Ecobank, the leading independent pan-African banking group, has announced the finalists for the 2nd edition of the annual Ecobank Fintech Challenge, a competition for Africa-focused technology start-ups, reports ITRealms.
The list includes eleven (11) fintech start-ups from across the continent and beyond.
An Innovation Fair & Awards ceremony will honour the start-ups on August 30, 2018 at the global headquarters of Ecobank in Lomé, Togo. At the ceremony, the start-ups will exhibit and pitch their products to a jury for the Ecobank Africa Fintech Prize, which will be awarded the top innovator and two runners-up. The top three innovators will win cash prizes worth US$10,000, US$7,000, and US$5,000 respectively. After the Awards ceremony, Ecobank will enroll all eleven finalists into the Ecobank Fintech Fellowship. The Fellowship will run for a period of six months during which Ecobank Fintech Fellows will benefit from an opportunity to further explore partnerships with the Ecobank Group that includes:
The eleven start-ups are:
Lypa (Kenya), Wallet.ng (Nigeria), Nala (Tanzania), Litee (Benin), SESO Global (South Africa), InvestED (Sierra Leone), Eversend (France), Secapay (Nigeria), Virtual Identity (South Africa), MojiPay (Togo), Awamo (Germany) Group CEO of Ecobank, Ade Ayeyemi, said: “At Ecobank our digital strategy is spectacularly successful and has changed the landscape of African banking, so it goes without saying that we see fintech as a vital component for the economic transformation of the continent and the prosperity of its citizens. We want to do all we can to encourage the next generations of fintech entrepreneurs as they will be a driving force in propelling Africa into a globally competitive power in commercial services, enjoying significantly increased market share.” Eddy Ogbogu, Ecobank Group Executive for Operations and Technology commented: “Africa has a proud history of innovation, and today’s fintech start-ups are the potential giants of tomorrow. We’re delighted by the quality of our Fintech Challenge finalists and have high hopes that they will capitalise on the mentoring and support opportunities of the Ecobank competition on their journeys to future success.” The Ecobank Fintech Challenge is designed in partnership with the advisory firm Konfidants and is supported by partners across Africa and the world. More information can be found on the Program’s website at http://EcobankFintech.com. You can also interact with us on social media via our Facebook page and Twitter page. |
Featured post @ITREALMS
Thursday, August 09, 2018
Finalists emerge @Ecobank Fintech Challenge 2018 - ITREALMS
Darkness looms as NUEE lay siege @Ikeja Electric - ITREALMS
The customers of Ikeja Electric Plc (IE) may once again experience the discomfort of extended darkness as members of the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) have laid siege at the Company Headquarters in Alausa Ikeja and all its other offices across Lagos, reports ITRealms.
The Union members who claim that the picketing of IE followed the disengagement of about 40 members of staff, have forcibly shut down operations at the offices thereby resisting access to IE personnel and customers who have attempted to gain access to the offices.
According to Ikeja Electric, the recent separation of staff, was due to varying actions which are not in furtherance of the overall company objectives.
This protest in coming in the heels of the promotions of about 300 employees last week and the recruitment of over 500 new employees in the past one year. The promotion exercise cut across all cadres of staff, including members of the respective Unions in the organization.
Speaking on the development, Head Corporate Communications Felix Ofulue, questioned the motive for embarking on the protest which he described as self-serving.
“When NUEE chooses to cripple socio-economic activities of over a million households, for issues that can be resolved through dialogue, one then wonders if the motives are as selfless as they claim. How do you plunge a country’s commercial nerve center into darkness because of a few of your members who have been separated from the business for cogent reasons? It is really appalling. It’s an abuse of privilege to picket.” he said.
“Imagine that our employees in Alausa Injection Sub Station were chased out of the facility by the Union and they had to shut down 9 Feeders that supply power to Ikeja and its environs on safety grounds. This has resulted in an immediate blackout for at least 3000 customers”, Ofulue concluded.
He further apologized to customers for the disruption of service by NUEE and promised that they will continue to work with stakeholder to ensure that the company continues to improve and provide quality service to our customers.”
ITREALMS ... everything news digitally!
Wednesday, August 08, 2018
Financial inclusion: Nigeria’s RecyclePoints in top 10 @MIT Legatum Center African Startups prize - ITREALMS
RecyclePoints a
Nigerian startup has emerged in the top 10 at the MIT Legatum
Center and Mastercard Foundation finalists of the 2018 Zambezi Prize for
Innovation in Financial Inclusion, reports ITRealms.
