League One side AFC Wimbledon are reportedly considering a move to appoint Emma Hayes as their new first-team manager.
Hayes, who is currently in charge of FA Women’s Super League side Chelsea, would become the first woman in history to take charge of a men’s football league side if she were to get the job.
The 44-year-old has been put on a shortlist that includes former Blackpool manager Ian Holloway, ex-England defender Sol Campbell and recently sacked Fleetwood boss Joey Barton, according to The Express.
AFC Wimbledon decided to sack manager Glyn Hodges following their 2-0 defeat to MK Dons on Saturday.
A historic transition to the men’s game could be on the cards if the struggling League One side decide to make a move for the talented Camden-born manager.
Hayes has managed a number of clubs in Women’s football over the years, including spells at Long Island Lady Riders, Arsenal Ladies, Chicago Red Stars and Chelsea Women.
The Blues are currently on a remarkable 33-game unbeaten run in the Women’s Super League after a win against Tottenham at the weekend.
Hayes has previously declared her desire to work in men’s football.
“All coaches aspire to be at the best level they can get to, and I’m no different,” she admitted. “If it happened for me that the next opportunity was in the men’s game, then I’d welcome that.
“But I also think there needs to be more female coaches at the top end of the women’s game before more are entering into the men’s game.”
I’d love to see this. Would be a massive breakthrough for equality in English football. I know Emma Hayes is a top manager who has been very highly regarded for a number of years at Chelsea and I‘m sure she’d have the full respect of the players straight away. #AFCWhttps://t.co/uyAAdgTAWy
China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) has announced that the Lagos-Ibadan Rail has been officially connected to the Apapa port complex.
The construction company disclosed this in a tweet on Monday.
“On the morning of Jan. 25, 2021, with the successful pouring of the last 25-meter monolithic track bed superstructure of Apapa Port Break Bulk Line, the Lagos-Ibadan Railway was officially connected to the Apapa Port in Lagos.
“The Apapa Port Spur Line of Lagos-Ibadan Railway starts from the Mobolaji Johnson Station, Ebute Metta and extends southward to Apapa Port, with a total length of 8.72km,” CCECC disclosed.
It added that the linking of the rail to the port is crucial and will enhance the import and export of goods.
“As a crucial channel linking the mainline of the Lagos-Ibadan Railway to the port, it has become an important transportation passage for the import and export of goods and now serves as a significant guarantee with regards to the comprehensive operational efficiency of the Railway,” it added.
It explained further the construction process noting that it was “an extremely tough nut to crack because of its dense underground pipelines, high underground water level, complex geological conditions, and numerous ground constructions.”
The project according to the company took nearly three years of unremitting efforts and working around the clock.
Former British chancellor George Osborne is to become a partner at one of London’s most exclusive boutique advisory firms.
Osborne is joining M&A advisory firm Robey Warshaw as the business’ first outside partner.
“Robey Warshaw is the best of the best, advising great businesses on how to grow, and I’m proud to be joining this first-rate team,” Osborne said in statement provided by Robey Warshaw.
Osborne, who left politics in 2017, has become well-known for the portfolio of jobs he has taken on since leaving politics, including editing the London Evening Standard newspaper and advising money manager BlackRock. The former chancellor will give up his other roles to focus solely on Robey Warshaw, which he will join in April.
“We believe that George will significantly enhance the advice we give to clients,” a spokesperson for Robey Warshaw said. “He brings differentiated experience and expertise to our team from his leading roles in global finance over the past decade.”
Robey Warshaw was founded by ex-Morgan Stanley (MS) bankers Sir Simon Robey and Philip Apostolides and former UBS (UBSG.SW) dealmaker Simon Warshaw in 2013. The firm has quickly established a reputation as one of the preeminent firms in the bulge-bracket deal space.
In recent years Robey Warshaw has worked on deals including Comcast’s (CMCSA) $39bn takeover of Sky, BP’s (BP.L) $10.5bn (£7.7bn) acquisition of shale assets from BHP Group (BHP.L), and the London Stock Exchange’s (LSE.L) $27bn takeover of data provider Refinitiv.
Advising on such blockbuster deals has helped the firm make profits of over £200m since its founding. Profits are shared between the company’s three partners. The highest paid partner took home £10m last year and £27.7m the year before that.
Details of Osborne’s pay arrangements were not shared and a spokesperson declined to comment. Osborne, who was chancellor from 2010 until 2016, will be entitled to a profit share as a new partner.
