP, where he was offered the governorship ticket at the detriment of other aspirants. Many incumbent governors fingered Oshiomhole as being responsible for this defection and went all out to have him removed.
As the reports go, a delegation of angry APC governors met with the president and presented to him three requests one of which was Oshiomhole’s removal, dissolution of the National Working Committee and the constitution of a caretaker committee headed by Mai Mala Buni, the governor of Yobe State.
All of these were granted. The president never made any request of the governors. In fact, reports say that they were shocked that he acceded to all their requests.
Like the President noted in June during the inauguration of the caretaker committee, “It is obvious that the fortunes of the party are currently, in jeopardy, administration of our party is becoming impossible and there is consequently an urgent need for intervention to immediately arrest further drifts and internal wrangling, which may lead to total disintegration.” Those issues are still omnipresent in the party.
Beneath the patina of cohesion put up by the APC leadership, however, there is a simmering animosity and disconnect that can only be remedied by the president. Some APC governors are still sympathetic to Obaseki and are supporting his re-election bid on the PDP platform with an unwritten agreement that if he won, he would return to the APC.
The APC governors’ support for him is deemed a reprisal at Oshiomhole, who they fear might want to stage a return to the leadership of the party. They don’t want him back; neither do they want Ize-Iyamu to win, because of the Oshiomhole factor. It is a dicey situation that does not bode well for the party in the long run. So, how does quid pro quo work for the President?
It is now time for the president to ask a favour of the governors, which is for them to close ranks and ensure that they not only win Edo State; they do so convincingly and move on to Ondo State, which governorship election is in October. He must call the aggrieved governors to order by discouraging and denouncing their apparent anti-party activities, speak to their collective conscience, probably make them swear to an oath of allegiance if that would help whip them into line, and commit them to work for the party and Ize-Iyamu. Failure to do this now could leave a blotch on whatever legacy the president might want to lay claim to after his stewardship in office.
Alfred, a communication analyst, lives and works in Abuja
Stakeholders in the Nigerian Education sector have advocated more private sector investment, tax concession, import duty waivers for educational equipment and special intervention funds to revamp the sector in the face of the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The stakeholders comprising public and private sector participants who spoke during the Ecobank Digital Series titled “Education in Nigeria – The role of private investment” noted that education is a critical sector that contributes to human capital development and sustainable future for the country and must therefore not be overlooked. They called on the private sector to invest more in education in the form of corporate social responsibility (CSR), scholarships, provision of palliatives, support to reconstruction and rehabilitations of schools across the country.
Key participants at the event included the Honourable Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, represented by the Assistant Director & Head, PPP/NGOs, Elizabeth Afape; The Honourable commissioner of Education, Lagos State, Mrs. Folasade Adefisayo; The Honourable commissioner of Education, Katsina State, Prof. Badamasi Lawal Charanchi; The Deputy Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC), Dr. Suleiman Ramon-Yusuf; Director General, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Dr. Muda Yusuf and Keynote speaker and Pro-Chancellor Achievers University, Dr. Olabode Ayorinde, and also the National President, Association for Formidable Educational Development (AFED), Mr. Orji Kanu Emmanuel amongst others.
In his presentation, Professor Olabode Ayorinde, stressed the need for government at all levels to place high priority on the education sector when providing intervention funds, urging commercial banks to also lend more to this sector at low interest rate. According to him, “The private sector has played a significant role in education development. However, funding has been a major issue. A critical analysis shows inadequate infrastructure, lack of equipment and teaching aids, high teacher to student ratio, all of which requires a loan facility to solve. Regrettably, we see the government and its agencies providing intervention funds to the aviation sector, agriculture, creative sector without considering the education sector.”
On his part, Dr. Suleiman Ramon-Yusuf, of the NUC, attributed the poor state of the nation’s economy to the inability of the private sector in making the right impact on the education sector, noting that endowments, scholarships and bursaries would create access for schools to admit more students. He disclosed that the NUC will continue to provide an enabling environment for education and learning to thrive in the country, urging the private sector to invest more in human capital development, while limiting undue interference from the investors.
Also on the Ecobank Digital series platform, Dr. Muda Yusuf of the LCCI, called for government’s intervention in the education sector, especially at the foundation level, maintaining that it was not easy to sustain the education sector with loans from the commercial banks because of high interest rates. He canvassed for tax concession for private investments in education, adding that “Licensing for private universities should be made easy to enable inclusiveness and a model that will include scholarships and bursary should be enacted.”
