Black Friday: Yudala showcases best prices for 11/11–12/12

Sponsored@ITREALMS: 

Ahead of its Black Friday sales tagged 11/11-12/12 which runs from November 11th till December 12th, 2017; Yudala has boldly restated its status as the best source of guaranteed genuine products and best prices nationwide, with shoppers in line to enjoy millions of amazing offers and surprises all through the period.

Yudala 11/11-12/12, an annual promotion, will run online @ www.yudala.com and offline in every Yudala Store nationwide.

The much-anticipated promotion will offer Nigerians not only a huge assortment of genuine products sourced directly from the manufacturers, but also a bold promise of unmatched best prices nationwide.

 “Yudala 11/11-12/12 is the biggest Black Friday campaign to expect in Nigeria this year. We are not only assuring Nigerians of quality products which we are known for, but we are also offering real value for money with best prices nationwide. Best prices for genuine quality products, you cannot get that anywhere else but at Yudala. If you do, we will refund the difference, provided the product is genuine,” disclosed Prince Nnamdi Ekeh,  Vice President at Yudala.

“We are aware of the yearning of Nigerians, many of whom are tired of poor quality and sub-standard products on other platforms. Most of these disgruntled customers have never looked back after shopping with us.

“Yudala is widely renowned as the best source of genuine products nationwide. This is because we are perhaps the only e-commerce company in the country that can lay claims to having a clear quality products sourcing value-chain, as all our products are sourced directly from Original Equipment Manufacturers.  We have staked our reputation on this and we will never disappoint the millions of customers who have come to rely on us for quality.”

Yudala 11-11/12-12 promotion will witness a wide assortment of products across diverse categories including Home Appliances, Computing, Electronics, Mobile devices, Gaming, Lifestyle/Consumer Goods, Power Solutions, Food, Wines/Spirits, among others, with huge deals and unbeatable price slashes also expected.

Nigeria’s pioneer online and offline e-commerce outfit, Yudala captured the imagination of an entire continent during its first-ever online and offline Black Friday promotion in 2015, which saw the company make history with the drone delivery of the first order placed for its Black Friday sales, the first recorded instance on the African continent. The order for the item, a Nokia Lumia smart phone was placed by Yetunde Lawal, a staff of Access Bank Plc. who was shopping on the Yudala website for the first time.

Since that landmark feat, Yudala has not looked back on its mandate of delivering genuine products and services to its consumers –  a mission it has continued to fulfil with a series of innovative promotions including an on-going Master Brand campaign tagged  Yu Live Well.

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Daria Media unveils media training, scholarships

ITREALMS:

The Daria Media has unveiled  two unique initiatives targeted at revolutionizing youthful participation in the journalism practice in Nigeria, as the firm dangles scholarships calls, reports ITRealms.

The company, which is promoted by Kadaria Ahmed, former BBC journalist, editor of 234next and host of the Channels TV talk show, Straight Talk and The Core, will be holding a 3-city journalism training for aspiring journalists. The 3 cities are Kano, where she went to school; Uyo, where she served out her National Youth Service and Lagos where she works and calls home.

The training will pay especial attention to the worrisome fake news phenomena and unwholesome PR gimmicks which have dogged the journalism practice in recent times. It will underscore the urgent need to rejuvenate the mass media towards practicing independent, competent, ethical and socially responsible journalism more than ever before especially for those reporting in/on Nigeria. It will also provide participants with a handle on how to build commercially viable and sustainable media outfits as a means of circumventing issues of ethics, professionalism and partisanship.

According to a statement from Daria Media, “The Daria Workshop Series is a training platform for budding journalists; helping them to connect to the reality of journalism practice, clear out illusions and identify their unique niche and place in the continued existence of their field of endeavour. The program will be delivered by trainers from Beyond Broadcasting, Premium Times and Daria Media.”

Facilitators will include former BBC journalist Ben Williams now with Beyond Broadcasting, a company that trains staff at Aljazeera, the BBC and many other media houses around the globe; Dapo Olorunyomi, founder of Premium Times and Kadaria Ahmed.

At the end of the training, 3 lucky female participants will become the recipients of the inaugural Mamman Marshall Scholarship for Women in Journalism. The scholarship is named after Kadaria Ahmed’s father who is described as a forward-thinking man well ahead of his times.

