The Nation Newspaper

Author: The Nation

  • Adeboye urges Nigerians to turn to God for turn around

    Adeboye urges Nigerians to turn to God for turn around

    The General Overseer, The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) Worldwide, Pastor Enoch Adeboye has called on Nigerians not to remain in defeat but to come unto Him, the lifter of heads, who can take them out of woods and lift them out of the dungeons no matter how they got there.

    He gave the assurance on Sunday during the monthly thanksgiving service at the RCCG headquarters, The Throne of Grace, Ebute-Metta, Lagos with the theme: ‘The Lifter Up of my Head,’ where he also prayed for workers in private sectors, youths, youth corps members, self-employed, job seekers and their families.

    Read Also: Tinubu celebrates RCCG G.O. Adeboye at 82

    Adeboye listed those challenges that could lead to downcasting as barrenness, failure, defeat, stagnation, and shame.

    He noted that no matter the depth of any of these, anyone finds himself or herself, Jesus who was lifted on the cross for mankind and bore their sorrows will lift the individual from any of these problems.

    He, however, warned that anyone who wanted this divine intervention should make restitution for any possession acquired wrongfully, and undo every damage adding that there was no greater solution or open door.

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  • Clerics task FG, Labour on minimum wage

    Clerics task FG, Labour on minimum wage

    The leader of the Lagos-based Centre for Righteous Living (CRIL) has advised both the federal government and leaders of the Labour Unions in Nigeria to reach an understanding of an acceptable living wage for workers that would not subject the economy to uncontrollable inflationary trends.

    This was part of the resolutions at their monthly meeting held in May 2024.

    Rising from the meeting, the group expressed the belief that Nigerian workers should be paid based on the state of the national economy which has been eroded by inflation across different sectors of the economy.

    CRIL called on the government to look into the demands of the labour unions, as it advised the labour unions to reason with the government, and should not go to the extent of tampering with the national grid as alleged in the last industrial strike.

    Read Also: NPFL: Sporting Lagos rally fans against  Shooting Stars

    The group also called on the government to cut down the costs of governance to reflect the current realities in the country.

    The Centre For Righteous Living also drew the attention of the government to the current food crisis and hunger in Nigeria and called on the federal and state governments to do something urgently to alleviate the conditions of the masses of Nigerians suffering hunger and the harsh effects of inflation.

    It called on the government to introduce subsidies and support for the supplies of agricultural materials to help farmers at all levels.

  • Unending controversies as Damina tackles clerics

    Unending controversies as Damina tackles clerics

    After 30 years in the ministry, the Senior Pastor, Power City International, Uyo Akwa Ibom, Dr. Abel Damina publicly said he had jettisoned the obnoxious prosperity gospel used by pulpit celebrities to manipulate the gullible. He has become a relentless attacker of traditional Christian doctrines. However, his outburst over some doctrines of the bible and his colleagues in the recent past has become a subject of discussion among the Christian fold.  ADEOLA OGUNLADE reports.

    Since his much-celebrated change from the prosperity spell, Damina has embraced yet another gospel that seems appealing and sometimes stirs controversies.

    Born on August 29, 1960, in the northern part of Nigeria, he spent most of his early life with his parents

    His name is prefixed with Dr., an indication that he is well-read.

    Speaking on the genesis of his church, Damina said he received a vision for the ministry when God told him to feed the hungry sheep, and in 1992, he started his church, Power City International.

    A year after he launched his church, he hosted what happened to be the first apex service in the Apex Cinema Hall, Akwa-Ibom. This helped in the growth of the ministry.

    His style of teaching endeared many to him, but this was short-lived as many started seeing his teachings as heretics.

    The first set of clerics to fault his style of teachings included the Presiding Bishop of the Living Faith Church, a.k.a Winners, Bishop David Oyedepo, and Apostle Joshua Selman Founder of Koinonia (Eternity Network International).

    Reacting to Damina’s message on internal security, that once saved, forever saved, Oyedepo faulted the claim, saying that once saved is not always saved.