The Legatum Center for Development
and Entrepreneurship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), in
collaboration with the Mastercard Foundation, announced the finalists of the 2018 edition of the Zambezi Prize.
ITRealms gathered that the Grand Prize Winner and Runners-Up will be announced during the Open
Mic Africa Summit in Nairobi on August 29th, 2018.
RecyclePoints pride itself as a waste recycling and social benefit
venture which commenced its beta edition in Lagos, operating an incentive-based
scheme which collects recyclable materials from post consumers and in turn
rewards them with “Points” which they could accumulate and use to redeem/shop
for household items offered through our iRecycle store.
The prestigious competition, awarding a total of $200,000 in
prizes, was established in 2015 to discover Africa’s most promising and
innovative early-stage start-ups that promote and advance financial inclusion
on the continent.
The selected companies are Apollo Agriculture (Kenya), Bidhaa Sasa (Kenya), FarmDrive (Kenya),
Farmerline (Ghana), LanteOTC (South Africa)(https://LanteOTC.com/), MaTontine
(Senegal) (ControlRisks.com), OZE (Ghana)(www.OZE.guru/), RecyclePoints (Nigeria), Tulaa
(Kenya)( www.Tulaa.io), and Wala (South Africa) (https://getWala.com/).
“We are pleased to welcome the 2018 finalists into the MIT
Zambezi family”, said Georgina Campbell Flatter, the Executive Director of the
MIT Legatum Center. “They represent some of the world’s most innovative change
agents.”
“The finalists demonstrated strong leadership and innovation
in the way they are solving financial inclusion challenges”, said Ali Diallo,
the Global Programs Manager of the MIT Legatum Center. “We also want to thank
the hundreds of great startups that applied to this competition and shared with
us their inspiring ventures, visions, and insights for advancing financial
inclusion. We hope to keep them all engaged through our upcoming initiatives”.
The finalists will join leaders from the MIT and African
tech ecosystems on August 28th and 29th at the 2018 MIT Open Mic Africa Summit
in Nairobi, Kenya. The two-day event will include a VIP reception followed by
the award ceremony at Strathmore University where the Grand Prize Winner will
be awarded $100,000. Two runners-up will each receive $30,000 while the seven
remaining finalists will each receive $5,000 in cash prizes. Additionally, the
Legatum Center will award $5,000 to an African entrepreneur who demonstrated
great leadership qualities to unify Africa’s tech ecosystem. All finalists will
participate in cohort-building and mentoring activities with MIT leaders and
Zambezi alumni companies during the event.
The winners will be invited to attend the Zambezi boot camp
during the MIT Inclusive Innovation Challenge (IIC)
(www.MITInclusiveInnovation.com) gala on the MIT campus in Boston on November
5th-9th, 2018. They also will be fast-tracked to the IIC global grand prize
with up to $1 million available in funding for the winner. The IIC event is
part of the MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy(http://ide.mit.edu/) and,
along with the MIT Legatum Center’s initiatives, exemplifies MIT’s global
commitment to the future of work(https://goo.gl/t6QRFb).
Chuks Egbune/ED, ops
Data king: UCC advocates careful regulation to risk mitigation in Africa - ITREALMS
The Executive Director of Uganda Communications Commission
(UCC), Godfrey Mutabazi, has identified careful regulation as key to risk
mitigation in this era of data revolution in Africa, reports ITRealms.
Speaking recently at the 2018 Global Symposium for Regulators
(GSR) in Geneva, Mutabazi, he pointed out that telecom space in the fourth
industrial revolution, hence driven by data.
“To plan and execute any program now, you need a lot of
data,” he said, stressing that regulators cannot afford to be heavy regulation
or light regulation.
“We have to look for a compromise,” he declared.
Data, he said, shapes planning in fields including
manufacturing, agriculture and education, is also behind everything from
national identity cards to passport registrations to birth registration.
He posited that given the prevalence of data in society,
regulators must address the issue of data protection to increase trust.
“Data protection, and the way it is expanding, is causing a
lot of problems now. It’s a big issue all over the world and in Uganda in
particular,” he said.
ITRealms gathered that Uganda currently has several agencies
that manage data but is working to harmonize these efforts with one data
communication bill that would regulate the use, collection and dissemination of
data.
On the 5G era, Mutabazi said Uganda is working to deploy 3G
within three to six months, and 4G by the end of next year, emphasizing that
the country is already looking forward to take advantage of the benefits of 5G
with regard to connectivity and employment.
