A firm, Prudential Zenith Life Insurance, has donated $100,000 (N38 million) to Slum2school Africa to help cushion the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on education in disadvantaged communities across Nigeria.
Its managing director and chief executive officer, Mr. Chuks Igumbor, stated this on Tuesday in a statement in Lagos.
Igumbor, while presenting the cheque to the organisation, said the donation was from the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) fund of Prudence Foundation, the community arm of Prudential Plc in Asia and Africa.
“Our contribution to Slum2School’s activities demonstrates our corporate social responsibility action plan, which is targetted toward communities most in need of the support we provide.
“The coronavirus pandemic has impacted all aspects of our lives, including the education sector, with a steep widening of education inequality.
“Children and youths from underprivileged communities are unable to access the learning materials that students from affluent backgrounds are able to access”
“The strategic partnership between Prudential Zenith Life and Slum2School, therefore, aims to bridge this gap and engage learners from Nursery to Senior Secondary School across 20 slums and communities in Lagos State.
“The $100,000 donation will be used to procure 300 tablets with internet connections; 34 laptops for Slum2School facilitators; 34 whiteboards, markers and board eraser sets; state-of-the-art learning studio for 50-90 pupils per session; stationery for students, as well as learning programmes and software,” he said.
Igumbor noted that cash donation and relief foodstuffs would also be provided to the less-privileged families within the identified communities to assist in the trying times.
To keep the malaria fight alive and front of mind during the COVID-19 pandemic, a new team of global influencers are joining with youth champions behind the Zero Malaria Starts with Me campaign to inspire awareness and action this World Mosquito Day (August 20).
Against the backdrop of the global pandemic, leading athletes from Africa and beyond, including Kenyan world-record-holding marathon runner Eliud Kipchoge, World Cup-winning South African rugby captain Siya Kolisi, top female South African explorer Saray Khumalo, veteran international footballer Luis Figo, and founder of the first-ever Nigerian bobsled team Seun Adigun, are urging people to ‘see the bigger picture’ by tackling COVID-19 and malaria together to save more lives.
Siya Kolisi
Malaria is one of the world’s oldest and deadliest diseases, transmitted by mosquitoes, which still kills an average of over 400,000 people annually – over 90 percent of them in Africa. An estimated 228 million long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) were due to be delivered across Sub-Saharan Africa this year – more than ever before – but severe disruptions to life-saving net campaigns and limited access to antimalarial medicines as a result of COVID-19 could potentially result in a doubling of the number of malaria deaths in the region compared to 2018, according to recent modelling analyses by the World Health Organization (WHO) and Imperial College, London.
Eliud Kipchoge
Dr. Abdourahmane Diallo, CEO of the RBM Partnership to End Malaria, says: “Malaria does not stop devastating lives during health emergencies and still kills a child every two minutes; indeed, experiences from the Ebola outbreak in West Africa show it can resurge in times of crisis with immediate and deadly consequences. COVID-19 has exposed weaknesses in health systems around the world and, with lives at risk and resources increasingly stretched, long-term malaria investment alongside short-term COVID-19 response is essential, smart, and cost-effective.”
Saray Khumalo
Emergency Response Campaign – The Bigger Picture
To shine a spotlight on the vital importance of sustaining malaria efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bigger Picture campaign, launching today, features Eliud Kipchoge, Siya Kolisi, Saray Khumalo, Luis Figo, and Seun Adigun.
The stars film themselves wearing a face mask whilst talking about the vital importance of tackling malaria and saving more lives during the pandemic, creating a striking image of both COVID-19 and malaria together – a visual representation of seeing the Bigger Picture.
Kenyan athlete and Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge, the world’s fastest marathon runner, says: “As a marathon runner, there’s nothing more important than keeping focus. As a father, there is nothing more important than protecting my children. With the fight against COVID-19, the world has been united, as one. Let us stay focused not just to fight COVID-19, but to fight Malaria as well. Let’s continue the fight for Zero Malaria – because no human is limited.”
South Africa’s World Cup-winning Rugby Captain Siya Kolisi says: “It was so important to me that I lent my voice to the Zero Malaria campaign. Malaria is a huge problem on the continent, but it can be combated in my lifetime. It is for this reason that I am using my platform, in these times of uncertainty, to support the fight against this deadly disease, transforming the lives of Africa’s next generation.”
South African explorer Saray Khumalo, the first black African woman to reach the South Pole and summit Mount Everest, says: “I grew up experiencing malaria in DRC and Zambia, so I know how devastating this disease is. Ending malaria is a challenge, even more with COVID, but it is a surmountable challenge that we can rise to together. Let’s set our sights on reaching zero malaria!”
