The police in Kaduna on Thursday raided a home with over 300 people in Rigasa in the Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
The cops freed about 300 people who were chained in the house, including children.
They were said to be from Burkina Faso, Mali and other African countries, according to the force.
The children were said to have confessed to being abused homosexually.
Some of the others were said to have been subjected to daily recitation of the Holy Quran and prayers with torture.
According to Bello Hamza, a 42-year-old inmate, he was tricked to the centre by his family who are interested in taking “over my share of our inheritance.”
“I have spent three months here. I am supposed to be pursuing my Masters at the University of Pretoria in South Africa.
“This is supposed to be an Islamic centre, but trying to run away from here attracts severe punishment; they tie people and hang them to the ceiling. However, engaging in homosexuality attracts no punishment.”
The Kaduna State Commissioner for Police, Ali Janga, said, “We received information that something is going on in this rehabilitation centre or Islamic centre. On getting here, we discovered that this is neither a rehabilitation centre nor Islamic school.
“The man who is operating this home claimed that parents brought their children here for rehabilitation. But, from the look of things, this is not a rehabilitation centre. No reasonable parent will bring their children to this place.
The proprietor of the centre called Malam said all they did in the centre was the teaching of Islam.
He stated, “All those allegations of torture, degumanisation and homosexuality are false and mere allegations. We do nothing here other than teaching people Islam.”
African Freestyle Football (AFFC) Championship 2019 in collaboration with World Freestyle Football Association (WFFA) have commended Heritage Bank Plc for its pivotal role in enhancing youth development and engendering the Nigeria’s entertainment space on the world’s stage.
The 2019 African Freestyle Football Championship ended on a high note, with defending champion Abdul Titi Kone of Cote d’Ivoire emerging as the African Champion once again. This event marked the 2nd edition of the African Championship and the 3rd annual edition of the Nigerian Championship hosted by Feet ‘n’ Tricks International Limited. The final was a repeat of the 2018 championship, as Kone again defeated Egypt’s Yousef Mohamad just as he did in last year’s final while Ashley Mhkize of South Africa placed third.
In the female category, Evelyn Okafor (Nigeria), Hadhara Charles (Tanzania) and Augustina Unamba (Nigeria) placed first, second and third respectively.
This year’s edition accommodated at least 30 African countries that participated at the championship.
The Chairman of AFFC, Valentine Ozigbo, who commended bank for being at the forefront of promoting freestyle football for the past two years, said Heritage Bank is “always very innovative and supportive to the cause of entertainment and youth development.
According to him, these achievements would have been impossible without the extensive support of the official bankers (Heritage Bank) for the championship for two years running.
Speaking further, Ozigbo hinted, “since inception, Feet ‘n’ Tricks has been committed to promoting freestyle football talent to stardom and we haven’t relented. Through this platform, we have seen talented freestylers get a head start in life, travel to exciting places and represent our beloved continent doing what they know how to do best.”
The MD/CEO, Heritage Bank, Ifie Sekibo, said the bank has strong desire towards developing and positioning youths to become world-class citizens equipped and ready to be absorbed into an increasing competitive professional skills and endeavours.
Sekibo, who was represented by an Executive Director, Jude Monye advised the youths who were participants to adopt strong positive character to enable them take advantage of the platform being presented to them.
“One of the reasons why we chose, as an organization, to support the freestyle championship is to enhance youth development in sport and entertainment, which will empower them play vital roles in the socio-economic development of the country and help curb the high level of unemployment,” he stressed.
According to Sekibo, the drive to support youths seeks to create, preserve and transfer wealth across generations.
It is against the backdrop of the competition that Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) President, Amaju Pinnick, promised to give more support to the entertaining part of football.
“We need to encourage this entertaining part of football because what they are doing here is great. Freestyle is quite interesting, and I am happy with what I have seen so far.
“With this project, a goal has been achieved. I also want more ladies to come out and do freestyle football because it is highly entertaining and competitive.
“I will see to how we can give more support to freestyle football in the future,”he said.
