Atiku says claim 'that I’m not a Nigerian shows characters in APC' - ITREALMS

Sponsored@TREALMS:

Dear citizens of our beloved country, Nigeria, His Excellency, Atiku Abubakar, told us previously that he has verifiable and incontrovertible evidence to show that the last Presidential elections were fraudulent, not credible and did not reflect the will of the Nigerian people, and he has been vindicated by the response of the All Progressives Congress and its candidate, President Muhammadu Buhari, to his petition to the Electoral Tribunal hearing the petition he filed.

The former Vice President based his case on facts and statistical evidence and challenged both the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the APC, to disprove his factual submissions.

The fact that the APC chose to base its defence on the ridiculous assertion that the Waziri Adamawa is not a Nigerian should show to Nigerians the type of characters we have in the APC and its government, whose legitimacy runs out on May 29, 2019.

The position of the APC is so pedestrian and shows such straw clutching desperation on their part, that I shall not dignify it with an answer. Our lawyers would, of course, do the needful in court. But the point I want to draw the attention of Nigerians to is that both the APC and its candidate have by this infantile logic admitted to the fact that they trampled on the will of Nigerians and that their only defence is to attempt an unconstitutional redefinition of the term ‘Nigerian’.

I am, however, confident in the Nigerian judiciary, as well as in the Nigerian people. I trust that the Tribunal will treat such a claim with the contempt it deserves. We must maintain our fidelity to the rule of law and to our fountain of origin, the 1999 Nigerian Constitution (as amended).

Atiku Abubakar has served our nation diligently in various capacities, form the civil service, where he rose through merit, to the top of his chosen field, to public service, where, by the grace of God, he was the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Moreover, he has committed his assets and talents to developing our nation through the provision of tens of thousands of direct jobs and hundreds of thousands of indirect jobs.

I make bold to state that those who have made Nigeria the world headquarters for extreme poverty are the very people whose Nigerianness should be in doubt, and not a man, who worked with President Olusegun Obasanjo to double the per capita Income of our nation in less than eight years.

Signed:
Mazi Paul Ibe
Media Adviser to Atiku Abubakar

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Home Lottery fetes winners with mouth-watering prizes - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

Some winners have emerged in the “win-a-home-today”, an initiative of the Home Lottery Limited, reports ITREALMS.

In a well-attended event at De Santos Hotels in Lagos, the audience comprising bettors and would-be bettors, organisers, regulators – Consumer Protection Council of Nigeria, Nigeria Lottery Commission, and Lagos State Lottery Board – and members of the press, witnessed a live electronic raffle draw which saw six winners emerging.

The grand prize of a three-bedroom bungalow was won by Ticket Number 1529564392946 while Two Category A prizes of a 32-inch TV went to Ticket Numbers 1528378751686 and 1533624661389 respectively.

Three Category B prizes of a 1.2KV generator went to Ticket Number 152880223234 and Ticket Number 1528126343860 while a bettor with Ticket Number 1534243547513 completed the list.

Although none of the winners were in the audience, they were called on phone and placed on speaker to the hearing of all present. In an April Fools season, it wasn’t a surprise that skepticism got the better of the winners.

“Are you sure that this is not a prank?” Joy, the star prize winner said when informed of her winning entry.

However, Oladayo Oyelaja, the project lead of Dreamview Enterprises a partner of Home Lottery Limited, doused her fears.

“You are on phone with a live audience and they are interested in knowing you are real and the winner of the house,” he said.

“It is not a Fool’s Day prank. Congratulations.”

Now in a joyous mood, albeit with a little doubt, the lucky winner continued: “I bought the ticket last year and have even forgotten about it. You have to send me a mail and until the key of the house is handed over to me I won’t believe you.”

But Nkiru Onusili, a deputy director and coordinator of National Lottery Regulatory Commission, was full of conviction.

“You know that anything lottery requires transparency so the commission went for inspection to ensure everything was in place. And today we came to witness the event and so far, so good. We are quite impressed. The process was free and fair,” she said.

“But our work won’t end here. We shall go further to ensure that the winners get their prizes.

“After that, we have what we call winners’ verification. It is a follow-up exercise. After presenting the house and other gift items to the winners, we make sure the organisers don’t go and take back from them.”

Home Lottery Limited offers Lagosians the opportunity to own a home in a most accessible and affordable way by providing hundreds of homes annually through a credible, sustainable and trusted lottery scheme properties in Lagos developing to all over Nigeria.

The presentation of the prizes won takes place on Tuesday, April 16, 2019 at Home Lottery Limited’s corporate head office, Block 113,plot 32A, Jay Jay Oladimeji street off Freedom Way Ikate roundabout Lekki Phase 1.

The next draw comes up in July 2019. To participate, send an SMS ‘home’ to 718 on an MTN network only.

Nenye Dom/Editor

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Free Eye Surgery: 37-yr contract patient commends Fayemi - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

A 37-year old man, Mr. Sola Owolabi has expressed thanks to the Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi for the free eye surgery programme from which he benefitted two months ago, during the state’s free medical mission, reports ITREALMS.

Owolabi who narrated his ordeal before the eye surgery during a chat with journalists in Ado-Ekiti, said he had battled with cataract for more than four years, an eye ailment which affected his two eyes and rendered him blind for the period.

The Ado -Ekiti-born bricklayer said he had sold off all his properties to feed himself when he had no means of catering for himself; adding that he had no family member to assist him.

Owolabi explained that he resorted to begging for alms and lived a rather miserable lifestyle when all hope was lost.

He explained that he was asked to bring #120,000 for eye surgery when he visited the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, in Ado-Ekiti, but could not raise the said sum because of his condition.

Owolabi said his hope of regaining sight was rekindled when he heard on the radio that the state government was starting a free eye surgery in some selected parts of the State, as part of the free medical mission of the Fayemi administration.

According to him, he took his chance with the help of a neighbour who took him to the State Hospital Ikere –Ekiti, where he underwent the eye surgery and could now see.

