The Polytechnic of Ibadan has confirmed an attack by suspected armed robbers on the institution’s staff quarters in the early hours of Monday.
The Public Relations Officer of the institution, Mr Soladoye Adewole confirmed the incident in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ibadan.
The attack occurred at about 12:30 a.m at the North campus of the polytechnic.
A lecturer in the Department of Biology, Mr Okedara Emmanuel, who was injured during the attack was rushed to the University College Hospital, Ibadan for treatment.
Adewole said that no life was lost while the lecturer, who had gunshot wounds, is responding to treatment.
The matter has been reported to the police and security has been scaled up at the campus, he added.
Tukur Buratai Research Centre Expands To Nasawara State
Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State, the Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, Alhaji Abdul Samad Isyaku Rabiu, Chairman, Bua group and other dignitaries, on Saturday, December 18, witnessed the laying of the foundation for Tukur Buratai Research Centre, Gora, Nasarawa State.
The foundation laying ceremony and fundraising for the Tukur Buratai Institute of Security and Strategic Studies & Peace and Conflict Resolution happened at the Tukur and Tukur Snakes Farm at Uke, Nasarawa State.
This is contained in a statement signed by Brigadier General Sani Kukasheka Usman, Ret’d and made available to newsmen.
According to the statement, governor Sule laid the foundation for the multi-million Naira Tukur Yusuf Buratai Research Centre, TBRC, and this has partly addressed the quest for modern and sustainable security research centres in the country.
In his speech, the Comrade Vice Chancellor of Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Professor Suleiman Bala Mohammed, noted that NSUK is accredited as one of the fastest-growing state universities in the country.
He added that the event marked a new stride in the trajectory of NSUK, apart from the introduction of the Faculty of Engineering and College of Medical Sciences.
The former Chief of Army Staff and Ambassador, Lt. General Tukur Buratai who was the host of the occasion remarked that the institute will further chart a new course for resolving security issues that confront the country at large.
The event had in attendance the Executive Governor of Nasarawa state, Abdullahi A Sule, the Chief of Defence Staff, Chief of Air Staff, Distinguished Senators Ali Ndume and Abdullahi Adamu, chairman of BUA Group, Emir of Keffi, HRH Dr. Shehu Chindo Yamusa III who was the royal father of the day, other royal and titleholders within and outside the state and other well-wishers.
The event also witnessed the presentation of award plaques to the guests and pledges and transfers, which amounted to N220,950,000 from well-wishers, guests and highly respected dignitaries who assembled at the venue.
Clean Nigeria Initiative; Ecobank Applauds International Football Star, David Alaba
Ecobank Nigeria has commended David Alaba for his support towards the success of the Clean Nigeria Initiative being part of the Federal Government’s efforts to end open defecation in Nigeria by 2025, under the distinguished Chairmanship of Vice-President Osinbajo.
Ms. Adebukola Ademiluyi, Head Diaspora Banking, Ecobank Nigeria, said Ecobank will facilitate the disbursement of funds donated by David Alaba to build public toilets in Ogere Remo in Ogun State, but is also prepared to partner other Nigerians abroad who have interest in funding specific projects back home. Alaba, who is a private sector Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (OPS-WASH) Clean Nigeria Campaign Ambassador as well as a Real Madrid player recently donated N13.3 million towards the initiative to curb open defecation in the country, with Ecobank, the number one Diaspora Bank facilitating the disbursement of the project funds.
Further, Ms. Ademiluyi disclosed that Ecobank was working closely with Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), ably led by the Chairman/CEO, Hon Abike Dabiri-Erewa towards the engagement of Nigerians in the diaspora on policies, projects and other initiatives geared at developing the nation, noting that the bank understands the peculiar needs of the Nigerians living abroad and has created tailor-made solutions to serve them effectively.
Stating what the bank is currently doing to support Nigerians abroad on easy repatriation of funds, she advised them to avail themselves of the bank’s Rapidtransfer solution to send money home to their loved ones particularly during this yuletide season, stating that “you can download the Rapidtransfer app to send money home and your beneficiary can pick up USD cash at any Ecobank branch nationwide or have it directly credited into their Ecobank domiciliary account. You can also send money through our remittance partners such as Ria and Small World for cash pick up and direct credit. Other partners such as Western Union and MoneyGram are available for cash pick up only. You can wire funds directly to your foreign currency account through our correspondent bank in dollars, British Pounds and Euro.” She noted that the bank is currently running an end of year reward scheme for remittances.