Continuing the statement, Daria Media added that “The Mamman Marshal Scholarship for Women in Journalism is instituted to celebrate a man, who against the grain of his time educated his daughters; giving them an advantage that sets them apart from their peers. This scholarship award, set up by one of his daughters who has risen to become a reference point, a positive image and an example against a backdrop of impossibilities and impediments in the field of Journalism; is to honour her father and his extraordinary legacy.”

To participate in the training and become eligible to earn a full undergraduate scholarship at the three participating schools; Bayero University Kano, Lagos State Univeristy and the University of Uyo,  interested students can apply by visiting http://daria.media/training-programs/application-form/.

Entries open Monday November 6 and close Monday November 20, 2017. 

Uju N. Dominic/GEE

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Adebayo Shittu leads speakers to eNigeria 2017

ITREALMS:

The Minister of Communications, Barrister Abdur-Raheem Adebayo Shittu would today, lead speakers to the 2017 eNigeria conference, as its chief host, reports ITRealms.

Shittu, also would be joined by the Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, as the host and convener of eNigeria 2017.

For Pantami, other sub-themes include “Roadmap towards national ICT skills framework development; Positioning the nation to harvest value from emerging technologies; Improving the delivery of public services through ICT innovations; Indigenous ICT innovation management for national development;  and Demand shaping for local content promotion: entrepreneurial opportunities and regulatory challenges.”

Other speakers expected at the event include, Mr Adekunle Ajiboye, CEO of Ajimantics ltd Canada; Raul Kaidro, CEO, Raul Walter, Estonia; Managing Partner of Technology Advisors, Mr. Basil Udotai.

In addition, he listed the CEO of InfoGraphics Nigeria, Chinenye Mba-Uzoukwu; and the former Director of the United Nations Foundation’s Information & Communications Technology (ICT), Dr Ime Asangansi, among key speakers.

Uboshe Uboshe/GEE

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NITDA denies being under investigations by EFCC

ITREALMS:

The management of the NationalInformation Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has denied any investigations by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), reports ITRealms.

Earlier, ITRealms gathered that there have been avalanche of news on the inconsistency of NITDA’s 2017 budget which led to the alleged investigations.

But reacting to the reports being circulated on some online media and national dailies, the Head, Corporate Affairs & External Relations, Mrs Hadiza Umar, told ITRealms, its false to the effect that the agency is attempting to circumvent due process requirements in the implementation of the 2017 approved budget.

“It is essential to note that the Agency is not under any investigation under current administration, either by EFCC or any other investigating agency. The statement credited to the Honourable Minister of Communications, Barrister Adebayo Shittu, during an interview with Fresh FM Ibadan on Sunday, 5th November, 2017 is not true. The Agency under the leadership of Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami,  only received commendation from the EFCC.   

“In the reported petition, the faceless petitioners, Muhammad Yusuf and Rebecca Emeleogwu, purportedly representing Good Governance and Accountability Monitoring Group, alleged that the Management of the Agency has by-passed due process in the award of contracts in the 2017 budget.

“While the details of the violations were not substantiated, we write to categorically deny these allegations.  The Agency, since assumption of office of the current Director General/CEO, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, has been making serious efforts at fighting corrupt practices within and outside the Agency.

“It is on record that in this effort to ensure transparency and accountability, the current Director-General is the only Chief Executive in history of the Agency that implemented almost 100 percent of the Auditor-General for the Federation’s audit recommendations regarding financial and other irregularities in the Agency.

“As a man of proven integrity who is in the forefront of supporting Mr President’s fight against corruption, the Director General sought the support of anti-corruption Agencies such as the EFCC and ICPC in fighting corruption in IT Procurements in Federal Government’s Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).

“It may be of interest to note that officials from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation visited the Agency recently and gave an excellent commendation to the Director General and the Management Team for their efforts at following due process as well as excellent documentation of all financial transactions.

“It is on record that the 2017 projects are yet to be advertised and so far no contract has been awarded in the Agency because of the Director-General’s efforts at ensuring that due process is followed in the award of contracts.

“In view of the above, we write to request that the unfounded allegations made by the Group should be totally disregarded as the above facts show that what was circulated is a frantic effort of corruption fighting back. It should be noted that the Agency is encouraged by it and will continue its giant strides of fighting corruption. If the petitioners could come forward, the management is willing to challenge them to court for character assassination,’ she submitted.