In her contribution, Mrs. Folashade Adefisayo, Commissioner for Education, Lagos State, said there are more private schools in the state than public schools and most of them may not survive the grueling effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. According to her, “Land and access is the main hinderance to building of more schools in Lagos State. Currently, the government is working on synergy between the public and private sectors, reviewing and optimizing the school curriculum, improving the quality of primary education, investing in teaching aids for schools and much more.” Towing the same line Prof. Badamasi Lawal, Commissioner for Education, Katsina State, posited that “Initiatives for teachers development, public and private sector partnership, better and favorable legislation, corporate social responsibility like scholarship, bursary and tax concession would go a long way in providing the enabling environment for education sector to thrive in the country.
Segment Head, Public Sector, Ecobank Nigeria, Mrs. Annabel Ikuenobe, stated the readiness of the bank to keep supporting the growth of the education sector in the country. She enumerated the bank’s several products and initiatives available for Ecobank customers. According to her, one of our products to serve the education sector is the “Ecobank School Bundle. The bundle comprises of a current account, which runs at a zero maintenance fee. We also have in place digital banking services, which include PoS, corporate card and Omnilite for easy disbursement of funds; E-billspay, to support collections and administration of the school portal, which promotes remote learning for students, receipt generation and the school’s communication management. Loans are also available for Ecobank customers.”
Welcoming guests earlier to the Ecobank Digital Series, Carol Oyedeji, Executive Director, Commercial Bank noted that private sector participation in the education sector cannot be overemphasized. She stated that education ensures a brighter future for our generation. She enjoined all stakeholders to proffer ways forward for the sector. She noted that the Ecobank Digital Series is a virtual programme organized by Ecobank to educate and enlighten the public on crucial issues of public interest, especially as it relates to their financial freedom.
The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), on Tuesday revealed that at the heat of the bloody clashes between herdsmen and farmers in Nigeria, the United States President, Donald Trump, once asked him why he was killing Christians.
This was just as the President charged ministers and other top government officials to go “on the offensive” in defending his regime and its achievements.
Buhari said these in his closing remarks at the two-day ministerial performance review retreat held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
At a point, the President digressed from his prepared speech and narrated his encounter with Trump on the bloody clashes.
He said he managed to explain to the American leader that the clashes were not about ethnicity or religion.
He said, “I believe I was about the only African among the less developed countries the President of United States invited.
“When I was in his office, only myself and himself, only God is my witness, he looked at me in the face, he asked, ‘why are you killing Christians?’
“I wonder, if you were the person, how you will react? I hope what I was feeling inside did not betray my emotion, so I told him that the problem between the cattle rearers and stagnant farmers, I know is older than me not to talk of him. I think I am a couple of years older than him.
“With climate change and population growth and the culture of the cattle rearers, if you have 50 cows and they eat grass, any root, to your water point, then they will follow it. It doesn’t matter whose farm it is.
“The First Republic set of leadership was the most responsible leadership we ever had. I asked the Minister of Agriculture to get a gazette of the early 60s which delineated the cattle route where they used meagre resources then to put earth dams, wind mills even sanitary department.
“So, any cattle rearer that allowed his cattle to go to somebody’s farm would be arrested, taken before the court. The farmer would called to submit his bill and if he couldn’t pay, the cattle would sold, but subsequent leaders, the VVIPs (very very important persons) encroached on the cattle routes. They took over the cattle rearing areas.
“So, I tried and explained to him (Trump) that this has got nothing to do with ethnicity or religion. It is a cultural thing.”
Meanwhile, the Christian Association of Nigeria, in its reaction, described Buhari’s revelation of his conversation with Trump as weak.
CAN’s Vice President and Chairman of the association in Kaduna State, John Hayab, in an interview with one of our correspondents, said, “Buhari and his government will never stop from amusing us with their tales by moon light because what is happening in Zamfara, Sokoto, Katsina , Birnin Gwari, Southern Kaduna, Taraba, Plateau and others cannot be described as a cultural thing.
“President Buhari’s weak story about his conversation with President Donald Trump further confirms why his government does not care about the killings in our country by calling them cultural things.
“Just this (Tuesday) evening, I received a report from the Kaduna Baptist Conference President about the number of their members that have been killed by bandits in Kaduna State from January 2020 to date to be 105 and our President will call it a cultural thing? All we can say is may God save our Nigeria.”