    Also faulting Damina, Selman said: “Be careful of these flying doctrines around the world that what you do is immaterial as a Christian.”

    Read Also: China ready to expand import of Nigeria’s agricultural products

    In another message, Damina started off questioning the abode of God.

    He is not also satisfied with Jesus’ claim of  “our father who art in heaven” and feels the believer must make it a duty to know where God lives. He believes that if God created the heavens and the earth he could not possibly live in the heavens that he created.

    Then he goes on to tell his ever-egregious followers in another message that a loving God can’t kill.

    It was interesting watching him quote scripture after scripture to buttress this point in some of his messages.

    He believes that what happened in all the cases where God was alleged to have killed was that God withdrew his presence from those places.

    So for him, the destruction of the First World, the killing of the firstborns of Egypt, and several other documented killings in the Old Testament were not with the knowledge of God.

    In response to some of his assertions, a Nigerian-born Founder and Senior Pastor of the Embassy of the Blessed Kingdom of God for All Nations, Ukraine, Sunday Adelaja said it was false teaching to say God does not kill.

    Dismissing such teaching in his response to an inquiry, he said. “It is too glaring that it’s a false teaching. Just do some research into the scripture, and write out all the times when God was said to do those things. There is a list of scriptures where God himself gave out the instructions to that effect.”

    Adelaja cited various aspects of the scriptures to show that God kills: Deuteronomy 32:39, 1 Samuel 2:6, 2 Kings 5:7, Isaiah 66:16 Exodus 22:24, Psalm 90:5 and Revelation 2:23

    On water Baptism, Damina insisted that the practice of water baptism should be discarded because it does not hold any significance. In arguing his position, he referred to John the Baptist who baptized Jesus Christ.

    According to him, the sole purpose of water Baptism was when Jesus was about to begin his ministry and he needed John to announce him to the world through baptism. “We are making reference to John the Baptist because he is the founder and originator of water Baptism. John the Baptist’s purpose of baptism was to announce Jesus. John himself said “I indeed baptize you with water but the mightier than I will baptise you with the Holy Ghost, “Damina said.

    He went further to explain the basic significance of water and the Holy Ghost in baptism, saying Jesus Christ has come to replace water with the Holy Ghost. “Today who is baptizing you? Is it John or Jesus? If it is Jesus, He doesn’t use water, Jesus uses the Holy Ghost. And if it is John, he uses water. Water is symbolic of the spirit.”

     He went further by quoting the book of John Chapter 7:38 where the concept of the Holy Spirit is explained. “When there was no Holy Ghost, they used water but the moment the Holy Ghost came, water expired.”

    Tithing

     Damina’s stance on tithing made him popular, especially among the skeptics of the Christian faith.

    The Senior Pastor of Living Faith Church, Bishop Oyedepo once said: “Tithing is an inescapable covenant obligation. Prosperity is not just wealth, it is impossible without tithing because when you are not paying your tithe, you are under a financial curse.”

    Oyedepo further stated that Job as a man described as being without reproach suffered personal losses because he did not pay tithe.

    Responding, Damina said that the first thing to settle is what is the word tithe. It is the tenth?

    According to the cleric, never at any time has it ever been that God protected anybody because the person paid tithe, God blesses people because God is generous. “God blesses people because God is a loving father. God blesses people, He makes his sun shine on the good and the bad, and He makes his rain fall on the good and on the bad, that’s God. Job now himself said the reason why he was afflicted was because of fear. In the Book of Job Chapter 3, Job said “The things that I feared have greatly come upon me.”

    But in an interview Damina granted in 2020 in Ghana, he said that tithing was a fraud and was prescribed under the law in the Old Testament and God does not bless an individual when he pays his tithes.

    Surprisingly, in the same interview after much interrogation, he agreed that tithing could be paid but that it was too small, noting that if 10% was paid under the law of Moses, it was paid with their level of generosity and stinginess, stating that today’s believers should be paying more today and not bound by 10% of their earnings.

     Also, Sunday Adelaja, who supported his position, said that churches in Nigeria are building empires. “We are building structures whereas the poor people are in the congregation that are not being taken care of.”

