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President Buhari Extends the Retirement of His Nephew with 3 years more than 35 Service years

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the extension of service of his Chief Personal Security Officer, Abdulkarim Dauda, by three years.

Dauda, who was promoted to the rank of Commissioner of Police last year, is Buhari’s nephew.

By the presidential approval, the CPSO, who was due to retire from service on January 1, 2020, will now leave the force on May 13, 2023.

Born in 1963, Dauda was enlisted into the Nigeria Police Force as a Cadet Officer on January 1, 1985 and would clock the mandatory 35 years in service in January 2020.

Force Secretary, Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali, in a signal conveying Dauda’s tenure extension directed the force’s Department of Information Technology to amend their records to reflect the development.

The message with reference number 23853/FS/FHQ/ABJ/46 seen by our correspondent in Abuja on Wednesday, read, “The President, Commander in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Chairman, Police Council, has graciously approved the extension of service of CP Abdulkarim Dauda to May 13, 2023, when he would have attained 60 years of age. Commissioner, Information Technology, amend your records please.”

Prior to his posting to the State House as CPSO to the President, Dauda served in different police commands and formations, including the Sokoto State Command, Force Criminal Department, Lagos, Katsina State Command, Lagos State Command, Edo State Command, Police College, Kaduna, and Kano State Command.

The CPSO office was created by ex-President Goodluck Jonathan to pave the way for his aide-de-camp, Moses Jitoboh, to be part of his personal security structure.

But a few months after Buhari’s inauguration, his nephew was redeployed to serve as his CPSO.

It was learnt that Daudu subsequently removed Daura from his name to allegedly prevent the public from tracing his family connection to the President following criticisms over Buhari’s appointing his family and kinsmen to government offices.

Our correspondent learnt that the decision to extend Daura’s stay in the force had been generating tension in the Police Service Commission, as senior officials regard Buhari’s action as a usurpation of the PSC’s powers and a violation of the 1999 Constitution.

A PSC official claimed the CPSO was being groomed to succeed the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, in 2021.

He stated, “The plan is to promote the CPSO to the rank of AIG and then make him the IG in 2021 when Adamu retires from service. We believe the President was misled into extending Dauda’s tenure because he had no power to do so.”

In a related development, our correspondent learnt that the tenure of embattled DIG in charge of Training and Development, Yakubu Jubrin, has been extended by two weeks.

Jubrin clocked the mandatory retirement age on October 1, but The PUNCH learnt that his tenure had been extended to October 15.

Jubrin, who was queried for misconduct by the PSC, had approached the National Industrial Court seeking an order restraining the commission from sacking or demoting him.

The plaintiff in suit no. NICN/ABJ/294/2019, also sought a declaration of the court that the PSC could subject him to further disciplinary measures or dismissal.

The originating summons filed by his lawyer, Alex Izinyon (SAN), was supported by an affidavit deposed to by ACP Batagarawa Buhari, who stated that the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), had informed the police that they had the mandate to handle the recruitment of 10,000 constables as directed by Buhari.

The commission last month queried the DIG for allegedly masterminding the disagreement between the PSC and the police by releasing the names of successful candidates and inviting them for medical screening without it’s permission.

The PSC also accused the DIG of making disparaging remarks against the commission’s Chairman, Alhaji Musiliu Smith, and a member of the board in charge of recruitment, Austin Braimoh.

My daughter deserves appointment as Special Assistant —Gov Okowa

Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State has said that his daughter, who was appointed as Special Assistant to the Governor on Girl Child, deserved the appointment.

He said this on Tuesday in Asaba, while addressing the issue of appointments into his cabinet for his second term in office.

Okowa said that contrary to the rumours that he had appointed two of his daughters, he had only appointed one of his daughters into his cabinet and that she deserved for the position.

He said, “I want state residents to know that I did not appoint two of my daughters. Only one was appointed as S.A. to Governor on Girl Child and she rightly deserved it.”

