ACCESS NEWS
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PHOTO NEWS
As part of efforts to improve agricultural productivity and further de-risk Agriculture, NIRSAL is partnering with Nigerian Meteorological Agency-NiMet to ensure Nigerian farmers receive timely agrometeorological information and advisory services for application in their operations. The partnership will focus on the development of cropping calendars in line with NIRSAL’s focus commodities; creating and developing climate-smart programmes that fall within NIRSAL’s Agricultural Commodity Ecological Areas (ACEAs), and properly dimensioning climatic & atmospheric events from an agricultural standpoint.
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A Monthly Publication of Voices Synergy Nigeria Limited.
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FOUNDER & PUBLISHER Jamil Yusuf EDITOR IN CHIEF Sophia Ogezi
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ACCESS NEWS
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CONTENTS 37 Africa’s Battle for the Soul of it’s Development Bank
14
NEWS BRIEF:
Emefiele Rallies Industrialists in Rebuilding the Economy
15 FIRS Extends Deadline for Financial Institutions to Submit Reports
16
Buhari congratulates Malawi’s Chakwera
17 Oil Elongates Losses as Coronavirus Spike Cools Demand Hopes
18 No tribalism at FIRS, says Nami 20 El-Rufai recommends drastic measures to tackle rape
21 Taraba Government accomplishes 2 hospitals,
33 Systematic Revolution COVER: at the AfDB
700 boreholes
22 FMBN Funds Hit N383bn, Targets N500bn Recapitalisation
24 5G Network Not Inimical to Human Health, NCC, TelCos Insist
25 Kingsley Obiora appointed NEXIM Bank Chairman
26 NIRSAL says N50 billion CBN stimulus
package it is disbursing is a loan not a grant
28 SON urges importers, customs brokers to use its digital platform for cargo clearance
28 North-East Development Commission
Donates Ambulances, Others To Adamawa, Yobe and Gombe States Government
30 Dangote Cement raises N50b short-term capital
42
One Notebook Could Replace All the Productivity Apps That Have Failed You
45 Nigerian Start-up, Bennie Agro Team
23
COVID-19: Tech Start-ups to Get Research Grants from NCC, NITDA & Other Agencies
10 | ACCESS NEWS
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Develops Nigerian-Made Ventilators
46
POLICY:
Nigeria’s IT Agency Issues Ultimatum for Digitization of Public Databases
VOL. 9 / ISSUE 04
ACCESS NEWS
CONTENTS
INNOVATION:
Nigerian Start-up Helium Health Secures $10M Series A Round
47
CBN Seeks Support For Local Production To Revive Nigeria’s Economy
48 CBN pushes active public-private synergy to tackle COVID-19
50
POLITICS:
52
MILESTONES:
Testimonial on Gambari Hassan Usman: A Portrait
61
RELATIONSHIPS:
72
ENTERTAINMENT:
76
SPORT:
41
Making Your Romantic Dreams Come True BANKULI: From Lagos to Los Angeles, Bankuli Is Connecting Dots in the Diaspora Football returns from Covid-19 stoppage despite experts warning of risks
58 Is Video Conferencing Draining Our Productivity?
64
GLOBAL NEWS:
Trump signs executive order against ‘anticonservative bias’ on social media
67 50 journalists lose jobs to robots at Microsoft 68 Trump eyes Mars as U.S. launches first human space-flight in 9 years
69 UK says it will extend Hong-kongers’ visa rights if
64
China pursues security laws
JULY 2020
ACCESS NEWS | 11
PUBLISHER’S NOTE
The Thrill of a New Voyage
I
t is a new dawn for us, as Access News Magazine, formerly known as Murya Magazine, an independent media outlet owned and operated by Voices Synergy Nigeria Limited, begins a technical rebrand and refocus. The verdict for revitalization emerged in a board meeting with our new investors in attendance, where the resolution to rebrand the magazine was reached. The need for the rebrand is simply to raise our journalistic standards, and crucially, to match the visual taste of a now more diverse management board and potential new markets. This does not in any way alienate our loyal and ever-expanding readership. Please remain assured that, as our nation is now thriving on the path of recovery from the Coronavirus pandemic and economic impairment that temporarily crippled the global economy, our conscientiousness will be directed at the principles of good journalism. Given the foregoing, we pledge to accord an equal opportunity to all without discrimination. We believe that you will find Access News Magazine a worthy platform.
One good thing about Nigerians is that we possess the can-do spirit at a considerable level as a result the negative hand dealt us by the economy, a direct result of the Coronavirus affects many. While commending this set of Nigerians who keep persisting against all odds, we would love to encourage those who are burdened by the realities of life that better days are ahead, and please don’t give up! Our cover feature is Akinwumi Ayodeji Adesina, President of the African Development Bank Group, a distinguished development economist and agricultural development expert. Dr. Adesina has been a leader in agricultural innovation for over 30 years. He has contributed greatly to food security in Africa, aimed at improving the lives of millions currently living in poverty, throughout the African continent. Read about his immense contribution to ascertain why he earned a space in our cover in this edition. Away from the nation, it will interest you to know that we lined up for your reading pleasure engaging, enlightening, and empowering sections that will help you make prudent and primed decisions.
We at Voices Synergy Nigeria Limited, publishers of Access News magazine have doubled our resolve to keep giving our clients and stakeholders the best media experience and services.
Our packages are bound to bestow you something to be ecstatic about. We rely on performers in the Nigerian respective sectors for advert patronage, media partnership, and support to thrive.
It is pertinent to note that each year comes with its challenges, which must be addressed not by the old methods we are used to but new ways of working things out for successful outcomes. Success comes through hard work and persistence and as the saying goes, “If you are persistent you will get it if you are consistent you will keep it”.
Jamil Yusuf Publisher
ACCESS NEWS is published monthly by Voices Synergy Ltd. Opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of Voices Synergy Ltd. Or ACCESS NEWS. Information has been included in good faith by the publisher and is believed to be correct at the time of going to print. No responsibility can be accepted for errors and omissions. Prices are based on exchange rates at the time of going to press. Copyright © 2020. All rights reserved.
JULY 2020
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Mr Godwin Emefiele, CBN Governor
Source: www.naijanewspapers.com.ng
THE NATION
The CBN’s is willing to provide foreign exchange to companies that required such for raw materials and machinery that could not be obtained in Nigeria
Emefiele Rallies Industrialists in Rebuilding the Economy
T
he Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele, has urged industrial conglomerates to support efforts aimed at revamping and growing the Nigerian economy.
He also warned that the CBN would not support the importation of items that can be produced in Nigeria as it could not spend the nation’s foreign exchange reserves on what would not boost the economy and generate jobs for Nigerians.
advantage of its large population to market their products, which he noted could be produced in Nigeria and exported to the rest of the world. He also pledged the CBN’s willingness to provide foreign exchange to companies that required such for raw materials and machinery that could not be obtained in Nigeria.
A recent statement from the central bank quoted the CBN governor as saying this while speaking during a virtual meeting with chief executive officers (CEOs) of conglomerates in Nigeria.
With the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCTFA) now billed to commence in January 2021, Emefiele said Nigeria provided the companies with immense opportunities to produce their items and make huge profits through the Nigerian market, which he noted was large enough to support their respective businesses.
Emefiele said the CBN, in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s desire, was determined to return the economy to the period when the manufacturing and agricultural sectors formed its base.
The CBN governor also assured the companies that the bank will collaborate with government agencies to help check smuggling, while also promising to protect their businesses to ensure they succeed in Nigeria.
The governor, while acknowledging the challenge of low crude oil prices to major economies of the world, expressed confidence that the price of crude would not remain low for a long period.
Similarly, he assured the CEOs of the bank’s willingness to collaborate with other fiscal authorities to improve on their ease of doing business in Nigeria, with a view to simplifying their import and export processes.
While also emphasising that the low crude oil prices were surmountable, he added that Nigeria’s foreign reserves of about $37 billion remained robust to support the economy. He, therefore, enjoined the conglomerates to key into the current administration’s drive to diversify the Nigerian economy by taking 14 | ACCESS NEWS
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On the issue of Direct Foreign Investments (FDIs), Emefiele said the bank was not opposed to the conglomerates seeking alternative but legitimate sources of foreign exchange to boost their businesses, just as he said the CBN would not hinder the companies from repatriating their dividends.
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THE NATION
FIRS Extends Deadline for Financial Institutions to Submit Reports
T
he Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has extended the deadline for the submission of 2019 financial accounts reports under the Common Reporting Standard (CRS) to September 30, 2020.
However, Executive Chairman, FIRS, Mr. Muhammad Nami, in a statement recently posted on Twitter, said the adjustment in submission deadline was in recognition of the challenges faced by financial institutions, which may result in the delay in reporting financial account information. Mr Muhammad Nami, FIRS Executive Chairman
He said the service had been inundated with requests for an extension of the time of filing reports by the institutions. Nami explained that the FIRS was committed to providing, as a priority, support to all taxpayers to ease their tax compliance obligations at all times, particularly during the COVID-19 restrictions. He urged all financial institutions to take advantage of the extension to prepare and finalise relevant information as required under the Income Tax (Common Reporting Standard) Regulations 2019 and its related guidelines for reporting by September 30. The service had earlier outlined measures to support taxpayers in managing their tax obligations during the current challenging times occasioned by the effects of COVID-19. Earlier this month, it had announced a decision to waive interests accruable to debts as well as the related penalties for defaulting taxpayers if they fully settle their indebtedness on or before May 31. Nami had said the concession was only valid for taxpayers who make full payments within the deadline.
Source: www.nairametrics.com
Financial institutions were initially directed to file their reports under the Automatic Exchange of Information Common Reporting Standard (AEOI-CRS) regulations on May 31.
The regulations require a financial institution in respect of the 2019 calendar year and every subsequent calendar year, to file an “Information Return” with the FIRS. However, where a reporting financial institution has identified no reportable account, the regulations require such an institution to file an Information Return with the FIRS, stating that it maintained no reportable accounts for that year. The deadline for the submission of the Information Return under the regulations was initially May 31, of the year following the calendar year to which the return relates. The regulations further stipulated various penalties for non-compliance with reporting requirements, up to a maximum sum of N10 million in the first month of the default and N1 million for each subsequent months in which the default continues.
He had previously directed businesses to commence payment of their annual returns earlier than the due date, apart from their normal monthly obligations. The revenue agency had earlier issued the Income Tax (Common Reporting Standard (CRS)) Regulations, 2019 pursuant to its powers under Section 61 of the FIRS (Establishment) Act, 2007. The regulations, which took effect from July 1, 2019, gives effect to the provisions of many instruments.
The service has been inundated with requests for an extension of the time of filing reports by the institutions. JULY 2020
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THE NATION
Buhari congratulates Malawi’s Chakwera
P
resident Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated Malawi’s opposition alliance leader, Lazarus Chakwera, the winner of the country’s presidential election re-run.
The alliance won the re-run five months after the first vote with 58.57 per cent of the total votes as declared by the country’s electoral commission. President Buhari’s congratulatory message was conveyed by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, in Abuja on Sunday. The Nigerian leader said: “Greetings from the government and people of Nigeria.
O
il prices slid for a second straight session on Monday as coronavirus cases rose in the United States and other places, leading some countries to resume partial lock-downs that could hurt fuel demand. Brent crude dropped 83 cents, or two per cent, to $40.19 a barrel by 0456 GMT, while U.S. crude was at $37.69, down 80 cents, or 2.1 per cent.
”I congratulate you and the alliance on your impressive victory in the elections.
Brent crude is set to end June with a third consecutive monthly gain after major global producers extended an unprecedented 9.7 million barrels per day supply cut agreement into July, while oil demand improved after countries across the globe eased lock-down measures.
”I look forward to working with you for the advancement of peace, security and development of the entire continent.”
However, global coronavirus cases exceeded 10 million on Sunday as India and Brazil battled outbreaks of over 10,000 cases daily.
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THE NATION
Oil Elongates Losses as Coronavirus Spike Cools Demand Hopes supplies, crude inventories in the U.S., the world’s largest oil producer and consumer, have hit all-time highs. “There is also a risk that gains in prices recently could see some U.S. shale producers, restart wells,’’ ANZ analysts said. Even as the number of operating oil and natural gas rigs dropped to a record low last week, higher oil prices are prompting some producers to resume drilling. “In the next one-two weeks, we should see an up-tick in rig count commensurate with the pick-up in oil production,’’ OCBC’s Lee said. Elsewhere, U.S. shale oil pioneer, Chesapeake Energy Corp, filed for bankruptcy protection on Sunday as it bowed to heavy debts and the impact of coronavirus outbreak on energy markets. The Brent crude price is supported at $39.80 a barrel while WTI’s support level is at $37, OANDA Senior Market Analyst, Jeffrey Halley, said, referring to technical charts. “A daily close below these points will signal that a much deeper correction is upon oil markets,’’ he said. Halley added that a deteriorating COVID-19 picture in the U.S. would be the most likely driver of lower prices. î Source: Reuters/NAN New outbreaks are reported in countries including China, New Zealand and Australia, prompting governments to impose restrictions again. “The second wave contagion is alive and well,’’ Howie Lee, an economist at Singapore’s OCBC bank, said. “That is capping the bullish sentiment that we’ve seen in the last six to eight weeks.’’ Other factors restricting oil prices’ advance at this stage include poor refining margins, high oil inventories and the resumption of the U.S. production, Lee said.
In the next one-two weeks, we should see an uptick in rig count commensurate with the pick-up in oil production
Despite efforts by OPEC+ – the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and allies including Russia – to reduce JULY 2020
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THE NATION
No tribalism at FIRS, says Nami
E
xecutive Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Mr. Muhammad Nami, has denied allegations of tribalism and ethnicity against him.
The denial was contained in a statement issued recently by Director, Communication and Liaison, Abdullahi Ismail Ahmad. According to Mr. Nami, “the FIRS is one national institution which any Nigerian joins and is assured of rising to the very top in the hierarchy based on his or her individual competence and hard work on the job, and not on the basis of any tribal or religious affiliation.” The Executive Chairman stated: “If any FIRS worker had been a victim of tribalism or religious discrimination in the past, I say to such marginalized worker: Not anymore and not on my watch at the FIRS.” Therefore, Mr. Nami pointed out that claims in a section of the media alleging appointments and retirements along ethnic and religious lines at the FIRS “is very far from the truth in relation to publicly available evidence.”
“In doing that, the FIRS Board considered subsisting issues in the Service which have to do with career progression. “Management had observed that there was stagnation in career progression in the Service because some directors had served for about 10 years while younger members of staff who also possessed requisite expertise could not progress in their career line. Some staff had taken a number of promotion examinations and had passed but could not be promoted. The affected staff and the staff unions had complained to the Management to intervene in the situation. “Consequent upon the appointment and inauguration of the new Executive Chairman together with the Board by the Federal Government, the career progression issue was tabled before the Board on March 20, 2020. In its wisdom, the Board used its prerogative to direct the nine directors to be retired immediately. “The retirement of the directors was a selfless and courageous decision taken in compliance with the laws. It was done in good faith and in the best interest of the Service.
The statement continued:
“The Board of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) in a meeting held on Friday, March 20, 2020, took the decision and approved that all directors who had served in the FIRS for eight years and above should be retired. “The FIRS Board took that decision in line with Paragraph 10.1(a)(iii) of Human Resources Policy and Programmes (HRPP)” of the FIRS after considering a number of career progression complaints by some staff in the Service. “Worthy of note is that FIRS Establishment Act, 2007, Section 7 empowers the FIRS Board to take certain far-reaching decisions in the interest of the Service and by extension, the country. “Specifically, Section 7 (d) states that the Board shall… “employ and determine the terms and conditions of service including disciplinary measures of the employees of the Service”. Section 7(J) states that the Board shall “do such other things which in its opinion are necessary to ensure the efficient/performance of the functions of the Service under this Act”. “It is in the discharge of such responsibilities that the Board approved the retirement of the nine directors who had spent eight years and above as directors as provided by the FIRS statutes. 18 | ACCESS NEWS
JULY 2020
“To further portray its good intentions, the Board of FIRS reappointed five of the retired directors either as Coordinating Directors or as Special Advisers in the Service. This way, the junior colleagues could have the opportunity to rise in their career line. “It is unfortunate that some unnamed individuals were quoted in a section of the media alleging that the FIRS did not follow due process in retiring the directors and in appointing new ones. “The retirement exercise and the appointment of new directors were not done in secret or with ulterior motives. The FIRS issued a press statement announcing their retirement and the appointment of new directors. This information is in the public domain for anyone interested to verify. “The newly appointed directors out of the nine retired directors are Chiaka Okoye (an Igbo) the Group Lead, Digital Support Group and a member of the management team; Mr. Olufemi Faniyi (a Yoruba) the Coordinating Director, Tax Operations Group and a member of the management team; Dr. Asheikh Madugu (a Kanuri) the Acting Coordinating Director, ECFIRS Group and a member of the management team; Mr. Innocent Ohagwa (an Igbo) the Acting Coordinating Director, Support Services Group and a member of the management team; Mr. Ezra Zubairu ( a Northern Christian) the Acting Coordinating Director, Compliance Support Group and a member of the management team. While Mrs. Faosat Oguniyi (a Yoruba Muslim) who is not among the nine retired directors is the Group Lead, Enforcement Support Group, and also a member of the management team. Kola Okunola (a Yoruba) and Auta Mohammed (a Hausa) have been retained as Special Advisors ICT and Administration respectively. And Nneka Ofekwuna (an Igbo) is the Board Secretary.
Source: pmnewsnigeria.com
“The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) wishes to clarify that the recent staff retirement exercise which affected nine directors was done in full compliance with the law and in the best interest of the Service and the country, contrary to insinuations in a section of the media.