Congratulating the Feet n Tricks team, Daniel Wood, Co-founder and Head of Global Partnerships, World Freestyle Football Association (WFFA) said, “Feet n Tricks have proven that they can produce world class events and we are so excited to be extending our partnership. We are fully committed to creating opportunities for young people and this event is to be the focus point for our sport in the continent of Africa.”
L-R: Dan Akpovwe, Publisher, Abuja Inquirer; Valentine Ozigbo, Chairman of Feet n Tricks Limited; Jude Monye, Executive Director, Heritage Bank Plc and Oluwafunmi Aloku, Head, Product Strategy and Business Solutions, Heritage Bank, during the 3rd edition of African Freestyle Football Competition 2019 in Lagos.L-R: Erlend Fagerli, Multiple World Champion, Freestyle Football (AFFC Judge); Valentine Ozigbo, Chairman of Feet ‘n’ Tricks Limited; Jude Monye, Executive Director, Heritage Bank Plc; Philip Gertsson, Sweden-based Norwegian-Filipino Football Freestyle (AFFC Judge) and Laura Biondo, first female freestyle to establish a Guinness World Record (AFFC Judge), during the 3rd edition of African Freestyle Football Competition 2019 in Lagos.
About one-third of African students studying in the U.S. are Nigerians, an official said on Wednesday.
The Cultural Affairs Officer of the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria, Malia Heroux, made this known during an education fair for Nigerian students seeking admission into American universities for undergraduate and graduate studies.
The fair, organised by the EducationUSA Advising Center, is to familiarise Nigerian students with scholarships in U.S. universities.
The event was attended by students from over 20 public and private schools in Abuja.
Some of the American institutions present were Millersville University, Columbia College Chicago, Calvin University, University of Illinois, University of Chicago, and Webster University.
According to Ms Heroux, about 13,000 Nigerians go to study in the USA yearly. She said about 39,000 African students study in the USA indicating Nigeria makes up about a third.
Also speaking, the Chargé d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy, Kathleen FitzGibbon, said the embassy assists the students in securing admission in universities in the United State.
She said the embassy helped to secure about $9 million worth of scholarship from colleges and universities last year.
“Individual universities in the USA gives scholarship, it is not us giving out the money as the government. In Abuja last year, the students got scholarship worth of $9 million and that is for Abuja alone,” she said.
She said there is a wide variety of programmes being offered in the U.S. and Nigeria universities.
“We also have people who come from the USA to study the Yoruba and Hausa language,” she said.
Students speak
Some of the students who interacted with PREMIUM TIMES said they attended with the hope of eventually security scholarships to study in the U.S.
A 16-year-old, Rhibetnan Plang, from Olumawu college said she hopes to go study in the U.S.
“I am here to look for schools that will have my course. I want to study public health. I grew up in Nigeria, I will like to move somewhere else,” she said.
Dudu Oluwapelumi, a 15-year-old from Government Science Secondary School Pyakasa-Maitama, said he wants to find a school that will have merit scholarship to study animal science.
The Federal Government has listed its latest issuances under the Federal Government of Nigeria Savings Bonds (FGNSB) on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE). The Federal Government listed two new issues totalling N295.94 million.
The listing of the sovereign bonds came a day after top-tier bank, Access Bank Plc, listed a corporate bond valued at N30 billion.
The new listings by the government included a two-year N91.11 million 11.15 per cent series 60 bond, which is expected to mature in September 2021 and a three-year N204.83 million 12.15 per cent bond due to mature in September 2022.
Access Bank listed a N30 billion seven-year 15.5 per cent fixed rate subordinated unsecured bond, which is due to mature in 2026.
The Federal Government had, in March 2017, introduced the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) Savings Bond (FGNSB) to woo retail investors to the sovereign debt market and deepen capital formation. The minimum subscription was fixed at N5,000 while the maximum was pegged at N50 million. With a fixed quarterly interest payment of above 13 per cent, the FGNSB offers guaranteed return.
