Nigerian Rice: Sustainable consumption versus prod...: NaijaAgroNet : As 22nd Conference of Parties (COP) comes to a close, REMMY NWEKE examines in this report the sustainability of Nigeria...
ITREALMS ... everything news digitally!
Featured post @ITREALMS
Saturday, December 10, 2016
The Unspiritual side of Aso Villa
Let me begin with two clarifications. Aso Villa is not my
home; I am just passing through. Even this world is nobody's home; we are just
birds of passage. So, let nobody turn up his nose in derision, and say;
"he's writing to the landlord of Aso Villa, defending a place where's he's
just a tenant."
Yes, nobody is a landlord in the Villa, not even rational
presidents. They can only live there for a maximum of eight years, if Nigerians
so decide. And for me, my treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue. The
angels only need to beckon me from Heaven's open door, and I wouldn't feel at
home in this world anymore.
The second clarification. Let nobody, particularly on social
media, begin to insinuate that Femi Adesina is at war with Reuben Abati, his
immediate predecessor as presidential spokesman. This piece you are beginning
to read is not about Abati as a person; it is about his spiritual ideas and
convictions, which I think need some appraisal, as they are rather unspiritual.
Abati and myself have been professional colleagues for almost 30 years, we have
a lot of mutual friends, and know how to reach each other when necessary. So,
this is not a case of Muhammadu Buhari's spokesman being at war with Goodluck
Jonathan's spokesman. What for?
In his piece in The Guardian of October 14, 2016, Abati wrote
under the headline, 'The spiritual side of Aso Villa.' What were his
conclusions? For the benefit of those who did not read the highly entertaining
piece (in fact, there were moments I had my two legs in the air, laughing, as I
read), let me do a brief summary. Call it 'gospel' according to Abati, and you
would be right: There is some form of witchcraft, which causes occupants of Aso
Villa to take weird decisions. Working in the Villa makes you susceptible to
some sort of evil influences because there is something supernatural about
power and closeness to it. Some of those who lived or worked in the Villa had
something dying under their waists (for the men), while some of the women
became merchants of dildo because they had suffered a special kind of deaths in
their homes. "The ones who did not have such misfortune had one ailment or
the other that they had to nurse. From cancer to brain and prostate surgery and
whatever, the Villa was a hospital full of agonizing patients," Abati
posited.
Reading the piece through, you would think Aso Villa was
nothing but what Godfrey Chaucer called "a thoroughfare of woes." In
fact, Abati submitted that the Villa "should be converted into a spiritual
museum, , and abandoned." Holy Moses! Jumping Jehoshaphat!
If Aso Villa was such a haunted house, why then do most
occupants like to stay put, right from the first tenant, Ibrahim Babangida, who
was virtually forced to step aside in August 1993? And why did Goodluck
Jonathan, Abati's principal, spend money in trillions (in different currencies
of the world), just to perpetuate himself in a house that consumes its
occupants? Being a literary scholar, Abati would remember the doctor in
Macbeth, that work of William Shakespeare, who was detailed to cure Lady
Macbeth of the neurosis that afflicted her, after she had been party to the
deaths of King Duncan and Banq so that her husband would be the king of
Scotland.
A spiritually troubled Lady Macbeth sleepwalked every night,
trying to wash her hands of the innocent blood that had been shed. The doctor
was so fed up with the terrifying atmosphere that he said to himself:
"Were I from Dunsinane away and clear, profit should hardly again draw me
here."
Did Abati ever say the same of the Villa, a place where men became
women "after something died below their waists?" We do not have it on
record that Abati showed a clean pair of heels, or that he would not have
stayed if Dr. Jonathan had won reelection, and had asked him to continue in his
position as the adviser on media. Or was it the case of eternal fascination for
the thing that repelled and terrified you? Mysterium tremendum et fascinas, as
it is called in Latin.
For me, what Abati did in the October 14 piece was simply a
glorification and deification of superstition, something that attempted to
elevate works of darkness above the powers of God. The writer merely fed the
cravings and propensity of people for the supernatural, in a way that stoked
and kindled the kiln of fear, rather than that of faith.
Let's take the issues one after the other, and look at them
against true spiritual principles. Christianity is the one I am most familiar
with, and that would be my benchmark.
In Aso Villa, houses were haunted, people were oppressed
into taking curious decisions, they fell ill, died, or suffered the losses of
loved ones, so Abati claimed. Are such peculiar only to the presidential villa?
Should all those who live or work there automatically enjoy immunity from the
vicissitudes of life, simply because they walked the corridors of power?
