The Nation Newspaper

Tag: lagos

  • Union Bank unveils new branches in Lagos

    Union Bank of Nigeria Plc has unveiled four of its recently redesigned and improved branches in Lagos State, in its bid to continue to deliver superior banking experience to its customers.

    The branches are located at Oba Akran, Allen, Alausa and the Agege areas of Lagos. Union Bank said the redesigned branches are part of the Bank’s plan to offer “simpler and smarter” banking solutions to customers and prospects. The branches have been exquisitely designed and furnished to wear a sophisticated look.

    Speaking to journalists at the unveiling ceremony, the bank’s Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer,  Emeka Emuwa, noted that the new look was in line with the lender’s rebranding objectives. “This is aligned with the new Union Bank brand identity that we launched six weeks ago,” he said.

    “What we’ve tried to do here is to give our customers a more contemporary environment in our business locations but still retaining the old Union Bank tradition, and then making sure that the branch’s layout is geared towards helping our customers access their services much more efficiently.

    “It is basically a continuation of the new brand identity that we launched, which is more modern, energised, vibrant and contemporary. The technology you have in this branch is the same everywhere else. Back in April, we upgraded our core banking systems, and the benefits are visible. Customers should simply expect simpler, smarter service,” the bank chief explained.

    He also said unveiling the redesigned branches was an ongoing process that would continue for the next two months. “We have a total of 40 so far and over the next few weeks, you’ll see us unveiling them. We’ve done all the work over the last few years. Some are new branches which we are opening; some are old branches which we’ve renovated. We were in Ibadan recently, and now we are unveiling Oba Akran, Agege, Alausa and Allen. So, for the next two months, you will see us unveiling our new look across the country.”

    Addressing customers during the unveiling, Emuwa also said the branch launch is a reflection of the future of Union Bank. He added: “The only way that this has remained possible is that for the past 98 years, customers have been supporting our business, and we hope and expect that that will continue. In fact, the reality is that we actually expect more, which is why we are doing this today.”

    He also said Union Bank has strengthened all its electronic banking channels, especially with mobile innovation that ensures that banking services can be accessed anywhere and anytime.

  • Lagos launches pilgrims depository scheme

    Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode will today launch the Hajj Depository Scheme.

    The initiative will enable intending pilgrims to save towards the pilgrimage to Mecca.

    The event will hold at De-Renaissance Hotel in Alausa, Ikeja.

    According to Home Affairs Commissioner Dr AbdulHakeem AbdulLateef, the scheme is fashioned after what is obtained in some Muslim countries, such as, Indonesia and Malaysia.

    He said Al-Barka Micro Finance Bank will be in charge of the scheme.

    The commissioner said two service providers – Med View Air Line and Kausara Travels and Tours- would be honoured on the occasion.

  • ‘Lagos requires additional 18m facilities for growing populace’

    ‘Lagos requires additional 18m facilities for growing populace’

    The Chairman of Lagos State branch of Nigeria Institution of Surveyors (NIS), Mr. Olugbenga Alara, has decried the overstretching of infrastructure facilities in Lagos State, saying the current situation if left unaddressed could lead to chaos in transportation and planning

     Alara, stated this at the 2015 Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Luncheon of the branch during the week .He lamented that facilities in Lagos are overstretched, and stressed that government and professionals must genuinely collaborate to address the challenges.

     He added: “Surveying, as we have been telling the public ever since is the bedrock of all meaningful planning and development. The contribution of surveying to development cannot be overemphasized and the best surveyed cities of the world are the best developed because everything has to be in its rightful place.

    “It is the surveyor that will determine what should be cited in a particular place putting into consideration the topography and the vital infrastructure needed in a place.  If the information provided by the surveyor is followed and interpreted by relevant professionals, the nation will witness the birth of better developed societies.”

    Speaking on his plan for the Institution, Olugbenga said one of his major areas of focus is the leadership mentoring initiative where the young members of the profession would be tutored on the history of surveying, the present practice and the better ways of practice, as well as morality of governance.

     Immediate past Lagos State Commissioner for Physical Planning, Land and Urban Development, Toyin Ayinde who was the guest lecturer, underscored the need for strategic planning and implementation to tackle the myriad of challenges facing Lagos as the centre of commerce and economic hub of the West African region.

