Alongside poverty, climate change and gender inequality are equally pressing issues that demand attention and action.

Alebiosu stressed that poverty, in all its forms, stems from lack of access and resources.

He highlighted that finance was the most critical factor in combating poverty in the 21st century.

“The easiest way to get out of poverty is access to finance,” he noted.

Some of the important discussion topics during the UN Global Compact Leaders’ Summit, according to Alebiosu, included innovative financing, sustainable financing, and the impact of artificial intelligence on humanity.

He stressed the critical need to develop human resources to tackle the widening economic gap between developed and developing nations.

READ ALSO: Senate passes bill on establishment of S’West Devt Comm

This emphasis on human resource development echoes the United Nations’ focus on sustainable development and equality, particularly in areas such as gender equality, climate action, and living wages.

As a financial expert in Nigeria and Africa, Alebiosu has identified financial inclusion as a key area for FirstBank to address in supporting poverty alleviation under the sustainable development goals.

FirstBank considers financial inclusion a central part of its business strategy, resulting in the extension of over N36 billion in loans to women in 2023 and the development of a gender market strategy to strengthen the Bank’s women portfolio.

Alebiosu highlighted FirstBank’s extensive Firstmonie agents’ network in Nigeria, which surpassed 232,000 in 2023, with over 55,000 of the agents being women who continue to offer financial services in their communities as a testament to the power of financing in advancing economic interests and promoting economic development.

Concluding, Alebiosu expressed his vision for the future and said “FirstBank will further be entrenched into the fabric of the society, earning a place in the hearts and minds of Nigerians as a Giant advocate for economic development in Nigeria and Africa as a whole.”

The UN Global Compact Leaders’ Summit is an annual day-long conference that empowers private sector leaders to drive sustainable development and advance the 2030 Agenda.

The event provides a unique platform for business leaders, UN officials, government leaders, SDG stakeholders, and civil society professionals to converge and explore innovative solutions with actionable insights. This year’s edition held in New York, on Tuesday September 24, 2024.

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When the news broke last week that an agreement was now in place that would see to NNPCL loading petrol from the Dangote Refinery, it came with a mix of joy and relief for some of us. Whereas the question of pricing was dominant in public discourse at the time, I didn’t think it was that important an issue, as it was obvious that given the fact that the price from Dangote was going to be above the current retail price, leaving the government with the options of either approving a special FX rate, having crude sold at a discount or pushing the burden onto NNPCL to continue to carry the burden, either way subsidy built in, to be able to maintain the current price regime.

That was the backdrop to yesterday when trucks from NNPCL lined up at the Dangote Gantry to load petrol. At the event, Arise TV Reporter, Tokunbo Oyetunji, had a live interview with Devakumar Edwin, Dangote’s Vice President, Oil and Gas on a range of issues. All had gone well with the interview until Oyetunji raised the issue of the price at which petrol was sold to NNPCL. A voice from the background pushed against that line of questioning, stopping Devakumar Edwin from responding to the question. The Reporter was forced to move on to another question.

That was quite strange, given what had been playing out in the public space, with all sorts of speculation about the price petrol was expected to sell, following the commencement of production by the Dangote Refinery. Earlier in the day, Olufemi Soneye, Chief Corporate Communications Officer of NNPCL, had debunked different claims in the media that the company bought Petrol from Dangote at N1,300 or N760. He said, “We successfully loaded PMS at the Dangote Refinery today. The claim that we purchased it at N1,300 per litre or N760 is incorrect. For this initial loading, the price from the refinery was N898 per litre. The price is determined by market forces. It’s a deregulated market. I can also confirm, in response to inquiries, that we will receive 16.8 million litres.”

READ ALSO: Flood: Tinubu visits Borno, pledges more support for citizens

So, with heightened public interest in the matter and conflicting claims being bandied, Journalists were eager to have clarification from Dangote Refinery. It thus came as a surprise that the company chose to pass on the opportunity offered to set the records straight. Even stranger was the statement that came from Anthony Chiejina, Group Chief Branding and Communications Officer at Dangote Refinery, later in the day which he said was in response to the claim attributed to “NNPCL spokesperson, Mr. Olufemi Soneye, that we sell our PMS at N898 per litre to NNPCL”. The claim, he said, was misleading and mischievous. But the statement only stopped at disputing the claims, it fell short of stating the price at which the product was sold to NNPCL.

Dangote Refinery will do well to be more transparent so that Nigerians can fully benefit from the advent of local refining of crude oil, not only in terms of the availability of products but also affordability.

That must have prompted the decision by NNPCL to release a statement today, doubling down on its original claim and sharing with the public the “estimated prices of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as Petrol (obtained from the Dangote Refinery) in its retail stations across the country”.

