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“The Entrepreneurship Journey Entails Hard work, Discipline and Sacrifice”, Elumelu Says to Cape Verdean Entrepreneurs

Speaking at the Youth Konnekt Forum in Cape Verde yesterday, African investor and philanthropist, Tony O. Elumelu, Founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) and Chairman, United Bank for Africa (UBA), charged entrepreneurs to embrace hard work, discipline and sacrifice on their entrepreneurial journey to success.

He addressed over young Cape Verdean entrepreneurs in a Forum themed “African Youth: Foresight and Opportunities”, where he shared nuggets from his wealth of experience as an entrepreneur with success stories investing in Africa.

He said: “Entrepreneurship is a long-term journey. There is no quick fix. You will make mistakes. You will have challenges. For you to succeed along this journey, you must be disciplined, make sacrifices and save today to achieve your goals.”

The audience included public sector leaders – the President of Cape Verde, H.E. Jorge Carlos de Almeida Fonseca OICVV and Prime Minister, H.E. José Ulisses de Pina Ceorreia e Silva, as well as development partners, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Mr. Elumelu addressed these stakeholders, emphasising the important role of the government in creating an enabling environment for small and medium scale enterprises to thrive while commending the Government of Cape Verde for the strong, deliberate reforms to boost entrepreneurship in Lusophone Africa. He stated that the future of the African continent is in the hands of the African youths and they must be empowered to achieve the ambition of a well-developed continent.

He said: “The Prime Minister spoke to me about the tax incentive they are putting in place. He spoke about out opening up the country for tourism, and air transportation, and the commitment to entrepreneurs, making sure that those interested in agriculture, ICT and other areas are supported to succeed. He spoke to me about creating the opportunity to meet with some of you and see how the Tony Elumelu Foundation can support some of you. This is what we expect from our African leaders: For them to know that the future of Africa is indeed in your hands,” Mr. Elumelu said.

In his keynote speech, the President of Cape Verde, H.E. Jorge Carlos de Almeida Fonseca OICVV, expressed gratitude to Tony Elumelu for pioneering the entrepreneurship movement across the African continent. He said: “Thank you to Tony Elumelu for what you are doing for young people in Africa especially young people in Cabo Verde”. The Prime Minister, H.E. José Ulisses de Pina Ceorreia e Silva, also commended Tony Elumelu and his Foundation’s commitment to empowering African entrepreneurs across the continent.

The entrepreneurship movement led by the Tony Elumelu Foundation has caught the attention of the African public sector and has rapidly become a defining blueprint for the accelerated development of the African economy. Its goal is to leverage the youth population to create jobs, revenue and eradicate poverty on the continent. Thus far, TEF has empowered 7,531 entrepreneurs across all 54 African countries (19 of whom are from Cape Verde), with plans to again open its application portal for the 6th cohort of its Entrepreneurship Programme on January 1, 2020.

Organised by the National Youth Ministry and the Government of Cape Verde, Youth Konnekt is one of the many plans the country has rolled out to further cement its plans to boost entrepreneurship across the region.

Tony O. Elumelu, Founder, The Tony Elumelu Foundation and Chairman, United Bank for Africa (UBA) addresses entrepreneurs and public sector leaders at the Youth Konnect Forum in Cabo Verde on October 17, 2019.

Tony O. Elumelu, Founder, The Tony Elumelu Foundation and Chairman, United Bank for Africa (UBA) with H.E. José Ulisses de Pina Correia e Silva, Prime Minister of Cape Verde and Carlos do Canto Monteiro, Deputy Minister for Youth of Cabo Verde at the Youth Konnect Forum in Cabo Verde on October 17, 2019

MTN ICT Traning wave In Nasarawa and Rivers States

Waste Management is a lucrative business In Rivers State

How will you feel if your teacher throws a question at the class and someone he called before you gave out the answer you have in mind? Painnnn… you have to quickly think of another answer or simply rephrase what you have in mind.

There was a similar case at the ICT & Business Skills training in Port Harcourt, the two-day training organised by MTN Foundation had 500 participants comprising of business owners and ICT enthusiasts in attendance. After several sessions from Google Digital Skills Trainer, Destiny Takon and Assistant Manager, KPMG Technology Advisory, Tosin Okuselu, it was time for a brief task.