Veteran footballer Luis Figo, a champion of the Zero Malaria Starts with Me campaign, says: “Both COVID-19 and malaria are formidable opponents, and we must come together to tackle them at the same time and save more lives. As we fight COVID-19, we must not let our guard down against malaria, which strikes the poorest and the most vulnerable hardest. Zero malaria means no child should die unnecessarily from a preventable and treatable disease.”
World Mosquito Day
Also launching the week of World Mosquito Day, Zero Malaria’s #MosquitoClapChallenge will comprise a series of short videos featuring influencers as well as malaria youth champions from across Africa to illustrate the importance of continuing to fight the world’s oldest and deadliest disease despite the challenges of COVID-19.
When mosquitos get in people’s faces, it is usually accompanied by a swat or a clap to shoo them away or to catch them. Zero Malaria has teamed up with international Afropop dancer and choreographer Ezinne Asinugo to turn this clap into an easy 5-step routine for anyone anywhere to share across social media platforms, including Instagram and TikTok.
The resulting film of collated entries from around the world will be released in lead up to the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly, running from 15-30 September 2020, to encourage world leaders and key players to sustain their efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic in the fight to end malaria.
About Zero Malaria Starts with Me:
Zero Malaria Starts with Me campaign was launched by African Union leaders in 2018 in support of the continent’s goal to end malaria by 2030. The campaign sparks grassroots movement by engaging political leaders at all levels, mobilising resources and funding, and empowering communities to take ownership of malaria efforts and hold leaders accountable in the fight against malaria. For more information about Zero Malaria Starts with Me, please visit zero malaria.africa and follow @ZeroMalaria on social media.
About the RBM Partnership to End Malaria:
The RBM Partnership to End Malaria is the largest global platform for coordinated action against malaria. Originally established as Roll Back Malaria (RBM) Partnership in 1998, it mobilises for action and resources and forges consensus among partners. The Partnership is comprised of more than 500 partners, including UN agencies, malaria-endemic countries, their bilateral and multilateral development partners, the private sector, non-governmental and community-based organisations, foundations, and research and academic institutions. The RBM Partnership Secretariat is hosted by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) in Geneva, Switzerland. endmalaria.org
About Malaria No More UK:
Malaria No More is a UK charity determined to end malaria by inspiring the UK public, businesses, and government to fight for a malaria-free world. www.malarianomore.org.uk / @malarianomoreuk
Key Malaria Facts
• Malaria is one of the world’s oldest and deadliest diseases.
• A child still dies from malaria every two minutes. That is an average of over 700 children every day.
• Nigeria and DRC are the world’s worst-affected countries – over third of all deaths take place in these two countries alone.
• In 2018, about 11 million pregnancies in moderate and high transmission sub-Saharan African countries would have been exposed to malaria infection, seriously impacting their health.
• Malaria is a major contributor to a cycle of poverty in Africa. In Malawi, estimates indicate that the direct and indirect costs of each malaria episode consume more than a week’s worth of income for most families.
• In 2018 there were 228 million cases of malaria worldwide and 405,000 deaths.
• Approximately 1.5 billion school days would be gained among children in agricultural households from 2018 through 2040 by achieving malaria elimination in 2040.
• More than one-third of young children in Africa are still not sleeping under a mosquito net.
• The large-scale distributions and uptake by communities of insecticide-treated nets are responsible for 68 percent of the malaria cases prevented in Africa between 2000 and 2015.
• Over the last decade, 10 countries have been certified by the WHO Director-General as malaria-free.
• The whole population of Kenya is at risk of malaria – there were over 3.5million cases, and over 12,000 deaths in 2018 (latest WHO Malaria Report data).
Filmmaker, Kemi Adetoba has announced her plans to work with six fresh actors on King of Boys’ sequel.
Adetiba announced that the six fresh acts emerged from the King Of Boys Stay Home Challenge, which ran on Instagram for over two months.
The six winners of the challenge, Tope Olowoniyan, Jide Oyegbile, Amanda Oruh, Deborah A. Frankson, Israel Oyebamiji, and Toluwanmi Olaoye, have nabbed themselves roles in the highly anticipated King of Boys 2.
The challenge was in collaboration with Malta Guinness. Hence, the six winners would also feature in a Malta Guinness campaign, get a one-year supply of Malta Guinness, and a Malta Goodness Box.
Speaking on the experience, Kemi said, “the entries have been non-stop since we launched in April. Honestly, I have never seen anything like it. Interest in the challenge has been phenomenal. And better still, the quality of the entries is mind-blowing. I am truly amazed by the quality of acting I have seen with this challenge. Nigerians, I bow.”
