Ecobank Nigeria has concluded plans to step up awareness on non-communicable diseases particularly diabetes to commemorate this year Ecobank Day. Ecobank Day is a special day set aside every year by Ecobank Group, for management and staff of the bank to embark on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities that impact its immediate environment and people.
This year’s theme is ‘Take Action Against Diabetes’ It is scheduled for Wednesday 18th November at 11amJoin live event . Two specialists on Diabetes, Dr. Mosunmoluwa Obafemi Adio, Consultant Endocrinologist, Presidential Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) at UCH, Ibadan, & currently a Consultant Endocrinologist With Evercare and Dr. Mazeedat Erinosho, Public Health Practitioner & Director, Saving One Million Lives Programme, Ministry of Health, Lagos State, who will speak on how best to maintain a healthy lifestyle as a Diabetic patient and new breaks on the dreaded disease. Also, a survivor will share his life experience. 2020 Ecobank Day events are being held virtually, to ensure safety from Covid-19. Registration is through
Patrick Akinwuntan, Managing Director, Ecobank Nigeria, said “At Ecobank we take great pride in our commitment to ‘giving back’ to our communities and since 2013 we have held our annual Ecobank Day as our flagship event to do so. It is a day on which Ecobankers voluntarily give up their free time to help deserving causes and is also a focus for the Bank to make donations. Each year, a specific cause is supported, and these include education, maternal healthcare, safe water supplies, malaria prevention and cancer screening”. He noted that the pan African bank last year decided to focus on raising awareness and helping to prevent Non-Communicable Diseases as a three-year campaign with this year focusing on Diabetes.
Biyi Olagbami, Chief Risk Officer, Ecobank Nigeria, said “We all need to do everything that we can to raise awareness to help prevent Diabetes and the other NCDs in Nigeria. Regrettably, most people don’t know that they have it. It can cause all sorts of complications, including kidney damage, sight loss, amputation of feet and even premature death.” Olagbami, who also doubles as the lead CSR champion for Ecobank Nigeria disclosed that planned activities aimed at raising awareness about Diabetes, include informational webinars and controlled screening in strict adherence to measures outlined by the government to combat the spread of Covid-19. He added that donations will also be extended to credible organisations for training healthcare professional, equipping care structures, field monitoring and evaluation, advocacy.
Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun has commended the management of Ecobank Nigeria for donating rural health tricycle ambulances to the state, saying the gesture will go a long way in complementing government’s efforts on primary healthcare delivery. The presentation was made at the Governor’s office, Oke-mosan, Abeokuta during a courtesy call on Governor Dapo Abiodun by some members of Ecobank Nigeria Executive Management Team last week.
According to him, the bank’s donation speaks directly to government’s plan to ensure that healthcare is available to all citizens in the state, noting that most people in the state live in rural areas that are not accessible to the regular ambulance services.
“On behalf of the entire people and government of Ogun state, we express our very deep and sincere appreciation to the board and management of Ecobank for thinking through and supporting us with this ambulance that is built on a frame of a tricycle. It is an ingenious innovation, I must say. We appreciate you for this gift. Most of our people reside in the nooks and crannies, where vehicles cannot access easily. So, this is a gift we appreciate and will go a long way in assisting healthcare delivery particularly our pregnant women in the rural area.”
The Governor further solicited for more collaboration and partnership with Ecobank in other sectors of the state’s economy.
Speaking in the same light, the state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Tomi Coker, commended Ecobank for the donation, saying that the ambulances would further help to address the issue of maternal mortality in the state.
According to her, “We are extremely grateful to Ecobank’s leadership for this. It is part of our vision to reduce mortality rate as well as increase the life expectancy of Ogun state people. This is going to help us achieve this aim, though our state is one of the states in the country that has low maternal mortality rate. We can also use this for other non-communicable disease patients that need transfer. On behalf of all the citizens of Ogun state, I thank everyone here for coming to witness this occasion.”
Making the presentation, Managing Director, Ecobank Nigeria, Patrick Akinwuntan said the donation is a way of supporting the efforts of the government at delivering primary healthcare to the people, noting that the ambulance is designed to reach people at the grassroots.