One of Nigeria’s leading and front-line Juju music act, Yinka Best has been in the news of recent, especially after a successful launch of his newly released 3 albums at a go in America, United Kingdom and Nigeria.
In this exclusive chat, the ‘Ko Gb’oge Wa’ crooner opened up on his musical career, experience in the United Kingdom and most importantly his grievances with afro juju act, Sir Shina Peters. Excerpts…
What has been happening to Yinka Best?
A lot has been happening to Yinka Best, ups and downs, hustling and bustling to make ends meet. I am also trying to promote my newly released albums.
You appear to stay out of the country now?
Not really. Although, I have been traveling around when I am needed for shows outside the country. This shuffling has been made possible with the support of God, fans, friends and family.
What are you cooking presently?
At the moment, I am working on the production of video and promotion of my albums.
With your exposure to the outside world, how would you compare Nigeria’s music industry with America and Europe?
There is no basis for comparison with Nigerian music, because Nigerian music, to an extent and on its struggling note gone far and wide and recognized all over the world. There is nothing really to worry about because Nigerian musicians are doing well. All we need is the support of the government to make things work better.
Talking about your brand of music, what exactly is happening to Juju music?
I want to correct this impression that I play only JuJu music, I also play highlife and Jazz music. And as for JuJu music, a lot has been happening. For instance, there’s no love amongst some JuJu artistes that we look up to. Some of the leaders we look up to in JuJu music are not responsible at all. The wicked amongst them is Sir Shina Peters. All the problems we are having now in JuJu music stems from him. He does not want other JuJu musicians to grow, he wants everything to be all about him alone and this is affecting the JuJu music industry. Most of my colleagues in JuJu music have one or two things to say about his attitude towards them. It high time someone spoke out. We can’t continue like this. I can only speak for myself on this issue; Sir Shina Peters has been on my case for the past 20 years, from blocking me from shows and also not allowing promoters home and abroad to work with me. Despite all these, I still try to be at peace with him and all my effort has been made futile. Imagine Sir Shina Peters saying he doesn’t want to have any dealings with someone that’s associated with King Sunny Ade when I invited him to the launch of the album I produced in honour of King Sunny Ade, for his role and contributions to JuJu music.
Personally, I feel this is highly disrespectful to the person and position of King Sunny Ade. Sir Shina Peters even went on to request for money before he could honour the invitation. Unfortunately, he did not attend the event.
How has Juju music fared in the last couple of decades?
To God be the glory we are pushing ahead JuJu music. Thank God for someone like King Sunny Ade, he has been a great support and pillar in the JuJu music.
What exactly are the factors working against the progress of Juju music?
Number one factor is jealous. Also are greed and selfishness, especially from our so called leaders like Sir Shina Peters. People we should be looking up to are the ones letting us down. There are lots of JuJu artistes that need support but they are being let down by his act of greed. He is all about himself. We need to support one another and work on copy right. Don’t wait until Yinka Best, Wale Thompson, Segun Nabi, Dele Taiwo and Tayo King release albums, let us promote originality. Another advice I will like to give to all JuJu musicians is that achievement is not about tactics, it’s about commitment, hard work and perseverance.
What efforts are people like you making to turn things around for good for Juju music?
As I said earlier, I have been working on my albums and also encouraging up coming artistes. I believe when more albums are released, it will help to lift souls and promote sanity. I think music in itself is healing. It’s an explosive expression of humanity especially, juju music. It’s something we are all touched by. No matter what culture we’re from, everyone loves good music. One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain
Allegations of rigging are the standard shibboleth and apocalyptic rhetoric of an opposition party and a weak candidate especially, in this part of the world. Although it is fast becoming a norm too in some of the most civilised parts of the world, it is, however, a stale and unmelodic tune that many Nigerians no longer bob or weave to.
The reality is that it is almost always the unpopular candidate or the self-styled underdog that typically raises such fatuous and unfounded allegations while attempting to whip up sympathy forgetting that Nigerians have become wiser to this spoof over the years.
Expectedly, in Edo State, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and its candidate in the September 19th governorship election, Governor Godwin Obaseki, are beating the torn drums of electoral manipulation again. It is a way of life for them.
Immediately he jumped ship and got the ticket of the PDP to fly its flag in the election, Obaseki and his cheerleaders went to town raising fears of a potentially flawed election while taking no prisoners; everyone is in on the plot. From the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, to the police and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, everyone is culpable except them. How convenient!
