Access Bank Plc on Wednesday rewarded 10 lucky winners of Diamondxtra promo of One Million Naira each in its monthly draw.

The bank had in the past 10 years rewarded over 15,000 customers with over N5.4 billion in the savings promo and promised to continue the reward more Nigerians in the special monthly and quarterly draws. The promotion which is in its 11th season, is held to reward customers and appreciate them for their loyalty to the bank.

Speaking with newsmen on the matter, the Executive Director Retail Banking, Mr. Victor Etuokwu said it is a continuation of the values customers have always enjoy from former Diamond Bank and even with the new merger Access Bank promise to keep this alive for all our customers.

“These are customers that won in the month of March, expect a lot of people winning in subsequent months. We promise to keep the product, feature, content and the name, we are happy people are winner and this is the first draw after the merger.
“We are looking to expanding this product, we want to make it a flagship saving product in this country.

We made promises to our customers in the last three months during the various town hall meeting across the country, we promise them this will not change, we are keeping the name and even looking at expanding it with the over 10 million customers coming from Access to join in this package, there is no need to fear, all I can say is every Nigerian need a Diamondxtra account,” he said.

To be a part of the reward system, all you need to do is open a Diamondxtra account and fund it with N5,000, with an increased chance of winning from multiple increment in your savings plan of N5,000’. The reward scheme is open to new and existing customers with the DiamondXtra account.
http://meganews.com.ng/2019/04/18/access-bank-rewards-diamondxtra-promo-winners-in-monthly-draw/


One of the winners of one million naira, Chukwuemeka Emmanuel, businessman based in Lagos who said he has been operating the account for five years now express his joy and encourage Nigeria to tap into the package.

“When I first receive the call that I have won 1 million naira I didn’t believe it, but I now I don’t have any reason to doubt them. I thank God and thank the management of Diamond Bank.
“One of my business partner advised me to open the account, at the time I was not looking at winning, although he told me about salary for life and other winning bonuses but I just wanted to have an account to help me do my transaction. Thank God for today, I will put the money back to his business.”


http://meganews.com.ng/2019/04/18/access-bank-rewards-diamondxtra-promo-winners-in-monthly-draw/

While also reassuring the customers, Osita Ede, Head, Consumer Liability Products, Access Bank, said customers will continue to enjoy all the bank’s current unique products and services.

Mojec Meter Assets Management Company, a subsidiary of Mojec International Limited, has announced partnership with Keystone Bank Limited and other leading banks in Nigeria to provide retail financing for rollout of prepaid meters to its customers within the coverage area of its partner Distribution Companies (DISCOs) across the country.

http://meganews.com.ng/2019/04/16/keystone-bank-others-partner-mojec-to-roll-out-prepaid-meters/
This is a major step ahead of the commencement of the much-anticipated Meter Asset Providers (MAP) scheme.


The partnership announcement was made at a press conference and Memorandum of Understanding signing ceremony held in Lagos on Monday, April 15, 2019 between Mojec and the partner banks. The partner banks include Keystone Bank, Unity Bank, Zenith Bank, Polaris Bank, First Bank, Wema Bank, Sterling Bank and First Option Microfinance Bank.


MAP is a scheme approved by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) through a regulation meant for the provision, supply, installation and maintenance of end-user meters by Meter Asset Providers with a view to fast-tracking a closure of the metering gap and end estimated billing in Nigeria.
http://meganews.com.ng/2019/04/16/keystone-bank-others-partner-mojec-to-roll-out-prepaid-meters/

Speaking at the event, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Mojec International Limited, Ms.

Chantelle Abdul disclosed that the company was determined to bridge the metering gap in the power sector by ensuring provision of top-quality electricity meters to consumers in Nigeria.


“Now that MAP is here, Mojec is once again blazing the trail in the provision of high-end quality pre-paid meters to consumers, helping to reduce the financial burden estimated electricity billing is putting on electricity consumers,” Abdul said, noting that Mojec as a company has invested a lot of resources, positioning it as best suited to meet the metering needs of all consumers within the coverage of its partner DISCOs.


She further explained that Mojec would be partnering with eight DISCOs including, Ikeja Electric, Eko DISCO, Abuja DISCO, Kano DISCO, Enugu DISCO, Jos DISCO, Ibadan DISCO and Kaduna DISCO covering about 20 states of the federation.


In his remarks after the MoU signing, the Acting Managing Director/CEO, Keystone Bank Limited, Mr. Abubakar Danlami Sule, represented by Mr. Yemi Odusanya, Executive Director, Corporate Bank & South Directorate shared the bank’s driving motivation for the partnership. “The importance of energy in the growth of businesses and for the livelihood of homes in Nigeria cannot be overemphasized.


“Energy cost is by all standards the major cost line in most homes and businesses.


“The scheme is set to eradicate the unnecessary prevalence of estimated billing which deprived the national economy of funds which otherwise could be deployed into other productive use.


“We are therefore excited to be part of this initiative to bring electricity to homes and businesses at the most prudent cost, putting households and business in control of their expenditure pattern.” He concluded.


Keystone Bank is a technology and service-driven commercial bank offering convenient and reliable solutions

to its customers.

we will

A Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered O & O Networks Limited, a special purpose vehicle owned by Ecobank Transnational Incorporated, to pay the sum of N22.5billion, being proceeds of the wrongful sale of shares in Airtel Networks Limited by Ecobank to Bharti Airtel, into the court’s account.

The decision is a fallout from the long-standing legal dispute between Mr. Oba Otudeko, a founding shareholder and former Chairman of Airtel Nigeria; his company, Broad Communications Limited; another founding shareholder of the company and O & O Networks now owned by Ecobank Transnational Incorporated.

http://meganews.com.ng/2019/03/15/court-orders-ecobank-to-pay-n22-5b-within-7-days-over-airtel-shares-suit-adjourned-to-may-28-2019/


Otudeko and Broad Communications Limited had instituted a legal action in 2006 challenging Delta State Government’s acquisition of O & O network’s shares in Airtel Networks (formerly Econet Wireless Nigeria).

From the facts of the case, Broad Communication’s main contention is that the transaction was unlawful and a breach of the Shareholders’ Agreement executed by the shareholders of Airtel Networks.

According to the said Shareholder’s Agreement, the shares should have been offered to the existing shareholders first as their right of “First Refusal” (pre-emptive right), as mandated by Clause 17.2.1 of the Shareholders’ Agreement, before being offered to Delta State Government

Following the institution of the suit, O & O Networks purportedly bought back the disputed shares from Delta State Government.

Beneficial ownership of the Airtel shares was subsequently transferred to Oceanic Bank, which is now owned by Ecobank Transnational Incorporated.

In 2015, following information received that the disputed shares were being offered for sale, Broad Communications published a “Buyer Beware” notice advising interested parties of the existing dispute on the shares.

On February 5, 2015, Justice John Tsoho of the Federal High Court also gave an order restraining all parties from dealing or tampering with the shares in the custody of Ecobank, and that all parties must maintain status quo until the final determination of the suit.

However, sometime in July 2018, and in disregard of the existing orders of the court, O & O Networks/Ecobank, entered into an arrangement with Bharti Airtel, the parent company of Airtel Networks, for the sale of the disputed shares to Bharti Airtel for the sum of N22.5billion.

http://meganews.com.ng/2019/03/15/court-orders-ecobank-to-pay-n22-5b-within-7-days-over-airtel-shares-suit-adjourned-to-may-28-2019/

Further findings revealed that as a condition of the sale transaction, Bharti Airtel, being previously aware of the dispute and court orders on these shares, extracted an indemnity from O & O Networks/Ecobank, the sellers of the shares, against any exposure to any liability.

In a ruling delivered on March 7, 2019, in respect of Broad Communication’s application challenging the recent sale of shares to Bharti Airtel, Justice Mojisola Olatoregun held that the order to maintain status quo earlier made by Justice Tsoho on February 5, 2015 still subsists and that O & O Networks should not have entered into the agreement with Bharti Airtel.

The judge stated that this was tantamount to disobedience of a subsisting court order and an affront to the court’s authority.

She submitted that any sale of the disputed shares was done at the seller’s risk. Consequent upon this, the judge ordered O & O Networks, owned by Ecobank Transnational Incorporated, to pay the sum of N22.5billion being the proceeds of the unlawful sale into the custody of the Federal High Court within seven days from the date of the court ruling.

The suit was adjourned to May 28, 2019 for continuation of hearing.

Source: vanguard

A Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered O & O Networks Limited, a special purpose vehicle owned by Ecobank Transnational Incorporated, to pay the sum of N22.5billion, being proceeds of the wrongful sale of shares in Airtel Networks Limited by Ecobank to Bharti Airtel, into the court’s account.

The decision is a fallout from the long-standing legal dispute between Mr. Oba Otudeko, a founding shareholder and former Chairman of Airtel Nigeria; his company, Broad Communications Limited; another founding shareholder of the company and O & O Networks now owned by Ecobank Transnational Incorporated.

http://meganews.com.ng/2019/03/15/court-orders-ecobank-to-pay-n22-5b-within-7-days-over-airtel-shares-suit-adjourned-to-may-28-2019/


Otudeko and Broad Communications Limited had instituted a legal action in 2006 challenging Delta State Government’s acquisition of O & O network’s shares in Airtel Networks (formerly Econet Wireless Nigeria).

From the facts of the case, Broad Communication’s main contention is that the transaction was unlawful and a breach of the Shareholders’ Agreement executed by the shareholders of Airtel Networks.

According to the said Shareholder’s Agreement, the shares should have been offered to the existing shareholders first as their right of “First Refusal” (pre-emptive right), as mandated by Clause 17.2.1 of the Shareholders’ Agreement, before being offered to Delta State Government

Following the institution of the suit, O & O Networks purportedly bought back the disputed shares from Delta State Government.

Beneficial ownership of the Airtel shares was subsequently transferred to Oceanic Bank, which is now owned by Ecobank Transnational Incorporated.

In 2015, following information received that the disputed shares were being offered for sale, Broad Communications published a “Buyer Beware” notice advising interested parties of the existing dispute on the shares.

On February 5, 2015, Justice John Tsoho of the Federal High Court also gave an order restraining all parties from dealing or tampering with the shares in the custody of Ecobank, and that all parties must maintain status quo until the final determination of the suit.

However, sometime in July 2018, and in disregard of the existing orders of the court, O & O Networks/Ecobank, entered into an arrangement with Bharti Airtel, the parent company of Airtel Networks, for the sale of the disputed shares to Bharti Airtel for the sum of N22.5billion.

http://meganews.com.ng/2019/03/15/court-orders-ecobank-to-pay-n22-5b-within-7-days-over-airtel-shares-suit-adjourned-to-may-28-2019/

Further findings revealed that as a condition of the sale transaction, Bharti Airtel, being previously aware of the dispute and court orders on these shares, extracted an indemnity from O & O Networks/Ecobank, the sellers of the shares, against any exposure to any liability.