Owolabi said: “I have had cataract for four years and there was no assistance for me to seek medical solution to it. Before the eye incident, I had a barbing saloon but I had to sell off all my properties when I became blind. For those four years, I didn’t know where I was sleeping because I could not see at all.

“ A neighbour took me to the Teaching Hospital Ado and was asked to bring #120,000 for both eyes. I could not afford this so I lost hope of regaining sight. But one day I heard on the radio that Governor Fayemi would be taking a free eye surgery to some parts of the State. So one of my brothers took me to State Hospital Ikere where the eyes were operated free of charge. I appreciate God and Dr Fayemi for giving me another chance to see”, he said.

Owolabi thanked Fayemi for initiating the free eye surgery programme which, according to him, has restored sight to all beneficiaries of the programme and revived hope for others who would want government to seeing was took the had lost all hope of seeing again.

He appealed to the governor to assist him to get a means of livelihood so that he would not continue to beg for alms.

Ayo Midele/Editor
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Pix: Mr. Sola Owolabi, during and after surgery

FintechNGR holds AGM, commits to core objectives - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The Fintech Association of Nigeria (FintechNGR) has resolved to proudly commit to its three core objectives including connect, advocate and accelerate, reports ITREALMS.

President, FinTechNGR, Dr. Segun Aina, disclosed this at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Social Meet 4.0, on Thursday, April 11th, 2019 at the Nigerian Stock Exchange, Marina.

He also said that the trio impacts are felt across the length and breadth of the Nigerian and African Fintech ecosystem at large.

The event, ITREALMS reports was well attended by key executives and management staff of member institutions and ecosystem stakeholders including banks, consulting, legal, ICT venture capitalists and investment firms, research institute and tertiary institutions, professional bodies, core fintech firms, startups, financial services providers, students, media houses, regulators including the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) amongst others.

The association, he said, in 2018 facilitated Fintech Adoption Roadmap in the Capital Markets, participation in the CBN FSS 2020 Strategy Retreat, significant membership increase, inauguration of the Africa Fintech Network, partnership and support for the take-off of the UK-Africa Investment Group, an initiative of the UK Government, creation and leadership of the Fintech Sub-Committee of Nigeria Economic Summit Group, NESG amongst others.

Aina, equally said 2018 was an exciting year for fintech which continue to transform many industries especially the financial services industry in terms of breakthroughs in innovation and investment globally and especially in the African continent.

“The expected impact of fintech in Africa's development was epitomised by IMF's statement that Fintech could be the critical stepping stone towards a digital economy for Africa,” he said.

The Vice President of the Association, Ade Bajomo, ED, IT & Operations, Access Bank particularly articulated the focus of the Association on breeding young innovators right from the school days as he said the Association strongly believe the future of the nation rests on its teeming youths properly playing active roles in digitalizing the economy.

Wole Oyeniran, Director, Technology, Deloitte, West-Africa, a member of the Governing Council of the Association while informing participants on the future plans of the Association said that in order to consolidate on the Association's successes, maximize its impacts and value delivery to its diverse members as well project a future, the Association has mapped out an audacious road map to cover the period 2019 to 2021. According to him, the Roadmap is expected to usher in significant changes in membership categories, growth and value offerings while creating other more sustainable revenue sources and strengthening of internal capacity and governance.

In his words, “FintechNGR has strategically positioned itself to serve the ecosystem better as well as meeting the enormous expectations that come with the surging growth of the Association while building on the gains of the past two years”

Olufemi Awoyemi, Founder & CEO, Proshare and member of the Governing Council of the Association informed participants that the Association has set rolling a number of strategic programmes for the year aimed at stimulating more regulatory engagements, attract more investments and equipping young Nigerians with the ability to play actively in the digital age.

Some of the key decisions taken at the meeting were unanimous adoption of the audited financial statements of the Association and approval to implement the outcomes of the 2019-2021 Roadmap as members highly commended the dedication of the distinguished members of the Governing Council of the Association in positioning the Association as a key partner in the Digitalized Africa Agenda and an active player in the economy

The Chief Host of the event, Oscar Onyema, CEO, the Nigerian Stock Exchange, a member of the Association during his opening remarks at the Social Meet 4.0 said that the Exchange strongly appreciates the roles of Fintechs as he informed the participants that the Exchange has developed a policy aimed at fostering corporate governance, exposed startups to investors and facilitate listing on the Exchange.

The event featured a presentation by Ms Morayo Adekunle, Manager - Domestic Primary Market, Capital Market Division made a presentation on "Growth Funding and Strategic Capital Raise - Extending Financial Inclusiveness through the capital market" followed by a panel discussions on “Alternative Growth Funding and Strategic Capital Raise”

The event was brought to a close as the Association inducted and presented the membership certificate to its fourteen new members.

Chuks Egbune/Editor

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Pix: L-R: Oluwnaseun Adesanya, Group Head, Innovation & Strategy, SystemSpecs, Olufemi Awoyemi, Member, FintechNGR GovCo/Founder & CEO, Proshare, Adedapo Adekoje, President, Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers, Ibrahim Hassan, Deputy Director, Consumer Protection Department, Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Dr. Segun Aina, President, FintechNGR, Ade Bajomo, Vice-President, FintechNGR/ ED, IT & Operations, Access Bank & Dr Yele Okeremi, President, Institute of Software Professionals Association of Nigeria during the Annual General Meeting & Social Meet 4.0 of the Fintech Association of Nigeria, FintechNGR hosted by the Nigerian Stock Exchange today, Thursday, 11th April 2019 at the Exchange House, Marina.

How School and Schooling Fuel Poverty in Nigeria - ITREALMS

Commentary@ITREALMS:

It is time to stop pretending! A worse advice to give to any child in Nigeria today is to give that ages-long advice that: “go to school (that is, higher institutions of learning), get good grades, so that you can get a good job.” Although this advice is originally defective, but it has worked for an era, at least, so I will not focus on its original defects here.