We have not forgotten that weeks before the March 9, 2019 governorship and state assembly elections in Rivers State, Governor Nyesom Wike claimed that the APC-led federal government had planned to use the 6 Division of the Nigerian Army to disrupt the election and had “mapped out local government areas, where they will initiate violence to ensure that elections are not conducted as they did during the Presidential and National Assembly elections.”
Wike also accused INEC of plotting to print illegal gubernatorial ballot papers that would exclude the newly registered political parties to implement the rigging plans. Despite these allegations, Wike eventually won the election and no one heard anything about rigging again.
Now, as the chairman of the PDP National Campaign Council for Edo Governorship Election, Wike is back with the oldest trick in the book. Early August, he whimsically claimed that the PDP had gathered enough intelligence report about the plan to rig the election and would scuttle it at the appropriate time.
But nobody is swayed. Even a pre-schooler now knows that his political brand depends on such inflammatory chestnuts. Therefore, no one is taking him seriously, not least, the concerned people of Edo State.
The immortal saying of late American President Abraham Lincoln that; “You can fool all the people some of the time; you can fool some of the people all the time, but you can’t fool all the people all the time,” pretty much sums up how imbecilic the people of Edo consider Wike and PDP’s wild allegations about the integrity of the elections.
No one is blind or deaf to the fact that Wike was merely echoing Governor Obaseki’s escapist rhetoric so that when he is eventually voted out, he can conveniently claim, like other sore losers before him, that the election was manipulated in his opponent’s favour.
Well, what the PDP has failed to accept is the unpopularity of its candidate. More than any period in the history of elections in the state, there is palpable confidence that votes will be accurately counted and they would count in the final analysis. Consequently, the electorate seems extra motivated for this election. And you can’t blame them.
As far as they are concerned, Obaseki is a complete, bungling failure, who is now swinging and getting high on his puerile imaginations, because defeat stares him starkly in the face. Why would he even think that Edo people would re-elect him after presiding over the most chaotic and retrogressive four years in the history of the state?
Why would he be allowed anywhere near Government House beyond the expiration of his four year-term after mismanaging the commonwealth of the state; plunging the economy into quicksand and generally weakening the socio-ethnic and political fabric of the state? Unfortunately, neither the PDP nor its candidate is promising anything serious or substantive.
Rather, Obaseki has been ululating about Making Edo Great Again, MEGA, hare-brained rehash of President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign slogan.
Instead of campaigning on the strength of his achievements, if there were, Obaseki and his party have been distracting and deflecting from proper electioneering, resorting instead to name-calling and pointless propaganda. Whether mega or minuscule, Obaseki has proven incapable of whatever is contained in his resonantly empty agenda that was dead on arrival.
Conversely, during his eight-year reign as governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole redefined the art of governance, rejuvenated the flagging faith of the people in the system, rebuilt the infrastructure and renewed the economy. He created an Edo State that was the pride of indigenes at home and in the Diaspora. He made being called an Edolite worth its weight in gold anywhere in the world.
On the strength of the foundations he had laid, the progressive comrade lent all his weight behind Obaseki, believing that having served in his government as Chairman of the Edo State Economic and Strategy Team; he would build on his legacies. Alas, Obaseki derailed and went on wanton misrule.
Several well-intentioned attempts by well-meaning Edo indigenes to make him stay the course were sneered and scowled at. Many came to a sorry pass for even daring to offer concrete and critical interventions.
Ask the billionaire businessman and philanthropist, Captain Idahosa Wells-Okunbo. He is still smarting from the many plots hatched by the governor and his agents to bring him into disrepute for selflessly wanting to help the state and later, to mediate in the faceoff between the governor and his predecessor.
Obaseki’s warped form of gratitude to Oshiomhole and others, who gave him wings on which he flew unfettered was to betray and batter them in the media and wherever else he could and destroy and defame the same state he now seeks to make great again.
Obaseki and his cohorts should be reminded that the APC has no reason under the sun to rig the election. Apart from fielding Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, a widely acclaimed popular candidate, a true son of the soil and accomplished administrator, who has diligently served the state since 1999, the APC’s achievements in the state have opened the people’s eyes to the fact that government can work for the people.