“On behalf of the board, management and staff of Ecobank, it is our pleasure to present this ambulance fitted for grassroots, so that health services can reach every door step in Ogun state. This is also to complement government’s effort in this regard. We are honoured to have had the cooperation of your ministry of health, headed by Dr. Tomi Coker. To the glory of God and in service to humanity; we are pleased to present this to you.”
Other members of the bank’s visiting Executive Management Team include the Executive Director, Commercial Banking, Carol Oyedeji ; Head, Consumer Banking, Korede Demola- Adeniyi; Segment Head, Public Sector/AgriBusiness, Mojisola Oguntoyinbo; Regional Head, South West/Mid-West, Christopher Olusola; Regional Manager, Public Sector, South West/Mid-West, Victor Inyang and Business Manager, Abeokuta branch, Olusegun Makinde.
The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Friday, November 13, 2020, unveiled the first Nigerian electric car named Hyundai Kona.
The car, which is a product of Stallion Group, was launched at the VON Automobiles Nigeria in Ojo, Lagos State where the car was manufactured.
The new Kona, an Electric car is regarded in European motoring industry as the world’s number one, with the cost, put at about N24 million
While speaking during the unveiling of the product, Sanwo-Olu observed that VON has over 40 to 50 years of vehicle manufacturing history, when they were assembling various Volkswagen products.
The governor was full of commendation for Stallion Group for the noble initiative, just as he promised that Lagos State Government will make provisions for electricity charging points for the vehicle across the state, to make it easy for users to enjoy their Electric Vehicles (EV).
Hyundai Kona
The Governor also promised the completion of the Lagos-Badagry Expressway, which was started under the administration of former governor of the state, Babatunde Fasola, in order to facilitate business activities in the state.
Sanwo-Olu said, “Lagos-Badagry Expressway which has been expanded from 2 to 10 lanes will soon be complete, we are not rushing the road; we are building a first-class road construction project.’’
The Managing Director, VON Automobiles, Mr Rohtagi Manish, while explaining the essence of the launch, pointed out that Kona will change things positively in the Nigerian auto market.
According to Manish, the changes in global temperature and weather patterns are seen today are caused by human activity. Kona, he said, is one way to respond to the global weather challenges, so as to achieve a greener environment.
This appears to be a huge boost for the promoters of more environmentally friendly automobile and subsequently promote a green environment. This will also help to drive the Federal Government’s efforts to shift focus from petrol-based automobile to vehicles with a cheaper source of energy.
First Bank of Nigeria Limited, Nigeria’s premier and leading financial inclusion services provider has announced that its mobile banking application, FirstMobile, has been awarded the 2020 Best Mobile Banking App award 2020 in the Global Finance Best Digital Bank Awards 2020. The achievement of this feat is largely attributable to the Bank’s relative strength and success of its web products and services, notably FirstMobile.
Speaking on the 2020 Global Finance awards Joseph D. Giarraputo, publisher and editorial director of Global Finance said; “This year, a global pandemic accelerated the transition to digital banking, but forward-thinking banks were already on that road. The Digital Bank Awards hone in on the institutions that are leading the shift toward a new world of banking.”
According to Global Finance, winning banks were selected based on various criteria, including strength of strategy for attracting and servicing digital customers, success in getting clients to use digital offerings, growth of digital customers, breadth of product offerings, evidence of tangible benefits gained from digital initiatives, and web/mobile site design and functionality. winners chosen from entries evaluated by a world-class panel of judges at Infosys, a global leader in consulting, technology and outsourcing. The editors of Global Finance were responsible for the final selection of all winners.
Appreciating the award on behalf of the Bank, Gbenga Shobo, Deputy Managing Director, FirstBank said “the Global Finance 2020 Best Mobile Banking App award is testament to our continuous commitment to putting our customers first which was demonstrated in our recent upgrade of the leading mobile banking application, FirstMobile. The upgrade on FirstMobile is designed to suit the social pattern and lifestyle of all our customers.
“We dedicate this award to all customers and appreciate Global Finance for the recognition.”
Only recently, Global Business Outlook awarded FirstMobile with the 2019 Best Mobile Banking App.
Access Bank has restated commitment to deliver superior service to its customers.
The Bank in a statement said it is concerned by the inconvenience that some of its customers are currently experiencing and would play its part to ensure that they have access to their accounts as quickly as possible.
