The Nation Newspaper

Tag: plans

  • CBN plans convergence of multiple foreign exchange rates

    CBN plans convergence of multiple foreign exchange rates

    Multiple foreign exchange rates will disappear in the long term, if the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has its way.

    CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele spoke of a uniform system in the long term yesterday at the third All Civil Society National Economic Summit on Sustainable Economic Policy Strategy in the Face of Economic Progression in Abuja, saying the bank allowed the current multiple exchange rate regime to encourage Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).

    The over one 1000-strong audience conference, which attracted participants from the 36 states and FCT, was organised by the Coalition of Civil society Groups (CCSG).

    “Before now it was difficult for those who were involved in SMEs to get foreign exchange from banks, but the CBN realised that it was these SMEs that were needed to grow the economy and gave the directive to commercial banks to issue foreign exchange to SMEs at cheaper rates so that their businesses can still remain profitable,” a representative and the Special Adviser to the CBN Governor, Mr Emmanuel Ukeje, told reporters.

    He said: “The same thing is applicable for medicals, those who want to pay school fees, and those who want to pay for health services overseas, who hitherto, would have been forced to go the black market or the parallel market to purchase.”

    The CBN governor said: “We know that one exchange rate is ideal and in the longer term, we are talking about convergence of exchange rates, but for now, we need to actually encourage some of those who particularly need this foreign exchange to produce goods and create jobs.”

    Emefiele said external factors, such as the global commodity price shock, normalisation of U.S. monetary policy, capital flight from emerging markets, fragile macroeconomic conditions and geopolitical tensions, were the drivers of the 2016 economic recession experienced in Nigeria.

    He said that most economies even graduate from recession to depression, but in not too long a period, “Nigeria was able to turn that around, which took a lot of collaboration between the CBN and the fiscal authorities”.

    “For the CBN, what we’ll continue to pursue is to ensure that we drive inflation further down. Inflation, if not properly controlled, can erode your income and the CBN has the responsibility for price and foreign exchange stability,” he said. .

    “The CBN will continue to support activities that will ensure diversification of the economy and aiding export and local production which will generate employment,” Emefiele added.

    All the efforts of the CBN, according to him, are aimed at increasing productivity in the real sector, which will translate to a reduction in the cost of production and lower cost of doing business and lower interest rates.”

    Also speaking at the event, CBN’s Director of Development Finance Dr Mudashi Olaitan described the sub theme of the conference, ‘Youth employment: The effect of CBN policies and interventions”, as “very apt and strategic, particularly at this time when the Federal Government is focusing on employment generation as the fulcrum for economic growth and development, in its effort to transform the economy and harness the enormous potentials of the Nigerian youth”.

    “It underscores the increasing need for radical rethinking of youth employment as an important strategy for the government’s economic diversification agenda,” he said.

  • Avon HMO launches ‘health plans for unserved Nigerians’

    A Leading Health Management Company, AVON HMO, has introduced new bouquet of health subscription plans to ensure quality and affordable healthcare coverage for Nigerians hitherto unserved by existing health insurance models

    Managing Director /Chief Executive Officers of Avon HMO Adesimbo Ukiri, during the launch, said introduction of the new health plan was informed by the absence of products tailored to meet the needs of Nigerians, who do not fit into the traditional HMO target market of large companies and multinationals.

    She said: “Since Avon HMO commenced operations about four years ago, we have been at the forefront of offering innovative packages that provide Nigerians with access to quality healthcare services. Our new plans provide options which address the needs of previously unserved consumers such as entrepreneurs, young adults, students, domestic staff, couples and families.”

    The plans include ‘Life Starter’, ‘Couples’ Plan’, ‘Life Plus’, ‘Premium Life’ and ‘The Boss Life’.

    She added: “Avon HMO is synonymous with many firsts; and what we have done this time is to design a range of health plans that are specific in meeting healthcare needs at different phases of life. So, whether you are the parent of a young adult going off to the university or to NYSC, or a couple planning to get married and start a family, or even a homemaker looking for health plans for your domestic staff, Avon HMO has a plan just for you. There are also more exclusive health plans, which cover extensive benefits and give access to select hospitals.”