     The former commissioner, who traced the history of how Lagos started as small fishing and trading settlement, recalled that the Ikorodu road was constructed in 1976 when the population of Lagos was around four million, and that the road was now serving about 22million people, hence the need for strategic urban renewal thinking, planning and implementation.

    While emphasising that the major solution to the challenges remained good governance at all levels, Ayinde also challenged professionals to be involved more in politics and be ready to contribute to the development of the society.

    He said the failure of any country is the failure of its professionals, and as such, the Nigerian professionals must be ready to sincerely and genuinely commit to the development and advancement of the nation.

  • ‘BEAST OF NO NATION’ PREMIERES IN LAGOS

    IT was a memorable evening for movie lovers as the talk of town movie, Beast of no Nation premiered at the Silverbird Galleria last Saturday with special appearance by Hollywood actor, Idris Elba.

    Written by Uzoma Iweala, son of former Finance Minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, and shot on location in Ghana, the movie is a drama on the experiences of Agu, a young child soldier who survives as his country goes through a horrific war in the civil war of an unnamed African country.

    Elba who was in Nigeria for the premiere said that the movie is much more than the everyday films seen on television as it tells a deep story of the African child.

    “This movie is a very special film; the highlights are still ongoing especially in Africa where children are being used as soldiers and taken away. The film explores that through the eyes of Abraham so this film is a very important film, it’s not about the streets, and it’s very much more about the exploration of someone losing a youth in a very violent way” said Elba who played commandant in the movie.

    For Uzoma, the movie is one out of many stories in the African soil that need to be told. “It is about telling all the stories that you can. People get a little nervous and say there is only positive narrative or negative narratives but the thing about Beast of No Nation as a book and as a movie is that it tells one particular story of which there are many. If you are here in Nigeria, you will see that there are more positive stories. We are not just telling one story so I think it is a story that should be told as soon as possible,” he said.

  • Lagos begins security surveillance with choppers, gun boats

    Lagos begins security surveillance with choppers, gun boats

    LAGOS crime-fighting outfit – Rapid Response Squad (RRS) has launched a routine surveillance on some identified dark spots in the state with a test-run of the newly acquired helicopters and gunboats.

    The facilities are parts of the multi-billion security equipment procured by the administration of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode to retool the state police command and the RRS through the Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF).

    Interior Minister Lt. Gen. Abdurrahman Dambazau and Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Solomon Arase were amsong top government officials at the inauguration of the equipment in Lagos on November 27.

    The N4.765 billion include 100 units of four-door salon cars, 55units of Ford Ranger vans, 10 units of Toyota Land Cruiser pick-up, 15 units of BMW power bikes, 100 units of power bikes, Isuzu trucks, three helicopters, two gun boats, 15 Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs), revolving lights, siren and public address system, vehicular radio communicators and other security gadgets including bullet proof vests, helmets, handcuffs, uniforms, kits and improved insurance and death benefit schemes for officers.

    Wednesday’s demonstration was in line with the government’s efforts to ensure adequate and effective security in the nation’s commercial nerve centre. The test-run was carried out at some identified black spots with the metropolis.

    It was learnt that such surveillance will be carried out daily to forestall any breakdown of law and order as well as respond swiftly to emergency situations on roads, on the waterways with the ultra-modern facilities.

    Ambode has also hinted that the helicopters would be deployed in monitoring traffic situation within the metropolis.

  • Stakeholders tackle malnutrition at Lagos talks

    Stakeholders tackle malnutrition at Lagos talks

    No fewer than four groups gathered at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) last Thursday,  to address rising  malnutrition in Lagos State.

    State Nutrition Officer, Lagos State Ministry of Health, Mrs Olubunmi Ibrahim, said nutrition affects all stages of the life cycle from pregnancy to when a baby is born up to adulthood.

    According to her, 55 per cent of child mortality is associated with malnutrition, adding: “If not addressed, malnutrition is transmitted from generation to generation.”

    Ibrahim, who spoke on the adoption and implementation of the National Strategic Plan of Action For Nutrition (NSPAN), said the objective is to build upon the framework outlined in the National Food and Nutrition Policy to improve the nutritional status.

    She said: “NSPAN aims at promoting the delivery of effective interventions that will ensure adequate nutrition to all Nigerians, especially vulnerable groups.”