“We want to express our sympathy for the inconvenience that eight of our customers are going through due to the restrictions on their accounts as mandated by a Federal court order. We are eager for this to be resolved as soon as possible.”
The Bank noted that “It is common knowledge that we and the entire banking industry are regulated entities and therefore operate under the authority of our regulators and law enforcement agencies. As such we are compelled to comply with regulatory directives”.
“While acknowledging the concern of all well-meaning parties, we urge that enquiries and views be channeled to the relevant regulatory and judicial agencies where the matter is receiving attention. It is therefore surprising that some individuals still choose to target Access Bank in a negative manner despite not being the source of the action.
The Bank has always been at the forefront of innovative efforts in support of the development of our country. We embrace this role as we are also the largest employer of labour – a sizable number of which are youth.
Access Bank has always led the way with regard to support for young Nigerians in terms of capacity building and development of SMEs. Recall that Access Bank launched an initiative to boost the creative industry with loan facilities aimed at capacity building and employment for individuals and businesses in movie production and distribution, fashion, IT and music. Our commitment also extends to the support of small business owners through initiatives that provide access to finance for growth and expansion.
We continue to be concerned by the inconvenience that our affected customers are experiencing. We stand ready to play our part to remedy the situation and have them using their accounts as quickly as possible.
The PS5 is finally here and while games are undoubtedly the most important part of any console launch, the PS5’s new user interface is a treasure trove of pretty cool new options. We had an in-depth look at the options and found a few tips and tricks to help supercharge your PlayStation experience.
Some are handled seamlessly during set-up but others are buried in a mountain of settings and options. We thought it was worth breaking down.
Here’s what we think is worth doing when you first turn on your PS5, to help tailor your PS5 experience to your own specific preferences.
PlayStation 5
1. Check out your privacy settings
During the initial PS5 set-up you’ll be asked to select from a series of four different privacy settings with names like “Social and Open” or “Solo and Focused”. It’s essentially letting you control your online profile and what others can see.
But those settings can be broken down further within those categories, giving you complete control over whether you’ll show up in search results, or who can add you as a friend, etc.
These settings can be found under the “Users and Accounts” tab in settings.
2. Select your power settings
The PS5 gives you the ability to better control how much power your PS5 is pulling, mostly when you put it into “rest mode”. As with the privacy settings, you’ll be able to choose between profiles during set-up, with presets that can be broken down further if you feel like diving deeper. Those presets determine how long it takes for your PS5 to power down when idle and also whether or not the console will automatically download updates — very useful if you want to avoid the dreaded system update when you want to play something online.
3. Mess around with HDR sliders
If you have a TV that’s HDR capable, you’ll definitely want to make sure you have these settings right.
Again, the PS5 allows you to tinker with the contrast and brightness during set-up but, personally, I went back and forth with these settings a few times, mainly because if you change the settings on your TV after set-up (say, to a Game Mode) those HDR settings will be affected. It makes sense to go back and optimize. Especially if you’re as picky about picture quality as I am! (I’ve spent an embarrassing amount of time fixing these settings.)
4. Experiment with the sub-menu
Possibly my favourite parts of the PS5’s UI is the sub-menu you can bring up whilst in-game. Basically if you push the big PlayStation button in the middle of the controller this sub-menu pops up in game. Very nifty.
Older consoles have had some variation of this feature for a while now, but I’m a huge fan of the PS5’s version. It’s unobtrusive, subtle and allows for customization.
You can access settings, mess around with sound levels and add additional devices like headphones. You can even link your Spotify account and choose music from the sub-menu. VR options are also available from here, which will be a big help for those trying to fix VR issues on the fly.
You can easily switch between recently played games in this sub-menu as well, negating the need to go to the homepage to start a new game.
But my favourite part: It’s possible to customize your sub menu. You can even add the PS5’s accessibility options to the sub, which I’d imagine will be incredibly helpful for disabled gamers.
5. Choose between performance and resolution
Those of you with a PS4 Pro will most likely be aware that games are going a bit PC. Games like God of War and Horizon Zero Dawn let you choose whether you’d prefer the PS4 Pro focus its extra processing power on resolution or performance (which essentially means frame-rate).