    Adelaja posited that the book of Malachai said it was the Levites who were instructed to pay tithe.

    According to him, you can pay your tithe anywhere, and in the church if you are sure that the church is using the money to take care of the poor and vulnerable people in society.

    Damina on May 1, 2020, in a message, said that Angels and Moses were not to be trusted. He believes God had no hand in the laws of Moses, saying Moses dictated the laws to angels who wrote them on a tablet of stones.

    While Abel Damina tries to provide some clarity to the scriptures, the need to avoid unending questions that engender strife and controversies is imperative for the sanctity of the body of Christ.

    There is a narrow line between the truth and error and effort must be made to stay on the truth of the gospel message that saves and prepares men for heaven.

  • Fubara, Kwankwaso and leadership crisis

    Fubara, Kwankwaso and leadership crisis

    In both Kano and Rivers States, the causes of their political and administrative unrest are still being unravelled and litigated. It is unlikely the litigations will last more than a few more months, or even weeks. But the governors of the two states, Abba Kabir Yusuf and Siminalayi Fubara respectively, and their backers are unwilling to wait much longer. Despite enjoying the fruit of democracy, they have nevertheless indicated their preference for strong-arm tactics. Both governors are enraged by the audacity of the opposition. In Kano, Mallam Yusuf and his main backer, Kwankwasiyya Movement leader and ex-governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, who hovers over the governor like an apparition, are determined much more than anything else to efface the memory of Abdullahi Ganduje, former governor and current All Progressives Congress (APC) chairman. The governor and Mallam Kwankwaso are driven by and obsessed with vengeance.

    The conflict in Rivers State is only a little different from Kano. While Kano is prepossessed with vengeance, Rivers is haunted by what Governor Fubara and his supporters have described as their emancipation struggle. They wish to be rid of the pernicious influence of former governor and FCT minister Nyesom Wike. In the case of Kano, ex-governor Ganduje was unable to foist his party’s candidate, Nasir Gawuna, on the state. It is not surprising, therefore, that the Kwankwasiyya Movement appears determined to obliterate his memory from the state. Kano is probably the closest approximation to a civic culture in Nigeria. Had Mallam Gawuna won, the state would not be in the throes of conflict as it is currently experiencing. But the struggle in Rivers has left many people truly bewildered. Mr Wike rammed the heedless Mr Fubara down the throats of both the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the state’s longsuffering electorate, clearly without knowing who he really was. Nothing qualified him for both the post and the job, except that he sounded, looked and acted loyal and apolitical. That he fooled Mr Wike so effectively and comprehensively is a testament to the former governor’s lack of depth and capacity in judging character.

    Read Also: APC slams PDP, dispels alleged plot to forcefully take over Rivers

    Kano’s Kwankwasiyya were combative from the outset. Once the governorship crown settled around Mallam Yusuf’s ears, the movement embarked on a demolition spree, instigated a legislative amendment to reclaim the Kano Emirate from the quarters where Mallam Ganduje sequestered it, and appointed verbal pugilists who gave the APC chairman as much as he dared to voice. Rivers’ case began with a few tremors here and there; but soon, the reticent Mr Fubara began to convulse and consternate his foes, determined to be his own man sooner rather than later. He took his benefactor by surprise. Believing him to be as tame as he looked, the Wike crowd hurled a few disdainful and bellicose words at him. Unsure whether the governor’s initial unflappability was out of fear or his stoical disposition, they soon threatened him with impeachment. The sum of all the happenings in the state is that the parliament building was torched and then demolished, and the legislature balkanised. Worse, the state is now ethnically divided in such a manner that healing would take ages, if at all. On top of these, the consequent litigations launched to resolve the crisis have been snarled in the courts. If Kwankwasiyya are unprepared to give Mallam Ganduje any quarter, Mr Fubara and his supporters are even more prepared to move mountains to hang Mr Wike literally and figuratively.