    Representative of United Nations International Child Fund (UNICEF) and Nutrition Specialist, Mrs Ada Ezeogu, advised expectant mothers to take enough nutrients for the development of the baby.

    “The window of opportunity to address malnutrition is the first two years of life. Children who are malnourished during this period lose 11 centimetre of potential height,” she said.

    Malnutrition, she said, does not concern only the poor, adding that even the children of the well-to-do are malnourished.

    “Malnutrition is not about being wealthy or poor. Children of the rich also get malnourished. This is often due to lack of time for the parent to monitor their children to consume the appropriate nutrients,” she said.

    Ezeogu said when breastfeeding and complementary feeding fail, it means the mothers have malnourished their children.

    Coordinator, Local Working Group (LWG), Dr Modupe Akinyinka said the first 1000 days from when the mother is pregnant to the second birthday of the child determines the child’s growth.

    She said: “Two out of every three infants and children are not being fed appropriately. Mothers should exclusively breastfeed their babies for six months without adding anything, then after six months, complementary foods can be added.”

    Malnutrition, she said, is a national problem and finding solution should be a shared responsibility.

    Akinyinka said according to a research done in 1994, seven per cent of children are exclusively breast fed in Nigeria and Ghana. “A research done in 2013 shows that 63 per cent of Ghanaian children are now exclusively breastfed while just 17 per cent of Nigerian children are breast fed appropriately,” she noted.

    Project officer, Civil Society Scaling-up Nutrition Nigeria (CS-SUNN), a Non- Governmental Organisation (NGO), Okoronkwo Sunday said malnutrition is a silent crisis because it can happen around us without being aware.

    He said: “Nigeria has attempted to address the issue of malnutrition by developing a NSPAN which has been reviewed but is yet to be endorsed and a multi-sectoral nutrition partners platform to drive and coordinate action.

    “However, low public funding for nutrition and a challenging federalised system of government are considerable challenges,” he added.

    Sunday affirmed that the NGO is advocating for the implementation of the NSPAN at the national, state and local government levels.

  • ‘Lagos ready to collaborate with US’

    ‘Lagos ready to collaborate with US’

    Lagos State House of Assembly Speaker Mudashiru Obasa has expressed the Assembly’s willingness to collaborate with the United States of America.

    He said this when the Senator representing Metropolitan Atlanta’s 35th District of Georgia, Donzella James, visited his office yesterday.

    Obasa added that Lagos lawmakers have visited Atlanta, Georgia, severally and that the city was a second home to him and his colleagues.

    “We believe in participatory democracy in Nigeria and freedom of speech is recognised in our country. We are ready to work with you  and we will continue to visit your country and ensure that the closeness between Nigeria and America is strengthened,” he said.

    Senator James, a member of the US Senate Committee on Economic Development, Tourism as well Education/Youth Committee, said she had been to Nigeria on many occasions and had hosted many Nigerian lawmakers in the United States.

    She said: “I feel so proud to be here, if there is anything you want me to do to assist your state, I will be willing to support you. Agriculture is No.1 in the US, especially poultry and we are willing to train your people.

    “I would love to see you in Atlanta for exchange programmes. We do a lot of that with other states in Nigeria and we do exchange programmes for students and others. I also have many Nigerians as my personal staff,” she said.

  • Dana air begins daily low cost flights from Lagos to Accra

    Dana air begins daily low cost flights from Lagos to Accra

    As part of its ongoing domestic route network expansion plans, Dana Air has commenced daily flights from Lagos to Accra. The addition of Accra brings the current route network of the airline to five destinations – Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Uyo and Accra.
    According to the Accountable Manager of Dana Air, Mr. Obi Mbanuzuo, “business and leisure travelers to the beautiful city of Accra in Ghana, will experience the Dana Air -hospitality as we extend our operations to the cosmopolitan city of Accra.

     

    “We are working with the objective of integrating other cities from Accra into our route network and making air transport accessible by developing new routes and linking same to our existing routes.”
    He stressed that, with Dana Air’s far-reaching domestic route network in Nigeria, guests arriving Lagos from Accra will also benefit from a choice of onward connections from Lagos to Abuja, Port Harcourt, and Uyo.”
    Speaking further Obi said: Accra is a preferred destination for Nigerian businessmen and women and Dana Air’s foray into the city will further boost investments in the city and deepen the bilateral relationship between the two countries.”

