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Tag: summit

  • Osun Summit suffers setback as convener ‘withdraws’

    There were indications last night that the summit slated for today by a group of opposition politicians in Osun State has run into a hitch.

    One of the organisers, Dr. Muyiwa Oladimeji, reportedly dissociated himself from the programme.

    Oladimeji, who addressed a news conference on June 17, heralding the summit, may have been discouraged by the condemnations the proposed summit drew and the failure of the conveners to divorce it from politics, sources said in Osogbo, the state capital.

    The Osun chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) had called on security agencies in the state to look beyond the summit as the real motive,stating that the entire programme could creating confusion.

    A source close to the organiser was quoted as saying that Oladimeji, who is a former governroship aspirant in the state, had referred those who sought enquiries from him on the summit as yesterday to direct their inquiries to co- conveners, Messrs Yinka Odumakin and Niyi Owolade saying that “he no longer speaks on the controversial summit.”

    The proposed summit attracted wide condemnations when it was associated with the defeated governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2014 election Otunba Iyiola Omisore.

    Contacted on the matter last night, an Osogbo-based human rights campiagner, Mr. Amitolu Shitu, said those who call themselves Osun stakeholders are just a bunch of renegades who are just bent on creating crisis in Osun.

    He said: “These are just allies of Iyiola Omisore camouflaging as summit organisers. We know Odumakin and his recent past. We know Niyi Owolade aligns with Omisore’ s position that this state must not know peace for one day. So, what summit do they think they want to put up that Osun people won’t say it is intended to just keep the embers of their political battles burning?”

    Attempts to speak with Oladimeji were unsuccessful as calls placed to his phone were not going through.

    It was learnt that the Police Command in the state invited some arrowheads of the summit for interrogation.

  • France ready to hold fresh summit on Boko Haram

    France ready to hold fresh summit on Boko Haram

    President Francois Hollande of France has offered to host a new summit of Nigeria, Niger Republic, Chad and Cameroun, all of which are currently locked in a battle with the terror sect, Boko Haram.

    Hollande spoke after talks in Yaounde, the capital of Cameroon with President Paul Biya. “Nigeria and Cameroon need to have the best relations … to work together. This corresponds well with the spirit we had at our last summit in Paris to take important decisions about Boko Haram, whose threat is getting stronger,” Hollande said.

    “I am ready to gather anew, as soon as the presidents give me a date, this conference so that we can better act together,” the French president said.

    The first summit took place in Paris in May 2014 where the four countries pledged to wage a joint war against the terrorists.

    They agreed to share intelligence and co-ordinate action against the group.

    That summit was called a month after the sect abducted 223 students of Government Girls’ Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State.

    Although, a few of the girls managed to escape, over 200 are yet to be found.

    The joint operations have dislodged the insurgents from many of the territories under their control.

    The sect leader, Ahmed Shekau, who had formed the habit of releasing video messages to mock the nations fighting his group has disappeared from the radar for some time now.

    However, the sect has stepped up its attacks in Borno State, southern Niger Republic and Chad lately apparently in a desperate bid to demonstrate that it has not lost its bite.

    Last week alone about 150 people were killed in Boko Haram attacks in Borno State.

    President Muhammadu Buhari has vowed to crush whatever remains of the rebellion.

     

  • India invites Buhari for Summit

    India invites Buhari for Summit

    India Prime Minister Narendra Modi has invited President Muhammadu Buhari to the 3rd India-Africa Forum Summit scheduled for New Delhi on October 29.

    Modi’s invite was extended through the Indian Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan who led his country’s delegation to Buhari’s inauguration.

    “This was a significant event as this is the first time there has been a democratic and peaceful transfer of power in Nigeria which has been internationally praised. Several heads of state and governments and senior leaders from around the world attended the event,” the petroleum ministry said in a statement.

    Nigeria is the fourth largest source of crude oil and the second biggest source of liquefied natural gas (LNG) for India.

    In 2014-15, India imported about 18.2 million tonnes of crude and five million square cubic metres a day of LNG from Nigeria.

    “Over 100 Indian public and private sector companies are active in Nigeria in various sectors including the upstream sector, import of crude and LNG, telecoms, IT, automobile, pharmaceuticals, among others,” the statement said.

     

     

  • G7 invites Buhari to Summit

    G7 invites Buhari to Summit

    President-elect Muhmmadu Buhari has been invited to Germany  for next month’s G7 Summit.

    The meeting of the Group of Seven (G7) industrialised countries will take place in Berlin, Germany between May 8 and 9.