    The conflicts and litigations in Kano and Rivers sadly indicate the poverty of leadership in Nigeria, and the decades of inattention paid the important subject of leadership recruitment and succession. Not one of the combatants in the troubled states exemplifies sound leadership. Governors Fubara and Yusuf show contempt for the rule of law, with both of them not only eager to demolish anything that irritates them, including buildings that stand in their way, they would not mind even instigating a revolution to wipe out their enemies or put the whole country at risk. It is alarming. Kano has been a little more wary of instigating street protests and actions; but Rivers’ Mr Fubara has recklessly procured the services of local toughs, whether they are militants or trade unions. Apart from speaking violence and defiance, he has harboured suspects wanted by the police. His chief-of-staff and former factional speaker of the state legislature, Edison Ehie, was even on the streets marshalling agitation and whipping up bitterness and resentment against Mr Wike and the Martin Amaewhule-led House of Assembly. Meanwhile the suits filed to resolve the impasse are only days or weeks away from final resolution. But they cannot wait. Kano’s Mallam Yusuf has not been as abrasive and extreme, but he has equally been provocative. On Thursday, Kano’s Justice commissioner, Haruna Dederi, took the liberty of interpreting the Federal High Court ruling on the case in a way that suited the liberal postulations of the state government, insisting that since the court refused to pronounce on the merit of last month’s Emirate repeal law which restored the Kano Emirate to one unified whole instead of five, it underscored and validated the government’s position. It was time to demolish the Nasarawa palace occupied by the deposed emir Ado Bayero, he added grimly and apocalyptically.

    Farther down South, Mr Fubara is impatient to let the law take its course. He embraces a three-man legislature that vets his budget and screens his cabinet and local government caretaker chairmen. His men, led by Victor Oko-Jumbo, also went to court to get the seats of Hon. Amaewhule and 24 other lawmakers declared vacant. The State High Court obliged them, but the Court of Appeal, to which the 25 lawmakers have made recourse, is yet to pronounce on the case, having reserved judgement until sometime later. Meanwhile, Mr Fubara has disregarded the tenure extension granted elected LGA chairmen by the legislature and has appointed new caretaker chairmen, whom he swore in last Wednesday, giving rise to a totally new set of crisis on top of the existing crises in the state. All the cases seem destined to end up in the Supreme Court, but they are unlikely to take long in resolution. It would be a hallmark of democracy and rule of law, were the governor to exercise a little more patience until the courts exhaust themselves. But having framed the Rivers imbroglio wholly and exclusively in terms of Mr Wike’s intransigence and desire to run the state from behind the curtain, Mr Fubara has rallied a vocal and vehement group of Riverians behind his banner willing to use strong-arm tactics to force the former governor’s capitulation and humiliation.  

    It is not certain that Kano State’s Mallam Yusuf and Mallam Kwankwaso will have their way. If they do, it will be because their animus against Mallam Ganduje, not to say the reunification of Kano Emirate, is popular. This column has no interest in validating the positions of the two contesting groups in the Kano conflict. It is also not clear that Mr Fubara will have his way in unseating the Amaewhule-led House of Assembly. But if he does, it may be because the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court have aligned their interpretation of the law with his position. Whatever the courts decide for both riotous states will be the position of the law, and should settle the crises. But one thing is without controversy: both Kano and Rivers governors have demonstrated inept leadership, and those who sponsored their enthronement, including Mr Wike and Mallam Kwankwaso, are poor judges of character. Worse, all of them have demonstrated a lack of altruism without the redeeming virtue of knowing the littlest thing about leadership. Kano and Rivers are of course not isolated cases in Nigeria. It will take more than democracy and elections to produce the kind of leaders the country needs, if Nigeria is not to be continually assailed by the tomfooleries of Mr Fubara and Mallam Yusuf. The problem is not whether Mallam Kwankwaso or Mallam Ganduje is right or wrong, or whether Mr Fubara is humble and Mr Wike proud and meddlesome. The tragedy is that these gentlemen have no business in leadership, let alone governing states and becoming custodians of democracy.    