    Adesimbo added that “having a health plan with Avon HMO ensures that whenever you fall ill, suffer an accident or are diagnosed with a health condition, the HMO steps in to co-ordinate your care and pay the bills; ensuring and overseeing the delivery of quality healthcare services that will enable you to get better.”

    Avon HMO is the first HMO in Nigeria to enter into the retail market segment, offering Nigerians the opportunity to subscribe and pay for a health plan on their phones. It is also the HMO with the largest following on social media and uses this as an active tool for enrollee engagement and feedback.

    Added benefits on some of the new health plans include: travel immunisation, pre-marital medical tests, fertility investigations and more.

  • Anxiety grips ministers over Buhari’s plans

    Anxiety grips ministers over Buhari’s plans

    Many ministers yesterday suspended their weekend break to return to Abuja after President Muhammadu Buhari’s return from 103-day medical vacation.

    Cabinet members were surprised that they were caught unawares by the President’s return.

    Many ministers knew about Buhari’s return through  a statement early Saturday by Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina.

    It was unclear yesterday what caused the protocol slip which left out ministers, who were wondering why they were left them out of the airport reception party.

    But a source said the President wanted a low-profile return since he had planned to address the nation today

    A source said: “The cabinet members were actually not notified of the President’s return. If they had prior knowledge, they would have been around to welcome him.

    “In fact, only Minister of FCT Mohammed Bello was on the list of those to receive the President in his capacity as the ‘governor’ of the territory.

    “Some other ministers merely heard the announcement and decided to proceed to the airport in line with official norms.

    “Those who were out of Abuja on assignment in some states hurriedly came back to welcome the President.

    “ These ministers are worried about  Buhari’s plans for them.”

    “The goodwill for the president was tremendous. This was why he avoided being airlifted in a chopper that was waiting to convey him to the Presidential Villa.

    “The presidential helicopter was at the airport but the President opted to go to the Villa by road.

    “No one expected the massive turnout which pointed to the fact that he is still rated highly by many Nigerians.”

  • Chidoka unveils plans for Nnewi

    Chidoka unveils plans for Nnewi

    Former Aviation Minister and governorship aspirant in Anambra State Chief Osita Chidoka has promised to pursue a programme of industrialisation, if elected in the November 18 poll.

    Speaking while commissioning his campaign office in Nnewi, Chidoka, whose public acceptance and popularity have continued to soar, disclosed that he has perfected plans to stimulate a 24- hours production economy in the area.

    He said industries in Nnewi can not meet their desired targets with the current level of neglect, dearth of critical infrastructure and insecurity. This he observed has resulted in heavy financial burden on investors and retarded production, adding that the time has come for strategic intervention.

    The former Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), known for his knack for providing innovative solutions to difficult problems, said his government would enact policies to shift market emphasis to locally manufactured goods, thereby making local production attractive, cost effective and profitable.

    He said a boost for the production capacity of factories in Nnewi will create more employment for youths, enhance ancillary businesses, and lift the economy of the people of the state.

    Chidoka said: “There is no how the industries in Nnewi will perform optimally without necessary government support through the provisions of required infrastructure and facilities. We cannot abandon them and expect them to thrive. Government must strategically step in on issues of pro-local production policies, power, access roads, waste disposal, manpower development, funding windows, market openings as well as adequate security that will enable them run a 24-hours shift production.

    He added: “A situation where factories shut down after dark for lack of adequate security does not encourage industrial growth. We must link security to economic output. The Toyota factory in Japan does not shut down once it is dark; they work for 24 hours. When our factories run for 24 hours, they will have the capacity to employ more people, their production capacity will increase; that would mean more opportunity for ancillary businesses and more money for our people.

    “Government must therefore stop paying lip service to manufacturers in Nnewi. We must partner with them to make Nnewi the industrial nerve center of the nation”, he said.

  • Nigeria’s plans lack growth elements

    Nigeria has had many plans and budgets since independence in 1960. But they have always lacked growth elements. So the 2017 Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) lacks growth elements. Nigeria had four National Development Plans in the period 1962-1985: 1962-68, 1970-74, 1975-80 and 1980-85. Nigeria also adopted the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) and its Rolling Plans in 1986. SAP remains the main programme Nigeria is implementing today, because the principal elements, philosophy and ideological inclination in 1986 have not changed; they have been the bases of managing the Nigerian economy.