United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc and the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry(LCCI), have assured small medium enterprises (SMEs) that the 2019 Lagos International Trade Fair will bring far reaching benefits that will help transform their businesses and take it to the next level.
UBA’s Head Group Consumer Retail Business, Mr. Jude Anele, who gave this assurance on Tuesday at a press conference to officially herald the 2019 Lagos international Trade Fair as well as unveil sponsors of the trade fair, said that Africa’s global bank has put in place various service offerings to guarantee that this year’s fair provides a veritable platform targeted at catalysing businesses to new highs.
He explained that the 33rd edition of Lagos International Trade Fair scheduled to commence on November 1st, 2019 is expected to provide an avenue for networking, trade and investment bound to boost business activities in Africa’s largest economy and by extension, Africa.
While ensuring that SMEs maximise their presence at the fair, Anele explained that UBA would provide uninterrupted banking services during the two-week event, and also provide advisory services to the small and medium entrepreneurs, which the bank realises is fundamental to achieving their business goals.
He said, “Worthy of mention is that merchants and entrepreneurs from other African countries and abroad would be able to conduct their transactions seamlessly without currency exchange hassles, using the extensive reach of UBA as a pan African bank with presence in key commercial capitals in the world,”
“We have realised that critical to the success of SMEs in Africa is not necessarily access to finance, but their understanding of business and accounting mechanisms, process and procedures critical to their growth and existence especially on e-commerce, tax management, and bookkeeping and access to funding, and these are issues which we are trying to address,” he said.
Speaking on the ease of payment during the event, especially with African companies from outside Nigeria, Anele disclosed that UBA has successfully put in place solutions that would see ease of payment within Africa. “UBA will be deploying state-of-art Point of Terminals(POS) configured towards ensuring merchants receive immediate values in currencies of their choice,” Anele assured.
The Bank further said that in line with its unflinching support to the growth of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), it has reached an agreement with the organisers of the fair to give 20% discount to its small and medium business customers who register to showcase their products and services at the fair.
A key activity at this year’s fair is the Africa Special Day, to be organised by UBA to promote Intra-African Trade. “At UBA, we believe that Africans must grow trade and investment amongst themselves. In pursuits of that goal, Africa Special Day will seek for the promotion of trade and investment among African countries.”
Also speaking, the Chairman, Trade Promotion Board, Mr. Gabriel Idahosa promised that the 33rd edition of West Africa’s flagship fair would bring utmost value to entrepreneurs and businesses in Nigeria and beyond as he acknowledged the massive support being provided by corporate organisations such as UBA
“At UBA, we have chosen a suitable partner with extensive reach on the continent with capacity to engineer a seamless financial transaction expected of international trade fair of this magnitude,” he said.
Speaking further on the partnership with UBA, he said: “The LCCI and UBA has partnered to give exciting services to visitors and exhibitors at the fair. UBA is a foremost Pan African financial institution operating in 20 African countries, the United Kingdom and the USA and France, thus offering unique services to the delight of visitors and exhibitors during the fair.”
According to Idahosa, 40,000 square metres of exhibition spaces are available with over 2,000 exhibitors from 16 African countries and 200 foreign exhibitors expected in Lagos.
l-r: Chairman, Operations Committee, Trade Commission Board, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry(LCCI) Engr. Ojo Banjoko; Head, SME Sales, Airtel Nigeria, Toyin Seriki; Chairman, Trade Promotion Board and Vice-President, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry(LCCI), Mr Gabriel Idahosa; and Group Head, Consumer and Retail Banking, United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, Mr. Jude Anele; at the Press Conference organised by LCCI, the headline partner, UBA Plc with other partners, on the upcoming Lagos International Trade Fair 2019 in Lagos on Tuesdayr-l: Group Head, Consumer and Retail Banking, United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, Mr. Jude Anele; Chairman, Trade Promotion Board and Vice-President, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry(LCCI), Mr Gabriel Idahosa; and Head, SME Sales, Airtel Nigeria, Toyin Seriki, at the Press Conference organised by LCCI, the headline partner, UBA Plc with other partners, on the upcoming Lagos International Trade Fair 2019 in Lagos on TuesdayChairman, Trade Promotion Board and Vice-President, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry(LCCI), Mr Gabriel Idahosa and Group Head, Consumer and Retail Banking, United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, Mr. Jude Anele, at the Press Conference organised by LCCI and the headline partner, UBA Plc, on the upcoming Lagos International Trade Fair 2019 in Lagos on Tuesday
It was a night filled with magnificence and splendor as music lovers and fun seekers were treated to topnotch entertainment at the Zenith Bank Aspire Music Festival which held on Saturday, September 21, 2019 at the Harbour Point Event Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos.