Wasn't President
Umaru Yar'Adua right inside the presidential villa, when he told us on national
television: "I am a human being. I can fall sick. I can recover. And I can
die." That was a practical man for you. Abati unwittingly wants his readers
to believe that once you operated in or around Aso Villa, you became a
Superman. No. You are as mortal as can be. The Holy Bible does not even give us
such leeway. "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to
man..."(1 Cor 10:13).
There are certain things common to man, and they can
happen to you wherever you are. At the White House. At 10, Downing Street.
Buckingham Palace, Aso Villa. Wherever. "But such as is
common to man..." Let no man feed us with the bogey that such things
happen because of where you live or operate from. There are some things that
are just common to man, and which may happen to you as long as you are on this
side of eternity.
I lost my sister in a road crash last year. She was a
professor of Dramatic Arts at the Obafemi Awolowo University in Ile-Ife. Abati
knew her well, as they both did post-graduate studies at the University of
Ibadan in the 1980s. Abati was among those who called to condole with me. My
sister never visited the Villa in her lifetime. Even if she did, that could
never have had anything to do with her death on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. To
believe and teach otherwise is to carry superstition to a ridiculous level, and
venerate the Devil, granting him omnipotence, an attribute that belongs to God
only.
For the Devil, doing evil is a full-time business, and whether you had
anything to do with Aso Villa or not, he continued with his pernicious acts.
Does that then suggest that mankind is helpless before evil? No. God still has
ultimate powers. He can spare you "as a father spares the son that serves
him."
(Malachi 3:17). If you are under the pavilion of God, sleep,
wake and operate daily in Aso Villa, you are covered, no matter the evil that
lurks around, if any. There is a better covenant established on greater promises,
and that is the canopy under which you should function. God can spare you from
all evils, and if He permits any other thing, it is "such as is common to
man," and not because of Aso Villa.
If houses catch fire in the Villa, how many conflagrations
occur in other parts of the city? If some men in the Villa suffered erectile
dysfunction in Abati's time, doesn't the Journal of Sexual Medicine tell us
that about 20 million American men have something that has died under their
waists? It is one thing that became prevalent in the last two to three decades,
due to modern lifestyle. Causes range from age, to stress, depression, anxiety,
alcohol, medication, and several others. Even, a study showed that watching too
much television kills something under the waist. So why does Abati make it seem
as if it is a copyright of Aso Villa?
Now, another clarification. Don't I believe in demonic
infestation and manifestation? I sure do. I won't be a student of the Holy
Bible if I don't. Jesus talked about the man who got delivered from demonic
possession, and because that man did not yield himself to a better influence,
the evil spirit that inhabited him came back with seven more powerful spirits,
and the end of the man was worse than his beginning. Abati wrote of persons in the Villa, "walking upside
down, head to the ground." Let me share this story I heard over 20 years
ago. There was this young Christian who gave scant regards to demons and what
they could do. In fact, he almost didn't believe demons existed. One day, as he
walked along the ever busy Broad Street in Lagos, God opened his spiritual
eyes.
Some people were walking on their heads! And not only that,
as they passed by other people, they slapped them with the soles of their feet.
If you got so slapped, you developed an affliction, which you would nurse for
the rest of your life. Yet, you never knew where it came from.
As the young man saw that vision and got its spiritual
explanation, he began to s-c-r-e-a-m. Was that in Aso Villa? "Such as is
common to man..." Evil exists everywhere. Trying to source and locate it
in Aso Villa is disingenuous. You need God everywhere. In Europe, Asia,
America, Oceania, Aso Villa.
There is evil everywhere, and we need not make
fetish of any place as being more evil infested than other places. Since Satan
got thrown out of Heaven due to his inordinate ambition, evil had resided in
the world. "How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the
morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!"
(Isaiah 14:12). The Devil lives in the world, but God is never helpless before
evil. He will never be. Let the Devil commit suicide if he is not happy about
that fact. God rules!
If every principal officer including the President and his
wife suffered series of tragedies as Abati claimed, and he himself had
breathing problems and walked with the aid of crutches for months, it was
" such as is common to man" and not necessarily because they were in
Aso Villa. But of course, if such people put their hands in evil, possibly to
gain some things in power or perpetuate themselves beyond the time heaven
granted, then "he who rolls a stone, a stone shall be rolled back to him.
He that digs a pit, shall fall into it." That is what the Good Book says.
You can then hardly blame Aso Villa for such payback time, can you?
To avoid getting sucked into what Abati calls "the
cloud of evil" that hangs around power, what to do is to hold ephemeral
things loosely. Know that they are temporal, and will truly end. Power is one
of such things. Will anybody be a permanent landlord at Aso Villa? It would be
foolhardy to have such mindset. A couple of times I'd had some private
discussions with President Buhari, and he had lamented the state of the nation,
he invariably ended with the statement, "while we are here, we will do our
best." It shows a man who knows that he's not a permanent landlord at Aso
Villa, and can never be. He would use the opportunity he has to do his best for
Nigeria, and then move on.