    The invitation from German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the Head of the G7, was yesterday delivered to Gen. Buhari by the German Ambassador to Nigeria, Michael Zenner, at the Defence House, Abuja.

    Members of the G-7 are Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, and the United States.

    The Ambassador said apart from delivering the letter, he was there to “congratulate the president-elect on his election.

    “We (Germans) have a very deep and intense relationship with Nigeria and there are lots of areas where we can deepen our relationship and develop them further, such as in the area of economy and energy, among others.

    “We have a Bi-national Commission with Nigeria and we are one of the countries with which Nigeria has this Bi-national Commission and it covers the whole range of political, economic and security areas. There are many areas in which we can move further and deepen our very close cooperation.”

    The French Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Denys Gauer, who was also at the Defence House, said the French government was ready to collaborate with the Nigerian government to end terrorism.

    He said: “As the French Ambassador, I came to congratulate the President-elect for his brilliant achievement. His election is an enormous achievement for Nigeria and the democratic development of Nigeria. The people of Nigeria have expressed their confidence in the President-elect. The challenges of Nigeria are enormous and I have come to wish him success.

    “We also held a small talk about our bilateral relations. As you know, our relationship has developed quite well in recent years. In the economic field, Nigeria is already the first commercial partners of France in Africa.

    “We have a strong presence of French companies in Nigeria and we are encouraging them to come more to Nigeria to invest here and establish partnership with Nigerian companies. We also have the French Development Agency that is present here and ready to contribute to development projects.”

    Our relationship also developed in the area of security, he said:

    “Since the special summit in Paris in May last year, France has worked a lot to perfect cooperation and collaboration among countries in the region and also work with the Nigerian Armed Forces, especially in exchange of information and to contribute to the common fight against the terrorist threat.

    “I expressed our willingness to continue in the same direction, with the same objective to eliminate that terrorist threat in Nigeria and in the region.

    “I also passed a copy of the letter from the French president in which he invited him to France as soon as it will be possible for him.”

    The Canadian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Perry John Calderwood, said his country was ready to expand its collaboration with Nigeria to cover more areas, pointing out that Canada considers Nigeria as an important partner.

    Calderwood, who delivered a letter from the Canadian President to General Buhari, said: “Canada views Nigeria as an important partner. Canada and Nigeria already have significant economic ties as well as trade and investment ties.

    “We believe that it is possible to increase these ties to include areas such as agriculture, mining, renewable energy, infrastructure, where Canadian companies has great expertise.

    “We are very pleased to see that more and more Canadian companies are looking into new opportunities in Nigeria. I am also delighted that we have a significant development programme in Nigeria focused on health and economic development.

    “On the health side, we focus on maternal and newborn health and the eradication of polio. On the economic side, we focus on employment generation. We are also very active in working with Nigeria to promote security in Nigeria, Africa and globally as well as promote the principles of good governance and human rights around the world”.

  • ‘No Yoruba summit endorsed Jonathan’

    ‘No Yoruba summit endorsed Jonathan’

    Yoruba group, Yoruba Ronu Leadership Forum, has debunked a claim that a Yoruba summit was held to endorse President Goodluck Jonathan.

    The group described the claims of Jonathan’s endorsement as vile and an offence to the sensibility of the Yoruba.

    In a statement yesterday, the Secretary General, Akin Malaolu, further described as “lies” claims of Yoruba endorsement of Jonathan.

    “It is therefore a fact that there was never a Yoruba summit held at any place in the Southwest to endorse a non-performing President.

    “The hurried endorsement is vile and offends the sensibility of the people,” Malaolu said.

    He said the people of Southwest are unhappy with Jonathan’s style and actions.

    “It would be a perplexing error on his (Jonathan’s) part to accept lies when the generality of our people are helpless and hapless.”

    The Secretary General said the Yoruba believe that Nigeria should be loved and loyally defended which President Jonathan has failed to do throughout his administration.

    He said the Yoruba are not in any agreement with the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2015 general elections.

  • A summit gone awry

    The leadership summit organised by the National Association of Ogun State Students (NAOSS) in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, ended in protest, with the students demanding the payment of their bursary. AFIS ODEYEMI (300-Level Education History, University of Ilorin) reports.

    After enduring what they called hardship for five years, Ogun State students studying in higher institutions in Kwara State have protested alleged non-payment of their bursary and scholarship.

    The students appealed to Governor Ibikunle Amosun to facilitate the payment of their bursary, which they said, had not been paid for five academic sessions. They said they had been neglected by the government, adding that they were being denied their rights as indigenes of the state.