  • Opposition politics: Atiku, Obi out do each other

    Opposition politics: Atiku, Obi out do each other

     Months ago, after they finally but grudgingly conceded defeat in the last presidential election, former vice president Atiku Abubakar and former Anambra State governor Peter Obi announced to the world that each of them would be the main opposition to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his All Progressives Congress (APC). True to their forecast, not to say their individualistic approach to politics, they have begun a dogfight to supplant each other as the leading opposition to the ruling party. Alhaji Atiku, former presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was the first to unsheathe his sword last November barely weeks after his presidential bid was anticlimactically buried by the courts. In April, days after an opposition coalition defeated the ruling coalition in Senegal, and still presuming himself to be the chief galvaniser and anchor of the opposition in Nigeria, the former vice president advocated the formation of a coalition to unseat President Tinubu and the APC.

    Mr Obi, 62, former presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the last poll, would have none of that bragging or presumption. Believing himself to be younger and more vibrant than the 77 years old PDP leader, and convinced he had a captive force of belligerent and impudent social media warriors inelegantly labelled as Obidients, the former Anambra governor issued a fanciful war whoop early January pronouncing his readiness to assume the vacant leadership of the opposition. Having come third in the February 2023 presidential election, and having taken advantage of his ethnicity and the biases of many Christian enclaves, it was not immediately clear how he hoped to transcend his self-limiting politics or the geographical and demographic encumbrances he animated. Regardless of any reservations anyone might have and unbothered by the scornfulness of those who see him as a usurper, Mr Obi has shown incredible temerity in playing the lead character in his sophomoric playlet.

    Read Also: Atiku, El-Rufai, Kwankwaso won’t agree to contest with Peter Obi in 2027 – Omokri

    Now, the two leading politicians, with Alhaji Atiku easily the more recognisable before the fateful poll and Mr Obi the more scarified after the poll, have tried to outdo each other in unleashing verbal fusillade against the ruling party, particularly the president. The former vice president began the salvoes last November, and has ensured that neither the volume of his denunciations of the president nor the vitriol is diminished by time or space. Barely two weeks after the Supreme Court upheld President Tinubu’s election, Alhaji Atiku was at the barricades sounding the alarm about Nigeria sliding precipitously into dictatorship and one-party state. This was just five months after the president assumed office. Since then, the former vice president has guaranteed that there is no let-up in his attacks. His attacks do not always have to make sense; all he cares about is that they resonate with the people and flow spontaneously. And in light of the fuel subsidy removal crisis and the terrible divisions that have rent the polity since the elections, he knew that Nigerians were looking for scapegoats upon which to vent their spleens.

    In March, after bandits attacked Rafi LGA in Niger State, Alhaji Atiku exclaimed that Nigeria under President Tinubu had become a killing field. Before then, in January, he had also accused the president of ‘playing the fiddle while the country was drowning in an ocean of insecurity’. The attacks have been relentless for as long as the president has been in office. Relinquish office if the ‘shoe is too big for you,’ he had said in January, and in February he described the president as a ‘hypocrite’ for throwing former president Muhammadu Buhari ‘under the bus’ over the exchange rate volatility unnerving the country. In April, Alhaji Atiku also savaged the president over the Lagos-Calabar coastal road and questioned the integrity of his relationship with businessman Gilbert Chagoury, insisting that in the award of the contract, the president prioritised ‘personal business’ over government business. And about two weeks ago, he also denounced President Tinubu for allegedly lying about fuel subsidy, which he calculated might rise to N5.4trn from N3.6trn. Then he excoriated the president for recklessly taking loans without regard for transparency.

    Alhaji Atiku has found his rhythm in launching broadsides against the Tinubu administration. He will not relent. He will sustain the attacks until the PDP repudiates him as leader or candidate in the next poll, or he is spurned by any other coalition party he might conjure. But for as long as his chances of becoming a party’s standard-bearer remain bright, he will retain his bullishness and savour every word he flings at the enemy, every syllable, every shade of meaning. As far-reaching as he thinks his statements have been, and as effective as they seem in a country bifurcated with hunger and anguish, Mr Obi on the other hand appears confident he could do more damage than the former vice president in ladling boiling oil out of LP’s social media jar. Undoubtedly, he has connected with a few uppercuts. The only problem, however, is that his blows have no bigger impact than feather dusters, effeminate verbal blows that rely on homilies, wisecracks, and tenuous philosophies. Since he issued tentative statements about being the main face of the opposition in Nigeria, he has grown more confident in seeing himself as a potential candidate in the next poll. The only problem is that the next election is still some three years away, enough time to weaken imaginations, wreck reputations, undermine courage, and dissipate confidence.