“We’re going to open up the band, the spectrum, so that we
bring it into a reality in Africa,” Mutabazi said.
Nenye Dom/GEE
FBNQuest highlights investment opportunities for diaspora Nigerians - ITREALMS
FBNQuest Asset Management, a part of the FBN Holdings Plc Group, has called on Nigerians in the Diaspora to take advantage of the numerous investment opportunities available in Nigeria, reports ITRealms.
This call was made at the just-concluded Nigerians in Diaspora Global Development Conference in London.
The conference presented a rare opportunity for Nigerians in the diaspora to engage in constructive and interactive sessions, with key decision makers across different industries in Nigeria encouraging stakeholders to partner and collaborate on investment schemes.
A major highlight of the event was the unveiling of the NIDO-led $20 million Diaspora Housing Investment Fund, a closed end investment fund to be privately placed and constituted under a Trust Deed with a suitable Commercial Trustees to be selected.
The fund will be established through the issuance of the similitude of a real estate investment trust scheme which will provide opportunities for individual and institutional investors to participate in the Nigerian real estate sector.
The conference yielded fruitful discourse and exchange of ideas that examined the intersections between investment in human capital, natural resources, entrepreneurship, innovation and technology in Nigeria.
As one of the major sponsors of the conference, FBNQuest Asset Management called on Nigerians in the Diaspora to offer strategic expertise in their various endeavours to impact the country with knowledge and financial capacity, especially by way of investment.
Speaking during the conference, Managing Director, FBNQuest Asset Management, Ike Onyia, said: “We want to partner with the Diaspora community through NIDO and its members. As a member of one of the leading financial services groups in Africa, we are well-positioned to serve the diaspora community professionally and to ensure their aspirations in the area of maximising investment returns are fulfilled.
“FBNQuest Asset Management is open to partnerships that will unlock the potential of the Nigerian diaspora community as a source of economic development. We provide bespoke solutions to organizations and individual investors looking to set up structures that can help them achieve their investment goals. As a trusted advisor and credible partner with sound local knowledge and a rich pedigree, we will help them navigate through opportunities in the homeland.”
FBNQuest Asset Management is a leading asset manager in Nigeria for individual and institutional investors, guiding clients through Africa’s dynamic markets, while identifying the best opportunities to shape portfolios in line with specific investment goals.
The firm was recognised as the “Best Asset Manager in Nigeria” in the prestigious Euromoney Private Banking and Wealth Management Survey 2017, which is the industry’s leading barometer of the world’s best service and product providers.
The survey covers 15 different product and client categories and has ranking results in 70 countries in which FBNQuest Asset Management emerged number one in Nigeria.
Nenye Dom/GEE
Tuesday, August 07, 2018
Desmond Elliot, Blessing Egbe, Wale Ayilara @Success Stories Africa 2018 - ITRealms
Ever noticed that opportunities and wealth tend to increase
in the hands of some while they reduce in the hands of others? What makes the
difference? These are some of the questions begging for answers at the
forthcoming Success Stories Africa 2018, reports ITRealms.
Join star actor Desmond Elliot, LandWey CEO, Olawale
Ayilara, ace producer, Blessing Egbe, Union Bank Communications Lead, Omotola Oyebanjo, Pertinence Group CEO, Sunday Olorunsheyi and FarmCrowdy Co-founder, Africanfarmer Mogaji as they share their stories to attracting wealth beyond
cash and how you can achieve same.
The event scheduled for Saturday August 11th 2018 by 9am
would take place at Pertinence Place, 2 Tinuola Close, Animashaun B/Stop,
Egbeda. Akowonjo, Lagos Nigeria
“Stories transform lives. Beyond inspirational talks, young
people need relatable stories, exposure and skills to change their
circumstances,” the founder, Isaac Oladipupo said while speaking about 6th
edition of the highly impactful Success Stories Africa.
In addition to the
true stories from leading innovators, lucky participants also stand to clinch
instant job opportunities on the spot among other benefits including
networking, entertainment and light refreshment.
According to him, admission to this event is absolutely free
and registration is available at the
venue.
Uj. N. Dominic/GEE
Acting President, Osinbajo sacks Daura, D-G, DSS - ITREALMS
The Acting President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, has sacked
the Director-General (D-G), State Security Service (DSS), Mr. Lawal Musa Daura,
reports ITRealms.