In a ruling delivered on March 7, 2019, in respect of Broad Communication’s application challenging the recent sale of shares to Bharti Airtel, Justice Mojisola Olatoregun held that the order to maintain status quo earlier made by Justice Tsoho on February 5, 2015 still subsists and that O & O Networks should not have entered into the agreement with Bharti Airtel.

The judge stated that this was tantamount to disobedience of a subsisting court order and an affront to the court’s authority.

She submitted that any sale of the disputed shares was done at the seller’s risk. Consequent upon this, the judge ordered O & O Networks, owned by Ecobank Transnational Incorporated, to pay the sum of N22.5billion being the proceeds of the unlawful sale into the custody of the Federal High Court within seven days from the date of the court ruling.

The suit was adjourned to May 28, 2019 for continuation of hearing.

Source: vanguard

Sixteen teams across the Male and female categories are set to compete in the quarter-finals stage of the GTBank Masters Cup. The tournament, which is now in its8th season, will take place on Tuesday 12th and Wednesday 13th March 2019.

Kicking off the matches at the Campos Mini Stadium on Tuesday will be the female team of Greensprings Schools Lekki, which will square off with Lead-Forte Gate College, Lekki. Later in the day, CMS Grammar School Bariga will face Federal Science and Technical College, Yabato contend for a spot in the Male category of the semi-finals.
http://meganews.com.ng/2019/03/12/gtbank-masters-cup-season-8-enters-quarter-finals-stage/

On Wednesday, the female teams will again set the ball rolling as Corona Secondary School, Agbara will face Atlantic Hall, Epe, and later, in the Male category, Kings College, Lagos will compete with Jubril Martins Memorial Grammar School, Iponri.

The GTBank Masters Cup tournament since its inception has grown into one of the major platforms for discovering and developing exceptional football talents and many of its alumni are now on trials and scholarships with football clubs and academies in Nigeria and abroad.

Some of the outstanding players to look out for this season are: Celestine Chwang of Kings College and AyinlaAbiola of Answar-ud-deen Girls High School. So far, both players are the highest goal scorers in the male and female categories.

The full schedule of the GTBank Quarter Finals Season 8 is:

Tuesday


Female

Greensprings School, Lekki vs Lead-Forte Gate College, Lekki

Answar-ud-deen Girls High School, Itire vs Ansar-ud-deen College, Isolo.

Male
CMS Grammar School, Bariga vs Federal Science and Technical College, Yaba

Anwar-ul-islam Model College, Agege vs Igbobi College, Yaba.

Wednesday



Female
Corona Secondary School, Agbara vs Atlantic Hall, Epe

Queens College, Yaba vs Answar-ud-deen Girls High School, Ojokoro.

Male
Kings College, Lagos vs. Jubril martins Memorial Gram. School, Iponri
Baptist Academy, Obanikoro vs. Whitesand School, Lekki.

http://meganews.com.ng/2019/03/12/gtbank-masters-cup-season-8-enters-quarter-finals-stage/

Information reaching this newspaper revealed that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is currently quizzing some officials of Sterling Bank Plc and Kwara State Government following an alleged N1billion cash withdrawals by the latter from an account domiciled with the bank.

http://meganews.com.ng/2019/03/09/efcc-quizzes-kwara-govt-officials-sterling-bank-staffers-over-n1-billion/

According to investigations, the money which was withdrawn at Sterling Bank’s Post Office, Ilorin branch on February 7, 2019 was allegedly disbursed a week before the Presidential and National Assembly elections.

The Kwara State Government officials arrested and being interrogated at the Ilorin Zonal Office of the anti-graft agency are Commissioner for Finance Nurudeen Banu; Accountant-General Sulaiman Ishola; Commissioner for Water Resources Yusuf Abdulkadir; Head of Service Susan Modupe Oluwole; Commissioner for Energy, Eleja Taiwo Banu; Chief of Staff, Abdulwahab Yusuf; officials of the Secretary to the State Government, and those of the Government House.

Findings show that the Sterling Bank officials also being interrogated – Rahaman Alimi, Akinleye Ademola, Olarewaju Sarafa and Rasaq Abolarin were said to have moved the said money in bullion van and personally delivered it to the Chief of Staff to the Kwara State Governor, Abdulwahab Yusuf.

The officials are expected to be arraigned before a Federal High Court in Ilorin next week.

…More details as events unfold




http://meganews.com.ng/2019/03/09/efcc-quizzes-kwara-govt-officials-sterling-bank-staffers-over-n1-billion/

Noo

http://meganews.com.ng/2019/02/20/senate-2019-uduaghan-not-disqualified-from-delta-south-polls-inec/

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has broken its silence over a purported judgement by an Abuja High Court nullifying the candidature of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Delta South Senatorial candidate, Dr. Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan.

Addressing journalists on Wednesday at INEC headquarters in Asaba, Delta State, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Dr. Cyril Omorogbe, said the Commission was not aware of such judgement against the former governor.

Dr. Omorogbe said the court had at no time ordered the electoral umpire to delete Dr. Uduaghan’s name from the list of contestants in the election.

http://meganews.com.ng/2019/02/20/senate-2019-uduaghan-not-disqualified-from-delta-south-polls-inec/

"I am only aware of the case of eight wards in Burutu that later came to 10. We have postponed the matter until after elections. I will not talk much about the court case in Ethiope West (involving Hon. Halim Agoda, a former member of the House of Representatives and Chief Edojah) until I get information from the high command of the commission. We are not aware of any other judgement".

Uduaghan had through his Media Assistant, Monoyo Edon, debunked his disqualification and said he remains the authentic candidate for the Delta South senatorial election for the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Saturday, this week.

Speaking further, the REC denied reports that his deployment to Delta was influenced by the National Chairman of the APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, stressing that he is not a staff under the APC chairman.

http://meganews.com.ng/2019/02/20/crunch-la-liga-fixtures-to-be-broadcast-on-dstv-gotv/

A bumper weekend awaits fans of the prestigious LaLiga, the top tier of Spanish football, as matches involving league leaders and defending champions, Barcelona; title chasers, Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid, as well as other encounters will be broadcast live exclusively to DStv Premium, DStv Compact Plus, DStv Compact and GOtv MAX subscribers.



Barcelona, encouraged by their hard-earned 1-0 victory over Valladolid last weekend, travel to the south of Spain to confront Sevilla who, at a stage this season, topped the table. Sevilla’s title aspirations have since floundered and they currently lie fourth.



They slumped to a 3-0 defeat in the hands of relegation threatened Villareal last weekend and will be occupied by the thought how to shut out an in-form Lionel Messi from adding to his 22 goals. The match will be live at 4.15pm on Saturday on SuperSport 7 and SuperSport Select 4.



Second-placed Atletico Madrid will similarly take encouragement from their 1-0 win away at Rayo Vallecano. Star forward, Antoine Griezmann will hope to continue his goalscoring form while manager Diego Simeone will be hoping for a win as the perfect gift to celebrate his contract extension with the club.

http://meganews.com.ng/2019/02/20/crunch-la-liga-fixtures-to-be-broadcast-on-dstv-gotv/

But they are up against a Villareal team, who helped their cause for survival in the league with a resounding win against Sevilla. The match shows on Sunday at 4:15 pm on SuperSport 7 and SuperSport Select 4.



Real Madrid’s failure to sustain the momentum brought by their victory over city rivals, Atletico, saw them slump to an implausible home defeat to strugglers Girona last weekend, leaving them in third position. Santiago Solari’s men will, however, hope to bounce back against mid-table team, Levante, who will aim to continue their winning streak at Estadio Ciudad de Valencia. Levante beat Celta Vigo 4-1 in their last match. Their encounter with the wounded Real Madrid will be live at 8.45pm on Sunday on SuperSport 7 and SuperSport Select 4.



The weekend encounters will kick off with the clash between Espanyol and Huesca on Friday at 9 pm. The match will air live onSuperSport 7 and SuperSport Select 4.

Saturday’s games include: Getafe versus Rayo Vallecano (showing at 12 noon on SuperSport 7 and SuperSport Select 4); Deportivo Alaves versus Celta de Vigo (showing at 6:30 pm on SuperSport 7, 10 and SuperSport Select 2); and Athletic Bilbao versus Eibar (showing at 8:45 pm on SuperSport 7 and SuperSport Select 2).

http://meganews.com.ng/2019/02/20/crunch-la-liga-fixtures-to-be-broadcast-on-dstv-gotv/

Games to be broadcast on Sunday are Leganes versus Valencia (showing at 12 noon on SuperSport 7 and 10, and SuperSport Select 2 and 4), and Real Valladolid versus Real Betis (showing 8:45 pm on SuperSport 7 and SuperSport Select 4).

Week 25 matches will be rounded off on Monday when between Girona take on Real Sociedad (showing 10 pm on SuperSport 7 and SuperSport Select 4).

The principal of El-Amin International School, Minna, Niger State, Nkama Vincent, says the vision of the founder has been upheld and that departments in the new El-Amin University will be same as those in the best universities internationally.

http://meganews.com.ng/2019/02/15/el-amin-school-founders-vision-kept-alive-principal/

Can you recall when you joined the school and what your experience was then?

The first thing that attracted me was the ambience and when I entered, I said to myself, this is a school indeed. Because most private schools are not structured like a learning environment; in this environment, users engage and interact to learn new skills. I found a convivial atmosphere and the security personnel were friendly to me on arrival and I felt that if given the opportunity, I would work with people that know what learning is all about. I understood how the system was stable after looking at the people that headed the school in it’s over 24 years of existence then.

I had an interview with the Executive Director, Dr Mohammed Babangida and the board members and I came out with the certainty that I was going to run an all-inclusive administration. So, I got the co-operation and support of the staff and made it known to them that I was not here as a slave master; rather, to help and consolidate the achievement they made in the past 24 years. This is because the school has made already made a name; it has produced students that were doing well in various facets of life.



You must have stumbled on something special in this school, compared to where you worked before. What is that?

I worked with schools in Lagos, Abuja and Anambra State and one thing outstanding here, is religious tolerance. Many schools claim to be secular, but you find people being treated unfairly or students complaining of not being allowed to practice their religions. But here, people are free to practice their different religions and tolerate each other. This gives every child an idea about the rights of people and that translates to what happens in the lager society. We have a mosque for the Muslims and a chapel for the Christians and Christians sometimes remind Muslims about prayer times and vice versa. Muslim students attend Islamiyya and Walimat.



Most of your students are rich kids or from the upper class. How do you handle disruptive behaviour?