Information gleaned from the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) Brochure, 2019, indicates that Nigeria currently has at least 556 higher institutions of learning – 172 universities, 7 other degrees awarding institutions, 129 polytechnics, 90 monotechnics, and 160 colleges of education. This means that, on the average, since Nigeria has 774 local governments, then in every seven local government, there are at least five higher institutions of learning. Just enough to go around! Sounds great, yet so sad!

So sad that, today, even if you go to school and get a good grade, whether a good or a bad one, the jobs are not even there. Thousands of graduates are churned out of these institutions every time and majority of them are unemployed; and majority of the majority are now even said to be unemployable. No wonder, Nigeria, according to the World Poverty Clock, overtook India as the country with the highest number of poor people in the world. In Nigeria today, it might be better to tell a child that, if you don’t want to be poor, don’t go to school (that is, don’t go beyond basic education or secondary school); Or rather, if you want to be rich, drop out of school. That’s on one hand.

On the other hand, after religions, schools have become the second Nigerian ritual that has little or no positive effect on the health of the Nigerian society; and yet, many people believe that life is incomplete without it. Just as you would see that majority of religion faithful in Nigeria are completely unfaithful in everything else apart from regular visit to places of worship, so also you would find that majority of those who have also gone to school have also remained uneducated; the saddest thing is that many even graduated as schooled illiterates.

During my one year National Youth Service, for instance, I have seen graduates who cannot construct two English sentences without breaching the very basic rules of grammar. And there are many of them out there. The least that schools should be able to offer is literacy, if not a complete package of education; and now, it has even failed in that. Then one wonders how and why many people managed to scale through schools despite such a level of illiteracy which brings one to tears.

In his piece titled: “Have I told you School is a problem in Nigeria,” Ganiu Bamgbose aptly captures the scenario when he said: “Schooling in Nigeria has lost its evaluative potency. Any averagely rascally young person can dumbly yet successfully go through all stages of schooling in Nigeria. If not, how else do we explain the case of undergraduates of computer science who cannot tell the function of Ctrl V? What should we say of undergraduates of English who cannot construct simple and grammatical sentences? Now, are you a Nigerian? Do you think any Nigerian learning hairdressing can go through apprenticeship for one year without being able to, at least, make “washing and setting”? I am sure you know it’s a NO! The boss would have contacted the parents for a spiritual intervention. But school children can be in Commercial department at SS2 and be unable to define partnership after four years in secondary school. Maybe we should ask, what then is the problem with schools and schooling in Nigeria?”

I have seen a postgraduate student who does not know what an hypothesis is and I can bet that, that student is in the majority if we test other post graduate students. This may seem like an unpopular assertion, but we all know the truth, even if we won’t admit it. These days, people who cannot contribute any meaningful thing to the society with their first degrees are rushing to second degrees and others.

Just as peer pressure has led many young people to go to higher institutions when they would have fared better as artisans and the likes, there is now a growing peer pressure not to stop at first degree but to proceed to post graduate levels, as if to increase the individual’s years of poverty.

Look around you, it’s as if schooling is breeding poverty as the number of poor graduates keeps increasing; after all, you are trained to “look for jobs”; then it seems like: if you want to close your mind and growth, just go to school.

Look around you, while you spent four or five years in higher institutions, one year youth service and two years of looking for jobs (while you waste away in a private primary or secondary school where you are underemployed), your friend whom has gone to learn a craft or trade since you finished secondary school has passed the stage of setting up and has settled down. Then age and responsibilities keep telling on you; then the same society that pressurised you to keep schooling will come asking you to do something with your life. They will advise you to learn a craft or follow a trade line if you can’t get a decent job, then you will start doing what you should have done ten or more years ago. That’s where you actually belong, but you missed the road initially!

Many graduates today find themselves in this situation and many of them are now going back to learn tailoring and the likes, the smarter ones are using holidays and the usual strike periods to do this. But my question is: if you will fare better as a tailor for instance, why stressing yourself acquiring certificates that you may never need. In fact, if you cannot speak good English after your basic education or secondary school, higher chances are that you may not be able to speak any better English even if you attend a university in Nigeria; at best, you might develop some level of confidence at speaking your poor English. So, why waste your energy?

As Bamgbose puts it, “Going to school is one of the several things a child can do in life. Schooling is one of the many routes to being useful in life; there are other ways. Quite unfortunately, school is one of the things children in Nigeria do without their consent. How dare you tell your Nigerian parents that you don’t want to go to school! You just must! Realistically however, compulsory schooling ends in JSS 3. This is why it is called BASIC 9. This basic education equips young ones with basic literacy and numeracy skills. Young people, after this compulsory schooling, should be helped to determine what they want to do in life based on their passion and ability.

“Those who can use their “head” (cognitive domain) should proceed to the senior secondary school. Those who can use their “hand” (psychomotor domain) should proceed to technical and vocational schools or to learn a trade or to do whatever their creativity can give birth to.

“School, which is called formal education, is just one of the forms of education which should be compulsory up to the end of its basic stage which is JSS 3 or Basic 9 in Nigeria. Afterwards, attention should be given to the potentials of young people in their career path.”

Make no mistake, I love education too and I admit that schools are very important to the society, but the point is for us to change our orientation. Let’s educate young people and their parents that being successful or useful is not tied to going to school at all, but rather, schools is one of the many paths to success or usefulness, it is a CHOICE! It should be a choice! School, after basic education, should be strictly for those who have business with it.

Dear young people, if you bow to societal pressure and you choose an education path that conflicts with who you are, you will suffer it alone. Find your passion, find where you belong, find your own path. Retrace your steps, drop out of school if you have to, stop learning that craft if you have to. Do it for yourself and the advancement of the society. “What will people say?” is one question that has killed many dreams and impoverished many great minds. Stop looking at people and start looking at you. Anything you do is good enough as long as it’s legal and decent.

