Zenith Bank Appoints First Female GMD/CEO
Zenith Bank has named Adaora Umeoji as its first female Group Managing Director/Chief Executive. Her appointment, subject to the approval of the Central Bank of Nigeria, takes effect from June 1, 2024, according to the bank. “She takes over from Dr. Ebenezer Onyeagwu, whose five-year term expires on May 31, 2024, after a very successful tenure. Dame (Dr.) Adaora Umeoji is the first female GMD/CEO since the inception of the bank, and her appointment is consistent with the bank’s executive transition tradition, succession plan, and strategy of grooming leaders from within,” Zenith Bank said in a Tuesday statement. Before her latest appointment, Umeoji had been serving as the bank’s Deputy Managing Director since October 28, 2016. She has about 30 years of cognate banking experience with 26 of them spent working with Zenith Bank. “She is an alumnus of the prestigious Harvard Business School where she attended the Advanced Management Program (AMP) and an alumnus of Columbia Business School with a Certificate in the Global Banking Program,” the bank statement further read. “She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from the University of Jos, a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting, and a First-Class Honours in Law from Baze University, Abuja. She holds a Master of Laws from the University of Salford, United Kingdom, a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Calabar, and also has a doctorate in business administration from Apollos University, USA.”
Popular Nollywood producer, Andy Best is dead
Nollywood producer, Ikechukwu Nnadi, popularly known as Andy Best, is reportedly dead. Nnadi, who was said to be battling with a prolonged ailment, was confirmed dead at a private clinic in Owerri, the Imo State capital, on Tuesday. Confirming the death of the movie producer, the convener of the Best of Nollywood awards, Mr Seun Oloketuyi, wrote in an Instagram post that Nnadi is late. “Andy Best, a top Nollywood producer and marketer, is dead. “He died in an Owerri hospital today,” he wrote. Until his death, he was the Chief Executive Officer of Andy Best Production and was behind the production of famous movies, including Lion of Africa, White Poison, My Father’s Cup, and many more. He hailed from Isiala Mbano Local Government Area of Imo State. Meanwhile, his remains have been deposited at the Aladinma Mortuary in Owerri.
I’m not in support of violence in South East -Kanu
The embattled Nnamdi Kanu has distanced himself from the violence in the South Eastern part of the country by Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) members. Speaking after the court refused to grant his bail application, Kanu vowed that those behind the violence in the name of being an IPOB member would not be spared. He noted that the violence persisted because he was being held in the custody of DSS, adding that if released, there would be peace in the entire South- East. He said, “Anybody committing crime cannot go free. I swear it. Anybody committing crime in the east cannot go free. They are doing it because I am in the DSS(custody). If I were to be outside, nobody can try this. I suspect that some people in government are complicit. They are making money with the insecurity. “They know if Nnamdi Kanu is outside, in two minutes this nonsense will stop. Who is the bagger or idiot that will speak when I am talking. That I will give an order in the East who is the idiot that I will an order that will counter it ? Nobody can. I am Nnmadi Kanu. Rubbish!. “Anybody involved in any form of violence in the East in the name of IPOB is a goner and they know it. Let me come out of this mess, only two minutes there will be peace in the East. “
Sowore Apologizes To Nigerian Army, Gives Reason
Activist and former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, has apologised to the Nigerian Army (NA) for posting a video purportedly showing Okuama community in Ughelli South local government area of Delta State under military attack following the killing of 16 Army personnel of the 181 Amphibious Battalion in the State last Thursday. The viral videos show some houses on fire and was allegedly blamed on the Army as a reprisal attack on the community where the Commanding Officer of the Army Battalion, three other senior officers and 12 soldiers were ambushed and killed by suspected youths of the community. But, Sowore, who just returned to his family in the United States of America last week after about five years of being on trial in Nigeria for alleged terrorism, said he had discovered that the video was false as it depicts a different event that happened in the neighbouring Bayelsa State and not Delta State. Taking to his X handle (formerly Twitter) on Monday night, Sowore, who said he had since deleted the misleading videos, however, insisted that the Nigerian Army desist from further reprisal attacks against innocent civilians in Okuama and any other settlement in the Niger Delta region even as he called for impartial investigation into the killing of the Army personnel said to be on a mediatory and peace mission in the Okuama community. Sowore wrote: “I deleted my earlier videos that showed a burning village in the Niger Delta region that was purportedly from reprisal attacks against Okuama community by the Nigerian Army @HQNigeriaArmy upon new evidence that this was from an old different incident in Nembe, Bayelsa state. “I apologise for the wrong video. However, I insist that the Nigerian Army @HQNigeriaArmy desist from further reprisal attacks against innocent civilians in Okuama and any other settlement in the Niger Delta region, I call for an impartial investigation to unravel the real culprits involved in killing of Nigerian soldiers in Okuama. The Nigerian Armed forces must refrain from further reprisal attacks againt villages in the area. #RevolutionNow.”
