The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Financial support

  • ‘Ailing telcos need financial support’

    The Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) has urged the regulator to put in place flexible policy, including providing liquidty, to rescue operators in the Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA).

    Its chairman, Engr. Gbenga Adebayo, urged the Federal Government should give the operators access to capital and other incentives to survive.

    “With the declining CDMA operation in Nigeria, there is urgent need to help the operators remain in business in order to allow for the continuity of their operations, which has cheaper tariff than GSM (global system for mobile communications) service,” he said.

    Adebayo advised the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to revisit the interconnect rate model and give preferential treatment to CDMA operators.

    CDMA is a wireless communication technology that allows multiple people to use a single radio channel at the same time with little interference and very high security.

    Adebayo said CDMA operators still existed and had subscribers but were not as prominent as they used to be. “The fact remains that the choice of technology being used now does not favour CDMA operators,’’ he said.

    The chairman noted that CDMA lines were mostly used in the country in the past.

    He said the use of the CDMA lines was reduced as a result of stiff competition with GSM operators.

    Adebayo said that GSM operators churned out innovative and exciting products for subscribers and lowered call tariffs and SIM cards, causing decline in the number of subscribers on CDMA network.

    Adebayo said GSM operators’ subscriber base had continued to rise to the disadvantage of CDMA operators. According to statistics released by the Nigeria Communications Commission for 2018, active mobile telephone lines in Nigeria rose from 149 million in March to 160 million in April.

  • Financial support coming for 1,000 widows

    One thousand widows across the country will soon be receiving financial empowerment from Lipton Yellow Label Tea,  Hope for Life Initiative, God’s Wives, and Women and Orphans Empowerment Organisation to promote the ‘Reasons to Smile’ campaign.

    Designed to support the women through untold hardship and discrimination, the campaign will provide the beneficiaries with the needed opportunities for solutions and financial empowerment by making available necessary care packs and seed funds to start businesses and improve their lives.

    Founded by media personality, Bolanle Olukanni, God’s Wives is a Foundation established to protect, empower, and re-dignify widows while also providing training to aid employment. The Foundation is created to also start a conversation about many cultural practices that widows are forced to endure.

    The Widows and Orphans Empowerment Organisation (WEWE) is a not-for-profit, Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) which started out as a Community-Based Organisation (CBO) with the aim of providing scholarships and economic empowerment to orphans and widows in Okigwe, Imo State.

    With the intent to empower widows and children to be self-reliant and productive through the Hope for Life Initiative, widows are involved with programmes to acquire new skills, and the organisation also manages seminars at schools in rural communities for the purpose of mentoring the students.

    “Knowing the untold hardship and challenges faced by widows, we have the power to lighten their burden and put smiles on their faces either as a corporate imperative or individual responsibility,” said Damilola Dania, Lipton’s Brand Manager, while speaking on the campaign.

    “Our purpose is to awaken the world to quality connections that enhance mental wellbeing in society. Partnering with these NGOs on the ‘Reasons to Smile’ campaign enables us to achieve our objectives and make the desired impact on the widows,” she added. Every pack of Lipton Yellow Label purchased from now till the end of June will serve to support the brand’s effort to empower widows.

  • Muslim group seeks financial support for projects

    Muslim group seeks financial support for projects

    Chairman of Muslim Association of Nigeria (Lagos branch) Alhaji Taohoed Tyson has appealed for financial support for the association’s projects.

    The projects include purchase or supply of an air-conditioned 18-seater bus for its members’ means of transportation and completion of a school project.

    He made the appeal at a Ramadan lecture organised by the branch in honour of President of Eko Club, Chief Tunde Fanimokun.

    Tyson, who urged for donations from the members of Eko Club, their friends, association and invited guests, added that the association also has a school project in Ikorodu.

    He appealed to Muslims to help.

    “I seek the assurance of Chief Tunde Panimokun, past Presidents of Eko Club and our invited guests that they would do their very best to assist MAN Lagos branch, towards the actualisation of this project. May Almighty Allah (SWT) make it possible and may He continue to bless you all,” he said.

    An Islamic cleric and guest lecturer, Ustaz Lookman Saheed-Imam, urged Muslims and leaders to always abide by the pillars, tenets of their religion as well as the conducts of Prophet Muhammed during and after Ramadan fasting.

    The cleric said Islam is not a religion by accident, but the one sent by God, perfected through Prophet Muhammed and decreed for mankind.

    He urged Muslims to fear God and abide by the tenets of the religion, warning that they will be answerable to God on the Day of Judgment.

