The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Mr Bayo Onanuga

  • Nigerians urged to register for National ID Card

    Nigerians urged to register for National ID Card

    The Managing Director, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Mr Bayo Onanuga, has called on all eligible Nigerians to register with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), to obtain the national electronic identity card.

    Onanuga made this call when he visited the commission’s Acting General Manager, Operations/Regional Coordinator, North Central, Mrs. Florence Oloruntade, on Thursday in Abuja.

    He urged all eligible Nigerians to register without further delay to avail themselves of the benefits available in obtaining the card.

    He noted that the importance of the card cannot be overemphasised as one would hardly transact any government or other business these days without such identification, adding that the card identifies one for life.

    While responding, Oloruntade explained that the National Identity Number(NIN) is the most important token issued by the Federal Government of Nigeria for citizens and legal residents to assert their identities.

    She said Nigerians should note that the NIN, which is issued after successful enrolment on a slip, is the foundational identity of the holder stored on the National Identity Database.

    “The NIN can be verified and authenticated by institutions and persons in both the public and private sectors, using the verifications and authentication platform already deployed by the Commission.

    “The NIN verification portal has been deployed for banks and other service providers to take advantage for the purpose of ease of doing business,” she said.

    She disclosed that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has also directed the banks accordingly on the database.

    She further advised Nigerians who have lost their NIN slip to visit the nearest NIMC state office and request for a reprint, which will only cost N500 deposit into the government’s coffer.

    Oloruntade also said that Nigerians can make use of the Commission’s website to check the status of their National e-ID Card.

    “What you have to do is to login to the web portal and follow the link.

    “Click the proceed button, fill in your First Name, Last Name and the last 6-digits of your NIN.”

    She further disclosed that the NIMC is partnering the Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry to enroll all participants who will attend the 12th Abuja International Trade Fair, 2017, and issue them the National Identification Number (NIN).

    She, therefore, urged participants and visitors who will be at the fair to take advantage of the opportunity to enroll at the NIMC enrolment stand.

    “Enroll for the NIN today, and be identified for life,” she added.

  • ‘40% of Nigerians financially excluded’

    ‘40% of Nigerians financially excluded’

    Mr Rogers Nwoke, President of the National Association of Microfinance Banks (NAMB), said on Tuesday that more than 40 per cent of Nigerians were still excluded financially and needed to understand their rights.

    He made the observation when he visited the Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Mr Bayo Onanuga, in Abuja.

    “We are in the forefront of financial inclusion programme and we are seeking collaboration with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) to drive financial inclusion in the country.”

    According to Nwoke, one major issue that has been identified in the country is the financial exclusion of rural dwellers who form over 70 per cent of the Nigerian population.

    He said the people in the rural areas needed to understand their rights and privileges, adding that collaboration with the agency would help disseminate such information to them.

    “We are here to introduce ourselves and put a face to the micro finance association and we consider this agency as a very key in the dissemination of information.

    “As you know, microfinance sector is very important in the micro economic development of the country and we think that there is a gap between what we do and the perception of Nigerians.

    “One of the issues we have identified is the issue of financial literacy which is very low and even those who are banked do not really understand their rights and privileges as bank customers.

    “Record shows that more than 40 per cent of Nigerians are still excluded financially and we are in the forefront of financial inclusion programme.

    “It is over 10 years since the formal micro finance started by virtue of the law of the national micro finance policy of 2005 and we still haven’t solved this problem.

    “And we think it is because there has not been a strong handshake between us and the information space in Nigeria and a strong collaboration will help us get there.’’

    The NAMB president explained that collaboration with NAN would help advance financial inclusion and get the people into the formal financial system.

    He noted that the business of microfinance had been totally misunderstood by the people, even those in the National Assembly.

    He said there were over 999 licensed Micro Finance Banks (MFBs) in the country regulated and supervised by the CBN and over 3000 unregulated MFBs in operation that people are not aware of.

    “We believe people need to know this difference and we cannot do it alone; that is why we need a strong collaboration with the information space and you (NAN) are key and central to that.

    The NAN managing director, represented by the Editor-in-Chief, Mr Yusuf Zango, expressed the agency’s commitment to collaborate with NAMB to drive financial inclusion in the country.

