Few people realize that “Bello” is Nigeria’s most universal “ethnic” name. Fewer still give a thought to how that came to be. By “ethnic” name, I mean a name that isn’t derived from universal religions like Christianity or Islam, which most Nigerians profess and practice, and that isn’t a Western ethnic name introduced me to us through colonialism. *Bello is a Nigerian Fulani name* that has, over the years, lost its ethnic rootedness. It is the only name that is borne either as a first name or a last name in all Nigerian geo-cultural groups, except in the former Eastern…
Author: Editor
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) says intelligent report gathered by its surveillance aircraft, Special Forces, and ground troops indicates that its missing aircraft might have crashed. A statement by the Director of Public Relations and Information, NAF Headquarters, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, stated that the cause of the crash and the whereabouts of the two pilots remained unknown. According to Gabkwet, the pilots are Flt.-Lt. John Abolarinwa and Flt.- Lt. Ebiakpo Chapele. Meanwhile, extensive search and rescue efforts were still ongoing by NAF surveillance aircraft as well as NAF Special Forces and Nigerian Army troops on ground. He added that…
Access Bank Plc has declared gross earnings of N764.7 billion for the financial year ended December 31. 2020, in spite of the challenging economic and regulatory landscape. The bank said, in a statement on Friday, that the gross earnings represented an increase of 15 per cent, when compared with the N666.75 billion it reported in the 2019 financial year. Profits before tax stood at N125.9 billion in contrast with N115.38 billion achieved in the comparative period of 2019, the statement said. The bank recorded consistent growth in its retail banking business, reporting a 5.8 million growth in customer sign-on during…
The Lagos State Examinations Board has extended the dates for the ongoing registration for 2021 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) for Public and Approved Private Junior Secondary Schools in the state . Late registration will now be from May 10 to May 21, 2021 for the affected students, a statement by Mr Supo Gbagedesin, Director of the Examination Board, said on Thursday. The registration which started February 15,2021 was to have ended on May 7, 2021. According to the statement, public secondary schools are to collect the PIN for online registration of their candidates at their Education District Headquarters. While…
The Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria (ICSAN) has called for stakeholder education on debt funding and utilisation of unclaimed dividends. Mrs Taiwo Olusesi, Registrar, ICSAN, gave the advice in a communique to newsmen on Thursday in Lagos. Olusesi urged the relevant government bodies to engage the investing public more regularly and obtain their feedback on improving the debt funding system and the utilisation of the Unclaimed Fund Trust Fund (UFTF). Olusesi said the advice became pertinent to address the problems of distrust between investors, depositors and the government. According to her, maintaining investors’ confidence and allaying their…
I had my first round of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccination last Monday. Information on my card said I should come back for the second dose in June. I had braced myself for sharp pain because I had seen videos of a state governor gnashing his teeth, of a female commissioner screaming in anguish and of an SSG jumping in his chair when they received the jab. I was jittery when I saw the long vaccine needle. The nurse noticed my anxiety and assured me it wasn’t painful. She was right; I hardly realized the jab was over until I saw her…
Two days ago, a planning meeting of Prof. Charles Soludo, aspirant for the forthcoming November Anambra governorship election was attacked, three policemen guarding him were killed and some of his close collaborators abducted. It is often the case that candidates considered to be popular are regularly attacked, killed or frightened off from the contest. Mainstream politicians remain convinced that their money, thugs and connections can get them “elected” as soon as they clear out popular candidates from the arena. This mentality, that it remains possible to rig oneself into office, is very corrosive of democratic culture and most be combatted.…
By Haruna Salami Managing Director of Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) TV Enterprises, Mr. Maxwell Loko, has called on practitioners of Online Journalism to regulate themselves, to continue winning the confidence of readers and followers. The media expert who admitted that the online journalists were not in competition with the mainstream media, called for synergy between both practitioners. Mr. Loko stated this in Abuja on Wednesday when the National Assembly New Media paid a courtesy visit to the NTA headquarters to honour him for his role in ensuring Nigeria actualized the transition from analog to digital broadcasting. He applauded the Forum…
The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Abdulrasheed Bawa on Thursday, disclosed that the Commission arrested more than 400 young Nigerians for internet related fraud in the first three months of the year. He made the disclosure in his office while receiving a delegation from the University of Abuja led by the Vice Chancellor, Professor Abdulrasheed Na ‘Allah. According to the EFCC Chair, “From January 2021 to date, we have arrested more than 400 Nigerians suspected to be involved in various cybercrime or advanced fee fraud-related offences and that is to tell you how huge the…
By Kennedy John The importance of Bureau De Change, BDC, operators in Nigeria’s Foreign Exchange, FX, market can’t be overemphasised. In a dollar-dependent economy such as ours, their existence and operations have become part of the main arteries that keep the economy running. Ever since the entry of BDC operators in the financial space, the FX system has been broadened, leading to improved access to foreign currencies. It is important to note that the origin of BDC could be traced to the period Alhaji Abdulkarim Ahmed was the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria. Hence the legal backing they enjoy from the…