    Nigerian government officials claimed to have been implementing reforms, NEEDS, 9-point Agenda, Vision 20:2020 and Transformation Agenda, and now ERGP (the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan, 2017). However, SAP’s elements:  the mandatory currency devaluation machinery (the foreign exchange market) now known by various names, privatization of public enterprises and adoption of deregulation (frequent increase in petroleum product prices) as the economic philosophy for managing public projects and activities and technology transfer strategy remain the principal features of the Nigerian economy.

    Some Nigerians and their foreign friends, the World Bank and IMF who have been influencing Nigeria’s economic policy over the decades, like to deceive the ignorant public that it is the name of a programme that counts, rather than the elements. They are wrong. It is the elements of a programme that determine its impact on the people. Nigeria has been achieving growth without development (GWD) for decades because Nigeria’s planning and budgeting processes lack growth elements.

    Consequently, unemployment, poverty and high crime wave have been worsening. Also there are no physical structures to show for the trillions of naira budgets announced every year and the rapidly growing national debts. Nigerian governments have merely been wasting resources and imposing unnecessary and untold hardship on the ignorant and unsuspecting citizenry. Growth elements must be introduced into Nigeria’s planning, if the nation is to make progress.

    The purpose of this article is to explain how the missing growth elements can be introduced into Nigeria’s planning and budgeting processes to promote growth that makes positive impact on the people, growth that promotes competence-building (or growth that increases individual and national capabilities for solve problems including production) and growth that promotes the transformation of the Nigerian economy from its agricultural status into an industrialized one with a view to eliminating mass unemployment, poverty, hopelessness and high crime wave.

    Nigerian governments have always emphasized capital investment and erection of complex infrastructure. These do not and cannot promote the desired growth. Economists measure changes in GDP every year.  But it is not mere changes in GDP that Nigeria and other African nations need. The industrialized European and Asian nations and the United States of America were like African nations of today, a long time ago. That is, they had agricultural economies and were unable to produce/ manufacture scientific products. However, they learnt over the centuries and acquired the knowledge, skills and competences (KSCs) they now use in solving problems including manufacturing.  It is for this understanding that learning is the primary basis of industrialization that virtually all nations in the world have educational institutions today. Sadly, still, Western education (economics, sociology, political science, anthropology, psychology, etc., and related fields like accounting, management, banking, law, etc.) does not understand the human development process. Economists and others whose expertise derive from acquiring Western education and related fields were brought up to believe that mere capital investment promotes sustainable economic growth and industrialization, so they throw money at all problems. They do not understand what the scientific transformation of an economy from its agricultural status into an industrialized one entails.

    All persons are born as crying babies. The baby soon begins to babble (learns how to talk), acquires the competences to talk and talks. The baby who could not babble grows up to be a dumb adult. Talking or speaking is a skill. The child must also learn how to read and write, otherwise, it grows up to be an illiterate. No one or nation is born with the skills to produce scientific products. All knowledge, skills and competences are acquired through learning. One who wishes to be a good dancer must learn how to dance. A nation which hopes to manufacture many products must develop the people to manufacture them. The talented pianist must play the ordinary tunes before using his talents to compose extra-ordinary tunes. Learning and acquiring new knowledge, skills and competences and applying these in solving problems including production, are the primary sources of achieving sustainable economic growth and industrialization. Nigeria is stagnating because it has been neglecting learning activities.

    Learning and building KSCs for solving problems including production go beyond establishing educational systems and running them grudgingly.  Education should always be considered a part of the learning process . Quite often, educationists view education as an end by itself. Viewed this way, many nations have educational systems because others nations have; education is seen as a social burden which every nation bears. Also, education viewed this way co-exists with mass unemployment and poverty as it has been the situations in Africa and Latin-America nations for decades.

    The duality of nature – up/down, man/woman, night/day, right/left, etc., suggests that there are two sides to learning, education and training. An individual may acquire education (fundamental principles) or training (practical skills), alone or combined. Anyone who acquires either theory or practical skills, alone, is a mediocre person. The versatile individual is one who acquires both theory and practical skills to appreciable levels. Nigeria has a mediocre and illiterate work force.