    Onanuga said the agency was about 40 years old with offices across the country and district offices with correspondents who were report happenings from the rural perspective.

    He said NAN engaged mainly in development journalism and was in the right position to partner with the microfinance association to deliver their mandate.

    “We do not have our own publication but we give news items to our subscribers that cut across print and electronic media.

    “We service our radio and television stations’ clients by sending out video and audio clips to them and we also have news exchange agreements with a number of foreign news agencies.

    “Let me assure you that NAN is ready to collaborate with you. Our focus just like yours is in the rural areas where majority of our people are and are not reported.

    “I want to assure you that NAN will be ready to partner with you in the regard of financial inclusion in the country.”

    The NAN boss presented copies of NAN magazine publications to the NAMB president, which he said was free and usually distributed to top civil servants, embassies, banks and the like.

    He said the publication provided avenues for clients and partners of the agency to advertise their various products, companies and businesses.

  • Author ‘Eze Goes to School’,Mr. Onuora Nzekwu goes home

    Author ‘Eze Goes to School’,Mr. Onuora Nzekwu goes home

    The Minister of Information and Culture, Mr. Lai Mohammed, has described the pioneer General Manager of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the late Mr. Onuora Nzekwu, as a patriotic Nigerian.

    It was at a night of tribute and songs for the 89-year novelist and editor at the NAN Media Centre in Lagos on Friday.

    “He was a patriotic Nigerian, who lived all his life providing selfless service to the nation. It may be hard to find such service in our society today.

    “He was a great Nigerian and an exceptional man who helped to build NAN, and also trained so many journalists who have excelled in their various fields.

    “He was also a cultural man and his work as Editor of `The Nigeria’ magazine helped in documenting various aspects of Nigeria’s cultural heritage.

    “He was a good writer, who inspired a lot of young ones to appreciate literature,’’ the Minister, said in his remarks at “a Night of Tributes,’’ for the late pioneer chief executive of NAN in Lagos.

    The minister was represented at the occasion by the Executive Secretary, Nigerian Press Council, Mr. Nnamdi Njemanze.

    In his tribute, titled `Glorification of a Titan’, the Managing Director of NAN, Mr ‘Bayo Onanuga, described Nzekwu as a legendary writer, whose novels inspired many during his school days.

    “I did not meet him during his time as General Manager, but I think he did a great work being the pioneer head of the agency, with a legacy that has still remained with us.

    “I read his book, Eze Goes to School  46 years ago, when I was in Secondary Class Two.  I must say we enjoyed the book and shared the experience of Eze.

    “Though I never met Pa Nzekwu since he left NAN on 1st of July 1985 after seven years of meritorious service, I met his good legacy. 

    Many of the staff that has spoken about him did so in glowing terms. “He was a nice man. A man of few words, a good listener” are some of the testimonies that I have heard. 

    “When he was here, he gave everyone his due. He was fair to everyone”, others said. 

    “And someone attesting to his financial integrity told me that Papa was in the habit of returning to the Federal treasury unspent allocation. 

    “It is indeed a big credit to him that no one had spoken ill of him. People had rather spoken fondly of this titan. 

    “May God Bless His Soul”, Onanuga said.

    The managing director of NAN further said: “Pa Nzekwu crowned all his earthly achievements in 2008 when he was conferred with the Nigerian National Honor of the Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) in 2008.

    “This came two years after our agency had honoured him at the 30th anniversary with the title, Maker of NAN”. “

    In another tribute from the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), Mr. Femi Onialeagbon, who represented the association, said that the prolific writer would be missed by his great works, which had left indelible marks in the literary world.

    “Without mincing words, he was a great writer who will be sorely missed by all. He was a prolific writer which many of the young generation will look up to,’’ he said.

    His daughter, Cordelia Uyanwa, said the simplicity of the literary giant endeared him to many.
    “He was a man loved by all. At no point in time will you not find someone outside the family living with us. He accommodated all,’’ she said.

    Another daughter, Nwando Idris, described Nzekwu as a man of few words.

    “He was a man of few words but prolific in writing. He will always put his thought in the book. He communicated without saying a word.

    “We are celebrating his lifetime as a wonderful man, who had a passion for all. He was a disciplinarian but not in the way many Nigerians would think he was,’’ she said.