A section of the media alleged that the FIRS did not follow due process in retiring the directors and in appointing new ones
Mr Muhammad Nami, Executive Chairman, FIRS JULY 2020
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THE NATION
El-Rufai recommends drastic measures to tackle rape
G
ov. Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State has said that drastic action was needed to tackle rape, including vigorous law enforcement to prosecute rapists in the country.
El-Rufai made this known at a virtual meeting organised by the Movement against Rape and Sexual Violence (MARS-V). The governor said that the state had provided a law that provided life imprisonment for anyone convicted of the rape of a minor and 21 years for rape of an adult. El-Rufai said it was important for parents to teach their male children, the importance of respecting women from childhood. The governor noted that the fear of stigmatisation, breakdown of the judicial system and lack of detailed investigation were some of the factors hindering the prosecution of cases of rape and gender based violence. He called for the training of victims and law enforcement officers on the preservation of evidence for successful prosecution of rape cases. According to him, there was also a seeming conspiracy of silence by traditional and religious leaders, “where society as a whole insists on covering up cases of rape.” 20 | ACCESS NEWS
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‘’One of the primary challenges faced in the fight against gender based violence is the breakdown in the judicial process, which results in delay in justice being served and it could also be as a result of corruption, personal beliefs and laxity of some judges,’’ he added. “Most of those charged with the investigation of Gender-Based-Violence (GBV) are not well trained, and can be easily compromised through corruption,’’ but incompetence was however, the primary problem.’’ The governor advised that ‘’victims should also be sensitised on the importance of keeping evidence, to ensure that perpetrators of such heinous acts are brought to justice.’’ According to him, though rape is a criminal offence that needs to be proven beyond reasonable doubt, there is often “no preservation of evidence after rape, either by the victims or by officials put in charge of investigating such cases.’’ El-Rufai said that Kaduna State has put measures in place to fight against rape and GBV, having domesticated the Child Rights Act in February 2018. ‘’Under the state’s Child Welfare and Protection Law, girls are not allowed to get married until they complete their secondary school education,
which in essence means marriages can’t happen until the age of 18,‘’ he disclosed. El-Rufai said that the state had also passed the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, which will help to speed up the trial of criminal matters, adding that it also established four sexual assault referral centres for medical and psychological counselling.
Taraba Government accomplishes 2 hospitals, 700 boreholes
The wife of the governor, Hajiya Ummi El-Rufai, who was one of the panellists, called for ‘’ harsher and more extreme laws against rape.” Ummi argued that the present laws are not even being implemented and that there was a need for more stringent ones to serve as deterrent to would-be rapists. While noting that rapists are becoming more violent and brazen by the day, she asked “why don’t we have laws that are addressing these gender based violence issues?” The wife of the governor emphasised the need for parents to always speak up when their children are raped and not cover up the problem. She called for a joint effort between government agencies and Non-Governmental Organisations to speak out with one strong voice in condemning rape and other GBV. In her remarks, Minister of Women Affairs, Pauline Tallen, explained that the rape epidemic has existed for a long time in Nigeria, adding that women and girls have always been disproportionally affected by GBV. The minister who said that for every one rape case that is reported, about 10 other cases go unreported, underscored the need to eliminate vices that violated the fundamental rights of women and girls. Tallen also stressed the importance of credible and verifiable database to aid the more efficient ways of carrying out decisions on GBV. She also called for collaboration between governmental agencies such as NAPTIP and NGOs in tacking rape cases and other GBV. The minister who campaigned for girl-child education, also advocated for the provision of one million sanitary pads for them, including more shelters for gender based violence victims. î Source: NAN
G
ov. Darius Ishaku of Taraba, said his administration had completed 700 boreholes and two hospital projects in the state. Isiaku said the hospital projects were executed at Bambur and Gembu in Karim-Lamido and Sardauna Local Government Areas. He said this while addressing the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) supporters at a reception organised for him at Rimi Primary School, Tukum. ”Apart from health and water sectors, my administration had turned around the education, agricultural and social sectors, to improve the living conditions of our people,” he said. Ishaku said his administration’s rehabilitation of Takum General Hospital made it possible for the hospital to provide quality service to the urban town and surrounding communities. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Ishaku, who was visiting his hometown, Takum, for the first time since his re-election in 2019, was received by a mammoth crowd, some of whom
climbed trees to have a glimpse of him. ”Many communities in the area would soon enjoy uninterrupted power supply courtesy of soon to be commissioned 40MW electricity dam project in Kashimbila, Takum LGA. ”Others to enjoy also are Donga, Ussa, Wukari and Ibi Local Government Areas while the Yangtu Special Development Area would soon enjoy uninterrupted power supply. ”We will liaise with relevant federal authorities and the World Bank to improve irrigation activities and water supply to the rural communities since Kashimbila project is a multi-purpose one,” he said. Ishaku, who was in Takum to vote in the upcoming Local Government Council Election, scheduled for June 30, called on the people of the area to conduct themselves peacefully as they elect candidates of their choice. Traditional dances and other cultural displays added colour to the event. Source: NAN
JULY 2020
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THE NATION
FMBN Funds Hit N383bn, Targets N500bn Recapitalisation
T
he Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria ((FMBN) has succeeded in increasing the National Housing Fund (NHF) from N232 billion it generated in 25 years to N383 billion in the last three years, an addition of N151 billion. The NHF is a social savings scheme designed to mobilise long-term funds from Nigerian workers, banks, insurance companies and the federal government to advance concessionary loans to contributors.
The Managing Director of the bank, Mr. Dangiwa Ahmed, who spoke recently during a webinar tagged “Covid-19: Housing as a Solution-FMBN Leading Through the Crisis”, explained that in the last three years, a lot of innovations had been introduced to the NHF to attract more contributors. He was joined at the meeting by the Director, Loans and Mortgage, FMBN, Rahimatu Aminu-Aliyu; ex-President, Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria (REDAN), Mr. Ugochukwu Chime; Dr Banjo Obaleye of Infinity Mortgage Bank; Head, Strategy and Performance, FMBN, Oladapo Obaleye; and Aliyu Wammako. According to Ahmed, in terms of loans disbursement, the FMBN had approved N128 billion, while N94 billion had already been disbursed to the beneficiaries. On the transparency of the bank’s operations, he noted that the FMBN was regulated by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), adding that all the strict rules that apply to other banks also applied to the bank which was established in 1956, then called the National Building Society (NBS). He emphasised that in recent times, the bank has improved its turnaround time by 30 per cent, generating mortgage loans for 4,000 houses and housing renovation loans for 43,000 buildings. He said of all states in the country, only Oyo and Kano had not joined the contributory scheme, explaining that the focus is to get the 36 states on board, get institutional investors to sign on, integrate the informal sector and partner diaspora mortgages. He said: “When we came on board, many of the states were not contributing. We had to bring them on board. Only two states have not joined, that is Kano and Oyo. We have improved in that aspect. We have improved the register of employers. 22 | ACCESS NEWS
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Mr. Dangiwa Ahmed, Managing Director, Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria
Source: Business Post Nigeria
The mortgage bank also disclosed that the contributors to the fund had increased from 4.5 million to 5 million, adding that the plan to recapitalise the fund to at least N500 billion to be able to tackle the housing problem in the country is almost materialising.
“We have brought in additional 1,629 from the 22,000 we met. Now, we have 23,716, over five million contributors, with over 500,000 added in the last three years.” The chief executive of the bank said that cooperative societies had also been introduced to the scheme to encourage the informal sector, swelling the rank of the participants in the scheme by another 1,179 contributors. He added: “When we came, the fund had collected N232 billion so far. We realised it was not enough. So, within the last three years, we have generated N151 billion more to the N232 billion the bank generated in 25 year, that is from 1992-2017. Now, we have a total of N383 in the fund.” Ahmed noted that the bank was working hard to ensure that all those who have exited the fund get their refund, stressing that from N10.8 billion, the FMBN has now added N23.8 billion to make N34 billion. “We are recapitalising the bank to the tune of N500 billion and we have gone very far. We are also reviewing the NHF and FMBN Act to tackle housing deficit,” he noted. On the Covid-19 impact on debtors, he said that each of the cases will be treated on their merit, adding that those who deserve it will be granted a moratorium, especially the self-employed.
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ACCESS NEWS
THE NATION
Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, Minister of Communications & Digital Economy
N
igeria’s Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, has directed all agencies under the supervision of the Ministry to provide research grants for innovative solutions geared towards fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. The agencies include the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Nigerian Communications Satellite Systems, Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST), and Galaxy Backbone. In his remarks during the Nigeria COVID-19 innovation challenge; vir-
Source: www.twitter.com/@NITDA
COVID-19: Tech Start-ups to Get Research Grants from NCC, NITDA & Other Agencies With COVID-19, there is a need to fast-track the implementation of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy for a Digital Nigeria. ICT will play a great role in supporting contact tracing and physical distancing in the war against the virus
tual demo day and prize-giving ceremony organized by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Pantami further directed the agencies to incubate the proposed solutions and Transfer / Deploy solutions to relevant government agencies. At the ceremony research grants of 2.2 Million Naira were presented to 3 innovative Nigerian startups who participated in the innovation challenge. According to Dr. Pantami, “With COVID-19, there is a need to fast-track the implementation of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy for a Digital Nigeria. ICT will play a great role in supporting contact tracing and physical distancing in the war against the virus.” JULY 2020
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THE NATION
5G Network Not Inimical to Human Health, NCC, TelCos Insist There are many parts of the world that do not have 5G coverage yet, but are still affected by the virus
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he Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) have reiterated that electromagnetic emission from 5G network has no adverse effect on human health. They also said the technology had no link with COVID-19 pandemic currently ravaging the world. They spoke in separate telephone interviews with THISDAY, while reacting to a recent call for the suspension of 5G roll-out in Nigeria by the Senate, pending the outcome of investigation by its committees detailed to assess the health implications of 5G network. The Senate had called for the suspension of 5G deployment in the country until after a probe to ascertain the technology’s suitability to human health. The decision to probe 5G and its implications for Nigerians’ health was adopted following a motion sponsored by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Science and Technology, Senator Uche Ekwunife, PDP, Anambra Central senatorial district. Reacting to the development, the Director, Technical Standards and Network Integrity at NCC, Mr. Bako Wakil, welcomed the move by the Senate, saying the NCC would be ready to give further explanations on 5G, if invited. 24 | ACCESS NEWS
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“We will wait for the Senate’s invitation and answer them appropriately in line with global standards for the deployment of 5G network. The invitation should be extended to all stakeholders and experts in the field of telecommunications because Nigerians must be educated on the economic relevance of 5G,” Wakil added. Wakil explained that there were no scientific studies to show that electromagnetic emissions from telecoms facilities, including mobile phones, could cause health hazard to humans. Also, the Director, Public Affairs at NCC, Dr. Henry Nkemadu, said NCC was yet to licence any operator to deploy 5G network in Nigeria, even though most countries have commenced roll-out of 5G network. “There is no deployment of 5G in Nigeria at the moment. NCC had in November 2019, approved trial test for 5G for a period of three months and the trial has been concluded and installation decommissioned. “The trial, among others, was to study and observe any health or security challenges the 5G network might present,” Nkemadu said. Chairman of ALTON, Mr. Gbenga Adebayo, told THISDAY that the plan by the Senate to investigate 5G network in Nigeria should be commended.
He said the move was part of their oversight functions, adding that the outcome would be for the benefit of all Nigerians. According to him, “Senate is only trying to seek more understanding about the operations of 5G, which in my view is a welcomed development because it is all about information gathering that will help them to be better informed about 5G network. “There is no iota of truth that 5G technology is the cause of the COVID-19 pandemic and it has no adverse effect on human health. The virus is also spreading in places without 5G networks like Nigeria. “There are many parts of the world that do not have 5G coverage yet, but are still affected by the virus,” Adebayo said. 5G is a fifth generation mobile technology, which is an improvement on today’s 4G technology with enhanced capabilities. It is a technology developed as a protocol for mobile network, with higher speed of internet connectivity. 5G technology provides the platform for new and emerging technologies such as Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI) and big data to improve the way people live and work.
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Kingsley Obiora Appointed NEXIM Bank Chairman Dr. Kingsley Obiora, who was nominated as CBN Deputy Governor, in January 16, 2020, and resumed duty on March 2, 2020, served as special assistant to President Goodluck Jonathan’s Chief Economic Adviser from October 2011 to May 2014. He was also the Special Adviser on Economic Matters to the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, from June 2014 to July 2018. He has his first degree in Economics from the University of Benin, and also Masters and Doctorate degrees in Economics from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria.
Kingsley Obiora, NEXIM Bank Chairman
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Source: TV360 Nigeriai
The statement from NEXIM adds that its Managing Director/Chief Executive, Abba Bello, welcomes Obiora, on behalf of the board and management of the bank, and wishes him a successful tenure in office. NEXIM Bank is an export credit financial institution that was established by the Federal Government in 1991 to replace the Nigerian Export Credit Guarantee and Insurance Corporation. It provides export credit guarantees and export credit insurance for exports of Nigerian commodities and services within and outside West Africa.
he Deputy Governor, Economic Policy CBN Kingsley Obiora, has taken over as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the NEXIM.
The Deputy Governor, Economic Policy, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Kingsley Obiora, has taken over as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM). He replaces Joseph Nnanna, who was a former Deputy Governor of CBN and retired from the Board of NEXIM in February 2020. This was recently disclosed in a statement to the general public and signed by the Head, Strategy & Corporate Communications of NEXIM Bank, Tayo Omidiji. The statement says: “With this appointment, Obiora will provide leadership to a multidisciplinary team of professionals that constitute the board of the bank, towards ensuring that the bank achieves its mandate of promoting economic diversification and development of the Nigerian non-oil export sector.” The statement also adds that Obiora will bring to bear on NEXIM Bank, his wealth of experience as a seasoned economist and technocrat, having joined the International Monetary Fund (IMF) through the globally-competitive ‘Economist Program’ in 2007 and worked in both the European Department as well as the Strategy, Policy, and Review Department of the Fund.
With this appointment, Obiora will provide leadership to a multidisciplinary team of professionals that constitute the board of the bank
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NIRSAL says N50 billion CBN stimulus package is a loan not a grant
The facility from CBN, which is to be disbursed through the NIRSAL Microfinance Bank Ltd (NMBL), had recorded about 80,000 applications as at April. However, this program has not been without some hiccups with many applicants complaining about difficulties in assessing the facility. During an interview with ChannelsTV, the Managing Director of NIRSAL Microfinance Bank Plc, Abubakar Kure, explained why there were difficulties in disbursing the facility to the applicants. He disclosed that the nationwide lock-down and restrictions had been a major challenge to the smooth processing of the facility. This was also compounded by the inability of some of the applicants to secure guarantors. According to Kure, “You are all aware of the lockdown across the country and major cities. We have lockdown around Kano, Lagos, Port Harcourt, and incidentally Kaduna. So all these major cities constitute a significant part of the applicants who applied for COVID-19 [loans]. We are actually thinking outside the box to see how we can reach them so that they can come and have the loans. “Currently what we do is that we are using digitalization in the form of emails. We send emails to those who have email accounts, we print their offer letters, send back to them, do the documentations and they are able to draw-down. ‘’The most important thing is about the lockdown and that’s why the credit facility was created. It also constitutes a challenge.” Going further he said, ‘’We are improving our processes, systems, people to be able to meet up with the expectations. You are fully aware that this loan is for a short term. It’s a short term seamless package by Central Bank intended to cushion the effect on businesses and people. However, because of the lockdown and the restriction of people, there have been delays. We have also noticed the issue around guarantors.”
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The NMFB boss, while explaining, also encouraged qualified individuals to come forward and guarantee the approved applicants because they had viable businesses. He said that the ones that had been evaluated were very successful SMEs with the capacity to pay back. On why the difficulty in disbursing the credit facility considering that it was supposed to be a short term facility to cater for businesses and households during the period of pandemic and lockdown, Mr Kure said, “This is a loan and not a grant, you are required to sign offer letters in terms of documentation that need to be signed so that it requires physical interaction between the bank i.e. NIRSAL Microfinance bank as well as the customers. So customers are unable to even come to sign the documentations and customers are even unable to get guarantors.” However, as part of the solution to this challenge, Kure said the bank was trying to enlighten the customers about other channels of payment like mobile applications and the USSD. He said that those that we’re able to finish their documentation and sign offer letters, a fundamental aspect of the loan, could draw-down. On the number of applicants that had benefited so far from the facility, the NMFB MD said, “If you go to our website, we have over 1000 applicants that are enjoying the facilities. The build-up is expected in a few days to come.” He also disclosed that NIRSAL Microfinance bank had received N5 billion from CBN for about 5,000 applicants and they hoped to disburse about 90% of that in a few weeks to come. This disbursement from the apex bank was collaborated by CBN’s Director for Development Finance, Yusuf Yila, who said that they had disbursed N5 billion for 5,000 applicants through the NMFB. On the kind of collateral needed for small businesses, Kure said they were usually soft collaterals that ranged from guarantors to movable assets like cars, equipment, and so on, unlike large volume ticket collaterals for big businesses. He said the most important thing to consider in the approval was the cash flow and the ability to pay back the facility. He also disclosed that the households constituted about 65% of the applications that were received.
Source: www.wikicommons.org: NIRSAL House, Abuja
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s part of the stimulus package announced by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to help mitigate the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the economy and businesses, the apex bank introduced an N50 billion Targeted Credit Facility (TCF) in March 2020, to support households and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) that have been affected by the pandemic.
This is a loan and not a grant, you are required to sign offer letters in terms of documentation so physical interaction between NIRSAL Microfinance bank and the customer is needed
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Source: www.thisdaylive.com
Mr Osita Aboloma, Director-General, SON
SON urges importers, customs brokers to use its digital platform for cargo clearance
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mporters and their customs clearing agents have been urged to use the digital platform of Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) while process release of their consignments.