“We remain hugely ambitious about our company’s future and believe that George will help expand our reach, and what we can offer our clients without changing the philosophy or ethos of our firm,” the Robey Warshaw spokesperson said.
Despite its work on major deals, Mayfair-based Robey Warshaw remains small. The firm employs just 12 professionals who advises on deals, supported by 15 administrative staff.
Stipulates 15 years for anyone who allows his premises as meeting place for cultists
The Lagos House of Assembly late Monday passed a bill banning the activities of cultists and related illegal societies across the state into a law.
The new law stipulates a 21-year imprisonment for anyone found guilty of engaging in cult activities. It also stipulates a 15-year jail term for anyone convicted of abetting cultists or who allows his premises to be used by cultists as a meeting place.
After its passage, the Speaker of the state Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, directed the clerk of the House, Mr. Olalekan Onafeko, to transmit the law to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for assent.
Titled: ‘A law to provide for the prohibition of unlawful societies and cultism in Lagos state and for other connected purposes’, it says a society shall be regarded as unlawful if its members carry out illegal, destructive activities contrary to public policy, safety and peace of members of the public.
Section 3 of the law states: “Any person who is a member of an unlawful society or cult, identifies as a member or solicits for members of an unlawful society or cult, attends a meeting of an unlawful society or cult whether as a member or an intending member of the unlawful society or cult commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a term of 21 years imprisonment.”
The jail term also concerns anyone who attends such meetings or does any illegal act which may probably cause a breach of peace, disturb public peace or conducts activities in such a manner a to pose a threat to life and property.
The law further states: “Anyone who forms, organises or combines and agrees with anyone to form or organise an unlawful society or cult, manages and assists in the management of an unlawful society or cult or knowingly allows a meeting of members of an unlawful society or cult to be held in any property under his control commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a term of 15 years imprisonment.”
The 15-year jail term further applies to anyone who intimidates or compels people to join a cult group.
“Any person who injures or uses violence on a person to compel the person to join an unlawful society or cult, commits an offence and liable on conviction to a term of 21 years imprisonment.
“Any person who administers or is present at and consents to the administering of any unlawful oath that appears to bind the person who takes it to become a member of an unlawful society or cult under this law, commits an offence and is liable on conviction to seven years,” the law says.
It also stipulates 21 years for any member of a cult group who sets fire on anything or uses firearm or deadly objects including acid and other chemicals in any manner as to cause harm to anyone.
For students in the state, the law, which prohibits campus cultism, says anyone of them who is convicted would face a jail term not exceeding two years.
The Lagos House of Assembly on Monday called on the governor of the state, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to commence very tough enforcement of the COVID-19 protocols among residents of the state. The House said its decision follows the outright disregard for the protocols against the pandemic by some residents and visitors to the state.
The members of the House also asked the governor to call on the state’s commissioner for information, Mr. Gbenga Omotoso, to embark on enlightenment campaigns and education of the people concerning the dangerous effects of the pandemic on the society.
Prior to the decision of the lawmakers, Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, noted that the state, just like the country, cannot afford another lockdown because of the adverse effect such would have on the economy.
Speaker Obasa said there was need for more enlightenment because COVID-19 in the state and country was taking a dreadful dimension.
He noted that the life of every single individual in Lagos remains precious and as such, there must be conscious efforts to protect the residents.
Kicking off the debate, the acting chairman of the House committee on health, Hon. Hakeem Sokunle (Oshodi/Isolo 1), had raised concerns over the new wave of COVID-19 in the state.
Sokunle told his colleagues that before now, only few patients needed oxygen. The situation, he said, has changed as over 80 percent of patients now needing oxygen.
He proposed that apart from enlightenment, there should strict compliance to the COVID-19 protocols as well as the cancelling social engagements.
He also urged that wearing of face masks should be enforced.
Sokunle’s position was supported by Olowo and other lawmakers.
On Saturday, January 30, came a resounding verdict of pass mark for the security dinner discourse organized by the National Association of Online Security Reporters, NAOSRE, from Babajide Kolade-Otitoju, Group Director of News, Television Continental, TVC.
The NAOSRE dinner which attracted security operatives across military circle, first class traditional rulers, corporate players and top notch civil society, held at Oriental Hotel in Lagos on December 11, 2020.
Making the remarks during a cooperation conversation between NAOSRE President, Femi Oyewale and Otitoju, the former Editor of The News Magazine stated that “What you guys have done so far is encouraging and nationalistic especially your dinner conference. The dinner was a huge success. It was a success not because of the high profile venue but because you were able to bring the military together to talk about Nigeria’s security situation.”