This is coming as Mr. Daura has been placed under arrest, following the siege conducted by DSS on the National Assembly (NASS) Wednesday morning.
Osinbajo in the termination directive made available to ITRealms in a press statement endorsed
by his Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Laolu
Akande, said the termination of the appointment is with immediate effect.
Mr. Daura was also directed to hand over to the most senior
officer of the State Security Service until further notice.
Further, ITRealms gathered that the Presidency has denied DSS over the blockade of the National Assembly, saying it was not aware and subsequently is against the rule of law.
The 65-year old DG, was appointed into the
office on July 2, 2015.
Uboshe Uboshe/GEE
ICANN64 fellowship opens - ITREALMS
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers
(ICANN) has opened the application round for interested community members for
the ICANN64 Public Meeting through the Fellowship Programme, reports ITRealms.
ICANN64, ITRealms gathered,
will take place from 9-14 March 2019 in Kobe, Japan, just as the deadline to
apply is 3 September 2018, 23:59 UTC; whereas the successful candidates will be
announced on 12 November 2018 on https://icann.org/.
The Fellowship Program is open to all applicants interested
in, or already engaged in, the various aspects of ICANN's work in policymaking,
the operation of the Domain Name System, and the security and stability of the
global Internet. The goal of the program is to help create a more diverse and a
broader base of knowledgeable constituents who can engage in the ICANN
multistakeholder process and become the new voices of experience in their
regions and on the global stage.
Since its creation in 2007, the Fellowship Program has built
a strong group of fellows who are actively participating in ICANN communities
and in other Internet governance entities in the Internet ecosystem.
ITRealms also
gathered that participation covers a range of activities including ability fo
write articles and blogs, give online or in-person public comments about
bottom-up policymaking, participate in Internet conferences and panel
discussions, join working groups, mentoring newcomers, assisting regional
leaders, becoming leaders themselves.
ICANN’s mission, ITRealms
recalled, is to help ensure a stable, secure, and unified global Internet.
ICANN helps coordinate and support these unique identifiers across the world.
ICANN was formed in 1998 as a not-for-profit public-benefit corporation with a
community of participants from all over the world.
Smart single fibre fusion splicer, 41S debuts - ITREALMS
Latest
single fibre active cladding alignment fusion splicer, 41S, designed for Fiber To The X (FTTx) .applications, has made a debut, reports ITRealms.
FTTX is defined as all possible optical fiber topologies from a telecom or cable carrier to its customers, based on the location of the fiber's termination point
The
next-generation smart 41S splicer, ITRealms gathered would boast innovative
features in a compact and robust package, especially for operators to save time
and cost with the new wireless solution.
ITRealms gathered that Fujikura Europe launched the service, stressing that wirelessly
connecting to the CT50 fibre cleaver using Bluetooth technology, the 41S
enables a range of pioneering functions that will improve the overall
installation time, cost and efficiency for operators.
Compared to
its predecessor the 22S, the 41S has been upgraded and offers installers the
convenience of a 5” colour touch-panel display, improved v-groove illumination
and the benefit of easy splice protector positioning. The machine re-assures
users of reliable splice results using CORE loss estimation using Warm Image
Splicing Technology.
The issue of
poor fibre cleaving due to worn, incorrectly adjusted or damaged cleaver blades
is conveniently dealt with. When the 41S detects a high cleave angle or bad end
shape, it sends a blade position change instruction to the cleaver. The CT50
cleaver then rotates the cleaver blade automatically to the next position,
restoring optimum cleaving performance.
By utilising
the low radio power of Bluetooth technology, other equipment nearby will not be
interfered with. Operators can benefit from the “always on” technology due to
the low power consumption of the Bluetooth, which means that batteries can last
for several months.
“To ensure
optimum results, fibres need to be spliced in a safe, hassle-free and efficient
manner to avoid unnecessary, extra work for operators,” said Neil Bessant at
Fujikura Europe. “Cleaving fibres using a cleaver without the benefit of
wireless connectivity for an operator is a tricky, and often a less than
successful game to play. If multiple errors are made it leads to increased
costs to replace the fibres, as well as lost time and ultimately a decrease in
overall optical performance.
“Our latest
addition to the splicing family, the 41S, is flexible, smart and efficient and
therefore makes a huge difference to this process. The easy-to-handle qualities
of the solution means quick and simple splicing, with performance never being
compromised.”