Also, for the first time in the history of democratic governance in the state, there is religious inclusivity; Ize-Iyamu’s deputy is Malam Gani Audu, a Muslim. That is a massive bloc of votes, which the PDP can never come close to.
And with his SIMPLE (Security, Infrastructural development, Manpower development, Public-Private Partnership, Leadership and Employment creation) Agenda, which has lucidly enunciated policies and programmes that are projected to create thousands of jobs in education, agriculture and rural development, housing, electrification, fire service, industrialisation, waste management system, social empowerment, and the water supply sector within four years, Ize-Iyamu has won the hearts of the people.
What more? Rather than play dirty like the PDP, he is resolutely and remarkably going about his campaigns, selling his manifesto of hope to an otherwise harried people. Having done his homework well, Ize-Iyamu is banking solidly on the people, not any phantom rigging machinery to take over the mantle of leadership in the state. Can somebody please, wake Mr. Obaseki and the PDP up from their imminent defeat-induced slumber to smell the coffee?
The sudden emergence of Covid-19, a pandemic disease rampaging the entire world and the financial capabilities of many been obstructed with thousands of people losing their jobs and sources of income.
Globally, the experience has been so dastardly and hitching because losing one’s sources of income is simply unimaginable. Our dear country, Nigeria is not an exception as top blue-chip corporate organisations have drastically reduced their staff strength, sacking quite a humongous number of their workforce. This has brought unbearable situations into so many homes with many families at the helms of breaking apart because of the financial incapability of the breadwinner.
To avoid these aggravating pains and exasperating experience, the Publisher of one of Nigeria’s most widely read softsell TOP SOCIETY MAGAZINE’S, Isaac Ifeanyi Agwazim has decided to organize a 3-Day Wealth Creation Summit in partnership with Satoshi Africa. The theme of the summit is “CRYPTO-CURRENCY, THE NEXT OIL”. The summit will hold on Tuesday 15th, Thursday 17th and Saturday 19th September, 2020. The Three-days summit is scheduled to hold by 11:00AM daily.
The summit will focus on maximizing the enormous opportunities in crypto space. It will also educate the attendees on how to use their mobile phone to create wealth in the comfort of their homes and workspace. The Country Director of Tonoit Africa and Leader Satoshi Africa, Engr. Edward Igberaese, a Blockchain expert will take the audience on the training and impact deep knowledge on how to be successful in crypto currency faming.
This summit is organized to rescue worrying Nigerians on their financial status. A lot of people have asked questions like: how do I change my financial status, how do I take charge of my resources, how do I build a stable income at this hard time, what other businesses can I venture into? But attending this crypto currency farming summit will go a long way in solving this puzzles.
Additionally, a lot of phone users are caught up in the web of wasting their data on frivolities rather than being involved in all these, it is better to stop wasting precious times and make money without stress through this summit. It is time to convert your phones into an asset.
Some of the speakers at the summit are Modupe Adebayo a.k.a Lady Billion Dollars, Engr. Levi Johnson, Pastor Okey, Mr. Enobong.
How to register for this life changing summit, simply send your NAME & DATE (eg. ISAAC AIFEANYI AGWAZIM, THRU. 17TH SEPT. 2020) to 08180221535. The details of the summit with venue shall be communicated to you upon your registration.
You shall definitely be glad you did as the summit will give a new turn into your financial life and give you the much anticipated success you have always desired.
Covid-19 brought a huge challenge to education and literacy, First Bank of Nigeria Limited responded with a Rosetta stone of innovative e-learning initiatives that have far-reaching effects
Since 1967 that the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) have been celebrating International Literacy Day to promote the importance of literacy and education, every September 8 had witnessed book gifting, book reading and related activities are undertaken by the UN body and its coalition of partners.
But this year is a departure as such enshrined activities are suspended and replaced with virtual meetings, a gesture that reflects the sign of the precarious situation of the world is as it is grappling with the devastating coronavirus pandemic.
Education has been in a state of limbo since schools––primary, secondary and tertiary institutions––and research institutes across the world were abruptly shut down as countries enforced lockdown to contain the ravages of the novel Covid-19. The disruption, a setback for education globally, inevitably fostered a lull in the effort to enhance literacy. And in the meantime, the world shifted to an alternative learning method which, by and large, is narrowed down to digital learning.