Ridwan Adigun Sulaimon, a youth and leadership tutor, human rights campaigner, writer and social researcher, writes from Lagos. Email: sulaimonrid1@gmail.com; Twitter: @SulaimonRidwan

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'Its Your Facebook’ thrills Lagosians - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

Facebook on Thursday evening thrilled Nigerian enthusiasts with 'It's Your Facebook' pop-up space in Lagos, reports ITREALMS.

The event, ITREALMS reports was held at African Artists Foundation, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Speaking to herald the evening, Kezia Anim-Addo, Communications Manager for Sub-Saharan Africa said they were "thrilled to be here in Lagos with ‘It’s Your Facebook’ pop-up experience, which further highlights our commitment to supporting and investing in communities here in Nigeria. We look forward to welcoming people through our doors during this coming weekend!"

ITREALMS also reports that follows a successful tour across three cities in Europe and the Middle East. 

This Lagos edition of ‘It’s Your Facebook’ pop-up showcase ITREALMS gathered, is the first in Africa.

According to Sherry Dzinoreva, Head of Policy Programmes, Africa at Facebook, the two-day programme unveiled Thursday night at an exclusive preview event, aims to educate users in a fun, interactive space and will showcase some of Facebook’s most loved products including stories, communities and watch. 

ITREALMS reports that equally available were the Drop-in Sessions for the public to come down and get advice on their most burning Facebook related questions; whether around protecting their information on Facebook, or getting practical advice on everything from personalizing newsfeed, to security settings or setting up business pages.

Although open to the public on Friday, April 12 and Saturday, April 13 between 09.30am – 12.45pm, she said, attendees simply need to register beforehand to secure their space at the Drop-in Sessions.

Also taking place at the Pop-up, will be a number of training sessions in partnership with Facebook’s local training partners, including Afrinolly, Re:Learn and the Facebook Community Leadership Circle Lagos. This includes free sessions focused on SMBs and building online businesses, building engaging Communities, youth safety online and dedicated workshops for creatives.

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Pix: L-R: Kezia Anim-Addo, Communications Manager for Sub-Saharan Africa; Sherry Dzinoreva, Head of Policy Programmes, Africa; Adaora Ikenze, Head of Public Policy, West and Central Africa; Jane Maduegbuna, Co-Founder/Executive Director, Afrinolly Limited, and Kiran Yoliswa, Strategic Partner Manager, Communities, Sub-Saharan Africa, all of Facebook, at the It’s Your Facebook Pop-up Media Launch in Lagos on Thursday April 11.

Fayemi, Kalu, Daniel, others for Freedom Online lecture - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State will, on Thursday, April 18 speak on challenges facing Nigeria's economy and the way out at the second annual lecture of Freedom Online, an online newspaper, reports ITREALMS.

Fayemi, sworn-in for a second term as governor of the Fountain of Knowledge in October 2018, will speak on the theme 'Fixing Nigeria's Economy: Less Politics, More Substance'.

A press statement made available to ITREALMS by the Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of the newspaper, Gabriel Akinadewo, says former Governor of Abia State and Senator-elect, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, is the Chairman while former Ogun State Governor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, is the Special Guest of Honour.

Presidential Spokesman, Mr. Femi Adesina, is the Guest of Honour while Prof. Akin Onigbinde is the Keynote Speaker at the event scheduled for Radisson Blu Hotel, GRA, Ikeja, Lagos.

According to Akinadewo, the lecture is an annual event that brings together captains of industry, media chiefs, politicians and professionals “to discuss economic challenges in the country, proffer solutions and ensure that Nigeria occupies its rightful place in the comity of nations”.

Chuks Egbune/Editor

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Paradigm Initiative hosts free Python programming training for undergraduates - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

 

The Paradigm Initiative has unveiled a tuition-free program to empower undergraduates with Python programming skills, reports ITREALMS.

The first edition of the training took off last Saturday with 36 trainees from three higher institutions in Lagos, namely University of Lagos, Yaba College of Technology and Lagos State University.

Paradigm Initiative, the pan-African social enterprise working on digital rights and digital inclusion, is organising the training in conjunction with the Python Nigeria group who are providing faculty members for the training.

According to Olayinka Taiwo, “We are pleased to welcome 36 students to the first edition of this important training program. 12 students will be trained on Python for Data Science while 24 undergraduates will be trained on Python for Web. The training is under our Techtiary program which is dedicated to helping undergraduates acquire technical expertise before they graduate.”

“By learning Python, beneficiaries can position themselves for various opportunities in the ever-expanding information communication technology space. Python has been lauded as one of the most lucrative programming languages to learn and its applications are wide-ranging. With the faculty support from the good people of Python Nigeria, we are excited to be introducing this language to more young Nigerians,” Taiwo added.

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NetComm wins Edison award for best telecom marketing for 5G - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

NetComm has won the highly prestigious Commsday 2019 Edison Award for Best Telecom Marketing Initiative for its 5G Fixed Wireless self-install campaign launched at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona earlier this year, reports ITREALMS.

Beating off competition from other nominees including SingTel backed Optus, Superloop and Aussie Broadband, the Edison Award judges gave NetComm the hotly contested award due to the excellence of its campaign in delivering global awareness amongst network operators of the 5G Fixed Wireless self-install product.

NetComm delivered a multi-layered, strategically designed campaign that used specifically targeted online video to drive a social media effort that generated interest and awareness of the 5G Fixed Wireless self-install product in the global telecom operator community.

On the back of the initial 5G Fixed Wireless self-install campaign that launched on January 30th NetComm was able to generate substantial operator, media and analyst interest in its 5G Fixed Wireless self-install product despite the highly competitive media market leading into Mobile World Congress.

Els Baert, Director of Marketing & Communications at NetComm said they were absolutely thrilled and very honoured to win this Commsday Edison Award 2019 for Best Telecom Marketing Initiative for our 5G Fixed Wireless self-Install campaign.

“NetComm is extremely proud of the fact that we managed to create a hugely successful campaign that delivered fantastic results in driving awareness of our ground-breaking 5G Fixed Wireless Self-install campaign.

“Launching new products around Mobile World Congress is a challenge because there is so much going on in the market place so we had to create a campaign that would cut through all that.