Okowa added, “We are trying to cut down our appointees this time around, obviously the number of appointees will be less than what we have in my first tenure.”

United Nations to Owe Salary as Nigeria, others Fail to Pay Dues

The United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, has called on member states to pay their outstanding contributions, as the organisation faces such a “severe financial crisis” that staff salaries risk not being paid next month.

Guterres said this on Tuesday while addressing the UN General Assembly to introduce a proposed budget for 2020.

The UN might start November “without enough cash to cover payrolls,” Guterres warned. “Our work and our reforms are at risk.”

Some member states that have not paid their dues include- Nigeria, Israel, Brazil and Iran.

The United States, which is the biggest donor to the UN, has not also paid its dues in full following the decision of President Donald Trump to reduce America’s contribution to the UN.

President Muhammadu Buhari sent a multitude of delegates to this year’s UN General Assembly sessions, including the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Godfrey Onyeama, in SSeptember.

At least three governors and six ministers were on the trip accompanied by a retinue of aides and carry-ons racking up thousands of dollars in estacodes, according to Africa Report.

Two Nigerian nationals- Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed and current President of the UN General Assembly, Tijjani Bande – are also currently among the UN’s most high-ranking officials.

Nigeria had in 2017 resolved to withdraw from 90 out of the 310 international organisations to which it has financial commitments.

The then Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, had put Nigeria’s annual commitment to all the international organisations at $70m.

She had said the country owed all the organisations about $200m, adding that the decision to withdraw from 90 of such organisations was aimed at cutting cost.

Guterres called on UN member states to “recommit to paying your financial obligations on time and in full.”

Of 193 members, 129 had paid their contributions to the regular budget, according to Guterres’s spokesman, Stéphane Dujarric.

By the end of September, 70 per cent of the total amount needed for budget operations had been paid, Dujarric said. At the same point last year the UN had received 78 per cent of its budget.

“The secretariat could face a default on salaries and payments for goods and services by the end of November unless more Member States pay their budget dues in full,” Dujarric said.

The US is expected to cover 22 per cent of the UN’s regular budget, according to a Congressional Research Service report published in 2018.

According to CNN, the US is obligated to contribute $674m to the UN regular budget for 2018-2019.

However, it owes a total $1.055bn, according to the UN spokesman’s office, which is cumulative money owed from previous years.

UBA’s Kennedy Uzoka Celebrates Staff, Customers, Calls them ‘Miracle Workers’

The United Bank for Africa (UBA) has joined the rest of the world to celebrate the 2019 Customer Service Week, themed, “Magic Happens Here,” with recognitions for staff who have excelled in excellent service delivery.

The event which was commemorated all over the world, recognises the importance of customer service and seeks to show appreciation to the staff who serve and support customers with the highest degree of care and professionalism.

The theme for this year’s celebrations embodies all that the bank represents as encompassed in its Core Values – the 3EEEs: Excellence, Enterprise and Execution. Already, all branches of the bank are engaged in various activities which would make the week-long celebration exciting and memorable.

UBA’s Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Kennedy Uzoka, who spoke on the significance of continuous excellent service delivery to customers, appreciated the staff who have worked tirelessly to satisfy customers, and urged them not to rest on their oars.

He said, “More than three years ago, we resolved to address the persistent customer service challenges in the Bank by launching the Customer First (C1st) Philosophy.

“The primary objective of which was to transform the Bank into an undisputed customer-focused institution delivering excellent financial services from the customers’ standpoint.

“As we celebrate this year’s Customer Service Week, I would like to express my gratitude to you all for the journey so far. It is my belief that, with our collective strength and commitment to the Bank’s corporate goals, the on-going crusade on Customer-First Philosophy, anchored on our core values; Enterprise, Excellence and Execution (3EEEs), the C1st drive will permeate the system and become our most treasured initiative group wide,” he noted.