Continuing, Otitoju emphasized the importance of such dialogue in Nigeria’s match towards safer country saying “I am also a strong believer in Nigeria. We are all playing our respective roles to promote unity and ensure the country is safe. Therefore, I share in your association’s vision,” he said, adding that he is willing and available to support anything that will engineer peaceful Nigeria.
Earlier, Oyewale hinted Otitoju the desire of NAOSRE to have access and tap into his reservoir of knowledge in pursuing the noble objectives of the online media association which he described “As national in contents and scope.”
The on-going conversation however, is expected to birth a strengthened curve in the pursuit of NAOSRE’s national security goals in the days ahead
We would all agree that the media space is never lacking stories of personal and public interest jostling for audience attention. However, one that caught the attention of this writer is a brewing fiasco in the Federal Character Commission FCC, as an agency meant to foster equity and togetherness, faces accusations and counter accusations of corrupt practices, abuse of office. More interesting is the fact that the fight is from within, from some commissioners against the Chairman of the commission, Dr Muheeba Farida Dankaka.
The so called aggrieved commissioners, who identified themselves as ‘Concerned Commissioners fighting for public good”, forwarded a petition, signed by Mr Augustine Wokocha and AbdulWasiu Bawa-Allah, to the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), accusing the Commission Chairman, of list of offenses that appeared tainted and covered in malice and bitterness.
Credit to Dankaka, as she was swift and precise in her response to the allegations she referred to falsehood and “mere fabrication”. Her response brought to the fore one of the many and vicious challenges of the Nigerian state. It has become a common theme that those benefiting from twisted systems would fight tooth and nail to keep the mechanism of such systems rolling. A statement by the Commission’s Director of Public Affairs & Communication, Dipo Akinsola, counter accused the five commissioners of fighting a positive change by peddling lies in order to keep the status quo for their selfish interests. Dankaka wasn’t mincing words in her response, “Five of the Commissioners are fighting for their personal and selfish interests; they want business as usual in the Commission which is not possible under my watch. The contents of the publication are false and mere fabricated stories to dent my image and that of the commission through social media.”
From finding in the appropriate quarters shows the said petition was all a hoax and a tactic to stage a media war of calumny against the Chairman. According to reliable sources, the ICPC is yet to receive any petition as at the time of this publication. Therefore there is no way Dr. Muheeba would have been invited.
Secondly, the aggrieved commissioners, according to reliable sources in the commission, appear to be doing the bidding of Muhammed Tukur Bello, who has not been at ease with the commission’s activities since Dankaka was announced as Chairman by the President. Discerning minds will remember how a heavy media campaign was immediately launched against the appointment of Dr. Muheeba as the Chair of the commission simply because Tukur Bello, who was the Secretary of the last FCC dispensation, and immediate acting Chairman of the commission felt some sense of resentment after he was overlooked by the President.
In their desperation to achieve their selfish objective, another petition was claimed to have been sent to President Buhari with signatures of 28 members of the Commission. It has however been discovered that the petitioners maliciously used the attendance register of commissioners at Plenary session as signature for their petition.
It is on record that since assuming office, Dr. Muheeba has not approved any contract whatsoever as contained in the so called petition. Investigation shows that the contract stated in the so called petition are items approved long before she assumed the office. The good news is that should a petition be finally submitted to the ICPC, Dankaka will be vindicated in the end.
Also, contrary to claims that the Chairman has been known to act without recourse to the commissioners, Dankaka said over thirty commissioners are currently working together in harmony to bring positive changes. “Some commissioners accused me of holding them to ransom by taking over their jobs and giving it to Directors with impunity. Over 30 Honorable Commissioners are currently working in harmony with me in bringing positive changes.”
From grapevine, the plan to discredit the Chairman is not just about her carrying Directors along in the affairs of the commission. She is perceived to be blocking some juicy fleecing channels and about to execute some activities that are against certain selfish interests.
Ideally, the Federal Character Commission will not deliver on its objectives if it chooses to work in isolation. During a courtesy visit after her appointment in 2020, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila advised the Dankaka to nurture a symbiotic relationship, that it is only when she’s able to establish such a relationship that her ‘work can be made easie’.
Also out of the ordinary is the accusation that Dankaka is a good lobbyist with the ability “of influencing and luring anyone or bodies of authorities that receive complaints against her.” If the authorities see a leap in the right direction under her leadership, they reserve the right to support her. Afterall, under her watch, the Commission has recorded successes in areas such as centralized the administrative structure of the monitoring and enforcement department.