“The results speak for themselves and on the back of our campaign NetComm had our most successful Mobile World Congress ever and was receiving interest from operators and analysts all around the world in our 5G Fixed Wireless self-install product.

“Up until now NetComm has been one of the best kept secrets in the global telecoms industry, but now the secret is well and truly out for good.”

NetComm (ASX: NTC) is a global developer of solutions that bridge the gap between fibre and the home, device or machine. In a world where everyone’s connected life matters, Fixed Wireless broadband, wireless M2M/Industrial IoT and Fibre to the distribution point (FTTdp) solutions are specially engineered for challenging deployments. 

At NetComm we understand that no one-solution fits all. Every operator, carrier and enterprise is different, so we build the right VDSL, Gfast, 4G and 5G solution to meet specific network, market and geographic conditions worldwide. Established in 1982, NetCommis a globally renowned innovator of world-first data communications technologies. www.netcommwireless.com

Nenye Dom/Editor

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Ekiti revives moribund public works department - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The Ekiti State government has commenced the rehabilitation of deplorable roads in Ado Ekiti, the state capital , a step which is in line with the ‘operation no-potholes’ of the Kayode Fayemi-led administration in the State, reports ITREALMS.

Speaking with journalists during an inspection tour of the roads, the Permanent Secretary in the State Ministry of Works, Mr. Bamidele Agbede said the rehabilitation work is sequel to the directive of the state governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi that all roads in a state of disrepair be rehabilitated.

Agbede assured that all rehabilitation works will be completed within three weeks so that commuters can have a new lease of life plying the roads.

He listed the roads under rehabilitation to include Ekiti parapo pavilion-NTA- Baptist High School road, Baptist – Ijigbo road, Ijigbo- Ikere road, Ikere -Oja Oba road and Oja Oba – Adebayo- Adehun road.

Others are Ajibade lane-Oke Ila-Housing road, Olora-Adebayo road,Okeyinmi-Stadium road, Nova-Basiri road, and Delight- Mobil road.

“We are on NTA road now. Most of the roads in Ado Ekiti are not motorable as at present, particularly all the roads in the interior.

The governor has approved that we have to put these roads on track. We are fixing them now. When they finish this road, we intend to move to some other areas to ensure that the roads in the streets of Ado Ekiti are motorable. Once the whole areas to be rehabilitated are identified, cut, evacuated, and filled up with stone base or laterite, then we intend to purchase our asphalt at once so that we can attend to all the roads simultaneously. If we purchase asphalt piecemeal, it will cost much. Within the next three weeks, the rehabilitation will be over”, he said.

While speaking on the rehabilitation of deplorable intra-township roads in other local government areas, the Permanent Secretary disclosed that Governor Fayemi had directed that the Public Works Department be revived to undertake the job.

Agbede added that construction equipment and machines purchased during the governor’s first tenure but which were abandoned will now be put to use, even as efforts are in top gear for the installation of its asphalt plants and other facilities.

“I have also been directed by the governor that the Public Works Department be put to use. Any moment soon, the PWD will be operational. Most of the equipment and machines that were purchased during the first term of Dr Fayemi but which were not put to use, we will make use of them. We are installing asphalt plants and other facilities. Once we finish these, we can now begin to fix internal roads in other local governments”, the Permanent Secretary said.

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AfDB roundtable strengthens donor relations, fund management - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The African Development Bank Group hosted 11 sister institutions for the annual multilateral development bank (MDB) roundtable on trust funds and co-financing, to strengthen donor relations and fund management, reports ITREALMS. 

The aim of the roundtable, ITREALMS gathered, was to enhance benchmarking across the development finance institutions (DFIs), raise awareness of emerging innovative approaches to resource mobilisation and of new tools for cooperation, and to share institutional knowledge and best practices. Ultimately, its goal is to share the most efficient methods for mobilising resources towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

This year’s roundtable which held between March 28 and 29, 2019, took stock of ongoing institutional reforms to the trust fund and co-financing environment in each MDB. Delegates noted the increased decentralisation of partnership and donor relation functions and outlined solutions to some of the challenges that such changes can bring. The group also discussed the role of developing countries in the establishment and management of the trust funds, and best practices in donor reporting. Roundtable sessions also considered blended finance and lessons learned in implementing European Commission (EC) funded projects, given the EC’s increasing influence on concessional resource flows, despite not being represented on the boards of most MDBs.

The World Bank’s director for trust funds and partner relations, Dirk Reinermann, led a dedicated session on the growing business of financial intermediary funds (FIFs), 25 of which the World Bank is currently trustee. The African Development Bank team provided a number of case studies during a session on de-risking tools to crowd in private sector investments in low-income countries, highlighting the work of the private sector credit enhancement facility (PSF) as well as its balance sheet optimisation work, which has helped to release headroom for further investment in fragile states.

Overall, the discussions raised the notion of ‘less is more’ given the increasing “bilateralization of multilateralism”, as one participant put it. Most MDBs prefer to scale up existing funds rather than proliferate the number of vehicles, although this remains a challenge. Ultimately, there was a consensus that the roundtable was a useful platform for working on common principles for donor communication, reporting and trust fund administration.

Co-chair of the event, Desire Vencatachellum, director of the resource mobilisation and partnerships department at the African Development Bank, said, “We must all deliver on our individual mandates while addressing complex global development issues, partnerships and alliances. This was a great opportunity for peer-to-peer exchanges of ideas and sharing best practices to address the common challenges we all seem to be facing”.

Akhil Patel of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development noted, “There’s real scope to take joint positions on certain themes and present more of a unified front in a number of areas, in addition to sharing ideas and solutions.”

Ilaria Caetani of the Asian Development Bank, who participated in the Roundtable for the first time, added, “My main takeaway from these 2 days has definitely been the sense of solidarity”.

Attendees included representatives of the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the Asian Development Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, the International Fund for Agricultural Development, the Council of Europe Development Bank, the European Investment Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the Islamic Development Bank. The MDB membership group also comprises the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank and the New Development Bank.