    In any nation, all workers including the artisans and craftsmen are also involved in learning. In Nigeria and all other nations in Africa, there is no linkage between those learning in educational institutions and the rest of the economy. Lack of linkage brings weakness to a system, whereas linkage creates strength (because the system enjoys economies of scale, using the economists’ concept). So, the Nigerian learning system virtually does not exist, weakened for lack of linkage and because the learning people either acquiring theoretical principles, alone, or a small quantity of practical skills alone. Virtually all the 300,000 graduates armed with a lot of theoretical principles produced by the university system in Nigeria, join the unemployment queue every year.

    Nigeria  can introduce growth elements into its planning and budgeting processes through the following thoughts and activities: 1) accept and adopt the proven theory that learning is the primary basis of promoting KSCs-build-up and industrialization; 2) set up a standing training framework to ensure that all graduates of educational institutions must acquire curriculum-based complementary practical skill for  sufficiently long times (4-5 years for the university graduate) to possess necessary competence;  and 3) ensure all necessary linkages within learning groups and between learning groups are established.  This is how Nigeria can promote rapid industrialization as solution to unemployment, low productivity, poverty, indiscipline, high crime wave, hopelessness, etc.

  • ONOME EBI: MARRIAGE NOT YET IN MY PLANS

    ONOME EBI: MARRIAGE NOT YET IN MY PLANS

    Winners sleep while losers weep’ is not an uncommon expression; and Super Falcons’ star defender, Onome Ebi, has yet again reiterated the benefits of sleeping to her fledging career.

    ‘Sleep?  I can sleep forever,” Onome who has won the Africa Women’s Cup of Nations titles thrice between 2012 and 2016 told The Nation Sport & Style. “I love sleeping and I don’t toy with it.”

    In fact, an online platform, fatiguescience had long canvassed that athletes needed more sleeping hours in their daily training to excel and Vincent Thomas Lombardi – the late American football player and coach – had long given a fillip to the assertion saying: ‘modern elite athlete knows that physical conditioning and good nutrition are critical in reaching peak athletic performance. However, sleep, while often overlooked, plays an equally important role. In recent years, it’s become clear that the quality and quantity of sleep obtained by elite athletes can be the edge between winning and losing on game-day.’

    In its report, fatiguescience noted that there are five areas that an athlete stands to benefit by rocking the body to sleep more often namely: Improved reaction times; Reduced injury rates, improved overall health; Longer playing careers; Better accuracy, faster sprint times and Fewer mental errors; with star athletes like Usain Bolt (Track& Field); Roger Federer (Tennis) and Lebron James(Basketball) reportedly saying they get as much as 12 hours sleep per night in order to be at their best.

    Speaking in the same vein, the 34-year-old Nigerian defender, who has featured in five FIFA Women’s World Cup and the 2008 Beijing Olympics, affirmed that sleeping had long been her best keep-fit secret as well as tenacity on the pitch, saying her day is not complete without a quality sleeping routine.

    “I don’t toy with my sleep,” she stated. “I give it eight to nine hours daily; and to make the ride smooth, I like to listen to music before going to bed. Of course, I do not go to bed with makeup.”

    Away from the sleeping turf though, Onome has done well for herself on the pitch too, and currently playing for FC Minsk in the Belarusian Premier League. She actually started her career with Bayelsa Queens FC before moving to Piteå IF and Djurgårdens IF in Sweden’s Damallsvenskan.

    She later moved to Tukey where she played for Ataşehir Belediyespor FC and Düvenciler Lisesispor in the First League and made her UEFA Champions League debut in August 2012 while playing for Ataşehir Belediyespor. Thereafter, she returned to the Swedish Damallsvenskan in 2013 to play for Sunnanå SK; before going to Belarus to play for FC Minsk where she has won Belarusian Premier League, the Belarusian Women’s Cup and the Belarusian Women’s Super-Cup twice. Famed for wearing jersey Number 5 at both the club and country levels, she opted for 55 as her favourite number was no longer available at the time she arrived at FC Minsk.

    Very passionate about the beautiful game that has given her fame, Onome opined that women stand to gain by engaging in sport-related

    activities.