A mini competition was also organized to test business development capability of participants. They were divided into groups and asked to develop a business proposal and present their ideas after brainstorming for 15 minutes.

15 minutes later, they all had an interest in waste management and recycling and presented different tactics related to the same business plan, the hall was buzzing with laughter as to how all groups came about the same business idea.

Regardless, they were all winners! Not only did they go home with the knowledge of ICT and Business Skills, some outstanding guests left the conference hall with exciting gifts that will always remind them that  MTN Nigeria cares. #MTNICTBizTrainingPH

 

 

Seyi & Layal Tinubu’s Noella Foundation Partners Food Clique Support to Feed 5,000 Students and Homeless on World Food Day

In 1945 the United Nations with the objective of eliminating hunger and improving nutrition and standards of living by increasing agricultural productivity decided to form its oldest permanent specialized agency, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). So in commemorating the aim of the FAO October 16 was set aside in 1946 to celebrate World Food Day.

World Food Day is a day of action dedicated to tackling global hunger as people from around the world come together to declare their commitment to eradicate worldwide hunger from our lifetime.

This year, Nigeria join the rest of the world by celebrating World Food Day. Seyi and Layal Tinubu owned Noella Foundation decided to partner with Food Clique Support to promote national awareness for those who are suffering from hunger and most importantly for the need to eradicate Hunger across the country ensuring food security and nutritious diets for all.

The event which took the team to Kano Street in Ebute-Meta area see then treat 5,000 students and homeless children to sumptuous and nutritious meal, the event which was attended by Seyi Tinubu in company of his wife and Bolajoko Fadipe of the Food Clique featured prominently homemade food which they serve those who trooped out to witness this year’s celebration.

FIRST BANK: TOWARDS REVIVING NIGERIA’S TEXTILE INDUSTRY

For many years, until the early 1980s, the Nigerian textile industry was the highest employer of labour, after the public sector. Sadly, the industry is in dire straits battling for survival in recent times.

Among the challenges that confronted the sector were policy inconsistency leading to closure of many textile companies occasioned by poor power supply, smuggling, poor access to finance and high operating cost, among others.

It is unarguable that the closure of many textile companies contributed to the rise in the country’s high unemployment rate, rising insecurity and other social vices.

It is against this backdrop that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele, recently lamented the country’s descent from being a textile giant to a mediocre player in the world economy.

Emefiele said Nigeria used to be home to Africa’s largest textile industry in the 1970s and early 1980s with the employment of over 450,000 people.

“The textile industry at that time was the largest employer of labour in Nigeria after the public sector, contributing over 25 per cent of the workforce in the manufacturing sector.

“The industry was supported by the production of cotton by 600,000 local farmers across 30 of Nigeria’s 36 states.

“This sector supported the clothing needs of the Nigerian populace, as our markets were filled with locally produced textiles from companies such as the United Textiles in Kaduna, Supertex Limited, Afprint, Texlon, Enpee and Aswani Mills, among others.

“In addition, the cotton growing sector has gone dead, thereby depriving thousands of smallholder farmers the chance to earn a living.

Furthermore, a large proportion of our clothing materials today are imported from China and countries in Europe,” Emeifele stated.

It is against this background that First Bank of Nigeria Ltd, in line with its celebratory 125th anniversary , themed, “Woven into the Fabric of Society”, on Oct. 2 commemorated the country’s independence with a locally made textile attire.

Specifically, the bank set aside Oct. 2 to have all staff wear a locally made textile attire adorned in its 125 anniversary logo and over 18,000 staff across the bank and FBN Holdings participated.

The bank in a statement attributed the initiative to moves to celebrate the country’s 59th Independence anniversary and at the same time support the textile industry.

“The native attire fashion statement by FirstBank and the FBN Holdings Group is rooted in our trust in the diverse opportunities the textile industry provides.

“And indeed its contribution to national growth and development, vis-à-vis the job opportunities, youth and women empowerment, as well as the entrepreneurship driven influence its creates cannot be overemphasised.

“The bank is indeed honored to have been woven into the Fabric of Society in the last 125 years and is committed to keep promoting activities and opportunities that contribute to the growth of the textile industry.” it added.