Ms. Ademiluyi added that Ecobank also helps Nigerians in the diaspora with resources for wealth management through investment in the money market, capital market, real estate and treasury products at attractive and competitive interest rates on both foreign and local currencies, stating that the bank offers financial planning advisory, including information on stocks, bonds, real estates and insurance products, in addition to helping customers retrieve outstanding dividends and missing shares. She advised them to open a multi-currency online account in Naira, GBP, USD and EURO via its website, adding that they can also download the bank’s award-winning mobile banking app, Ecobank Mobile, which is available on app stores to enjoy real-time access to their accounts from the comfort of their home. She further said the bank is offering mortgage loans to Nigerians living abroad to finance property ownership in the country, stressing that the terms and conditions are flexible and easily accessible.
FIRSTBANK UNVEILS 2021 DECEMBERISSAVYBE CALENDAR, REINFORCES ITS COMMITMENT TO ENABLING DREAMS
In the spirit of providing enabling opportunities for families of its customers and other stakeholders to come together to celebrate, live better and achieve their dreams, FirstBank – through its yearly DecemberIssaVybe campaign – has unveiled the 2021 calendar of events as it reiterates its impact on the arts and entertainment industry.
The campaign which started in 2018 has been making waves across the cities in the country and Nigerians across ages have started Vybing, enamored in excitement.
The 30-day activity loaded event include musical shows and concerts, comedies, fashion, arts and food fairs and are specifically supported to evoke joyful moods as everyone gears up for the celebrations of the end of the year, especially the yuletide. Showcasing an array of the hottest and coolest entertainment platforms, and superstars, FirstBank DecemberIssaVybe campaign offers free massive gifts and ticket giveaways to premium events aimed at creating fascinating and memorable experience for stakeholders in the Yuletide season as they bond with family and friends, whilst connecting with their favourite superstars, music, plays.
FirstBank DecemberIssaVybe is also designed to inspire kindness in all stakeholders. December is a season for giving and given FirstBank’s culture of showing kindness through initiatives such as SPARK (Start Performing Acts of Random Kindness), DecemberIssaVybe campaign integrates kindness and spreads its message of transforming lives.
Excited about the 2021 DecemberIssaVybe, the Group Head of Marketing & Corporate Communications, FirstBank, Ms Folake Ani-Mumuney said “we are delighted to be back with DecemberIssaVybe. The 2021 edition is enriched with loads of impactful and celebratory activities to build the excitement of witnessing the year-end as we celebrate into 2022. As a Bank woven into the fabric of society, we have ensured that the events are spread across the country and there is an event for everyone, irrespective of age.
We remain committed through resourceful partnerships to nation building; empowering all including the youth to achieve their dreams as these events promote the continued growth of the entertainment industry, unarguably an economic game-changer in the global business landscape, especially a country like ours that is blessed with talents and amazing creative minds.
We encourage everyone including organisers of events to please stay safe and adhere to the COVID-19 protocols. It’s important we all get vaccinated; get our booster jabs where necessary, use face masks, observe social distancing and play our roles to drive full observance and adherence to COVID-19 protocols so we enjoy the season responsibly” she concluded.
The FirstBank #DecemberIssaVybe and #FirstBankIssaVybe giveaway fest is open to everyone. To enjoy premium concerts, plays, fashion and food; lucky customers and followers of the Bank’s social media pages – Facebook: First Bank of Nigeria Limited, Instagram: @firstbanknigeria should look out for the posts on how to participate in the giveaways as there are exclusive tickets to partake in these celebrations promoted through FirstBank’s DecemberIssaVybe end of the year and yuletide celebrations.
Recent photos of Nigeria’s first lady, Aisha Buhari has sparked controversy on social media, as Nigerians claim she is expecting a child.
In one of the photos making the rounds on social media, Aisha was spotted alongside her husband, while being surrounded by security officials.
One of the security officials was carrying her handbag, as the first lady who rocked a yellow lace kaftan seemed pregnant.
She wore a black shawl draped over what appeared like a baby bump, which she placed her right hand on.
Another image showed the couple inside a plane. A zoom-in on Aisha’s physical look revealed a full face like that of a pregnant woman, different from her usual robust look.
Aisha Buhari has been away from the public for months. Before her daughter’s wedding in September 2020, she was out of the country for a couple of months and there were claims she had relocated to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.