The African Development Bank previously hosted the MDB roundtable in 2008 and 2012.

Remmy Nweke/DoP

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Global energy to double by 2050 - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The Global Energy Transformation: A Roadmap to 2050 has been launched in Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue on Tuesday in Berlin which says that global power supply will double over this period, reports ITREALMS.

The Global Energy Transformation, ITREALMS gathered was launched by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) as the latest edition of IRENA's review.

According to the latest edition of IRENA’s there is need to look upto 2050 in order to meet 86 per cent of global power demand with renewable energy that currently exist, stressing that power supply will double over this period, reports ITREALMS.

"Electricity would cover half of the global final energy mix. Global power supply would more than double over this period, with the bulk of it generated from renewable energy, mostly solar PV and wind," part of the report read.

Some of the key findings include:

• Today the question is no longer if energy transition is possible, but how to make it happen faster. Renewables and electrification are a key climate solution.
• Renewable energy supply, increased electrification of energy services, and energy efficiency can deliver more than 90% of needed reductions to energy-related CO2 emissions. Renewable energy and electrification alone deliver 75% of emission reductions.
• The transition towards a decarbonised global energy system will require scaling up investments in the energy sector by a further 16% (an additional USD 15 trillion by 2050). In total USD 110 trillion would be invested in the energy system, representing on average 2% of global gross domestic product (GDP) per year over the period.
• The REmap Case would result in a cumulative reduction in fossil fuel subsidies of USD 15 trillion below what would have occurred in the Reference Case by 2050, and in a net reduction of USD 10 trillion when including the increased support needed for renewables in the REmap Case.
• In total the savings from avoided subsidies and reduced environmental and health damages are about three to seven times larger than the additional energy system costs. In monetary terms, total savings resulting from the REmap Case could amount to between USD 65 trillion and USD 160 trillion over the period to 2050.
• By year 2050, the REmap energy transition brings about relative improvements of GDP and whole-economy employment of 2.5% and 0.2% respectively. In cumulative terms from 2019 to 2050 the GDP gains of the REmap Case over the Reference Case add up to 99 USD trillion.
• Climate damage impacts increase with time as the climate system responds to the cumulative GHG emissions. Macroeconomic performance under both the Reference and REmap cases is significantly impacted by climate damages, leading to a global GDP reduction of 15.5% and 13.2%, respectively, by 2050.

Nenye Dom/Editor

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Prioritise Ekiti interest, Fayemi tells boundary commission - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi has inaugurated the State Boundary Commission Committee and Boundary Technical Committee with a charge to always consider the best interest of Ekiti people above personal interest, reports ITREALMS.

The governor who restated that the loyalty of his government is to the people of Ekiti State whom the administration is out to serve, urged the committees to discharge their duties without fear or favour but with strict adherence to the rule of law.

Dr Fayemi, who inaugurated the committee at the Conference Hall of the Governor’s Office on Monday, said there are series of boundary disputes both inter State and intra-State waiting for the attention of the committees. He advised members of the committee to adopt Alternative Dispute Resolution method without resort to court.

“I like to implore members of the inaugurated commission to see your appointment as a call to service, a call to etch your name on the sands of time in Ekiti and a call to be a part of history. You must discharge your duty without fear or favour but with strict adherence to the rule of law.

“ In whatever you do, always consider the best interest of Ekiti State and Ekiti Kete far above your personal interest. Collectively we can build the society of our dreams and make Ekiti State the pride of all. We can only achieve this through selflessness”, he said.

The committee, according to Governor Fayemi is to, among other issues, deal with inter-local government boundary disputes with a view to resolving them; monitor trans-border relations with neighbouring states with a view to detecting areas of tension, possible conflicts and take necessary measures to address them, and to encourage negotiation on settlement of boundary disputes in preference to court action.

In his acceptance speech, the chairman of the State Boundary Commission Committee and Deputy Governor, Otunba Bisi Egbeyemi thanked the governor for the opportunity given the committee members to serve the State.

Egbeyemi noted that lives and properties have been lost to boundary conflicts; assuring that the committee will adopt a win-win approach to settling conflicts arising from boundary issues.

He solicited the cooperation of all communities in the State for the success of the committee in discharging its duties.

Earlier in his opening remarks, the Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Deputy Governor, Mr. Sunday Komolafe had said that the non-existence of the committee for many years had resulted in many boundary disputes in some communities in the State.

He opined that with the constitution of the committee, disputed areas will be looked into and resolved as soon as possible.

The State Boundary Commission Committee which is headed by the Deputy Governor has the Commissioners for Finance, Works and Transportation, Agriculture, Information, Lands and Housing, and the Attorney General as members.

Other members are the Surveyor-General, the State Commissioner of Police, the State Director of the State Security Service, Executive Secretary of the Boundary Commission, the Oluyin of Iyin, Oba Ademola Ajakaye, the Ologotun of Ogotun, Oba Samuel Oyebade, and two boundary experts – Surveyor Ayeni and Surveyor Akeredolu.

The Technical Committee chaired by the Permanent Secretary in the Deputy Governor’s office comprises Permanent Secretaries in the Ministry of Works, Finance, Agric and Rural Development, Justice, Lands and Housing, Director of Forestry, a representative of the Director of SSS, representative of the Commissioner of Police and the Executive Secretary of the Boundary Commission.

Ayo Midele/Editor

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Secure your place @'It's Your Facebook' Lagos pop-up event - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

On Friday 12th April and Saturday 13th April, will be Facebook's first pop-up in Lagos, titled 'It's Your Facebook'! reports ITREALMS.

The next city, ITREALMS gathered in its global tour which has seen similar events hosted across Dublin, Cologne and Dubai, the pop-up space will feature an interactive showcase of some of its most loved products, including Stories and Watch, as well as an area dedicated to Facebook Communities.

Offering open sessions daily from 9.30am-12.45pm, pre-registered visitors can pop-by and ask their most burning questions, as well as get practical help and advice on everything from security settings, News Feed preferences to setting up business pages and advertising through the platform.