Apart from the above intitative, FirstBank also provide access to market and provide opportunities for entrepreneurs in the Small Medium Scale Enterprise (SMEs) of the fashion industry with an initiative tagged Fashion Souk.

The bank partners with Eventful Nigeria Ltd with Fashion Souk, a platform that creates an opportunity for players in the fashion industry to exhibit and sell their wares to the thousands of event participants.

The bank also in a bid to ensure sustainability of the industry recently introduced fashion design loan specifically designed to offer financial support to the participants in the textile industry.

The bank’s fashion design loan with a single obligor limit of up to two million naira is targeted at tailors, dressmakers and traders in clothing accessories with no tangible collateral required.

To be eligible for the loan, applicants must have been in line of business for a minimum of three years.

Commenting on the development, Mr Moses Igbrude,  Publicity Secretary,  Independent Shareholders Association of Nigeria (ISAN), described the initiative as a wonderful concept.

“I hope those in the local textiles value chain will key into it and take advantage of this initiative.

“FirstBank should also ensure that the concept is properly communicated to the larger audience to ensure more patronage of locally made textile,” Igbrude said.

He noted that the Federal Government on its part should encourage institutions that are supporting our local industries by way tax incentives.

Also speaking, Mr Shehu Mikail, National President, Constance Shareholders Association of Nigeria, commended the bank’s support for local fabric and the textile industry.

Mikail said that the initiative would boost the morale of interested bodies who would like to venture into local fabric in promoting our culture to the world.

He said that the bank should focus on the fashion designers who would be ready to promote Nigerian mode of dressing to meet the world class in fashion design.

“This will help in promoting Made in Nigeria fabric and it will also encourage an interested investor to venture into textile industry business and this will tranform our economy,” Mikail stated. (NAN)

We are Considering Taxing Soft Drinks – Finance Minister

The Federal Government is considering introducing excise duties on carbonated drinks, according to the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed.

Ahmed gave the indication in an interview with newsmen on Thursday on the sidelines of the ongoing World Bank/IMF Annual Meetings in Washington DC, United States.

She said the idea was one of other areas, besides the proposed increase in VAT, that the government was looking at to broaden its revenue base.

The minister explained that the government was working hard to ensure efficiency in existing revenue streams while searching for new ones.

She said the government would consult with all stakeholders on the proposal in line with standard policy formulation process.

“Any tax that you are introducing will involve a lot of consultations and also amendments of some laws or introduction of new regulations,” she said.

Carbonated drinks include soft drink brands such as Coca Cola, Sprite and Fanta, while excise duty is a tax levied on locally produced goods.

Ahmed said her ministry was working with all the agencies to ensure that collaboration was strengthened in revenue generation.

“The government is trying to ensure that the work of the agencies are complementing each other as opposed to the past where everybody is working in silos.

“Efforts are ongoing to improve the monitoring performance of the revenue generating agencies, especially government-owned enterprises.

“We have now in place a rigorous monthly reconciliation of revenues and that is ensuring that the leakages are minimised.

“There is several cost cutting measures in the SRGI and a number of cost cutting measures initiatives such as innovation and automation as well as capacity building of our people,” she said.

The minister reiterated government’s resolve to sanction revenue generating agencies that fail to meet their targets.

“Mr President has said that targets will be set for ministers as well as heads of agencies and that when targets are met there will be recommendations and when there are not met there will be consequences.

“So, what was missing in the past was that there were no consequences, so if an agencies underperformed there is no consequences for doing do.

“But now there will be consequences and we will be pushing to make sure that we provide all the support that the agencies will require to enable them perform,” she said.

(NAN)

Sanwo-Olu, Okonkwo Parley ASPAMDA, Trade Fair Market Leaders on Infrastructure Development

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Thursday, met with market leaders from Alaba, Trade Fair axis in Lagos West senatorial district. The consultative meeting, which was at the instance of the Governor and coordinated by the Managing Director Fidelity Bank, Mr. Nnamdi Okonkwo, lasted for about 90 minutes and it was centered around the State Government’s plans to improve security and upgrade infrastructure around the markets.