    “Women derive a lot of health benefits from a healthy lifestyle, and participation in sport and physical activity can prevent countless of non-communicable diseases which account for a high rate of global deaths. For girls, it can have a positive impact on childhood health, as well as reduce the risk of chronic diseases in later life,” she stated even as she shares her flip side with MORAKINYO ABODUNRIN. Excerpts…

     

    Playing different roles before settling to defence

    I actually started off as a striker and really enjoyed that position. But somewhere down the line, I was getting closer to the goalkeeper. When you start off young, coaches will often play you in different positions which are good as you learn the offensive and defensive parts of the game. It was when I got to camp for the national team, that I suddenly got put into defence as the coach noticed I had attributes of a defender and I took the position without any difficulty. The experience of playing in different positions, for me, was good as I love the game. So, wherever I get an opportunity to play, I will accept it. Now that I am a defender, I feel that my style of play is about not letting anyone get past me.

    Experiences playing abroad

    Playing abroad has allowed me to really develop as a player. The experience is so much better as you don’t have to think about facilities being poor or matches not being played for one reason or the other. The structure abroad allows you to really focus on playing to the highest level you can. It was the best decision I could make to go and play abroad when I got the opportunity and would encourage other girls to do the same as we still have a long way to go in Nigeria to get female football to a level where the players can feel appreciated. I think I enjoyed Turkey more as it was also a nice place to live as well. Belarus and Sweden have their challenges in the form of language and the weather.

    Experiences with Super Falcons at the World cup, All Africa Games and AFCON?

    The experiences as a player and being part of a team is always nice. When we get together as a team, we just want to do the best for the country and make our supporters proud. The planning and post experiences of the tournament are not always the best as we often feel let down by the administrators not giving us the same privileges as the men teams. Despite that, we have achieved so much and for me personally, three Women’s AFCON medals and four World Cup appearances tell you that I really enjoy playing on the biggest stage possible.

    Things that make you happy and sad

    Football makes me happy as it is what I live for. But I think over the last few months I have become so much

    happier with a team behind me. The Temple Management Company has given me so much belief that outside football there is a lot I can achieve and at the same time, I can inspire people through football. In terms of things that make me sad……well that will be when I get injured like at the final last year against Cameroon. I thought I may not be able to play again and I was extremely sad for a while.

    Type of man to marry.

    I never thought about marriage when playing as I knew having a boyfriend would be a distraction. I may not have been able to play this long. But that said, I would like to get married and have a family. The type of man I’d like to marry is one that will appreciate what I do and will support me every step of the way.

    Birthday blues

    I only travelled to Turkey recently. It was surprise birthday present from two of my favourite people and they know who they are. I really want to thank them from the bottom of my heart.

    Friendship with Asisat Oshoala

    Asisat is like a sports daughter to me. We struck friendship during camp and since then we haven’t looked back. She is so focused on always being the best, which is a great quality in a person.

    Favourite dress and what would you not be caught wearing

  • FG plans conference on Lake Chad

    FG plans conference on Lake Chad

    The Federal Government has initiated a bilateral engagement for an international conference to discuss modalities to resuscitate the Lake Chad which is drying up.

    Water Resources Minister Suleiman Adamu  told  a  delegation of the  UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) that visited in Abuja  that it was important to  draw international attention to the drying up of the lake in order to save 47 million people living around the lake.

    Adamu reiterated the need for the international consideration since 47 million people depend on it (lake) for farming, fishing, livestock production and water supply for drinking and sanitation.

    The planned conference, according to him, will look at ways to draw experts to proffer solutions on how to save the lake.

    He explained that the conference would look into the feasibility study of inter-basin transfer of water from Oubangui River in the Central African Republic.

    Adamu said that one of the conference’s major focus would be to emphasise on poverty alleviation of the population who depend on the resources from the Lake Chad Basin, following its reduction to about 468km due to the effects of climate change.

  • Rohr plans to turn Osimhen to Eagles’ top striker

    Rohr plans to turn Osimhen to Eagles’ top striker

    Super Eagles’ handler Gernot Rohr has tipped Wolsburg of Germany striker Victor Osimhen to be one of the best strikers in Eagles’ fold and he has mapped out the way he can bring out the best in the youthful but talented forward.

    SportingLife gathered from a very top official of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) that it was the main reason why Osimhen name was included in the list of the players that would prosecute the two friendly matches against Senegal and Burkina Faso.