The SON in a recent statement advised shippers and their agents at both seaports and airport to utilize its automated service offerings while processing their cargo clearance documents as it announced that it had resumed operations nationwide. The automated services, according to SON, include certification for locally manufactured and imported products, product registration, ports and borders clearance and service charge payments among others. Osita Aboloma, director general of SON, said the advice was important to reduce physical presence at its offices to the barest minimum, for the safety and well-being of all. The SON boss directed staff all over the nation on grade levels 14 and above to resume work thrice a week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9am to 2pm. “All staff must observe all the guidelines provided by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, including use of thermometer to check body temperature, physical distancing, use of barrier masks and basic hygiene such as regular washing of hands with soap and water as well as use of alcohol based hand sanitizers,� Aboloma was quoted in the statement. Departmental heads and state coordinators were directed to draw up rosters to ensure rotational attendance by the staff, to avoid overcrowding of the office spaces while providing basic services to stakeholders.
North-East Development Commission Donates Ambulances to Adamawa, Yobe and Gombe State Governments
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he North-East Development Commission has donated two ambulances, medical equipment and one transformer to the Adamawa State Government in a bid to help stop the spread of COVID-19 in the country. NEDC also presented food items and condiments to the government to be distributed to residents of the state. Director of Internal Audit at NEDC, Yerima Gashiye, who represented the Managing Director, Mohammed Goni Alkali, said the commission was partnering governments in the North-East region to stop the spread of Coronavirus. The NEDC had earlier provided the state government with 1,000 Personal protective equipment, two ventilators and other medical items. The NEDC has also donated food items and medical equipment to Gombe state. Two ambulances, Two ventilators, thousands of surgical and ordinary face masks are some of the distributed items.
The statement enjoined staff of SON in the 42 offices across the 36 states to ensure strict compliance with all guidelines and directives by the Government in their respective States.
The items are to be distributed to the poor and physically challenged while the medical equipment is primarily to be used in caring for coronavirus patients.
It concluded that prior to the resumption of work, SON offices have been disinfected to guarantee the safety of staff and customers. ďƒŽ
The deputy governor, Manassah Jatau who received the support on behalf of the government was full
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Source: Forefront Nigeria
NEDC Donates fully equipped ambulances to Bauchi State.
of gratitude, promising that it would get to those who need them the most. The emir of Gombe led the committee responsible for the distribution of the items. The government assured that soon, the palliatives would start to get to the people.
While receiving the ambulances, food and medical consumables, the Yobe state deputy governor and chairman of the COVID-19 committee, Idi Barde Gubana commended the NEDC for the intervention and promised to distribute them accordingly. The food items donated include rice, maize, vegetable among others, while the medical consumables earlier presented include personal protective equipments, two ventilators, hand-gloves among others.ďƒŽ
Similarly, the NEDC has donated two ambulances, food and medical consumables worth millions of Naira to the Yobe state government. The Managing Director of the NEDC, Alhaji Goni Alkali stated this while presenting the items to the state deputy governor and chairman COVID-19 committee Idi Barde Gubana in Damaturu. Managing Director of the North East Development Commission represented by the Executive Director Admin and finance Alhaji Muhammad Jawa Gashua, said the gesture was aimed at complement Yobe state government effort in providing succour to the less privilege and to strengthen the health system in the state.
The gesture was aimed at complement Yobe state government effort in providing succor to the less privilege and to strengthen the health system in the state
He explained that all the six states in the North East would benefit from the intervention.
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Dangote Cement raises N50b short-term capital
Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Chairman, Dangote Group
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angote Cement Plc is seeking to raise N50 billion in additional short-term debt capital as the Sub-Saharan Africa’s largest cement group is going to leverage its top-notch rating to deepen balance sheet and drive overall growth.
Source: www..cnbc.com
Dangote Cement, Nigeria’s most capitalised quoted company is offering Series 15 and 16 under its N150 billion commercial paper (CP) issuance programme. Dangote Cement plans to raise N50 billion across the two series. Dangote Cement is offering 175-day CP with effective yield of 5.0000 per cent and a discount rate of 4.8833 per cent under its 15th series. The 16th series CP is a 266-day instrument with effective and discount yield of 6.0000 per cent and 5.7492 per cent. Minimum subscription for the two offers was N5 million and thereafter in multiples of N1,000. The CPs, which are not subjected to withholding taxes, would be allotted today, after the closure of the application list. With an installed capacity of 45.6 metric tonnes across its operations in 10 African countries, Dangote Cement is assigned AA+ long-term rating by GCR and Aa2.ng long-term rating by Moody’s. It is one of the few companies in Nigeria with a rating of AA+. Dangote Cement had last month successfully launched its debut bond issuance, a N100 billion bond. The debut bond was the first series under the company’s N300 billion shelf bond issuance programme. The Dangote Cement’s N100 billion Series 1 five-year Fixed Rate Senior Unsecured Bonds would pay fixed coupon twice a year. Dangote Cement stated that it would use the net proceeds of the bond to refinance existing short-term debt previously applied towards cement expansion projects, working capital and general corporate purposes. Dangote Cement will be distributing N272.6 billion to shareholders as cash dividend for the 2019 business year. At its forthcoming annual general meeting, shareholders are expected to approve a board recommendation to distribute a dividend per share of N16. The dividend will become payable on June 16, 2020 to shareholders on the register of the company as at the close of business on May 25. Key extracts of the audited report and accounts for the year ended December 31, 2019 showed that turnover dropped from N901.21 billion in 2018 to N891.67 billion in 2019. Gross profit also declined marginally from N517.90 billion to N511.68 billion. Profit before tax stood at N250.48 billion in 2019 as against N300.81 billion in 2018 while profit after tax dropped from N390.33 billion to N200.52 billion. 30 | ACCESS NEWS
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We’d use the net proceeds of the bond to refinance existing short-term debt previously applied Towards cement Expansion projects The report, meanwhile, indicated that the group’s investments across Africa have started yielding desired results as Pan-African sales volume grew in the year 2019, hitting 9.6 Mt from 9.4 Mt. Dangote Cement Plant, Mtwara, Tanzania, recorded an increase of 94 percent increase in volume within the review period. Dangote Cement Plant, Pout, Senegal put up a remarkable performance with sales up more than 100 percent of rated capacity. Dangote Cement is Africa’s leading cement producer with nearly 46Mta capacity across Africa. It is a fully integrated quarry-to-customer producer, with a production capacity of 29.25Mta in its home market, Nigeria. Obajana plant in Kogi State, Nigeria, is the largest in Africa with 13.25Mta of capacity across four lines; Ibese plant in Ogun State has four cement lines with a combined installed capacity of 12Mta and Gboko plant in Benue state has 4Mta. In addition, Dangote Cement has operations in Cameroon (1.5Mta clinker grinding), Congo (1.5Mta), Ghana (1.5Mta import), Ethiopia (2.5Mta), Senegal (1.5Mta), Sierra Leone (0.5Mta import), South Africa (2.8Mta), Tanzania (3.0Mta), and Zambia (1.5Mta).
The drive to power Africa will be a Joint effort
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Chief Akinwunmi Adesina’s Systematic revolution at the African Development Bank.
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n May 28, 2015, precisely 24 hours after his term as Minister of Agriculture ended in Nigeria, Akinwumi Adesina was elected President of the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) or Banque Africaine de Développement (BAD). Founded in 1964, comprises three entities: The African Development Bank, the African Development Fund and the Nigeria Trust Fund, with a mandate to eradicate poverty and better the lives of Africans. He is the eighth President and first Nigerian, anglophone to hold such a position.
Source: Africa China Press Centre
AfDB is the continent’s foremost multilateral development financial institution, primarily responsible for the economic transformation of the continent. Member states are represented at the AfDB by their Minister of Finance who constitutes the AfDB Board of Governors. The AfDB has an operational presence in 37 African countries with an external office in Japan.
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Adesina swung into action with the clear vision of tackling chronic power shortages, developing the private sector to drive industrialization on the continent, focus on inclusive growth and agricultural reforms to boost Africa’s productivity, establish a fiscal buffer to mitigate against economic risks which prompted the World Bank to split the bank’s sub-Saharan Africa unit into two clusters, West/Central Africa and East/ Southern Africa, with two vice-presidents all pointing to Africa as an investment hub.
Conversely, the French newspaper Le Monde, founded in 1944 at the request of General Charles de Gaulle, published strings of petitions from a group of obscure staff with a modus operandi which gave an impression that, they might be the pawns for vested interests, whose aim is to subvert Adesina’s second term re-election, slated for May.
Indeed, during his first term, the bank saw a huge rise in assets, which comprised the largest capital increase in its annals with a capital base of $208 billion dollars.
Curiously, nothing is linked to under-performance but rather trivial issues such as “unethical behaviour” “preferential treatment, contracts approved in violation of the AfDB’s statutory and ethical rules”etc.
In 2018, the bank floated the Africa Investment Forum (AIF) in Johannesburg, a gainful plan of action, with the sole aim of attracting massive investment into Africa, investors were drawn from the private sector, sovereign wealth funds, pension, government. At the end of the forum, an humongous sum of $38.7 billion was raised in investment. The president’s High Fives of Light up and Power Africa; Feed Africa; Industrialize Africa; Integrate Africa; and Improve the Quality of Life for the People of Africa are Adesina’s core objectives. Numbers they say don’t lie. A review of achievements: 16 million Africans are now connected to electricity, 70 million people with improved agricultural technologies to ensure food security, 9 million people access to finance from private sector companies, provided 55 million people opportunity to improve transportation and 31 million people with clean water and sanitation.
The allegations are akin to playing down achievements for the sake of political agenda.
Adesina has been under investigation by the Office of Integrity and Anti-Corruption (PIAC) as well as the Ethics Committee and Audit and Finance Committee.
The Nigerian leader named by the African Union (AU) as its first ever anti-corruption champion in Africa, nominated Adesina for re-election as President of the AfDB owing to his stellar performance. The smear campaign, if successful, would have rubbed off heavily on him. President Buahri rallied and got a firm endorsement of the AU and regional bloc, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) for Adesina. Recall that former President Jonathan nominated Adesina’s candidature for the top job in 2015, while then President-elect, Buhari appointed former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as Special Envoy to leverage on his contacts and embark on a shuttle diplomacy to shore up support for Adesina’s candidacy with the then President Zuma of South-Africa and the get the backing of the Southern African region. The league of former head of states, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, Oulse-
Adopt the conclusions of the investigation by declaring that the president is entirely exonerated of all allegations made against him gun Obasanjo, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala just to mention a few actively campaigned for him.
The Affirmative Finance for Women in Africa (AFAWA) initiative is projected to bridge the funding gap faced by women in Africa and extricate women’s entrepreneurship capabilities by reducing inequality, and attracting the requisite attention.
The bank’s ethics committee headed by Takuji Yano, representing Japan on the Bank, as Executive Director concluding its investigation and cleared him of any unethical action while Kaba Nialé, the Ivorian Minister of Planning and Development, chair of the Board of Governors, who decides either to close the case or conduct a fresh investigation proposed in a letter accompanying the report “to adopt the conclusions of the investigation by declaring that the president is entirely exonerated of all allegations made against him”.
A $3 billion three year social bond for Africa has been launched on the London Stock Exchange, to shield the economic and social impacts of COVID-19 on Africa while $10 billion COVID-19 is available in a stimulus facility.
Accordingly, President Muhammadu Buhari, thrilled in the euphoria of Adesina’s vindication by the Bank’s Board, hailed the outcome of the probe, and expressed appreciation to his service for Africa and Nigeria.
Even though Nigeria is the AfDB’s largest shareholder, with a little over (9%) two principal investors in the bank, France whose share of the bank (3.7%) and the United States of America, the second largest investor chiefly allow for the
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Nevertheless, the AfDB has a standing for good governance, in 2018, Aid Transparency Index Report rated the bank 4th among 45 development organizations around the world as the most transparent institution by the global campaign for aid transparency, Publish What You Fund – which advocates for the “disclosure of timely, accessible and comparable information on aid by aid agencies and organizations”
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suspicion of a Franco-American conspiracy, especially when it was reported that he was accused of not communicating in French during strategic session, while been a polyglot.
Akinwumi: A Profile
Beijing’s incursion into the continent as a sphere of influence against the US and France hegemony is to be carefully distilled, it signals what’s been dubbed “ a new era of great power competition” with China using her resources to assert interest and value. Nigeria reveres France’s foreign policy in Africa, especially on economic development and the maintenance peace of security on the continent. France’s support for Adesina will further consolidate Nigeria-France relationship in Africa in particular and the world at large, ditto for the US, a great nation of shared value in which Nigeria places high esteem.
Credit: Wikipedia
The US will earn more integrity in Nigeria by expressing full support like it always does towards this key and strategic partner in this race for the presidency of the AfDB to allow for the president to consolidate on the good work he has achieved thus far.
Akinwumi “Akin” Adesina is the President of the African Development Bank. He previously served as Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development. Until his appointment as Minister in 2010, he was Vice President of Policy and Partnerships for the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA). In 2015, he was elected as the President of the African Development Bank. He is the first Nigerian to hold the post.
Akinwumi Adesina and Aliko Dangote
Source: www.thecable.ng
EARLY LIFE AND EDUCATION Adesina was born to a Nigerian farmer in Ibadan, Oyo State. He attended a village school and graduated with a Bachelors in Agricultural Economics with First Class Honours from the University of Ife, Nigeria (1981), where he was the first student to be awarded this distinction by the university. He pursued his studies at Purdue University in Indiana, briefly returning to Nigeria in 1984 to get married. He obtained his Ph.D. (Agricultural Economics) in 1988 from Purdue where he won the Outstanding Ph.D. Thesis for his research work. CAREER From 1990 to 1995, Adesina served as a senior economist at West African Rice Development Association (WARDA) in Bouaké, Ivory Coast. He worked at the Rockefeller Foundation since winning a fellowship from the Foundation as a senior scientist in 1988. From 1999 to 2003 he was the
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representative of the Foundation for the southern African area. From 2003 until 2008 he was an associate director for food security.
Oil rises on signs of firmer demand, (Reuters/NAN) fall in US crude stocks
In 2010, United Nations Secretary General Ban Kimoon appointed him as one of 17 global leaders to spearhead the Millennium Development Goals. On 28 May 2015, Adesina was elected the presumptive President of the African Development Bank. He began his tenure of the office on 1 September 2015. In September 2016, Adesina was appointed by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to serve as member of the Lead Group of the Scaling Up Nutrition Movement. In 2017, he was awarded 2017 World Food Prize. PERSONAL LIFE While at Purdue University Adesina and his wife, along with another couple, started a Christian group called the African Student Fellowship. He and his wife Grace have two children, Rotimi and Segun. RECOGNITION • In 2013, he was named as Forbes Africa Person of the Year. •
In 2018 he was awarded an Honorary Doctor by Afe Babalola University.
•
On January 28, 2020, he was awarded Honorary Doctor of Science by the Federal University Of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria.
HONOURS • 2019: Grand Officer of the National Order of Merit of Tunisia.
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il prices rose on Wednesday amid signs of improving demand and a draw-down in the US crude inventories but worries over the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic capped gains. Brent crude futures for July delivery were up 23 cents, or 0.7 per cent, at $34.88 per barrel at 0347 GMT. The US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures for July CLc1 were up 14 cents, or 0.4 per cent, at $32.10 a barrel. The July contract closed on Tuesday at $31.96, up by one per cent.
Credit: Pexel
Adesina was the Nigerian Agriculture Minister from 2010 to 2015. Adesina was named Forbes African Man of the Year for his reform of Nigerian agriculture. He introduced more transparency into the fertiliser supply chain. He also said that he would give away mobile phones to farmers but this proved too difficult. One of the reasons was the lack of a mobile network in country areas.
Refinery runs rose by 229,000 barrels per day, the API said, a sign that plants are trying to produce more fuel as the US eases its lock-downs put in place to halt the spread of the novel coronavirus. Official data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) is due at 10.30 a.m. (1430 GMT) on Wednesday. ‘Oil markets have worried about high crude inventories but yesterday the WTI June contract expired and rolled over to July smoothly as concerns over crude stocks ease and demand have improved in the short-term,’ said Kim Kwang-rae, commodity analyst at Samsung Securities in Seoul.
The June contract expired on Tuesday at $32.50 a barrel, up 2.1 per cent, as the WTI futures market avoided the chaos of last month’s May expiry when prices sank below zero.
Asia’s gasoline profit margins turned positive on Tuesday for the first in nearly two months, giving hope to global oil refiners.
Oil prices have mainly risen during the past three weeks, with both benchmarks climbing above $30 for the first time in more than a month on Monday.
But lingering concerns about the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, especially in the US, which is the world’s biggest oil consumer, kept a lid on prices.
This was supported by massive output cuts by major oil-producing countries and signs of improving demand.
The US Federal Reserve Chair, Jerome Powell, said on Tuesday layoffs by state and local governments will slow the US economic recovery.
The US crude inventories fell by 4.8 million barrels to 521.3 million barrels in the week to May 15, data from industry group, the American Petroleum Institute (API) showed on Tuesday.
But Boston Federal Reserve Bank President, Eric Rosengren, said the US unemployment rate is likely to stay at double-digit levels through the end of the year.
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Africa’s Battle for the Soul of its Development Bank Already ratified as the sole candidate for a May 2020 election postponed till August due to the novel coronavirus, Akinwunmi Adesina’s bid for another five-year term as president of the African Development Bank has been met with strong resistance from the United States.
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n the week commemorating five years as president, details of an investigation into his conduct, and subsequent exoneration of all charges brought against him, went public.
In a petition sent to the bank’s committee on January 19, 2020, whistleblowers within the bank accused Adesina of 16 breaches of the bank’s code of conduct, including “unethical conduct, private gain, and impediment to efficiency, preferential treatment, and involvement in political activities.”