These challenges provided the backdrop for the theme of this year’s International Literacy Day: “Literacy Teaching and Learning in the COVID-19 Crisis and Beyond,” which threw open discourse on how innovative and effective education and teaching methodologies are to be adopted or adapted in youth and adult literacy programmes during the period of the pandemic and beyond. In line with this thematic direction, countries are reviewing how they have fared in the new normal, and evaluation of various initiatives by individuals, corporate bodies and governments are being undertaken to ascertain how they align with the reality and what gaps needed to be filled.
For Nigeria, the stake is higher. Burdened with a high rate of illiteracy, inadequate digital infrastructure and an economy in dire straits, Nigeria has on its hand a challenging learning situation in the of the new order. The possibility of the country being further left behind in the race to literacy was writ large, an uncomfortable fact that raised several legitimate concerns bordering on how to ensure that students have access to learning resources, how they can be fully engaged to make them competitive internationally with their peers and how such engagement can help close the gap created by the closure of all educational institutions nationwide. While a cocktail of initiatives surfaced in the past few months to address these concerns and challenges, there was none as suitable, comprehensive and far-reaching as the e-learning initiatives of the First Bank of Nigeria Limited.
The initiative which could as well be nicknamed “Operation Moving One Million Nigerian Students To e-Learning” is a tripartite effort between the bank, Lagos State government and Roducate, an innovative technology firm that is providing educational solutions that enable primary, secondary and university students to continue to study the government-accredited curriculum of various subjects and disciplines in the convenience of their home.
Out of the mushroom of e-learning platforms in the aftermath of the lockdown, the First Bank initiative came with a big difference: the Roducate e-learning platform is available for free at www.firstbanknigeria.com/e-learning.
Secondly, the content is boosted with value-added features such as tutorial videos, assignments, mock exam, note-taking, podcast and online games that further promote interactive learning and deepen digital skills of the learner.
Thirdly, the initiative is further reinforced with the provision of free 20, 000 units of e-learning devices for pupils, which FirstBank presented to the Lagos State government on June 11. This helped to break the barriers of data cost and device affordability as the low-end smartphones are preloaded with offline content for children who may not have access to devices or data. By all means, this initiative has been an outstanding effort and a boon to digital learning in the country.
The inevitability of the adoption of e-learning technology goes hand-in-hand with the imperative of imparting skills in emerging digital technologies. In this regard, FirstBank went an extra mile with the rollout of complementary initiatives that justifiably empowered youths with the required capability.
The Bank’s partnership with IBM, for instance, brought the benefit of the global tech company’s Digital-Nation Africa programme to youths in tertiary institutions. The online youth-focused learning programme enables innovation and skills development on emerging technologies in key areas such as Artificial Intelligence, coding, cloud, internet of things, blockchain, Data Science and analytics, and cybersecurity. A second partnership with Curious Learning, a non-profit organisation renown for providing learning apps for kids, afforded pupils in the age range of three to eight years old the use of fun, self-guided learning apps to help them with their cognitive skills at a fundamental level.
The significance of the FirstBank e-learning initiatives cannot be overemphasized. As schools are gearing up to resume soon, there are over 10,000 sign-ups on the Roducate e-learning platform. It is expected that the students have had a grasp of the nitty-gritty of e-learning which, going forward, is expected to be integrated into the country’s educational system.
For FirstBank, a member of UNESCO’s Global Education Coalition, the initiatives are an attestation to its longstanding tradition of supporting education in various ways, a commitment succinctly echoed by its Chief Executive Officer, Dr Adesola Adeduntan: “The e-learning initiative aligns with our Corporate Responsibility and sustainability initiatives and falls under one of our key strategic pillars, thus Education through Support to our Communities.” Indeed, the Bank has a portfolio of projects in support of education, including infrastructure projects in 10 universities and three secondary schools, support for professorial chairs in 10 universities and teaching of financial literacy and entrepreneurial and career counselling to over 80,000 students in over 80 secondary schools in the country via its FutureFirst programme.
The e-learning initiatives further reinforced FirstBank’s status as an important stakeholder, leader and innovator in the country’s education space, a fact amplified by the Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who, having noted that the “intervention by FirstBank could not have come at a better time,” went on to declared his delight that the state government “have found a real development partner in FirstBank.”
The Chairman, Ocean Marine Solution, Capt. Hosa Okunbo, has said he decided to support the All Progressives Congress candidate in the September 19 governorship election in Edo State, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, because the party will work to develop the state.
Okunbo, who said this in an interview in Abuja, described himself as a very close person to Governor Gowdin Obaseki, but said the governor should not be allowed to get a second term.
