Christmas Rice wahala: NAN mgt re-commits to workers’ welfare, to set up joint c’ttee - ITREALMS

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The Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Mr Buki Ponle, has said the management of the Agency is conscious of the reality of the prevailing times and is ever determined to give succour to its members of staff where possible.

Ponle said this in a statement issued on Saturday in Abuja while reacting to a letter from the Joint Union of the Agency giving the management a seven-day ultimatum to provide rice as Christmas gift for workers, among others.

Killing of 'solder couple' about to wed: A set up to invade Igboland, asks Elochukwu Ohagi - ITREALMS

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Are They Setting Up Ground To Invade Igbo Land And Massacre More People?
The news about the killings of two military officers is not clear. It is questionable. And I still don't know why people are not asking questions.

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How did the kị́llers managed to spot this soldiers among many commuters?

GSM operators set up Financial Inclusion Committee - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

Nigeria's Global System for Mobile (GSM) communications operators, namely Glo, 9Mobile, Airtel, MTN Nigeria, and Ntel, had inaugurated the Telecommunications Financial Inclusion Committee, reports ITREALMS.

The committee, ITREALMS gathered is coming on the heels of ALTON lays out the roadmap for deepening financial inclusion and financial literacy across Nigeria.

ITREALMS also gathered that the committee slated to meet fortnightly over the coming months to deliver on its mandate, includes ALTON chairman, Engr. Gbenga Adebayo, Oladokun Oye (Airtel), Samuel Akinsola (Ntel), Chinedu Anochirionye (Ntel), Ismaila Suhailu (Ntel), Oluwaseun Omotosho (EMTS/9mobile), Chidozie Arinze (EMTS/9mobile), Johnson Oyewo (MTN Nigeria), Jane Amadi (MTN Nigeria), Esaie Diei (Globacom), Oluwatosin Cole (Globacom), and Gbolahan Awonuga (ALTON Secretariat).

Arising from its recent meeting, the GSM operators articulated their commitment to deepening financial inclusion and providing Nigerians with access to a range of affordable financial services.

Also at the inauguration, the committee, ITREALMS reports has the mandate to drive an awareness programme that will deepen financial literacy across the country, within the next 3 months; to leverage the committee's assets in order to deliver the promised access to financial services to 90 million Nigerians over the next 30 months, through a combined mobile base, Integrated Identity systems, and distribution network; and to work in collaboration with other stakeholders and engage proactively with the government to ensure the telecommunications sector contributes its quota to the national goal of attaining 80 per cent total financial inclusion and 70 per cent formal financial inclusion by 2020.

In the short-term, the committee aims to deliver financial services to up to 35 million Nigerians and increase financial literacy and awareness within 12 months. The longer term goal of delivering access to 90 million people across 773 local government areas by 2020 will be achieved through the conversion of it’s over one million airtime agents to mobile money agents.

Gbenga Adebayo, Chairman of ALTON was quoted as saying; "The inauguration of this committee is a positive and necessary first step to achieving our goals of improving inclusion and literacy. We are focused on delivering sustainable solutions to achieve long-term results. The potential of our sector's participation in these efforts is enormous. The telecommunications subscribers database is the most comprehensive, our coverage is vast and this speaks to the potential that we have as a group to truly contribute to solving some of the challenges that have been faced so far."

The purpose of the inauguration was defined as a formal introduction to the start of the journey, and more importantly, to reaffirm their commitments, and begin the process of defining the next steps in this initiative.

The committee also spent some time discussing the recent publication of exposure guidelines for the licensing and regulation of Payment Service Banks in Nigeria, articulating necessary next steps and direction.

"We commend the Federal Government and the CBN for the recently released exposure guidelines for Payment Services Bank (PSB) License, a welcome development that will play a critical role in accelerating financial inclusion," added Gbenga Adebayo, Chairman of ALTON.

Johnson Oyewo of MTN Nigeria and Secretary of the Committee, stated, "Our job is to ensure that our industry contributes effectively to financial inclusion and literacy in Nigeria. This committee is being inaugurated at an opportune time with the recent announcement by the CBN, allowing for an inclusive model that encourages all players to contribute towards driving financial inclusion in the country."





Chuks Egbune/GEE




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Nigeria ready for business, urges Japanese to set up plants

ITRealms: 

The Federal Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun has declared to a Japanese Trade and Investment Mission to Nigeria that the country is open and ready to continue to do business with the rest of the world, reports ITRealms.

This is coming as she urged the big Japanese companies to invest in the country by setting up manufacturing plants, instead of shipping-in finished products.

Making this call in a discussion with a Japanese Public and Private Joint Mission in promoting Trade and Investment in Nigeria in Abuja on Thursday, Adeosun said, the Japanese Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs led the 32 private sector and government organisations to the Ministry of Finance for the engagement.

She said that Nigeria welcomes Japanese investors in banking, insurance, manufacturing and other sectors adding that: “We will assist you to do well. Many companies came into Nigeria and are doing very well and there is nothing to stop Japanese firms from doing very well.”

She said that the Government is vigorously working to improve the country’s business environment by investing in transportation infrastructure and has made doing business in Nigeria easier.  “Specific reforms by removing lots of impediments, fiscal incentives to facilitate your coming into Nigeria to invest and drive your businesses, are being put in place,” she assured.

Mrs. Adeosun said that Africa’s biggest economy is now out of recession and wants to grow again, adding that the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) articulated by the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari was designed to stabilize the economy and propel it into growth.

The Minister told the Trade and Investment Mission that the Plan envisages stabilising the macroeconomic environment, boosting agricultural production for food security, ensuring energy sufficiency, improving transportation infrastructure and driving industrialization through manufacturing.

She stated that there are opportunities for the Japanese private sector investors, especially through Public Private Partnerships (PPP) in the development of transportation infrastructure, hydropower and ports

Mrs. Adeosun expressed appreciation to the Japanese Government for supporting and executing many projects through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

Earlier in his remarks, the leader of the Mission, the Japanese Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Shunsuke Takei, said that they were on a Mission to in Nigeria as part of the efforts by the Japanese Government to actualize the US$30 billion Public and Private investment pledge made in August 2016 during the sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) in Nairobi, Kenya, which was attended by President Muhammadu Buhari.

He said that given the size of the Nigerian population and market as well as its economic recovery and potential for growth, Japanese investors were  desirous of investing in Nigeria, while noting challenges in the areas of security, legal and  power environments.

He praised the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan of the Federal Government and expressed optimism that the foreign exchange situation would improve further.

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Pic: The Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun and leader of the Japanese Trade and Investment Mission led by the Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Shunsuke Takei.