NNPCL made it clear that “in line with the provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), PMS prices are not set by Government, but negotiated directly between parties on an arm’s length”. It also made the confirmation that it is paying Dangote Refinery in USD for September 2024 PMS offtake, as Naira transactions will only commence on October 1st, 2024 while assuring the public that in case of a dispute over the quoted pricing, it will be grateful to pass on in full any discount that might come from the Dangote Refinery to the general public.

The statement from NNPCL is categorical and affirmative, firmly putting the ball back in the court of Dangote Refinery. It is interesting and commendable that this level of transparency is on display by NNPCL which is widely criticised for opacity in its operations. Truth be told, while that accusation might hold for NNPC in the past, the level of transparency that the Company has displayed in the last few years, releasing its Annual Reports and audited statement of Accounts from time to time is there to see. That has drawn commendation from agencies and other organisations that monitor the industry.

Some have said that Dangote does not owe anyone an announcement of its price, as it is not a public company.  Some have introduced the red herring of NNPCL not delivering on its refineries. Can we not have each conversation within its context? What has putting evidence out to support your claim, as a seller, that the price put out by a buyer is misleading got to do with its refineries presently undergoing rehabilitation not functioning?

While it is legitimate to criticise the NNPCL for not delivering on its refineries on schedule, sight might have been lost of the peculiarities and challenges that came with the task of rehabilitation, which many confused with Turn-around-maintenance, during the COVID and the immediate post-Covid period, which have led to difficulties with meeting up with schedule by the Contractors. The same factors were largely responsible for the shifting in the date of commissioning by the Dangote Refinery at different times. Biodun Sowumi, an Energy Expert, who spoke on the matter this morning assured that the time lag between mechanical commissioning and commencement of production, as seen with the Port Harcourt Refinery, is not unusual.

On the issue at hand, NNPCL has done well laying down the marker in terms of transparency, one can only hope that Dangote Refinery will take a leaf from that and open up its pricing template so that Nigerians can come to a full understanding of what is going on in the industry. Over the years, NNPCL has become a beast of burden for Nigeria, taking responsibility for subsidy or under-recovery to ensure that there is energy security. If the Company is allowed to function fully as contemplated under the Petroleum Industry Act, and it can sell products at market-reflective prices, a lot of the burden it has carried will be lifted off its back. The Company will be able to engage more productively in the upstream sector, greater transparency will ensue, and the industry and the country will be better for it. Dangote Refinery will do well to be more transparent so that Nigerians can fully benefit from the advent of local refining of crude oil, not only in terms of the availability of products but also affordability.

*Suleiman Adamu writes from Lagos.

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Sirika made this known on Sunday in Abuja during a programme on Arise TV.

According to him, from 2016 to 2023, the budget for the Nigeria Air is N5 billion, and only N3 billion was released, and up till today, the money has not been completely spent.

He said the government of Nigeria did not pay a dime for the Nigeria Air to come for the unveiling on May 26.

“It is ridiculous to think that we’ll hire and paint an aircraft for N138 billion, which could get us five new Boeing 777max.

“We are responsible people and the general public should approach Ministry of Information and apply for the right of information to see for themselves.

“The House committee chairman on aviation asked for 5 per cent of Nigeria Air for himself and his people. I asked him to approach the owners of the airline,” he said.

According to him, former President Olusegun Obasanjo handed Nigeria Airways to his friend company, Arik Air, which is indebted to the tune of over N300bn, of which Nigeria taxpayers money is N250bn via AMCON.

“So, do we hand it over to Arik?” he asked, rhetorically.

Source: NAN

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The Director-General of NBC, Malam Shehu Illelah, made this known in a statement on Monday in Abuja.

“On Saturday Nov. 12, the commission monitored the use of a press release purportedly signed by Mr Festus Okoye, a National Commissioner and Chairman Information and Voter Education Committee of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), by Arise TV.

“The said press release alleged that INEC was investigating the issue of forfeiture by a United States Court against the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), with a view to prosecution.

“The press release in reference has been tagged fake by INEC and the organisation has also issued a counter press release to refute the story.”

Illelah recalled that NBC, between September 19 and 26, 2022, went round the country to sensitise broadcasters and reminded them of the provisions of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code and the Electoral Act as the country counts down to 2023 General Elections.

He said the NBC also underscored the need for broadcasters to double check the veracity of any information, especially, those from the Social Media (User Generated Content UGC) which is, specifically affirmed by Section 5.6.5. of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code.

“Likewise, we draw attention to section 5.0.1 of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code which provides that news shall be presented as a truthful and accurate account of an event or phenomenon.

“News requires the highest level of responsibility by practitioners in adhering to the most pristine of their professional ethics. These include truthfulness, accuracy, fairness, objectivity, and impartiality.

“Furthermore, section 5.1.3 of the Code says fake news is prohibited. News is the most potent of all broadcasts and therefore, the editorial responsibility of the broadcaster is sacrosanct. Every news item must be verified.”