This however, is not a call for the Chairman to be shielded from investigation into activities of the commission if the need arises, but innovative moves should be encouraged in sensitive agencies such as the FCC at a time where the country is in dire need of inventiveness that ensures every region is treated and reflected fairly in the scheme of things. And it is perceived that the chairman is not afraid of investigation as she has proven beyond doubts that the majority of the commissioners are supportive of her initiatives as lead of the commission. As such over 28 members are said to be signing a vote of confidence as a rejoinder to the issues the aggrieved commissioner have raised.
It is therefore not expected that a commission put in place to entrench a shade of unity in our extreme diversity is fraught with infighting for selfish purposes. Instead of dissipating energy on divisive struggles that are clearly in sharp contrast to the mandate of the commission, the commissioners should embrace result-driven initiatives and sheathe the sword of personal gains and vendetta. Staging a selfish war in the name of public good is a propaganda that no longer appeals to the majority of Nigerians.
-Ends-
Ecobank Group has recorded a revenue of over N630 billion for the year ended December 31, 2020. This represents a 7% growth when compared to N586.9 posted in the corresponding period of 2019. In its unaudited report submitted to the Nigeria Stock Exchange (NSE) on Friday, the pan-African bank stated that value of its total assets now stands at N10.2 trillion after a 19% rise.
The bank also recorded superlative performance in other key financial indices despite the harsh operating environment. Summary of the report showed that Deposits from customers went up 23% to N7.3 trillion; Total equity up 17% to N805.1 billion; while Loans and advances to customers grew by 9% to N3.7 trillion.
However, despite the bank’s good showing in deposits from customers and revenue, profits was impacted by the provisioning for goodwill for the acquisition of Oceanic Bank in 2011. Consequently, the bank ended with profit after tax of N35.9 billion, while profit before tax and goodwill impairment closed at N126.4 billion. The Ecobank Group had stated that it is optimistic that with clean book aftermath of the full provisioning for Oceanic Bank, it will improve on its profitability in 2021 and other years ahead.
First Bank of Nigeria Limited is supporting schools with an array of educational based products and solutions targeted at enabling the acquisition of various facilities to boost the continuous expansion and improvement of the educational sector. Parents are not left out, as the Bank has bespoke products which empowers parents and guardians to meet the educational needs of their children.
The Bank’s educational products and solutions include the FirstEdu Loan, Operational Vehicle Loan, Term Loans for constructing new sites and extension of existing sites, Personal Loan Against Salary (PLAS) and FirstAdvance which enhances Parents/Guardians’ capacity to pay their wards’ school fees.
The FirstEdu loan offers short-term finance to private pre-primary, primary and secondary schools/ registered A level educational institutions with steady flow of income. The product offers opportunity for private schools to access flexible funding to meet urgent cash flow needs, replace old furniture and equipment or assets, purchase of fairly-used school buses, as well as refurbishing dilapidated buildings and classroom blocks. This product helps school owners/proprietors in bridging the “no-income” gap between school terms, and to enhance diverse assets acquisition. It allows schools access up to N20 million with no tangible collateral required apart from the domiciliation of school fees with the Bank. Schools with CAC registration that are yet to get Ministry of Education approval can access up to N2million without collateral for up to 90days. In a bid to cushion the effect of covid-19 pandemic, the Bank is in partnership with Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF) to finance low-cost private schools at a single digit interest rate where schools can access up to N5million.
The Bank is also in partnership with the apex association of private school owners in Nigeria, National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS) to finance member schools at a highly competitive rate. This reduces the cost of borrowing to the customer and eliminates the challenges posed by the provision of additional demanding collaterals.
The Operational Vehicle Loan is targeted at registered businesses. It allows the entrepreneur to acquire brand new vehicles for the day to day operation of the business. Organisations can take advantage of this facility to purchase school buses in the case of school proprietors and even upscale their staff welfare schemes through provision of staff buses. The product terms and conditions is competitive.
Personal Loan against Salary (PLAS) offers customers in paid employment access to cash to meet immediate financial needs such as payment of school fees, medical treatment, holiday expenses, etc. PLAS has a flexible repayment plan spread up to 48 months for our customers’ convenience. There is no equity contribution or collateral requirement.
FirstAdvance is a 30days tenured digital loan also available to salary customers who are in need of assistance to meet immediate financial needs. It empowers customers to access upto 50% of their net monthly salary in less than a minute at any desired time by dialing *894*11# or through our FirstMobile App. Only a salary account domiciled with FirstBank will qualify you for PLAS and FirstAdvance.