Commenting on the two day event, Kezia Anim-Addo, Communications Manager for Sub-Saharan Africa said: “We're thrilled to be here in Lagos, the first African country in our It's Your Facebook tour. We look forward to welcoming Lagosians to our pop-up space.”

Nenye Dom/Editor

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Zenith Bank names Ebenezer Onyeagwu GMD, CEO effective June 1 - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The Zenith Bank Plc. has named Mr. Ebenezer Onyeagwu as the Group Managing Director/CEO of the bank effective June 1, 2019, subject to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) approval, reports ITREALMS.

The appointment is consistent with the bank’s tradition and succession strategy of grooming leaders from within.

Onyeagwu replaces Mr. Peter Amangbo, whose tenure expires on May 31, 2019. Mr Amangbo leaves the bank at the end of a very successful career spanning over 27 years, with the last five years as GMD/CEO.

Mr. Ebenezer Onyeagwu is a vastly experienced banker and financial expert, trained in reputable institutions of learning in Nigeria, the United Kingdom and United States of America.

Mr. Onyeagwu is a graduate of Accounting from Auchi Polytechnic where he obtained the Ordinary National diploma in 1984 and Higher National Diploma in 1987. He qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1989 while he was still undergoing the compulsory National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) post graduation and was named a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (FCA) in 2003.

He is an alumnus of the prestigious University of Oxford, England, from where he obtained a Postgraduate Diploma in Financial Strategy, and certificate in Macroeconomics. He also undertook extensive executive level business education in Wharton Business School of the University of Pennsylvania, Columbia Business School of Columbia University, the Harvard Business School of Harvard University (all in the United States) and Lagos Business School of the Pan African University, Nigeria.

He has nearly 30 years’ experience in the banking industry in Nigeria. He joined Zenith Bank Plc in 2002 as a Senior Manager, in the Internal Control and Audit Group of the bank. His professionalism, competence, integrity and commitment to the set objectives of the bank saw him rise swiftly between 2003 and 2005, first, as Assistant General Manager, then Deputy General Manager, and eventually as General Manager of the bank. In these capacities, he handled strategies for new business and branch development, management of risk assets portfolios, treasury functions, strategic top level corporate, multinationals and public institutional relationships, among others.

As Deputy Managing Director, Mr. Onyeagwu has oversight over the bank’s Financial Control and Strategic Planning, Risk Management, Retail Banking, Institutional and Corporate banking business portfolios, IT Group, Credit Administration, Treasury and Foreign Exchange Trading, as well as general administration of the bank, among others.

He was named Executive Director of the bank in 2013, and put in charge of Lagos and South-South Zones as well as strategic groups/business units of the bank including Financial Control & Strategic Planning, Treasury and Correspondent Groups, Human Resources Group, Oil and Gas Group, and Credit Risk Management Group, etc. He was named Deputy Managing Director of the bank in 2016.

Mr. Onyeagwu has been on the board of Zenith Bank Ghana, Zenith Pensions Custodian Limited, Zenith Nominees Limited and African Finance Corporation (AFC) within the last six years. In AFC, he serves on the Board Risk & Investment Committee (BRIC) and Board Audit & Compliance Committee (BAAC). At Zenith Bank Ghana, he chairs the Board Credit and Governance Committees.

He brings to his job strategic thinking, inspirational leadership, energetic and entrepreneurial skills. He is married with children.

Nenye Dom/Editor

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Fire guts Owerri Airport - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has confirmed that there was a fire incident that affected some parts of the terminal building of Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport, Owerri at about 1400 hours on Monday, reports ITREALMS.

General Manager, Corporate Affairs, FAAN, Mrs. Henrietta Yakubu, said that the fire was however curtailed swiftly by officers of the Aerodrome Rescue and Fire Fighting Services Department of FAAN.

"There was no casualty and normal operations has since resumed at the airport," she said.

The Authority, she further said, has commenced preliminary investigations into the cause of the incident.

"FAAN is committed to our core values of safety, security and comfort," she said.

Nenye Dom/Editor

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FMIC deploys ICT to enhance service delivery - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, Deaconess Grace Isu-Gekpe, has said the ministry is leveraging on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to drive and expand the national production frontiers in information, culture and tourism in line Economic Recovery And Growth Plan, reports ITREALMS.

The Permanent Secretary, who was represented by the Director ICT, Mrs. Comfort Ajiboye, made the remarks in Abuja on Thursday while declaring open a 7-day capacity building programme for staff of the ministry being organized in collaboration with the European Union Support for Federal Government Reform Programme (EU-SUFEGOR).

“The increasing globalisation driven by ICT makes it imperative for Nigeria as an emerging market to irreversibly consider the application and promotion of ICT strategy to facilitate its rapid growth and development. This will involve the development of a vibrant ICT sector to drive and expand the national production frontiers in information, culture, tourism, agriculture, manufacturing and service sectors,” she said.

Deaconess Gekpe also stressed that it is equally important to deploy ICT to drive development in other soft sectors like governance, entertainments, public services, media sector, tourism among others.

The Permanent Secretary said for ICT to be the game changer in the nation’s quest for rapid economic growth and development, the various Ministries, Departments and Agencies must appreciate ICT as an enabler for enhancing productivity, raising resilience and fostering greater civic engagement while offering options for effective delivery of public service.

“The degree to which ICT can be leveraged in national development strategies and programmes depends not only on the state of ICT infrastructure and connectivity, but also on the human and institutional capacities to effectively use such technologies.

“It is in line with the background above in mind, that the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture is partnering with the European Union (EU-SUFEGOR) to bring together international experts and resources persons with the ultimate aim of training her work force on ICT Capacity Building,” she said.

In his remarks, the Team Leader, EU Support for Federal Government Reform Programme, Professor Olasemi Bello said the capacity building will cover all the various aspects of the functions of the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture for enhanced service delivery.