The GMD seized the opportunity to explain that UBA was on the right trajectory to entrenching herself as the preferred bank in the hearts of customers, adding “Our primary objective is to imbibe and demonstrate C1st philosophy as a ‘way of life’ in all our engagements with customers. This is truly our core essence and how we wish to be primarily recognised always.”

UBA Foundation’s National Essay Competition 2019 to Reward Schools with Highest Entries

UBA Foundation, the corporate social responsibility arm of the United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, has commenced the 2019 edition of its annual National Essay Competition in Nigeria with a call for entries.

Now in its 9^th year, the essay competition, targeted at senior secondary school students in Nigeria is organised annually, as part of UBA Foundation’s education initiative which is aimed at promoting the reading culture and encouraging healthy and intellectual competition amongst secondary school students in Nigeria and across Africa.

At the media launch which took place at UBA headquarters in Lagos, the call for entries was announced today. Speaking at the event, the Chief Executive Officer, UBA Foundation, Mrs. Bola Atta, said the essay competition, which is in its ninth edition, will provide an opportunity for students in secondary schools across the country to put in their entries and to win prizes in the form of educational grants to study in any university of their choice on the African continent.

Beginning from last year, the prize money increased significantly as the UBA Foundation emphasises that education remains one of the foundation’s key initiatives.

The first prize for the UBA National Essay Competition is a N2 million educational grant, while the second and third prizes are N1.5 million and N1m educational grants respectively.

Speaking to the students and participants at the event, Bola Atta said, “To us at the Foundation, this is our drive to improve the quality of education across the continent. It is also our way of giving back to the society. The competition is a key aspect of our investment drive in human capital, as we seek to improve knowledge base, allow students to express themselves and write creatively. We will continue to sustain the initiative because education is very important to UBA and we are more than committed to providing the necessary support for students in Nigeria and across the African continent,” she noted.

“We are driven by the mantra to do well and do good and we will not relent in our efforts to touch lives through our various projects, and initiatives,” Bola Atta told the excited students.

Explaining the modalities for the competition, she stated that entries received from students for the competition will be reviewed by a distinguished panel of judges made up of professors from reputable Nigerian Universities, who will then shortlist 12 best essays for further assessment.

Following this, a second round of the competition will involve the 12 finalists who will write a second supervised essay from which three best essays will be selected as the overall winners from the 12 finalists emerged from the first round of the competition.

Atta explained that the choice of essay for this year’s competition is one that helps promote creative and analytical thinking in students and helps them to be problem solvers. This year, the topic is “What do you think the government should do to control fraud in Nigeria?”

It is important to note that apart from Nigeria, the national essay competition has been taken to other African countries including Ghana and Senegal. More countries including Mozambique and Kenya will kick off the initiative this year. A unique component of this year’s edition is that, schools that turn in the highest number of entries will be recognised and rewarded a special prize by the Foundation.

Also speaking at the call to entries today, the Group Head, Direct Sales Agency, Ogechi Altraide, who spoke on the benefits of reading and writing essays, motivated the students to research into the topics and give it their best shot, adding that there is the need for them to focus on adapting themselves to happenings in their generation, and to have a growth mindset. This she explained, will ensure that they can apply themselves and conquer whatever challenges they are faced with.

According to her, reading and writing go hand in hand, and so it is important for students to keep abreast of how the economy can develop through reading and writing.

An English teacher from Holy Child College, Ikoyi, Mrs Ezechukwu Ngozi, gave the students tips on how to write good essays, and advised them to keep to the proper tenets of essay writing to come out tops in the competition.

As the CSR platform for the UBA Group, UBA Foundation embodies the Group’s CSR objectives and seeks to impact positively on societies through a number of laudable projects and initiatives.

