The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Nigeria News

  • Keystone reaffirms commitment to customers with new campaign

    Keystone reaffirms commitment to customers with new campaign

    Keystone Bank Limited, has reaffirmed its commitment to deliver unparalleled products and services to its customers with the recent launch of its new brand campaign tagged: “I Bank with Keystone Bank”.

    The campaign is geared towards creating awareness for the corporate brand and positioning the bank as a partner and enabler that supports customers to achieve their goals through opportunities made available by the bank.

    Speaking on the development, the Group Managing Director/CEO of Keystone Bank, Mr. Obeahon Ohiwerei said, “With the new focus/drive within the bank, we believe it is imperative for us to re-affirm our commitment to our stakeholders and to highlight the positive strides that we are taking in order to inspire confidence in our customers”.

    “Every business requires a steady hand that lends the right kind of support and every year, Keystone Bank helps thousands of business people achieve their goals with consistent commitment to quality service. This is one major factor we wish to showcase with this campaign” Ohiwerei stated.

    We are a technology and service-driven commercial bank offering tailor-made convenient and reliable solutions to every customer’s needs.

  • Pensioners’ wife storm Unity Fountain to demand husbands’ arrears

    Pensioners’ wife storm Unity Fountain to demand husbands’ arrears

    A group of women under the aegis of Nigeria Women in Action has protested over unpaid pension arrears of their husband.

    The women during the protest at the Unity Fountain, yesterday in Abuja appealed to the Federal Government ( FG ) to consider payment of the pension outstanding.

    They were with large inscriptions chanting for urgent interventions as some of their children had stopped schooling due to inability to pay their tuition fees and meet other sundry needs.

    Representative of the group, Mrs. Ebere Okafor, called for immediate and open prosecution of those involved in pension scandals that led to the delayed payment.

    According to her, meeting daily welfare needs had been difficult and very challenging. “Mr. President, we want the money. Our children are in school but no school fees, some have dropped out because there is no money and we want the N3 trillion to start businesses,” she said.

    Some the placards carried by the protesting women had these inscriptions; “All pension thieves must be probed”; “Please do not divert out intention from N1.6tr to 2.1 billion”; “Nigerian women say NO to secret probe of pension fund.”

    “They want our husbands to die, they steal our money every day. Imagine, they are stealing N300m every day, N5.32 billion every month and they say N3 trillion is hiding somewhere that belongs to our husbands.

    “Let the ministry of Justice constitutes judges to handle the investigation. More President Muhammadu Buhari should monitor the investigation so that the money missing could be recovered for our husbands,” Okafor added.

  • Nigerian women, Owanbe and Aso Ebi

    Nigerian women, Owanbe and Aso Ebi

    Owanbe in Nigeria is something that can never be overemphasized.

    This is because, despite the fact that it is an expensive celebration, it comes with loads of happiness and merriment, this is why some would do everything in their power to make it worthwhile.

    Ówànbę is a Yoruba word gotten from the sequence Ó-wà-ní-ibę which literally means “it is here”, but the connotative meaning is “the party is happening here”.

    Customarily, when a Nigerian mentions “Owanbe”, such person is referring to a typical Yoruba party, but now most people use the term Owanbe to generally describe Nigerian parties- regardless of the tribe or ethnic group.

    Common types of Owanbe includes wedding parties, birthday parties, retirement parties, coronation ceremonies, celebration of life (burial for old people), and so on.

    One interesting thing about an Owanbe is the Aso Ebí (uniformed clothing).

    When the date for an Owanbe is fixed, the celebrant will sell a fabric (native) with matching headgear that has been picked; everyone attending that event is meant to wear it- this cloth is called the Aso Ebi.

    It is so easy to point out friends and families of the host at the venue of the party.

    This is because you would always find them dressed in the Aso Ebi.

    It could either be lace, George or an Ankara fabric.

    The women are the ones that daze us with various extravagant styles of the Aso Ebi that are often posted on Instagram and published in fashion magazines.

    Usually, the tribe of the celebrant determines the kind of Aso Ebi. For instance if it’s an Igbo wedding, the Aso Ebi will be: a George wrapper and a blouse with the normal headgear (Sego), but if it’s a Yoruba wedding, we’ll have lace and Aso Ofi head gear grace the occasion.

    At a typical Owanbe, you would find women slaying in their beautiful outfits, men in Atiku, enough food, drinks and souvenirs for everyone,

    people spraying money, a Disk Jockey ( DJ ) and a live band to entertain people with music.

    Nigerian women and Owanbe are inseparable, except of course, when the world has finally come to an end.