    The students, who converged under the banner of National Association of Ogun State Students (NAOSS), embarked on the protest after a leadership summit held in Ilorin on Saturday. The event was held at the Science Lecture Theatre of the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN).

    The summit, which was graced by past NAOSS leaders, was aimed at bringing together past members of the association for its progress  and to promote effective unionism.

    In his speech, a former NAOSS member and ex-president of the UNILORIN Students’ Union Government (SUG), Mr. Oluwafemi Aremu, hailed the association’s leadership for its forthrightness, saying the summit would make the association vibrant and engender constant exchange of ideas between past and present members.

    Aremu advised the students to be good ambassadors of the state, while tasking them to remain dutiful, selfless and agitate for their rights in a manner that must portray them as peace-loving and development partners.

    This exhortation did not go down well with the protesters, who claimed to have been sidelined and shortchanged for too long. They bemoaned the government’s “breach the agreement” entered with the national leadership of the association.

    The angry students said they refused to pay their dues because of government’s maltreatment. One of the protesters, who did not want his name in print, described the non-payment of bursary as frustrating and unwarranted, saying: “While other state governments pay bursary regularly to their students as when due, Ogun State students in this part of the country are being denied their entitlement even when their colleagues at home are well catered for. It is a deliberate attempt by the state government to deny us our rights.”

    The Senate President of NAOSS, Abdulazeez Adeosun, pleaded for calmness and patience, saying the association’s leadership would take up their plight and discuss with the representatives of the government.

    He assured the students of his support, saying: “NAOSS national body in collaboration with the state chapters is working tirelessly to retrieve your dues. The governor is a man of the people; we assure you that your bursary will be paid in due course.”

    Abdulazeez urged Governor Amosun to see the protesters’ discontent as an opportunity to extend his policies to students and youths in the state.

    In his speech, NAOSS president in UNILORIN, Nurudeen Olaleye, thanked the association’s past executive members for gracing the occasion. He described the past members as “well of experience”, saying they made an indelible mark that would their efforts to be remembered by generation students after them.

    The summit brought guests from different parts of the country to the university. At the event were two former UNILORIN union presidents and past presidents of NAOSS. Others include national executive leaders of the association, academic staff of UNILORIN, patrons and students from various higher institutions in Kwara State.

  • Group organises leadership summit for youths

    In a bid to curb the unemployment situation among young people in Nigeria, Anabel Group has held its 3rd Nigerian Leadership Summit 2014, tagged “Entrepreneurial Nation”.

    The event, which held at Oriental Hotel Lekki Lagos aimed at tasking youths to develop interest in the acquisition of entrepreneurial, vocational and business skills that will make them better citizens and contributors to the nation’s economic growth and development.

    According to the President/Chief Executive Officer, Anabel Group, Nicholas Okoye, the programme has motivated, encouraged and inspired over 10,000 young people who had set up their own businesses in the past three years.

    He said: “We know that the unemployment situation in Nigeria can be solved by young people creating jobs for themselves. As youths, we all wish to become business people in big, small or micro scales. We are all aware that some renowned Nigerian entrepreneurs have developed big businesses with as little as N5, 000.

    “So, the whole idea of this summit is to tell you that there are solutions to our problems. We do not agree with those who sit on the fence and complain that the government should do everything for them.

    “We believe we can take our destiny into our hands with the efforts we have decided to make for ourselves. I have a mantra that says if you are not part of the solution, then, you are part of the problem. Those of us who complain consistently about the problems and don’t do anything about it are part of the problems.”

    Okoye further said that “the entire leadership summit is not just a talk shop anymore; it’s about educating people and also giving them the best way to be successful as businessmen and women. The group is working with financial industries to provide finance for young people. So that is the major positive element that has come out from this service.”

    However, he urged the youth that the group (Anabel) on annual basis through ‘Nigerian leadership summit’ is committed to realising a new Nigeria.

    Okoye also announced the launch of a new platform by the group, known as ‘Women entrepreneurship network’ which will focus directly on women-owned business, so they too can compete favourably just like the men in the society.

    “We need to support all the initiatives and all the efforts that will get young people into the workplace” Okoye said.

    Other Keynote speakers at the event were former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku; Chairman Chikason Group, Chief Chika Okafor; Chief Executive Officer, South-South Economic Council, Ambassador Joe Keshi and Managing Director, Asset Management Company of Nigeria (AMCON), Mustapha Obi; Chairman, MRS Group of Companies, Sayyu Dantata; Principal/Chief International Development Officer, Weeks International Enterprises, Charles Weeks and Managing Director, MDG Consulting, Benny Mistry.