Bandit kingpin, Bello Turji has reportedly written a letter to President Muhammadu Buhari, the Governor of Zamfara State, Bello Matawalle and the Emir of Shinkafi.
According to Turji, he would like to meet with traditional and religious leaders in the country, adding that Islamic cleric, Ahmad Gumi, should be part of the meeting.
The bandit leader described Gumi as the one who understands bandits.
The letter which was shared by the bandit reads, “We are grateful to God who has given us this opportunity to bring this message to the Emir of Shinkafi, through the Governor of Zamfara state, Alh Mohammed Bello Matawalle (Braden Maradun) and to the President Mohammed Buhari.
“This is a letter (originally written in Hausa as seen below) from Mohammed Bello Turji Kachalla, the one we all know about.
“Having said that, I want the Emir of Shinkafi, the governor of Zamfara and the president, to look up to Allah and his Prophet.
“The purpose of this letter is as follows: 1. The killings of people going on which is not being publicised, the killings by bandits, herdsmen, kidnapping for ransom and even by security agents are our making. All these will come to an end by the grace of Allah. The government will have to play its part to ensure that this is achieved. As long as ethnicity and tribalism are eliminated, we need to all remain as one big family and forgive one another as Allah commands.
“2. Your highness, we would like to have a sit down with the traditional rulers in this country and also the religious leaders. If this is done, I Mohammed Bello Turji Kachalla, will make sure to disarm all my men and hand over all our arms to the government of Nigeria. As long as the government promises to take care of us the way it is taking care of the rest of the country and stop the stigmatisation of my people.
“3. Your highness, I want to assure you that we are not in contention with the government of Nigeria and we do not want any other country apart from this, we are not seeking the power of any kind, rather the ugly things we Fulanis are facing in this country have pushed us to react the way we do and made us want to defend ourselves to the detriment of the peace of the nation.
“4. Your highness, we are not thieves and we don’t mean to harm anyone. This letter is not borne out of deception and we would not want to be deceived.
“Everything should be done in transparency for Allah’s sake and the sake of the peace of our nation. So we can go back to the way we were in the past. We should all be law-abiding and allow the security agents to do their job and punish anyone found wanting. No form of arms would be seen with anyone except in the hands of the security agents as it’s supposed to be.
“5. Your highness, this is our last request. Just as we said earlier, we will like to make sure that all traditional rulers and all our Muslim leaders, most especially Sheikh Ahmad Abubakar Gumi, to be present at this meeting. This is because he is the only one who understands us and he has been paying us visits to sympathize with us. He has been preaching to us and we have seen the effectiveness of his messages in our lives. We only want the peaceful existence of everyone in this country.
“May Allah give us all the strength to keep these promises without fail.
“This letter is from Mohammed Bello Turji Kachalla.”
The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has accused the Federal Government of blackmail and propaganda.
ASUU made the remark while accusing the Federal Government of reneging on plans to review the draft Renegotiated 2009 FGN-ASUU Agreement.
In a statement titled, ‘Enough of blackmail’, and signed by its president, Prof Emmanuel Osodeke, ASUU vowed to continue fighting for the welfare of lecturers.
The body also postponed its decision on strike because consultations were still ongoing.
ASUU reiterated that the Federal Government had failed to address all the issues raised in the 2009 agreements.
The statement reads partly: “NEC was worried by the spirited efforts of government agents to reduce the demands of ASUU to a regime of intermittent payment of watered-down revitalisation fund and release of distorted and grossly devalued Earned Academic Allowances.
“ASUU shall not relent in demanding improvement in the welfare and conditions of service of our members. However, we shall resist any attempt to blackmail the union and derail our patriotic struggle for a productive university system by official propaganda founded on tokenism and crumb-sharing.
“However, considering the ongoing intervention and consultation efforts, NEC resolved to review the situation at a later date with a view to deciding on the next line of action.”
President Muhammadu Buhari will take a final decision on assenting to the Electoral Act 2010 (Amendment) Bill soon, the Presidency has said.
Naija News reports that presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu, made this known on Sunday in an interview on a programme on Channels Television.
Shehu stated that even though the president has not made his decision known on the electoral bill, the Nigerian leader is conscious of his responsibilities.
He argued that President Buhari will consider the interest of Nigerians before signing the bill and has been duly advised on the advantages and disadvantages of his assent to the bill.