To my surprise, they are the easiest to manage, but you must first of all, understand their psyche, and you will be in love with them and they will be in love with you. Most teachers and schools don’t approach these children with the mindset that they are growing or at a certain stage of development, which we need to train. They look at them as children of ministers, governors and chief executive officers and by so doing, they remove a stage of development of the child. And if there is anything wrong, you hear them say, ‘is it because your father is this?’ As a teacher, you should not fight them. They were born into the family, which is their right. So, you need to show them direction and love and when you do that, they will bow. My approach is always on how to improve the lives of these children and that is what our teachers are doing.



Have you been in touch with your former students? How are they doing?

I visited some of them in Abuja and they are doing very well, though, I don’t want to name them. They don’t want their names to be on the website but they promised to be of great help to the school whenever their services are needed. They have their online platform on which they interact and those in the UK have been sending students to us and recommending us to parents. There are medical personnel, military officers and bank managers among then and there is joy everywhere we go.

Our policy is to keep tab on what our former students are doing, where they are and what successes they have attained and we used that as a challenge to those that are here. Some former students come to talk to the students and they are always exited. Some of them in the university told us they were in the first class lists and we advised them to maintain those positions. We are doing this because we want to have good leaders in this country.

Another reason for keeping in touch with our former students is to get new students because we have modern equipment. Our science laboratories are better than labs used by students in many universities. We have state-of-the-art facilities in every discipline including chemistry, biology and physics as well as in basic technology, carpentry, electrical, mechanical workshops and Visual Art Studio. The home economics and language labs are well equipped and we still have typing pool where we test the typing speed of students.

Our food and nutrition, students recently visited a one of the best hotels in Abuja and when they returned, they admitted that they were familiar with all the equipment the hotel was using. They also interacted with the best chefs. We have a good football pitch of standard size, lawn tennis court where the executive director plays daily, basketball court, volleyball court, table tennis room and a fully equipped gym.

We have two ICT labs with each having not less than 35 desktops accommodating 70 students at once apart from the tablets that the school purchased for them for their classes as part of the digital classroom system. All these were the handiwork of the founder, late Hajiya Maryam Babangida.



Private schools hardly pay attention to teacher quality, in all probability, to save money. Do you have competent, licensed teachers?

All our teachers are graduates of the field of education; majority have master’s degrees while few are doing their PhD. I have over 25 years teaching experience and I started as a classroom teacher. It is mandatory on all our teachers to have certificates in education and those with PhD can move to our university in 2020. We have a Continuous Development Programme were we run in-house training for teachers in addition to our training institute. Teachers also attend overseas training and between February and March I will be in the US for a conference with a few teachers. We belong to several educational associations. We encourage teachers to do online programmes and during our annual appraisals we assess them as well as carry out classroom observation. There is what we call mentoring in which we ask teachers including the brightest to watch the methods of their colleagues in classrooms.

http://meganews.com.ng/2019/02/15/el-amin-school-founders-vision-kept-alive-principal/

How has enrolment changed overtime?

In my over 25 years of teaching, this is the first school that I see enrolment figure is strictly controlled, in other words, the founder said the students cannot exceed 300 even though, the carrying capacity is for 1,500 students. The founder doesn’t want rowdy classrooms but classrooms where teachers can identify individual students and know their weaknesses and assist them appropriately so the teacher-student ratio is 1:8. When I came, I told the executive director that the school was underutilized, but he said ‘we want to keep the vision of the founder alive.’



Would you say the passing away of the founder affected the school?

Honestly, I would give kudos to the founder over the way she brought up the executive director who is her first son; because one of the major problems in school administration is succession. The executive director is sound morally, academically, physically and emotionally and therefore very capable in running the school. When you engage him you will have a robust discussion and experience on the nitty-gritty of the administration of an institution such ads this. You can’t see any sign that the founder is no more.



What is your future plan?

El-Amin is a group consisting of nursery and primary schools, secondary schools and a university. El-Amin University is being constructed and would start running courses in 2020 just like the executive director recently announced at the Founder’s Day. The planners visited top universities in the world such as Harvard, Oxford, London School of Economics and Yale to assess their academic programmes so in our new university, various faculties are modeled after different top ranked universities in the world.

– Source: Daily Trust

http://meganews.com.ng/2019/02/13/keystone-banks-obeahon-ohiwerei-the-turnaround-strategist/


By: Ezra Adeniyi

The story of corporate revolutions in Nigeria will not be complete without direct reference to Keystone Bank Limited and its Group Managing Director/CEO, Dr. Obeahon Ohiwerei. This is a man who has used his Midas touch to turn things around for the financial institution within a significantly short space of time.

Dr. Ohiwerei is a rare breed. We are familiar with individuals who take over bourgeoning establishments and further increase their worth on face value along the line. But it sounds like a fairy tale to have a professional who takes over a near-comatose organization and almost makes a corporate giant out of it. This has been the lot of Keystone Bank.

In just a little over one year after the Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria, AMCON’s divestment which saw the emergence of Dr. Ohiwerei as its Managing Director cum Chief Executive Officer, Keystone Bank’s narrative changed to a financial institution to reckon with.

On March 24, 2017, Sigma Golf-Riverbank Consortium took over Keystone Bank in its distressed state, which led to the appointment of Dr. Ohiwerei. On assumption of office in August 2017, Ohiwerei drew up a holistic and integrated approach to business modernization which elevated the bank to deliver a superior customer-centric experience. The impact of this change reflected positive results in its 2018 report card, which restored customers’ trust and confidence in the system.

Dr. Ohiwerei’s magic wand at Keystone Bank has taken industry watchers by surprise, and the industry itself by storm. Since becoming the Managing Director of the lender, the game-changer has spearheaded several growth initiatives which have placed the bank on upward trajectory.

The Bank has invested significantly in technology with copiously integrated service models enabling customers enjoy banking services through a wide range of channels.

http://meganews.com.ng/2019/02/13/keystone-banks-obeahon-ohiwerei-the-turnaround-strategist/

From evolving technologies to changing customer expectations to new regulatory demands – it has never been more important for banks to come up with the right strategies for digital transformation and innovation; the bolstered Ohiwerei led team nonetheless made this a reality at Keystone Bank. This entailed initiating partnership processes with foremost technology-enabled concerns to drive its digital revolution.

Keystone Bank’s ‘Cheque Deposit’ feature in its state of the art mobile banking application, ‘Keystone Mobile App’, further describes Ohiwerei’s vision to position Keystone Bank as a technology and service-driven commercial bank offering convenient and reliable solutions to its customers. The feature which is again the first in the Nigerian banking sector, enables customers to deposit cheques into accounts from anywhere and at any time on their mobile phones.

Undoubtedly, Ohiwerei’s achievements at Keystone Bank have not gone unnoticed. Accolades have streamed in from all spheres in praise of a man who has done what many people only dream of.

He clinched the Best Banking CEO Award 2018 at the prestigious European Global Banking & Finance Awards in London in July 2018 for his exceptional achievements over the last year. This is an inspiration for business and government leaders working to raise Africa’s investment profile. The judging panel of the award considered excellent leadership skills, enhanced organizational image and innovation. Keystone Bank also emerged ‘Africa’s Most Innovative Bank of the Year, 2018’ at the awards event.

The bank also shone brightly at the International Banker Awards, 2018 as it emerged winner in two categories beating other nominees and carting away the prize for “Africa’s Best Customer Service Provider” and “Nigeria’s Most Innovative Retail Bank of the year, 2018”. The International Banker Awards is an annual event organized by the renowned International Banker financial magazine, one of the world’s leading sources of authoritative analysis on finance, international banking, and world affairs.

Obeahon Ohiwerei began his professional banking career with Guaranty Trust Bank Plc in 1991, and his exceptional performance saw him rise to the position of manager within six years. He later joined Standard Trust Bank (now UBA Plc) where he was appointed the Pioneer Group Head, Consumer Banking in 1998. He resigned in 2002 as General Manager in charge of Lagos and West to join Pacific Bank Limited (then on Central Bank of Nigeria’s holding action) as Managing Director. He repositioned the bank with his new team within 15 months and moved on to take up a new appointment as the pioneer Managing Director of Standard Trust Bank Ghana (now UBA Ghana).

He was Group Executive Director with Access Bank Plc for seven years, and a director in three of Access Bank’s offshore subsidiaries as well as FITC, Lagos.

Not resting on his oars, the seasoned banker in a recent interview said he would love to leave with a sense of satisfaction that he delivered on the mandate of the investors by making Keystone a Tier-1 bank.

Dr Ohiwerei who describes himself as being audacious to a fault says I challenge my colleagues to pursue audacious goals believing they can achieve them. There is no limit to what you can achieve as long as you believe in yourself and drive your vision strategically. Personally, I set goals for myself every five years and often achieve them within three years.

“While I do not micro-manage people, I am by nature excited by the challenge of execution and that makes it easy for me to engage hands-on with them in working through any challenges that may arise along the way,”

“I want to leave behind a tested and proven team of passionate and highly motivated people that refuse to see any barriers to what they can achieve; people that are able to compete shoulder-to-shoulder/head to head with any leading bank in the industry.

“At the end of my tenure, the recurrent customer feedback should be ‘my bankers are highly professional solution providers, responsive and always within reach.’” He concluded.

As Dale Carnegie puts it, “You never achieve success unless you like what you are doing,” Dr. Ohiwerei’s bold innovations at Keystone Bank are borne out of his passion to succeed in his every endeavor.



- Adeniyi, a financial analyst, wrote from Lagos, Nigeria.

A manager with the Ecobank Plc, Ifeanyi Chukwu Azike, was on Tuesday (today) ordered to be remanded in Ikoyi Prisons for allegedly defrauding the customers of the bank to the tune of N411 million.

The order was issued by Justice Ayotunde Faji of a Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos State, Nigeria.

Azike, who is facing a three counts-charge bordering on obtaining money under false pretense, false representation and fraud, was dragged before the judge by the men of Zone 2 of the Nigeria Police Command, Onikan, Lagos.

http://meganews.com.ng/2019/02/12/alleged-n411m-fraud-how-ecobank-manager-allegedly-defrauded-customers-police-reveals/
According to the charge designated FHC/L/56c/2019, the Police alleged that the Ecobank manager between 2016 and 2017, fraudulently obtained the sum of about N150 million from one Mr. Okafor Ikenna Kelvin a customer with Account number 0533010936, under the false pretence of buying him Federal Government Treasury Bill in his Bank.

The defendant was equally alleged to have forged the bank customer's Signature, Picture, Letter of Instruction to which he used in opening another parallel account as Ikenna Okafor Kelvin with account number: 5333063028.

It was also the contention of the Police that Azike, without the consent of the bank, fraudulently converted the sum of N411 million belonging to the bank to his personal use.