Speaking to newsmen after the meeting, Gov. Sanwo-Olu said the discussion was aimed at fostering collaboration with the traders and to carry them along in the plans of the Government. The Governor said he was pu satisfied with the conditions under which businesses were conducted in the markets, expressing disappointment over the state of roads and absence of relevant public facilities around markets. In fulfilling his campaign promises to the traders, Sanwo-Olu said his administration was prepared to change the condition by investing in infrastructure that would improve the quality of lives and commercial activities in the area.

He said: “We have just finished an interactive meeting with the leaders of various markets around Alaba, ASPAMDA, Trade Fair areas in Lagos West Senatorial District and the discussion was coordinated by our friend in the banking sector, Fidelity Bank. We all agreed that we all have roles to play to address infrastructure and other challenges around the markets. As a government, we are taking up the responsibility to design an all-inclusive model that will improve the economic wellbeing of people around the markets. Once we put infrastructure in place, not only would businesses flourish, employment will also be created.” Aside constructing network of roads surrounding the markets, the Governor said part of the Government’s long-term plans was also to complement the efforts with provision of amenities, including fire stations, clinics, general hospitals and security protections that would aid commercial activities in the markets.

Sanwo-Olu said the market leaders agreed to work with the Government on documenting all businesses in their respective jurisdictions, which would facilitate easy payment and collection of tax for developmental purposes.

The Governor said: “we had conversations around being socially responsible. So, we will see the traders living up to the expectations in terms of doing what they are meant to be doing to support government in the areas of their taxes, wages and levies. We also want to eliminate multiple taxations; any agency that is not meant to be around the market will be stopped.

“We also discussed security issues, and I assured that government would help to improve on the security of lives and properties in the area and the state in general. We will address the menace of Okada riders all around those markets. We will also ensure that the work that is going on around Lagos-Badagry Expressway is well coordinated, so that they can have some relief at various periods of the day, even when construction is going on.”

The Governor said the meeting would not be the last in his engagement with the market leaders, pointing out that Chairmen of local councils in which the traders operate would be invited to subsequent discussions before the start of regeneration work across the markets within the senatorial district.

Fidelity Bank’s Managing Director, Mr. Nnamdi Okonkwo, hailed Sanwo-Olu for partnering with the market leaders to drive the regeneration programme, saying the Governor understood the importance of engagement in leadership. According to him “Fidelity Bank was one of the first banks to open in the area and we understand their challenges from the extensive engagements we do have with them. We bank most of them and when there are issues we come together to interact and find solutions. This is exactly the approach that Gov. Sanwo-Olu is using today. The Governor has outlined a course of action and we also use our knowledge of their needs and working in collaboration with the government, to come up with a model that will work for all stakeholders. The traders are ready to take this collaboration to the end and make sure they have better market conditions so when they want to pay their taxes, they will pay them happily.”

President General of Alaba Amalgamated, Chief Fabian Ezeojika, said the discussion with the Governor and his Deputy was fruitful, promising to mobilise traders to respect the agreement made with the State Government.

Markets and dealers represented at the meeting included Alaba International Market, Auto Spare Parts and Machinery Dealers Association (ASPAMDA), BBA Trade Fair, Alaba Fancy and Furniture Dealers, and Electrical Dealers Association of Nigeria (EDAN), among others

Mindshift Advocacy Unveils Powerful Initiative to Create a New Nigeria

In its determination and resolve to foster a new mindset among Nigerians, the Mindshift Advocacy for Development Initiative has unveiled a new blue print to get Nigerians to think differently, believe differently and to act differently, so as to generate a mindset geared towards development. The event which was attended by dignitaries and the media held Thursday, October 17, 2019, at the prestigious Benue Hall of the International Conference Centre, Abuja.

In his address Mr. Joko Okupe, the Founder and Board of Trustee member of the Mindshift Advocacy for Development Initiative said that “the bane of Nigeria and by extension Africa’s problems is the mindset of Africans as individuals, communities and nations, about themselves and the mindset of the rest of the world about Africa. The wrong mindset of Nigerians and Africans in general which influences the way we do things, has created problems such as lack of visionary and purposeful leadership, bad governance standards, erosion and loss of good value systems, corruption, poor understanding of global issues and how it impacts their lives; unprecedented never-ending poverty, heavy debt burdens, over dependence on international aids, endless conflicts, inadequate education etc.” According to him, the Initiative was incorporated on November 28, 2016 as a non-partisan, non-governmental organization aimed at re-directing citizens’ mindsets from negative mindsets in private lives, societies and nations to positive mindsets that foster meaningful holistic personal, social and national development. The initiative also seeks to activate a radical and positive change in the mindset of the Nigerian youth – and by extension, African youth.