That is a good mindset and a safety valve from getting
sucked into "the cloud of evil." Daily, I tell myself that I am just
passing through Aso Villa. And while there, just like my principal, I will do
my best. It could be long, it could be short, depending on God and the man who
appointed me, but one day, it would be over, and some other people would come
in to do their bit. It is inexorable. The real treasures are laid somewhere
beyond the blue.
Abati says we should pray before people pack their things
into Aso Villa. I say not just Aso Villa, but everywhere. Pray before you pack
into any place, because there are some things "such as is common to
man." It is only God that keeps from such. And He is sovereign in terms of
what He prevents, and in what He allows. Ours is to pray, and believe. Prayer
works.
"Aso Villa is in urgent need of redemption. I never
slept in the apartment they gave me in that Villa for an hour," wrote
Abati. Well, different strokes for different folks. Hear what the Good Book
says: "It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the
bread of sorrows; for so he giveth his beloved sleep." Here am I. For over
one year, I have lived in the house allocated to me at the Villa. I sleep so
soundly, I even snore. In fact, I snore so loud that at times, I wake myself up
with the sound.
*Contributed by Femi Adesina, the Special
Adviser on Media and Publicity to President Muhammadu Buhari
ITREALMS ... everything news digitally!
Pix: Reuben Abati and Femi Adesina
Friday, December 09, 2016
Top 5 Christmas gifts for Nigerian parents
Shopping for the season:
It’s Christmas, the season to shop for presents. And of
course, you definitely want to include your parents on the list when you go
shopping. But then … when the holiday season comes rolling around, there’s a
good chance the parents on your shopping list need just about everything from
household items to kitchen gadgets and more.
Thanks to the recession, a lot of Nigerian parents have been
wound up tight since the start of the year and would rather benefit from a gift
that ensures they catch a break and just chill. We at Jumia travel are masters
when it comes to relaxation and as such, we suggest top 5 Christmas gifts for
your Nigerian parents who need to chill.
Holiday package:
A great way to gift your stressed-out parents is to pay for
a short relaxation or get away. From special family holiday package in Abeokuta
at the Green Legacy Resort to Amazing Beach Holiday at La Campagne Tropicana,
Lagos, there are many packages to pick from.
Tickets to Wakaa: The Musical
Music is certainly food for the soul and your parents will
definitely benefit from attending all of the music events slated for Christmas
this year. A musical like “Wakaa” will
be perfect as it will allow them to enjoy music in a calm and serene
environment where they don’t have to brush shoulders with juveniles or anyone
else really. The Musical which features a 100 man cast will cover 11 shows
spanning 5 days at the Shell Hall, Muson Centre, Onikan.
Christmas Brunch:
It’s Christmas and Four Points By Sheraton is not disappointing
as they have so many festive offers your parents can benefit from. One of the
offers which would be great to gift your parents is the Christmas day brunch at
their Brazzerie restaurant. The brunch which will hold on December 25, 2016
from 12.30pm - 5.00pm will just cost about NGN14, 000 per person.
Put a smile on their faces:
A good way to escape stress and worry is by diving into the
make-believe world of TV. And seeing as your parents are probably older,
wouldn’t it be great to gift them with a Television set that won’t have then
squinting and straining their eyes? We recommend the LG 65" Curved OLED TV
65EG960. Although it will probably leave a dent on your wallet, it would
definitely put a smile on your parents’ face.
Barbeque Grill:
The perfect way for your parents to relax and chill is by
spending time with family friends, and a good way to make that happen is by
ensuring they have a barbeque grill at the back of their house for such
get-togethers. Jumia Markets offers one at a very affordable price.
Nkem Ndem, a PR Associate at Jumia Travel
IMSU agog for Yudala Entrepreneurship summit
… Zinox boss, Ekeh speaks
The Imo State University (IMSU)
is now agog as it plays host to Africa’s biggest digital entrepreneur and
Chairman of Zinox Group, Dr. Leo-Stan Ekeh, who has been confirmed as the guest
speaker to a mega entrepreneurship summit hosted in partnership with its Alumni
Association and pioneer composite e-commerce outfit, Yudala, reports ITRealms.
The theme, ITRealms reports, is “The
ABC of wealth creation and sustenance in the 21st Century” while the
event has been scheduled for Monday December 12th 2016 at the Imo
State University Auditorium from 10am.
The event will feature the
official presentation of YUBOSS – an entrepreneurship and wealth creation
scheme set up by Yudala in partnership with Access Bank and Airtel and which
has recently received a N1.5BN support from the Leo Stan Ekeh Foundation to
generate creative employment and grow future millionaires in Nigeria.
