The Nation Newspaper

Tag: supports

  • DJ Cuppy supports KAFFY with 5m

    Florence Ifeoluwa Otedola, known as DJ Cuppy, is not just a musician and entrepreneur with a rapidly increasing empire; she also has a heart of gold. Cuppy, in her contribution to the society, recently donated N5 million to support the Kreative Arts Foundation for Youths (KAFFY).

    The donation had five children from Imagneto Dance Company as benefactors.

    The foundation, an initiative of dancer Kaffy, is a non-profit organisation that seeks support from talented people in various creative fields, such as dance, hair styling, music, fashion designing and others.

    Posting the picture of DJ Cuppy’s visit, the dancer wrote: “We move to make life better cuz it makes us feel fulfilled and happy.”

    Embarking on the new course, Kaffy said: “So I realised that I have worked with a lot of talented people in the past decade and one problem seems not to go away, a lot do not know how to function properly under structure. Professionalism, ethical conduct and value adding isn’t something very common.

    “So, I decided to establish a foundation that can help young people bridge this gap. This non-profit organisation seeks talented people in various creative fields as dance, hair styling, music, fashion designing, etc. and through the help of donors, they will get proper training, education and exposure before they are put in the labour market.

    “The foundation is called Kreative Arts Foundation for Youths (KAFFY), and our children section just got a donation from @cuppymusic Cuppy (Save the children) foundation to help five of our kids at the @littlemagnets, who are benefactors of the Kaffy Foundation”

    “Thank you soooo much as these kids are supported through school and training centred on their talents.”

  • Falola seeks supports for faith-based varsities

    The Federal Government has been urged to support faith-based universities in the country to achieve their missions of capacity building and graduating “change agents”.

    The call was made yesterday by a renowned Historian and Professor of African Studies at the University of Texas, Austin, United States, Prof Toyin Falola who delivered the third Convocation lecture of the McPherson University, Seriki Sotayo, Ogun State.

    In his lecture entitled: “The integration of knowledge and faith”, the Jacob and Frances Sanger Mossiker Chair in the Humanities said that it is possible to combine knowledge with faith. According to him, “Faith does not prevent the acquisition of knowledge and skills in all forms. One can be a good Christian and win a Nobel Prize in Physics. Even in crisis moment of life, where one is dependent on the product of science, medicine and technology, faith will give hope, healing and emotional balance.

    Falola who noted that the country is yet to have enough universities to cater for the teeming youths seeking admission said that unless government supports the private universities financially, they will continue to groan under heavy yoke of burden to effectively run the institution with fees avoidable by parents.

    He said, “It has happened before during colonial administration when they give financial supports to faith-based and community-founded schools. This support should not only be limited to including them in TETFund, but in awarding scholarship to students of private universities.

    “The challenge today is for such universities to have access to better funding as well as connections with businesses, and collaboration with universities in other countries so that their students can attend graduate programmes. It is in this context that I urge that we should contribute to the development of these universities, as a way of empowering them to help our citizens to grow and, in the final analysis, for our country can develop to higher heights.”

    He also charged the private institutions to have a broad small donors which can assist them in the funding of some projects and running of their programmes.

    Falola who is also a a Professor of History called on the National Universities Commission (NUC), to give  private universities autonomy to create their own degrees to meet the dynamics of the societal needs.

    He said, “How the curriculum and syllabus were structured when I was in school cannot work now in the age of Information Technology and Internet. The brain of students of this generation has the capacity to convey complexities that is why you see students today combining Physics with Philosophy. The university where I teach in the US, new degrees are created every four years.”

    The Visitor to the University and General Overseer, Foursquare Gospel Church Nigeria, Reverend Felix Meduoye said the university which received full Permanent Operational License from NUC in August this year has been complementing government efforts at providing quality tertiary education to the citizenry.

    The Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof Adeniyi Agunbiade disclosed that 12 graduating students passed with first class and Bello Kehinde Oluwatoyin of Department of Accounting and Finance emerged overall best student with grade point average of 4.81.

  • Ecobank supports youth development

    The organisers of Okpekpe International 10 km Road Race, Pamodzi Sports Marketing, have praised the support of Ecobank Nigeria to the competition, saying the lender has contributed immensely to the huge success recorded in the race.

    Speaking during this year’s edition of the Road Race in Okpekpe, Edo State at the weekend, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer,  Pamodzi Sports Marketing, Mike Itemuagbor said the lender has demonstrated that it is a firm supporter of youth and sports development in the continent, and Nigeria in particular.