Each year, the bank donates thousands of books to students in Nigeria and across Africa, under the ‘Read Africa’ initiative to encourage and promote the reading culture in secondary schools.

l-r: Group Head, Brand Management, United Bank for Africa(UBA) Plc, Mr. Lashe Osoba; Managing Director /CEO, UBA Foundation, Mrs Bola Atta; Group Head, Direct Sales Agency, UBA Plc Ogechi Altraide; and Group Head, Energy and Oil, UBA Plc, Mr. Ebele Ogbue, during the commencement Ceremony for the 2019 UBA Foundation National Essay Competition for senior secondary school students in Nigeria held at UBA House on Tuesday

Managing Director /CEO, UBA Foundation, Mrs Bola Atta; Group Head, Direct Sales Agency, United Bank for Africa(UBA)Plc, Mrs Ogechi Altraide; Group Head, Brand Management, United Bank for Africa(UBA) Plc, Mr. Lashe Osoba, flanked by students of some selected secondary schools in Lagos during the commencement Ceremony for the 2019 UBA Foundation National Essay Competition for senior secondary school students in Nigeria held at UBA House on Tuesday

Group Head, Brand Management, United Bank for Africa(UBA) Plc, Mr. Lashe Osoba; English Teacher, Holy Child College, Ikoyi, Mrs Ezechukwu Ngozi; Managing Director/CEO, UBA Foundation, Mrs Bola Atta; Group Head, Direct Sales Agency, UBA Plc, Ogechi Altraide; Group Head, Energy and Oil, UBA Plc, Mr. Ebele Ogbue, during the commencement Ceremony for the 2019 UBA Foundation National Essay Competition for senior secondary school students in Nigeria held at UBA House on Tuesday

ZENITH BANK DRIVES CONVENIENT BANKING AND FINANCIAL INCLUSION WITH Z-MONEY

Nigeria’s leading financial institution, Zenith Bank Plc, has introduced Z-Money, which brings banking services closer to its customers and enhance financial inclusion among the under-banked and unbanked populace of the country.

Z-Money is an agency banking product of the bank which entails the onboarding of agents who are expected to render basic financial services on behalf of the bank.

Through the bank’s network of agents spread across the urban and rural communities in the country, customers are able to open accounts, deposit cash into any account, withdraw cash from any bank account, transfer funds, buy airtime, pay bills, and do so much more in a convenient way. In order to engender trust among its customers, the Bank ensures that all transactions done through the agents are PIN protected and safe.

Commenting on the new product, the Group Managing Director/Chief Executive of Zenith Bank Plc, Mr. Ebenezer Onyeagwu said “the bank remains focused on providing premium financial solutions that create value for its customers wherever they are located across the country”. He added that apart from helping to extend the bank’s retail reach across all segments of the market, the adoption of the agency banking platform also demonstrates the bank’s commitment to achieving financial inclusion in the country.

Zenith Bank Plc is recognized as one of the most innovative financial institutions in Nigeria and was voted the most customer-focused bank in Nigeria for the Retail and SME segments in the 2018 KPMG Annual Banking Industry Customer Satisfaction Survey (BICSS).

The bank’s commitment to world-class service standards has led to several product innovations over the last few weeks including the “Zenith Timeless Account”, which allows Nigerians aged 55 years and above bank for free, the “Zenith Save4me”, a high interest target savings account and “Dubai Visa Service” on the Zenith Internet Banking Platform, which allows convenient application and payment for visas to Dubai.

Gov Badaru of Jigawa State appoints special assistants for his 3 wives, streetlight

Jigawa state governor Muhammad Badaru Abubakar, has appointed a special assistant to each of his three wives.

Of the 51 Special Assistants that were appointed by the governor, there is also a special assistant for street light as well as for population control.

According to a copy of the lists of the appointees obtained, it shows that Sa’adatu Bashir Muhammed, is a special assistant to the first wife of the governor, while Mariya Muhammed Muktar and Aisha Garba are special assistants to the second and third wife respectively.

Hassan Usman Bulama and Surajo Musa Gwiwa are Special Assistants to the governor on Street light and population control.