Before the Coronavirus pandemic forced the world into quarantine and lockdown, MC Chaz, a Nigerian-born American based Master of Ceremonies born Chiazo Ogbuh was enjoying a boom in his career.
Chaz, who turned 35 years this year, recently reminisced about his adventure in the world of entertainment and declared, “I believe I was born to host events.”
MC Chaz said: “Not to toot my horn but, if you were to count the best 20 African MC’s in the diaspora, I’ll be one. When I set out, I knew one day my turn would arrive and it would last a very long time. I have hosted almost 500 weddings in the last 10 years. It’s been an amazing journey.”
As businesses are coming out of the carnage of coronavirus, and the global economy begins to gather pace, he spoke of his plans for 2020. “I started a matchmaking program and it’s been amazing; I plan to focus on it and grow it stronger and bigger,” he confirmed.
Chaz who migrated to the United States 15 years ago, gave a candid opinion on the Black Lives Matter movement that has taken over America. “Black lives should matter,” he said, “and others need to stop treating us like we are second-class citizens.”
According to him,“ Every life matters, including blacks.”
Looking at how his career has flourished in the United States, that saw him transformed from a pharmacist to multifaceted entertainer, Chaz thumbed-up the American economy as being entertainment-friendly. “This is the best thing so far; the economy, the milieu is great,” he enthused.
He pointed out ways by which the Nigeria government can help make the country friendlier to the entertainment business.
“The government needs to hire more young people, both men and women, to help shape the direction and focus of the country,” he said.
“Government needs to believe in entertainment and realize how much money can be generated. Importantly, it would be nice to see the government support artists.”
While speaking as a guest on the first episode of Vocal Zoom, a Live Virtual Music show featuring African vocalists, Deji Sanusi, an Abeokuta-based Nigerian singer, Voice coach, Finance Marketing expert and Recording Gospel Artiste who has led more than 10,000 people at Music concerts pointed that there is a need for Nigerian singers to embellish their craft some more as this helps in boosting the quality of their delivery.
He lauded the brilliant pace being set by popular giant players in the Gospel music sphere such as Tim Godfrey, Nathaniel Bassey, Babz Carpenterz and a host of others.
The show which was held via the video conference platform Zoom is powered by Smithworks Media is designed to celebrate the radiance of African vocals and aims to create talent appreciation platform by hosting African descent vocalists across various genres including Afrobeat, Gospel music, R&B, AfroJazz, Afro-pop, Raggae, Juju, Fuji, Afro soul etc.
The show featured interesting segments such as the Lifestyle gists of African Celebrities, freestyle sessions, Tips for vocal improvement, Discussions around Music business among other interest-sustaining elements. It paraded highly talented vocalists like Nigeria’s JamieGold & Deji Sanusi, USA’s Kenny; and one of Russia’s most sought-after singer – Dewunmi Vokalz who all graced the show with their individual creative delights.
Sauti Sol from Kenya, South Africa’s The Joy Music Acapella crew, Zimbabwe’s Nobuntu Music, Ivory Coast’s Heaven Singers Acapella group and Uganda’s Harmonics are some of the African Vocal powerhouses listed to feature in subsequent episodes of the series.
America based Nigerian artiste, Andrew Eromosele Alexander Amiolemen simply known as Andy Muller in musical circle has featured industry top guns, CDQ and Slimcase and Idowest on his soon to be released single Lagos Island.
Muller whose recent single Racks on Racks with DMW artiste, B-Red, is still bubbling in the Nigerian music space announced his new single to be released next week.
According to the Miami based artiste, the new single which features top industry artistes is very important to him because this song reminds him of his roots and growing up.
Andy grew more in love with music while in school. He attended St Gregory’s College S/W Ikoyi, after which he proceeded to Babcock University and then The American University, North Cyprus.
He founded Muller sounds, a record label working towards signing young talented artists in the nearest future.
The Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) will ensure that the Federal Government realises over N1.5 trillion from over 10,000 vessels doing business in the country, it was learnt.
Findings revealed that the huge revenue is going into pockets of foreign shipping firms.
A top Federal Ministry of Transportation (FMoT) official told The Nation at the weekend that at the heads of the maritime agencies held a meeting in Lagos last week where the Executive Secretary of the NSC, Mr Hassan Bello, urged other attendees to focus on Floating Production Storage Offshore Vessels (FPSOVs) and supply boats because of the dwindling oil revenue.
“As part of efforts to boost the economy in the post-COVID-19 period, the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers Council, Mr Hassan Bello, had at various fora, called for the empowerment of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) to implement the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act 2010 to boost the economy.