    He stressed that the competition is attracting athletes from all over the continent. He used the opportunity to call on other corporate organisations in the country to support sports development initiatives.

    “We commend Ecobank for partnering with us over the years in organising this race. It is engendering healthy competition among Africa youths. We wish to implore other corporate organizations to emulate Ecobank and support sports development initiatives,” he said.

    Managing Director, Ecobank Nigeria, Charles Kie reaffirmed the bank’s support for the Road Race. Represented by Executive Director, Corporate Banking, Akin Dada, he noted that the objective of the organisers of the Race matches that of Ecobank and assured stakeholders that the Bank will continue to throw its weight behind the race as its Official Bank.

    “I want to use this opportunity to state here that Ecobank fully endorse this competition and will like to assure you that we will continue to be associated with the Okpekpe International Road Race,” he said.

    He commended the organisers for the elevation of the race by IAAF to a silver label status, stressed that the competition brings together men and women from various parts of the world.

  • BoI supports Censors Board’s anti-piracy move

    BoI supports Censors Board’s anti-piracy move

    Nigeria’s Bank of Industry (BoI), has thrown its weight behind the moves by the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB)’s Special Task Force on Uncensored and Unclassified movies, with a cash donation of N500, 000, and two KY 200-26C Kymstone Motorcycles.

    Receiving the items at the Board’s Ikoyi office on Monday, Executive Director of NFVCB, Alhaji Adedayo Thomas, was full of praise for the development bank, just as he urged other stakeholders to support the initiative, which, to some extent, will curb the menace of piracy in the country.

    He however revealed that the producer of period film, ‘’76’, Mr. Tonye Princewill has responded to the clarion call, with a donation of N500, 000, meant for the refurbishment of one of the agency’s vans, used for enforcement.

    On the two motorcycles donated by BoI, Thomas said the will be quite useful in running the day-to-day affairs of the organization, as well as easing movement in Lagos traffic, during enforcement operations.

    Highlighting some of the activities of the agency in the last 12 months, he said: “We have been raiding the markets for unclassified and uncensored works. Ane we have recovered a lot; the materials we recovered in Alaba market alone are worth over N150million. We did a lot also in Abuja, Kaduna, Benin, and Onitsha. We are on different court cases with the suspects that were arrested during our operations, hoping that the judiciary will do justice, so that the market will be fine and well booming in 2018.”

    According to Thomas, the agency’s resolution for the new year is to reduce the illegal activities of pirates on unclassified and uncensored works to the barest minimum, encourage local production, and stopping illegal importation of foreign films, as well as illegal exportation of local films, so that the stakeholders in Nigeria can smile to the bank.

  • Ecobank supports import, export trade

    Ecobank Nigeria has organised customer forum for exporters and importers targeted at boosting trade and commerce in the country.   The Country Head, Commercial Banking, Ecobank Nigeria, Rotimi Morohunfola, said the forum is one of the several avenues by the bank to support promoters and stakeholders in export and import business.

    He explained that the engagement which was basically an interactive session afforded the Bank the opportunity to obtain feedback from participants with a view to serving them better. According to him, “We take into cognizance the role of exporters and importers in the economy. The economy is largely driven by trade. That was why we decided to hold this forum to engage our customers, feel their pulse, and also bring in the regulators like Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to build capacity and further enlighten them on new trends and market practices.”

    Morohunfola re-assured participants of the bank’s determination to support them at all times, urging them to continue to do business with the bank.

    Presentations were made by Transaction Services Group, Treasury and Trade Operation departments of the bank. On support for small businesses, Head, SME, Commercial Banking, Ecobank Nigeria, Sunkanmi Olowo, said the Bank had put in place several initiatives to promote small and medium enterprises (SMEs). According to him, “Ecobank is commonly regarded as SME friendly bank.

    Deputy Director, Trade and Exchange department, CBN, Olu Vincent, applauded Ecobank for holding the forum. He enlightened participants on various measures to achieve seamless transactions.

  • Fed Govt supports steel products export

    Fed Govt supports steel products export

    The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Kayode Fayemi, has restated the government’s support for steel companies to enable them meet  local demand and export their products.

    Dr Feyemi spoke during facility tours of the African Foundries Limited (AFL) in Ogijo Local Government Area in Ogun State, and Western Metal Products Company Limited (WEMPCO) on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

    The minister said  issues that inhibited export of steel products would be looked into with a view to subjecting them to a review that would be acceptable and beneficial to both the government and investors.