    In a sermon, Pastor Seye Kosoko, talked about legacies people will leave behind and enjoined all to endeavour to leave good legacies, an example of which Pa Nzekwu has left behind.

    Quoting from Proverbs 22, Verse 8, Kosoko stressed the importance of the inheritance of moral stability, which he said could be found lacking in the society today.

    “Our society has placed too much emphasis on monetary values than moral edification,’’ he noted.

    The night of tribute was spiced with  performances by BJ Sax and Choir Groups and a musical group that rendered some of the loved songs of Pa Nzekwu, which included, Fela’s classic, Water No get Enemy.  Okey Bakassi, who was the anchorman, complemented the performances with rib-cracking jokes.

    Nzekwu, a notable writer and editor, was born in Kafanchan on Feb. 19, 1928.

    A teacher and a revered poet early in his working life, Nzekwu authored several novels which included: Eze goes to School, and its sequel, Eze goes to College, with the great historian Michael Ajayi Crowder published in 1964 and 1988.

    He also published `Wand of Noble Wood, `Highlife for Lizards, “Blade Among the Boys, “The Chima Dynasty in Onitsha and `Faith of our Fathers’.
    In recognition of his works and contribution to education in Africa, Nzekwu received the Rockefeller Foundation Fellowship in 1961.

    The award enabled him to study American Methods of Magazine Production in New York.

    In 1964, Nzekwu was awarded a UNESCO Fellowship which allowed him to study Copyright Administration for three months in Geneva, Prague, Paris, London, New York and Washington.

    Mr. Nzekwu was conferred with the Nigerian National Honour of Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) in 2008.

    He was also honoured during the 30th Anniversary of NAN at Abuja in 1988, where he was presented a plaque with the engraving “Maker of NAN,’’ by the agency.

    He joined the Federal Civil Service In January 1956, as an editorial assistant at the Nigeria Magazine Division of the Federal Ministry of Information.

    Nzekwu worked as an editorial assistant from 1956 to 1958. In 1958, he took over the position of editor-in-chief of the magazine.

    He continued to run the Nigeria Magazine Division of the Federal Ministry of Information until 1966, when the Nigerian Crisis compelled him to transfer his services to the Eastern Nigeria Public Service.

    Nzekwu began as a senior information officer at Eastern Nigeria, a post where he combined the roles of the Information Ministry and Cultural officer.

    In 1968, he was promoted deputy director of the newly-created Cultural Division.

    At the end of hostilities in January 1970, Nzekwu returned to the Federal Ministry of Information in May and was assigned to the information division as the senior information officer.

    He worked as Protem general manager of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) until July 1, 1979, when he then took over the position of substantive general manager.

    Nzekwu retired from the Nigerian Public Service in 1985, after presiding over the affairs of NAN for nearly eight years and serving his country’s government for 39 years.

    He died in Onitsha, his hometown, on April 21, where his remains would be interred on June 30.

    The tribute session was attended by many retired personnel, as well as the current staff of the agency.

  • ‘Data journalism key to better information dissemination’

    ‘Data journalism key to better information dissemination’

    Mr Blaise Aboh, an Official of Code for Africa, on Friday said data journalism was key to fast tracking information gathering and dissemination in the 21st century.

    Code for Africa (CfAfrica) is Africa’s largest civic technology initiative on data journalism across the continent.

    Aboh made this known while delivering a lecture on “Data Journalism, the Present, the Past and the Future”, to  editorial staff of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.

    According to him, data journalism deals with numbers that gives new possibilities which exist when a reporter combines the traditional media and digital images to make the story more credible.

    He said that such strategy would enable journalists to nose for news in order to tell a compelling story with creativity.

    “I call it data socialisation, which is getting the stories that people want to hear, how they want to hear it, where they want hear it and in the form they want to hear it.

    “These days, people have too many information on their hands and with little time to read them but they want to read such information without leaving the platform where they are.

    “For conventional news disseminating institutions like NAN to remain relevant, you must be in line with the trend; many people are now on social platforms like Twitter and Instagram where pictures tell the stories, ” he said.

    He said that the objective of data journalism was to avail the reader the choice of both news in texts and pictures to be better informed at a glance.