Students Loan Repayment: NANS Proposes Five Years plan
Nigeria student’s body, the National Association of Nigerian Students, has urged the federal government to extend the repayment plan for the proposed students loan to five years after post-NYSC instead of the initial two years post-NYSC plan. The body maintained that less than 10 per cent of graduates get absorbed into the labour market within two years post-NYSC, adding that it becomes unrealistic to expect beneficiaries of the loan scheme to begin repayment two years after the completion of the National Youth Service Corps. NANS President Lucky Emonele, made the proposal on Monday at a public hearing on the repeal and re-enactment of 2024 Students Loans Access to Higher Education Bill 2024 in Abuja. Whioe commending President Bola Tinubu for responding to the request of NANS, by including its leadership as representatives of the students on the loan board, Emonele also commended the decision to repeal the Act to address grey areas that could hinder the success of the student loan scheme. According to him, the proposed repayment period of two years post-NYSC for the loan was not realistic, saying that less than 10 per cent of Nigerian graduates get absorbed into the labour force upon completion of their NYSC. The NANS President, therefore, proposed a minimum of five years repayment duration, given the challenges of unemployment after graduation. While calling for the provision of study grants for Nigerian students in the Act seeking to establish the Nigeria Education Loan Fund, Emonele also appealed that the provision of a loan scheme should not be a further reason for an arbitrary increment of school fees by the management of tertiary institutions. He, therefore, urged the National Assembly to pass a resolution that prohibits public tertiary institutions from increasing school fees in the next 10 years, saying it was the only way to sustain the act when enacted. According to him, there is also a need to make provision for grants for students to enable them to complete or further their studies. This, he said, would encourage more students to enroll in school and alleviate the burden that may be placed on the loans. “If the Federal Government, through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, could earmark N683bn for public tertiary institutions in 2024, without requesting for payback from beneficiary institutions, Nigerian students should not be treated any differently.” The public hearing was organised by the Senate Committee on Education and TETFUND and the House of Representatives Committee on Student Loan, Scholarship, and Higher Education Financing. In his words, the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, commended President Bola Tinubu for his passion and commitment to the education sector, stating that the President does not want any child of school age to be out of school, given his passion for education. The minister said the public hearing would provide an opportunity to make further input to improve the bill for the good of Nigerian students.
BREAKING: Nnamdi Kanu Bail Appeal Denied
The Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday rejected the bail application by the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu. The trial judge, Justice Binta Nyako, however, granted an accelerated hearing instead. Counsel for the IPOB leader, Alloy Ejimakor, had at the last adjourned date urged the court to admit Kanu to bail before the commencement of the trial. Ejimakor stated that Kanu’s health condition was deteriorating, adding that his continued detention by the DSS was a threat to his life. Ejimakor also argued that the continued incarceration of Kanu would not enable him to put up a good defence in the matter. But the counsel for the FG, Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), urged the court to dismiss the bail application and instead grant an accelerated hearing. He noted that the DSS has a medical facility that could take care of him. Awomolo also accused Kanu of once jumping bail, adding that he failed to declare on oath in the affidavit filed by his lawyer that if granted bail, he wouldn’t jump bail. He was earlier granted bail on health grounds on April 25, 2017, after spending 18 months in detention but he fled the country after an invasion of his residence by the military in September 2017.
Veteran actor, Amaechi Muonagor Seeks financial support for kidney transplant
Veteran Nollywood actor, Amaechi Muonagor has called on Nigerians to assist him financially to carry out a kidney transplant in India. In a video circulating on social media, the popular actor was seen laying on a bed, pleading for help. His Nollywood colleague Kingsley Orji, who was seated next to him, made an appeal on his behalf. Orji revealed that Amaechi Muonagor left the teaching hospital some days ago due to financial constraints. He stated that the illness had affected his speech and urged fans and well-wishers to contribute for a transplant surgery. “It has not been easy. He has been in this condition for months now. He wants to go for a kidney transplant. What we want is for you to help us for him to travel to India,” Orji said. “He just came back from the ICU in Nnewi teaching hospital a couple of days ago. He was responding to treatment but not very well. “We decided to bring him home because there was no money but it is not advisable. He barely talks well. Please, he needs your help.” Recall in November 2023, Amaechi Muonagor had cried out for help after revealing that he was battling paralysis which has affected half of his first leg.