After six meetings between February 4 and April 9 to review documents in the allegations against Adesina, as well as a confidential memo detailing his defence, the ethics committee and its board of directors on May 5, described all allegations against Adesina as spurious and unfounded. In responding to the petitioners, Adesina noted the political undertones, and accused the petitioners of violating the bank’s whistleblower policy by breaching the confidentiality of the proceedings.
Source: wo.ibrahim.foundation
Dr Akinwumi Adesina, President, AfDB
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According to him, the petitioners were manipulated by a group of non-regional executive directors, not for the good governance of the African Bank, but to discredit his candidacy.
Development, said “no decision has been taken” in response to press reports that the board had accepted Mnuchin’s request.
The complaint cannot be considered to be in good faith, he continued, because it was not designed to expose fraud, corruption or other misconduct but rather had an ulterior motive.
The AfDB is a multilateral development finance institution founded in 1964 with a mission to fight poverty and improve living conditions on the continent. It does this through the investment of public and private capital in projects and programs that are likely to contribute to the economic and social development of the region.
But the US, through its Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, expressed its reservations about the “integrity of the committee’s process” despite the fact that the committee was headed by Takuji Yano, the institution’s Japanese executive director. In a letter dated May 22 to Yano, Mnuchin rejected the report which totally exonerated Adesina of all allegations, thus questioning the integrity of Yano’s committee and that of the bank in the process. Mnuchin called for a “fresh in-depth investigation of the allegations using the services of an independent outside investigator of high professional standing.” On its part, Nigeria made its stand known in a statement by its Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed. “The call for an independent investigation of the president is outside of the laid down rules, procedures and governing system of the bank and its articles as it relates to the code of conduct on ethics for the president,” Ahmed wrote May 26. Nigeria’s ex-President, Olusegun Obasanjo, also weighed-in on the same day, by rallying his former colleagues. Obasanjo pointed out the need to speak against the introduction of alien practices being recommended by some parties. “The US treasury secretary disparaged the bank and ridiculed the entire governance system of the bank which has been in place since 1964,” Obasanjo said. “This is unprecedented in the annals of the African Development Bank Group. If we do not rise up and defend the African Development Bank, this might mean the end of the African Development Bank, as its governance will be hijacked away from Africa.” Obasanjo further emphasised the need for the AfDB to remain an African-focused development bank rather than one which serves interests outside Africa. Among those copied in his letter were John Kufour, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Thabo Mbeki, former presidents of Ghana, Liberia and South Africa respectively. Other former leaders include those of Benin, Malawi, Ethiopia and Tanzania. Besieged by the different submissions, the chairwoman of the AfDB board of governors, Niale Kaba, who is also Ivory Coast’s Minister of 38 | ACCESS NEWS
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AfDB’s Mandate
Earlier in March this year, the lender issued a $3 billion social bond to help African countries deal with the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. Bids for the securities on the London money market exceeded $4.6 billion. The bank also launched a $10 billion crisis-response facility for African nations. On May 25, the bank approved a $500,000 emergency assistance grant to Egypt to provide food relief, and to contribute to restoring the livelihoods of vulnerable populations severely affected by COVID 19. Three days before, it approved a $210 million loan for Mauritius to finance a national budget support programme in response to the pandemic. These are the latest of interventions in May, with others including a $97 million loan approved as emergency budget support for Senegal to tackle Covid-19, $33m loan approved to tackle Covid-19 in Cape Verde and a $13.7m grant approved to improve the health sector in Zimbabwe. Others in May are $45m allocated for a bridge to link Cameroon and Chad and $1.67m given for study on building dams in Eswatini (Swaziland).
Nigeria’s Influence Nigeria’s influence in the AfDB cannot be overemphasised. It is the largest shareholder with more than nine per cent of contributions, and has played a leadership role right from inception. The inaugural meeting of the bank’s board of governors was held in Lagos in 1964. The board of governors comprised of the ministers of finance (or equivalent portfolios) of the member countries. These countries in turn present candidates to serve as executive directors. Although originally, only African countries were able to join the bank, it has allowed the entry of non-African countries since 1982. According to another former Nigerian President, the late Shehu Shagari, in his autobiography Beckoned to Serve, the industrialised Western countries lobbied for years to become members of the AfDB. When a majority of African countries acquiesced to plans by these nations to provide more funds and take control of the bank, Nigeria, Algeria and Libya stood firm, arguing that this would defeat the very objective for the bank’s creation in the first place.
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In his autobiography, Shagari expressed surprised when the bank later turned around to seek the approval of the board of governors to accept non-African funding. All other countries apart from Nigeria were in support because no other African country was willing to help the bank financially. Nigeria had in 1976 set up a Nigeria Trust Fund (NTF) within the AfDB to assist in the development of the poorest AfDB members. The NTF provides financing for projects of national or regional importance, lending at a four per cent rate with a 25-year repayment period. But due to growing demand for investments from African countries and because of the Bank’s limited financial resources, membership was opened to non-regional countries. The AfDB is Africa’s biggest multilateral lender and has an AAA rating from Fitch Ratings, Moody’s Investors Service and S&P Global Ratings. However, it maintains an African character with projects exclusively for Africa. It is headquartered in Abidjan, and its president is always African. However, despite its leadership role in the formation and the funding of the bank, Adesina is the first president of Nigerian extraction. Infrastructure, including power supply, water and sanitation, transport and communications, has traditionally received the largest share of AfDB lending.
It is not out of place to wonder what the non-regional members get to benefit. According to the Irish Minister for Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, Paschal Donohoe, on the occasion of Ireland joining the bank, “The African Development Bank and its sister, the African Development Fund, play an important role in fostering sustainable and inclusive social and economic growth and prosperity, helping the African continent to realize its potential to be the continent of promise and opportunity. “I see our membership of the Bank and Fund as an investment in this potential. Ireland’s partnership with these important regional multilateral institutions will both advance our shared development priorities and will open future opportunities for Irish businesses in the region.” It can be deduced then, that the non-regional members have an eye on African markets, a major reason why they contribute to the AFDB.
Adesina’s Exploits In October 2019, the AfDB raised $115 billion in fresh capital, an operation deemed a personal success for Adesina. A former minister of agriculture in Nigeria from 2010 to 2015, he was named Forbes African Man of the Year in 2013 for his reform of Nigerian agriculture.
Non-regional members
In his time as president of the AfDB, he has led the Bank to achieve a historic a capital increase, from $93 billion to $208 billion within five years.
The Republic of Ireland became the bank’s 81st shareholder, following a declaration issued by Adesina on April 24.
Thirteen million have benefited from access to finance from private sector investment projects, 101 million people benefited from access to better transport and 60 million from improved access to water and sanitation.
Competition and Control The AfDB’s rising profile and influence in supporting African development has not gone unnoticed. Like the World Bank, the AfDB is one of five multilateral development banks in the world. The others are the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the Asian Development Bank (AsDB) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IAfDB). In February this year, World Bank President David Malpass, an American nominated to the position by President Donald Trump last year,
The call for an independent investigation of the president is outside of the laid down rules, procedures and governing system of the bank and its articles as it relates to the code of conduct on ethics
The bank aims to be a body for regional integration that will make Africa more competitive in the global market, while transport and power interconnections between smaller African economies will help create larger markets in the continent.
At the last count, the AfDB has 81 members, comprising all 54 African countries and 27 from Europe, America and Asia. Some of these non-regional countries include, Brazii, Argentina and Canada; Portugal, Italy, Spain and Germany; India, Turkey and Saudi Arabia.
electricity for an estimated 15 million and helped another 141 million gain access to improved agricultural technologies for food security.
launched a rare attack on the AfDB’s lending to African governments. Malpass said at a World Bank-International Monetary Fund debt forum in Washington that the Asian Development Bank, the African Development Bank, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development were contributing to debt problems.
The bank is ranked 4th globally in terms of transparency among 45 multilateral and bilateral institutions by Publish What You Fund, an outfit that consists of 19 developed economies.
“We have a situation where other international financial institutions and to some extent development finance institutions as a whole, certainly the official export credit agencies, have a tendency to lend too quickly and to add to the debt problem of the countries,” Malpass said.
Over the past five years under the stewardship of Adesina, the AfDB has provided access to
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the African Development Bank, undermines our governance systems, and incorrectly insinuates that we operate under different standards from the World Bank. The very notion goes against the spirit of multilateralism and our collaborative work,” it replied in a statement. The AfDB claimed that the World Bank is actually culpable in pushing African countries into more debt as it has pumped more than double the AfDB portfolio. “The World Bank’s operations approved for Africa in the 2018 fiscal year amounted to $20.2 billion, compared to $10.1 billion by the African Development Bank. “We are of the view that the World Bank could have explored other available platforms to discuss debt concerns among multilateral development banks. The general statement by the president of the World Bank Group insinuating that the African Development Bank contributes to Africa’s debt problem and that it has lower standards of lending is simply put: misleading and inaccurate.”
US Motives On the face of it, an independent investigation as requested by the US through its treasury secretary should only help vindicate Adesina and solidify his position as an upstanding president who has done exceedingly well in fulfilling the bank’s mandate. However, the fact that this call was made after an internal inquiry in line with the organisations code of ethics, casts aspersions on not just Adesina and the AfDB, but on the African continent as a whole. The disregard the US-backed campaign has for the continent’s leaders can be inferred from one of the allegations: Adesina was accused of lobbying African leaders to endorse him as president. He responded: “It is alleged that as president I basically bribed and corrupted the 16 African Heads of State and governments in the ECOWAS region to support my candidacy for re-election. “The allegation essentially impugns the integrity, leadership and honesty of 16 African presidents and ECOWAS. This is a fanciful and baseless allegation,” he said. There is a convergence in the American-led World Bank take on the AfDB, and attempts by the US to discredit its popular chief executive. It is ironic that a man whose boss (Trump) appointed his daughter and son-in-law to prominent roles in the White House, is hiding behind “favouritism” and other unsubstantiated allegations to halt Adesina’s already endorsed re-election. This is following a recent trend of US attempts to attack institutions that refuse to bend to its will. A recent example is its tiff (and subsequent withdrawal of funding) with the World Health Organisation over the
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handling of the coronavirus pandemic, as well as previous uncomplimentary remarks by its president about African countries. The US’ recent foreign policy is a manifestation of its president’s “America First” mantra. The US has been especially unfriendly to Nigeria in recent times. A few months ago in February, President Trump issued a presidential proclamation banning Nigerians from migrating to the US. Meanwhile, in its barefaced challenge of African interests in the AfDB, the US has reportedly garnered support from the Scandinavian bloc, with all of Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden backing it in seeking an independent investigation of Adesina. France will most likely lend support, and one can expect the UK to align with its traditional ally. With an increasingly unapologetic insular disposition in recent times, any attempt by the US to paint interventions in the AfDB as altruistic is futile. This call for another investigation reeks of a blatant attempt to discredit the AfDB. This should be seen for what it is and rebuffed, not just from Nigeria but across the continent, and by friendly non-regional members.
The Republic of Ireland became the bank’s 81st shareholder, following a declaration issued by Adesina on April 24 Re-alignment Regarding the AfDB, Nigeria needs to assert its leadership role, mount a diplomatic offensive and recognise those who align with its interests within the region. Among non-regional members, China is already undergoing numerous infrastructural projects on the continent, while Japan is desirous of doing business. If the US doesn’t find it comfortable to abide by the conventions setting up the bank, it may follow the same route taken in its dispute with the WHO and withdraw its funding from the AfDB. The coronavirus pandemic has brought about discussions of a reset by African countries. This includes the way the continent brands itself, the way it is perceived, who it does business with and on what terms. The battle over control of the AfDB is an opportunity for Africa to affirm its independence
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Credit: Helium Health
Helium Health Secures $10m Series-A Fund to aid expansion By Isioma Emi
agos-based e-health start-up, Helium Health has recently raised US$10 million in Series A funding to aid its expansion plans. The company which employs the use of technology has its footprints in Nigeria, Ghana and Liberia. With this new funding, the company projects to have an expansion into new markets in East Africa, North Africa and Francophone West Africa by 2020 end.
Helium Health provides hospitals with technological solutions that could help improve operations and how records are managed. It also provides patients with access to their personal health records, prescriptions and lab results. Patients can easily connect with the health team through telemedicine, find new healthcare providers and access loans to pay healthcare bills among many other things.
The company announced the completion of a Series A funding round, led by Global Ventures and Asia Africa Investment & Consulting (AAIC). The start-up projects using this new fund to speed up health care solutions across sub-Saharan African.
The medical tech start-up offers these services through its flagship Electronic Medical Records and Hospital Management Information System (EMR/HMIS) products, which are widely used medical tech solutions in West Africa. It, however, aims to invent and develop new software products for healthcare stakeholders – providers, payers, patients, and public health partners like governments and donor agencies. The aim is to help boost operational efficiency, improve revenue generation, expand health financing, monitor public health and improve health outcomes.
“Helium Health has the opportunity to solve large problems through its software and help accelerate healthcare accessibility,” Noor Sweid, general partner with Global Ventures said. Other investors who participated in the funding round include Tencent, Ohara Pharmaceutical Co, HOF Capital, Y Combinator, VentureSouq, Chrysalis Capital, Kairos Angels and Flying Doctors Healthcare Investment Company. Although it had an ambitious vision for expansion, the company started out with providing digital solutions for hospitals in 2016. According to Adegoke Olubusi, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Helium Health, the start-up is “building the technology infrastructure to connect a fragmented healthcare sector and power the delivery of quality, affordable, comprehensive care across the continent.”
The COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic has laid bare the lapses of the global health sector, revealing how imperative it is for Africa to build its own modern and digitised healthcare system. As the pandemic keeps biting hard across the globe, innovations like this become vital as it enables patients and doctors to communicate with each other without a physical meeting. This could greatly help in curbing the spread of the virus. “Only data and technology can produce the required responsiveness and agility to tackle health challenges of this magnitude,” Olubusi said in a statement. JULY 2020
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Source: www.eventfinda.co.nz
One Notebook Could Replace All the Productivity Apps That Have Failed You By Gwen Onyebuchi
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ou may have heard of bullet journalling, probably from your sister or your co-worker or some other enviably competent person you have the pleasure of knowing. It’s a productivity pocketknife—customizable, indispensable, satisfying to use—that is helping people track and organize anything and everything in their lives. Its popularity blossomed in spring 2016 and intensified as back-to-school season approached. By January 1—a heady day for the latent productivity nerd—the bullet journalling community was evangelizing in full force. Myself included, I guess. Intrigued? Here’s everything you need to know.
What Is Bullet Journalling? First of all, the system is totally analogue. By that I mean it is done with a notebook (any notebook!) and a pen (or pencil, if you’re one of those people). It’s so simple it’s stupid. It’s so simple it’s brilliant, too. 42 | ACCESS NEWS
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The idea first percolated in the brain of a dude named Ryder Carroll, who explains the concept very succinctly in a video. The basic premise is this: you have one book that contains every list, note, and plan in your life. It’s like a planner, except not at all like a planner—because there are no templates and no rules. Because of this, it’s very flexible and low-pressure. It’s nothing more than you can handle; it’s exactly as ambitious or exhaustive as you need at the exact time you are using it. The concept hinges on just two “requirements” (they’re not really required, honestly): an index and numbered pages. These elements let you see, at a glance, where to find the exact list you want to refer to—goals for the month, plans for your trip to Bermuda, health insurance reminders, etc. Because there are no templates, you can also use this notebook for non-list things, too. You can journal or doodle or hand-letter a quote. You can tape in photos or ticket stubs or receipts.
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Your bullet journal is a catch-all for everything that itches your brain. It’s your to-do list and your calendar and your junk drawer.
capacity and the encouragement to actually do the things.
grocery list? Probably not. German adjective declinations? Add it.)
Why Do People Bullet Journal?
The Manual Effort: It’s easy, particularly (old man voice) these days, to underestimate the swell of satisfaction from making progress on something physical. To-do lists give nerds like me the thrill of checking something off. It’s a genuinely pleasurable experience.
Some notebooks already have numbered pages and room for an index, but more on that later.
There are a lot of reasons, but I will name just a few: Writing Things Down Can Make You Feel Better, Mentally and Physically Decades of studies have demonstrated a positive correlation between writing (particularly journalling) and health. Take, for example, the many studies of psychologist James Pennebaker at the University of Texas. In one, he asked half of his participants to write 20 minutes a day, three days in a row. That’s it. Even months later, those who journalled were much happier than those in the control group. As New York Magazine once reported, “in the months after the writing sessions, they had lower blood pressure, improved immune function, and fewer visits to the doctor. They also reported better relationships, improved memory, and more success at work.” Research has also suggested that writing things down improves immune cell activity and reduces antibody counts for people with viruses like Epstein-Barr and AIDS. Journalling could also improve memory and help you sleep, according to some studies.
The Power of Free-Association:
Bullet journalling takes that a step further: By treating task lists like archival records of your life, as precious as letters from a loved one or photos from a vacation, you’re letting yourself feel proud of small accomplishments, and soothing your weary existential soul by recording the things you’ve done with your life—at every scale.
It’s Just Fun as Hell: Here are some of the things people commonly use when bullet journalling: gel pens, stickers, decorative tape, highlighters, and magazine clippings. Here are some of the things people track: book and movie recommendations, vacation plans and packing lists, moments of gratitude, favourite Prince lyrics, and sex stuff.
How Do I Start a Bullet Journal? The fundamental anatomy of a bullet journal is so blissfully simple you may weep: Here you list where to find spreads that you may want to refer back to in the future. (A one-off
You can refer to this any time you want to make note of a date in the far future. If it’s January, you probably haven’t created a June spread, but you want to note your college room-mate’s wedding anyway. That kind of thing.