    However, what some people have failed to realize is that an Owanbe does not have to be so elaborate for people to attend.

    Owanbe is meant for people to celebrate and make merry, it should not seem like a competition.

    Whether it is a big party or not, everyone is meant to be happy

    and it is an avenue to meet distant relatives and highly recognized dignitaries.

  • The International day for tolerance

    The International day for tolerance

    “Law alone cannot secure freedom of expression, in order that every man presents his views without penalty, there must be spirit of tolerance in the entire society.” – Anonymous.

    The International day for tolerance is a time for people to learn about recognizing and respecting the rights and beliefs of others. It is also a time of reflection and debates on the negative effects of intolerance globally.

    Live discussions and debates take place across the world focusing on how various forms of injustice, oppression, racism and unfair discrimination have negative impacts on the society.

    Many educators use the theme of today to help students understand issues centered on tolerance, human rights and nonviolence.

    This day can be traced back to the 50th anniversary of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization ( UNESCO ) on November 16 1995. Member States adopted a Declaration of Principles on Tolerance.

    The Declaration affirms that tolerance is neither indulgence nor indifference. It is respect and appreciation of the rich variety of our world’s cultures, our forms of expression and ways of being human.

    Tolerance recognizes the universal human rights and fundamental freedoms of others.

    Driving home the essential values and condiments of the International day for tolerance, it is pertinent that as a people we see the strength in our diversity regardless of the upheaval in various parts of the country; the agitations of the Indigenous People of Biafra ( IPOB ), the Niger Delta militants or even the devilish sect – Boko Haram in the North.

    We share a collective destiny as a people, therefore, let us join hand together and create a congenial country that posterity will be proud of.

    People are naturally diverse; only tolerance can ensure the survival of mixed communities in every region of the globe.

    This day is an opportunity to speak out on human rights, laws, especially with regard to banning and punishing crimes and discrimination among minorities.

    Finally, today is committed to strengthening tolerance by fostering mutual understanding among cultures and people and this is more important than ever in this era of rising and violent extremism and widening conflicts that are characterized by a fundamental disregard for human life.

  • I recruited Dickson for PDP, and there is no rift between us – Jonathan

    I recruited Dickson for PDP, and there is no rift between us – Jonathan

    Former President Goodluck Jonathan has said that there is no rift between him and Gov. Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa contrary to perceptions held by some.

    According to a statement issued by Francis Agbo, Chief Press Secretary to Gov. Dickson on Friday in Yenagoa, Jonathan attributed the false news on a political rivalry between the duo to handiwork of mischief makers.

    The statement quoted Jonathan to have gone down memory lane, and recalled how he persuaded Dickson to join the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP ) while he was the governor of the state between Dec.9, 2005 and May 29, 2007.

    Jonathan in the statement wondered why some people were using politics to create crisis where none existed.

    According to the statement, Jonathan made the clarification in his Otuoke home, during a condolence visit by Dickson to commiserate with him on the death of the Paramount Ruler of Otuoke Community, King Lot Justin Ogiasa.

    Jonathan said, “Let me on behalf of the community thank you for making the visit, because of the relationship we have.

    “You wanted to come immediately, but said it would be a  waste of time for the governor to come when the date for the burial had not been announced.

    “For me politics is a very useless business; when I see the kind of things people write about me on the social media, I just laugh.

    “For Bayelsa State, I feel sad because we are not many and we are not heterogeneous. It is a state that we also know ourselves.

    “I have no reasons to say that I am competing with the governor; by the grace of God, I became Deputy Governor, and later on Governor of Bayelsa  and President of Nigeria.

    “There is no way I can sit anywhere and plan evil against Bayelsa or the governor.

    “When I was dreaming of becoming a governor, Dickson was amongst the very few in the meetings we were holding. Though; he was not in PDP then, but he opted to help.

    “He said he didn’t want to be in the PDP, but I virtually forced him to join PDP.

    “When I became governor, I appointed Dickson the Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General and that was how he joined PDP, and later became a member of House of Representatives and so on.

    “There is no way I will break my relationship with the governor.” Jonathan said.

    NAN

  • AFRIMA, Nigeria / Argentina match dominate Google search

    AFRIMA, Nigeria / Argentina match dominate Google search

    Sunday’s All African Music Award ( AFRIMA ) and the Nigeria/Argentina football match dominated searches on the internet search engine, Google, this week.

    Google’s Spokesman, Mr Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, made this known in a dispatch on Thursday in Lagos.

    “Fans celebrated Nigeria’s  4-2 win against Argentina at the FIFA 2018 World Cup grade one friendly match held in Krasnodar, Russia, on Tuesday.