The presidential spokesman, therefore, said President Buhari will send a privileged communication to the National Assembly after signing the bill into law.
Shehu refused to confirm if the President will send the communication before Tuesday when the lawmakers would sit for the last time this year or after their recess in January.
He, however, said that Presidency will not want to offend the National Assembly if details of the communication were announced.
Shehu said, “What I can tell you is that the President is conscious of his responsibilities in this regard. He has been adequately briefed on the pros and the cons of such a signature and the implications for the nation.
“Is there a decision by Mr President as we speak? I cannot tell you…I don’t know because if the President decides upon completion of all his consultations, usually, he will be sending a privileged communication to the National Assembly. And once that communication is privileged, it is only received by the National Assembly and on the floors of the Senate and the House of Representatives, the Speaker or Senate President will read to members.
“My assumption is that when they come back, we probably will be hearing from them.”
The Nigerian Army has confirmed the arrest and detention of a female soldier who recently accepted the love proposal from a male member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Kwara State.
Naija News recalls a corps member, after NYSC’s three weeks of orientation exercise in the Kwara State camp located in Yikpata, took his love life to the next level as he proposed to a soldier in the camp.
The incident happened at the Passing Out Parade of Batch B, Stream 2 of the 2021 Corp Members last week.
The corps member in a viral video could be seen on his knees as he inserts the ring into the finger of the female soldier amid cheers of fellow corps members.
The military officer after receiving the ring could be seen admiring the ring as she receives hugs and cheers from corp members at the scene.
However, a few days after the incident, a report emerged that the soldier has been arrested and is facing the consequences of her action.
The military officer was reportedly detained for romancing on uniform publicly, absent on parade, indiscriminate behaviour, doing other things aside from her purpose in NYSC camp, disobedience to standing order of social media rule, and disobedience to ethics and tradition of the Nigerian Army.
However, the spokesperson of the Nigerian Army, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu while confirming that the soldier has now been detained, explained that the soldier went against extant military laws which bans the public display of romantic relationship with a paramilitary trainee – a corps member.
Also, he added that the soldier violated the Nigerian Army’s rules and regulations on the conduct of military personnel when deployed for duty.
Nwachukwu said the female soldier is not expected to be in an amorous relationship with a trainee; indulge in romance while in uniform, and is also guilty of disobeying the Armed Forces standing guidelines and directives for the use of social media.
The advertising industry in Nigeria: Maximising the post-COVID reality – Seyi Tinubu
Since the launch of the first news outlet in Nigeria in 1859, Nigeria’s advertising industry has grown to become a flourishing self-sustaining ecosystem valued at a whopping 425 million U.S. dollars as of 2017 and a projected foreseeable exponential growth in the coming years as a result of the dominance of internet revenue. While many other industries are gradually recovering and working to bounce back from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, this economic powerhouse is set to remain on an upward trajectory Post-covid.
Amidst several months of grounded airplanes, closed churches and empty streets, several countries and global economies have experienced the shock waves of the COVID-19 pandemic. From real estate to finance and healthcare – especially healthcare – almost every sector of the economy has been touched in one way or another. One industry, however, has remained unshaken, resilient, withstanding all the knocks and shocks and continuing to thrive despite oppositions – advertising.
This is not to say that commercial advertising did not experience its fair share of economic downturn, even taking a significant plunge during the pandemic year. In fact, many brands reordered their priorities entirely, choosing to engage in COVID-19 awareness campaigns across social media. Some others took to leveraging collaborations with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as well as the government to consolidate efforts and flatten the curve of COVID-19 spread, and provide relief packages to vulnerable target groups within the society – although, in hindsight, this may have been a strategic move to ensure that brands are projected positively continuously.
In any case, the advertising industry globally is fast rising back to pre-pandemic levels and even experiencing exponential growth— a vast contrast from the diminishing returns that it had begun to experience a few years back — and the reason is not far-fetched. Several factors are responsible for this drastic turn of events. Firstly, it goes without saying that advertising thrives on consumer behavior. And if there’s one thing we can be certain about post-pandemic, it’s that consumer behavior has changed significantly. What thriving and innovative advertising companies did during the pandemic was to change with the times and seasons that consumers were in. This meant changing from regular TV and radio advertising to digital advertising. This switch was to align with the fact that consumers spent more time at home in front of screens. Commuting time was allocated to binge-watching videos online, and as a result, digital reigned supreme.