Uboshe Uboshe/GEE

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Top 20 African start-ups enter residency @World Bank Group Digital Acceleration Programme

ITREALMS:

Twenty of the most promising African digital start-ups have been selected to take part in the XL Africa residency, the flagship initiative of the business accelerator launched last April by the World Bank Group’s infoDev programme, reports ITRealms. The entrepreneurs, ITRealms gathered would tomorrow commence with the residency in Cape Town, South Africa, till November 17 to learn from their mentors and peers, as well as increase their regional visibility, and get access to potential corporate partners and investors. The top 20, ITRealms gathered were selected from a pool of over 900 applicants; these start-ups specialize in digital solutions for the African market, including fin-tech, transportation, health care, education, human resources, and business-to-business (B2B). The residency will conclude with the XL Africa Venture Showcase, a regional event organized in association with the African Angel Investor Summit, in which the entrepreneurs will present their business models to a select audience of corporations and investors. With support from African investment groups, XL Africa will help the start-ups attract early stage capital between US$250,000 and US$1.5 million. Selected from a pool of over 900 applicants, these start-ups specialize in digital solutions for the African market, including fin-tech, transportation, health care, education, human resources, and B2B. All companies provide a digital product or service currently available in one or more African markets and show potential to scale across the region. “We are pleased by the interest infoDev and XL Africa generated across the continent in just a few months,” said Klaus Tilmes, Director of the Trade & Competitiveness Global Practice at the World Bank Group. “XL Africa attracted firms with high-growth potential; many have female co-founders, have already raised early stage investment, and have demonstrated significant market traction. The number and quality of applications received are a clear testament to the competitiveness of African start-ups and the key role they play in Africa’s growing digital economy.” The selection for XL Africa was conducted by a panel of industry experts from the International Finance Corporation (IFC); implementing partners IMC Worldwide, Koltai & Co, and Venture Capital for Africa (VC4A); as well as investors from prominent African funds, including Knife Capital, 4Di Capital LLP, Singularity Investments, TLcom Capital LLP, Goodwell Investments, Nest Africa, and Africa Tech Ventures. “We encountered very strong companies, particularly in the transportation, HR, and data analytics sectors,” said Danai Musandu, investment associate at Goodwell Investments. “We also observed signals of a nascent pipeline of digital companies beyond the traditional hot spots of Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa. These talented entrepreneurs are among those who are going to drive innovation on the continent and offer great opportunities for investors looking at African markets.” The selected start-ups participating in the event are: Aerobotics (Data, South Africa)         Asoko Insight (Data, Kenya, Ethiopia, Ghana, United Kingdom, and Nigeria)       Coin Afrique (Marketplace, Senegal and Benin) Edgepoint Digital (Jamii) (FinTech - Insurance, Tanzania)    Electronic Settlement Limited (FinTech, Nigeria) Lynk Jobs Ltd. (HR, Kenya) MAX (Transport, Nigeria) ogaVenue (Venue Platform, Nigeria) Ongair (SME Services, Kenya) Pesabazaar.com (FinTech, Kenya)      Prepclass (EdTech, Nigeria) Printivo (Printing, Nigeria) Rasello Company Ltd. (SME Services, Tanzania) Rensource (Energy, Nigeria) Sendy Ltd. (Delivery, Kenya) Snapplify (Publishing, South Africa and Kenya) Sokowatch (Delivery, Kenya) TalentBase (HR, Nigeria) Timbuktu (Travel, South Africa) Tizeti Network Ltd. (Connectivity, Nigeria) XL Africa is funded by the governments of Finland, Norway, and Sweden, and administered by the World Bank Group with implementation support from IMC Worldwide, VC4A, and Koltai & Co. Ayo Midele/GEE

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104 Nigerian youths receive NNPC-SNEPCo scholarships

ITREALMS:

A second set of 104 pupils from six geo-political zones in Nigeria have been awarded full-board six-year secondary school scholarships by the Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo), reports ITRealms.

This, ITRealms gathered is the third set of the NNPC/SNEPCo National Cradle-to-Career (NC2C) programme designed to give top quality education to bright but indigent youths. 

The latest awards bring to 267 the total sponsorship since the  NNPC/SNEPCo NC2C was introduced three years ago, according to sources at NNPC. 