    The cleric urged Muslims to learn the Quran and Arabic language as well as to ensure their households learn the Holy Book.

    According to him, it has been established that no transcription of the Holy Book conveyed its exact meanings or interpretations of its Arabic language.

    Saheed-Imam also advised adherents of the religion in governments to know that they occupy positions of trust.

    According to him, it is incumbent on such leaders to have the love and welfare of their followers at heart.

    He counselled the followers to exercise patience with leaders in the face of the country’s recession.

    Quoting the Quran, he said God said after suffering, humankind would taste joy.

    “Definitely, Nigerians will enjoy at the end of our present travails, God willing,” Saheed-Imam said.

  • Veteran appeals for financial support

    Veteran appeals for financial support

    YInka Ogundaisi, a culture and entertainment industry veteran has been hospitalised having had his back bones (vertebraes L4 & L6) trapping the legs’ nerves making him unable to use his legs to walk.

    Ogundaisi says that he is presently sourcing for the necessary funds for an immediate surgery, failing which he stands the risk of permanent paralysis.

    He revealed that he has so far paid over a million naira for tests and admission formalities and he requires another N1.2m for medical implants and an estimated N3.6m for other hospital’s expenses. He had health problem back in 2013 but says his present health condition is different.

    “I had complications of twisted intestines, hernia and enlarged prostrate in 2013. But this time, my illness is the result of intermittent back pains I have had for more than 30 years. Whenever I experienced it, I usually took it as a sign of stress to take things easy. It never occurred to me that the pains and ageing process combined were gradually twisting the vertebrates out of their sockets. Now the back bones have collapsed to trap the nerves and I must have immediate financial support to undergo the urgent surgery while the nerves and back bones could still be repaired,” he said.

    He believes that God is keeping him safe to complete the various background works he is at present engaged in to structure Nigeria’s entertainment and culture industry into an integrated whole with globally-compliant business practices that will enable the practitioners to meet and fully satisfy the cultural re-orientation and entertainment needs of our society while they (the practitioners) get financial rewards commensurate to their works.

    He reports about reaching “advance stage of discussion” with two states in the south west where he expects that not later than end of the first quarter next year, there will be structured distribution system of video in place.

    Ogundaisi says that he is also almost done on another project which he says will launch the country’s first ever global tourism that will see tourists from all over the world continually flocking the country for cultural entertainment, educational and research purposes.

     

     

  • Boko Haram: UK supports Nigeria with £32m

    Boko Haram: UK supports Nigeria with £32m

    United Kingdom (UK) has concluded arrangement to provide additional funding up to £32 million for humanitarian and energy support to the country.

    This new funding, according to Nick Hurd, the UK Minister for International Development, is in addition to more than £8.2 million provided by the UK since 2014.

    Hued noted that the humanitarian needs in north east Nigeria are enormous and growing.

    UK he stressed was committed to continuing to help Nigeria to provide humanitarian assistance and protection for people affected by the conflict in north east Nigeria.

    The support which is for the next three years is aimed at delivering basic, life-saving assistance and protection to some of the estimated 7 million people in need of humanitarian assistance due to the conflict in north east Nigeria.

    While also commending Nigeria’s efforts to support the affected population, Hurd maintained that a sustained, large-scale Government-led response is needed to meet people’s basic needs and to help them to rebuild their lives once security conditions allow them to return to their places of origin.

    He further assured the country of UK’s continuing support alongside its partners to strengthen the humanitarian effort to reach the most vulnerable, many of whom are in areas that are difficult to access.

    A statement issued by the British High Commission in Abuja said that the funds will be channeled through the United Nations (UN), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and other humanitarian organisations, and will be used to provide support for critical life-saving areas including nutrition, food security, water and sanitation, and protection of civilians affected by the conflict.

    Also, Technical expertise is expected to be made available to the Government of Nigeria to support the humanitarian response.

    In addition, the Minister, according to the statement also announced a substantial increase of £16.7 million pounds the UK is giving to Nigeria’s rapidly growing solar energy market.  The additional funding is in support of a UK sponsored Solar Nigeria Programme that was approved in September 2013 with a budget of £37.1 million pounds.

    The UK’s overall £222 million / year programme in Nigeria improves health and education systems, addresses malnutrition, improves governance, removes the constraints to growth and helps Nigeria better target its own resources.  Over 60% of DFID Nigeria’s programme is targeted at northern Nigeria where the needs are greatest