NIMC secures first-ever scheme of service to boost institutional efficiency - ITREALMS

The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has achieved a historic milestone with the official approval of its maiden Scheme of Service by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF), reports ITREALMS.

This development marks a pivotal shift in the Commission's operational structure, designed to foster a globally competitive, modern, and efficient workforce.

Dangote unveils ₦1trn scholarship scheme for 1.3m Nigerian students - ITREALMS

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…Federal Government Hails Initiative as Bold and Transformative

Chairman of the Aliko Dangote Foundation (ADF) and the President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, , has announced a ₦1 trillion scholarship programme to expand access to education and promote academic excellence across Nigeria. Starting in 2026, the initiative will support over 1.3 million students from all 774 local government areas, with ₦100 billion committed annually for 10 years.

The programme targets Nigeria’s most vulnerable learners and is structured into three categories: Aliko Dangote STEM Scholars – 30,000 undergraduates in public universities and polytechnics will receive tuition support of up to ₦600,000 per year;  Aliko Dangote Technical Scholars – 5,000 TVET trainees will get essential study materials and technical tools; MHF Dangote Secondary School Girls Scholars – 10,000 girls in public schools will receive uniforms, books, and learning supplies, prioritizing states with high out-of-school rates.

Vision first: NNPC, Shell's healthcare scheme makes difference in Lagos - ITREALMS

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The fourth edition of Vision First, a flagship health program of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) and Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo), kicked off in Mushin Local Council Development Area of Lagos State on July 7, reports ITREALMS.

The outreach provided eye and cardiovascular screenings, surgeries, and general health education to thousands of people.

Ponzi scheme operators warned by EFCC - ITREALMS

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Here are the some Ponzi scheme operators warned by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC):

1. Wales Kingdom Capital : Operating a Ponzi scheme

2. Bethseida Group of Companies : Running an illegal investment scheme

RH-NHGSF, NIMC partner to boost school feeding scheme - ITREALMS

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The Renewed Hope National Home Grown School Feeding (RH-NHGSF and the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) have entered a strategic alliance to boost the school feeding scheme, reports ITREALMS.

NIMC Chief Executive Officer, Engr. Abisoye Coker-Odusote disclosed this in company of RH-NHGSF’s National Programme Manager, Princess Aderemi Adebowale, saying that the partnership is aimed at ensuring, every school child is registered and receives a National Identification Number (NIN), thereby boosting the effectiveness of the school feeding initiative.

170 graduates benefit @Shell, partners internship scheme - ITREALMS

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Some 170 young graduates have benefitted from the NCDMB/PETAN/SPDC JV Graduate Internship programme, in which they were attached to indigenous technical oilfield service companies in the upstream and downstream sectors for hands-on experience.

Out of the 170, some 133 of the interns have been employed by the companies indicating the success of the programme as a talent pipeline for the oil and gas industry in Nigeria.

Forex scheme 1month after: CBN’s rakes $60m - ITREALMS

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The Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) through its forex programme has raked in some $60 million after one month of active implementation, ITREALMS has gathered.

The Managing Director, Fidelity Bank, Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe, disclosed this while briefing the media at the end of the Bankers Committee meeting in Abuja.

Balogun Fire: Senator Oluremi sympathises with traders, advocates insurance scheme - ITREALMS

ITREALMS: 

Senator Oluremi Tinubu has sympathized with traders of Balogun Market and Dosunmu area of Lagos Island, over the recent fire incidents, advocating for traders insurance scheme, reports ITREALMS.

Tinubu, the senator representing Lagos Central Senatorial District at the Nigerian National Assembly, in a press statement made available to ITREALMS, sympathised with Lagosians, especially people of Lagos Island.

“My heart goes out to the residents and entire people of Lagos Island, particularly business owners, and those who lost their wares and belongings in the fire incidents, which occurred at Balogun Market and Dosunmu area of Lagos Island, yesterday, 5th November, 2019.”

According to her, the loss of goods, bought with hard earned money, and years of ones work is devastating to say the least.

“I share in your sadness and pray that there will never be a recurrence of this nature,” she said.

Equally, she said, it is a good time to consider the issues of affordable and accessible insurance for goods in the markets.

“I am hopeful that insurance companies will swing to action to provide services to ameliorate the suffering of Nigerians in the event of disasters,” she said.

Tinubu promised to looking into avenues to intervene to ensure a change of the status quo and improved welfare for her Constituents and Nigerians as whole.

She commended the officers of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) and the Lagos State Fire Service who were first responders, putting their lives at risk, in service of the centre of excellence.

Chuks Egbuna/Editor

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Pix: Senator Oluremi Tinubu

ActionAid advances dialogue on corruption, new anti-corruption scheme underway

ITREALMS:

The ActionAid Nigeria, a national non-governmental organisation and affiliate of ActionAid International says it plans to hold a National Dialogue on Corruption, even as it is set to unveil a new anti-corruption programme in Nigeria next week, reports ITRealms.

In a statement by the Communications Coordinator of the organisation, Nihinlola Ayanda, Friday, in Abuja, ActionAid Nigeria said the new programme is called ‘Strengthening Citizens Resistance Against Prevalence of Corruption- SCRAP-C.’

According to him, SCRAP-C will seek to look at the fight against corruption “through social norm lenses and complement the law and enforcement approach in Nigeria.”