“I think you should be very professional in delivering government messages through what we call Infographics using computer and ICT. It’s also very important to reduce the level of service users coming to our various ministries and agencies if we are particularly able to install what we call e-governance system,” he said.

On her part, the Project Manager, EU Support for Federal Government Reform Programme, Michelle Delgado, said the overall objective of the programme, which started in 2014 through partnership with various agencies of government, is to promote transparency and accountability in government thereby reducing poverty among the populace.

“SUFEGOR is to work on enhancing service delivery by different governmental institutions to support the collaboration between the different agencies to work on public finance management and good governance at different levels of government,” she said.

The 7-day capacity building programme will cover Web Design; Programme Design; e-governance, Basic ICT Application; and Application of Finance and Accounting.

Remmy Nweke/DoP

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Pix: From left: Project Manager, European Union Support for Federal Government Reform Programme, Michelle Delgado; Director ICT, Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, Mrs. Comfort Ajiboye; Team Leader, European Union Support for Federal Government Reform Programme, Professor Lasemi Bello at the opening of a 7-day capacity building programme for staff of the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture in Abuja on Thursday.

Yoruba elders, AFAO Council hail Gov Fayemi over school naming - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The Yoruba Council of Elders (YCE) and Afao Development Council (ADC) have applauded Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi for naming four newly established secondary schools after four distinguished citizens of the State, reports ITREALMS.

The Yoruba Council of Elders, in a letter dated 25th March 2019 and signed by its Secretary-General, Dr Kunle Olajide, said the gesture is a pointer to Fayemi’s “commitment to entrench in the State the enduring values of service, patriotism and diligence for which Ekitis were known and respected in the past”.

While commending the Fayemi-led administration’s decision to name the new institutions after Prof. David Oke, Senator Ayo Fasanmi, Prof. Banji Akintoye and Chief Deji Fasuan, the YCE stated that Fayemi’s “second coming is indeed the dawn of a new and glorious era for Ekiti State”.

The Council assured Dr Fayemi of their support in the “arduous task of restoring our values and piloting our state for progress and development”.

“I recall with nostalgia the day in Adetiloye Hall during your first coming when Your Excellency, for the first time since the creation of Ekiti State, publicly recognized and acknowledged the efforts of the few of us under the leadership of Chief Fasuan whom God used with our traditional rulers to achieve the creation of our dear State. Your sense of history is highly commendable”, the letter reads.

The Afao Development Council in their letter dated 26th March and co-signed by the Alafao of Afao, HRM. Oba Joseph Ademilua and the President of the union, Chief Laolu Omosilade commended Governor Fayemi for naming one of the newly established schools after Chief Fasuan ,who is an indigene of the town.

The community union said the action is not just a honour but “merit justified by posterity” because of the role played by Fasuan in the struggle for the creation of Ekiti State; adding that the gesture is a manifestation of the fact that the Fayemi-led administration recognizes excellence and selfless contributions of Ekiti sons and daughter.

“This will also foster a lasting cordial relationship between your government and majority of Ekiti citizens who mainly have this erudite statesman as mentor and benefactor and it is also a pointer to the fact that your administration is here to restore Ekiti values”, ADC said.

The newly established schools are to commence academic activities in September, while arrangements have been concluded to establish two additional ones by next year.

Governor Fayemi, whose administration lays much premium on human capital development, says his administration would continue to recognize and reward excellence service to the state.

Ayo Midele/Editor

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Shell is Nigeria’s most impactful local content company - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

Shell Companies in Nigeria have emerged the International Oil Company with the most impactful Local Content Initiatives in the upstream category at the 2019 edition of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Opportunity Fair (NOGOF) held in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State at the weekend, reports ITREALMS. 

Shell beat other competitors ,Total and Exxon Mobil to the second and third positions respectively at the 2nd edition of the fair organised by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB).

The Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Mr. Simbi Wabote, who presented the award, singled out Shell Companies in Nigeria for exemplary support to local vendors and suppliers in the oil and gas industry, which, he said, enabled greater participation of Nigerians in the service value chain.

Receiving the award, Managing Director of The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC) and Country Chair, Shell Companies in Nigeria, Mr. Osagie Okunbor, described the recognition as an important acknowledgement for the impressive work Shell companies continue to do in Nigeria content development.

He said, “This award is a strong recognition of our leadership in the Nigerian content development space. Nigerian content development remains a very important step in our growth aspiration as Shell Companies in Nigeria roll out the next phase of major projects.”

Shell’s Nigerian Content Development Manager, Olanrewaju Olawuyi, described the NOGOF award as well-earned given the pioneering initiatives and strides by Shell companies in Nigeria which he said had put the oil and gas industry in the hands of Nigerians. “We are motivated by the award to continue to pursue in-country value addition in the oil and gas sector as this aligns with the government’s aspiration in local capacity development.”

The NOGOF award is a confirmation of the leadership position of Shell in local capacity development in the oil and gas industry. In 2018, Shell Companies were named the Local Content Operator of the Year at the Annual Oil Industry Achievement Awards Dinner of the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN,) an association of indigenous technical oilfield service companies in the upstream and downstream sectors.

PETAN had also honoured SPDC with the Distinguished Achievement Award (Corporate) in 2016 while the Managing Director of Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo), Bayo Ojulari, received PETAN’s Professional Award in the same year for his notable contributions to the development of Nigerian content in the oil and gas industry.

In addition to awards from PETAN, Shell Companies in Nigeria have also been honoured in Nigerian content development by the Nigeria Oil and Gas (NOG) Conference, the Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists (NAPE), the Nigerian Chamber of Shipping and at the Social Enterprise Report and Awards (SERAs).

Remmy Nweke/DoP

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Pix: L-R: Managing Director, The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited and Country Chair, Shell Companies in Nigeria, Osagie Okunbor (right) receiving the International Oil Company with the Most Impactful Local Content Initiatives in the Upstream Category Award from the Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Simbi Wabote, at the 2019 Nigerian Oil and Gas Opportunity Fair (NOGOF), organized by NCDMB in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State… last week.