According to Mr. Okupe, the Mindshift Advocacy is actually focused on shifting mindsets from negative to positive. The movement is focused on redirecting the mindset of Nigerians from negative, unproductive and unprogressive mindsets to positive, productive and progressive mindsets. A destructive person has a destructive mindset and a destructive thinking pattern. There is so much capacity in the power of the mind that the way and manner that the mind is directed, determines the outcome of a man’s action. When you look at the great nations of the world, you will discover that their people have mindsets of greatness. The average Nigerian’s mindset is anti-progress and anti-development. How can we have progress and development when majority of our citizens have the wrong mindset? We cannot achieve any meaningful transformation without a re-orientation of the citizens’ mindsets.  Even when Government decides to run a campaign on changing attitudes, the success will depend on whether the mindsets of the citizens have changed or not. We cannot but pay attention to how people think. We must have that clear understanding. That essentially is the crux of the Mindshift Advocacy.

He stressed that every effort geared at re-orientating the citizens with a view to making them develop positive and progressive mindsets as individuals, society and at national levels, would put us on the road to meaningful and effective transformation of the continent for sustainable growth and development. This is why: “The changes we wish to make have more to do with how we think than what we actually do, because thinking patterns ultimately influence actions. We need to get our citizens to embrace positive mindsets that can impact thought and action for our progress and development. We must also lead by example by thinking and acting differently.”

He cited Mr. Paul Kagame, the President of Rwanda, who once said that Africa’s transformational change will first happen at the level of mindsets before it is translated into concrete actions. Okupe firmly believes that Africa’s journey of transformation starts with changing how people think. “It is vital for citizens of all ages and social classes to have the right mindset because they are the ones who would be actively involved in the day-to-day actions that bring about sustainable transformation.”

In order to achieve these, the initiative has in place well-articulated key focus areas toward its agenda. These areas are: family and society, government and politics, education, business and economy, media, arts and entertainment, innovation and technology, religion, culture, and health and wellness. Additionally, it will approach this systematically through social research, targeted issues campaigns, action-oriented initiatives, knowledge sharing, events, and public discourse platforms.

Fielding questions to reporters at the launch event on what methods Mindshift Advocacy will deploy to achieve its goal, Joko responded, “It is all a matter of approach and method. Our initiatives would be determined by research and insight. There is a reason or rationale behind every mindset. How much have we researched into why we behave the way we do?  Why do we think the way we do? We will make efforts to dig into the foundation to understand the issues and gain necessary insights before we develop initiatives.  A man whose mind is conditioned to darkness tends to acclimatise to the situation and live in it. People’s eyes can only be opened through enlightenment which will serve as an illumination to the thick, engulfing darkness and ignorance around us. Adequate exposure to realities will compel them to see and think differently. If we continue at the current pace, we are definitely on a suicide mission as a nation, though we may be fully aware of this”.

Earlier in her welcome address Mrs. Debo Onabowale, a core member of the Mindshift Advocacy for development Initiative said that “Mindshift Advocacy for Development Initiative is set to do a new thing in Nigeria by approaching the Nigerian problem from a different perspective. We believe that Nigerians, both leaders and followers, rich and poor, young and old need a different orientation to be able to chart a new direction and behaviour to propel peace and development.”

JAMES HOPE COLLEGE ACQUIRES AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL LAGOS PROPERTY, OFFERS FULL SCHOLARSHIP TO 40% OF STUDENTS

The James Hope College (JHC) has announced the acquisition of the American International School Lagos (AISL) Lekki Campus facility to establish James Hope College in Lagos.  This was disclosed at the signing ceremony held yesterday at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos.

The event had the Governor of Lagos, His Excellency Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the United States Ambassador ably represented by Carol Cox, the Chairman of AISL Board, Ali Safieddine and other prominent persons in attendance.

While giving his speech at the event, the Founder/Chairman of James Hope College, Mr. Jim Ovia stated that the College would continue to offer full scholarship based on merit, to 40% of all the students that would be admitted into the school.