    Indeed, both Alhaji Atiku and Mr Obi have one major political weakness: their insurmountable lack of capacity and depth in administering a political party. Mr Obi is of course the worse in this field, but the former vice president is also irredeemable. Founding a new party to practice what they preach is impossible for them. They do not have the time, and will not commit the money. Both gentlemen must, therefore, hope to sustain the PDP or LP, as the case may be, until 2027. Sustaining the LP till that time is almost impossible, assuming Mr Obi and his fractious and irascible group of followers can even muster the intellect and stamina. In the PDP, Alhaji Atiku is a philosophical outlier and a detached administrator and financier. The party’s top hats cast furtive glances at him, deprecate his opportunism, are galled by his constant electoral fiascos, and are superstitious about the jinxes that have dogged him for decades. But if against the run of play, he can coax the party to favour him, any contemplation of a coalition, as he has implied and even rhapsodised, will unleash a fierce undertow in the party. To then proceed, notwithstanding these apprehensions, into a coalition with Mr Obi will lead to an ineluctable diminution of their chances, with the North secretly anxious about a Southeast running mate to the ageing Alhaji Atiku, and the Igbo unable to rouse themselves into the kind of ecstasy that stoked their quest for the presidency under Mr Obi’s candidacy.

    Having tested their mettles separately in the last presidential poll and found themselves to be made of Teflon, Alhaji Atiku and Mr Obi have now probably recognised their limitations. In the past few months, they have found their niches in excoriating President Tinubu and the APC. To hope to go beyond those niches may be a futile attempt at reaching for the stars. They lack the spaceship, lack the engineering, and lack the skills. There is indeed a deep foreboding of what the next few years hold for the two gentlemen who seem better suited to running businesses in formless and unregulated environments than in playing politics or running a government.    

  • Nigeria, others attracted $69.1b greenfield projects, others in 2023 –Report

    Nigeria, others attracted $69.1b greenfield projects, others in 2023 –Report

    Greenfield and other investment ventures fetched Nigeria and other countries within the continent a whopping $69.1billion in 2023, the World Investment Report 2024 has stated.

    This is just as the value of international project finance deals in African nations plummeted by 50 per cent to $64 billion in 2023, following a 20 per cent decrease in 2022 with the value of announced greenfield projects in Africa dropping from $196 billion in 2022 to $175 billion in 2023.

    Despite these declines, the number of project announcements across the continent rose by 7 per cent, reaching over 800. Africa attracted an increasing share of global greenfield megaprojects, including six projects each valued at over $5 billion.

    Besides, foreign investment in Africa saw a slight decline in 2023, but the clean energy sector stood out as a significant positive, according to a new report from the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) released at the weekend.

    The largest greenfield announcement in 2023 was a green hydrogen project in Mauritania, which is anticipated to bring in $34 billion in investment. Other significant hydrogen projects were announced in Egypt, totalling $10.8 billion, and in South Africa, where three energy producers announced green hydrogen projects totalling $7.1 billion. Morocco also saw substantial investment in this sector.

    Read Also: Nigerians must stick together, keep hope alive – Tinubu-Ojo

    The electric vehicle value chain is also driving investment in Africa. A notable example is a Chinese manufacturer’s plan to establish a $6.4 billion electric vehicle battery manufacturing facility in Morocco.

    In the renewable energy sector, Africa secured $10.8 billion in project finance for wind and solar power production, with major projects located in Egypt, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.

    Foreign direct investment (FDI) is crucial for funding infrastructure and public services such as power and renewable energy, according to UNCTAD.