     

    He noted that Dana Air’s daily flights to Accra will bring options, comfort and relief to its teeming guests who have been longing for an airline with superior on-time performance and world-class in-flight service.”

     

    The airline has also set an introductory online fare of N22,000 to boost leisure and business trips from Lagos to Accra.
    Only recently, Dana Air marked its 7th anniversary announcing more customer-friendly initiatives like online check-in, frequent flyer program for loyal guests and was also recently unveiled as one of the 100 most respected companies in Nigeria by BusinessDay.
    The airline is the only domestic airline to have undergone an operational audit conducted by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and its foreign partners – flight safety group.

  • COPA LAGOS BEACH SOCCER: Sand Eagles begin title quest against Cote d’Ivoire

    COPA LAGOS BEACH SOCCER: Sand Eagles begin title quest against Cote d’Ivoire

    Nigeria’s national beach soccer team, Super Sand Eagles will begin their quest for title at this year’s edition of the Copa Lagos Beach Soccer tournament against Cote d’Ivoire on  December 18 by 4.30pm at the Eko Atlantic City, Victoria Island.

    According to the fixtures made available by Kinetic Sports Management, organisers of the annual Copa Lagos beach soccer tournament which ends on  December 20, the coach Audu Adamu led team will hope to reclaim back the title they lost last year to the Ivorians  in one of the opening fixtures.

    In the events schedule, on  December 16, there would be kids clinic involving 100-150 children with FC Barcelona team by 10 am.

    Official training session for the participating teams will hold on December 17.

    On the 18th, there would be FC Barcelona Club Challenge which will see Pepsi Academy taking on Kano Pillars by 12:45 pm, while FC Barcelona will face Shooting Stars by 2 pm.

    At 3:15pm, Lebanon will also file out against England before the Nigerian game against Cote d’Ivoire.

    After the Day 1 games, VIP lounge, Beer village officially open by 5:30pm.

    The events will start on the 19th by 11:30am with Shooting Stars taking on Pepsi FA, while Kano Pillars will face FC Barcelona by 12:45pm in the Club Challenge.

    Cote d’Ivoire will slug it out with Lebanon by 2pm, while there will be a celebrity match by 3:15pm.

    Sand Eagles will return to action against England by 4:30pm

    Fashion Show starts by 5:30pm while After Party begins by 7pm.

    On December 20, the last day of the event, Kano Pillars game against Shooting Stars will set the ball rolling by 12:45 pm before FC Barcelona and Pepsi FA slug it out by 2pm in the Club Challenge.

    Cote d’Ivoire will face England by 3:15pm, while Nigeria play Lebanon by 4:30pm.  The award ceremony will hold immediately after the game with a concert scheduled to begin by 6pm.

  • VICTORIOUS DREAM TEAM ARRIVE IN LAGOS: U-23 Eagles return without Awoniyi, Ajayi

    VICTORIOUS DREAM TEAM ARRIVE IN LAGOS: U-23 Eagles return without Awoniyi, Ajayi

    • Duo and Okechukwu head for foreign clubs

    • Players, officials storm Abuja today

    Players and officials the victorious U-23 National Team, Dream Team, which lifted the Africa U-23 Cup of Nations on Saturday night arrived in Lagos at 9am today without three of their key foriegn-based players namely Captain Azubuike Okechukwu and forwards Junior Ajayi and Taiwo Awoniyi.

    According to the team’s itinerary, the Dream Team were expected to depart the Leopold Senghor International Airport on Monday at 3am aboard an ARIK Airline flight, and the players and officials touched down at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos by 9am.

    The victorious Dream team officals and players will cross over from the international airport’s lounge for the departure lounge in the domestic wing of the airport and will then board another ARIK airline flight to Abuja.

    Meanwhile, all three overseas –based professionals, namely captain Azubuike Okechukwu and forwards Junior Ajayi and Taiwo Awoniyi have returned to their different clubs and will not be part of the delegation arriving Nigeria.

    The three players departed for their bases immediately after the team returned to its Alafifa Hotel base from the Stade Leopold Sedar Senghor on Saturday night.