Kwankwaso pays solidarity visit to suspended Bauchi senator, Abdul Ningi
Senator Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso, the New Nigeria Peoples Party presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, has paid a solidarity visit to suspended Senator Abdul Ahmed Ningi. Senator Ningi, representing Bauchi Central Senatorial district, was suspended by the Senate following his interview with the BBC Hausa Service, in which he alleged budget padding against the Senate leadership. The former majority leader of the Senate was suspended for three months after Senator Jimoh Ibrahim moved the motion. Senator Ningi’s suspension has since sparked debate and raised concerns about freedom of expression within the Senate. His allegations of budget padding have drawn attention to issues of transparency and accountability in Nigeria’s legislative processes.
FG To Create 5000 New Jobs For Nigerians
President Bola Tinubu’s government is set to create at least 500,000 new jobs for the teeming unemployed youths in the country. This is sequel to a new partnership with the U.S. Cybersecurity Institute, Lab Four, to generate 50,000 business process outsourcing (BPO) jobs over the next three years. Doris Anite, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, said this during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Monday in Abuja. The MoU was signed between Lab Four and the National Talent Export Programme (NATEP), the executor of the programme. According to the minister, the jobs generated through this partnership have the potential to annually attract up to $1.2 billion into the Nigerian economy. She identified the job categories as “telesales, customer service, virtual administrative assistant, marketing/social media assistant, and tech/cybersecurity.” “The jobs generated through this partnership have the potential to annually attract up to $1.2 billion into the Nigerian economy through remuneration for the employed. “In addition to about $60 million that it will provide to develop the BPO ecosystem through direct support to the individual BPOs,” Ms Anite said. The minister said the four-pronged objectives of the NATEP initiative were to deliver one million service-export jobs over the next five years and increase foreign exchange earnings and revenue for Nigeria. She noted that to successfully implement the mandate of NATEP, there was a need for strategic partnerships, both with institutions within Nigeria and those overseas. “As such, our partnership with Lab Four will be one of the many partnerships we will have to ensure that Nigeria becomes a global hub for thriving micro, mini, and mega BPOs,” she said. In his remarks, Femi Adeluyi, the national coordinator of NATEP, said the initiative would target the small and medium enterprise (SME) sector and that the selection process would be transparent.
No hiding place – Nigerian Army warns Okuama community
The Nigerian Army has warned the Okuama community in Delta state, to “be ready to face the full wrath of the law”. This follows the killing of soldiers who were on “a peaceful and mediatory mission”, following a communal clash between Okuama and Okoloba communities. In a statement signed by Major-General Onyema Nwachukwu, the Director Army Public Relations, the Army flayed the community for resorting to propaganda instead of fishing out the culprits. It read: “The unfortunate killing of troops of 181 Amphibious Battalion of the Nigerian Army (NA), while on a peaceful and mediatory mission, after a reported case of communal clash between Okuama and Okoloba Communities in Ughelli South and Bomadi LGAs of Delta State respectively is not only despicable but should be unreservedly condemned by all. “These were troops committed to peace and security of lives and property of citizens and non-citizens alike in the Niger Delta Region, murdered in cold blood by an armed youth gang of Okuama Community, in the most gruesome, heartless and cruel manner and went ahead to sacrilegiously debase their remains by ripping out their hearts by the very people they were there to protect. “Regrettably, the community complicit in this dastardly act has resorted to media propaganda and shenanigans, rather than engage in a positive effort to fish out the perpetrators of this heinous crime. This again is a clear indication that the murder of the troops was a communally orchestrated attack against legitimate forces. “The falsehood being peddled by these criminals and their cohorts to whip up sentiments and sway the public to coverup, endorse or support the outrageous criminal acts of their armed youth gang should be disregarded in its entirety, it is only a ridiculous attempt at justifying their crime, rather than turn in themselves to security agencies. There is no amount of propaganda that would arm-twist the narrative, they are complicit and must be ready to face the wrath of the law. “While law-abiding citizens are assured that there will be no reprisal on the part of the troops, we enjoin all to go about their normal activities, even as ongoing efforts are scaled up to positively identify and isolate the criminals to account for their atrocious deeds. “The Chief of Army of Staff, Lt Gen Toareed Lagbaja, while commiserating with the families of the officers and soldiers who lost their lives, has directed that no stone should be left unturned until the perpetrators of this gruesome acts are apprehended to face the full wrath of the law. Troops are determined to get to these criminals, there is certainly no hiding place for them.”