In addition
to cleave performance, the smart splicer can also wirelessly monitor battery
and power usage of the CT50 cleaver. The 41S comes enabled with a touch screen
menu as standard, but also maintains the traditional easy-to-use hard button
navigation system. The splicer retains all of the unique, class-leading
features from the current high-performance flagship line-up of Fujikura
splicers, including: quick splice and heat times, fully ruggedized features,
and user customizable settings.
The 41S,
along with a full range of Fujikura Europe’s fibre optic solutions, will first
be displayed at ECOC (European Conference on Optical Communication) in Rome,
Italy from the 24th – 26th September 2018
Chuks Egbune/GEE
Lai Mohammed says 'Opposition using fake news tool against Buhari' - ITREALMS
The Minister made the
remarks in Abuja on Monday when he visited the corporate headquarters of the
Authority Newspapers to kick-start the media tour in furtherance of the
campaign against fake news, which was recently launched by the federal
government.
He said because the
Buhari Administration is performing well, the political opposition believed
that the best way to de-market the administration is by latching on to fake
news to create religious and ethnic disharmony and throw the country into
turmoil.
“With the Buhari
Administration delivering on its promises to fight corruption, build the
nation's economy and tackle insecurity, the opposition has realized it will not
make any impact if it takes on the Administration on that turf. So, it has
decided to take the easy route, which is to use fake news and hate speech to
de-market the Administration, pitch Christians against Muslims and one ethnic
group against another,” he said.
Alhaji Mohammed said
the opposition has thrown caution to the wind in its futile attempt to divide
Nigeria along ethnic and religious lines by using fake news to blame all the
killings in a certain part of the country on herdsmen, ignoring the bands of
deadly militia groups that are being sponsored by unscrupulous people to kill innocent
people and put the nation on edge.
He cited the example
of how the opposition is distorting the fact that the clashes between the
farmers and herders are being aggravated by climate change - which has
heightened the contest for scarce natural resources like water and land - as
well as demographic pressure.
The Minister said the
morbid fear the opposition harbors that when he is re-elected in 2019,
President Buhari will consolidate on the fight against corruption, has thrown
the opposition camp into confusion, hence the frenzy with which they fabricate
and publish fake news in order to cast the government in bad light.
“Many politicians know
that the only way to distract this government is to spread fake news and they
are being very selfish and they have amassed so much wealth that they can
continue to sponsor fake news at a very dangerous level for as long as they
want.
“Many of them have
this morbid fear of the President being re-elected because they know that in
his second term, the war against corruption will start yielding fruits. There
are so many cases in court today and they are just praying and doing everything
to distract the government so that their cases will be scuttled,” he stated.
Alhaji Mohammed said
that for the first time in the history of Nigeria, there is a re distribution
of the nation's wealth from a few to the generality of the public
He said the
Administration's Social Investment Programme is providing one meal a day for
8.5 million pupils across 23 states; the Conditional Cash Transfer is
empowering 400,000 families with N5,000 every month, the Government Enterprises
and Empowerment Programme is making available loans to artisans and craftsmen
as well as market women while the N-Power Programme has provided employment for
over 200,000 unemployed graduates.
The Minister commended
the Authority Newspapers for being the first media outlet to write an Editorial
in support of the campaign against fake news, saying he chose to kick-start the
media tour with the newspaper in appreciation of their efforts.
Ayo Midele/GEE
More brands partner Cycling Lagos 2018 - ITREALMS
With a few days to close registration, the highly anticipated Cycling Lagos 2018 scheduled for August 25 has received the backing of the Elizade Auto Land’s brand, Jac Motors; Nigeria’s leading FM radios, Cool FM, Wazobia FM and Nigeria Info, reports ITRealms.
Leading beverages firm, Seven-Up Bottling Company has also confirmed an arrangement to refresh all participants with its H2Oh brand during the event.
Chairman, Cycling Lagos, Mr. Soji Adeleye who disclosed this in a statement in Lagos described the level of supports the event is enjoying from stakeholders in the country and abroad as highly impressive.
“The Cycling Lagos event is a success already with the level of support coming from partners within and outside the country; some of theseshould equally be unveiledin the coming days.
I am very impressed and I want to thank all our partners for sharing in thethemes and the vision of the event to promote healthy lifestyle, fitness andchampion the creation ofan enabling environment for Nigerians to imbibe in the spirit of sharing” he said.
Adeleye who urged interested participants to register for the event online said the this commenced on July 20 and would close on August 10.