According to the prosecutor, Daniel Apochi, the offence is contrary to Section 1 (1) (a), 15(1)(2) and 15(2) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud related Offence Act No. 14 of 2006, and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the same Act.

The prosecutor equally insisted that the offence is contrary to and punishable under section 1(2)(2) of the miscellaneous Act. Cap. M17, laws of the federation of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).

Azike however pleaded not guilty to the charge.

While ordering the remand of the troubled bank manager, Justice Faji adjourned the case until March 8, 2019 for trial.

Hearing on Azike's bail application has also been fixed for the same date.

The charge initiated against Azike goes thus:

http://meganews.com.ng/2019/02/12/alleged-n411m-fraud-how-ecobank-manager-allegedly-defrauded-customers-police-reveals/

"That you lfeanyi Chukwu Azike ’M’ sometime in 2016 and 2017, in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Federal High Court with intent to defraud, obtained the sum of about N150,000,000.00 (One Hundred and Fifty Million Naira) from Mr Okafor Ikenna Kelvin a customer of Ecobank Plc with Account No:533010936 your employer, by falsely representing to him that you going to purchase Federal Government Treasury Bill in Eco Bank Nigeria Plc for him as Bank Manager, which representation you knew to be false or did not believed to be true and by this conducts, you thereby committed an offence, contrary to Section 1 (1) (a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud related Offence Act No. 14 6V2006 but punishable under Section 1 (3) of the same Act.
"That you Ifeanyi Chukwu Azike ’M’ in sometime between 2016 and 2017, in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Federal High Court did forge Signature, Picture, Letter of Instruction to opened another parallel account as Ikenna Okafor Kelvin Account Number: 5333063028, knowing it to be false or with intent that it may in anyway be used or acted upon as genuine, whether in Nigeria or elsewhere to the prejudice of Ikenna Okafor Kelvin and Ecobank Plc your employer, you thereby committed an offence, contrary to Section 1 (2)(c) of the Miscellaneous Offence Act, CAP M17 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 1999 (as Amended).
"That you Ifeanyi Chukwu Azike ’M’ on or about 2016 and 2017, in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court, did fraudulent convert to your use the sum of N411,000,000.00 (Four Hundred and Eleven Million Naira) being money fraudulently withdraw from your employer bank without their consent, and customer of your bank, Ecobank Plc for enabling you invest on behalf of the Customer, which you failed to deliver with aim of converting the illicit origin of the resources and you thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 15 (1) 2) and 15 (2) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011."

Immediate-past governor of Delta State and All Progressives Congress (APC) 2019 Delta South senatorial candidate, Dr Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan, has debunked online reports that an Abuja High Court has nullified his candidature and ordered the APC to conduct fresh primaries for Delta South Senatorial District.

The purported court order, the report had said, followed a suit filed by AVM Terry Omatsola Okorodudu (Rtd) challenging the candidature of the former governor.

But Dr. Uduaghan, in a statement by his Media Assistant, Monoyo Edon, on Tuesday, denied the report stressing that he was never aware of the case nor joined in the alleged suit. The statement further clarified that the court had at no time ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to remove his name from the list of candidates in the 2019 senatorial election which holds this Saturday.



Read the full statement below:

The attention of His Excellency, Dr. Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan, the Delta South senatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in this Saturday Presidential and National Assembly Elections has been drawn to a High Court Judgment allegedly nullifying the Delta South APC primaries where he emerged as the candidate of the party.

We wish to clarify that His Excellency, Dr. Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan, was never aware of the case nor was he a party to the case and was never joined in the alleged suit.

The court had no time ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to remove the name of Dr. Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan from the list of candidates in the election.
http://meganews.com.ng/2019/02/12/delta-south-senate-im-still-in-the-race-ignore-the-rumour-uduaghan/


Dr. Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan has instructed his lawyers to take necessary legal steps on the matter, even as he enjoins APC party faithful and supporters to come out en mass to vote the party and all its candidates to victory in the elections.

We wish to state categorically that His Excellency, Dr. Uduaghan remains the candidate of the APC for Delta South and we are confident of winning the election.

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Monoyo Edon,

Media Assistant to Dr Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan

125 years of supporting and enabling dreams, 125 years of resilience and relevance, 125 years of trust, safety and security, 125 years of long term value to all stakeholders, 125 years woven into the fabric of our society and therefore we dare say, 125 years beyond comparison!

Come March 31st 2019, FirstBank, Nigeria’s largest financial powerhouse, will be 125 years.
http://meganews.com.ng/2019/02/08/firstbank-clocks-125-a-historical-milestone-in-the-annals-of-history/
In his words, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Adesola Adeduntan (FCIB), said “We mean it when we say FirstBank is You. As Nigerians, we have made history together and should be proud of this monumental feat because globally, very few institutions can boast such a rich and relevant heritage as a member of the 100-year Club. We therefore invite every single one of you as stakeholders to join us in celebrating our Anniversary Year. We ask you to stand tall and claim this achievement with us as one more great thing out of Nigeria to the World; FirstBank since 1894.”

“From our very modest beginning in 1894 as the Bank of British West Africa, we have traversed an incredible journey, delivering impeccable financial services to customers and supporting the building of the modern-day Nigeria and indeed, West Africa, including our early pivotal role as the monetary and fiscal policy regulator for the entire West African region,” Dr. Adesola said.

“At the amalgamation, independence, and through the seasons ever since, we have been here marching hand-in-hand with you. We have enabled technological, industrial and societal advancements, achieving very many firsts; been resilient and supportive through periods of rapid and radical changes; pioneered and charted the course in our industry, nay, in the nation at large.

From the delta to the savannah, from the confluence to the plateau, we are proud to be truly woven into the fabric of society.
http://meganews.com.ng/2019/02/08/firstbank-clocks-125-a-historical-milestone-in-the-annals-of-history/
On behalf of the Board and Management of FirstBank, it is my honour and privilege to thank you and assure you that we look forward boldly and with great confidence and optimism to the next 125 years knowing we are here with you and for You and promise to remain truly the first by keeping You First.

God bless Nigeria, God bless First Bank of Nigeria!”

The All Progressives Congress (APC) 2019 Delta South senatorial candidate, Dr. Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan has said he wants to represent Delta South at the Senate in 2019 because of his desire to pursue quality legislation that will lead to the development of the district and the Niger Delta region.

Releasing his manifesto in Warri, Delta State on Friday, Uduaghan, who is the immediate-past governor of Delta State said he hinged his manifesto on four pillars which he called the JEW+P (Jobs, Empowerment, Wealth plus Peace).

In his words: “I salute you, my good people of Delta South Senatorial District. I seek your mandate and support to represent you at the Senate.

“Over the years, I was actively part of and at a time, head of a team that managed the development of Delta State. In those years the Delta State government through its various organs embarked on projects and programs in the areas of peace, human capital and infrastructure development that will lead to job creation and poverty alleviation. In doing this, we faced a lot of constraints. These constraints were mainly in the areas of non-existent extant laws to control the various processes that were put in place to fast-track the development.

“Efforts to bring peace and security to the area were mainly through engagements at various levels and the use of force. Both methods have led to a temporary peaceful environment. However, to attain a level of job creation and alleviation of poverty in the region that will lead to permanent peace, prosperity and a sense of well-being, there must be laws enacted to fast-track the processes of industrialization, wealth creation and a peaceful environment. These are the laws I seek your mandate to bring up at the Senate.





MY MISSION



“My mission therefore at the Senate will be focused on four pillars which I call the JEW+P (Jobs, Empowerment, Wealth plus Peace).



JOBS

Poverty alleviation through the creation of Job Opportunities for the people of Delta South at all levels.



EMPOWERMENT

Creation of Industrial Empowerment for the people of Delta South through the promotion and encouragement of indigenous participation, as well as, the use of homegrown technology in the oil industry.



WEALTH

Championing the creation of Enduring Wealth for the people of Delta South through the promotion of Community part-ownership of major and minor oil companies.

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PEACE

Promotion of Enduring Peace in Delta South through the involvement of local and community people in security and peacekeeping.

Do you know why the Jews prosper and flourish anywhere they are? They patronize their own. We can build a new Delta South Senatorial district by creating an environment that employs our talents and utilizes our God-given resources to flourish as a people.

As a former Secretary to the Delta State Government and a former two-term Executive Governor of the state, and also as I be Delta pikin, I know and understand your pains and your needs. You need room to express your God-given talents. As governor, there were a lot of things I wanted to do to open up opportunities and bring economic development to you that I could not do because I was constrained by the laws of our country. This was what fired my desire to represent you at the Senate. We come from a senatorial district that is massively endowed, and all we need to do is to use our imagination, and with the cooperation of our brothers and sisters from other parts of Nigeria, we will drive a New Vision for the people of Delta South Senatorial District. A New Vision that fully explores and exploits our strengths and endowments.



CREATION OF JOB OPPORTUNITIES

The unemployment level in Delta South Senatorial District is embarrassing, given that the region is the economic hub of Delta State hosting up to 72% of high impact industries, especially in the oil and gas sector. As a result of policy and security challenges which were beyond the state government, many of these industries were either shutdown or were operating way below capacity; therefore, many of the oil service companies in particular that used to give employment to a lot of our people, especially the youth were either shutdown or forced to relocate. For example, the major oil companies for so many years did not prospect for new oil fields and this caused a major disaster in the employment, economic and social life of the people of Delta South Senatorial District.

I believe that focused legislative interventions in the Senate can deal with these challenges and launch Delta South Senatorial District into a phase of development and expansion that will meet the demands of our people. Delta South Senatorial District can be galvanized and developed into the industrial base of the state by taking advantage of the oil and gas and the maritime sectors to create jobs for men, women and youths.

We are also endowed with arable lands that we can use to drive active investments and participation in agriculture and agro-processing. However, over the years, our lands, air and sea have been highly polluted by the activities of the oil industry, especially old pipes, sabotage and oil theft. The review of our extant laws to make them more effective and formulation of new laws in the areas of the environment to prevent further pollution of our air, lands and sea and also to clean up the already polluted environment will be needed to enable every relevant authority do the needful. This will encourage investments in agriculture and agro-processing.

http://meganews.com.ng/2019/02/08/2019-my-plans-for-delta-south-in-the-senate-uduaghan/

ILLEGAL REFINERIES AND INDUSTRIAL EMPOWERMENT

I know that pragmatic legislation in the Senate can secure legality for the use of indigenous technology for small-scale oil refineries. Scattered all over the Delta South Senatorial District, as it is in many parts of the Niger Delta, are illegal refineries that make use of local technology that is damaging the environment, including soil, water and air pollution which has resulted in the soot crisis in our communities and cities. The legislation of laws in this area will guarantee best-practices and create jobs for men, women and youths in the region, directly and indirectly, in the value chain of crude procurement, refining, petrochemicals, product marketing, logistics, hospitality and other ancillary services.