The musical festival lived up to its billing as the most anticipated entertainment event of the year, as the audience were treated to electrifying and captivating musical performances by Nigeria’s top artistes including Olamide, Flavour, Phyno, Niniola, Mayorkun and Rema.
Also on hand to anchor the event and thrill the audience with rib-cracking jokes was Kenny Black, while celebrity hypeman, Do2dtun, revved up the crowd throughout the night.
Indeed, the crowd could not have asked for a better and more enthralling night as the artistes took to the stage one after the other treating the audience to their major hit songs. From Olamide’s rave-of-the-moment song “Pawon” to Rema’s “Dumebi”, Niniola’s Maradona, Mayorkun’s “Mama”, Phyno’s “Fada Fada” and Flavour’s “Ada Ada”, the audience well held spellbound throughout the night and got real value for their time.
The breathtaking festival, which is one of a series of events lined up by Zenith Bank to usher in “Style by Zenith 2.0”, the bank’s annual lifestyle fair which takes place towards the end of the year, will no doubt linger in people’s memories for many years to come.
Nigeria’s sustainability champion, Access Bank Plc., today launched the Global Principles for Responsible Banking as one of the Founding Signatories alongside other global banks. This is a further commitment to strategically align its business with the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.
By signing the Principles, Access Bank is demonstrating its commitment towards using its products and services to support and accelerate positive changes in both local and international economies as well as promote lifestyles necessary to achieve shared prosperity for both current and future generations.
Herbert Wigwe, the Group Managing Director of Access Bank Plc., stressed the need for continued collaboration and long-term approach to sustainability, recognising the benefits of sustainable banking and the positive effect it has on the Bank and society.
“There is a greater need now, more than ever, to promote sustainability in the global financial sector. This is therefore the right time to launch the Global Principles for Responsible Banking. At Access Bank, we are committed to setting standards and engendering innovative solutions that address social, economic and environmental challenges. We believe that the Sustainable Development Goals will be better achieved if we can work together, using these Principles as a guide,” he said.
As expressed in the Global Principles for Responsible Banking, Access Bank is convinced that humans and businesses can only thrive in an inclusive society founded on human dignity, equality and the sustainable use of natural resources.
The official launch of the principles which marked the beginning of the most significant partnership to date between the global banking industry and the UN held at the start of the United Nations General Assembly.
“The UN Principles for Responsible Banking are a guide for the global banking industry to respond to, drive and benefit from a sustainable development economy. The Principles create the accountability that can realize responsibility, and the ambition that can drive action,” said UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres.
With increasing concerns about climate change leading to a shift in the perception of climate risk among financial institutions and investors, Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme(UNEP) urged financial institutions to adopt adequate risk management planning, saying:
“A banking industry that plans for the risks associated with climate change and other environmental challenges can not only drive the transition to low-carbon and climate-resilient economies, it can benefit from it. When the financial system shifts its capital away from resource-hungry, brown investments to those that back nature as solution, everybody wins in the long-term.”
The Principles for Responsible Banking will provide Access Bank with an effective framework to systematically identify and seize new business opportunities created by the emerging sustainable development economy, while at the same time enabling the Bank to effectively identify and address related risks.
Peter Obi, former governor of Anambra state, says Chris Ngige, minister of labour and employment, achieved little when he governed Anambra.
Obi said what Ngige achieved as governor of the state cannot be compared to his records in his eight years of leadership.
