Month: July 2023

The Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) says it is introducing human capital development fund to retrain, build capacity and help young professionals in the banking and finance industry to grow their career.

The President/Chairman of Council, CIBN, Dr Ken Opara, said this at a pre-conference media briefing on the maiden edition of the CIBN Generation Next Forum, scheduled for Aug. 3, to be held physically in Lagos and virtually.

The maiden edition of the Generation Next Forum is aimed at empowering and inspiring young professionals, especially the Gen-z and millennials in the banking and finance industry.

He said that such capacity building would help to mitigate the effects of departure of employees, while those that remain would regain and build their interest.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event will have the theme, “Industry 5.0 Banking Revolution: Insights for Generation Next’’.

Opara said, “once we build capacity, and the youth understand that they have a future, they have a career that they can look up to, obviously the attrition level will be reduced.

“But more importantly, the institute has championed the development of human capital development fund which is meant to build capacity and help the younger ones to build their career,’’ he said.

He said that the forum would have subject matter experts come to address the issue of capacity gaps.

According to him, they will build capacities, train, retrain and help the younger ones to discover their relevant potential in key areas such as fintech, financial services, and small businesses, among others.

Opara said that there would also be a coaching and mentoring clinic, where people would have issues bordering to their careers and businesses answered by experts and practitioners.

He said this would inspire people within and outside the country to continue to have hope in the country and to see the opportunities in Nigeria.

Opara said, “the generation next forum will also provide a robust platform for stakeholders to examine the criticality of the Fifth Industrial Revolution and its profound impact on the banking and finance industry, especially as it affects the young generation.

According to him, this has been a cardinal focus of his agenda as the 22nd President and Chairman of council of the institute.

“From available statistics, Nigeria has the largest population of youths in the world, with a median age of 18.1 years. About 70 per cent of the population are under 30 and it is not controvertible that the future belongs to this segment of the population.

“We believe that the future is now, as such our focus is to attract, groom, mentor, prepare and collaborate with this special segment to get them ready for the task ahead,’’ he added.

Opara said that the forum would bring together over 5,000 participants, comprising majorly Gen-Z and Millennial participants, decision-makers, operators, and other key players within the financial services ecosystem.

He said the event would serve as an avenue for tech enthusiasts to showcase their innovative ideas, foster collaborations, and explore opportunities that arise from the convergence of technology and finance.

He expressed the confidence that the forum would inspire a new generation of banking professionals, facilitate knowledge sharing, and foster the development of innovative solutions to address the challenges in the society.

Mr Nath Ude, Chairman of the Planning and Organising Committee for the Generation Next Forum, said that the forum would essentially provide mentorship opportunities for talented youth who are eager to carve a path towards becoming future banking professionals.

Ude, who is the Managing Director, Nova Merchant Bank, also said that Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos would be the Special Guest of Honour at the forum.

He named other distinguished thought leaders to speak at the plenary session as Reeta Roy, President/CEO, Mastercard Foundation; Iyin Aboyeji, Founding Partner, Future Africa; Eizu Uwaoma, Founder and CEO, Hexavian Group.

Others are, Nefe Etomi, Expansion Strategist and Operation Lead. Paystack Payment Ltd.; Fela Durotoye, Founder/CEO Gemstone Group; Sim Shagaya, Founder, uLesson Educational Ltd.; Stanley Jacob, CEO of Stanbic IBTC Financial Services Ltd.; Ade Bajomo, President Fintech Nigeria, and Yvonne Johnson, Managing Director/Co-founder, Indicina.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

A group, Salvage Imo Project 2023, has thrown its weight behind Sen. Samuel Anyanwu, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate for the Nov. 11, gubernatorial election in Imo.

The group made this known at its meeting attended by delegates from the 27 Local Government Areas of the state in Owerri, Imo capital.

A statement signed by the Anyanwu’s media consultant, Mike Iwuji, in Abuja on Monday said the group expressed confidence in the capacity of Anyanwu to turn the fortunes of the state around.

He quoted the president of the group, Mr Jude Okafor, as saying that it was supporting Anyanwu because of laudable antecedents and excellent achievements in the various political positions he had occupied.

“Anyanwu attracted projects to his zone and the state during his tenure as senator representing Owerri zone and empowered many youths in small scale businesses.

“Other candidates are good in their own rights but Sen. Anyanwu is better,” Iwuji quoted Okafor as saying.

Iwuji further quoted the Okafor as calling on well-meaning Imo people to support Anyanwu based on his records as former Ikeduru Local Government chairman, and representation of the area in the Imo House of Assembly.