Personally, I always prefer a focus on performance over resolution. And if you have a TV that doesn’t do 4K, you’ll definitely prefer performance over resolution.
Either way, to save you the hassle of selecting your preferences anew with each game, the PS5 allows you to select a default choice in the settings. Head to Saved Data Game/App settings and select game presets.
6. Pick your default difficulty
In the game presets section, there’s a lot of good stuff — you can even choose which difficulty you prefer as a default.
Personally, that’s not something I’d be doing. I reckon game difficulty is way too subjective and differs wildly between games. But I know there are folks out there that like to immediately crank to the toughest setting straight away and, vice versa, people who just like to play games for the story.
7. Check your controller settings and have a tinker
This is an absolute must.
This isn’t exactly a new thing, but the PS5 lets you set up default controller settings that are applicable to all games. First and foremost, you can make “invert” your default on first-person shooters or in third-person games with camera controls.
I am constantly having to dive into game settings to change that, so that’s a must for me.
You’ve probably heard that the PS5 DualSense controller is a big leap forward in terms of its adaptive triggers and vibrate functions. You can also make changes to the intensity of the effect. Personally I wouldn’t touch it. I’m very happy with the default, but it’s there if you want to tweak it.
8. Choose your spoiler settings
I couldn’t believe this one exists but it does!
You can actually control the level of spoilers you will see when navigating through the PlayStation Store. You can select between eliminating “all” potential spoilers, or eliminating spoilers as determined by the developers of the game.
So if you happen to be incredibly sensitive to spoilers, you can head to the Saved Data Game/App section of the settings and click on Game Presets. The option is in there.
Alibaba’s Singles Day sales were over $74 billion, the Chinese retail giant reported shortly after midnight.
Singles Day on November 11, or Double 11, is a Chinese shopping holiday started by online retailer Alibaba to celebrate single people, in opposition to Valentine’s Day, although the day mostly revolves around the online deals available. Sales each year surpass Black Friday and Cyber Monday combined, making it the world’s single largest shopping event.
This year, Alibaba has adopted some of the same strategy as US retailers around Black Friday, expanding the sale. Some sales started between November 1-3, including American brands like Adidas, Nike, and Apple. Alibaba didn’t release sales numbers for the first Singles Day window, but it said in a statement that sales “indicate strong consumption rebound and higher-than-ever demand in China.”
Alibaba Group Executive vice chairman Joe Tsai said in a livestreamed event that the Chinese economy has bounced back to pre-pandemic levels, pointing to the 17% growth year over year of ecommerce in China. As of 11 p.m. in China, US businesses passed $5 billion in sales, the most of any country outside of China.
L-R- Victor Amakwe, Group Head, Private Wealth Management; Christiana Chukwu; Idowu Ilesanmi, both winners in the social media challenge of recitation of National Pledge in Pidgin English; and Cynthia Ndukuba, Head, Head Office Compliance Assurance, Compliance and Transaction Assurance during N1million cheque presentations to four winners of the videos recitation of “National Pledge” in Pidgin English, in celebration of Nigeria @ 60th at the bank’s head office.
Heritage Bank Plc, Nigeria’s Most Innovative Banking Service provider has rewarded the winners of the rendition of the October 1st National Pledge in Pidgin English in celebration of Nigeria’s 60th Independence Anniversary.
The four patriotic Nigerians, who emerged as the winners are Idowu Ilesanmi (Lagos); Christiana Chukwu (Lagos); Onovo Chukwuebuka (Edo) and Paul Eze (Abuja) received cash prize of N250, 000 each.
The bank slated an online competition for customers to make videos recitation of them presenting the “National Pledge” in Pidgin English and the four best videos were rewarded with total cash prize of N1million.
This was to commemorate the independence and inculcate patriotic spirit in the citizens on the importance to reflect on the past, what led them here and the bright future that awaits Nigerians.
Speaking on the reasons why they participated in the online pidgin language competition, Ilesanmi, one of the winners said having being brought up in Benin City where Pidgin English is natural to them and adopted by all and sundry hence, it was golden opportunity to participate as a patriotic Nigerian.
He commended Heritage Bank for the initiative, as Ilesanmi disclosed that the information of the competition was sourced from a colleague’s page owing to the fact that he was never a customer to the bank.