“Shippers Council is aware that there are more than 10,000 ships, oil platforms, rigs and barges operating in the oil gas and port sectors every year that need essential provisions and services to maintain their crew on board the ships,” the official said on condition of anonymity.
He said the Local Content Act was meant to address issues of this nature, noting that the National Content Monitoring Board (NCMB) was yet to understand the dynamics of local content in ship chandling, adding that it was why the NSC is seeking attention in the business.
The Federal Government, he said, was losing huge revenue to the low level in ship chandling because foreigners are dominating trade.
The senior official said ship chandling needs a lot of funds to meet the demands of the crew.
“For instance, a crew of a ship of 5,000 Gross Registered Tonnage (GRT) would require about $50,000 monthly to buy foods, pharmaceuticals, oil, lubricants and other things for its trip,’’ he said.
NSCofficial, who was aware of discussion of heads of the maritime agencies’ meeting, said the law guiding ship chandling was not effective, adding that Section 24 of the Customs and Excise Management Act (CEMA), which regulates the business, has not been reviewed since 1968 to reflect new trends.
The NSC official said the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has the power to provide the requisite training to understand the dynamics of how the business is run.
A member of Association of Chandlers and Ship Suppliers of Nigeria (ACSSN), Felix Anthony said the Federal Government could raise over N1.5trillion revenue from over 10,000 vessels carrying out their business in the country.
He said they were happy that the NSC is championing the empowerment of the NCDMB so that it would be able to carry out its implement core responsibilities in shipping.
Higher funding needs for responding to COVID-19 along with declining oil sales will lead to greater Sukuk issuance this year by the largest sovereign issuers, despite its decline as an overall share of funding, a report predicted at the weekend.
The issuance of Sukuks, often described as ‘Sharia-compliant bonds’, will reach $94billion this year – 43per cent more than last year’s – the paper, released by ratings agency, Moody’s, said.
The rating agency said year-on-year, despite the huge borrowing needs caused by the pandemic, issuance was broadly flat in the first half of this year due to deterioration in market conditions and Sukuks’relative complexity compared to conventional debt instruments.
The Federal Government had handed over N162.557 billion to the Federal Ministry of Works for the proceeds of the third Sukuk Bond that it raised
The proceeds will be used for the construction and rehabilitation of 44 roads in the six geopolitical zones in the country. The Sukuk Bond, third in a row, was oversubscribed by 446 per cent.
The Debt Management Office (DMO) had said the demand for the bond came from a wide range of investors, including ethical funds, insurance companies, and retail investors.
According to the DMO, the benefits of the Sukuk Bond in the financing of roads include improved safety on the roads, faster travel time, access to markets for farm produce and opening up parts of the country for development, job creation and increase level of activity for service providers many of whom are small business.
The DMO will continue to raise funds through the Sukuk to support improvement in infrastructure and development of the domestic capital market.
According to Moody’s report, in Gulf Cooperation Council states, Sukuk issuance dipped. Saudi Arabia issued $6.8billion, compared to $9.4billion in the first half of 2019, and Qatar issued none at all, despite an expected $6.4billion fiscal deficit this year.
But as market conditions recover, and with no sign of borrowing requirements dropping off, Moody’s has predicted the use of Sukuks will see “sizeable increases” in both of these countries, with oil prices stabilising at lower than expected amounts, as well as in Indonesia, Malaysia and Turkey.
Indonesia has announced stimulus measures to respond to the pandemic worth nearly $50billion, and now expects its deficit to reach 6.3per cent of gross domestic product (GDP), and nearby Malaysia now predicts its own deficit will reach 5.8 per cent after announcing $2.4billion of cash handouts to boost household consumption.
The Turkish government has committed about $15billion of stimulus measures so far, including expanding social transfers, tax cuts and support for industries such as tourism, leaving its fiscal deficit expected to rise from 4.6per cent of GDP last year to 7.5per cent.
These will require borrowing, and the growing appetite for Shariah-complaint products in many of these countries means the report projected continued growth of Sukuk issuance in the medium term.
But despite this, Moody’s predicted that Sukuks will decline as a share of government funding “largely due to the preference for conventional issuance over Sukuk during the period of elevated market volatility in the second quarter of 2020.
“In many cases, domestic Sukuk markets have not reached sufficient depth to meet the sudden increase in financing needs like in this most recent crisis.
“Additionally, while the spread has narrowed, Sukuk issuances continue to attract a slight premium over their conventional counterparts, which may dis-incentivise issuers who are already grappling with higher borrowing costs.”