“Sen. Anyanwu (popularly known as Samdaddy), also effectively represented Owerri Zone (Imo East) in the Senate where he was chairman of chaired notable committees.

“All these portray the PDP candidate as a grassroots politician who will consequently use his humane approach and people-oriented policies to address the numerous challenges bedevilling Imo State.

“These challenges include insecurity, lack of social welfare for Imo residents, rising inflation, poor rural infrastructural development and lack of human capital development,” he said.

He quoted Mr Franklin Eze, who spoke on behalf of the LGA coordinators as saying that serious mobilisation efforts had commenced, especially at the grassroots, to garner massive votes for Anyanwu.

A representative of Imo Business Community, Chief Felix Nwabueze, Iwuji said, urged Imo people to vote for Anyanwu because he has the interest of the state at heart.

According to him, Anyanwu emerging as the governor will be a good thing that will happen to the state.

He urged his supporters not to be violent but always play according to the rules of the game before, during and after the election.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has reiterated its commitment to ensure full implementation of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act 2010.

The Executive Secretary of the Board, Mr Simbi Wabote, said this at the 2023 Nigerial Oil and Gas (NOG) Energy Week on Monday in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the conference was themed: “Nigerian Content Role in Achieving Energy Security.”

Wabote said the implementation of the Act would help to drive development and utilisation of in-country capacities.

He said the NOG conference would continue to serve as an excellent platform to provide clarity, expositions, tips, and guidance to industry practitioners on the provisions of the NOGICD Act (2010).

He said it aimed to provide ministerial regulations, guidelines, tools and initiatives such as the Nigerian Content Equipment Certificate (NCEC), the Nigerian Content Intervention Funds (NCIFund) and Expatriate Quota, among others.

”We believe this will provide a good basis to facilitate the understanding of one of the key enactments guiding the oil and gas industry in Nigeria.

”We have selected three processes and initiatives for a deep dive during the panel sessions which are the NCEC, the NCIFund, and the HCD Guidelines.

”We aim to provide you the information needed on these selected topics, get feedback on faced challenges, and provide guidance on steps to resolve the challenges free of charge,” he said.

The executive secretary also dwelt on the functions of the Board as stipulated in Section 70 of the NOGICD Act.

This, he said, would serve as a refresher for some of the participants while also providing clarity on misconceptions about some of the board’s interventions.

Wabote said the board had embarked on several initiatives to assist local contractors and Nigeria companies to develop their capabilities and capacity.

”This will ensure further attainment of the goal of developing Nigerian content in the oil and gas industry.

”The board have been able to implement all these projects because of prudent management,” he said.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

A U.S. based cleric, Keith Moore, on Sunday advised Christians to allow peace to reign in their lives.

The cleric gave the advice at the wrap-up of “Impartation Conference 2023”, organised by the Summit Bible Church Abuja.

Moore, who is Founder and President of Moore Life Ministries, said peace comes from God alone, not through one’s possession or “lying on a psychologists couch”.

Citing the Holy Bible from Philippians Chapter four verses six to eight, the cleric said that when the faithful set their minds on God, He would lead them in the path of peace.

“There is no peace for twisted things. We can’t control everything that goes out, but we can control what goes on in our minds.

“Let God’s peace reign and rule in our minds,” he said.

Moore further called on Christians to shun strife in homes and churches in order to sustain the peace of God in their lives.

“Strife is the manifest presence of the devil whereas peace is the manifest presence of the Holy Spirit.

“We must not have manifestations of the enemy in the Church. The strife must stop in our homes and church.

“Strife is a hindrance to the blessing. We have to make up our mind and say we won’t harbour strife.”

He also urged christians to focus on things that were true, noble, just and pure.

On his part, Senior Pastor of Summit Bible Church Abuja, Andy Osakwe, urged Christians to remain focused, so as not to lose sight of the blessings of God.

“There are so many distractions in the world today. We must as God’s children pray fervently so as not to lose hope”.

The highlight of the conference was thanksgiving in songs led by renown gospel artiste, Pastor Nathaniel Bassey.

Other pastors and song ministers who honoured the event included Apostle Michael Orokpo, an itinerant preacher, and Dave Dam, the Koinonia Global Choir Leader, among others.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga has called for incentives to reward those that use cleaner fuels as a measure to reduce air pollution, which affects human health and the environment.

“Vehicle subsidies may be offered for example towards buyers of compressed natural gas (CNG) buses, electric and hydrogen run vehicles. While fare subsidies are known to attract more numbers of commuters from use of private cars,” Chikunga said on Monday in Pretoria.