    “We will review all options and determine which one is more beneficial to government and the investors,” the minister said.

    He added that the government was determined to create the conducive environment and provide incentives to genuine investors, as part of effort to ensure that the sector 5ourish.

    The Chairman of Africa Foundries Limited, P. K. Gupta, said although the group’s investment in Nigeria was over $1b, with over one million tons of steel products from its six steel plants in the  country, the company had had to grapple with the challenges posed by high cost of gas, multiple taxation, bad roads and unnecessary concessions for importation of products whose superior equivalence are produced in locally.

    Gupta said allocating coal blocks to his company and other genuine investors would enable them to provide more jobs opportuni?es to more people as well as assist them to complete the company’s diverse steel  production processes.

    The Managing Director of WEMPCO, Mr Robert Tung, who lauded the government’s commitment to the steel sector, also urged the minister to look into the issue of multiple taxations, among other issues.

  • Desmond Tutu supports Rise Above Terror campaign

    Desmond Tutu supports Rise Above Terror campaign

    Philanthropist Modupe Ozolua’s efforts at rehabilitating Boko Haram’s victims has got a key endorsement –that of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, recently hospitalised, who has found time to send a message, reports Assistant Editor (Arts) Ozolua Uhakheme.

    Despite his health challenges, South African social rights activist, Nobel laureate and patron of Empower54, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, 83, who has been living with prostate cancer for 15 years, still shows strong interest in matters affecting Nigerians, especially victims of Boko Haram. He is reaching out to Nigerians through Modupe Ozolua’s NGO, Empower54’s Rise Above Terror campaign, preaching peace and religious tolerance.

    In his emotional message to victims of Boko Haram, he said ‘we are members of one human family born for goodness, for love and inter-dependence’ with no one being superior or inferior to the other. He also pledged whole-hearted support to  Empower54’S Rise Above Terror campaign.

    He said: “My dear sisters and brothers, although our skins may be different colours, we may speak different languages, and subscribe to different cultures and religions; we are members of one family. The human family. God’s family.  We are born for goodness. For love and inter-dependence. Non-superior. Non-inferior. God carries us all.”

    According to him, ‘terrorism has become a word familiar even to innocent children. Indeed in West Africa, terrorists specifically target children. Many of us have heard of Boko Haram’s cruelty, the innocent lives taken, girl-children kidnapped, families rendered homeless and destitute in their own land, stripped of hope, freedom and dignity.’

    The man of God went on: “We have seen on our television screens the anguish of parents uprooted and robbed of their most precious possessions. Their anguish is our anguish and God’s anguish is the father’s and mother’s pain. Yet, the authors of all our anxiety are members of our family too. Born in innocence and goodness of love. Human beings have the unique gifts to reason, reconcile, restore and repair. To resolve what may appear irresolvable. I am proud to be the Patron of Empower54, which rehabilitates internally displaced women and children in Nigeria by supporting the women to become self-sufficient and establishing schools for their children.

    “Princess Modupe Ozolua and her Empower54 team are enabling survivors of terrorism to regain independence, rekindle their faith in humanity.  I therefore whole-heartedly support their Rise Above Terror campaign, and ask you to do the same.”

  • Etisalat supports Today’s Woman Brunch series

    Etisalat supports Today’s Woman Brunch series

    Etisalat has strengthened its commitment to empower women by supporting another edition of Today’s Woman Brunch series.

    The event, which held at  Clear Essence Spa, Ikoyi, Lagos, provided an avenue for women not only to network and inspire one another but also to tap into the wealth of knowledge and experience of key female leaders, chief executive officers and entrepreneurs across various industries.

    The Brunch Series organised by media personality, Adesuwa Onyenokwe, is an inspirational quarterly event that celebrates female icons that have made giant strides in their fields of endeavour with integrity, passion and consistency.

    Etislat’s Head, Events & Sponsorship, Modupe Thani described the Brunch Series as one of the ways of sharing the passions of telco’s customers and supporting causes that make impact in the community.

    Thani said: “Etisalat Nigeria will continue to invest in women empowerment in order to positively develop and impact the nation as a whole.”

    Chief Executive Officer, Standard Chartered Bank, Mrs. Bola Adesola who graced  the occasion shared her corporate experiences as well as the giant strides she has achieved in positioning the bank as a major player in the banking industry.

    She further mentored the ladies on issues such as developing a  road map to getting their desired jobs,  combating challenges in gender sensitive environments,  indices needed to balance career, marriage and motherhood, identifying the right partner , savings and investing.