The responsibility of all the aides to the governor was clearly stated with the exception of the three special assistants to the governor’s wives. It was gathered that official responsibilities assigned to the offices of the wives of the governor are also yet to be made public.

Gunmen abduct 9 people, including a boy in Abuja

Nine persons, including a 12-year-old boy have been abducted in Pegi community, a resettlement area in Kuje Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

The victims were kidnapped last night around 8:00pm by gunmen who dressed in military camouflage. The gunmen shot at two vehicles, including one NISSAN Frontier and Toyota Solara.

The bullets deflated the tyres and created deep holes on the vehicles. One of the victims was said to be in critical condition. A victim who was released on health ground said the attackers could not be less than 20.

Daily Trust gathered that the kidnappers had called this morning demanding N10 million ransom from a relative of the abductees. This is the second time kidnapping incident would happen in the community.

Last year, four people were kidnapped along the same makeshift path to the community that housed naval quarters. A naval officer and one civilian were seriously injured at the scene which is less than 300 metres to the community in the December 6, 2018 incident.

Just like what happened yesterday, the victims were stopped while driving home around the same time in the night. The abductees trekked for eight hours through forest before finally reaching the kidnappers’ den in Nasarawa State.

The Resurrection of Hip-Hop In The Nigerian Music Industry

– Osho Oluwatosin, Lagos

For some weeks now, one of the industries that has received so much attention lately is the Nigerian music industry due to the content flying around the industry.

A lot of music fans have been enjoying this atmosphere as some claim it is very healthy for music especially for the lovers of hip-hop.

Not to keep you in suspense, all I am talking about it the most recent diss tracks flying around in the hip hop sector of the Nigerian music industry. The hip hop industry has really come alive than it has ever been in the past few years.

It all started with one of Chocolate city’s latest signee, Blaqbones, who claims to be the best rapper in Africa shading fellow rapper, Davolee, who was under Olamide’s imprint and Wale Turner, a rapper too, in a song which he was featured on titled ‘Define Rap’ by VJ Adams.

In his verse, he mentioned that ‘Where was Davolee and Wale Turner when sh*t got real’.

Just when we thought it was going to end with that, little did we know that something bigger was cooking between Vector and M.I, who have been counterparts over the years.

Vector pulled the trigger by releasing a diss track for M.I titled ‘Tetracycline’ , this received so many comments from hip-hop lovers especially for the fact that Vector is one who has been able to maintain his stature as one of the best rapper Nigeria has got.

While we were still waiting for M.I to respond, Vector pulled the second shot at M.I, whoop!, it was just another huge shot again as Mr Incredible fans were off balance as they listened to the second track.

Still in the midst of Vector and MI’s diss, Davolee who got a shade from Blaqbones responded and didn’t just fire the shot at Blaqbones alone but also Dremo, Falz, Poe, Ycee, Vector.His reply was such an epic one as people ever expected that he would kill so many birds with just one stone.

He mentioned how Blaqbones is just disrespectful, how Falz isn’t worthy of being a lyricist, how Ycee career went down, how Poe can’t drop hits, how vector delved into commercial music while challenging Dremo to battle him if he can.

However, Dremo actually did!, He replied with a diss track titled ‘Scape Goat’, the album art alone spoke so many messages and the lyrical prowess was just waow. He said in one his lines that he would turn Davolee to a mini-davolee, and how Davolee wears fake chains.

In less than 24hours, Davolee responded and said Dremo has used his glory to gather IG Followers who will still come for his funeral and asked if he bought the 30BG-Ice with his money, he also praised Davido for uplifting Dremo.

The whole thing got interesting when M.I responded to Vector’s diss tracks in a song titled ‘Viper’. He was so strategic to have released it on World Teachers’ day, creating an impression that he wants to school vector.

He made it known in the song that he didn’t do a diss track but a compassion, he repeatedly called Vector’s first name ‘Lanre’ in the song like he was referring to his son.