Addressing the 41st annual Southern African Transport Conference (SATC 2023), she said the contribution of road transport to the Republic of South Africa’s (RSA’s) Greenhouse emissions (GHG) has increased to 95.7% in 2023.

“The road transport is said to be the highest polluter due to its overwhelming impacts. There are almost 13 million vehicle population (12 969 430) on South African roads, 32% (4 158 818) of which are goods vehicle.

“In environmental terms, it is documented that in 2018, the road transport alone was responsible for 91.2% of South Africa’s Green House Gas emissions. Other modes such as aviation, maritime and rail accounted for 5%, 2.2% and 1.6%, respectively,” the Minister said.

The National Department of Transport’s (DoT) is tasked with drafting policy and legislation, which in turn must guide the planning and the building of resilient systems to tackle global transport externalities.

“However, agreeing on policies that will enable internalisation of social costs from GHG emissions globally is no easy task, with differences between the more developed and the less developed countries.

“As government we may have to improve the design of incentives to reward those whose transport production or consumption activities results in positive externalities.

“Taxes or subsidies are here imposed so that private costs absolve society’s full costs and benefits accruing from a transaction. Imposing taxes and subsidies however require lots of data towards establishing the true outcomes,” Chikunga said.

She said subsidies might also be used to influence consumer choices to opt for more environmentally friendly transport mode.

“Policies may be put in place to subsidise capital expenditure, as well as operational expenditure related to public passenger transport. Modal subsidies for public transport buses, railway and taxes may be offered.

“It should be noted that to these ends we have already embarked on a process of developing and implementing a public transport subsidy whose benefits must accrue most importantly to the consumer of public transport,” the Minister said.

These actions are intended to stimulate increased use of less intrusive transport modes, when given subsidies.

In addition, fuel economy standards could be set to capture the mileage travelled per unit of fuel consumed.

She also suggested regulation on emission standards, which may be set to impose a limit on the amount of exhaust that a vehicle happens to be giving off in its tailpipe.

Fuel quality standards may be instituted to limit polluting elements in a fuel type, e.g., lead in gasoline and sulphur in diesel.

The Minister’s call comes as the international community prepares to commemorate Mandela Day, which is calling for focus on dismantling poverty and inequality by acting against climate change and creating resilient food environments.

Mandela Day is an annual global celebration that takes place on 18 July to honour the life and legacy of Nelson Mandela. This day is a call to action for individuals, communities, and organisations to take time to reflect on Mandela’s values and principles and to make a positive impact in their own communities.

Source: South African Government News Agency

The South African Police Service (SAPS) has reported that five trucks were torched on the N4 highway near Machardodorp in Mpumalanga last night.

The incident took place just before midnight yesterday. Of the five trucks, four were going uphill from Mbombela towards Machardodorp, while the fifth was travelling in the opposite direction, towards Mbombela.

This incident came on the heels of another where six trucks were torched on the Van Reenen’s Pass in KwaZulu-Natal, also during the weekend, by a gang of armed men who forced the truck drivers to stop their trucks.

The gang set all six trucks alight causing the road to be closed to traffic. No injuries were reported. Motorists were urged to delay their trips if possible.

Northbound traffic, heading to Johannesburg, was stopped at Tugela Plaza, while southbound traffic, heading to Durban, was stacked at the top of Van Reenen’s Pass.

With the Mpumalanga incident, the trucks were burnt and that caused massive destruction and loss for different trucking companies.

According to information received, it is alleged that two vehicles, a light delivery vehicle and a sedan with five occupants stopped the trucks, instructed the drivers to take their personal belongings before setting the trucks on fire.

The exact loss suffered is yet to be determined. The motive behind the mayhem is also unclear at this stage.

Police have since launched an investigation into this incident of malicious damage to properties.

Police call on anyone with information regarding the perpetrators to call the Crime Stop number at 08600 10111 or send information via MYSAPSAPP.

All received information will be treated as confidential and callers may opt to remain anonymous.

The Provincial Commissioner of SAPS in Mpumalanga Lieutenant General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela, has strongly condemned the outrageous behaviour of lawlessness displayed in this incident.

“We are a country with laws and we cannot allow our country to be subjected to this kind of criminal behaviour. An example should be made out of the people behind this act,” said Lieutenant General Manamela.

“Besides the great financial loss caused in terms of the damages, other road users were inconvenienced as the road was closed down for hours as police and other role players were busy with investigation and assessment. The perpetrators thereof should be hunted down and be brought to book,” Lieutenant General Manamela said.

Source: South African Government News Agency