Leading Hospitality Company, Eko Hotels & Suites recently signed a partnership arrangement with the organizers to host the events Award Gala Night and provide accommodation for guests at the dinner scheduled to hold on August 25. In addition, the Professional Race of the Cycling event will start from the magnificent surrounding of the marquee hotel in Victoria Island, Lagos.
The competition which will involve over 1,000 cyclists from within and outside Nigeria has been described by the organisers as one of the biggest sports, tourism and entertainment events in the country and the entire Africa continent in recent time.
The Cycling Lagos 2018 is also supported by the Lagos Government, Lagos State Cycling Association, DStv, SuperSport, Leadway Assurance Company, Addefort Limited and WorldStage Group.
Banjo Boye/GEE
ITREALMS ... everything news digitally!
Monday, August 06, 2018
Trending #AfricaThisWeek Volume 1, No. 2 - ITREALMS
#AfricaThisWeek@ITREALMS:
Highlights:
- Bank of Zambia upgrades notes with security features
- Senate President, 3 Governors defect to opposition, PDP
- Giant multinational SOCFIN battles local communities over palm lands
- Ramaphosa escorts son for traditional ceremony @Uganda
- Rural populace returns ZANU PF to Presidency
- Chinje advocates for CAS, no miniaturization of states
Follow on Twitter: @#AfricaThisWeek.
Full edition: #AfricaThisWeek Volume 1, No. 2. This edition is also available in French.
ITREALMS ... everything news digitally!
Senator Akpabio consolidates defection, visits Asiwaju - ITREALMS
In efforts to consolidate his rumoured defection to the All
Progressives Congress (APC) the else while Senate Minority, Senator Godswill
Akpabio, Monday, paid a courtesy visit to APC national leader, Asiwaju Bola
Tinubu, reports ITRealms.
Akpabio, who was the former Akwa-Ibom State governor, until 2015
had been a known Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for over 18 years.
Although the agenda of the courtesy visit with Tinubu was not
made open, Akpabio at the weekend visited President Mohammadu Buhari in London.
Political watchers have been of the opinion that for Senator
Akpabio to thought of defection, he definitely should have a very juicy offer
from the APC, which may include option of replacing Senate President, Bukola Saraki,
and or his Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu.
Saraki was accused of leading some 15 Senators and over 30
members of the House of Representatives in the past one week.
At the time of filing this report, PDP had alleged that APC
and presidency are jointly plotting impeachment of Senate President, Saraki and
his deputy, with offer of some $1m to each collaborating Senators to support
the scheme.
Uboshe Uboshe/GEE
Nigerian youths not ready to run for national development - Wole Adedoyin - ITREALMS
Guest Interview@ITREALMS:
The governorship candidate of the Hope Democratic Party (HDP) in the forthcoming governorship election in Osun State, Wole Adedoyin, in this interview told ITREALMS correspondent that participation and involvement of Nigerian youth in politics will be active in the forthcoming 2019 general elections.
Excerpts.
How was the
idea of the having a youth platform born?
It was born out of passion and commitment to contribute
meaningfully to the growth and development of the country and the fact that the
youth of the country needs a conducive platform to exercise their political rights.
There are millions of youths out there who are interested in politics but they
don’t have the resources, platforms, means and wherewithal to actualize their
vision.
Give a brief
description of the platform, including what your structure is?
The National Interparty Youth Alliance (NIYA) was founded
for card-carrying youths of different political parties irrespective of their
party programmes, ideology and mission. Youth Arise for 2019 “YAF19” is a
platform initiated for youths who are interested in participating in the
forthcoming 2019 general elections while the Youth Alliance for Politics “YAP”
is a general platform for youth to brainstorm, share ideas and think-tank on
ways of actualizing their vision. For over three weeks now we’ve have been
talking and discussing with over twenty national chairmen of different
political parties to allow some passionate youths who are also our members and have shown their
interest in contesting the forthcoming elections under their parties for free. Majority
of these youths are well known in their respective domains and truly grass
rooted. Our mission is to look for a platform for them to contest. Currently we
have members across the states of the Federation which cut across different
political parties.
What is your
take on the current level of youth participation in politics?
Youths are not showing much interest in practical politics.
When I say practical politics, I mean youth involvement in politics whereby
they officially belong to a registered political party, obtain their membership
card, attend meetings and pay prescribed subscriptions or dues as authorized by
the constitution of such political party. Well, I can say lack of funds hinders
some of them. Youth don’t take politics serious in Nigeria. You will always see
them where they share money, rice, detergent, bournvita, clothes and semolina.