    Aboh said that lack of data to some humanitarian issues in the country had made the government to pay less attention to such occurrences.

    In his opening remarks, NAN Managing Director, Mr Bayo Onanuga said that the training was a part of the ongoing efforts to reposition the agency to better serve its subscribers.

    “Data journalism and info graphic drive by the management is to provide varieties for subscribers.

    “It is also to catch the younger, even the old ones, who are always on the move by giving them graphics information at a glance.

    “If NAN must be a modern news agency of wire service, it must provide its subscribers with this information platform, “ he said.

    According to him, ongoing efforts by the new management have seen the launch of a new website for NAN and introduction of video YouTube services to serve its subscribers better.

    Mr Yusuf Zango, the Editor-in-Chief of the agency, said that deploying data journalism in health and economic reportage would improve the quality of news production.

    According to Zango, Aboh will be working with journalists in the agency to ensure that they are acquainted with reporting data in the next six months.

  • Nigeria is getting out of Recession – Information Minister

    Nigeria is getting out of Recession – Information Minister

    Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said on Saturday that  Nigeria was gradually moving out of recession.

    Mohammed, represented by the Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Mr Bayo Onanuga, made the assertion at the biennial convention of the Nigerian Guild of Editors in Lagos.

    He said that going by a recent statement by the Central Bank Governor, the country would exit recession by the end of June.

    “ There have been other pointers for the good news as well. For two consecutive months, the National Bureau of Statistics has also reported a fall in inflation rate.

    “ The exchange rate is regaining some sanity.

    “ As I said earlier, the worst appears to be over. We are clawing out of the woods of recession in weeks from now, “   the minister said.

    Mohammed said that the Buhari administration and collective will of Nigerians had shamed doomsday prediction  that our recession could worsen into a depression.

    “ I hope, in our various media, we shall begin to focus more on the positive developments in our economy, the growth in agriculture and mineral development, since the NBS last year, let out the secret that the Nigerian economy recorded a negative growth in the first quarter of 2016, “ he said.

    The minister said that recession was not peculiar to the country.

    He said that the United States of America had experienced 47 recessions, some regressing into depressions.

    “ Between 1980 and 2007 alone, the American economy experienced five recessions. The last one in 2007 was caused by the subprime mortgage crisis and led to the collapse of the US housing bubble,” he said.

    Mohammed urged the media to stop the blame game and educate Nigerians on the efforts being made to end recession.

    “ Informing  the people that the government is working hard to end the recession will go a long way to give hope to the people.

    “After all, it is said that ”if you keep hope alive, it will keep you alive” the minister said.

  • Minster tasks Nigerians on national integration

    Minster tasks Nigerians on national integration

    The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has advised Nigerians to make the task of unifying the country paramount as it would solve the problems of national integration.

    Mohammed gave the advice during the Annual General Meeting and conference of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), FCT Chapter, in Abuja on Thursday.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the three-day conference which commenced on November 8, has the theme” Nigeria Today: Integration, Marketplace and Public Relations”.

    The minister, represented by the Managing Director of NAN, Mr Bayo Onanuga, said the theme was apt as such a time in the nation’s polity.

    Mohammed noted that for decades, the unity of Nigeria had been plagued and threatened by religious, ethnic and socio-cultural and political differences.

    He said that Nigerians must de-emphasise ethnicity, religion and cultural affiliation in their relationships.

    Mohammed said that the idea of one, united and indivisible Nigeria was still a very relevant and potent proposition.

    “To keep Nigeria one is a task we must all perform by ensuring that all groups share a common vision for the collective development of our nation.

    “We must begin to provide the basic necessities of our people; we must provide jobs, include food security and housing. We must provide for our youths and empower them.

    “This will go a long way in bringing peace and in a way endear the individual to the idea of the Nigerian nation.”

    The Minister said that emphasis should be placed state of residence rather that state of origin in government applications for resource allocation.

    He added that the federal, states and local governments should stop patronising any religion.

    “The erection of churches and Mosques in offices should be stopped. Religion is a personal matter and our 1999 constitution says clearly we are a secular nation.”

    He expressed the hope that the conference would find solutions to how the nation could checkmate the cluster of divisive tendencies and propel the country towards true national integration.