“The SCRAP-C project is a five-year project supported by the Department for International Development (DfID)’s Anti-Corruption in Nigeria (ACORN) programme. It is managed by a consortium of three national organisations - ActionAid Nigeria (AAN), Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), and Centre for Communication Production in Nigeria (CCPN) led by ActionAid Nigeria. The project also has four implementing partners Centre for Citizens with disabilities (CCD), Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC), Youth Initiative for Advocacy Growth and Advancement (YIAGA), Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA) who are taking responsibility for communities and groups engagements across six strategic states (Akwa-Ibom, Bornu, Enugu, Kaduna, Kano/Jigawa, and Lagos), including the FCT.”

“The SCRAP-C is a research and citizens’ oriented project. It will employ social marketing tools, research, advocacy, citizens’ mobilisation, media engagements and capacity development to achieve programme result which in this case is the desired behavioural change against corruption. Therefore, it will be more practical and beneficial for Nigerians to key into this innovative project to seek for desired behavioural change against corruption.”

“It is designed to set the pace for citizens’ engagements. It is a holistic and inclusive anti-corruption effort, designed to take innovative and inclusive approaches in its engagement with citizens. We believe that the adopted approach of citizens’ ownership of the anti-corruption battle would promote and nurture the right attitudes of citizens to corruption.”

Giving a background to the project, ActionAid Nigeria Project Manager, Newton Otsemaye explains:

“It is a known fact that past and present governments have indicated interest and indeed made efforts to fight corruption through various programmes and policies. Some have further shown efforts to design legal and institutional frameworks to reduce corruption in Nigeria. In spite of all these, corruption still happens unabated.”

“While our policy makers and political drivers seem to be overwhelmed with the scourge of corruption, and how to address it with cutting-edge strategies, literatures have shown that one of the most likely reasons why past institutional, policy and legal frameworks experienced setbacks is because of the huge disconnect between the anti-corruption efforts and citizens’ participation.”

“For anti-corruption efforts in Nigeria to be more holistic and inclusive, it must go beyond the boundaries of law and enforcement or sanctions to the terrain of society, change in attitude and behaviour. Therefore, social norms seem to be the new window not because it is new or old, but because there is empirical evidence of a strong relationship between social norms and corruption. On this premise, we may suggest that the anti-corruption efforts could leverage on these empirical positions by either appealing to existing social norms or creating new ones, with a view to changing corrupt behavior in Nigeria.”

“The public dialogue on corruption and public presentation of the anti-corruption project- SCRAP-C will bring together participants from the government, private sector, the media, professional bodies, women groups, youth groups, academia, policy makers and enforcers, market associations, labour unions and people living with disabilities to participate.”

The event, with the theme: When the fight against corruption becomes ours; Changing perceptions, beliefs and mobilising people’s movement against corruption is expected to hold in Abuja on the 11^th of December, 2017.

Uboshe Uboshe/GEE

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Airtel launches Touching Lives CSR Initiative

ITRealms:

Airtel Nigeria in effort to better its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in the country has introduced a scheme tagged “Touching Lives Initiative” in Lagos, reports DigitalSENSE Business News.

Chief executive officer, Airtel Nigeria, Mr. Segun Ogunsanya told DigitalSENSE Business News at the launch that the initiative is to enrich the CSR intervention of the mobile network operator to Nigerians through provision of succour to the under-privileged members of the society.

This initiative, he said, marks a significant milestone in the company’s history of CSR interventions in the country, noting that Airtel Touching Lives is a responsive CSR project targeted at providing timely aid to underprivileged Nigerians irrespective of their gender, background or geographical locations.

According to him, Touching Lives Initiative seeks to identify underprivileged persons with specific challenges, pains and struggles with the ultimate objective of providing the needed help to empower and enrich the lives of these individuals.

He went on to describe the programme as a timely, deliberate and responsive CSR initiative to tackle myriad of life challenges confronting most Nigerians.

“At Airtel, we’re passionate about the people we serve and the Nigerian society. Airtel Touching Lives provides a platform for the underprivileged in our society to be identified, heard and also cared for,” he said.

Stressing that it is this commitment to connect with millions of Nigerians, alleviate their suffering and bring smile to their faces that encouraged Airtel to come up with this initiative.

He insisted that the primarily objective for embarking on this initiative it’s genuine interest in the general well-being of Nigerians, especially people with special needs. Pointing out that the project is one of the vehicles by which the company complements the developmental efforts of various governments.

Also speaking on the project, Airtel’s Director of Corporate Communications and CSR, Mr. Emeka Oparah, expressed the readiness of the telecommunications operator to contribute to efforts of government, non-governmental organisations and individuals who are highly-spirited like Airtel Nigeria in humanitarian courses.

 “Touching Lives is one of the philanthropic gestures of Airtel Nigeria designed to connect and alleviate the suffering of helpless people across the country. This initiative underscores our determination to enrich lives and contribute to humanity.”

The programme allows Nigerians to nominate disadvantaged persons who are in need of care or special interventions.

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Pix: Touching Lives: L-R, Former Lagos State Commissioner for Environment, Muiz Banire; Director, Legal & Company Secretary, Airtel Nigeria, Olugbenga Rotimi; Producer, Airtel Touching Lives Programme, Patricios Spero; Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Airtel Nigeria, Segun Ogunsanya; Mrs Tijani Azizat, representing Dame. Abimbola Fashola, First Lady of Lagos State; Mrs. Oluranti Odutola, representing the Deputy Governor of Lagos State and Jibril Saba, HR Director, Airtel Nigeria at the unveiling of Airtel Touching Lives CSR programme held in Lagos.