The vice-presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said this while reacting to comments credited to the minister in which he reportedly said Obi did not construct quality roads in the state after succeeding him as governor.
But in a statement issued by Valentine Obienyem, his spokesman, Obi said Ngige achieved “little or nothing” when he governed Anambra for about 32 months.
“Over 90 per cent of the roads, Ngige mentioned he built were done in his Local Government Area,” he said.
“Knowing the importance of road maintenance, shortly before he left, Obi set up the Anambra State Road Maintenance Agency with full compliments of brand new equipment.”
He said unlike Ngige, he patronised local contractors in the state and “left over N4bn in the ministry of works for road maintenance before he handed over”.
“Where will the comparison start? Is it health, where Ngige did nothing? Is it education, where Ngige did nothing? Is it commerce and industry, where Ngige did nothing?” the statement added.
“Is it the provision of infrastructure, where all he did was to cause the burning down of the state? Is it our relationship with donor agencies? Where? What is most condemnable in Ngige’s attacks are the lies he tells just to bring Obi down.”
Sylvester Ngwuta, a supreme court justice who faced trial for corruption, has resumed his official duties.
Ngwuta, who has been absent from the bench since 2016, was seen at a ceremony on Monday in Abuja, where the title of senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN) will be conferred on 36 lawyers.
He is the third most senior judge on the bench of the apex court. Bode Rhodes-Vivour is the second most senior while Ibrahim Muhammad, chief justice of Nigeria (CJN), is the first.
In October 2016, Ngwuta’s home in Abuja was raided by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS).
The secret police claimed it found hard currencies believed to be proceeds of corruption in his residence.
He was asked to step aside from his duties, though his salary was not stopped, to face charges of money laundering brought against him at a federal high court in Abuja.
He also faced charges of false asset declaration at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT). But both cases were dismissed in 2018.
The charges were dismissed based on a judgement of the appeal court which held that serving judges cannot be prosecuted until they have been disciplined by the National Judicial Council (NJC).
However, the CCT overruled itself on this precedent in the case of Walter Onnoghen, former chief justice of Nigeria (CJN).
Onnoghen was found guilty and convicted of false asset declaration in April – without discipline or recommendation by the NJC.
At least 36 cows were reportedly struck dead at Oke Owa in Ijare community, Ifedore local government area of Ondo state during the weekend.
According to a community source, the cows were killed by lightning shortly after they strayed to a mountain where the monarch of the town makes sacrifices on an annual basis.
A resident said Adebamigbe Kokotiri, the monarch, accompanied by his chiefs, carry out yearly sacrifice on the mountain described as a secluded place.
Speaking with reporters through Wemimo Olaniran, one of his chiefs, Kokotiri described the incident as an act of God.
The Sapetu of Ijare said the herdsmen had been destroying their farmland for a very long time which had led to confrontation on many occasions.
“We were there this morning and we saw about 36 cows dead apart from the one inside the bush. It has happened and there is nothing we can do, we regards it as the act of God which nobody can query,” he said.
“There had been occasions like that but not as massive we are having it now, to some individuals who desecrated the land. In the past we did witnessed thunderbolt attack, when you desecrated any part of Ijare particularly the sacred places.
“The dead cows will be there forever; it is part of the history in our land for people to see as testimony in future that such a thing happens, a whole Oba buried there live and heaven did not fall talk less of ordinary cows.
“Oke-Owa is a sacred hill where the Oba and some of his chiefs visited once a year during new yam festival to offer sacrifices on behalf of the community. Even those chiefs accompanying the Oba must not go to the inner part of the hill because there is a particular place where only the Oba have to enter and spend a night.
“This is a hill that the herdsmen wanted to desecrate with their herds. It is a taboo. When we heard about the incident, we invited the herdsmen and they confirmed that it was lightning that struck the cows.
“We went to the police station to report the matter and the Divisional Police Officer was contacted before chiefs including myself went there.
“Those cows would remain there and rotten because nobody must touch them otherwise there would be problem.”