  • A summit to grow women entrepreneurs

    A summit to grow women entrepreneurs

    Eager to get a foothold in entrepreneurship, women from the regional states gathered in Aba, Abia State’s commercial hub, to learn basic facts in management, reports SUNNY NWANKWO

    It was as much to gain new ideas as it was to correct old misconceptions. Interacting with other women who have made their mark in business boosted their confidence. Many left the summit saying they too can succeed and be an asset to their families, even the society. The women, over 500 of them, were told that money is not necessarily all you need to thrive in business. In this regard, love and passion trumps cash. How about information? The women learned, too, that knowing about their chosen business, especially the latest trends, is just as imperative as your cash and passion.

    The summit was organised by Diamond Bank to get women to own and manage their businesses and tap into the N200 billion Micro-, Small- and Medium-Scale Enterprises (MSMEs) loan cash provided by the Central Bank. But two years after its introduction, majority of women are yet to key into the MSMEs facility.

    That was why the management of Diamond Bank Plc started touring the country to educate, motivate and empower women on it. The aim, the bank said, is to help them become owners and managers of their own business and add value to the economy of their states and the country.

    Aba took its turn, hosting at Binez Hotel, Aba, the women who came from every state in the region to be lectured by financial experts and inspired by some successful women business owners who shared the story of how they started with little or nothing.

    Some women entrepreneurs mostly drawn from the private sector, including Pastor Mrs. Patience Goddy Okafor, narrated how they started with low capital and rose to become the success they are through prudent management.

    According to them, love and passion remains the key elements every entrepreneur needs to stay in business especially during adversity.

    Mrs. Okafor underscored the importance of information, noting that business is dynamic and that for a woman to prosper in it, she must be properly informed on its ethics and also adapt to new trends.

    The guest speaker who is also a preacher, reminded women of their role in the family, saying they must not allow their families to suffer because of their businesses.

    Mr. Charles Oguibe, a business manager in Diamond Bank, who represented the Regional Manager, Michael Agbara, said the programme was organised to sensitise their female customers on the need to key into the CBN financial empowerment programme for women entrepreneurs.

    Oguibe said, “This session is for Diamond Women (the bank’s account holders). We realised that women can actually contribute a lot to the economy of the country, but they do not have the financial wherewithal in terms of financing and knowledge…what we are doing here today is to give the knowledge and to let them know how they will be able to access the finances to support their businesses and whatever that they are doing. This is the third session of the empowerment programme. We held one at Ibadan, Benin and Aba.

    The most important thing about this programme is information because you need the right information to do better in business. This programme is a critical step towards helping women to be financially empowered. No commercial bank likes taking equities. We like them to start their business and we can come in to support them in whatever that they are doing. Ten per cent of the N200 billion fund floated by the Central Bank for MSMEs can actually be accessed by them. We also advice that they start their business, perhaps when they run their business for some months, we can come in and support what they are doing.

    “Diamond is the only bank that can give loans of up to N3million without any collateral. The mistake that banks make is that they look at collateral and at the end of the day the loan you are giving cannot support the business. What we are looking at is to check what they are doing can support the payment. If we are okay with that, we will go ahead and give out the loan.

    “But basically, this event is to prepare them for the CBN loan which they would use to support their businesses. The condition that they need to meet is that they need to open account with us for like three months and after the three months, they can be qualified for the SMEs loans. It is not about how much one have in account, but how well the person runs the account; how much that goes in and out of the account.

    “The responses from women in the other states we have been and today is so wonderful. We expect that at the end of this programme, women in Aba and others neighbouring states that attended this programme would have been empowered. We also expect that they should be bold to come out and access fund where they are qualified to do so. You know a man can take spontaneous decision, but women do not take decisions easily, their decisions are based on what they have been told.

    “What we are doing is to enable them cut that gap; once they come forward to tell us what they want, we can support them. We are encouraged with the level of their turnout,” Oguibe stated.

    Some of the participants including Mrs. Chidinma Aisedion described the programme as motivating and inspiring, adding that she was already thinking on how best she can improve on her business skills, having heard from the resource persons on how they  have gone ahead to make it in life after they started on a smaller scale.

    Mrs. Aisedion full of optimism on the impact of the programme said “It doesn’t matter how you started with, no matter how little you may start, tomorrow can be better. For now, I am actually selling jewellery in a small scale, but gradually, I know I will still grow and for me to grow, I need to have the finance to do the business. I know I can do much better if I should have more funds with me.