About 6,000 illegal refineries were reportedly destroyed by the Joint Military Task Force (JTF) in 2015. Some of these “refineries” were actually rickety science projects that are over-glorified by calling them “oil refineries”. However, among the thousands of illegal refineries, there must be some that are well set-up. Should a country that cannot put its four “legal” refineries in full working order afford to destroy its own indigenous refineries? Illegal refineries should be done away with, but those youths and women should be engaged in better set-up refineries. The illegal refineries that are being destroyed offer a lot of employment for the youths and women, which in turn, relieve the government of the burden of providing jobs for them.

I believe that there has to be a rethink towards the concept of “illegal refineries”. The so-called “illegal refineries” are a testimony of the ingenuity of Nigerian youths and women in their ability to creatively innovate, driven by the daily challenges of their existence. The ingenuity that has been exhibited by the operators of the so-called “illegal refineries” should constitute the foundation of technological breakthrough.

As the Senator representing Delta South Senatorial District, I will push for the promotion and encouragement of indigenous technology in the oil industry and also legislative backing to recognize and reform non-conventional refineries.



EFFECTIVE DISPOSAL OF SEIZED CRUDE

It is no secret that there is a high level of illegal bunkering activities in the Delta South Senatorial District like it is in other parts of the Niger Delta. There has been a lot of government security measures to arrest the situation. These measures have led to the seizure of stolen crude in various vessels, especially the wooden Cotonou boats. The current practice is for security operatives to burn these boats with the confiscated crude or dispose of seized crude oil on the high seas and the creeks. This is assumed to be the best way to discourage crude oil theft in the Niger Delta. Sadly, the destruction of seized crude has not only failed to solve

the problem but has contributed immensely to the degradation of the environment. Destruction of seized crude by burning or disposal at sea pollutes the land, air and water. Furthermore, it is a colossal waste of the nation’s natural resource.

I believe that the nation needs to evolve an effective way to disposing of seized crude without destroying it. This will achieve a three-pronged benefit for: (1) the oil industry, (2) the Niger Delta environment, and (3) the nation’s revenue.

Seized crude would be more beneficial to all if it is effectively

channeled back into the oil industry. For instance, it can form part of the stock made available to registered non-conventional refineries or even sent to the nation’s conventional refineries for processing into petroleum products. This will help the country generate revenue from seized crude, service the oil industry and reduce environmental pollution.

I also believe that effectively disposing of seized crude without destroying it will:

1. Reduce pollution of the air, land and water in the Delta South Senatorial District;

2. Enhance the availability of crude oil to registered

non-conventional refineries operating in the Delta South Senatorial District;

3. and generate revenue for the country as a whole.

As the Senator Representing Delta South Senatorial District, I will push for legislative backing to evolve effective ways of disposing seized crude that will be beneficial to the community, the environment and the nation.



SECURITY ARCHITECTURE

I am certain that articulate legislative intervention in the Senate can accommodate the youths of Delta South Senatorial District within the security architecture of the region. Community-based policing which entails professional security operatives working hand-in-hand with indigenes of the area to solve problems of crime and disorder is a recognized strategy of keeping peace and order worldwide.

Professional security operatives are usually deployed from

the central commands at the national level to Delta South Senatorial District. Most times, this entails posting of people who know very little or nothing about the terrain, to manage the security of the area. The result, in many instances, is poor security in the creeks.

The terrain of the Niger Delta has always proven to be a great challenge to conventional security forces. This has made their operations quite difficult and sometimes frustrating. As a governor, I started the Delta Waterways Security Committee made up of many of our youths who understood the terrain and could guide the security forces through the creeks when the need arose. These youths who were part of the communities were able to gather intelligence which helped the security agencies preempt planned security breaches arising from community hostilities and sometimes criminalities.

I propose that the local youths and community people should be involved in securing the pipelines and the keeping of peace and order.

Involvement of the people of Delta South Senatorial District in security will:

1. provide employment and economic empowerment for the people;

2. enhance the operations of the Federal security agencies in Delta South Senatorial District as the professional security operatives would be helped to effectively gather intelligence and also to navigate the area by locals who are familiar with the people and the terrain;

3. reduce the level of crime and criminality in Delta South

Senatorial District of Nigeria; and

4. promote a conducive atmosphere for doing business in Delta South Senatorial District.



As the Senator representing Delta South Senatorial District, I will push for legislative backing for the inclusion of the youths of Delta South Senatorial District in the security architecture of the area.

http://meganews.com.ng/2019/02/08/2019-my-plans-for-delta-south-in-the-senate-uduaghan/

CREATION OF ENDURING WEALTH AND INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT: 5% COMMUNITY OWNERSHIP OF COMPANIES IN THEIR DOMAIN

The management of Nigeria’s oil industry will remain at the centre of the Niger Delta crises in the country, until the government evolves a realistic and permanent solution. This practical solution will be best premised on addressing the very heart of the matter. One of the reasons Nigeria’s Niger Delta crisis has persisted is related to disharmony between the oil companies and host communities. On the one hand, the host communities tend to make the operational environments of the firms in the oil industry hostile because of perceived or obvious unfriendly disposition of the oil companies to their host communities. While on the other hand, many of the oil companies are unhappy with their host communities on the ground that the host communities do not show understanding of the realities plaguing the oil companies. The above scenario is an indication that the problem in the Niger Delta, which significantly affects the Delta South Senatorial District, is an issue of mutual distrust and suspicion. By extension, therefore, if this mutual distrust and suspicion are addressed, there is hope for lasting peace and development in the oil industry and the host communities.

I firmly believe that one way to achieve lasting peace and development

in the Niger Delta is by community participation and ownership in Nigeria’s oil industry. When communities in the Niger Delta (including those in the Delta South Senatorial District) are allowed to be actively involved in the ownership and management of oil firms domiciled in their areas, they would have firsthand experience of the prospects and challenges in the oil industry and become more realistic in their expectations from them. This will STABILIZE the Niger Delta.



I believe that community participation and ownership in the oil industry will:

(1) enhance the security of infrastructure of the industry in the Delta South Senatorial District as the communities would not be hostile to their own economic interest; (2) create jobs for the people;

(3) benefit the participating communities and their environs by opening up opportunities for the establishment of service firms at second and third tier levels; and

(4) enhance effective management of the oil industry in the Delta South Senatorial District in particular and the Niger Delta, in general.

As the Senator representing Delta South Senatorial District, I will push for legislative backing to recognize community participation and ownership in the oil industry.



OTHER AREAS

In addition to the above, as Senator representing Delta South Senatorial District of Nigeria, I will push for:

1. Legislation on Constitutional role for Traditional Rulers.

2. A collective agenda in the Senate to review extant laws bordering on Peace, Security and Prosperity of the Delta South Senatorial District and

3. provide good and effective representation through a strategy of synergy and feedback with the people of Delta South Senatorial District. To achieve this, we shall hold town hall meetings every six months.

Keystone Bank Limited, Nigeria’s most innovative banking services provider, has introduced ‘Cheque Deposit’ feature in its mobile banking application, the new ‘Keystone Mobile App’.

http://meganews.com.ng/2019/02/04/keystone-bank-introduces-first-cheque-deposit-in-mobile-app-in-nigeria/

The feature which is another first from the Bank and in the Nigerian banking sector, enables customers to pay cheques into their accounts at their convenience through their mobile phones even with zero data.



Speaking on the development, the Group Managing Director/CEO of Keystone Bank Limited, Dr. Obeahon Ohiwerei, said the new feat is in demonstration of the bank’s commitment to continuously deliver superior and innovative banking solutions to its customers.

http://meganews.com.ng/2019/02/04/keystone-bank-introduces-first-cheque-deposit-in-mobile-app-in-nigeria/

“The Keystone Bank brand is built on meeting and exceeding customer expectations by providing simple and convenient banking services at all times.



“With the new cheque deposit feature, you have one less reason to make that trip to the bank.



“In our fast-paced and evolving digital world, service literally has to be at the speed of thought; the rules of engagement are changing so fast that customer expectations are as diverse as our lifestyles and choices.



“It is no longer a question of stepping out to the bank but about the convergence of innovative services, digital technology and Omni-channel platforms coming to us at breakneck speed.



“Mobile Banking for one isn’t entirely new in the industry, but there is no end to innovation in delivering customer convenience; at Keystone Bank that’s what sets us apart and that shall continue to be our strength.



“We are determined to be your preferred bank; dependable, responsive and always within reach,” Ohiwerei stated.

Other notable features of the mobile App are, zero data banking (which enables customers enjoy banking services on their mobile phones without data), easy account opening, convenient self- booking and liquidation of fixed deposits, an expanded list of bills-payment options and easy activation of standing instructions & recurrent future payments.



Others include, a “Switch Card ON/OFF option” which allows users to disable their cards temporarily if missing & re-enable at the click of a button, the “Hide Balance Feature” which is an additional safeguard against third-party viewing and the “Meet Your Relationship Manager Option” which allows users to call, text and email their account officers right within the app.



The lender prides itself as the first in the sector to introduce the Zero Data Banking feature and a Chat-bot feature called OXYGEN which enables banking on Telegram and Facebook.

http://meganews.com.ng/2019/02/04/keystone-bank-introduces-first-cheque-deposit-in-mobile-app-in-nigeria/

Keystone Bank is a technology and service-driven commercial bank offering convenient and reliable solutions to its customers.

http://meganews.com.ng/2019/01/30/do-more-with-keystone-bank-oxygen-banking-services/
 

Keystone Bank Limited has remained committed to empowering the Nigerian populace with the introduction of the Chat-bot feature called ‘OXYGEN’ as part of its financial inclusion drive.

Oxygen is the lender’s interactive virtual banker that chats with customers and carries out their banking transactions upon request.  The feature which enables banking on Telegram and Facebook is fluent in English and is always learning to serve the customer better.

Some of the services on Oxygen include accounts opening, fund transfer, bills payment, airtime top up, purchase of movie tickets, balance enquiry, and lots more. 

 

How does oxygen work?

 

Step 1: Download and install the Keystone Mobile App from the Play store or App store and register.

Step 2: Download and install Telegram or Facebook messenger as well, if you do not have it already installed on your phone.

Step 3: Launch the mobile app and click on the Oxygen Chat option on the landing page.

Step 4: Click on either Keystone Bot telegram or Keystone bot Facebook.

Step 5: Once this is launched, Oxygen welcomes you with “Hello Customer name/ the username used on either of the apps”. i.e. “Hello Thelma”

Step 6: Follow the Prompts and enjoy this chat banking service.  

 http://meganews.com.ng/2019/01/30/do-more-with-keystone-bank-oxygen-banking-services/

Subsequently, all a customer has to do to continue using Oxygen is to click on the search tab of either telegram or Facebook messenger and search for “keystone chat banking”.