    Rebeca Grynspan, Secretary-General of UNCTAD, emphasised that “Investment is not just about capital flows; it is about human potential, environmental stewardship, and the enduring pursuit of a more equitable and sustainable world.”

    Over the past three years, Africa has accounted for about 30 per cent of all investment values relevant to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) in developing countries, with the figure slightly lower at 27 per cent in 2023. However, progress in other SDG-relevant sectors, such as health, telecommunications, and transport, remains limited.

    The African Continental Free Trade Agreement Investment Protocol, adopted in 2023, is expected to boost intra-regional FDI. Additionally, several African countries have introduced national investment policies to attract more investment. Kenya and Nigeria, with assistance from UNCTAD, introduced national investment policies in 2019 and 2023, respectively.

  • Interswitch partners ACI Worldwide to boost digital payment transformation

    Interswitch partners ACI Worldwide to boost digital payment transformation

    Interswitch, one of Africa’s leading integrated payments and digital commerce companies and ACI Worldwide, a global leader in real-time payments software, have restated their commitment to continuously developing cutting-edge solutions that will transform and modernise the digital payments infrastructure for banks, SACCOs, fintechs, and other financial institutions in East Africa.

    The firms made this known during the second leg of the stakeholders’ engagement session, held at the Radisson Blu, Upper Hill, Nairobi, Kenya.

    Following the successful first edition of the stakeholders’ session in Lagos, Nigeria, the Nairobi edition provided a platform to showcase ways in which financial services industry players can leverage world-class digital payment to unlock opportunities which will drive growth and profitability across the East African region.

    Read Also: Presidency urges Nigerians to embrace farming

    The event brought together industry experts, thought leaders, fintech entrepreneurs and financial analysts who engaged in constructive discussions on vital topics such as cross-border payments, modernising payment infrastructure, open banking, and securing transactions with next-generation technology. These insightful conversations shed light on how businesses and customers can harness technology to foster digital payments and capitalize on opportunities that drive positive transformation within the financial sector.

    Delivering his keynote address, Peter Kawumi, Managing Director, Interswitch East Africa said the region’s digital payment landscape is evolving and Interswitch and ACI are poised to boost its transformation, he stated.

    “The East African financial services sector is undergoing rapid transformation, driven by changing consumer behavior and technological advancements. Our partnership with ACI is pivotal in analysing these shifts and rapidly delivering tailored solutions that address the evolving needs of the market.”

    In his remarks, Santhosh Rao, Senior Vice President, Sales ACI Worldwide – Middle East, Africa, and South Asia (MEASA) reiterated the visionary partnership of Interswitch and ACI towards the development of Africa’s financial sector.

    “ACI Worldwide and Interswitch’s visionary partnership signifies our commitment to transforming the African financial services landscape. Through our shared dedication to developing modernised digital payment solutions, we aim to deepen digital payment penetration, thus enhancing financial inclusion across the continent. By joining forces, we will drive further innovation, elevate payment systems, and cultivate a more inclusive and secure financial ecosystem across the continent. This strategic collaboration unlocks immense potential, streamlining payment processes and empowering businesses and consumers to thrive in Africa’s dynamic digital economy.”

  • Stakeholders mull charity investment among corporate entities

    Stakeholders mull charity investment among corporate entities

    Stakeholders in the public and private sectors have drawn attention to the crucial roles of corporate philanthropy and impact investing in addressing Nigeria’s developmental challenges.

    They made this known at a seminar titled, “Stimulating Corporate Philanthropy and Impact Investing for Job Creation in Nigeria.”

    The event, hosted by the Nigeria Office for Philanthropy and Impact Investing (NPO) in collaboration with the Impact Investors Foundation (IIF) and Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), gathered industry leaders, policymakers, and private sector to discuss strategies for leveraging philanthropy and impact investing to create jobs and promote sustainable development in Nigeria.

    In her opening remarks, the Chairperson, Nigeria Office for Philanthropy and Impact Investing (NPO), Thelma Ekiyor-Solanke, said the event is an opportunity to share best practices on the role corporate philanthropy and impact investing play in driving positive societal change.