Step Three: Spreads for Planning These generally fall under three categories: monthlies, weeklies, and dailies. Your monthly spread (above) is where you write down appointments, pay days, meetups, classes, vacations, holidays, due dates, etc. There are a few ways to do this. Personally, I just draw up a calendar on a two-page spread, leaving room for a box that says “next month” to jot down future items, and a tinier version of the following month’s calendar, like this. Another popular way to get a glance at your month is to use a “calendex,” where one writes down page numbers as opposed to event titles. For example: If you took notes on a meeting you had on the 13th, you could go to the calendex for that month and make a note of the page number by that date. Here’s what it looks like:
Beyond the benefits just mentioned, therapists often use journalling to get their patients to better understand how parts of their lives relate to each other. This helps people triangulate who they are and how they might react to different actions and emotions. Bullet journals, which by nature are collections of tasks and ideas that span the full spectrum of a person’s physical, mental, and emotional life, are particularly well-suited for synthesizing information and drawing conclusions from it.
Delicious Freedom: Source: www.eventfinda.co.nz
If you like Harry Potter, you can think of a bullet journal kind of like a Pen-sieve—a place to unload thoughts and reminders, which frees and focuses your mental and emotional efforts. Once you’ve written down all the tiny things you need to get done, you give your brain the JULY 2020
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Others (including the creator of the concept) use a vertical version, so the month looks more like a list.
It’s like Marie Kondo herself has held each product and encouraged it to give me serenity and pleasure. But that’s just me!
To be totally honest: weekly planning (above) doesn’t work for me. The scale is too weird. I either want to dump every tiny task in or nothing at all. My impression is that people who don’t have a lot of tasks to do every day (maybe their jobs are much more straight-forward than mine), use a weekly spread as opposed to the long, convoluted dayby-day pages I prefer.
There are also many Moleskin die-hards, but the price is steep, the pages aren’t numbered, and the paper is a bit flimsier (70 g/sqm) than that of the Leuchtturm.
I do, however, use these stickers from Muji to write down my non-work appointments for the week: German class, drinks with friends, medical appointments, and more. Daily spreads (above) are the bread and butter of your bullet journal; at its core, a simple to-do list, bracketed (if you want) by journalling, doodles, and tip-ins. (Tip-in, noun, planning lingo meaning ephemera taped in on one side, so it’s like a little flap on the page.)
Step Four: Collections Collections are lists or charts that fall outside of your planning spreads. You can have collections that track spending, the status of job applications, your sleeping habits—basically any “collection” of thoughts you’d like to keep on hand. Collections like these are scattered throughout my journal, and have no explicit tie to the daily spreads that surround them. Other collections relate to your dated spreads, like grocery lists, money spending trackers, and monthly gratitude logs.
What Are the Best Supplies?
The Pens: Pigma Micron, Pilot Juice, and Staedtler Tri-Plus Fineliners I started my bullet journal with a set of 12 gel pens from Muji I got for $12. I love these pens, but must admit to true aficionados that the ink does occasionally skip, and they smear when used in conjunction with a highlighter.
Research suggests that writing things down improves immune cell activity... The very best gel pens, I believe, are the Pilot Juice pens in size 0.38mm. They’re super thin, come in fun colours, and don’t smear—even for lefties and people who are super into highlighting.
Again, you can bullet journal in any notebook, using any writing implement. If you insist that you need a whole new set-up, though, there are a few unambiguous fan favourites to consider:
The Staedtler Tri-Plus Fineliners are top-notch colour pens, too. They don’t bleed through and don’t smear. The difference is that they have metal-encased fibre tips, which (to put it in pen nerd terms) simply aren’t as expressive as bolder, inkier fountain pens or, in my mind, gel pens.
If you’re buying a shiny new notebook anyway, don’t mess around with anything but a dot-grid. It keeps your handwriting from drooping, but feels as liberating as a blank page.
For a high-quality basic black, go for Pigma Micron. They come in a variety of tip sizes (I like 03 size, which is 0.35mm), plus the ink is of archival quality and virtually smudge-proof.
The Leuchtturm 1917 is popular because the book already has an index and numbered pages. It’s also a lie-flat hard-cover, which journal nerds know is just the best. The grammage of the paper (80 grams per square meter) is also superior, so if you’re one of those people who can’t stand bleed-through or ghosting—or you use fountain pens or some other particularly inky implement—this is a good buy.
The Pencils:
UPDATE Aug. 25, 2017: Leuchtturm 1917 is dead. Long live Scribbles That Matter. It comes in a dot grid. It comes with page numbers. Its paper is even thicker, at 100 g/sqm, which means less bleed-through. You can find it here.
Other Stuff:
That being said, a Leuchtturm will cost you $20. Personally, I use a $7 dot-grid notebook from Muji. It’s cheaper, I don’t mind numbering the pages myself, and I think everything that comes from that store is imbued in an aspirational, ethereal quality that I should not even try to explain. 44 | ACCESS NEWS
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The Highlighters: Mild-liners Mild-liner highlighters are a favourite of teens with incredible taste and incredible Tumblr followings. They come in soft colours like lavender and gray, so they highlight without being jarring on the page.
Get a ruler. I like this one or this one, which is also a protractor of sorts. I’d also recommend getting a clipboard, if you don’t already have one, because it means you can journal from the couch. You can also get stencils, stickers, and washi tape, but I have very few opinions there. Follow your bliss. TL;DR Writing stuff down is cool again—and just might be the key to getting things done.
Source: https://www.twitter.com/@jerry_mallo
The Bennie Agro Ltd. Team members displaying their ventilator
BENNIE AGRO Develops Nigerian-Made Ventilators
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s the combat against the new coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to scale up across the world, a Nigerian start-up known as Bennie Agro Team has made it to the list of global tech-innovators that are coming up with locally made ventilators to fight the disease. The Agro tool and equipment-making company took to its social media page to display the machine and stated that it was made from available resources. In a news report, the CEO of Bennie Agro Team, Jerry Isaac Mallo said this latest invention is not only geared towards providing a solution during these times, but also aimed at alleviating the challenges of the masses. He also added that his company saw the need to venture into the production of ventilators because African countries have recently been faced with difficulties in purchasing the medical equipment which has become highly expensive. Mallo also stated that the Plateau state government supported his company with funds to create the prototype. He, however, said that just a prototype was not enough as his team needed a medical crew to scrutinize the functionality of the ventilator they had made. A clinical test which was eventually carried out clarified that the invention can be utilized with a few improvements.
The young engineer is, therefore, appealing for support so that his company can get all the needed materials for an improved version of the machine. According to Mallo, “Nigeria will be a proud manufacturer of its ventilators” if his company has all the necessary materials.
The Nigerian government has steadily exhibited poor confidence for its local manufacturing sector. This could also account for why many Nigerians would rather buy an imported product than Nigerian-made goods as it leaders have not been exemplary.
The 25-year old Nigerian inventor also manufactured Nigeria’s first “carbon fibre sports car” in November 2019. It would be recalled that at the unveiling of the car at Transcorp Hilton Hotels, Abuja, he stated that the sports car would be the first of many more innovative products.
Meanwhile, the Faculty of Engineering and Medical Sciences at the University of Benin (UNIBEN) has also announced its invention of a clinically tested ventilator. It would be in Nigeria’s best interest, in this time of a global emergency, to take radical steps to support indigenous inventors like Jerry Mallo. Also, funds and other resources need to be provided so that local inventors can adequately compete on the global stage.
According to a news report, Lai Mohammed, Nigeria’s Minister of Information had announced that President Muhammadu Buhari spoke with United States’ (US) President Donald Trump during which they had a conversation on the peculiarities of how the COVID-19 pandemic was being addressed in Nigeria. This was disclosed on Tuesday, 28 April 2020, at the presidential task force on COVID-19 briefing. The report, however, stated that President Donald Trump believes Nigeria desperately needs ventilators to boost its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. In solidarity with Nigeria, Lai Mohammed stated that the US President has promised to send ventilators to support the country.
As of 30 April 2020, Nigeria discovered 204 new cases of the new coronavirus cases increasing its number to 1932 cases. Bennie Agro Team is a manufacturer of machines, tools and equipment for small scale & large scale industrial and agricultural purposes. Its partners with firms, individuals, cooperatives and investors in the agricultural market/industry to help create custom made machines that will address the challenges farmers & farm produce processing companies face. JULY 2020
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n a move to improve the regulation of sensitive data in Nigeria’s public institutions, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has ordered a two-month deadline to securely digitize all databases in the sector. This is in line with global practices and secure technological innovation, as data is of public importance.
By Ahmed Iyanda
In a press release signed by the agency’s Corporate Affairs and External Relations, Hadiza Umar, NITDA said the directive is part of the Guidelines for Management of Personal Data by Public Institutions in Nigeria 2020. It stated that all public institutions holding or processing personal data are required to securely digitize all personal databases within 60 days from the issuance of the guidelines “Similarly, all such public institutions are required to maintain the highest level of information security to guarantee confidentiality, integrity, availability, and resilience of all databases within their control,” the statement read. One of the challenges in Nigeria is data collection and storage, making it difficult to collect information across multiple government parastatal databases that house these data. However, with this initiative, data could play a much broader role in driving socio-economic development such as crime prevention, housing (background checks), and so on. In the commencement of the new order, the agency said the guidelines are to be considered as supplementary regulations to the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR), 2019, which said it is still much relevant and binding on all Nigerian individuals and institutions.
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Dealing with sensitive data requires adherence to the highest ethical and professional standards, hence, the new guidelines mandate the use of secure technology and automated processes for personal data by public institutions. This is also in line with the requirements of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy, and in consonance with emerging global data regulatory models. Also, the new NITDA guidelines recognize the need for collaboration between the public and the private sectors in handling interventions for the benefits of the citizens. The official noted that the guidelines provide a strict framework for such collaborations to ensure that the privacy of Nigerians was not unduly infringed. “The COVID-19 pandemic, for example, has brought up the need for more personal data use to limit the spread of the virus. While we recognize the existence of constitutional limitations on privacy rights in the interest of public health and safety, yet such limitations must be based on defined frameworks,” the statement reads. The agency warned that punitive sanctions contained in the NITDA Act 2007 and NDPR shall be imposed if it found traces of breach or abuse of personal data of Nigerians. The latter regulation outlines the need to safeguard the right of natural persons to data privacy, fosters safe-conduct for transactions involving the exchange of personal data, prevents personal data manipulation among others.
Source: Shutterstock
Nigeria’s IT Agencies Issued Ultimatum for Digitization of Public Databases
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Source: Shutterstock
CBN Seeks Support For Local Production To Revive Nigeria’s Economy
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he Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has warned that it would not support the importation of items the country has the potential to produce, restating its commitment to reviving locally-produced goods and services.
“As Nigeria continues the process of the full reopening of its economy due to the lockdown over Coronavirus (COVID-19), the nation needs industrial conglomerates to support efforts aimed at growing the Nigerian economy,” the CBN boss said.
To this effect, CBN governor Godwin Emefiele charged industrial conglomerates operating in the country to support efforts by the government to boost the nation’s economy and return it to its “green days.”
Speaking on the unprecedented crash in global oil prices this year which has affected many oil-dependent economies including Nigeria, Emefiele expressed confidence that the price of crude oil would not remain at low levels for a long period. He added low crude oil prices were defeated and that the foreign reserves of about $37 billion remained robust to support the economy.
In a statement issued by the regulator, Emefiele said the bank could not spend its foreign reserves on what would not boost the economy and create jobs for Nigerians, noting that the decision was in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s desire to revive the country’s economy back to normal. This he said, can only be achieved when the manufacturing and agricultural sectors form the base of the economy. The present administration has often emphasized the importance of Made-in-Nigeria goods, which could help boost the nation’s manufacturing sector and create more jobs. Also, indigenous firms can get to take advantage of bigger markets at all levels. Aside from providing solutions to the unemployment problem in the country, encouraging the production and consumption of local products could lead Nigeria into the path of the much-desired economic prosperity, experts say. Popular opinion holds that the country should depend on its capacity to harness human and material resources towards the promotion of made-in-Nigeria goods that can compete in both local and international markets.
However, he advised conglomerates to key into the current administration’s drive of diversifying the economy by leveraging on its large population to market their products that could be produced locally and exported to the rest of the world. In assurance of its commitment, the bank said it is willing to provide foreign exchange to companies that required such raw materials and machinery that could not be obtained in Nigeria. “With the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCTFA) now billed to commence in January 2021, Nigeria provides the companies with immense opportunities to produce their items and make huge profits through the Nigerian market, which is large enough to support their respective businesses,” he added. On the need to prioritize the Nigerian market, the CBN governor said it would collaborate with the relevant government agencies to help grow the nation’s industry, while also promising to protect their businesses to ensure that they succeeded. JULY 2020
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Source: Central Bank of Nigeria
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CENTRAL BANK PUSHES ACTIVE PUBLIC-PRIVATE SYNERGY TO TACKLE COVID-19 Mr Godwin Emefiele, CBN Governor
T
he Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has called for active collaboration of the public and private sector to tackle the health and economic crisis bedevilling the country and the world at large.
CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, said the nation’s economy is currently exposed to triple shocks of supply, demand and revenue driven primarily by the crash in crude oil prices between January and May. He pointed out that effective private sector collaboration with federal and state governments is needed to preserve the lives of the people and restore economic activity. Besides, Emefiele challenged Nigerian scientists at home and in Diaspora to develop a vaccine for coronavirus, saying the ability to restore economic growth is dependent on how the nation addresses the health crisis instigated by the pandemic. “COVID-19 has had an unprecedented effect on the global economy, impacting all nations big and small. Institutions like the IMF have pronounced that the effect on the global economy will be akin to the slowdown experienced during the great depression of the 1930s. “Global growth is expected to contract to three percent in 2020, down from a positive growth rate of 2.9 percent in 2019, which is effectively a 6 percent contraction. In Nigeria, our economy is exposed to triple shocks – a supply shock, a demand shock and a revenue shock. “Permit me to state that we are currently faced with a public health and economic crisis of unprecedented proportions, driven primarily 48 | ACCESS NEWS
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by the 55 per cent drop in crude oil prices between January and May 2020.” According to him, the failure to accurately predict the extent to which the coronavirus could spread, and how long it would last, requires that Nigeria must build sufficient capacity within the health system to contain the spread of the virus, and preserve the lives of vulnerable Nigerians. Therefore, he challenged indigenous scientists at home and in the Diaspora to develop a Nigerian vaccine for coronavirus, adding that the CBN is developing a framework under which grants and longterm facilities will be provided to researchers, science institutions and biotechnology firms to develop the Nigerian vaccine. He said once the vaccine is validated by the health authorities, the CBN will step in and do the needful, saying: “Our objective is to improve the capacity of our health system to address emerging public health challenges. “This requires that we all come together to support the work of the presidential task force in its determination to save lives and stem the pandemic. “It is in this regard that I would like to commend the Nigerian private sector, who have come together under the Coalition against COVID-19 (CA-COVID), to support the government, by raising funds to procure needed Isolation Centres, medical equipment among others. “So far, the CA-COVID-19 has raised up to N27billion to fund these initiatives. These donations are being used to build well equipped isolation centres across the 36 states of the federation,” he added.
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Prof. Ibrahim Agboola Gambari, Chief of Staff to the President.
Testimonial on Gambari Against popular opinion, Abuja-based author, Gbenga Giwa believes strongly that President Muhammadu Buhari deserves commendation for appointing Prof. Ibrahim Agboola Gambari, as his new Chief of Staff. By Gbenga Giwa
I
really did not want to write on Prof. Ibrahim Gambari after he was appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari as his new Chief of Staff. The reason for my reluctance was that, even though I saw his appointment as a round peg in a round hole, I don’t want my commendation to be misconstrued as someone seeking favours from him. But I decided against my initial reluctance and opted to write on him after reading the vituperated attacks on him intended to cast aspersion on his personality and character, by
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retired Ambassador Fafowora in a piece titled: ‘Testimonial on Prof. Gambari,’ that went viral both on social and regular print media, less than four hours after Gambari’s appointment. I also decided to write, because I don’t want to lament and suffer in silence like Messrs.
Source: www.medium.com
Olusegun Adeniyi, Simon Kolawole, Waziri Adio and Chief Femi Fani-Kayode did, when they did not talk good about their friend, former Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari, until he passed away, just because it wasn’t politically correct to do so, when he was alive. I’ve promised myself, I will not be encumbered by such thoughts again and will defend my friends not only in private but publicly too, whether those friends approve of it or not. Prof. Gambari has not asked me to do this. And I don’t care if he approves of it or not, because those who castigate him, like retired Ambassador Fafowora, did not also seek his consent to do so. Prof. Ibrahim Agboola Gambari is a senior friend who I will forever be grateful to. A man who did not know me but went on to open doors for me in my book publishing career. I wrote a book titled: ‘The March of Democracy in Nigeria, Votes Behind The Figures From The Fuve General Elections, 1999-2015’ , that was published in 2017. Prof. Gambari wrote the Foreword. I won’t say anything more for now. Let me just quote from the Acknowledgements page of the book: “Special mention is reserved for His Excellency, Prof. (Amb.) Ibrahim Gambari, CFR, our former Foreign Affairs Minister and also a former Under Secretary-General at the United Nations in New York, who graciously agreed to write the Foreword. Now, a little bit of background is appropriate here. I had met Amb. Gambari only once in my life in March 2014, when I was introduced to him by Hajia Mariam Mohammed at the National Confab in Abuja, where both of them were delegates. I then casually requested him to write the Foreword to an election book I am putting together. I was expecting an evasive diplomatic response. But he was blunt and direct. He gave me his number and said: “Call me when you are ready and I will do it.” I couldn’t finish the book until more than three years later. In August 2017, I called him and at the first ring, he answered. I tried to re-introduce myself but he cut me short and said: “Gbenga, I remember you. Is your book ready?” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “Yes sir”, I finally managed to blurt out. “Send it to my email address which I will dictate to you now. And thank you for considering me worthy of writing the Foreword.” What?! A book he has not seen and the author I’m sure he cannot confidently identify in a group of two men. And who is the one that is honoured here? Is it not me? This is humility per excellence.” That was what I wrote in my book about Prof. Gambari, published in December 2017 I sent the soft copy to him as he requested. He did not ask me to write a sample Foreword as most demand, but wrote it in his own words after going through the manuscript and replied me after two weeks. Permit me again to quote part of his comments on my book: “This is a hugely important and most timely book
written by a meticulous and pioneering author, Gbenga Giwa. The importance of the book lies mainly in providing much needed quantification in order to enhance the quality of political analysis and discourse in Nigeria……it is therefore with great delight that I hereby recommend this book to all stakeholders of Nigerian political dispensation, politicians, candidates for elective offices, administrators, researchers, students, journalists, judicial officers and international community and curious followers of Nigerian politics. Their understanding of the dynamics of the third largest democracy in the world would be greatly enriched. I find the book most informative and educative. I sincerely hope you do too.” That was what Prof. Gambari wrote in September 2017 about a book, authored by someone he does not know! I have no doubt in my mind, that it was this Foreword and especially the name behind the Foreword, that INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu (who incidentally too, does not know me and I have never physically met, even up till today) read, that convinced him and his Commission, to assist me in making the book a reality and be published. The success of that book, emboldened me to write another one and another one. These two latter books are currently on sale on Amazon. And the person that blazed this trail for me, is someone retired Amb. Fafowora will want us to believe is duplicitous. No, I won’t take it. If Prof.