    “Rohr has fallen in love with the quality of Osimhen, his strong frame, his dashing runs, the use of both legs actively and his vision at goal has endeared the boy to the Franco German Coach,” the NFF top official told SportingLife in Abuja on Tuesday.

    The name of Osimhen is among the names of players released yesterday to prosecute this month’s friendly matches. This means that Rohr will definitely see this teenage sensation in action against Senegal and Burkina Faso.

    “I am particularly happy that Rohr has seen the talent and the quality Osimhen is made of and working on him will further make him to blend well with the rest of the players in the Eagles. I won’t be surprised if Osimhen becomes a serious threat to the other Eagles strikers like Kelechi Iheanacho, Alex Iwobi, Isaac Success and others,” the impeccable source disclosed.

  • ‘Buhari has plans for physically-challenged’

    ‘Buhari has plans for physically-challenged’

    Dr Samuel Ankeli is the first physically-challenged person to be appointed as a Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on disability matters. He spoke with DELE ANOFI on the challenges of re-integrating the physically-challenged people into the society.

    Can you let us know some of those things you have been able to do for people living with disability in the country since your appointment?

    Before my appointment, I was an activist for the people living with disability. I was one of their national officers, became a national officer for them in the party. So, my arrival at the place where I currently find myself is jot just historical, but a challenge for me to set up a standard for People Living with Disability. I have been anole to create an understanding within the governance structure in issues of disability. In the past things are done without consideration, but now, public attitude is changing. I have also constantly engage the media who are our strongest partners in reaching all parts of the country on issues of disability. I have had several audiences across NIGERIA and has gone round as many states as are physically possible to interact with their government to see how they can include our people. You see, the greatest challenges has been including people with disability in development. All the years gone bye, when things are being planned, we are not remembered. We are always an after thought. Right now, we are trying to see that at the level of planning, we are included. That is what I have been trying to do from the level of the President to the other leaders across the country, we have tried to make them change their attitude toward us.

    In specific terms, what have you done?

    I have gone round the ministries, departments and agencies of governor to have direct audience with the management and change the individual perspectives. The organizational structure is now including us in their planning. Some have come up with programmers that we will be executing together. In the budgeting process, they are now going to activate guise mandate the house have that have to do with disability issues. In the area of employment, I have been able to secure federal civil service employment for a few of us and presently, I am working on a memo to see how the President can give us weaver so that a good number of our people can be absorbed into the federal civil service to make up for,that deficiency. For those who cannot be employed wink the federal, government system, the state government will take over.  In the private sector, I have also gone t a lot of organizations that employ large workforce and they confessed to me that before now, they have been negligent, but they have picked up. So, the corporate social responsibility that they normally offer, I want it translated into employment.

    For those who don’t have education, but has skills, I have designed specific work for them. In agriculture, we have discussed with some technical partners and are working out the final you touch with some higher institutions t see how we can train people on agricultural productivity from livestock to feed production, fishery and all. That programme is set to take off soon, we are only waiting for funding. For shoe making, I can assure you that the best shoes you wear in this Centre are made by PWD, but they do it at their micro level. There is no crime in clustering them in a particular area where we have large production. I have discussed with NEXIMBank, Bank of Industry and other groups that are involved, so that as we produce, we will have a market both locally and internationally. I have discussed with the oligarch and paramilitary organizations so that we can produce all the booths they use for training and in their offices. I have discussed with the NYSC and the Civil Defence so that they can enter into a deal with us to produce for them so that we can stop the importation of these kind of things. If things work out well, what I intend to do is to link up internationally to draw attention, funds and support so that we can increase our partnership with those who are already into it and those who have resources to help Nigerians. Of course, you know that government cannot do it all alone. I personally belief in partnership. We have engaged a lot of development partners and donor agencies and we are doing what we can do, but are constrained by resources and some degree of resistance from those people who should understand with us. So, what I am doing now is to see how we can put them into committees and do some sectoral analysis for so,e specific areas like education. If three million Nigerians with disability are out of school, what do we do to get them back to school? I have interacted with UBEC and other agencies that matters in education and I am putting together a committee to tell us how to approach that. Let us all see how we can motivate them and creating that environment for our children to go to school.