M.I also stated in his song that the fact that his son is taller than him doesn’t mean he won’t prostrate, recall that Vector had earlier shaded M.I for his height in the second diss track.

All these made Nigerians and music lovers give so much attention to Hip-Hop again in the country. It would be worthy of being noted that Rappers have delved into commercial music in order to make ends meet because they believe Nigerians don’t appreciate rap, however, with this, one would be left with no choice than to Say the real Hip-Hop is still alive.

Hip-hop has always been about rap battle, diss tracks, just for the fun of it, to create entertainment for the fans and have the fans anticipate their favourite rappers’ next diss track.

It already looked like the real Hip-Hop has been killed due to the stakeholders leaving the scene to another genre of music but with the latest development; Hip-Hop has resurrected again in the Nigerian music industry.

Nigeria To Host 2019 African Netpreneurs Conference

Nigeria will host the 2019 African Netpreneurs Conference between Tuesday, October 22, and Thursday, October 24.

The African Netpreneurs Conference is a gathering of elite digital business professionals hosted by the American Internet Business School.

Themed “Maximizing Business Profits In The Global Marketplace”, the three-day conference will hold at the prestigious Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Business executives and digital business experts from the USA, Europe, and Africa confirmed to train at the workshop include Victory Akpomedaye, Founder/CEO, Supreme Web Solutions. Akpomedaye is also a specialist in Affiliate Marketing and Product Creation. He is also acknowledged as one of the Top Affiliate Marketers and Digital Product Launchers out of Africa, with multiple 6-figure launches already to his credit in 2019.

Also storming the conference is Ifiok Nkem, President/CEO, Snapilabs Limited. Nkem is also a reputed web consultant, author, and prolific digital product creator. As one of the most sought after web consultants in Africa, Nkem has been involved in over 700 projects and has consulted for high net worth individuals, businesses and corporations including the governments of Nigeria and Angola.

Another seasoned professional who will also be training at the event is Mayowa Owolabi, the CEO of GTEXT Media Group and Investment Limited, an organisation reputed for Digital Marketing Consultancy. GTEXT Media Group and Investment Limited is one of the leading firms in Nigeria with a record of excellence in areas of digital marketing, website design, bulk SMS, e-commerce, and real estate.

Segun Ogundele, President/CEO, FastPlus Innovation is one of Nigeria’s Finest Top Internet Marketers with over 10years of experience in online marketing. He will also be at the conference. A highly respected Internet Marketer, Speaker, Author, and I.T Consultant he has empowered over 20,000 Africans within nine years.

Ogunlede also takes credit for also being a software creator, a product launcher and Affiliate Marketer with over 10 Software launches including OmniEngine, FB Engagr, Shoplez, RankFlux, EzyAgency, EzyStore & EcomSuite to mention a few.

Other trainers who will storm the event are Adetunji Gbolagade, Stephen Akintayo, Mrs. Bisi Akintayo, and Patrick Enyum.

The 2019 African Netpreneurs Conference though open to all is purpose-built for Entrepreneurs, Business Consultants, Internet Marketers, Corporate Executives, Brand Managers, Professional Freelancers, Advertising Agencies, Politicians and Government Agencies, Churches and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO).

Training focus areas include Winning Strategies For Maximizing The Internet For Your Business, Achieving Your Financial Dreams in E-commerce and Mini-Importation, Leveraging The Power Of Affiliate Networks To Multiply Your Sales And Increase Profits, Proximity Marketing Dor Local Businesses In The New Digital Economy among others.

The American Internet Business School, host of the conference is an online learning school that specializes in providing training and education for people on how to do business on the internet.

Dr. Ope Banwo, founder of the school has organized many Internet Business Empowerment Workshops, Digital Works Initiatives, Bootcamps and Training Programs for thousands of youths all over the world in the last seven years.

He is currently the Chief Executive, Netpreneur Success Academy, and CEO at American Internet Business School where people are taught how to set up their internet business for profit.

For more information visit:http:NetpreneursConference.com