  • Govt supports banks’ access to N220b MSME funds, says Aganga

    Govt supports banks’ access to N220b MSME funds, says Aganga

    The Federal Government is supporting banks, microfinance banks and Small and Medium Enterprise (SMEs)  access to the N220 billion Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Fund, the Minister of Industry Trade and Investments, Olusegun Aganga, has said.

    Speaking on a radio programme ‘Fidelity Bank SME forum’ sponsored by the lender, Aganga said government realised that  commercial banks were not getting enough of the funds, and decided to set up a committee to work with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to make the fund accessible.

    He said government has made some changes to the fund which has led to increase in terms of access to these funds. Aganga said that government is promoting access to finance and market by SMEs to boost the efficiency of the subsector even as state MSME Council is addressing hitches faced by the subsector.

    He said that government also wants to see how to link innovation and technology to SMEs to make life easier for operators.

    “For the first time in the history of this country, we have a government that is taking MSME as one of the most important sectors of this economy. We have a new programme called the National Enterprise Development Programme (NEDP) which aims to remove all the barriers and work on what would enable businesses to grow. For the time in this country, we have raised it to the highest level.

    We have an MSME National Council that is chaired by the vice president and has state governors, ministers and agencies on that council. The whole idea is to accelerate the development of this sector, harmonise, have better coordination and institutionalise the support we give to the sector,” he said.

    He said government has reduced the cost of registering businesses for SMEs by 60 per cent today and as a result of that we have seen an increase by 52 per cent in MSMEs that are registering and moving from informal to formal.

    “I encourage banks to support SMEs. It is not about buying treasury bills and bonds and making 10 per cent, you must be relevant to the Nigerian economy. You must play your role in terms of supporting the growth of the Nigerian economy, you must play your role in terms of job creation. That is the way that other countries are growing and our banks must do the same. Fidelity Bank has taken this to a different level,” he said.

    Continuing, he said that government’s SME programme if allowed to run in the next four years, there would be a complete change.

    He praised Fidelity Bank’s effort at supporting SMEs. “If you look at the record, the bank is among the top three in terms of banks that are supporting SMEs. Not many of them take that risk, so for a bank to take the risk to support the sector, everyone in the country should encourage them because the most important people in this economy are the micro, small and medium scale enterprises. Fidelity Bank is a good and strong partner of the government in supporting SMEs. In fact, that is why they were appointed as part of the Presidential MSME council,” he said.

    The Chief Executive Officer, Fidelity Bank Plc, Nnamdi Okonkwo said that the lender had at different times, brought different people to the Fidelity SME forum. He said it has gotten to a point where someone from the policy side was needed, and that was why the minister who has been very supportive of SMEs was brought to the forum. He said the forum corresponds with the federal government’s national development strategy.

  • Student group supports Buhari, Ambode

    Student group supports Buhari, Ambode

    A coalition of Nigerian students under the aegis of APC Campus Connect has called on students and youths across the country to come out en masse and vote out the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) government.

    They said the Federal Government had only brought them pains, hardship, suffering and unemployment.

    Representatives of the group, which comprisesgraduates and undergraduates from Lagos State University (LASU), Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH), Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education and the University of Ibadan (UI), among others, visited the Special Adviser to Governor Babatunde Fashola on Education, Fatai Olukoga at his office in Ikeja.

    They declared their  support for APC’s Akinwunmi Ambode for governor and General Muhammadu Buhari for President in next month’s elections.

    Opeyemi Eniola, who coordinates the group, said they were campaigning for a change for the better through APC.

    Olukoga expressed delight about the youths’ initiative, saying: “What Nigeria needs now is a change from bad to good, from darkness to light and to achieve this, the electorate should wipe out PDP in governance in totality. Enough is enough and Mr. President should know that we are no fools”.

    He chided President Goodluck Jonathan over what he called the insignificant reduction in petrol price from N97  to N87 per litre, saying it was merely a political gimmick and an insult on Nigerians.

    Olukoga warned government not to take Nigerians for a fool with the hypocritical reduction which, according to him, came few weeks to the presidential elections.

    He said: “The reduction is not proportional to the reduction in the prices of crude in the international market. In fact, if this administration is serious at all, the fuel price should be brought down to N67 per litre. From the foregoing, it is evident that the President, government and the PDP lack integrity because they talk from two sides of their mouth and I want to advise the electorate to be wary of any hypocritical carrot they dangle before them at this time.”