    A lot of out people are in the street begging. But, what is the option? I am talking with state government in this. I have been to Kaduna state, Plateau, Katsina and Kogi and I am going to Anambra, Asia, IMO and the other states soon. Giving them an income a one of the ways to get them off the streets. It is not even decent with somebody with disability to stand on the street t beg you to give him money. As we speak, I am also discussing with some agencies and development partners to ed how we can get our people employed in other areas that are non conventional. I have inaugurated a committee on para sports development fund. If you look at the performances in the Olympics in the years gone bye, disability has always proven that we are true Nigerians. We gave you all the medals, but what have you done for us? We want to get resources, employ these people, pay the, some token, get them from the streets to use the muzzles for sports and not for begging. But we don’t have the facilities. I was supposed to be in Dubai to source for facilities, but funds stopped us, but we are going to work hard to go to China. We want to build a facility in Abuja and in the six zones of Nigeria. We will put them in camps, have farm centers, housing estates in a large place where we call city for champions. From there, they will be engaged and get something to eat. I told them during one of our meeting that I need 100 medals during the next Olympics and they have said, give us the resources and I am sure we can get the resources wherever it is located for them.

    What is the extent of work in the disability bill at the moment. We learnt that the bill is with the President who has not signed it.

    It is not with the President. The bill has been passed four times by the National Assembly. In  2010, the bill was passed by both houses of the National Assembly and harmonised. I was in the harmonization committee, but the then President did not sign it till they left office. This time, I am part of those who gave the assurance and I have consulted with the party leaders to impress it on the National Assembly to bring out the harmonized bill which has been passed by both chambers. We are waiting for the harmnisation so that it will be transmitted to the President and I can assure. You that the President is waiting to sign it into law and we will have a National Commission for Disability Rights coming into existence.

    How satisfied are you with the participation of PWDs in the social intervention of the government?

    I have raised that issue with the party chairman. Our participation is not encouraging and it is not to the level of my satisfaction and I have discussed that with the party. Just give me a little more time to work on that. If you look at the level,of social injustice, I think that disbursement should actually begin with us. I accept that I am part of the government and I am saying that which has been done concerning disability is not enough because I am not satisfied and I am doing all that is my best to increase the participation.

  • Unity 1 drives e-payment plans

    Unity 1 drives e-payment plans

    Unity Bank has announced the launch of Unity 1 account, an electronic product that puts customers in charge of their banking experience.

    The product offers greater electronic convenience and interactivity for online account opening and requires minimal documentation.

    With the product, customers are able to open their bank accounts and carry out transactions instantly, from anywhere in the world.

    Unity1 Account is a Tier 1 online account which requires virtual documentation such as name, phone number, passport photograph, address and the customer’s Bank Verification Number (BVN) as a means of authenticating the customer’s identity before commencement of online account opening.

    Unity Bank’s Group Head, e- Business, Benedict  Anyalenkeya, described Unity1 Account as ‘‘banking simplified’’ and “the game changer  in electronic and digital banking which harnesses the potentials of the online space in driving financial inclusion while also addressing personal banking needs of Nigerians from all walks of life”.

    “Unity 1 is accessible online via Unity Bank’s website and other social media platforms. Successfully opened accounts are issued debit cards which become active instantly on mobile and internet banking platforms. Unity 1 also enables holders to enjoy certain degree of discounts at designated merchant locations,” he said.

    “The product allows customers to make a maximum single deposit of N100, 000 per day and a maximum cumulative balance of N400, 000 in the account. Holders will also be able to transact with their mobile phones up to a daily limit of N30,000,” he said.

    “It’s simple to open a Unity 1 account.  Prospective customers only need to click on the ‘open a Unity1 account link’ on the bank’s website to respond to the prompt of whether he or she has a BVN or not. Upon inputting the BVN, an authentication code will be sent to the phone number with which the BVN was registered,” he added.

    As soon as the authentication code is filled in the form and submitted, the customer’s details pop up automatically  and on accepting the terms and conditions and clicking submit, the customer gets an alert on his or her phone or e-mail showing the ‘account number’

    Having taken a shot at becoming a Unity1 account holder, the customer’s journey to transacting on his or her account remains only two final steps:  one, go to any platform such as Quickteller, mobile accounts or ask a third party to pay money into your Unity1 account and two, visit the nearest Unity Bank branch to pick up your Unity1 Verve debit card.