“I still consider Godwin my brother, but I don’t consider him a leader because he doesn’t have the attributes of a good leader,” he said.
Okunbor in the interview berated Obaseki, saying, “A governor that could not manage 24 House of Assembly members from his own party – they were not in opposition, all APC. Some of us worked to make that possible for him so he could have a smooth ride but he squandered the chance.
“It’s only unfortunate that Osagie Ize-Iyanmu, who also contested against him in 2016, is out there and I am supporting him by default and of course, I want a better Edo State and that’s all I can say.”
Okunbo accused Obaseki of non-performance, saying most of the lofty ideas he floated before his election in 2016 had remained on paper without being fulfilled, while he had sustained himself in office through propaganda.
He stated, “If Godwin presents to you his plans for Edo State on PowerPoint, you will kiss his feet. It is like in the Bible when the devil said take all these and bow before me and Jesus said, ‘Get thee behind me Satan’. And as we progressed, all those packages that he presented, none was done“
I learnt most of them are all on paper and they continue to be on paper and consultancy services attached to most of them. Of course, as we speak, most of those projects are not on the ground and as for me, I can’t be deceived. Some can be deceived, but I cannot.
“A situation, where you have 600 children packed in a room and selling propaganda on social media of projects that are not there? It is appalling.
“It is the future of our children that is at stake; the liberation of our state from someone who thinks he is an emperor in this modern day is at stake.”
Okunbo alleged that Obaseki started a fierce battle against his business interests because of a rumour that was going round in the state that he (Okunbo) was planning to contest against him in the coming election.
He said, “A lot of people approached me to run as the governor of Edo State and most of the people who did will tell you that I said I wasn’t interested because I have set a trajectory for my life and over the past 32 years, I have been involved in business and before that, I was a very good professional pilot.
“At 63, my mates that ran for governorship did that in 1999 and I was not ready to start learning new things. That is one of the reasons I tried to help Godwin, because in his old age, he could not learn new things; that is why he fell a victim.”
Okunbo explained that he warned Obaseki to settle the rift between him and his predecessor, Adams Oshiomhole, who was then the Chairman of the APC.
He said Obaseki refused to listen to him and follow the line of peace, adding that the governor rather warned him to steer clear of the raging battle or suffer “a collateral damage.”
‘APC stirring controversy to shift gov poll’
When Okunbo’s allegations against the governor were listed and sent to the WhatsApp number of Obaseki’s Special Adviser on Media, Crusoe Osagie, he sent a statement titled, ‘APC stirring controversy to shift guber poll’.
In the statement, Osagie said the APC was stirring controversy so that the authorities could shift the September 19 governorship election.
He said, “Edo State is peaceful, the Peoples Democratic Party is committed to enduring peace before, during and after the poll.
“The APC leaders and the governorship candidate, Osagie Ize-Iyamu, are agitated because they are not ready for the election. They are convinced that they do not stand any chance in the forthcoming election.
“They are behaving like some unserious and misguided university students, who do not read, and when faced with examinations, they engage in cult fights few weeks to the examination, so that the school authority will shift the examination.”
He emphasized that state was peaceful as people were going about their business peacefully, and urged the APC candidate and his handlers to concentrate on their campaign.
When Osagie was told later that his response did not address Okunbor’s allegations, he sent the same statement again.
From the creeks, cities and hinterlands of Edo State, there are muffled but menacing echoes of violence as the September 19th governorship election draws nearer. The on-going campaigns are pockmarked by tense and occasionally violent altercations between supporters and critics of the incumbent, Godwin Obaseki and his main challenger, Osagie Ize-Iyamu, which have renewed concerns about the spectre of violence in Nigeria’s politics.
A foretaste of this was experienced in July, when supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and the All Progressives Congress, APC, clashed at the hallowed grounds of the palace of the Oba of Benin. Ahead of the flag-off of the PDP governorship campaign in Benin City, the Edo State capital, its candidate, Governor Godwin Obaseki led some governors and leaders of the party from the South-south to the palace.
There were reports that solidarity and combative songs rend the air as tempers later went beyond control, resorting in the thugs employing an assortment of weapons, including firearms, cutlasses and others. In the process, several persons were reportedly injured while others scampered to safety as some of the cars parked at the palace gate were badly damaged.