    “The win takes Super Eagle’s Senior Coach, Gernot Rohr’s impressive record to seven wins, three draws and a defeat since he took charge of the team in September 2016.

    “Excited fans raced to Google to search for more details about the match,’’ he said.

    The Google manager noted that, in the world of entertainment, Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun, popularly called Wizkid, won three awards at the 2017 AFRIMA held in Lagos.

    He added that the pop star took home the awards for Artiste of the Year for his song “Come Closer’’, Song of the Year for the same song, and Best Male Artiste in Western Africa.

    He said that excited fans raced to Google to get more information about the awards.

    Kola-Ogunlade added that Nigerian singing sensation, Augustine Miles Kelechi, popularly known with his stage name, Tekno, had released a new single entitled “Mama”.

    “The Afro-pop singer featured Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun (Wizkid) in the single.

    “The two, who were reportedly at loggerheads over some social media comments, have put aside their differences to make good music.

    “Fans of both singers went on Google to get more information about the new single,’’ he said.

    He said that the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics ( ASUP ) planned nationwide strike due to the Federal Government’s inability to fulfill an outstanding agreement with the union, also got attention online.

    “Concerned students raced to Google to read more about the impending strike,’’ he said.

    Kola-Ogunlade said that the reported removal of the Zimbabwean Leader, Robert Mugabe, from office in what was called a “bloodless transition,” got people’s attention online.

    “This brings an end to President Mugabe’s 37-year rule of the Republic of Zimbabwe. Concerned Africans raced to Google to get updates about the situation,’’ he said.

    Google Trends launched in May, 2006, allows one to see how popular search terms and their demography have been overtime on Google.

    NAN

  • …of friends and friendships on campus

    …of friends and friendships on campus

    “I don’t really miss people.”

    “Are you joking? What about those times you say, especially to the female friends of yours that you miss them.”

    “I only said that to keep the conversation going. I don’t really mean them, not that I deceive them though.”

    That’s a candid expression by Tunji, a six-month old graduate of the University of Ibadan when he was asked about his friends back in school and if he missed them.

    That brings to mind the true worth or value of campus friendship. Is it just meant to stop in the campus or probably after some days after the whole campus thing?

    So many people are friends simply because of a circumstance or situation. Oh, she has a material and I need it, so let me ensure that we are on talking terms before I ask her about it. Then afterwards what happens, nothing!

    “I see now that most of the friends I made then were just because of the situation at hand. Now I can’t say I have friends, though I thought I had some in school. It’s as if I will always make friends and dump them. If possible, I wouldn’t even make any at all, ” Tunji said.

    You may not have seen any sense in what am saying. Just take a hike and think about your friends now, definitely something brought you together, what then happens when what brought you together elapses? Chasm?

    Don’t you think you can feel the same way Tunji is feeling now? Or you are the real culprit of the menace.

    Someone thoughtfully said that no one goes to the opposite direction of where his or her friends are headed. What happens when you don’t even have friends, when you are alone as Tunji perceived himself to be, what direction would you go?

    “I know I need friends but am just tired of momentary friends, especially the female friends. They never reach out to one first, I don’t know if they thought I would take them for granted if they do.” Tunji continued.

    I know the number of times I have complained about my friends not doing anything to keep our friendship, especially the females. Even the guys too sometimes are the same. Some would even say they are busy and I will be like, so I’m the jobless one.

    No friendship can last if only one party contributes to its survival. We all need friends, and we mostly need them under some circumstances, but what about when the circumstance is off, no more friendship?

    “What even makes me angry at myself sometimes and makes me feel I’m selling myself cheap is when I have no rest of mind if I haven’t called someone I remember I have spoken to for a long time. I don’t have peace until I call the person and that to me is a punishment for a crime I didn’t commit. I wonder if they ever felt that way too.” He lamented.

    Friendship is so important that we can’t overemphasize it. It is the fabric that holds this world together. No two true friends will ever act in order to make the other fall. Assume that Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump are friends, no one will ever abuse the other. There wouldn’t be an old or a short and fat person.

    If making friends is easy but keeping them a bit hard, then it’s time we focused on keeping, not just making to meet our immediate need.

    Take out time to reach out to friends, you may be hurting someone if you don’t. Never say you are busy to call, it costs nothing to take out one minute to say Hi. Start today!

  • Anambra: REC assures on credible polls

    Anambra: REC assures on credible polls

    Dr Nkwachukwu Orji, the Resident Electoral Commissioner ( REC ) in Anambra, on Thursday assured that the governorship election slated for Nov. 18 in the state would be fair and credible.