Keystone Bank is a technology and service-driven commercial bank offering convenient and reliable solutions to its customers.

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Actress and Entrepreneur, Juliet Ibrahim is organizing a get away trip to South Africa on her birthday. 

The bubbly and fun-loving actress has extended an invitation to the public to join her & friends on the once in a lifetime opportunity and exciting life adventure. 
Ibrahim's celebrity friends from Ghana & Nigeria will be a part of this fun trip to the country celebrated around the world for its amazing tourism centres. 

http://meganews.com.ng/2019/01/28/juliet-ibrahim-extends-invitation-to-public-on-south-africa-birthday-get-away-trip

Between February 28th and March 6th this year, patrons will get to visit memorable spots in various towns in the Southern African country. 

The actress has partnered with credible travel agencies in Ghana and Nigeria including KAYA TOURS GHANA, Doscar Travel and Tours, SAFFRON TRAVELS NG, Pacific Tours Ghana, Akenn Travel and Tours, Fidol Trip and Travel Services, Diamonds and Pearls Travels, Apeiron Global, Nje Tours and Zeriah Travel and Tours to make the get away trip journey a smooth and easy experience. 

http://meganews.com.ng/2019/01/28/juliet-ibrahim-extends-invitation-to-public-on-south-africa-birthday-get-away-trip


Juliet Ibrahim's birthday get away is supported by SA Tourism_West Africa, Sun Times Square , South African Airways Ghana and the City Of Tshwane

Top dignitaries from around Lagos, Nigeria, and Africa will converge in Ikeja, the State Capital, during the Grand Finale of Miss Inspire Nigeria beauty Pageant, slated to hold on March 2, 2019.

Speaking with the Project Director Mrs Nkiru Stephen, who is overseeing and managing the successful delivery of the event, she affirmed the readiness of the group to deliver a world-class event set to redefine pageantry while attracting local and foreign investment into the Lagos State tourism sector.

She further explained that “The Miss Inspire Nigeria beauty pageant is one that primarily focuses on harnessing the potential of women while also exploring her capacity to lead an army of achievers in addressing some of the challenges bedevilling the Nigerian society through charity and volunteer work.

“The Miss inspire Nigeria beauty pageant is designed to raise confident, elegant and inspirational women who would use the power of their inner strength and character to provide solutions to some of the challenges facing our country Nigerian”, she said.

Mrs Stephen, further noted that Miss Inspire Nigeria beauty pageant has long valued community service, adding that it is their basic requirement that each contestant from anywhere in Nigeria must champion a social issue that is important to her and meets the need of humanity.

According to her, “Miss Inspire Nigeria beauty pageant has categories (Miss, Mrs. & Ms.) for every woman because we believe every woman has a unique voice at any stage of their life. Our pageant is built on the understanding that women are the catalyst to national development thus the need to create such a platform whose mandate amongst others is to build confidence, inspire hope, empower through entrepreneurship skills and groom women into agents of social and economic change.

“The grand winner will go home with an exotic SUV, 3million naira Cash prize and a $70,000 Dollars available for your Miss inspire Nigeria beauty pageant project. Visit www.missinspirenigeria.org or call 08065892480, 08119940401, 07034717948 or 08090915978 to participate. Contestant application form cost five thousand (#5,000) naira Only.

“Our pageant has five areas of competition; Creative skill, interview, fashion, sportswear, & evening gown. We delight ourselves in not having a bathing suit on as part of the competition” she said.

She further noted, that hosting the competition in Lagos State will be a great medium to promote and showcase Lagos State as power house of entertainment in Nigeria and Africa.
http://meganews.com.ng/2019/01/26/3million-naira-cash-prize-exotic-suv-70000-up-for-grabs-at-the-miss-inspire-nigeria-beauty-pageant-2019/

“Even as Nigeria focuses on stimulating and diversifying its economy, tourism and hospitality will certainly be a great alternative, it is expected that cash flow into the State will be improved.

“In addition, national and international trade including foods, consumer goods, and service will be supported, and deep-rooted Lagos culture will be divulgated to viewers and consumers worldwide”.
http://meganews.com.ng/2019/01/26/3million-naira-cash-prize-exotic-suv-70000-up-for-grabs-at-the-miss-inspire-nigeria-beauty-pageant-2019/

Miss Inspire Nigeria beauty pageant is a glitzy event that focuses on equipping all contestants with life skills but however, only selects and presents only the best among the contestants who will emerge as queen for each of the categories transparently setting the pace for excellence within the industry.

Top dignitaries from around Anambra State, Nigeria, and Africa will converge in Akwa, the State Capital, during the grand Finale of Miss Inspire Nigeria beauty Pageant, slated to hold on February 2, 2019.

Speaking with the Project Director Mrs. Nkiru Stephen, who is overseeing and managing the successful delivery of the event, she affirmed the readiness of the group to deliver a world class event set to redefine pageantry while attracting local and foreign investment into the Anambra State tourism sector.

http://meganews.com.ng/2019/01/23/win-3million-naira-cash-prize-exotic-suv-70000-at-the-nigeria-beauty-pageant-2019/

She further explained that, “The Miss Inspire Nigeria beauty pageant is one that primarily focuses on harnessing the potential of women while also exploring her capacity to lead an army of achievers in addressing some of the challenges bedeviling the Nigerian society through charity and volunteer work.

“The Miss inspire Nigeria beauty pageant is designed to raise confident, elegant and inspirational women who would use the power of their inner strength and character to provide solutions to some of the challenges facing our country Nigerian”, she said.

Mrs Stephen, further noted that Miss Inspire Nigeria beauty pageant has long valued community service, adding that it is their basic requirement that each contestant from anywhere in Nigeria must champion a social issue that is important to her, and meets the need of humanity.

According to her, “Miss Inspire Nigeria beauty pageant has categories (Miss, Mrs. & Ms.) for every woman, because we believe every woman has a unique voice at any stage of their life. Our pageant is built on the understanding that women are catalyst to national development thus the need to create such a platform whose mandate amongst others is to build confidence, inspire hope, empower through entrepreneurship skills and groom women into agents of social and economic change.

“The grand winner will go home with an exotic SUV, 3million naira Cash prize and a $70,000 Dollars available for your Miss inspire Nigeria beauty pageant project. Visit www.missinspirenigeria.org or call 08065892480, 08119940401, 07034717948 or 08090915978 to participate. Contestant application form cost five thousand (#5,000) naira Only.

“Our pageant has five areas of competition; Creative skill, interview, fashion, sportswear, & evening gown. We delight ourselves in not having a bathing suit on as part of the competition” she said.

She further noted, that hosting the competition in Akwa Anambra State will be a great medium to promote and present Anambra State to the rest of Nigeria and Africa.

“Even as Nigeria focuses on stimulating and diversifying its economy, tourism and hospitality will certainly be a great alternative, it is expected that cash flow into the State will be improved.

“In addition, national and international trade including foods, consumer goods, and service will be supported, and traditional Anambra culture will be divulgated to viewers and consumers worldwide”.
http://meganews.com.ng/2019/01/23/win-3million-naira-cash-prize-exotic-suv-70000-at-the-nigeria-beauty-pageant-2019/

Miss Inspire Nigeria beauty pageant is a glitzy event that focuses on equipping all contestants with life skills but however only selects and presents only the best among the contestants who will emerge as queen for each of the categories transparently setting the pace for excellence within the industry.

The last may not have been heard on a case of alleged fraud involving Sterling Bank Plc and one of its customers, Providence Heights Secondary School Staff Welfare Association, as the latter has petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to wade into the crisis. we learnt.

http://meganews.com.ng/2019/01/17/sterling-bank-customer-petitions-efcc-over-million-naira-fraud/
The customer had accused Sterling Bank of defrauding it to the tune of N1.2 million at the bank’s branch on Iju Road, Iju, in Ifako-Ijaiye Local Government Area of Lagos State.
http://meganews.com.ng/2019/01/17/sterling-bank-customer-petitions-efcc-over-million-naira-fraud/

According to the customer, on two occasions within a period of five months, millions of naira were withdrawn from its saving accounts with numbers 0000886683 and 0068955741.

Findings further revealed that on Thursday, 6 July 2018, the sum of N1,200, 000 was stolen from the saving account number 0000886683 by fraudsters probably working in tandem with some staff of the bank. The leadership of the association reported the theft to the bank management.

This newspaper gathered that after the official complaint on the theft by the association’s leadership, the bank refunded N500,000 to the association. When the association sought for the balance of N700,000, the bank management refused saying the N500,000 it refunded was the one intercepted from the N1, 200, 000 initially stolen.

While the association was struggling to recover the N700,000 balance, The Witness learnt that there was an election to usher in new executive members for the association and to prevent another theft saga, the new executive members opened a new savings account, 0068955741 with the same branch of Sterling Bank with new signatories.

But to the utter surprise of members of the association, we learnt that on Thursday, 1st November 2018, another N1, 700, 000 was stolen in several illegal withdrawals from the account.

Responding to The Witness’ inquiry, Sterling Bank’s spokesperson, Mr. Olubukola Adejokun, however, denied the allegations, stressing that the confidentiality and security of financial information tied to the association’s accounts were compromised by its executives.

The statement reads: “Sterling Bank is not in a fix over the fraudulent transaction referenced. It was investigated with the outcome indicating that confidentiality and security of financial information tied to the association’s accounts were compromised by its executives. We take the protection of the financial information of our customers seriously by always updating policies and procedures to stay ahead of new strategies used by fraudsters. The bank also understands that customers have a role to play in keeping their financial information safe out of the reach of fraudsters, and are consistently educating them to protect their identity, smartphones, accounts, avoid suspicious emails, text or phone calls.

“The ex-chairman of the welfare account reported a case of N1.2 million after his phone was stolen and fraudulent transactions done through USSD, Flutterwave and mobile app on the 6th of July 2018. He, however, reported to the bank on 9th of July 2018 after the fraud had happened. We were able to salvage the sum of N500,000.00 and deactivated the account across our e-channel platforms.

“Immediately the issue was reported, we contacted the respective banks where the funds were transferred if we could still salvage the funds. We were able to salvage the sum of N500,000.00 and this had been credited to the customer’s account and was acknowledged by the customer.

“The custodian of the account (ex-chairman of the welfare account) failed to report incidence of stolen phone to the bank immediately it happened which would have ensured the deactivation of his account across all our e-channel platforms and ultimately prevent the fraud.