Anticipation is sky-high in
Owerri, the Imo State capital for the entrepreneurship workshop, which is
expected to grant many attendees a chance to interact first-hand with Ekeh, a
native of Imo State and a widely-sought after resource person and motivational
speaker.
Ekeh, a renowned digital
entrepreneur for over 28 years has successfully built the most integrated
Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Group in Africa, with the Zinox
Group boasting advanced competencies in the entire spectrum of the sector, ranging
from hardware manufacturing, distribution, provision and deployment of critical
ICT solutions, after-sales support and retail, among others. Honored by former
President Olusegun Obasanjo as an ICON of Hope in 2001 to younger Nigerians for
his incisive digital entrepreneurship, Ekeh has earned over 70 local and
international awards and 5 Honorary Doctorate Degrees for sustained
entrepreneurship.
The event which is expected to
draw attendance from entrepreneurs, professionals, unemployed and under-employed
youths as well as students from IMSU and other institutions in Imo State such
as Federal University of Technology, Owerri; Federal Polytechnic, Nekede and
Alvan Ikoku College of Education, among others, will see Ekeh share success
tips on street entrepreneurship as well as the secrets of wealth creation and
sustenance in the 21st Century.
With Vice Chancellor, Imo State
University, Prof. Victoria Obasi as Chief Host, the occasion will also present
a unique opportunity for many attendees to sign up for YUBOSS. The job creation
platform has recorded a growing number of participants since it was officially
unveiled by Hon. Ministers of Labour/Productivity and Communications, Dr. Chris
Ngige and Barr. Adebayo Shittu respectively as part of the Yudala Zero Gravity
Contemporary Music Concert hosted by Yudala in Abuja on October 21st
2016.
Interestingly, Imo State is also
set to enjoy a year-end edition of the Yudala Zero Gravity Mega Music Concerts,
with plans currently in top gear to bring the popular dual entertainment
concerts to the state on December 21st and 22nd after
successful outings in Lagos, Abuja and Enugu.
Uj. N. Dominic/GEE
Thursday, December 08, 2016
Rwanda hosts preparatory meeting for ITU’s WTDC 2017
The Regional Preparatory Meeting (RPM) for Africa was held
from ended Wednesday December 8, in Kigali, Rwandan capital, reports ITRealms.
Participants at the meeting assessed the ongoing
implementation of the Dubai Action Plan adopted at ITU's last World
Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC-14) and started discussions on
the Regional Initiatives for the Africa region for the years 2018-2021.
The Regional Preparatory Meeting was the second of a series
of regional preparatory meetings that will take place across the world to help
identify priorities in each region in preparation for WTDC-17. The first RPM
was held in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic from 9 to 11 November 2016.
WTDC-17, which will be held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, from
9 to 20 October 2017, will forge a global plan for telecommunication and ICT
development over the next four years.
"The Regional Preparatory Meeting helps to achieve
regional coordination in preparation for WTDC-17 and identify issues at the
regional level that need to be addressed, taking into account the most pressing
needs faced by the Member States and Sector Members of the region," said
ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao. "At WTDC-17, we will define the way
forward and elaborate innovative ways to accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable
Development Goals."
Jean Philbert Nsengimana, Minister of Youth and ICT of
Rwanda, said, "Every time we have an opportunity to meet as leaders from
the public and private sectors, academia and civil society in ICT, we must use
it to advance the role that new technologies are playing and can play in making
this world, and our continent, a better place."
"We are building blocks towards a successful
WTDC-17," said Brahima Sanou, Director of ITU's Telecommunication
Development Bureau. "We have had very interesting discussions and had the
pleasure to hear from ITU membership about the needs and opportunities of the
region for the future. ICTs have revolutionized communications in Africa and
are empowering people everywhere on the continent, promoting entrepreneurship,
innovation, generating income and setting a path towards the attainment of the
2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development."
Patrick Nyirishema, Director General of the Rwanda Utilities
Regulatory Authority (RURA) and Chairman of the RPM, presented the final draft
report. The report recognizes that the Regional Initiatives constitute an
effective mechanism for fostering the implementation of the outcomes of the
World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) and 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development, including achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
In discussing the Regional Initiatives for the Africa region
for the years 2018-2021, meeting participants made several proposals all
centered on the recognition that ICTs are ultimately about people. Participants
acknowledged that the ICT sector is fast-developing and there is a need to take
a paradigm shift in approaches for the region to benefit from these changes.
"The Regional Preparatory Meeting is an important
platform that allows us to get together and discuss our common goals in a fast
changing ICT landscape," said Nyirishema. "The dialogue we have
started here will continue and will forge a common vision for Africa region for
WTDC-17."