    “Despite having the flair, passion or anxiety for a particular business or trade, funding remains a key factor. When you have more money, you will expand your business. If there is a way they (Diamond) can grant me loan, I wouldn’t mind because I want to expand my business because the market is vast and I really want to go higher.

    “It was my husband that gave the money I am using to do my business at present but I feel like that I need to source for more funds to do my business, not from my husband this time, may from my bank if they wouldn’t mind granting me credit facility.”

  • Summit pushes for national cocoa database

    Stakeholders in the cocoa  industry have urged the Federal Government to establish a national database of cocoa resources.

    Rising from its just-concluded cocoa summit in Abuja, the operators said there was a need for  the government to work with agribusinesses and farmers if it is to implement a transformational    agenda  that will  have  an  industry wide  impact.

    In a communiqué issued at the end of the event, the  stakeholders  said  this would  only be possible if there is a comprehensive database of all stakeholders in the cocoa industry.

    The world cocoa econometric analyses, the summit observed   showed  an estimated supply deficit of over one  million tonnes by 2020, offering tremendous opportunity for the Nigerian cocoa sector to earn foreign exchange and  improve the nation’s economic balance sheet.

    To seize the opportunities, however,  the summit  maintained that  the sector needed a national cocoa policy that will support accelerated action to enable farmers improve production.

    To this end, it said the government must be ready to support  farmers with various interventions and help businesses improve processing operations.

    The summit called for a national policy on cocoa that incorporate all critical activities across the value chain.

    To make the policy functional, it advised the government to constitute a team comprising representatives from the ministries of industry, trade and investment and agriculture and rural development and the cocoa private sector.

    The policy, it added should also provide for special incentives for companies and individuals involved in large scale cocoa backward integration of at least 50 hectares.

    To drive local consumption of finished cocoa based products, the summit implored the government to develop a template to promote   local cocoa consumption.

    The summit appealed to the government to set up a stakeholder advocacy group to network with ministries, departments and agencies (federal and states), the national assembly and the presidency to gain support for cocoa related activities.

    The   stakeholders recognized the challenges of the cocoa value chain and urged the government to set up of Cocoa Development and Investment Corporation to coordinate all the activities in the cocoa value chain. Such a body, it reiterated should be private sector operated but public sector enabled, like the proposed Cocoa Corporation of Nigeria.

    It also urged the government to  establish a National Cocoa Development Fund to provide critical funding for the proposed Cocoa Corporation of Nigeria and for cocoa related research.

  • Clean energy takes centre stage at Abuja summit

    In line with the “Sustainable Energy for All Initiative” of the United Nations and the mandate of doubling the share of renewable energy in Africa, the first Africa Clean Energy Summit (ACES) 2014, will bring together stakeholders in the power sector to find ways to shift focus from fossil fuels to renewable energy.

    The summit, which holds at the Sheraton Hotel in Abuja  from November 17 to 20, is coming on the heels of the current debate at the international level on the need to move from  fossil fuels to renewable energy. It is expected to give birth to the Africa Climate Solution Centre (ACSC), a hub that will serve as a clearing house for clean and renewable products, investors, financial institution and exhibitors for the African market.

    According to the Chief Operating Director (COD), Africa Clean Energy Summit, Mr. Olawale Akinwunmi, the event will include a world-class meeting, an international exhibition, technical conferences, business fora and other activities. “The hub will operate as a 24/7 permanent climate friendly energy solution initiative for exhibition and sales of renewable energy products and services. The initiative highlights both new and planned developments, helping to source technology, secure financing and enter  into business partnerships with development partners,” he said.

    Other activities slated for the summit include the incorporation of the Goodluck Jonathan Institute of Clean Technology (GJICT). Dr. Kandeh Yumkella, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Chief Executive Officer, Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL), and UN Energy Chair, will deliver the keynote address at the event.

    Akinwumi, who is the Chairman, the Environment Communications Limited, said the summit would also bring to the fore an earlier submission of  relevance of the declaration of Mohammed Ashry, the Chairman, Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century, who reckoned that with the world’s energy dynamics becoming increasingly complex, there is a need for greater global integration and collaboration to address how the world will power its future generations.

    “Indeed, the future of renewable energy looks very different presently than it did a decade ago. This is well accentuated by the recent unanimous declaration by the UN General Assembly, which designated 2014-2024 as the United Nations Decade of Sustainable Energy for All.

    “This declaration underscores the importance of energy to sustainable development and the need for increased use of renewable sources of energy, energy efficiency, and the sustainable use of traditional energy resources. Nigeria will replicate what America is doing; just as President Obama is solarising America, President Jonathan is solarising Nigeria,” Akinwunmi said.