The latest beneficiaries have joined the other recipients who are enrolled in six leading private schools – Lead Forte Gate College, Lagos; Premiere Academy, Abuja; Nigerian Tulip International College, Kaduna; St. Francis Catholic Secondary School, Lagos; Top Faith International Secondary School, Akwa Ibom State; and Grundtvig International Secondary School, Anambra State.

During the award ceremony held at Lead Fort Gate College, Lekki in Lagos, the State Deputy Governor, Dr. Idiat Adebule commended SNEPCo for the success of the NC2C which she said had achieved its purpose by helping to bridge educational inequalities resulting from socio-economic differences. 

Represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Mr. Adesina Odeyemi, the deputy governor added, “SNEPCo has kept faith with the commitment of supporting indigent Nigerian youths to attend some of the best secondary schools in the country and helping to reduce the number of school dropout before completion of basic education.”

The Managing Director of SNEPCo, Mr. Bayo Ojulari, who was represented at the award ceremony by the General Manager Exploration, Mr. Dayo Adewuyi, said the educational initiative contributes towards the actualisation of the UNESCO ‘Education for All’ goal. He said: “We also do this because, to us in SNEPCo, education is key to national development. In the three years of the programme, we are already seeing signs of success. Last year, for instance, one of the scholars was awarded a scholarship by the implementing school because of her exceptional academic performance. So, I expect that this set will settle for no less.”

The award recipients emerged through a competitive process starting with an aptitude test which was open to graduating pupils in public primary schools in the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory. They then underwent a two-week orientation programme with introductory courses in academics, character and psychology to prepare them for a seamless integration into their new learning environment.

The NC2C scholarships are just one of the many programmes in SNEPCo’s social investment portfolio in Nigeria. Other programmes include the equipping and donation of information technology and communication centres in many primary, secondary and tertiary institutions and hosting of health outreaches in different parts of the country. SNEPCo had recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding MoU) for the construction of a multi-million naira eLibrary for the Niger Delta University, Bayelsa State, and the company signed another MoU last week for the construction of a centre of excellence in Geoscience at the University of Lagos.

Uju N. Dominic/GEE

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Pix; A cross-section of 2017 NNPC/SNEPCo scholars at the NNPC/SNEPCo National Cradle-to-Career scholarship award ceremony in Lagos.

Tension: FG shutdown on online newspapers, others looms

ITREALMS:

Babagana Monguno, NSA to President Buhari

The Federal Government (FG) may have commenced secret clamp down on some online newspapers, blogs and websites perceived to constitute “threat to national security” permanently shut away from Nigerian cyber space, reports ITRealms.

This is coming as there is apprehension with social media and Internet users in Nigeria as they may not be exempted from the squelching exercise suspected to have commenced since October 27, 2017.

According to a report by Sunday Tribune, the closest clue in this kind of indirect attempt to gag the press and suppress opposing views since the advent of the current administration is the controversial bill to regulate social media, which has passed second reading in the Senate.

Also Sunday Tribune reports that the government, through the Nigerian Communications Commission, has soliced the services of a Lagos-based Information and Communication Technology (ICT) firm to block the domain names of “several identified websites threatening national security” mostly those sympathetic to pro-Igbo and Biafra concerns.

ITRealms gathered that the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) had drawn the list of the alleged offensive and threatening websites and domains numbering about 21, based on the memo written by NCC, a copy of which was leaked to ITRealms.

Dated October 20, 2017, the reminder memo to the firm, entitled: “Re: Request to Prevent the Commission of an Offence under Section 146 of the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003” was signed by duo from NCC including its Head, Legal and Regulatory Services, Yetunde Akinloye, while an official of the agency co-signed for the Director, New Media and Information Security, Engineer Haru Alhassan.

The letter referenced earlier letter dated September 27, 2017 on the above subject matter, directing the contracted firm “to restrict access to several identified websites threatening national security as identified by the office of the National Security Adviser.”

Further, it read in part the firm “… is hereby required to immediately take steps to restrict access within the Nigerian cyberspace in respect of 21 (twenty one) additional websites by blocking the domain names. (The list of websites is attached)”.