Beyond these, FirstBank is at the forefront of promoting virtual learning, whilst exposing not just school children but individuals of all ages to various e-learning initiatives, designed to promote innovation and skills development on emerging technologies through focus areas such as Artificial Intelligence, Coding, Cloud, Internet of Things, Blockchain, Data Science and Analytics, and Cybersecurity.
In achieving this, the Bank has collaborated with Lagos State government, IBM and Curious Learning to ensure the e-learning initiative swiftly moves across the country to school children and individuals with the need to promote the pursuit of knowledge, irrespective of age.
Speaking on the Bank’s support for schools, Mr. Chuma Ezirim, FirstBank’s Group Executive, e-Business & Retail Products, said “at FirstBank, we recognize the indelible roles the educational sector plays in promoting national economic development and we are delighted to support schools with collateral free educational solutions to meet various needs and projects to advance to the next level.”
“As schools proceed with the new term, we enjoin interested schools to visit the nearest branch or the Bank’s website for more information and encourage everyone to access our e-learning driven initiatives to keep learning and get exposed to various opportunities to stay ahead in today’s technologically advanced world.”
Fitch Ratings has assigned Ecobank Nigeria Limited (ENG) a Long-Term Issuer Default Rating (IDR) of ‘B-‘ with a Stable Outlook, Viability Rating (VR) of ‘b-‘ and National Long-Term Rating of ‘BBB (nga)’. The report, released Thursday, noted that Ecobank Nigeria IDRs are driven by its standalone creditworthiness, as expressed by its Viability Rating (VR).
The VR reflects the constraint of Nigeria’s challenging operating environment and modest core capital buffers amongst others. This is balanced by company profile strengths as well as a solid funding profile and good foreign-currency liquidity, which is enhanced by prudent liquidity management by the Ecobank group.
According to Fitch, “the Stable Outlook on ENG’s Long-Term IDR reflects our view that the bank has sufficient headroom at its current rating to absorb moderate shocks from sustained downside risks to the operating environment, the heightened level of risk in doing banking business in Nigeria and the ensuing risks to its financial performance (particularly asset quality) over the next 12-18 months. The Stable Outlook also reflects our expectations that capitalisation will remain resilient over this period with the bank maintaining adequate buffers over the minimum regulatory requirements”.
Fitch Rating reported that the VR benefits from ENG’s company profile strengths of being part of the leading pan-African Ecobank group. ENG is a 100% owned subsidiary of Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI; B-/Stable). ETI is a regional bank holding company with fully-fledged banking subsidiaries in 33 African countries (collectively the group). The group also has a banking license in France and representative offices in Addis Ababa, Johannesburg, Beijing, London, and Dubai. The group’s operations are highly integrated, with all entities connected to a common operating platform and risk management framework, and common branding.
ENG is a material subsidiary for ETI, and its largest single entity, contributing to 23% of group assets at end-9M20. ETI continues to implement a turnaround strategy at Ecobank Nigeria, having deleveraged and de-risked the bank in recent years, although it returned to growth in 2020 and plans above-sector-average loan growth in the medium term. Fitch noted that ENG’s management quality is a relative strength, with ETI appointing experienced bankers to Ecobank Nigeria’s senior team.
“ENG has a solid funding profile, with low-cost current and savings accounts reaching 58% of total deposits at end-9M20 helping the bank to reduce its cost of funding. It has achieved good deposit growth through the expansion of digital channels and its financial inclusion initiatives. Retail and SME deposits to account for 58% of total customer deposits at end-9M20, which results in reasonable deposit concentration, with the top 20 customer deposits representing 29% of the total”. The report stated.
Fitch Ratings also views ENG’s liquidity management as prudent with contingency plans in place. Local-currency liquidity is underpinned by a high share of liquid assets (cash, interbank placements and sovereign securities) representing more than 50% of total assets at end-9M20. ENG’s foreign-currency funding benefits from sizeable interbank deposits, which represented about 15% of total funding at end-9M20. More than half of these deposits (about USD400 million) came from ETI’s affiliates at end-9M20. This reflects the group’s well-established inter-affiliate short-term deposit placement programme (IAP), amounting to USD650 million at end-1H20, which provides ENG with a significant competitive advantage compared with most other Nigerian banks, as ENG is able to rely on IAP funding when foreign-currency liquidity conditions temporarily tighten in Nigeria.