There is no harm in dreaming big according to talented Yoruba actor-cum-producer Temidayo Starboy, who in recent Facebook posts appraised his journey in the world of filmmaking and appreciated the progress he has made, while attributing his success to God’s grace.
The filmmaker was recently unveiled as a brand ambassador of Golden Cheetah, a Canadian international logistics company.
“My true life story has made me to believe that no matter where you’re from, your dreams are valid. Please never stop dreaming big. I am a living testimony,” he wrote on his Facebook page.
Starboy Temidayo has been one of the driving forces pushing Nigerian films into global limelight in the past few years.
In a recent interview, the Toronto, Canada-based filmmaker, explained one of his promotional efforts in the past few years. “I have been organising the Nigerian-Canadian Celebrities Entertainer Award through Starboard Entertainment which is my company,” he said.
Working with scripts that have international appeal is another strategy he has been using to promote Yoruba films. “I shoot both locally and internationally,” he affirmed.
One of his recent films, Ikoja Aye (2020) was shot both in Nigeria and Canada.
The actor, whose full name is Temidayo Enitan Adeyehun, a graduate of Olabisi Onabanjo University, has so far been involved in over 25 movies and had recorded a phenomenal rise in Nollywood before his relocation to Canada, where he is currently the Executive President, Theatre Arts and Motion Pictures Practitioners Association of Nigeria, (TAMPAN) , Canada Chapter.
Starboy Temidayo, who has featured in a good number of movies, also produced a number of movies including Owo Adebayo, Ayo Olopon, Ipebi, Ore Mi (My friend), Adegoroye and Dokita Oru.
He is a recipient of many awards including City People Movie Award for Best New Actor of the Year, African Icon Award for Entertainment Icon of the Year and Movie Actor/Producer of the Year (Esteem Nigeria Youth Award).
Among his other laurels are Community Award of Excellence from Afro Heritage International Award Canada and Yoruba Movie Gist Award for Best Yoruba Movie Actor in Diaspora among others.
His movies and skits have been hitting the social media regularly via the Starboard Entertainment YouTube channel.
Though a cousin of Mr Latin, a popular Yoruba comedy actor, Temidayo, 37, had attained popularity by a dint of hard work and by his creative and entrepreneurship.
With the COVID-19 pandemic exposing how far formal education had lagged behind technological development, Country Director for Google, Mrs. Juliet Ehimuan has advised educational institutions to embrace collaboration to get speed.
Delivering the keynote at the opening of the 30-day virtual conference of the Total School Support Education Tech (TOSSEtech), which had as theme: “Education and Technology: The future is here”, Mrs. Ehimuan said the pandemic had forced the formal education system to leverage technology.
She said: “COVID pandemic has underscored the need for digital technology. While technology has transformed virtually every sector, formal education is an area that has been slower to change. Now that we find ourselves in a situation where exiting delivery models are being challenged, we are now having to accelerate the role of technology in education as we experience it today and I think this is an incredible opportunity to think expansively and to determine a full range of transformative things technology can do in education and how we can make that work for our environment.”
Advising schools to collaborate to leverage the gains of technology, Mrs. Ehimuan said collaborations could birth cost-effective and world-class learning hubs that could generate profit.
“Once a learning hub is created it can be accessed by anyone as long as it goes with the approved curriculum. It can be leveraged by anyone anywhere in any school. So there is an opportunity to come together to minimise the cost and look at building a world-class learning hub that can then be monetised not just for our local traffic but also for international traffic; and that is an incredible opportunity within that space,” she said.
The keynote was followed by a panel discussion that featured the CEO of The Education Partnership (TEP) Centre, Dr. Modupe Adefeso; EDVES CEO, Mr. Dimeji Falana; high school graduate and African Leadership Academy student, Ayomide Olatunji; and Mr. Femi Taiwo of LEAP Africa.
The panelists noted what Nigeria missed about the relevance of technology in education and proffered solutions.
Mrs. Yinka Ogunde, chief executive officer of Edumark Consult, organisers of the virtual conference, said the programme, which would last for 30 days, would point schools in the right direction in integrating technology in education.
She said: “I remember when we had the first edition of TOSSEtech at the Sheraton Hotel, we were talking about technology; about the possibilities of remote learning; of not seeing your teachers when you are learning and everyone thought how can that be possible that we will not see our teachers for months? Now we are faced with our reality. We call it the new normal. We don’t know when the old order will come back. The reality is that it is not going to come back again. And that means that we must make the best; we must continue to live our lives. A lot of educational institutions are grappling with so many issues at this time. And we believe that by bringing to them this EDTECH dialogue for 30 days a lot of things will happen.”