The police later intervened and restored normalcy but the message of what laid ahead had been succinctly passed that not only ballots would be counted; bodies too!
Of course, there were accusations and counter-accusations about, who the aggressor was as the APC, through John Maiyaki, chairman of its media campaign council, stated: “Booed by the people at the entrance of the Palace of our great Oba for handing the state to the PDP tax collectors, who are unconscionably feasting on our collective patrimony, Mr Godwin Obaseki, as an act of revenge, instructed the thugs and cultists he has spent the past few weeks recruiting in the state and beyond to attack the people with dangerous arms.
“This criminal and heartless action not only affirms our repeated warnings that Mr Godwin Obaseki fully intends to prosecute the election with violence and thuggery, but it also shows his lack of empathy, conscience, and respect for the lives and dignity of the people he was elected to serve.”
On his part, Crusoe Osagie, Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Communication Strategy, said the thugs were sponsored by the APC, its candidate, and the former National Chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole, who, he alleged, had engaged thugs to cause mayhem in the state before then.
Osagie said further, “We are appalled by the deployment of thugs to the sacred grounds of the Oba’s Palace by the APC, Ize-Iyamu and Oshiomhole to harass guests, who are in the state for the flag-off of Governor Obaseki’s campaign and had visited the palace to pay obeisance to His Royal Majesty, Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba Ewuare II, the Oba of Benin.
“While we respect the boundaries of politics as it relates to the palace, it is reprehensible that the APC, its candidate and their enablers would sponsor thugs to desecrate the palace, which is a clear case of desperation to score cheap points.
“This conduct is not a trait of Edo people and is condemned in the strongest possible terms, as we are courteous and welcoming to guests. It is obvious that these persons were mobilised for this task by those, who have no regard for the palace nor want the progress and development of the state.”
Between then and now, the tones are yet not conciliatory; rather, they are getting more confrontational by the day. The foregoing underscores why the recent intervention of the Oba of Benin is commendable.
On Tuesday, September 2, Oba Ewuare 11 held a peace meeting with Obaseki, Ize-Iyamu, Oshiomhole and a former National Chairman of the APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun among other party leaders at the palace, where he warned them to desist from inflaming the polity with their utterances and conducts.
Expressing his anger and sadness at the turn of events, the monarch said, “Please don’t turn the state into the city of blood. I appeal to the two gladiators and all politicians to ensure peace and stop the shooting and violence in the state. I want assurances from you people to me, and the people of the state of a peaceful atmosphere in Edo State. Your home and families are here, so give peace a chance. We are all afraid that the state will burn to ashes.”
The Oba further appealed for a peaceful election and warned them not to pay lip service to the traditional throne, which he reiterated is not partisan, and committed them in advance to bipartisan displays of conciliation at the first sight of electoral violence.
Violence is an alter ego of every election all over the world. An incumbent, who fears losing an election can use post-election violence as a means to cow election officials and judges in the adjudication of a disputed election, or even as a means of extorting a power-sharing deal when defeated.
It could also be a spin-off of spontaneous demonstrations fuelled by outrage and fear of electoral manipulation, which can drive supporters into the streets, where violence is a consequence of inappropriate or militarised police response. All of these indices are omnipresent in Edo State with the incumbent’s guns-blazing stance to remain in office despite blissfully under-performing and, consequently, eroding the goodwill that ushered him into office in 2016.
In the time past, and judging by every poling variable that points at a crushing defeat for Obaseki, the election would have been called for the opposition even before going to the polls. But things are different now.
Thanks to several electoral reforms embarked upon by the Muhammadu Buhari administration, which have erased the patchwork quilt of partisan state officers, amateur volunteers, and passé equipment to help administer elections, and by so doing, raised the integrity of Nigerian elections, there is no disputing that votes would count in Edo State.
It is not state-sponsored violence and sabre-rattling or electoral manipulation that will win the election; it is speaking to the core of what the people desire; the time-tested solutions being proffered to the myriad of challenges besetting the state and acceptability of the candidate and the party.
So, unlike the biblical quote that ‘From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force’, Edo State might have suffered violence in recent times, it would not be taken by a man that is facing an impending exile from power.
However, only Ize-Iyamu, whose SIMPLE Agenda (which stands for Security and Social Welfare, Infrastructure Development, Manpower Development, Public/Private Partnership, Leadership by Example and Employment Creation) resonates well with the people, would get their votes. Ajani wrote from Abuja