If Prof. Gambari can uplift someone that he does not know, I wonder what he will do for the ones he truly knows Gambari can uplift someone that he does not know, I wonder what he will do for the ones he truly knows. Before I end this piece, let me digress a little and talk about age. Most of the side comments I came across on Gambari’s appointment, especially on social media, talked about his age. The way Nigerians talk about age these days, is as if it’s a crime to grow old again. This is very unfair. We should not be fixated about age. We should be talking about competence. We currently have in positions of authorities as Governors and Legislators, who are very young but are a bunch of disappointment. Is Gambari competent as the Chief of Staff to President Buhari? Yes. And I believe retired Amb. Fafowora would even also say yes. Let us commend President Muhammadu Buhari for getting this appointment right and pray for Prof. Ibrahim Agboola Gambari, that Almighty God will guide him and give him the wisdom to excel in this onerous assignment.
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Hassan Usman By Gwen Onyebuchi
A
A Portrait
Trained accountant, he hails from Garki village of Baure Local Government, Katsina State. Mr. Hassan Usman graduated with a first class degree in Accounting in 1985 from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria and became an Associate Member of ICAN in 1989. He obtained a Post Graduate Diploma in Management in 1995 from Maastricht School of Management. Mr. Hassan also attended the Oxford University Advanced Management Programme in 2002.
He worked as the Financial Controller of Nigerian Development Company Limited, Kaduna until he joined NAL Merchant Bank Plc. where he served as the Financial Controller and Treasurer respectively between1996-2001. Mr. Hassan had a brief stint with Inland Bank where he served as General Manager, Banking Services before re-joining NAL Bank as Deputy General Manager and Head, Business and Financial Advisory Group. Mr. Usman joined Jaiz International in 2005 as a pioneer staff and was a key member of the team that led the process leading to the licensing of Jaiz Bank Plc in 2011. He served as General Manager- Business Development from January 2012 till April 2013 and was Executive Director in charge of Operations and Information Technology prior to his appointment as the Managing Director/CEO in June 2016. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN). He is happily married. He is Member of the Board Investment Committee of the Company. He is Member of the Board Investment Committee, Member of the Board Risk Management Committee, and Member of the Board Finance & General Purpose Committee of the Company. A recent report signified a 114 per cent growth when compared with N834.36 million recorded at the end of 2018.
The bank’s earnings per share also surged up to 6.06 kobo per share as against 2.83 kobo per share in 2018, representing an increase of 114 per cent, attesting to the increasing public interest in Islamic finance products. The MD said its financial performance further showed its policies were already yielding positive outcomes.
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Source: www.jaizbankplc.com
The report indicated that its total assets rose by 53 per cent from N108.462 billion in 2018 to N166.837 billion, while gross income rose by 80 per cent from N7.5 billion in 2018 to N13.517 billion in 2019 under Mr. Hassan Usman’s leadership in the bank.
We started with a share capital of about N5billion in 2012. Today, our shareholders are all over the country and cut across all religious divides. When we did our initial public offer, IPO, in 2003, we had more than 20,000 shareholders
Mr. Hassan Usman, MD, Jaiz Bank JULY 2020
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It was a good year for Jaiz Bank as the company’s total assets rose in one year by 54 percent from N108.5 billion in 2018 to N166.8 billion in the period under review. The liabilities of the non-interest bank increased in the 2019 financial year by 71 percent to N96.1 billion from N56.3 billion, while the customer deposits increased to N69.6 billion from N46.0 billion a year earlier. In an interview with Premium Times, he was asked: Jaiz Bank came a few years ago with a new concept of banking in Nigeria. How is the experience so far? “So far, so good. Remember, we started with a share capital of about N5billion in 2012. Today, our shareholders are all over the country and cut across all religious divides. When we did our initial public offer, IPO, in 2003, we had more than 20,000 shareholders. So, from N5 billion in 2012, our share capital has grown to about N15 billion today. We had only three branches in 2012. Today, we have about 30 branches. We started with one customer. Today, we have over 100,000 active customers. In our first year of operation, we had a deposit of less than N3.5 billion. Today, we have a deposit of over N60 billion. Our balance sheet has been growing. The major indices of our balance sheet have been growing at an average of about 30 per cent since 2012.” “We believe that the product has proved itself to be sustainable. As a financial model, we are gaining acceptability. It is clear the model has come to stay.
We started as a regional bank. Today, we have national franchise, with branches in south-west and south-south parts of the country. We are opening more branches in other parts of the country away from our traditional locations. On the whole, I think that while there are challenges, like any growing institution, we are very positive about our growth trajectory as well as sustainable operation through the concept. It also confirms what has been happening in other parts of the world with this type of product –non-interest banking.” What about the fears often expressed that Islamic banking was meant to serve a religious purpose or interest? “No, that’s a wrong notion about Jaiz Bank represents. We are the face of a new concept in banking. One important information we will continue to emphasize is that this product is not a religious product. It is open and available to all, irrespective of their faith or religion. It is a mode of financing that tries to address human needs directly by providing goods and services on a payment basis different from conventional banking that we know. Literally, that is what non-interest or Islamic banking is doing anywhere in the world. It is about providing financing to people who cannot afford to buy directly with their own resources at a time.
Source: www.itnewsnigeria.ng
Mr. Hassan Usman, Chief Executive Officer, Jaiz Bank, with some management team members
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So, rather than give money, we provide the services and goods people are looking for to meet their consumption needs or businesses. We have seen from our operations so far that all manner of persons do come to us and we do business with them. This, I believe, is what we have been doing.”
“There was the start off challenges the bank had to grapple with. They were many. But, the most important was that of lack of awareness, not only among the public about the brand of banking we were practicing, but also among our stakeholders, including the regulators, the investing public, customers and the general public.
Jaiz Bank appears to be making so much progress within so short a time in existence. We learnt you’ve just got listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange, NSE. What do hope to benefit from that exercise?
The good thing is that some of these awareness issues have, to a large extent, been overcome. Now people have come to terms that non-interest or Islamic banking is not about the creed or religion, but just a way of delivering financial services in a different way to accommodate or diversify the financial system.
“I mentioned earlier that in 2003, we went to the market. Then the regulators were gracious enough to allow us do the initial public offer without a track record. We were new in the market. Part of the promise we made then was that after three, four five years of sustainable operations, we will list in the stock market. Today, we are more than 20,000 shareholders. By any standards, we are making sustainable progress. Many of the people are our retail shareholders who have held our shares for at least ten years. So, we wanted to, first, live up to our promise, and secondly to create a market for them, if they needed liquidity to boost their shares. Again, we are encouraged to go to the market, because we want the bank, at the early stage, to have the discipline that is associated with opening up the institution and being very transparent in our operations. We don’t want to be exposed to the bad habits associated with the conventional banks. We know that when we do this we will be creating additional value to our stakeholders. It’s to bring our services closer to the people and to ensure that everyone around the globe is able to access our platform to be a shareholder. It will enhance our visibility and marketability, and for everyone around the world to see us as a serious organization that anybody can access our shares, which are open to all Nigerians, both internally and in the Diaspora.” The story of Jaiz Bank cannot be all rosy without challenges you had to overcome. What were they?
However, there is still the residual issues about the specifics of the product. Even those who were clamouring for non-interest banking did not understand the full import of it.”
We believe that the product has proved itself to be sustainable. As a financial model, we are gaining acceptability. It is clear the model has come to stay. “Many thought it was like charity service. A great number of potential customers did not understand how this product was going to operate and how it differed from conventional banking.
“So, we have a responsibility to always explain to these people that our model of banking is only another vehicle to deliver service, but the delivering channel or purpose of the organization remains the same. The truth is that Islamic bank is an organisation set up to make profit, sustain itself and support such profit for stakeholders, to enable them have value for their investment. The other challenge has to do with the regulatory awareness. This too has largely been overcome. But, there are still few challenges that we are still living with. One of it is the creation of the enabling environment, particularly the provision of the infrastructure for non-interest banking, which is still at its very infancy stage.” “For instance, we do not have the liquidity instruments to put our excess value, or manage our liquidity growth. Conventional banks take deposits from customers and immediately invest same into treasury bills, bonds, or give it overnight to other counter-parties in the financial system. The non-interest bank does not have that infrastructure yet. Yes, the Minister of Finance promised last year for the first Sukuk in the first quarter of this year. It is still in the works. First quarter ended a few days ago. We have not gotten there yet. We still hope that, God willing, this will happen anytime soon. But, it is a big challenge for a financial institution such as ours. Imagine, if you collect all the deposits, before you invested or given facility in conventional banking, it is not something you do with your eyes closed, just like that. It is a counter-party or individuals who is investing in an instrument that is already known or qualified or graded. If you meet Mr. A, you have to treat him differently from the way you treat Mr. B. You can’t give the money like that. This is the challenge we still continue to face.
In fact, those who were thinking that it would be like a charity organisation or semi-charity organisation, when they found out that they have to pay for the service, said they thought otherwise.
The other challenge, which is still residual to the fact that we are very new to this environment, is that we still do not have many trained practitioners. The quality and quantity of trained manpower is still a big challenge.
To some it was a bit of rude shock that they would have to pay for the service. But, the truth is that if customers don’t pay for the service, there would not be an organisation that would be sustainable.”
But, there is no institution without its peculiar challenges. We are grappling with our own. The industry has very high returns on investment because of all these challenges. How successJULY 2020
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ful you are is when you are able to bring those challenges to bear and overcome them.” The Nigerian economy generally is grappling with the impact of foreign exchange crisis. The conventional banks are feeling the heat. What impact does this have on the operations of Islamic bank? “The foreign exchange crisis is a global problem. As a financial institution, foreign exchange is important to us for two reasons: One, to make money from selling it, and two, for our counter-parties and customers who depend heavily on it to pay school fees, medical bills or travelling expenses for holiday, manufacturing or importation of heavy materials and equipment to expand their businesses. In each of these needs, customers are being affected. If they do not get the foreign exchange allocation on time, the bank’s exposure to them would be affected. So, the foreign exchange problem that we have, especially in 2016, is inter-twined, and has really affected our operations. I hope and pray that with the current interventions of the CBN, we will never see 2016 in our lives again. As a bank, we have our peculiarity, and I believe our age in the financial system was an advantage to us. Some of the products that conventional banks go to get those types of exposures, we do not go into them. So, we do not have any shock position in dollars, because we are not borrowing in dollars like the conventional banks. We are also not financing our projects in dollars. So, we do not have those exposures like the other of our sister institutions.” One problem conventional banks are having has been the high incidence of non-performing loans. Is it the same story with non-interest bank? “Again, our age is an advantage here. Most of the major problem areas that conventional banks venture into and encounter problems, we do not have such exposures, because of our size. Even though we are part of this economy, we know that if we were in those sectors, we would be having the same problems like the conventional banks. But, because we are not heavily exposed to oil business financing (offshore and downstream). We don’t have significant exposure to those very difficult areas. Our balance sheet is heavy with the assets we created in the real estate area. The worst case scenario is, like Nigeria has a deficit of about 17 million houses, most Nigerians are in need of a house. In the short to medium term, I don’t see that as a major issue for our bank, looking at the size. In 2016, which was a really bad year, if you were doing business with counter-parties, you would have some delays in debt-servicing. But, we are not doing that in Nigeria. We are not financing businesses. I am sure customers were having issues in debt servicing. But we are within tolerable limits.” What is happening with your plans to issue your first Sukuk? 56 | ACCESS NEWS
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“The history of Sukuk in Nigeria dates back to about 2014 when Osun State issued the first Sukuk. It was a sub-national Sukuk. It did not have the attraction, even though it was very successful, as it is still being traded. Because it is small, it is not available. If one wants to buy 100 million of Osun state Sukuk now, it would be difficult. The rate of return was good. Everyone bought because of the return on investment, and they are paying, in spite of the difficulties the economy is facing. The structure of the Sukuk was excellently made, with all the credit enhancement, which made default almost zero, even though it was sub-national Sukuk. The next Sukuk we are expecting will be like the sub-urban, which will be the benchmark for the national bond or treasury bills.” “From the Sukuk, the CBN can create a treasury bill that we can invest in. This is the responsibility of the Ministry of Finance, in conjunction with the Debt Management Office. We have passed the stage of their acceptability. We are working on it. The Ministry of Finance promised us first quarter of this year. You know it is not always the case that these deadlines are met. They are at the stage of appointing parties. They are also looking for projects. I’m sure you know that Sukuk is not a paper instrument like bond. It has to be backed with specific asset. So, they are choosing the projects. We keep telling the policy makers that Sukuk is superior to a bond, because there is no way you can divert the money. They would have to go straight to those specific projects, which is basis for which the Sukuk can generate income. So, people would have to invest the money in those projects. As a special purpose vehicle, whose responsibility it is to take care of its investors, it is like a trust, they are responsible to take care of those who invested, to ensure that the project was done. It is from the project that one can generate returns for investors.” “In this case, one is sure to finish the project, even if, like in a conventional bank situation, the money is not diverted. In a Sukuk, it would be ensured that the project is done, so that Sukuk holders would start to generate revenues there-from. One can see and feel the project. And those who invest would know it is part of their money. We hope the Ministry of Finance and the Debt Management Office, DMO, will fast track the process so that before the conclusion of the new quarter we will have the Sukuk in the market. Sukuk is a little different from bond. It is more of equity than debts. Sukuk holders are mobile shareholders in the project. It is important for the country to have sub-urban Sukuk, so that we can open up the country to investments from countries like the Middle East and
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all those countries that would not come in and invest in bond, because of their faith or other reasons.” You said you hope we will never see 2016 again in our lives. What’s your outlook for 2017?
What Jaiz bank is doing differently, is to engage with these communities especially the most vulnerable which are women, to provide them with capital to encourage a banking culture.
We provide alternative finance products that is not based on interest, that they can use in a banking environment that will drive the financial inclusion process.”
“I think 2017, from the beginning, looks much better than 2016. We see that 2017 is going to be much better. The activities we have so far recorded show that 2017 will be better than 2016. If some of the policies of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, are maintained, in terms of availability of foreign exchange, as well as if government is spending on revamping and maintaining infrastructure, and if the power situation is gradually improved upon. Again, if the international price for crude oil improves or is maintained at a minimum of $50 per barrel, I believe 2017 will not only be great, but a good year for the economy.” Speaking about participation in deepening financial inclusion in another interview “From our own participation in deepening financial inclusion, it is obvious that there can’t be real development if a significant number of community members are not included in the financial system. Financial inclusion has become a compelling global concern. In Nigeria, a large number of financially excluded people reside in the North West and North East of the country. This is why Jaiz bank has established a large number of branches in these areas and assisted in deepening financial inclusion, especially in the North. People have become increasingly familiar with Jaiz bank services and its products. The big task lies in the majority of our villages and suburban locations where we have less privileged citizens who are farmers, housewives who are not active in the formal economy. They do not also have enough resources to save or the traditional way that banks engage with customers. At Jaiz bank our focus has been to capture these segments in the North-East and North-West, which will go a long way to addressing financial exclusion in Nigeria.
Managing Director of Jaiz Bank Plc Hassan Usman being invested with a Honorary Fellowship of CIBN
We engage in sensitization programs at the village level and we give equity to small businesses to empower them. We engage small businesses on a regular basis to see the progress they are making and encourage them to save a portion of their profits so that they can build up capital. For us, the most significant element in financial inclusion is empowerment, because if people are empowered they will look for a bank.” There is also the quest for the development of financial services product that can also help to deepen financial inclusion, in areas like savings and investment. What are your thoughts on this? “Financial products will provide non-interest options for those who are already engaged in the financial system and are not happy with conventional products. We provide an alternative either from the support from deposit or transaction base account or if they want to get finance.
Will Jaiz Bank collaborate with Fintechs to deepen financial inclusion? “We don’t have any option, as a bank we recognize the fact that if we have to grow, if we have to get as many potential customers as possible we cannot use the traditional model of branching. The fintechs provide an opportunity for banks and financial institutions to reach the hinterlands and inaccessible areas, because of sustainability cost implications and the logistic requirements for building branches. Fintechs will be vital and Jaiz bank sees collaboration with them as critical to achieving scale in financial inclusion and improved financial services to the unbanked, especially in the North-West and North-East regions.” To this end, he noted that the targeted group or those who don’t have access to financial services would be allowed to open account without meeting the strict Know Your Customer (KYC) requirements including utility bills, international passports among others.
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Is Video Conferencing Draining Our Productivity?
And if so, do you stand a chance?