    The REC, who gave the assurance in an interview in Awka, said that the commission had finalised all arrangements for the election.

    Orji said the commission had provided better welfare packages to its staff and admonished them “ to give citizens the best election in Nigeria’s history.’’

    He urged voters to report any Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC ) staff found compromising the process during and after the election, for appropriate disciplinary action.

    Orji stressed that any INEC staff proven to have engaged in electoral fraud would face the full wrath of the law.

    He said that the commission had distributed all non-sensitive materials for the election while all sensitive materials were intact and would be distributed at the appropriate time.

    According to him, the commission will not accord undue treatment to any of the candidates and urged all stakeholders to abide by the rules governing the election.

    He admonished voters to be civil while discharging their civic responsibilities so as to ensure a peaceful and credible election.

    NAN

  • Ghana budgets $13.9bn in 2018

    Ghana budgets $13.9bn in 2018

    The Ghanaian government plans to spend 13.9 billion dollars (62 billion Ghana cedis) in the 2018 fiscal year, the country’s finance minister said on Wednesday.

    Presenting the government’s fiscal policy to parliament, Kenneth Ofori-Atta, said the budget, with the theme “Putting Ghana Back to Work”, would continue and expand programmes that began in 2017 and initiate new strategic programmes in 2018.

    This expenditure, the minister said, would be financed from revenue and grants expected to reach 51 billion cedis in the 2018 fiscal year.

    Domestic revenue for 2018 is estimated at 50.5 billion cedis, representing an annual growth of 26.9 per cent, while non-tax revenue is estimated at 8 billion cedis, equivalent to 3.3 per cent of GDP.

    From development partners, the government expects to receive 586.8 million cedis.

    The West African cocoa, gold and oil exporter experienced lower revenue performance in the first half of 2017.

    During the period, domestic revenue fell short of the target by 13.8 per cent, driven mainly by a sharp drop in tax revenue.

    Tax revenue fell short of target and accounted for 75.8 per cent of the drop in total revenue, caused mainly by shortfalls in income taxes and import duties.

    One of the programmes to maximise tax revenue, according to the minister, will be the employment of tertiary graduates in a “Revenue Ghana” programme aimed at employing 100,000 tertiary graduates into various sectors.

    The 2018 budget is expected to result in an overall budget deficit of 10.9 billion cedis or 4.5 per cent of GDP to be financed from both domestic and foreign sources.

    Razia Khan, Chief Economist and Managing Director for Africa and Global Research at Standard Chartered Bank, said it “is a consolidation budget largely as had been expected, given the International Monetary Fund ( IMF )’s likely input into the process”.

    She added that Ghana was favoured by the rise in hydrocarbons production “which provides a boost to nominal growth, although our expectation is for a pick-up in non-oil GDP as well.”

    “The 23 per cent projected rise in total revenue and grants in 2018 will nonetheless still be scrutinised closely, as will the ability of the authorities to keep spending and arrears clearance within the limits outlined.

    “The plan is for a reduction in the budget deficit (on an overall basis) to 4.5 per cent of GDP, from a projected 6.3 per cent of GDP this year,” she stated.

    Given the revenue disappointment to date, Khan pointed out that there might be a case for Ghana to control spending much more stringently in order to achieve a primary surplus in 2018 of the 1.6 per cent magnitude suggested.

    While Ghana has made significant improvements in debt management, the economist maintained that it was still going to require years of primary surpluses to reduce debt ratios meaningfully.

    Khan added that the key test would be the political will to do what was needed, even when the IMF programme came to an end.

    NAN

  • AU calls for calm in Zimbabwe

    AU calls for calm in Zimbabwe

    The Chairperson of the AU Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, on Wednesday urged Zimbabweans  to address the current situation in the country in accordance with the country’s Constitution.

    He also urged them to use the  relevant instruments of the African Union ( AU ), including the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance in arriving at an amicable resolution of the crisis.

    In a statement in Addis Ababa, Mahmat said he was following closely the developments in the country.

    Soldiers had earlier on Wednesday morning announced on state radio what appeared to be a coup against  President Robert Mugabe who has been ruling the country since its independence in 1980.

    However, a military spokesperson later denied staging a coup saying it was only acting against “criminals” surrounding the 93-year-old ruler.

    Mahmat, in the statement, stressed  that it is crucial that the crisis is resolved “in a manner that promotes democracy and human rights, as well as the socio-economic development of Zimbabwe”.

    “The Chairperson of the Commission expresses the commitment of the African Union to working closely with the Southern African Development Community ( SADC ) and the leaders of the region, and to support their efforts.”

    NAN