“The account was linked to one of the signatories’ personal account after his account had been profiled on Sterling Mobile platform using his registered mobile line and personal debit card details (PAN, Security, expiry date & PIN). The customer’s account was debited with the sum of N1,746,000.00 and funds transferred to two banks and also used for virtual top-up. We contacted the beneficiary banks with the sum of N129,000 salvaged.

“The association’s executive who had his personal account profiled on Sterling Mobile and linked to the welfare account, confirmed that he was called by someone who claimed to be from the bank and in the process, divulged his card details – PAN, Security, expiry date and PIN to this supposed staff. The divulged card details were subsequently used for the fraudulent transactions,” the bank concluded.

The Witness further learnt that the EFCC has begun investigation into the matter.

Though, Sterling Bank recently unveiled a new logo aimed at driving its mission to be Nigeria’s foremost bank, delivering highly impactful and valuable solutions to its customers, depositors have continued to wonder how safe their monies are with the lender as the financial institution has allegedly become a haven for fraudulent officials.

Recall, a staff, one Ebenezer Alonge, a cashier with Sterling Bank’s Ado-Ekiti branch, alongside his wife, Isakunle Oyinlola and his mother-in-law, Isakunle Moradeke, were recently arraigned by the EFCC for allegedly diverting N2.4m deposited by a customer.

One of the charges preferred against them read: That you Ebenezer Adeolu Alonge ‘M’, Isakunle Olamide Oyinlola ‘F’ and Isakunle Eunice Moradeke ‘F’ between the month of January 2017 and March 2017, at the premises of Sterling Bank PLC Ado-Ekiti branch, did steal the sum of N2,400,800.00 (two million, four hundred thousand and eight hundred naira) only, property of Sterling Bank, by diverting same to the personal account of Isakunle Olamide Oyinlola with account number, 0047750660 and the personal account of Isakunle Eunice Moradeke with account number 0064222881, all with the Sterling Bank, Ado-Ekiti branch, being money for Ekiti State primary and secondary education development levy, and thereby committed an offence.”

According to a statement by the EFCC acting spokesman, Tony Orilade in Abuja, it was alleged that sometime in February, Sterling Bank received a complaint bordering on financial impropriety involving N62,400 belonging to a customer.

“The incident was investigated and another sum of N2,400,800 belonging to a customer was found to have been diverted by Alonge to his wife’s account.

“Further investigation revealed that there was a turnover of over N21m deposit from other customers in Alonge’s wife’s account.

“Other sums were reportedly traced to his mother-in-law’s account,” said EFCC.

Source: The witness

If information filtering in from Kogi State political circle is anything to go by, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP Kogi East senatorial candidate in the 2019 election who also is the present lawmaker representing the district at the upper chamber, Senator Attai Aidoko could as well add “former” to his appellations as his greatest challenge appears to be coming from his party, the PDP, on account of his my-money-can-get-it disposition as well as his notoriety for using and dumping party faithful.
http://meganews.com.ng/2019/01/11/kogi-east-senate-pdp-candidate-sen-aidokos-dilemma/

A few days ago, we gathered Sen. Aidoko he enlisted the Odoma Attah Igala and a few party stalwarts to begin the process of reconciliation with aggrieved party members ahead of the senatorial election in weeks. Aidoko is banking on the Atiku influence and the “level of political literacy” of his people to be victorious. But, times have changed as the other two major contenders and Parties appear to have dug deeper than any reconciliation can abate.


Statistically, all the political parties in Kogi East account for less than 30% of the electorate leaving over 500,000 votes to the decision of the electorates assuming party members will, without question, vote the candidates on their various platforms.

http://meganews.com.ng/2019/01/11/kogi-east-senate-pdp-candidate-sen-aidokos-dilemma/

There’s also the issue of constituency loyalty and certain salient understanding on the region to produce the next senator of Kogi East, not on the front burner but very major decider of the voting pattern in the forthcoming senatorial election.


In the final analysis, the senatorial race has become a two-horse one between Dr. Victor Alewo Adoji of the ADC and Alhaji Jibrin Isah aka, Echocho of the APC. Two candidates are strong in their own rights and in the end it comes down to two things: alliances and partnerships across concerns and interests.

As for Senator Aidoko, he has deceit, double-speak and payback to contend with. Whether he’s able to circumvent the imaginary huddles and leverage the acceptability of Atiku, his party’s presidential candidate is left to be seen.

The Lagos State Chapter; the leading branch of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, has announced an exclusive partnership with the P+ Measurement Services to serve as the Official Media Monitoring and Evaluation Partner for the Chapter.



P+ Measurement Services is the leading independent communications/PR measurement and evaluation agency in Nigeria that specializes in delivering bespoke media monitoring, measurement, evaluation services and analysis across the full spread of media channels.



The exclusive partnership which commenced on Monday, December 17, 2018 will see the P+ Measurement Services handling the media monitoring and social listening activities of the Lagos NIPR across print, broadcast and online platforms during specific campaigns or events and provide the Chapter a performance Audit Report upon the completion of such activity, at no cost.



Lagos NIPR will allow P+ Measurement Services to leverage its brand properties to promote the company’s name and logo on all the Chapter’s campaigns and event communication materials, stating it as the Official Media Monitoring and Evaluation Partner.

http://meganews.com.ng/2019/01/07/lagos-nipr-announces-exclusive-partnership-with-p-measurement-services-to-serve-as-the-official-media-monitoring-and-evaluation-partner/

Speaking during the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding which was held at the Secretariat of the Chapter, the Chairman, Lagos NIPR, Olusegun McMedal, said that, “This exclusive partnership will help the Lagos State Chapter stay abreast of news mentions, helping it to track, analyze and respond to conversations across media platforms real time. The outcome will also serve as a source of strategic data and component of audience engagement going forward. P+ Measurement Services is the perfect partner to help us fully realize these capabilities”.



Also speaking during at the event, the Lead Consultant of P+ Measurement Services, Philip Odiakose, stated that, “P+ Measurement is very happy to partner with the Lagos State Chapter which is the leading branch of the regulatory body of the public relations industry in Nigeria and we are committed to helping the body grow in the region through independent media monitoring and evaluation services as we believe the PR industry is currently driven by data, hence the need for the body to have a data hub they can reach out to for factual figures. Then again, this means more work for the team, but we aim to deliver the best with precision, in line with the current market standard”.

http://meganews.com.ng/2019/01/07/lagos-nipr-announces-exclusive-partnership-with-p-measurement-services-to-serve-as-the-official-media-monitoring-and-evaluation-partner/

Established in 1963, the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) is the non-governmental, not-for-profit professional association of Public Relations practitioners chartered (by Decree 16 of June 1990 now an Act of Parliament) to regulate and develop the public relations, public affairs and communication practice in Nigeria with functioning Chapters in the 36 States of the Federation including the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

http://meganews.com.ng/2019/01/07/keystone-bank-scores-another-first-with-zero-data-mobile-banking-feature/

Customers of Keystone Bank Limited, Nigeria’s most innovative banking services provider, can now transact banking services at their convenience on the new ‘Keystone Bank Mobile App’ with Zero Data.

The feature which is another first from the Bank and in the Nigerian banking sector, enables customers enjoy banking services on their mobile phones without data.

According to the Group Managing Director/CEO of Keystone Bank Limited, Dr. Obeahon Ohiwerei, the development is in demonstration of the bank’s commitment to deliver superior and innovative banking solutions to its customers.


“In our fast-paced and evolving digital world, service literally has to be at the speed of thought; the rules of engagement are changing so fast that customer expectations are as diverse as our lifestyles and choices.

“It is no longer a question of stepping out to the bank but about the convergence of innovative services, digital technology and Omni-channel platforms coming to us at breakneck speed.

“Mobile Banking for one isn’t entirely new in the industry, but there is no end to innovation in delivering customer convenience; at Keystone Bank that’s what sets us apart and that shall continue to be our strength.

“We are determined to be your preferred bank; dependable, responsive and always within reach,” Ohiwerei stated.

Other notable features of the mobile App are, easy account opening, convenient self- booking and liquidation of fixed deposits, an expanded list of bill-payment options and easy activation of standing instructions & recurrent future payments.

http://meganews.com.ng/2019/01/07/keystone-bank-scores-another-first-with-zero-data-mobile-banking-feature/

Others include, a “Switch Card ON/OFF option” which allows users to disable their cards temporarily if missing & re-enable at the click of a button, the “Hide Balance Feature” which is an additional safeguard against third-party viewing and the “Meet Your Relationship Manager Option” which allows users to call or email their account officers right within the app.

Keystone Bank is a technology and service-driven commercial bank offering convenient and reliable solutions to its customers.

http://meganews.com.ng/2019/01/07/keystone-bank-scores-another-first-with-zero-data-mobile-banking-feature/

By Gbenga Ogunleye



There have been interesting events in the political terrain in the past few weeks, but the one that has gained unnecessary attention was this allegation by Alhaji Abubakar Atiku, presidential flag-bearer of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) that the president, Mohammadu Buhari and his family owned shares in Etisalat and Keystone Bank. He also called for probe into the substantial shares in Etisalat now known as 9mobile which has an estimated $2b (about N727b at 360 per dollar) of its estimated $20b global net worth.

No doubt, all that have transpired in the political circles do not spring any surprise to many a political watcher, because we know it is all politics, going by the fact that 2019 elections are just few weeks away and this has elicited desperations from desperate politicians. However, the masses, nay the electorate will end up getting more confused as a direct product of spurious allegations like the aforementioned.

Luckily, a group of investors in Lagos have put things in the right perspectives, declaring that the sale of the two companies followed due processes with the involvements of industry regulators. They affirmed that neither President Muhammadu Buhari nor his family members owned shares in either Etisalat or Keystone Bank.

The above explanation should have put paid to further grumbling over who owns either 9mobile or Keystone Bank.

But it is so unfortunate that Nigerian politics have been reduced to this appalling dimension where an aspiring leader or leaders would leave issue-based discussions and campaigns to embark on mud-slinging and false claims. We as Nigerians expect our politicians to tell us what they have in stock for us when they claim the mantle of leadership, instead of beating about the bush just to hoodwink us.

In recent times, careless talks and spurious allegations have had telling effects on businesses, Nigerians and it is high time we exercised restraints to save the nation. Are our youths truly lazy? Succumbing to the carrots dangled by these politicians and helping them to spread their lies, peddling unfounded stories? Nigerian youths, this is a clarion call to put on your thinking caps ahead of the election.


http://meganews.com.ng/2019/01/06/leave-keystone-bank-9mobile-alone-share-your-manifesto-with-nigerians

In a saner clime, the miraculous transformation experienced by Keystone Bank which was almost a dying entity a few years ago, would have attracted kudos and commendations from both the general public and politicians alike. It would be recalled that after many years in the doldrum and following its most recent acquisition by Sigma Golf-Riverbank consortium, Keystone Bank, for the half-year ended June 30, 2018, recorded a Profit Before Tax of N5.9billion compared with a loss of N7.1billion over the same period in 2017 while deposits have grown from N209billion in August 2017 (when the new management came on board) to N358billion as at November 2018.