The RPM for Africa was preceded by the Regional Development
Forum. Speakers at the opening ceremony included Jean Philbert Nsengimana,
Brahima Sanou and Lamin Maneh, the United Nations' Resident Coordinator/UNDP
Resident Representative in Rwanda.
The Regional Development Forum provided an opportunity to
hear about the status of implementation of the African regional initiatives
approved at WTDC-14 as well as the development of the ICT sector in the
region.
The initiatives approved at WTDC-14 focus on the following
areas: human and institutional capacity building, policy and regulatory
frameworks for the integration of African telecommunications/ICT frameworks,
broadband access and adaptation of broadband, spectrum management and
transition to digital broadcasting, and confidence and security in the use of
telecommunications/ICTs.
The next Regional Preparatory Meeting will be for the Arab
States and will be held in the Republic of Sudan from 30 January to 1 February
2017. It will be preceded by the Regional Development Forum on 29 January 2017.
Chuks Egbune/GEE
ITREALMS ... everything news digitally!
Bonanza: Lagos, Kebbi float Lake rice, offer special price ...
Lagos, Kebbi float Lake rice, offer special price ...: NaijaAgroNet : The Lagos State government has concluded plans to sell special rice at N13,000 per 50 kilogram (kg) bag for the Christma...
... Linking agrobiz, sustainable environs, people & technology
... Linking agrobiz, sustainable environs, people & technology
Wednesday, December 07, 2016
Climate change: ICT can deliver smart solutions – Ban Ki-moon
ITRealms:
ITREALMS ... everything news digitally!
The outgoing Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr.
Ban Ki-moon has said that Information and Communications Technology (ICT) has
the capacity to deliver smart solutions
to address climate change, hunger, poverty, women’s empowerment and more, reports ITRealms.
Opening the 11th annual Internet Governance Forum in
Jalisco, Mexico, the Sec-Gen expressed optimism that the Internet and ICT can
play important role in efforts to fulfilling the 2030 agenda.
“Indeed, the Internet and information and communication
technologies (ICTs) can play an important, enabling role in our efforts to
fulfill the great promise of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,”
stated United Nations Assistant Secretary-General Lenni Montiel in a message
from UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at the opening ceremony of the Forum.
Noting that ICTs can deliver smart solutions to address climate change, hunger,
poverty, women’s empowerment and more, the Secretary-General’s statement urged
delegates to keep working to ensure universal access to a more open information
society.
Ensuring such equitable access is one of the main challenges
of modern society, said Miguel Ruiz Cabañas, Undersecretary for Multilateral
Affairs and Human Rights at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mexico, who
added his strong support for the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. “We are
truly pleased that this event will foster the enabling of sustainable and
inclusive growth and fight climate change with cross-cutting policies that
contribute to access and use of the Internet.”
Alejandra Lagunes, Coordinator of the National Digital
Strategy of Mexico and Chairperson of the 2016 IGF, said, “Clearly we need to
build on our points of agreement and exchange of ideas so that we can make the
most of all of the potential of the Internet.”
Local authorities and other speakers at the opening ceremony
echoed the call for an open and universally accessible Internet while
emphasizing the importance of net neutrality and more international
coordination on cybersecurity issues. As this year’s IGF is the first since its
10-year renewal by the General Assembly, speakers emphasized the importance of
the IGF multistakeholder platform for public policy dialogue.
Delegates from all stakeholder groups including governments,
international organizations, technology companies, civil society and academia
held workshops and meetings Tuesday to address the Internet’s pressing
challenges and build on the enormous advances the Internet has created.
Specifically, attendees discussed how to bring more women worldwide into the
digital economy, better connect developing countries and the Global South, and
implement human rights standards to the ICT sector, among other topics.
ITREALMS ... everything news digitally!
BPP approves appointment of FG’s Transaction Parties on Eurobond
The Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) has approved the
Federal Government recommended parties for the execution of Eurobond programme,
reports ITRealms.
Disclosing this, the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun,
said at the end of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting where she sought
approval on a Memorandum for the issuance of United States Dollar 1.00 billion
Eurobond.
In addition, the Memo sought approval for this bond to be
presented to the International Capital Market and the appointment of
Transaction Parties responsible for the execution of the Programme.
She stated that the selection was based on an open and
competitive bid process in line with the Public Procurement Act, 2007 and a
certificate of “No Objection” was received from the Bureau of Public
Procurement (BPP) to award contracts to the recommended Parties.
The Minister noted that the USD1.00 Billion Eurobond
issuance was appropriated in the 2016 Budget and the funds will support the
implementation of capital projects in the 2016 budget.