Well, our politicians called that stomach infrastructure. Many youth have sold
their future and rights through this. Some of them don’t even know the meaning
of party ideology; they are not ready to know the principles behind the
formation of the party in which they are members. All they are after is their
stomach and selfish interest. If you ask anyone of them to tell you their
party’s programmes, you will be baffled with their response. They will only
tell you what they hear on radio and read in newspapers. Some of them don’t
even know that a typical political party has what they called “Manifestoes”.
Some of them don’t even read. That is why when they argued on issues related to
the political and economic problems of the country they argued blindly.
You have a big
task ahead of you, what are the key challenges you will face?
One of the major challenges we are facing right now is the
issue of finance. We currently lack funds to execute some of our brilliant
ideas and programmes. We need to print more IEC materials to sensitize more
youth. Approach different registered political parties to cooperate with us.
Another challenge is the poor operation of the NOT TOO YOUNG TO RUN. Currently,
we don’t see any impact the initiative is making apart from the fact that it
gives young people the right to contest and be voted for. Only the children of
the rich people are benefiting from the initiative. No registered political
party will render any service for you free of charge. They can never use their
resources for you if you are not financially useful for the party. Even if your
village oracle tells them you will win, you must still drop something. The
initiators of this laudable project should seek for international support to
create an endowment fund for this. Any youth who is poor and passionately
interested to run for any office with good blueprints and programmes can apply
for support.
How do you
hope your programme will help to contribute to greater participation of young
people in politics in Nigeria?
It is already making a positive impact. We shall soon
publish the names of some of those who have benefited from our project. We
don’t want any interested youth to be unserious members of any registered
political party. We want them to be card-carrying members who must also have
sense of belongings and have 100% rights in such parties. They must know what
such parties stand for, manifestoes, programmes and blueprints. They must
differentiate between a politician who have their interest and that of the
nation in his or her heart rather than pursuing his or her selfish ambition.
Are young
people eager to get involved in politics in Nigeria?
If you say a progressive politics I will say no. But if it
is stomach infrastructure politics I will say yes. A typical Nigerian youth
nowadays during campaign if they are offered N500 or N1000 would tell you to
get yours too because once they (politician campaigning) enter, you will never
get anything from them again. This is the way a typical Nigerian youth thinks
nowadays. They believed that the little stipend they always collect from
candidates contesting for any election is their right. They are even the one
given those politician the strength to embezzle when they get there. Because to
a typical Nigerian politician the money they spent during and every elections
is an investment which they hope to get back when they win such election. That
is why most of them make it a do or die election. Some of them would even go
ahead selling their personal properties and family assets to actualize their
goal of winning such election. And some would even kill their strong opponents
which they think might pose a threat to their selfish ambition. Nigerian youths
are not ready to run for national development but ready to enrich their
pockets.
How did you
venture into politics?
My venturing into politics is a long story but I’ve chaired
political parties like Peoples Mandate Party (PMP), Democratic Front for People
Federation (DFPF), United Progressive Party (UPP) African Peoples Alliance
(APA) and Hope Democratic Party (HDP). I was also a former Oyo state secretary
of the Coalition for a New Nigeria (CNN), Conference of Nigeria Political
Parties (CNPP) and the Interparty Advisory Council (IPAC).
What are your
plans for youth in the state?
I have promised Osun state youths to create youth centers
aimed at educating, advocating, empowering and making them independent through
vocational and technical training in field like tailoring, catering, carpentry,
computer engineering, bakery, photography, lamination, computer operation, bead
making, videography, arts and crafts, publishing and others. We are already
consulting with experts and professionals in different professional fields on
logistics and financial implications of such venture.
What is your
advice to your fellow Nigerian youths?
I will implore them to take politics serious and stop
following all those selfish political leaders who are using them for their
selfish ambitions. They should always think of their future and their
generations yet unborn. There are currently 68 registered political parties in
Nigeria, PDP and APC are only part of them. They are free to join any one of
the 68 registered political parties. If APC and PDP are not conducive for you
to achieve your ambition, then try other parties.
Youths shouldn’t be thinking that the only way of making
fast money is by joining politics. Politics should be seen as voluntary and not
as profession. If anyone is fully active in politics, he or she must make sure
there is job to support ones political ambition. So youth shouldn’t take
politics as job but as vocation.