On the part of 9mobile, the Investor Group had said after about a year of back-and-forth process of selecting a preferred bidder for the sale of 9Mobile, formerly Etisalat, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) jointly, in their roles as regulators opted for an innovative approach to deal with a distressed company operated by Emerging Markets Telecommunications Services Limited (EMTS) which its predecessor, Mubadala Group, Etisalat International brand pulled out of the country due to massive debt.

At this point in Nigerian history, politicians are expected to show maturity in their chase for political positions rather than heat up the polity in a way that would further damage an already dented economy.

Nigerians should be asking the candidates to present their manifesto/ plans to re-energize the economy rather than falling for their cheap tricks to distract us from the real issues.


Hopefully, 2019 will not be the usual tea party.



- Gbenga Ogunleye, a political analyst wrote from Lagos, Nigeria.


http://meganews.com.ng/2019/01/06/leave-keystone-bank-9mobile-alone-share-your-manifesto-with-nigerians

Ocean Marine Solutions (OMS) has denied allegation of impropriety on its multi-million dollars pipeline surveillance deals with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

 

The company which said this in a document noted that its attention has been drawn to a publication by Eraskorp Nigeria Limited (Eraskorp) in ThisDay newspaper of 10 December 2018, on page 32, with the caption “Award Of Trans Forcados Pipeline Surveillance Contract To Ocean Marine Services Limited” (the “Publication”) in which some of these allegations were made.

 http://meganews.com.ng/2019/01/03/ocean-marine-denies-pipeline-surveillance-impropriety-allegation/

“As a matter of policy, OMS ordinarily would not respond to publications of this nature - which serve no purpose other than to malign, with calculated untruths.

This said, we are constrained to respond to the Publication in the sole interest of the general public who have been presented with a Publication that is riddled with untruths, inaccuracies, and fabrications which we believe serves no utilitarian purpose than to undercut the reputation and goodwill of the Company.

 

“Many in the oil and gas industry and even in the Nigerian commercial sphere are aware that OMS is a law-abiding corporation with a sterling reputation of probity, integrity and competence that has made significant contributions to the Nigerian economy. We fully intend to protect this hard-earned reputation. Accordingly, in all our years of existence, we have conducted our business fully in compliance with the law, and as a testament to this, allegations of impropriety have never been proven against OMS,” the document read.

 http://meganews.com.ng/2019/01/03/ocean-marine-denies-pipeline-surveillance-impropriety-allegation/

“As it relates to our competence, the record of our contribution to the Nigerian economy, through stellar services, are clear. We need not itemise our track record of success on this platform, in order to give credence to our work. That said, we categorically state that we are proud of our work in assisting the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (“NNPC”) in a number of pipeline surveillance mandates, including our impressive performance surveilling the Bonny-Port Harcourt and Warri-Escravos evacuation lines.

 

“Despite the allegations in the Publication, what is independently verifiable is that our efforts are directly responsible for an increase in revenues for Nigeria and a significant reduction in what had become recurring costs in repairing damaged and/or vandalised pipelines.

 

“We counsel that any allegations of corruption by Eraskorp should be directed at the relevant anti-graft agency (ies), rather than co-opting the instrumentality of the media to conduct a media trial that relies on pedestrian, half-baked, and inaccurate allegations, devoid of factual evidence. OMS prides itself on its robust anti-corruption policy, and for the avoidance of doubt, the Company does not engage in any form of corrupt practices, economic crimes, financial crimes and/or acts of economic sabotage. Specifically, the award of the surveillance contract for the Trans Forcados Pipeline (TFP) to OMS followed due process, with no wrongdoing, illegality, or illicit activities underpinning its award,” the company said.

 

It continued: “We take the allegations of impropriety in the Publication very seriously, and we would be pursuing our legal remedies, including but not limited to actions in defamation and injurious falsehood.

 

“We trust that in this era of fake news, our media houses and journalists would continue to uphold the standards of their profession by verifying publications, at all times, with authentic and reliable sources, before publishing. We must never sacrifice truth on the altar of sensationalism.”

A popular Nigerian business news blog has been exposed while trying to blackmail one of the fastest growing banks recently.

Information filtering in revealed that the business news blog and its publisher (names withheld) recently strategised their plots to blackmail Keystone Bank Limited and its managing director/CEO, Dr. Obeahon Ohiwerei.

http://meganews.com.ng/2019/01/01/popular-business-blog-hatches-plot-to-blackmail-keystone-bank/

According to sources close to the bank, the publisher of the blog had contacted Keystone Bank demanding a whopping N40 million to ‘kill’ purported stories which was discovered to be a fabrication of lies and allegation against the financial institution and its managing director/CEO.

The publisher was told point-blank that the bank could not afford such amount of money. It was learnt that the publisher whose name starts with a ‘O’ and blog name starts with a ‘P’ was undaunted in his plan to obtain from the lender and its leadership. He therefore quickly pegged down his demand to N15 million, a negotiation which the bank also declined immediately.

Angered that his plot to blackmail the bank was becoming unsuccessful, the publisher threatened to publish the false stories to rubbish the bank and its CEO.

When contacted, a staff of the bank who doesn’t want his name in the print confirmed the story. According to him, after building its reputation to its present standard, Keystone Bank will not succumb to cheap blackmails or any blackmail for that matter.

http://meganews.com.ng/2019/01/01/popular-business-blog-hatches-plot-to-blackmail-keystone-bank/
“We are waiting for him to make good his threats. I can assure you that the bank will not hesitate to use all legal means to seek redress as a deterrent to other unscrupulous elements out there,” he said.

Ocean Marine Services (OMS) has opened up on its multi-million dollars pipeline surveillance deals with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), denying allegation of impropriety in the execution of the deals.



The company which said this in a document noted that its attention has been drawn to a publication by Eraskorp Nigeria Limited (Eraskorp) in ThisDay newspaper of 10 December 2018, on page 32, with the caption “Award Of Trans Forcados Pipeline Surveillance Contract To Ocean Marine Services Limited” (the “Publication”) in which some of these allegations were made.

http://meganews.com.ng/2018/12/20/just-in-ocean-marine-opens-up-on-nnpcs-multi-million-dollars-pipeline-deals/

“As a matter of policy, OMS ordinarily would not respond to publications of this nature - which serve no purpose other than to malign, with calculated untruths.

This said, we are constrained to respond to the Publication in the sole interest of the general public who have been presented with a Publication that is riddled with untruths, inaccuracies, and fabrications which we believe serves no utilitarian purpose than to undercut the reputation and goodwill of the Company.



“Many in the oil and gas industry and even in the Nigerian commercial sphere are aware that OMS is a law-abiding corporation with a sterling reputation of probity, integrity and competence that has made significant contributions to the Nigerian economy. We fully intend to protect this hard-earned reputation. Accordingly, in all our years of existence, we have conducted our business fully in compliance with the law, and as a testament to this, allegations of impropriety have never been proven against OMS,” the document read.



“As it relates to our competence, the record of our contribution to the Nigerian economy, through stellar services, are clear. We need not itemise our track record of success on this platform, in order to give credence to our work. That said, we categorically state that we are proud of our work in assisting the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (“NNPC”) in a number of pipeline surveillance mandates, including our impressive performance surveilling the Bonny-Port Harcourt and Warri-Escravos evacuation lines.



“Despite the allegations in the Publication, what is independently verifiable is that our efforts are directly responsible for an increase in revenues for Nigeria and a significant reduction in what had become recurring costs in repairing damaged and/or vandalised pipelines.



“We counsel that any allegations of corruption by Eraskorp should be directed at the relevant anti-graft agency (ies), rather than co-opting the instrumentality of the media to conduct a media trial that relies on pedestrian, half-baked, and inaccurate allegations, devoid of factual evidence. OMS prides itself on its robust anti-corruption policy, and for the avoidance of doubt, the Company does not engage in any form of corrupt practices, economic crimes, financial crimes and/or acts of economic sabotage. Specifically, the award of the surveillance contract for the Trans Forcados Pipeline (TFP) to OMS followed due process, with no wrongdoing, illegality, or illicit activities underpinning its award,” the company said.

http://meganews.com.ng/2018/12/20/just-in-ocean-marine-opens-up-on-nnpcs-multi-million-dollars-pipeline-deals/

It continued: “We take the allegations of impropriety in the Publication very seriously, and we would be pursuing our legal remedies, including but not limited to actions in defamation and injurious falsehood.



“We trust that in this era of fake news, our media houses and journalists would continue to uphold the standards of their profession by verifying publications, at all times, with authentic and reliable sources, before publishing. We must never sacrifice truth on the altar of sensationalism.”

Ever thought that only N1000 can help you start the journey to long-term wealth and rewrite your story? Do you wish your money could work for you while you hustle, allowing you to spend yet still plan for a future with no financial struggles? If you’re preoccupied with these thoughts, you’re about to experience a great financial breakthrough.

http://meganews.com.ng/2018/12/19/the-difference-n1000-can-make/

The economic reality might leave many people feeling that it is impossible to have a sustainable income, much less being able to invest. To the average Nigerian, investment is for the big boys and girls of society, who have a lot of money lying around. That’s where you are wrong. Mutual funds such as the Legacy Money Market Fund (LMMF) not only make investing easy, you don’t need to have so much money to get starter. With as little as N1000, you can start investing for a great future!

The Legacy Money Market Fund (LMMF) is a mutual fund managed by First City Asset Management Limited, a member of FCMB Group. The objective of the fund is to preserve capital and generate a stable income for everyday people like you and I. The best part? With just N1000, you can get started!

Yes, with only N1,000, the LMMF will pay you interest every 3 months or for the period of investment, if the period is less than 3 months. The LMMF invests in high quality, and local currency Money Market Instruments rated at least A, all for you.
Interested? Please click here.

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The LMMF is an example of a mutual fund, which is an investment vehicle that pools the savings of investors and invests the money on their behalf in instruments such as Money Markets, Bonds, Equities, and other types of securities. It brings together investors with similar investment objectives.

The investment objective of a mutual fund reflects the return goal and risk appetite of investors in the fund. For example, a Money Market Fund will invest in only Money Market Instruments such as Fixed deposits and Treasury bills, while a Fixed Income Fund will invest primarily in Fixed Income Instruments. In addition, an Equity Fund will invest mainly in stocks. In Nigeria, all mutual funds are regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Don’t forget, start your investment journey with the Legacy Money Market Fund today. It’s easy and affordable. Click here to begin.