The appointed Transaction Parties responsible for execution
of the transaction include: Citigroup, Standard Chartered Bank, Stanbic IBTC
Holdings PLC, White & Case LLP, Banwo & Ighodalo and AfricaPractice.
“We have so far, received strong commitment from the
international community. Investors
believe in the long-term economic outlook for Nigeria as we continue with our
structural reforms and increased focus on infrastructure development to
diversify the economy and grow the non-oil sector”, she stated.
“Stable oil prices and steadying foreign reserves will
support our plans and we expect high demand for this issue to further push down
yields. We are confident that this will be a successful outing in January, 2017.”
Oya Midele/GEE
Fortune smiles @ Uadiala as Yudala rewards customer with Kia Rio
Uadiala,
a frequent shopper at Yudala, ITRealms gathered, had beaten thousands of other
contenders drawn from attendees at the Yudala Zero Gravity Concert held in the
three cities of Lagos, Abuja and Enugu as well as shoppers from the company’s
Black Friday sales which ran from Thursday November 24th till Monday
November 28th.
Uadiala
had received a raffle ticket after he purchased a Lenovo device and a Tecno
phone from Yudala about a month ago.
Of
the thousands of customers that qualified for the raffle draw, 100 were randomly
selected and the list later pruned down to 20 for the grand draw. Five
customers from the Yudala Zero Gravity Rock Gospel Concert held at the Federal
Palace Hotel on November 20th volunteered to witness the raffle draw and ensure
proper authentication of the proceedings.
Also on hand to witness the draw was Pastor
Remi Morgan Senior Pastor at Christ Church Parish of The Redeemed Christian
Church of God in charge of Lagos Province 35.
A
visibly elated Uadiala, who was accompanied by his wife, Jummai and other
members of his family, was full of effusive praise for Yudala during the
official presentation of the car which took place on Thursday December 1st.
“I
am short of words. In fact, it is still like a dream to me. When I received the
call from Pastor Remi Morgan on Tuesday, I thought someone was trying to play a
prank on me. But no, it turned out to be true. Today, I am proud owner of a
brand new Kia Rio.
“I
am grateful to the Management of Yudala for living up to their promise. This is
a clear case of what you see is what you get, which Yudala has always held up
as one of its marketing promises. I pray that every staff of this great company
will be richly rewarded and will continue to benefit from working in a Godly
organization such as this. This is a day that God has made and I will rejoice
so gladly in it,” he enthused.
Also
speaking during the presentation, Founder/Vice President, Yudala, Prince Nnamdi
Ekeh reiterated the company’s status of dependability, as seen in the
transparent process that produced the winner and the guarantee of genuine
products for which Yudala is renowned.
“At
Yudala, we have a mantra: What you see is what you get. We are a corporate
giant with a conscience and this was made clear from inception. Our customers
are assured the guarantee of genuine products, whether they shop on our online
platform or in any of our Offline Experience Store nationwide. This is one of
the unique factors that set us apart in the marketplace. The transparent
process from which the winner of the Kia Rio emerged is also a major
justification of our status as a dependable company. You can always count on us
at Yudala.”
In
his contribution, Kia Motors representative, Mr. Moses Oguntimehin congratulated
the winner, Mr. Uadiala, noting that Kia Motors’ partnership with Yudala is a
mutually rewarding one which is set to progress long into the future. According
to him, Yudala is one of the fastest growing brands in the country and with a
clear vision and customer-centric mandate, factors which make it easy to
identify with the brand.
Chuks Egbune/GEE
ITREALMS ... everything news digitally!
Pix: PROUD WINNERS: (R-L) Chief Executive Officer, Yudala, Mr. Dave Ibelegbu, raffle draw winner Mr. Samuel Uadiala and his wife Jummai, Kia Motors representative, Mr. Moses Oguntimehin and Founder/Vice President, Yudala, Prince Nnamdi Ekeh during the official presentation of a brand new Kia Rio to Mr. Uadiala at the Yudala Headquarters in Gbagada, Lagos…recently. Mr. Uadiala emerged the lucky winner of the grand prize in a raffle draw conducted at the end of the Yudala Zero Gravity Concert and Black Friday Sales on November 29th 2016.
PIC 2:
HERE ARE THE KEYS: Founder/Vice President, Yudala, Prince Nnamdi
Ekeh (R) presents the key of a brand new Kia Rio to Mr. Samuel Uadiala who was
accompanied by his wife, Jummai (L). Mr. Uadiala emerged the lucky winner of the
grand prize in a raffle draw conducted at the end of the Yudala Zero Gravity
Concert and Black Friday Sales on November 29th 2016.