Oren Ezra
Z
oom, Webex, MS Teams, Google Hangouts— whichever is your platform of choice, these are the tools that have begun to punctuate the days for many of us WFH today. Your morning begins with your daily sync – and then another meeting begins. And then another. And then another.
These tools have the ability to connect teams and overcome incredible boundaries when handled thoughtfully. And with our days growing longer, our calendars fuller, and no end in sight—the time has come to question the true source of our productivity battle.
Before you realize it, it’s dark outside – and the work-plan you had in the morning has sat untouched, accumulating more urgent priorities.
Why are we really calling all the time?
Combine mounting workloads, striving to spend more time with family, and maintaining the home that has become your office— and your burnout is around the corner.
When used responsibly, these video conferencing tools can be our only way to connect and tap into those creative juices that can’t be replicated over email. But, you can’t help but think back on how your calendar looked a mere month ago and swear to yourself that you used to have at least 15 minutes in between meetings for a coffee. The blame for our packed calendars cannot fairly rest on the video conferencing tools made to bring us together.
It’s easy to pin the blame on our frequently-clicked video conferencing apps, but meetings don’t book themselves.
Many of us who are lucky enough to be working during this time have felt our organizations push us to move forward and
And don’t forget WFH-life balance!
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Source: www.igeeksclub.com
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regain stability. Unfortunately, this often materializes in the form of lots and lots of sync meetings. Via videoconference. Back-to-back.
In an effort to offset this unusual distance, many are scheduling meetings just to create a feeling of stability.
But why have our calendars become so cluttered? What are we really looking for? I’ve come up with three, decidedly low-tech reasons.
People want to know that their work is being seen, that their company or organization is doing the best it can, and to feel a part of something larger. Having your company or team weekly meetings over video call can become the dedicated time to leverage the (sort of) face-to-face interaction and human connection you can get from video conferencing in order to give any support your teammates might need.
Chasing alignment Having lost the cadence we have come accustomed to in the office, it’s easy to grow anxious around the status of a project you are spearheading or a client your fear has gone unnoticed. In an effort to simulate the “drop by your desk for a quick question”, harmless 15 minute sync calls just to align are becoming commonplace. Chasing down status updates through these sync calls can get the best of you and your team real fast— turning a tool that is has the potential to enhance your work, into the very thing that hinders you.
Filling in gaps
We’ve got a tools and platform problem For large-scale plans and brainstorming, nothing can replace a good strategic meeting. But if you are meeting to share data, collaborate on specific work items, or simply to “ask a quick question” – you’ve got a tools or platform issue, not a videoconference issue.
We no longer have the comfort of a shared space to consolidate all decisions made, knowledge accumulated, and progress made.
When you are spending your whole day clicking in and out of video calls for the reasons above (chasing alignment, stability or filling in gaps), you simply don’t have technology to fit the way remote teams need to work today.
If you don’t have a common, shared digital workspace with a centralized source of information, you and your team are often chasing down data. This is because our tools – whether they are CRMs, ERPs, or something else – remain woefully disconnected from each other – and often times, from our team members.
When WFH, it’s critical to have the tools and platforms you need to get your work done. If your tools are simply creating more work, you’ve got the first indication of a deeper problem than just too many calls.
Stopping the video call
productivity suck So how do we stop the endless cycle of calendar ping after calendar ping? We have to define when and why to video chat.
When to call: transparency goes both ways As we slowly become accustomed to the norms of working from home, and realize that things are still getting done, projects are still moving forward, and the sky has not actually fallen yet— a normal daily rhythm will form.
When you spend your whole day clicking in and out of video calls for various reasons, you simply don’t have technology to fit the way remote teams work today Transparent calendars. Working from home has blurred the boundaries between kids and colleagues, office and living room, and personal time vs work time.
So we’re holding more video conference calls as a way to fill in information gaps. Identify the value you get from a video call and focus the meeting around that. By spending the first 10 minutes of a call just getting on the same page, sharing data and reconciling informational gaps, meetings become less about moving forward and more about repetitive updates.
Source: www.newsweek.com
And when they’re back-to-back, it’s even worse.
Reassuring stability It’s no secret— these are crazy times we are living through.
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Here at monday.com, we’ve encouraged people to set “family time” on their calendars – and we respect those boundaries. Setting those expectations early has helped us avoid productivity issues due to videoconferencing, and allowed us to be fully present when we do join.
Why to call: same principles still apply Some video conferences have to happen – in some cases, there’s no substitute for the kind of creativity and energy a meeting with others will bring. But given our new WFH reality, we’ve gone way past that. So, before you mindlessly schedule another meeting, consider these quick checks: YES to schedule: Big-picture sync, weekly progress meetings, meetings where you need to make progress as a group, team projects that require collaboration not covered by tools. NO to schedule: Data-sharing, sync and status updates, collaboration for editing documents or design work edits, “a quick question”, meetings during blocked off calendar times. Let’s demand more of our tools and platforms. WFH has made it clear to many of us: we have a tools issue. Our tools need to help us bridge information silos by integrating many different sources of data; they need to help us track progress and get work done; and they need to be easy to use and update, for any project, process or workflow. For every organization working remotely today, it’s time to take a critical look at the tools we are using and ask: Are our tools flexible enough? Can we adapt them for every workflow, process or project? Can we integrate our data sources so we have one common space for data-driven decision making? Do our tools save us time (and calls)? Can we collaborate effectively with our tools? If the answer to any of these questions is no, then it’s high time to start demanding more of your tools and platforms.
Looking forward
The habits and structures that are built during this time have the potential to define your company culture and processes for years to come. So, schedule responsibly. î 60 | ACCESS NEWS
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Source: Shutterstock
There is no telling how long this will last, but what we know with certainty is that when we do eventually return to our offices, it won’t be to the same workflows we’ve always known.
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Making Your Romantic Dreams Come True
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omance is always simple and carefree when it is being acted out in our imaginations. We can come up with the most unbelievable and breathtaking ideas and play scenes that make the best romantic movies look amateur. The only catch to all this however, is that they are developed in our fantasies and stay there, without ever actually taking place in our real lives. Why is that? Why is it so easy for us to fantasize about the most amazing romances, but never find such romances that really exist? Does it just not happen? Is there no such thing? No, there is no such thing as “a romantic dream come true” until you create its existence. That’s right! you carry the key that will open the magical door to making all of your romantic dreams come true. What did you expect to find out? That someday an invisible wand will be waved over you, miraculously bringing you and your meant to be honey together? Well, if that is what you are counting on and waiting for, prepare to keep on waiting! Do not get the wrong idea here, of course there are situations where two people meet and have an instant connection, but things do not just stop there. Many make a mistake in believing that once they found someone they make a great connection with, everything else will fall into place perfectly and all of their romantic fantasies will come true automatically. If you want your fantasies to become a reality, then you must introduce them to reality. Our partners are not mind readers, yet we tend to believe they are, expecting them to act out and the things we picture them doing in our imaginations. You do not necessarily have to ask your partner to act a certain way or do a certain thing, but you can introduce your romantic ideas by starting to act them out yourself. This will paint a clear picture for your partner, helping him or her see what kind of romantic personality you have, and what you enjoy. You will also learn more about your partner, because you will see their response to your romantic suggestions, which is why, it’s extremely important that you do this at the beginning of your dating process, or in the JULY 2020
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beginning of your relationship. If you do not, you could very well be setting yourself up for deep disappointment. Romantic Dreams come true when you make an effort to never settle or anything else than what your genuine expectations are from a person. This does not mean you should never compromise however, for nobody will ever be perfect, including yourself, so keep in mind that there will be times where you will need to find a middle ground with your lover. Not settling for less is meant more on an obvious level. For example, if your romantic dream is to find a partner who loves long walks on the beach and going out for fancy dining and intimate picnics, then do not even bother getting seriously involved with a person who loves staying at home all the time or going out to loud parties with his or her friends. You will only be frustrated later. Many people choose to get involved with a person who never really fulfilled their romantic expectations from the start, but feel that things will change as their relationship proceeds. This is a mistake often made and one you should avoid making if you ever wish to live the romance of your dreams. Though people can be unpredictable, a person’s hobbies and lifestyle can usually be determined in the early stages of dating after about between 3 and 6 dates. You will be able to observe from your dates if a person carries the qualities you are in search for by paying attention to where they choose to take you on your dates, the way they speak to you, as well as all the other little things that are important to you. It is important that you are also open and honest about your hobbies, lifestyle and romantic qualities so that your date also starts to learn who you really are as a person and can also decide whether or not they feel you are someone they wish to continue dating. If you do not wish to be misled, then do not mislead others either! Living the romantic life of your dreams is indeed very possible, but requires time, patience and most importantly, being honest with others and yourself about who you really are and what you really want. Accomplishing true romance can only happen when you express yourself freely and confidently. Remember, no one can read your mind and there will be no magical wand that will wave over you. Fate will play a part in who you end up committing to and settling down with, but according for fate to do so, you have to help it out by showing it exactly what it is you are looking for. Fate is like a dating service in a way- in order for it to help you find the right person, you need to give it an honest description of what you are looking for and what you are also not interested it. Once you have done so, stick to it without settling for something you know you will not be 100% satisfied with. In time, you will be living your romantic dream come true with a person who feels the same and the two of you will have the wonderful relationship you have been searching for.
Ways To Make Your Fairy Tale Dream Come True 1. Enhance yourself. Now, don’t take this tip the wrong way. You don’t need plastic surgery, but you should know your assets and how to enhance them. After all, you want to play the role of a princess, not a hideous hag. 62 | ACCESS NEWS
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2. Be interesting. Do friends and family often accuse you of being square? Loosen up! Nobody was born boring. Remember, even though men are essentialy visual creatures, dull women are almost as unappealing as unattractive ones. 3. Dress up. We all know that men appreciate women who look good, but dressing up will also make you feel more confident and beautiful. 4. Be healthy! Avoid eating junk food. It’s bad for your skin, hair and nails. Try to eat healthy foods because in the long run, you will radiate a healthy glow which will make men turn their heads and say “ooh la la.” 5. Be feminine. Being feminine doesn’t mean that you have to act girlish and helpless. Show off your feminine side in subtle ways. Just make sure that your dream man is watching so that your feminine efforts won’t go to waste. 6. Be modest. Just like women hate men who are known to be suave Casanovas, men also dislike women who have a reputation of being a tease. Try to keep your relationships with other men decent and discrete to avoid turning your dream man away. 7. Loosen up. If you are so uptight about schedules, morality, and other stuff, loosen up! Show the world that you also know how to laugh out loud, unwind and get down and dirty every once in a while. 8. Don’t try too hard. Men prefer women who take it easy. They are attracted to those women who know how to accept the reality and don’t desperately try to change themselves. Show everyone that you are comfortable in your own skin, just the way you are. 9. Make eye contact. Usually, women forget the meaning of the word eye contact whenever the man of their dreams is in front of them. Avoid doing this because your dream guy might take your lack of eye contact with him the wrong way. He might think that you are uninterested in him. 10. Love yourself. You should love yourself first before you can expect for your dream guy to fall in love with you.
Romantic Dreams come true when you make an effort to never settle or anything else than what your genuine expectations are from a person.
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Personal Elements That Will Enable Your Romantic Dreams To Come True 1. Have courage. We all need to be open minded about the “must haves” in our relationships. Benchmarks are important, but where exactly do they come from? Are they self-generated? Have they been drilled into us by our parents and peers indicating what the “right” package is, or has life experience produced our wants and needs list? It is your voice that will be the guide in the pursuit of a future soul mate. 2. Let Go. Be willing to let go of baggage. All of us carry the nicks and bruises that have been sustained as we go through life. In order to make oneself amenable to receiving the love of a new person, it is necessary to forgive any pain experienced in the past, thus opening up our hearts once again. I am not suggesting that it is possible to completely reboot like our electronica. Loves from days gone by have to be accepted for who they were and the roles that they played. Be realistic about past lovers, and don’t let their legacy maintain too prominent a place in your thoughts. They ought to be filed into the background, so that there are no shadows looming large over future prospects. 3. Be Kind. Of all the attributes that can describe a person, how many times have we
actually used the adjective “kind” to sum up the one that we are with, or pursuing? Words such as “funny”, “friendly”, “outgoing”, “attractive” are often used in characterizing potential mates. All of these traits are favorable, but do they speak to the heart of the individual? Kindness is one of the most important qualities that can be possessed. This is the fundamental characteristic that gives value to a person’s nature. 4. Be Humble. No need to brag or be attracted to someone who carries on about all of their accomplishments. The prince in Cinderella described himself as an apprentice, learning a trade. Knowing who you are and being confident in yourself should be enough to win someone’s heart. If others need to go on at length about their wonderfulness in order to gain attention, my suggestion is, run, don’t walk. It is possible to be successful, both professionally and personally without any accompanying bravado. 5. Have integrity. Maintain a path of following through on what is right even if popular culture does not emphasis these values. Your moral compass is the most important characteristic that will speak to who you really are. Stand your ground on what is worth fighting for. The
simplicity of adhering to the Golden Rule, doing to others as you would want them to do back in kind, is what will make you appealing to those you desire to attract. 6. What truly matters. Presents are fun to receive, but what truly matters are the expressions from the heart. Jewelry and clothing can bring momentary excitement, but do they have any worth? Those who are only interested in receiving their partner’s worldly possessions as a token of love and affection ultimately will end up with a handful of shiny objects. The question is: Will that be enough? Shared morals and values are the foundation of a successful relationship. When looking for a life mate make sure to seek out someone who focuses on the same priorities as you. 7. Marry for love. As time goes by, we will all gain weight, lose hair, have what remains go gray and wrinkle and slouch. Some years will be better than others. The kids will ultimately leave the nest and in the end it will be just the two of you walking down life’s road together. The bond of love is what will keep you wanting to be arm in arm in life’s journey as you smile at the memories gathered along the way. Believe in what the poets tell us: Only true love is eternal. î
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Donald Trump, United States President
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resident Donald Trump lashed out at social media Thursday accusing it of anti-conservative bias which he called one of the greatest threats to free speech in American history – and said he wished he could close down Twitter. He lambasted the platform as he signed an executive order in the Oval Office which is intended to begin tackling what he claims is censorship of conservative voices.
The order could open Twitter, Facebook and Google up to lawsuits by diluting the legal protection which stops them from being liable for posts on their platforms, and which also allows them to moderate content. It came after Twitter slapped two of the President’s tweets with a ‘fact check’ on Tuesday and Trump hit back by saying he would regulate and even shut down the Silicon Valley giants if they are shown to be biased.
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Trump signs executive order against ‘anticonservative bias’ on social media He accused Twitter of becoming an ‘editor with a point of view’ and not a ‘neutral platform’ by fact-checking him and then slammed one of its executives, Yoel Roth, its head of user integrity, accusing him of ‘fraud’ for the fact check. Twitter says he was not involved in it.
Source: www.theverge.com
Asked if he wanted to get rid of Twitter he said: ‘If it was legal, if it was able to be legally shut down, I would.’ Trump signed the executive order on ‘fairness’ which could lead to Twitter, Facebook, Google and other social media and search platforms being stripped of a legal shield which makes them almost immune from being sued. Trump rolled out the tough language as Attorney General Bill Barr looked on and the president signed an order that could expose Twitter and other social media platforms to a barrage of lawsuits. Barr said when firms ‘curate’ their collection and engage in ‘censoring’ content firms become ‘publishers’ and shouldn’t be entitled to a legal ‘shield.’
be your judge and jury I think you shut it down as far as I’m concerned,’ in reference to Twitter’s ‘head of integrity,’ who has been revealed to have posted tweets highly critical of Trump and top Republicans. Trump, a billionaire who amassed a branding and real estate empire before running for president, added: ‘A small handful of powerful social media monopolies controls a vast portion of all public and private communication in the United States and we know what they are, we don’t have to name them, we’re going to give you a complete listing.’ He continued: ‘They’ve had unchecked power to censure, restrict, edit, shape, hide, alter virtually any form of communication between private citizens or large public audiences.’ Trump brought up the 2016 elections as he tore into Twitter – a fact lawyers might try to flag if companies try to claim in court the action is politically motivated.
‘We’re here today to defend free speech from one of the greatest dangers it has faced in American history, frankly, and you know what’s going on as well as anybody. It’s not good,’ Trump said before inking the order, which came just days after Twitter for the first time provided what Trump’s staff calls a fact-check on his own tweets.
‘We can’t allow that to happen especially when they go about doing what they’re doing,’ Trump said. ‘Because they’re doing things incorrectly. They have points of view. And if we go by that it’s actually amazing that there was a success in 2016, but we can’t let this continue to happen. It’s very, very unfair.’
Pressed on whether he would in fact seek to use the courts to shut down Twitter, Trump responded: ‘I think this: if twitter were not honorable, if you’re going to have a guy like this
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a democracy. We’re not going to have anything to do with a republic.’ Trump also tried to use the power of federal purse strings as pressure, saying we ‘are not going in any social media company that repress[es] free speech.’ He said the government spends ‘billions of dollars on giving them money’ and called the firms ‘rich enough,’ although independent accounts put the total government ad spending far lower. ‘We’re going to be doing none of it or very little of it,’ Trump said. Asked if he would consider simply deleting his Twitter account given his concerns, Trump said he would ‘do that in a heartbeat’ if we had a ‘fair press’ in the U.S.
Shares in Twitter, the target of Trump’s anger for the fact check, were down 3% by early afternoon, but those in Facebook rose slightly. Its founder Mark Zuckerberg told CNBC he did not want to be an ‘arbiter of truth,’ and criticized Twitter’s Jack Dorsey for the fact-checks. Google share were also up. It has not passed comment on the row. The draft version of the order shows that Trump will order the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to clarify how to enforce regulations under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.