James Hope College, a co-educational initiative of the Jim Ovia Foundation, offers a combination of British and Nigerian curricula. James Hope College is a Cambridge Associate School, a member of Council of British International Schools (COBIS) and Association of British Schools Overseas (AoBSO). JHC is in partnership with Microsoft Imagine Academy and GL Education.  JHC is accredited by Cambridge Assessment International Education (CAIE), Pearson Edexcel Examinations, and British Schools Overseas (BSO.

With the acquisition of this property, James Hope College is set to replicate in Lagos the outstanding academic performance it is known for. More importantly, the offer of full scholarship to 40% of the students on merit ensures that the school’s equal opportunity model of academic excellence is extended to all students regardless of their state of origin.

James Hope College Lagos will open its doors to students in September 2020.

Chairman, Jim Ovia Foundation, Mr. Jim Ovia,CON ( 3rd Left), flanked by His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Lagos, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu ( 3rd right); Representative of the American Ambassador to Nigeria, Ms. Carol Cox (1st Left); Chairman, Board of Directors, American International School Lagos (AISL), Mr. Ali Safieddine; Managing Partner, Olaniwun Ajayi, Prof Konyinsola Ajayi, SAN; and Member, Board of Trustees, James Hope College, Prof. Oyewusi Ibidapo Obe, OFR at the signing ceremony of the acquisition of American International School Lagos Property to establish James Hope College Lagos held at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos on Wednesday.

FIRSTBANK HOSTS FINTECH SUMMIT 3.0

Nigeria’s premier and leading financial services provider, First Bank of Nigeria Limited hosted the third edition of its annual Fintech summit themed “Banking + Tech = Solving Real Problems”. The event held on Wednesday, 16 October 2019 in Lagos with a conference and panel sessions comprising tech experts, start- ups, regulators and other stakeholders to deliberate pressing issues, trends and upgrades in the application of technology in the financial services industry. Victor Asemota, Founder, Swifta Systems & Services was the Keynote Speaker at the event.

With the evolution that has taken place in the financial services industry in recent times, especially through the advent of technological inclusion in business operations across all industries, this year’s event focused on how technology can aid the solving of large scale societal problems within the context of financial services in Nigeria. The event cuts across multiple panel sessions to deliberate issues and prospects in the business management across the financial technology ecosystem with a view to having participants exposed to the trajectory of current and future opportunities in the Fintech ecosystem.

According to Gbenga Shobo, Deputy Managing Director, First Bank of Nigeria Limited, “Our Fintech Summit 3.0 was convened to set the tone for discussions that promote disruptions in the digital space, especially in the financial industry, as we recognise the opportunities for inclusive growth and influence of FINTECH not just in banking but also business operations across all industries. The 2019 edition of our FINTECH summit would build-up from the successes achieved in the last two editions.”

He added, “FirstBank, in the last few years, has used technology to deliver solutions to promote financial inclusion. With over 33,000 Firstmonie Agents in 36 states doing over N2 trillion worth of transactions, we are reducing poverty with our Agency Banking footprint. Our Firstmobile application has become the foremost mobile banking application in the country with over 3 million users doing over 14 million transactions monthly. It is one of the major gateways for Financial Inclusion where everyone can download the app and open an account at their own convenience! This was not the case a few years ago. Our USSD channel, *894#, is also solving Financial Exclusion problems for those who do not have easy access to internet data. With over 8 million users today, transactions worth over N4 trillion have been consummated using this channel.’’

The panel sessions comprised experts with over two hundred combined years of experience in the Financial and Technological Industry space to deliberate on topical issues in today’s technologically driven business world. Topical issues to be discussed are: Solving Business Problems; Solving Regulatory, Security & Legal Problems and Solving Lifestyle Problems.

Amongst the FirstBank team of speakers and moderators are Folake Ani-Mumuney, Group Head, Marketing & Corporate Communications; Olayinka Shittu, Chief Transformation Officer,

Oluwatoyin Aina, Group Head, Energy Downstream & Int. Oil Trading; and Taiwo Shonekan, Head, Customer Experience & Value Management.

Debo Odunlana, CEO, Doctoora Health; Damilola Emuze, COO/Co-Founder, Scholarx; Edward Popoola, CTO/Co-Founder, Cowrywise and Chinedu Azodoh, Chief Technology Officer, Max.Ng are the panelists in the Solving Lifestyle Problems session.