Ayo Midele/GEE
‘FOI Hall of Shame’ goes to Bank of Industry - ITREALMS
Obvious focus on the
banking industry, the Media Rights Agenda (MRA) has inducted the Bank ofIndustry (BoI) into its Freedom of Information (FOI) Hall of Shame over the
institution’s preference for shrouding its operations in secrecy while
completely disregarding its duties and obligations under the FOI Act, 2011,
reports ITRealms.
MRA’s Programme
Officer, Mr. Idowu Adewale, told ITRealms
in a press statement made available, that the Bank had deliberately refused,
neglected or failed to comply with any of its obligations under the FOI Act
over the last seven years thereby shielding itself from public scrutiny and
depriving Nigerians of their right to access information about its activities,
businesses and operations.
The Bank, which
describes itself as Nigeria’s oldest and largest development financing
institution, was restructured in 2001 out of the Nigerian Industrial
Development Bank (NIDB) Limited. Its primary mandate is to provide long term
financing to the industrial sector of the Nigerian economy.
“The Bank of Industry
is strategically placed and its management has the golden opportunity to
stimulate industrial development in Nigeria. One of the ways it can
effectively do this is by building public trust and confidence in the
institution if it chooses to be transparent and accountable. But it
has instead chosen to cast doubts and suspicion over its activities by refusing
to comply with its obligations under the FOI Act,” he said.
According to Adewale,
“The Bank has refused to publish and disseminate important categories of
information, documents and records that Section 2(3) and (4) of the Act
specifically requires it to publish and disseminate widely in various forms.
These include a list of all classes of records under its control in sufficient
detail to facilitate the exercise of the right to information under the Act;
documents containing final planning policies, recommendations and decisions;
documents containing information relating to the receipt or expenditure of
public or other funds of the institution; and documents containing the names,
salaries, titles and dates of employment of all employees and officers of the
institution.”
He noted that the Bank
has also failed to publish and disseminate its lists of files containing
applications for any contract, permit, grants, licenses or agreement; lists of
materials containing information relating to any grant or contract made by or
between the institution and another public institution or private organization.
Describing the Bank’s
refusal to publish these categories of information as a blatant disobedience of
Section 2 (3) and (4) of the FOI Act, Mr. Adewale said: “These categories of
information, if published by the Bank, will make it possible for entrepreneurs
and industrialists to get a full understanding of the operations of the Bank in
such a manner that they will know what to do to access funds from it and help
turn the country into an industrialized and technologically developed nation.”
He said the Bank had
neither designated an FOI Desk Officer nor disseminated the title and address
of such an officer of the institution to whom applications for information
under the Act should be sent, adding that “This is obvious from the fact that
the information is neither available on its website nor in the database of
contact details of the FOI Desk Officers in public institutions compiled by the
Office of the Attorney General of the Federation. This failure
breaches Section 2(3)(f) of the FOI Act.”
He also accused the
Bank of “a clear defiance” of Section 29 (1) and (2) of the FOI Act and the
provisions of the Revised Guidelines on the Implementation of the FOI Act
issued by the Attorney-General of the Federation, saying that “for seven
consecutive years since the coming into force of the FOI Act, BoI has
consistently defaulted in submitting to the Attorney-General of the Federation
any report on its implementation of the Act while also failing to make any such
report available to the public.”
Mr. Adewale said based
on the fact that the Bank has consistently breached all its other duties and
obligations under the FOI Act, it is unlikely that it has responded to any FOI
request that may have been made to it by members of the public, adding that the
institution’s failure to submit its FOI implementation reports has made it
difficult to accurately assess its level of responsiveness to requests for
information made to it by members of the public under the Act.
He explained that all
public institutions are required to indicate in their annual FOI implementation
reports to the Attorney-General of the Federation, the number of requests for
information that they received during the year under review, the number of such
requests that they processed and granted or denied, and how long it takes them
to process requests for information, among other details that they are expected
to provide.
“From the shortcomings
of the BoI in the implementation of the FOI Act as highlighted, it is doubtful
if it even records and keeps information about its activities, personnel,
operations, businesses and other relevant information, as required by the Act,”
he said, advising the Bank that it still “has the opportunity to make amends
and write its name in gold in the Hall of Fame.”
However, he called on relevant oversight agencies to rise up to
their duty of ensuring the implementation and enforcement of the FOI Act and
ensure that BoI, as well as all other institutions covered by the Act, comply
with their obligations under the Law.
Launched on July 3, 2017, the FOI Hall of Shame shines the
spotlight on public officials and institutions that are undermining the
effectiveness of the FOI Act through their actions, inactions, utterances and
decisions.
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