Section 146 (1) of the NCC Act 2003 states: “A licensee shall use his best endeavour to prevent the network facilities that he owns or provides or the network service, applications service or content application service that he provides from being used in, or in relation to, the commission of any offence under any law in operation in Nigeria.

“(2): A licensee shall, upon written request by the Commission or any other authority, assist the Commission or other authority as far as reasonably necessary in preventing the commission or attempted commission of an offence under any written law in operation in Nigeria or otherwise in enforcing the laws of Nigeria, including the protection of the public revenue and preservation of national security.

“(3): Any licensee, shall not be liable in any criminal proceedings of any nature for any damage (including punitive damages), loss, cost or expenditure suffered or to be suffered (whether directly or indirectly) for any act or omission done in good faith in the performance of the duty imposed under subsections (1) and (2).”

Reacting, the Ministerof Communications, Alhaji Adebayo Shittu, said he was not aware any memo originated from the NCC instructing any firm to gag the press, particularly online newspapers, Internet and social media users or shut them down.

Shittu told Sunday Tribune that no instruction would be given to the NCC without such passing through him as the Minister supervising the NCC.

“I am sure NCC will never ever write such a memo. I am sure it never happened. President Muhammadu Buhari or any of the people working for him will never do or encourage anything that will amount to gagging of the press,” he declared.

*Ayo Midele with additional report from Sunday Tribune/GEE

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65 firms battle for honours @WCA 2017

ITRealms:

A total of 65 global companies have been shortlisted to battle for over 21 categories in the 2017 annual World CommunicationAwards (WCA) slated for London, reports ITRealms.

Chair of Judges, Tony Lavender, informed ITRealms that the 19^th annual World Communication Awards at Supernova in London later this month, is organized by Total Telecom and has been scheduled for 28^th of November, thus set to be the largest ever, with 65 companies and organisations shortlisted across over 20 categories, including new awards around Network Functions Virtualisation (NFV) Innovation, 5G and Digital Lifestyle.

According to him, the awards are so competitive that the organizer, Total Telecom, has extended the independent judging panel to 30 highly qualified experts across the world. Assessing the hundreds of applications has taken several weeks, with a shortlist ranging from the very largest operators and vendors to small and innovative start-ups.

“Since the very beginning, a cornerstone of the success of the WCAs has been a strict and rigid policy that judging must at all times be totally independent and impartial,” said Tony Lavender  who doubles as the CEO, Plum Consulting.

“That has always been my brief, and as the industry has moved forward and widened its scope to new developments like NFV, IoT and 5G, we have also widened the expertise of our judging group so that companies entering for these awards can know and respect the calibre of the people assessing their submissions.

“We know how much effort, toil and sweat goes into every single entry, and when the category winners are announced on the 28^th those companies and individuals can feel very proud of their achievements.”

Launched in 1999, the World Communication Awards have shown themselves to be the undisputed blue chip mark of success in the telecom industry and once again guests are expected to attend the dinner on the 28^th from all over the world. Attendance is expected to exceed last year, when people from countries as diverse as Mozambique, the Philippines, Chile, and Bahrain, as well as the mainstream countries of Europe, Asia and North America all came to London.

As well as the new categories, the prestigious CEO of the Year title has been re-structured for 2017. Instead of being decided by industry vote, it is now being left to the judging panel to make the decision.

Ayo Midele/GEE 

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Buhari to declare open eNigeria confab’17

ITREALMS:

The president, Mohammadu Buhari, has been confirmed to declare open the 2017 eNigeria conference in Abuja, while the Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami is to give the keynote, reports ITRealms.

Head, Corporate Affairs & External Relations at the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Mrs. Hadiza Umar, disclosed this in a press statement made available to ITRealms at the weekend, saying that eNigeria is the no. 1 Information Technology Conference organised by NITDA in collaboration with relevant IT stakeholders from public, private sector as well as non-governmental organisations.

The 2017 theme, she said, is on the theme "Fostering Digital Economy through Local Content Development and Effective Regulations" will be declared open by His Excellency, President Mohammadu Buhari GCFR, President and Commander -in- Chief of the Armed Forces, Federal Republic of Nigeria, and the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice is the Keynote Speaker.

The event is eNigeria, she also said, involves conference, exhibition and award holding inside the International Conference Centre, Abuja from 7th to 9th of November, 2017, as President Buhari is to use the occasion to advance the agenda for local content and sectoral regulations as basis for Nigeria’s entry into the digital economy.