Monday, December 05, 2016
Christmas gift @SimbaPay to Ghanaians, Ugandans
As part of its Christmas gift to Ghanaians and Ugandans, a
London-based digital money transfer provider, SimbaPay
has extended its services to Ghana and Uganda respectively, reports ITRealms.
The chief executive officer for SimbaPay, Nyasinga Onyancha,
disclosed this to ITRealms in a press
statement endorsed by the operational officer, Alex Maganga, quoting Onyancha as noting that using
the SimbaPay app or website, Ghanaians and Ugandans living in Europe could now
send money to mobile phones in Ghana or Uganda instantly.
“This is the perfect Christmas gift to Ghanaians and
Ugandans living in Europe who have been asking when SimbaPay will expand
coverage to their home countries” the CEO said, stressing that by delivering
money via existing mobile money wallet services, many recipients who previously
could not access formal financial services can now do so.
Ghanaians and Ugandans living in Europe (UK & European
Union countries) with a bank account, debit card or credit card will be able to
use the SimbaPay app from any mobile phone, tablet or computer. Transfers made
using SimbaPay are credited within seconds to recipients’ mobile money wallets
such as MTN Mobile Money. This eliminates the inconvenience of queues and old
school paperwork.
SimbaPay, ITRealms notes, also delivers money transfers via mobile money and
bank account to other African countries such as Nigeria and Kenya with more
destinations and partners being sought for addition in 2017.
Nonye Dom/GEE
ITREALMS ... everything news digitally!
Achumba succeeds Shehu as CPN Registrar,CEO
A fellow of the Nigeria Computer Society (NCS), Mr. Allwell
Achumba has been appointed the new chief executive officer and registrar of the
Computer Professionals Registration Council of Nigeria (CPN), reports ITRealms.
He takes over from the Head, Education, Examination & Training Mr. Idowu Olusile, who was
acting Registrar, while the former Registrar, Mr. Sikiru Shehu, was on terminal
leave having served out his tenure.
ITRealms gathered that the CPN Council at the 79th
regular meeting held in Lagos recently, approved the appointment of Mr.
Achumba, whose appointment commenced November 1, 2016.
Also, ITRealms gathered that Achumba is an ideal Information
Technology (IT) practitioner in Nigeria, and a chartered member of CPN.
He promised to take the Council to the next level with his strong
managerial background, senior level local and international experience and
cross sector exposure.
Achumba, ITRealms further reports, is endowed with good strategic vision,
with the ability to build and implement sophisticated plans with a proven track
record explicitly supporting business needs.
He assured to maintain close relationships with external bodies, and
IT stakeholders, among others.
ITRealms recalls that the CPN was established by Decree No. 49 of
1993, promulgated on June 10, and gazetted on August 9, of same year as a body
corporate with perpetual succession and common seal, a legal entity charged
with the control and supervision of the computing profession in the country.
Chuks Egbune/GEE
ITREALMS ... everything news digitally!
PayU committed to simplify payment systems in Nigeria -Nwanguma
She also said that PayU is coming to Nigeria with innovations
capable of making the market more competitive, as the company is fully approved
by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in line with its initiative to promote
cashless economy.
Speaking in Abuja at the end of Committee of e-Banking Heads
(CeBIH) meeting, she told ITRealms, PayU is part of the leading and
trusted PayU group of companies owned by Naspers.
Noting that globally, PayU group of companies, provides
payment processing and related services to merchants and consumers, even as the
group’s strength lies in its local approach to payments, anchored on valuing
local language and culture.
Nwanguma pointed out that by establishing a local presence
in Nigeria, this further underscores the group's values.
"PayU" offers simple and secure online payment
services to merchants enabling them to accept payments of goods and services
using debit and credit cards from their customers and other alternative payment
methods as well,” she said.
The country manager further said PayU is a leading online
payment service provider in 16 global markets with the objective to provide
simple and secure online payment solutions to merchants and consumers.
“This objective is in response to the growing market and
regulatory needs to take cash payments online and digitise the economy, whilst
at the same time ensuring financial inclusion for all,” she said.
PayU, she said, commenced operations last year in Nigeria, with
the aim of looking at the needs of merchants in the country and developing
innovative payment solutions that will solve their problems and grow their
revenue in the online space.
“And for consumers, offer them a simple and secure means of
payments to merchants and businesses,” she declared.
The value proposition of the company, she said, is based on
technology which enables provision of superior product offerings and develops
innovative payment solutions.
“We offer various services and solutions to enable different
sizes of merchants and businesses to receive online payments with or without a
website and also provide automated collections of regular payments from their
customers,” she said.
Uboshe Uboshe/GEE
ITREALMS ... everything news digitally!
MainOne boost schools with CSR
The acclaimed West Africa’s leading connectivity and data
center solutions provider, MainOne, has given a boost to schools with its
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative, reports ITRealms.