Today, COVID-19 has definitely expedited the process of transforming legacy marketing structures and practices for the digital economy. In Nigeria especially, the pandemic served as an exponential accelerator for connected TV and E-commerce marketing- which though were already in place, were struggling to gain widespread popularity. By dwelling more on social media and direct response selling, retailers were able to sell their goods to a wider audience due to shifting consumer behavior to online trade channels, thereby promoting the growth of Nigeria’s e-commerce industry.
This wasn’t the case in the last decade. Just a few years back, advertisers in Nigeria spent a large chunk of their time, effort and resources trying to encourage consumers to buy something they haven’t seen or tried on. Brands across all industries struggled to use the power of their online presence to engage potential customers and drive them down the marketing funnel through video adverts, blogs, email newsletters, or other types of digital lead generation activities. Even before the pandemic, converting that online presence to actual sales was a difficult feat.
However, COVID-19 has drastically altered the rules of the game.
With the pandemic keeping everyone at home, time spent on convincing was less, and many more consumers became more inclined to buy things and use services they needed online. As a result, several mega-companies across Nigeria took advantage of this, leaving advertisers no choice but to keep up with the times, spending about $350 million on advertising and marketing. Whilst there was no dominant sector, the likes of telecommunications giant MTN and beverage colossus, Nigerian Breweries led the table as the highest spenders in the year.
The influencer niche is one area that has been cemented fully into the world of advertising. If there’s one thing that took the internet by storm in 2020, it was influencers. With the rise of social media, apps like TikTok, Instagram and Facebook (Now Meta) became entertainment hotspots for millennials and Gen Zs, more and more people rose to the influencer status, making the position crucial to Nigeria’s advertising industry. In fact, a survey carried out by the Nigeria Influencer Marketing Report (NIMReport) revealed that over 30% of advertisers now value influencer marketing as part of their marketing strategy.
Although we are no longer in the heat of the pandemic, it is incontrovertible that the pandemic brought a lasting shift to Nigeria’s advertising ecosphere. We may have coined the term “post-covid era”, but in actual fact, the pandemic has ushered us into a new age, a new season that we may never return from. This means that the bar has permanently risen for advertising agencies and businesses across Nigeria as consumers are now holding them to higher standards. What they demand nowadays are tactful and mindful marketing strategies. They’re no longer asking if you have what they want but rather expect you to have what they want.
To navigate this new terrain, advertising in Nigeria will need to be more data and technology focused, with advertisers working to integrate some form of artificial intelligence or machine learning into the mix. With the right data, advertising companies will be fully equipped to create the right consumer experiences across one or more dimensions of the four Cs of marketing: Commerce, Community, Content, and Convenience. Rather than a one-size-fits-all approach to these four areas, consumers require a more personalized experience.
Experts such as PWC have predicted that Nigeria’s entertainment market is poised to reach $10.8 billion (N4.4 trillion) in 2023, having reached $4.5 billion in 2018. With the interconnectedness of advertising and entertainment and the recent tactic of presenting advertising as entertainment, it is imperative that relevant stakeholders properly harness the immense benefits available for the advertising sector. This can be done in several ways, with collaboration being paramount. Partnerships between sectoral groups in marketing and communications will expand the advertising landscape of the Nigerian market and will bring world-class advertising opportunities and a broader reach to the target audience, clients and agencies. Advertisers Association of Nigeria (ADVAN), Media Independent Practitioners of Nigeria (MIPAN), Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN), Broadcasting Organizations of Nigeria (BON) and other Industry leaders should consolidate their cooperations expertise on growth-focused activities that will cause the advertising industry to skyrocket in the coming years.
The pandemic has undoubtedly elevated the status of advertising and marketing, with both taking their rightful places as drivers of digital transformation, a key leader of the customer experience journey, and the voice of the consumer — all of which are of utmost importance to C-suite executives. This means that advertising now has the opportunity to seize an ongoing critical role in high-level dialogue and decision-making processes, thereby driving the company’s broader objectives and innovation agenda.
For brands willing to be creative and experimental with their advertising strategies, the post-COVID-19 reality is a unique moment to aim for higher market share.
Seyi Tinubu is a Nigerian entrepreneur. Seyi is the Chairman/CEO of Loatsad Promomedia and a member of the advertising practitioners council of Nigeria