    She said, “The insights from this webinar will be helpful for corporates seeking to be more effective in their giving and help them create a structure around their philanthropic initiatives.”

    Read Also: Omotayo, Edem lead Nigeria’s charge  at WTT Contender Lagos

    In his welcome remarks, Mr. Gabriel Idahosa, President and Chairman of the Council, LCCI, called for an alignment of corporates’ philanthropic endeavours with strategic business objectives and the needs of local communities, in order to drive economic growth and corporate profitability.

    He said, “We need the commitment of both public and private sectors to address the pressing issue of unemployment and empower our citizens with opportunities for more meaningful livelihoods.”

    Drawing from his extensive experience, the Keynote Speaker, Otunba Bimbo Ashiru, who is the Chairman of Odua Investment Company, illustrated how Odua Investment Foundation is bridging creating a positive change through youth empowerment, healthcare and digital education for young children to equip them with the skills they need for the future.

    He emphasised the need for more organisations that are on the sidelines of philanthropic investments to sufficiently engage their immediate and extended communities to address critical societal challenges.

  • Foundation urges FG to address ecological crises

    Foundation urges FG to address ecological crises

    The Director, Health of Mother Earth Foundation, HUMEF, Nimmo Bassey has called on the federal government to take deliberate, fundamental and radical action by mitigating the ecological crises facing the country.

    Bassey said the Nigeria Socio Ecological Alternatives Convergence has been co-created with civil society organisations, frontline communities, activists and academics as a space for thinking, planning and acting to drive an alternative ecological blueprint for Nigeria.

    He disclosed this at the maiden session of the Nigeria Socio Ecological Alternatives Convergence in Abuja, as he states that an alternative ecological approach that respects the rights of mother earth, and protects the planet and its people should be put in place.

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    He said this whole gathering is to present the Nigeria Socio Ecological Charter that highlights the key ecological challenges across the country and presents a policy pathway that is both progressive and protective of the planet.

    The Charter represents a powerful call for a fundamental transformation of Nigeria’s socio-ecological landscape.

    According to him, “The Charter presents a clear roadmap towards achieving our collective vision for our ecological wellbeing, firmly grounded in the values of fairness, inclusivity, and long-term sustainability. It also outlines a vision and plan for creating a sustainable, fair, and balanced society that prioritizes the well-being of individuals and the preservation of the natural world.

    “It outlines a vision and plan for creating a sustainable, fair, and balanced society that prioritises the well-being of individuals and the preservation of the natural world. Similar ecological threats are manifest everywhere in the country, from the ecological catastrophe of oil and gas extraction in the Niger Delta that has reduced the region to one of the most polluted places in the world.”

  • Farmers, others for Africa agric expo

    Farmers, others for Africa agric expo

    All is set to host the continental gathering of agricultural practitioners, government agencies, financial institutions, experts and related stakeholders across the globe at the 2024 edition of Africa Agric-Machines Equipment and Technology Expo 3rd edition, scheduled for 12th–15th November, 2024 at the M&M Event Centre, Abuja.

    According to the organisers, Aametex is the gathering of Farmers and all related stakeholders in the agricultural sectors and subsectors, manufacturer of agricultural machinery equipment, researchers, donor agencies, financial institutions and entrepreneurs who are considered the engines of growth in a developing economy.

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    The event consists of a conference and exhibition designed to address the representations of these potent tools of economic development, just as it promises to showcase the best proven practical solutions around the world to address issues affecting food insecurity in Nigeria and the continent of Africa in general.

    The event Director, Prince Gbenga Agboola, further highlighted that the event will address different thematic areas to promote global investments and trade development, increase market competitiveness, foreign direct investments and promote accelerated development in the agricultural sectors.

    The event will feature a plenary session, B2B Meeting, exhibition among several features. He said that at the end of the expo the conveners along with relevant stakeholders will develop a roadmap to be religiously followed and implemented to develop the sector in line with global competitiveness for the Renewed Hope Agenda.