The Solving Business Problems panel session include Victor Asemota, Founder, Swifta Systems & Services; Lola Ekugo, Head, Digital Innovation Lab, FirstBank; Akindele Phillips, CFO/Co-Founder, Farmcrowdy; Deepankar Rustagi, CEO/Founder, Vconnect & Omnibiz and Dayo Ademola, Head of Innovation, EFInA.

The panelists in the Solving Regulatory, Security & Legal Problems are the Sam Okojere, Director, Payment System Management Dept, CBN; Tosin Faniro-Dada, Head, Startups (Lagos Innovates), LSETF; Odunoluwa Longe, Co-Founder, DIY-Law & The Longe Practice; Bunmi Akinyemiju, CEO, Venture Garden Group and Harrison Nnaji, Chief Information Security Officer, FirstBank.

Callistus Obetta, Group Executive, Technology & Services, FirstBank; Gbenga Shobo, Deputy Managing Director, FirstBank; Victor Asemota, Founder, Swifta Systems & Services and Keynote Speaker at the event (FirstBank FinTech Summit 3.0); Adesola Adeduntan, Chief Executive Officer, FirstBank and Abdullahi Ibrahim, Executive Director, Public Sector FirstBank at the FirstBank FinTech Summit 3.0 held in Lagos today.
Folake Ani-Mumuney, Group Head, Marketing & Corporate Communications, FirstBank; Edward Popoola, CTO/Co-Founder, Cowrywise; Chinedu Azodoh, Chief Technology Officer, Max.Ng; Taiwo Shonekan, Head, Customer Experience & Value Management, FirstBank; Damilola Emuze, COO/Co-Founder, Scholarx; Debo Odunlana, CEO, Doctoora Health are the panelist in the Solving Lifestyle Problems session at the FirstBank FinTech Summit 3.0 held in Lagos today.

Bayelsa Governorship Poll: INEC Chairman abruptly ends stakeholders meeting as tempers flare in Yenagoa

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu, abruptly called an end to a stakeholders’ meeting in Yenagoa on Wednesday as an argument between political leaders threatened to boil over into physical violence.

INEC had organised the meeting as part of its preparations for the governorship election coming up on November 16 in Bayelsa State.

In attendance were INEC officials led by Mr Yakubu, security officials including the Deputy Inspector-General of the Police (Operations), Abdulmajid Ali; community and political leaders, including many governorship candidates.

The argument was ignited by the Chairman of the Bayelsa State Elders Forum, Francis Doukpolagh, who said many people were displaced from some communities in Nembe Local Government Area by violence during the 2019 general elections.

He said since the elections, the people were yet to return home, calling for the assistance of the authorities to get them back to their communities.

Mr Doukpolagh said some residents in Peremabiri and BasabirI communities affected at the time were still living in neighbouring communities.

But he was interrupted by other community leaders who told him to speak on behalf of Bayelsa and not for his own political gains.

The confrontation led to a violent exchange of words as many of the stakeholders approached each other, shouting “Sit down and keep quiet.”

In the face of the tumult, Mr Yakubu abruptly brought the meeting to an end.

PREMIUM TIMES could not authoritatively confirm the reasons behind the confrontation.

The candidate of the United Patriot Party, Kenny Sotonye, told PREMIUM TIMES that the antagonists were members of the two major parties, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC). He said the confrontation has roots in the previous elections in the state.

“The national ruling party (APC) chased the persons (agents of other parties) in their communities in order to take charge for their party.
“We the opposition parties do not want such, we want people to come to vote with their conscience and vote with there interest,” Mr Sotonye said.

The governorship candidate for the All People’s Party (APP), Samuel Izibeyamadu, described the incident as a shame to democracy.

He said such incidents had become a tradition in the politics of Bayelsa State.

“What we saw here is a show of shame and this has been the tradition in the state,” he said.

“Even the military has found it difficult to curtail the scourge here when it comes to elections

“In the last elections, a deputy commissioner of Police was beaten up by a particular party for allegation known to them.

“If the military and other security personnel cannot bring calm to the state elections, there is no need for fielding candidates to be part of the elections,” he said.

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