The initiative tagged Changing Lives… Impacting the Future
(CLIF), ITRealms gathered, saw MainOne adopting Mayeigun Community Primary
School and Gbara Junior Secondary School located in Jakande-Lekki, Lagos by
lifting the school environment.
ITRealms reports that the company supplied educational
materials and toys and beautified the environment by planting flowers around
the premises and landscaping the schools.
According to Coordinator, Health, Safety and Environment at
MainOne, Oluyomi Johnson, the CLIF initiative is part of the company’s efforts
to positively impact education in Nigeria.
“The major thrust of our community engagement has been in
the education sector. Since 2011, we have assisted various schools in Lekki,
Ajah and environs, identifying their needs and exploring how we can provide for
them. We plan to continue our support for schools across Lagos, renovating
their facilities, providing them internet and educational materials and more
importantly, volunteering the service of our employees” Johnson said.
Acknowledging the uplifting of the school, the Head Teachers
of Mayeigun Community Primary School and Gbara Junior Secondary School, Mrs.
Oyeyipo and Mrs. Fashola respectively, expressed their delight at the
re-painted facilities and urged other companies to take CSR to schools more
seriously.
ITRealms recalls that since 2011, MainOne has been
supporting educational institutions in Nigeria with yearly donations of study
materials including school bags, text and exercise books, and renovation of
critical infrastructure facilities. The Company’s contribution to the
development of these schools forms a part of its Corporate Social
Responsibility focus in Education and Information and Communications
Technology.
Uj. N. Dominic/GEE
ITREALMS ... everything news digitally!
An applause for revolutionary Dunoma @FAAN
Leadership is as much a question of timing as anything else. A leader
must appear on the scene when people are looking for leadership as Mao Tse Tung
did in 1931, as Winston Churchill did in 1940 and as Lenin did in 1917, when he
comes, he must offer a simple, eloquent message, that is what Engr. Saleh did
when he assumed office in 2014 he gave the message “building the institution
through selfless service to our fatherland.
The appointment of Engr. Saleh Dunoma as the Managing Director of FAAN,
was the best thing to have happened in the aviation industry. He came on board
when the entire Aviation industry was hungry for Transparent Leadership. He is
a seasoned administrator, a great simplifier who cut through argument, debate
and doubt to offer solution to huge challenges that have beset the aviation
industry for years, which today is understood to be a thing of the past, due to
emergence of Engr. Dunoma.
His resilient, doggedness and his leadership style of placing square
pegs in square holes has placed the aviation sector on the plinth of greatness
through purposeful leadership.
Suffice it to say that the advent of Engr. Dunoma and his agenda for
the aviation sector in the last two years have greatly and enormously transform
the aviation industry with glaring evident of facts.
It is being obvious that the Aviation sector needed a pragmatic
helmsman with wealth of experience, to direct its affair which was found in
Engr. Dunoma: quality leadership, purposefulness, accountability, truthfulness,
humility, tolerance and love forthe industry.
Over the years, administrative leadership that eluded the aviation
sector, but today FAAN has found it in Engr. Dunoma. People can only be led
where they want to go, the leader follows, though a step ahead, Engr. Dunoma
has demonstrated a leadership that rides waves, move with the tides and
understand the deepest yearnings of the entire staff of FAAN.
Engr. Dumona has shown that aviation sector can grow to meet up with
international best practices and standards even in the midst of pessimist,
critics and enemies of development. He has achieved giant strides even with
little resources at his disposal and has expressed pragmatism in the face of
challenges. Engr. Dunoma dignifies our desire, convince us that aviation
industry will become the hub for economic advancement which will be to the
advantage of the nation.
He has given FAAN a sense of glory and
the Aviation sector at large, it will be a great disservice if
Engr. Dumona do not get applause from us as an organization, whose mandate is
to evaluate the performance of public office holders to ensure it is in tandem
with parameters of transparency, accountability and probity for the overall
economic growth and national development.
We the initiative for leadership and Economic Watch in Nigeria have
resolved to promote openness, and at all times with patriotism, where the
people opinion direct the course Justice and fair play in the administrative
process of Government institutions. We state unequivocally that Engr. Dunoma
has proven to us that he has come to serve Nigerians with outmost desire to
revolutionize Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria.
It is against this background, we therefore state with all humility and
confidence that Engr. Dunoma is currently reflecting back to us, aviation sense
of purpose, putting into words aviation dream and hope by transforming her
needs and fears into concrete administrative polices and programmes that are
result oriented and which today are evident for all to see.
Courtesy: Ambassador Agbonkpolor is the Executive Director
of Initiative for leadership and Economic Watch in Nigeria
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)