He advised that, young people should grab opportunities such as this which speaks to something they would do and get rewarded for. “Anyone who is interested in things that will encourage them to do what they have interest in, then Heritage Bank is where they should be,” Ilesanmi stated.
Another winner, Christiana Chukwu also appreciated Heritage Bank for picking her as a winner and she mentioned being fascinated with the Bank’s online applications in the likes of HB Padie and *745#, which has made transactions easier and seamless to her and other customers.
In a statement by the Divisional Head, Corporate Communications/Product Management, Fela Ibidapo said that the bank considered use of Pidgin English as a marker of identity and solidarity, also as means to promote local content use of language.
He affirmed that the importance of reciting the National Pledge in Pidgin English would help invoke in every individual their national pride of love, devotion and sense of attachment to out fathers’ land and alliance with every citizen who share same sentiment. This attachment could be a combination of different feelings relating to the country in terms of socio-cultural, ethnic, political and historical interests.
He reiterated, “We are not just excited, but we are also reflecting on what our commitment as individuals has been to our great country Nigeria. Looking inwards at our journey over the last 60years, we believe as an institution that this is the best time to reflect on the National Pledge and what it means to us as a Nation.”
To this end, Heritage Bank championed the movement to keep our commitment as a nation by rewarding those who recited the “National Pledge” in various creative ways.
L-R- Victor Amakwe, Group Head, Private Wealth Management; Christiana Chukwu, winner in the social media challenge of recitation of National Pledge in Pidgin English; and Cynthia Ndukuba, Head, Head Office Compliance Assurance, Compliance and Transaction Assurance during N1million cheque presentations to four winners of the videos recitation of “National Pledge” in Pidgin English, in celebration of Nigeria @ 60th at the bank’s head office.L-R- Victor Amakwe, Group Head, Private Wealth Management; Idowu Peace Ilesanmi, winner in the social media challenge of recitation of National Pledge in Pidgin English; and Cynthia Ndukuba, Head, Head Office Compliance Assurance, Compliance and Transaction Assurance during N1million cheque presentations to four winners of the videos recitation of “National Pledge” in Pidgin English, in celebration of Nigeria @ 60th at the bank’s head office.
BUA Cement, on Tuesday, said it never received any blanket approval to export cement through the Nigerian land borders at a time the borders were closed. The company said it was only granted a limited approval to export some cement to Niger Republic, which is 100kms from its plant, and this was disclosed in the company’s half-year results.
The clarification comes amid revelations that rival Dangote Cement got approval from the Nigerian government to export cement through some of Nigeria’s land borders at a time the borders were closed.
Earlier on Tuesday, PREMIUM TIMES reported how details emerged that despite the border closure policy put in place, the Nigerian government had allowed Dangote Cement to resume cement export across its land borders.
According to Bloomberg, President Muhammadu Buhari‘s administration gave its authorisation for Africa’s biggest producer to export cement to Niger and Togo in the third quarter for the first time in ten months.
The revelations were made by Michel Puchercos, chief executive officer of Dangote Cement, on an investor call in Lagos.
The revelation sparked outrage on social media Tuesday, as many Nigerians questioned the rationale for granting such approval to selected businesses while other businesses suffer the effect of the year-long blockade.
Stanbic IBTC founder, Atedo Peterside, questioned the rationale for granting such waivers to only a few businesses.
On Tuesday, the management of Dangote Group in its reaction described reports of the development as “misleading and mischievous”.
In a statement, Tuesday, the company said it was not the only company enjoying such privilege to move goods through the land borders.
Meanwhile, details emerged Tuesday that rival BUA Cement also received a similar waiver earlier in the year.
In an internal memo dated June 18th and signed by Dimka V.D, Custom Comptroller (Enforcement, Hqtrs) on behalf of Deputy Comptroller-General (E,I&I), the government approved the movement of BUA Cement trucks to Niger Republic.
“I am directed to forward herewith a letter from the Office of The National Security Adviser referenced NSA/227/C dates 17th June, 2020 on the above subject matter,” the memo reads.
“The trucks will exit and return through Illela Border station in Sokoto State. “Attached herewith is a list with names of drivers and truck license numbers and other relevant details for ease of reference.