Source: twitter.com
A leaked draft of the document suggests that it will try to limit the crucial protection social media companies have from being sued under normal defamation and free speech laws, although it falls short of his threat to ‘close’ platforms. Trump is also expected to set up a mechanism allowing Americans to report alleged political censorship or bias by the social media giants which will be investigated by the Federal Trade Commission. The White House tech bias reporting tool will collect complaints of online censorship and submit them to the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The FTC will then be required to ‘consider taking action’, examine whether complaints violate the law, draw up a report describing such complaints and make the report publicly available. î
That is the federal law largely exempting online platforms from legal liability for users’ posts. But the draft order says that the protection should not apply if companies are ‘engaged in editorial conduct’ – meaning making a judgment for themselves about how people’s points of view are presented. That is what Trump accuses Twitter of doing by fact-checking him, and what conservatives claim happens to their posts which are promoted less than those with more liberal viewpoints. Such a move could open up Twitter, Facebook and other platforms to an avalanche of lawsuits from people claiming their views have been unfairly censored. It also requires the agency to look at whether social media platforms are using ‘deceptive’ policies to moderate content by not openly declaring how they decide how viewpoints are dealt with.
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We’re here today to defend free speech from one of the greatest dangers it has faced in American history, frankly, and you know what’s going on as well as anybody. It’s not good...
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50 Journalists Lose Jobs to Robots at Microsoft
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bout 50 journalists working with Microsoft are set to lose their jobs, as the American multinational tech giant reportedly moves to replace them with robots.
According to local media reports, those affected are contract employees working as curators for the company’s news website, MSN.
“This can result in increased investment in some places and, from time to time, re-deployment in others. “These decisions are not the result of the current pandemic,” the company said in a statement, according to the paper. According to the BBC, Microsoft, like some other tech companies, pays news organisations to use their contents on its website.
They perform functions such as selection of stories, headlines, pictures and other contents from news organisations for the MSN site.
“But, it employs journalists to decide which stories to display and how they are presented.
The Seattle Times quoted unidentified insiders as saying the company has notified the affected workers that their services would no longer be needed beyond June 30.
“However, Microsoft will retain its full-time news producers, whose functions are similar to those of the contract employees being disengaged,” Seattle Times added.
From then, artificial intelligence would be used to perform the news production tasks in what Microsoft calls “evaluation of its business”.
One of those leaving told the paper that their functions had been semi-automated for a few months now.
“Like all companies, we evaluate our business on a regular basis.
Source: www.rubiconline.com
“It is demoralising to think machines can replace us but there you go,” the unnamed employee said, according to the medium.î
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U.S. launches first human spaceflight in 9 years
The STS-135 mission of July 8, 2011, was the last time the U.S. launched astronauts from its soil. Between then and the latest mission, the U.S. astronauts were flown to the International Space Station through the Soyuz Capsule in Russia. Tagged “Launch America”, the mission was originally scheduled to begin on Wednesday but had to be postponed just 17 minutes to launch due to bad weather. According to vox.com, it is an expensive mission that is supposed to cost $86 million per astronaut. But SpaceX is reportedly charging only $55 million dollars per astronaut for one complete round trip.
Elon Musk (left) with President Trump during the SpaceX launch 2020
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he U.S. President, Donald Trump, says American astronauts would return to the moon by 2024, after the launched first human spaceflight in many years.
Speaking after the successful launched of the country’s first human spaceflight in nine years, Trump said the aim was to “establish a permanent presence in space and a launching pad to Mars’’. “The first woman on the Moon will be an American woman and the first nation to land on Mars will be the United States of America. “Space travel is not a feat of engineering alone, it’s also a moral endeavour, a measure of a nation’s vision, its willpower and its place in the world.
“Exploration is a test of our values. “The best is yet to come,’’ the president told Americans, who had cause to celebrate in what has been a trying period for the country. The Crew Dragon spacecraft, built by a private American aerospace manufacturing company, SpaceX, blasted off the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida at 3.22 p.m. (8.22 p.m. on Saturday Nigerian time). Onboard the capsule are America astronauts, Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken, who are on a 19-hour journey to the International Space Station. This is the country’s first human spaceflight through a government-private partnership between the U.S. space agency, NASA and SpaceX. 68 | ACCESS NEWS
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Source: www.sputniknews.com
Trump acknowledged this when he said the NASA-SpaceX partnership had given America “an unmatched power” in a spaceship that puts astronauts into orbit “at a fraction of the cost of the space shuttle’’. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that by this development, space exploration is no longer limited to the government. NASA’s administrator, Mr Jim Bridenstine, told newsmen prior to the launch that space exploration would neither be successful nor sustainable if “government is the only one doing things in space’’. This is the beginning of “taxi” rides to the space station, where commercial spaceflight enters a new phase, reports the BBC. Trump congratulated the Chief Executive Officer of SpaceX, Mr Elon Musk, for fulfilling a dream he had nursed for decades. “From now on the U.S. will leverage the fast-growing capabilities of our commercial sector. “We will use rockets and spacecraft designed, built, owned and launched by private American companies at a fixed price for the American taxpayer. “Today’s launch makes clear the commercial space industry is the future, the president said. According to reports, Crew Dragon is on a test mission intended to complete the validation of SpaceX’ hardware for human-rated spaceflight operations. The success of this mission will earn the company NASA certification for commercial crew missions to and from the International Space Station. During the mission, expected to last between 30 and 90 days, the astronauts will test the capabilities of Crew Dragon, including its ability to dock and undock from the space station among others. î
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UK will extend Hongkongers’ visa rights if China pursues security laws
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he move, which appears in outline to stop short of giving the BN(O)s a right of abode, is a response to growing Conservative backbench pressure on the Foreign Office to do more to help Hong Kong citizens fearful that China is about to extinguish their independence and political freedoms.
Source: www.theguardian.com
The UK will extend visa rights for as many as 300,000 Hong Kong British national (overseas) passport holders if China continues down the path of imposing repressive security laws on the former British colony, the foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, has said.
Raab said he would extend the BN(O) holders’ current right to visit for six months without a visa to an extendable 12 months, leading to a pathway for future citizenship. The proposal has been squared with the home secretary, Priti Patel, and the prime minister’s office, but details still need fleshing out.
Dominic Raab, UK Foreign Secretary
Raab stressed the offer was dependent on the precise next steps China seeks to take to impose its security laws.
rity legislation, we will change that status. And we will remove that six-month limit and allow those BNO passport holders to come to the UK and to apply to work and study for extendable periods of 12 months and that will itself provide a pathway to future citizenship.”
“In relation to BNO passport holders, currently they only have the right to come to the UK for six months,” he said. “If China continues down this path and implements this national secu-
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Tom Tugendhat, the chairman of the foreign affairs select committee, described the development as “fantastic”, but added: “Now we need to go further and recognise the full rights of British nationals.” Bob Seeley, one of the Tory MPs leading the campaign to protect Hong Kong’s freedoms, said: “It’s a good start, but more is needed, such as the right to work in the UK and fast-track to UK citizenship”. The Liberal Democrats called for the rights enjoyed by BN(O) passport holders to be extended to all Hong Kong citizens. “This is a momentous decision by the government,” said Johnny Patterson from London-based human rights group Hong Kong Watch. “If things deteriorate further, the UK will need to consider extending the scheme beyond 12 months, up to and including right of abode.”
He said he was not in favour of sanctions against Hong Kong but said Britain should make sure the issue of Hong Kong is on the agency of next month’s meeting of the G7 and should support efforts to raise the issue at the UN security council when meetings resume. “I hope Britain would start to work with our allies of liberal democracies around the world to make sure we have a united front supporting not only Hong Kong but actually standing up to bullying communists in Beijing,” he said. “Every liberal democracy in the world and other countries is going to look at their relationship with China and understand that Xi’s regime – if you allow them to bully you on economic political or other issues – then they’ll keep on bullying you. And I think we need to wake up to the fact that this is a new Chinese regime and it’s a different sort of aggressive communism and it needs to be defended against.”î
Raab acted after China’s rubber-stamp parliament approved new security laws that will fill what Beijing describes as loopholes in Hong Kong’s laws on policing, security and foreign interference. A joint statement issued by Australia, Canada, the UK and the US condemned Beijing, saying the proposed laws would undermine Hong Kong’s “one country, two systems” framework. “It also raises the prospect of prosecution in Hong Kong for political crimes, and undermines existing commitments to protect the rights of Hong Kong people,” the statement said. “We are also extremely concerned that this action will exacerbate the existing deep divisions in Hong Kong society.” The statement described Hong Kong as “a bastion of freedom” and said the international community had “a significant and long-standing stake in Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability”. The UK is backing the US announcement that it is declaring that Hong Kong is no longer autonomous from China – a statement that frees the US to withdraw trade preferences and open a route to economic sanctions. The EU is expected to make an announcement at a foreign affairs ministers meeting on Friday.
If China continues down this path and implements this national security legislation, we will change that status. And we will remove that six-month limit and allow those BNO passport holders to come to the UK and to apply to work and study for extendable periods of 12 months
“What is hurting Hong Kong is the way that China has behaved because China is terrified of what Hong Kong stands for, because President Xi and his regime hates liberal democracy,” Patten said. “They hate free speech, they hate any attempts to discover what happened in the past, and hence their reaction to Tiananmen. They hate journalists and free journalism, they hate accountable governments. They don’t like democracy, they hate all those things. They regard them as a threat to communism.”
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Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Lord Patten, the last British governor of Hong Kong, told the Guardian he hoped the laws did not spell the end of one country, two systems.
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BANKULI: From Lagos to Los Angeles, Bankuli Is Connecting Dots in the Diaspora. Ronnia Cherry
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Emily Nkanga ankulli is the supreme connector of dots. Born Abisagboola Oluseun John in Lagos, Nigeria, the singer, songwriter, and talent manager has used his influence in the music industry to connect African producers, singers, and musicians with international acts to carry Afro-beats and Afro-pop across the globe.
“More collaborations across the world means better exposure,” Bankulli explains. “There is acceptance. Everywhere, they’re playing our music. Radio stations are playing Yoruba. Our language is expanding, and it’s rich.” This expansion has helped Bankulli find a seat at the table with some of the most wellknown acts in the recording industry. One of his most notable contributions to date is a collaboration and appearance on Beyoncé’s soundtrack album, The Lion King: The Gift. The project found THE CARTERS—Beyonce, JAY-Z, and even Blue Ivy—singing, rapping, and chanting alongside African superstars WizKid, Burna Boy, Mr Eazi, and Tiwa Savage. Bankulli earned composition credits and contributed Yoruba vocals on “FIND YOUR WAY BACK” and “OTHER-SIDE.” During a visit state-side to attend the GRAMMY Awards in Los Angeles last month, I spoke with Bankulli for a meaningful and insightful exchange. Our Face Time conversation began while en route to a meeting a few days before the award show. The Los Angeles sun was Bankulli’s backdrop, his trademark fluorescent OSHA hoodie in view, pausing frequently to hail up those also in town. Of course, OSHA is both the name of his clothing line and Yoruba for “God.” Bankulli not only keeps his faith on full display, but he lives it for all to see, using both his influence and intuition to create music, connections, and opportunities with the chosen.
Our conversation, lightly edited for content and clarity, follows è
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An artiste, as an individual, must be prepared to have their signature sound, mixed with other sounds from around the world, to find a balance...
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DJBooth: Africa is creating new stars every day. As someone who’s worked behind-the-scenes, what are your thoughts on signing and working with international labels and A&Rs? The genre is growing. More collaborations across the world means better exposure. There is acceptance. Everywhere, they’re playing our music. Radio stations are playing Yoruba. Our language is expanding, and it’s rich. [Our music is] playing in taxis. It’s a two-way exchange when we are conscious [of] what we are doing while doing it. It must have value, core value. Some people call it “culture vulture” but, when you’re going into meetings, you should be going with your team, making it with your team. They are around you to be able to tell you, to remind you, so you don’t lose focus when it comes to production, etc. You must have your own sound, your own values. How do you maintain your own sound once you enter the mainstream? There’s nothing wrong with having an international deal and exposure. A tribe must be able to sell to the other tribe. For example, you may be selling a kind of soup and use a seasoning that is appealing yet won’t cause problems. It has to come out right and not lose the essence of why it’s… Jamaican jerk chicken, for example. An artist, as an individual, must be prepared to have their signature [sound], mixed with other sounds [from] around the world. A balance. Do not lose your focus by not being original. Mix with different sounds, though, because it’s good to expose yourself to other markets as well. Jamaican and African artists often link, such as Popcaan and Davido—an artist you’ve worked with—and Chronixx and Mr. Eazi. What is the connection between Afro-beats and Caribbean music?
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Reggae music is like one of the grandfathers of Afro-beats because it has been there before us. The only reason Afro-beats is growing fast is because of reggae. Social media is helping. If reggae had social media at that time… it’s still popping, but in terms of excitement, it might be [more popular]. We also have Afro reggae. There is that connection, that link. Afro-beats is sweet to the ears, and we need more of that. Between reggae and Afro-beats, we are brothers. Bob Marley was preaching about Africa. This is the time we’ve been waiting for. You were blessed to work on The Lion King: The Gift. What impact did the project have on Africa and Afrobeats at large? The Lion King: The Gift project represents Africa in terms of every artist on there, the future, more like an ambassador to African music, African sound. The Afro-beats vibe is more dominant. West Africans, I believe, are mostly ambassadors on that project. It gave the genre more exposure. Can you imagine working with Beyoncé, one of the biggest mainstream artists in the world? The numbers, attention, attraction, and work on that project? It can only get better from here. It opens up the market, not just for musicians but for everyone: journalists, executives, new business here in America. Not restricted to just music, but for the entire Africa—tourism, the narrative, the conversations about artists coming from the continent. It’s a positive, good thing. What’s it like working with Beyoncé’s team? We all know who Beyoncé is. She’s a workaholic, understand? Talented as well. The project speaks for itself. It shows the level of research that has gone into this kind of project. It’s not a joke. The amount of African artists who worked on that project shows you she means business. It’s the real deal.
There’s nothing wrong with having an international deal and exposure... A tribe must be able to sell to the other tribe after-all.
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Mane provided the spark Liverpool needed to hit another late goal and steer his side towards victory against Aston Villa - just like he’s been doing all season
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adio Mane should have won last year’s FIFA World Player of the Year award ahead of Lionel Messi, France legend Alain Giresse has told ESPN.
Giresse believes the Liverpool forward is spearheading a generation of players who are reaching an unprecedented level of performance for Africans in Europe. Messi ultimately won the 2019 The Best award, finishing ahead of Mane’s Liverpool teammate Virgil van Dijk in second and Cristiano Ronaldo in third, with the Senegal forward ranking fifth behind Mohamed Salah.
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Sadio Mane deserved FIFA World Player of the Year award ahead of Leo Messi - Alain Giresse
Photo by Anthony Devlin/Offside/Getty Images
“I didn’t receive the ballot sheet, so it wasn’t me who voted [on Tunisia’s behalf]. I can’t say who did, but it wasn’t me. “When I was head coach of Senegal, Sadio was still young but he had ahead of him an enormous potential, a technical potential, and a moral potential to go on to become a great player, as he has become today.” While Mane’s Liverpool fell short of the Premier League title last season, finishing second to Manchester City, they romped to the championship this time around, with their 30-year wait finally coming to an end when Pep Guardiola’s side was defeated by Chelsea on last Thursday. Mane has been one of the outstanding players in Jurgen Klopp’s team, weighing in with 15 goals and seven assists to underpin Liverpool’s record-breaking campaign, while also boosting his own hopes of retaining the Golden Boot he shared with Salah and Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang last season. “I’ve coached some amazing players, like Aubameyang and Mane,” Giresse added. Giresse, who should have cast the vote as Tunisia’s head coach at the time, has told ESPN that he didn’t cast his country’s vote but would have backed the Liverpool man, who has been influential this season as the Reds ended their three-decade wait for an English Premier League title. “I definitely would have put Sadio Mane ahead of Messi, in terms of the season they had last season,” Giresse said.
“I launched Pierre-Emerick with the Gabon national team, at the start of his development, his expansion and his progression. “We can all see his pathway and the level he’s reached now. We’re talking about [him moving to] Real Madrid, so it shows how this player has reached a world-class level, and you could say the same about Sadio.”
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Steve Nicol wants to see Sadio Mane win PFA Player of the Year Steve Nicol would pick Liverpool’s Sadio Mane over Jordan Henderson for PFA Player of the Year. Giresse made more than 500 league appearances for Bordeaux, amassed 47 caps for France -- winning the European Championship in 1984 -- and played against some of Africa’s all-time greats. However, the three-time French Player of the Year believes Mane and Aubameyang are spearheading a generation of African talent who have surpassed the standing of their predecessors.
Giresse has fronted four African national teams during his 25-year managerial career, taking the helm of an exciting Senegal side in 2013 after spells with Gabon and Mali. Despite boasting several established names, and an exciting crop of youngsters, he was unable to take the Lions of Teranga out of the group stage at the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, with injury concerns overshadowing Mane’s campaign. The coach added: “When I was with Senegal, the player who impressed me the most was Mane, although he wasn’t yet the Sadio Mane that he is today; this great international player that he is, one of the best players in the world.
“During my career, African players hadn’t acquired the dimension they have today in terms of being at the highest level,” Giresse told ESPN.
“That was still to come.
“I played with Joseph-Antoine Bell, an exceptional goalkeeper, and Abedi Pele, who played at such a high level, but between 1980 and 1990 few players were likely to be considered, at the top level, for the major player honours and awards.
“Senegal had him and other young players who were in the process of getting started; there was him, there was Idrissa Gueye, there was Cheikhou Kouyate, all of whom weren’t yet the players they are today.
“I played against Jules Bocande, the attacker of such power, and Roger Milla, who was a rather extraordinary striker, but the players of my era didn’t have the dimension of the African players who play today.”
“There was also this generation of Papiss Cisse, of Moussa Sow, Mame Biram Diouf, Dame N’Doye, some great players, but you noticed that these young players had an enormous potential, and so I’m not surprised that Senegal are a team of the highest quality today.” î
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