The 10th Edition of eNigeria 2017 will promote deliberations on how Nigeria could thicken the value of its policy thrust on local content in pursuit of a national economy that is less dependent on crude oil export.

Uboshe Uboshe & Doris Minimah/GEE

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Catholic Priest clocks 25, says restructuring must start with Govs

Sunday Sermon@ITREALMS:

A Catholic Priest, Rev. Fr. Evaristus Bassey on Saturday backed the clamour for the restructuring of Nigeria but however said it should commence with state governors.

While calling on governors to practice what they preach, he warned that devolving more powers to the states without devolving powers to the grassroots "would virtually turn all of us to slaves of the governors."

Bassey, the International Director of Catholic Caritas Foundation of Nigeria (CCFN) and Executive Secretary, Justice Development and Peace Commission (JDPC), two agencies of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), expressed these feelings in a statement issued, on Saturday in Abuja, to commemorate the 25 years anniversary of his ordination as a priest.

Bassey ordained a Priest on October 17 1992 at St. Michael’s Parish, Oban Town in Akamkpa Local Government Area of Cross River State, 25 years ago. 

He said, "For nearly seven years now, I have taken day to day charge of  a department and an agency at the CBCN that interfaces with society. Typically my work at the national level is concerned with social issues. I take advantage of this jubilee year to pray for the peace of Nigeria. Recently, the Bishops gathered in Benin and consecrated Nigeria to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. During this jubilee year of mine, I shall be praying specially for Nigeria, for justice and peace to reign, as there can be no true peace without justice, according to the social teaching of the church. 

"I pray that God use this (silver) jubilee year to restructure our attitudes so that we see one another first of all as human beings created in the image and likeness of God and deserving of all dignity and respect before all the identities of religion, tribe and region. 

"Nowadays, there is so much clamour for restructuring. Recently, Southern governors got together to push for devolution of powers, as there is too much concentration of powers at the centre. I will use this occasion to encourage them to first practice what they preach. I urge Southern governors to support the amendments that have been proposed by the National Assembly especially with regards to the financial autonomy of the LGs. If our governors love the people, they should make the LG system work by supporting the amendments. 

"Sometimes the impression we get is that the de facto Speakers of the States Houses of Assembly are the governors, because the Assemblies always do their bidding. So at state level, there is only one and a half arms of government: the legislating executive and then a limping judiciary. Since generally, we are a very docile citizenry, our governors could help us by abrogating all those laws which have emasculated the LG system and allow it to work, so that our people could build up their capacity to engage with government at the local level."

While acknowledging that certain things should leave the exclusive list to the concurrent list, the cleric called on the governors to use the enormous powers they already have "to work for the good of the people."

To back his demands, Bassey said by the time Nigerians realised that there was indeed something to defend at the LG, they won't allow the chairmen run away with all their loots. 

He said, "At the state level, the governor may personalise all the state infrastructure and nothing will happen to him because he has immunity. But LG chairmen will not have immunity. Everywhere in the world, when we say citizens are powerful, that power begins at the local level. 

"The pathway to Nigeria’s stability for me therefore remains a strong and well coordinated centre, strong and efficient mid-level state structure and a strong and effective grassroots level structure."

Concerning Faith, he said, "As I mark this Silver Jubilee two things come to my mind. The first one concerns our faith. I pray that that we do not remain in our comfort zones and forget that Christianity was built on the blood of Martyrs. Someone challenged me sometime ago that while some other religions teach their faithful to sacrifice their lives and the lives of others for the sake of their beliefs, we have forgotten to teach our people to take risks, even losing their lives for the sake of the Gospel. That all we do now is present God as a solution giver. 

"I pray for forgiveness if in anyway these 25 years, I and my colleagues have given any impression that being a Christian means only enjoying the good things of life. Of course as a Christian good things will come your way; the sin would be to not share. 

"Being a Christian too does not mean suffering only; it means both the Cross and the Crown, the death and resurrection of the Christ. May God forgive all who preach as if prosperity is the only indication of salvation and who live their lives like the rich man in the Gospel who was oblivious of the suffering of Lazarus by his gate. I use this occasion to challenge all of us to open our hearts to the grace of God for a life of witness that would be transformative."

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