“This is forwarded for information and strict compliance, please,” the memo addressed to Custom Zonal Coordinator in charge of Sokoto/Zamfara commands stated.
Reacting to reports about the memo Tuesday night, BUA Cement said the company did not enjoy express approval to export cement as reported in a section of the media.
In a telephone conversation with PREMIUM TIMES, the Group Head of Corporate Communications at BUA Group, O’tega Ogra, said the company only received “limited approval” to export.
“BUA Cement does not have any blanket approval to export and the Nigerian borders remain closed,” he said.
“BUA Cement was granted a limited approval to export some cement to Niger Republic (which is 100kms from our plant), and this was disclosed in our half-year results and presentations to the investing and general public.”
Similarly, a transcript of the company’s half-year results call made available to PREMIUM TIMES detailed how Yusuf Binji, the company’s MD/CEO, explained the export approval to investors and analysts earlier in the year.
When asked questions about the export, Mr Binji explained that during the month of June, the company received an approval for limited export to the Niger Republic from “our so-called Plant” through the Illela border which it carried out successfully.
“The Nigeria land borders still remain shut,” he said. “So this was a one-off thing we received but we hope to get more subsequently during this quarter.”
When asked if the company would get additional waivers, Mr Binji said the company was optimistic.
“For the exports, yes, we are very hopeful we are going to get more permits to carry our spares to the Niger Republic. Like I mentioned earlier, we were given a one-off thing for a limited quantity which we exhausted in June.
“But we are optimistic it’s going to continue during Q3 through the land border of Illela from Sokoto State into the Niger Republic.”
Speaking about the demand from Niger, Mr Binji said the company tried to make the Nigerian market its priority.
He said: “We have to satisfy the demand in Nigeria. What we are sending is the excess production that we have. So as long as we are not so clear about the actual demand in Nigeria, we would not be able to put a number or figure to how much we are going to export. So we will see and also we have to see when the restrictions are lifted and the borders are fully opened, because like I said, also it was a one-off thing we got and we hope to get more and with that, we cannot really say this is how much you are going to export.
“We are being given the approval in batches. Regarding the Benin Republic, no we don’t have any plans to export the Republic of Benin.” Asked to give full details of the export and approval, he said: “We exported 200 trucks. It came towards the last week of June. 200 trucks of 40 tonnes each, that is 8000 tonnes. That was the approval we got and we exported it fully.”
First Bank of Nigeria Limited, Nigeria’s premier and leading financial inclusion services provider, will host an SME webinar themed “Rebuilding your Business” by 10am on Tuesday, 10 November 2020 via Zoom meetings.
The event is organised in collaboration with FBN Insurance Brokers and FBN Quest with its discussants including: Tunde Owolabi, Group Executive, Retail Banking (Lagos & West), FirstBank; Olumide Ibidapo, MD/CEO FBNInsurance Brokers and Ijeoma Agboti, Managing Director, FBNQuest Funds.
As a brand committed to putting its stakeholders first, the SME Webinar is designed to empower the participants and promises to provide ways to access opportunities such as business financing, advisory, wealth preservation and appropriate business coverage. These opportunities are essential elements in the rebuilding and rebounding efforts, as well as safety of businesses, towards their continued contribution to national development.
Speaking on the event, Mr. Gbenga Shobo, Deputy Managing Director, FirstBank said “at FirstBank we identify with the indelible roles played by SMEs towards the continued growth of the Nigerian economy as without a doubt, they remain the engine of not just our economy but the global economy.”
“I enjoin every business owner to participate in this event in order to be enlightened with essential information to promote the safety and economic security of their business, especially at this time’’
Only recently, FirstBank partnered with the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF) in a matching fund scheme to cushion the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on low-cost private schools by ensuring lending at an attractive interest rate.
Since the start of the year, the Bank has held several SME events including; an SME Business Clinic train that moved from Lagos to Abuja and Port-Harcourt in February.
The Bank later embarked on virtual SME-based events, in order to adhere to the social distancing guideline essential to promoting the safety of every participant in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. These SME based webinars include SME Business Clinic in May as well as the SME Connect webinar to promote the growth of education sector held in July amongst others.
Interested participants are required to click here to register.