Illelah said that the commission, along with stakeholders, had been working towards a free and fair 2023 general elections and enjoined broadcasters to continue to perform their duties professionally, in order to bring about a successful democratic process.

“Nevertheless, the commission uses this opportunity to warn all broadcasters to adhere to the provisions of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code, regulations and other extant Laws, as it will not hesitate to sanction any Broadcaster that contravenes the above requirements.

Source: NAN

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Director-General, National Broadcasting Commission, NBC, Malam Balarabe Ilelah, made the disclosure in a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday.

“Following the approval granted by the president, NBC has released the list of 159 licenses granted to companies, communities and institutions of higher learning.

“The commission was established by the NBC Act, Cap. N11, Laws of the Federation 2004 with the mandate to regulate and control broadcasting in Nigeria.

“Today, there are a total of 625 functional broadcast stations in Nigeria,’’ Ilelah stated.

The D-G said that the newly-approved licenses were the Federal Polytechnic Ilaro (Radio), Prospective Union of Reno People (Radio), Smile Community Radio Initiative and International Institute of Tropical Agriculture Radio.

He said others are Dudu African Broadcasting Communications Ltd., Independent Television, Prince Media Network, Jamkat Integrity Investment Ltd., Hikima Media Services, and Galaxy Television Radio.

“Others are H-i Fidelity Communications, B360 Nigeria Ltd., Communication Faculties Ltd., Godfrey Okoye University Radio, Art Broadcasting Company, Hamdana Media, Sunshine Radio, Blue Print Newspapers Ltd., NV Broadcasting Company Ltd. and others.

Source: NAN

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The governor, on Monday, said a long list of abandoned buildings across local government areas and Local Council Development Areas, LCDAs, which may serve as safe haven for criminals, had been compiled.

Sanwo-Olu said the state government would be taking proactive action towards ensuring that the buildings did not become security threats in communities where they had been found.

The popular thinking is that such buildings are occupied by criminals who use them to plan attacks.

The government plans to take control of such buildings.

Sanwo- Olu spoke of the development during a live interview on Arise TV, where he shared details of his administration’s achievements in the last two years. Sanwo-Olu was 731 days in office on May 29.

At a consultative meeting on security held last month, participants requested the government to take control of uncompleted buildings and abandoned vehicles to boost security.

The governor, who spoke against the background of rising spate of kidnapping and criminalities in some states across the nation, said the state government remained at alert to prevent the spillover of criminalities from neighbouring states into Lagos.

To that end, he said his administration was on the verge of recruiting additional 1,500 men into the Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Corps, LNSC, to boost intelligence gathering in local communities and aid security agencies to quickly respond to crimes.

He said Lagos, in the last six months, had collaborated with the police to strengthen community policing in addressing localised crimes and checking activities of cult members.

The state gave the police 1,250 men from the state’s Neighborhood Watch.

He stressed that the strategy would be effective if residents remained vigilant and offered information on strange activities in their neighbourhoods.

He said: “Two days ago, I receive report of abandoned buildings across the state from Neighbourhood Watch. The list is about 250 pages with addresses and pictures of the buildings. These are some of the places where the criminals and miscreants hide to launch their activities. We are passing this list to the security for immediate response and actions. This surveillance speaks to the necessity of state police. All the preventable criminalities happening are because we have not agreed as a nation that there should be state police.

“We have been an advocate of state police and it is one of the submissions I made at the recent public hearing on constitutional amendment in Lagos. State police is a force whose time has come. Whether it is Amotekun or Neighbourhood Watch, these are all pointers to the necessity of states to have police to make them stronger. All the kidnapping and killings we have been witnessing can be nipped in the bud. Our challenge in Lagos is not having forests where kidnappers hide; it is more about cultism. I need to think global but localise my response to these challenges.”

On whether the state would ban commercial motorcycles, popularly known as Okada, Sanwo-Olu said the government was providing an alternative to the motorcycles with the First and Last-Mile minibuses.

He said thousands of them will be pushed into the system.

The governor, however, disclosed that transport unions had reached out to the state government on regularisation of informal transport services, including Okada.

He said efforts were underway to leverage biometric data for approval of commercial motorcycle operation in areas where it had not been proscribed.

On the recent progress recorded by the state in its response to infectious diseases, Sanwo-Olu revealed that Lagos now had the capacity to detect new variants of Coronavirus (COVID-19), given procurement of latest PCR machine.

That, he said, came ahead of the move by the state to build a world-class Infectious Disease Centre in Yaba to support research for diagnosis and treatment of contagious diseases in future.

Sharing his opinion on the suspension of micro-blogging site, Twitter, by the federal government, Sanwo-Olu said: “Mr. President, who is the Commander-in-Chief, may have some security information, which I do not have as a sitting governor. I won’t say what the federal government or Twitter has done is right or wrong. What I see is that, on both sides, there are issues that can be resolved.

“So, in this period of suspension, let us sit and have a conversation. Had it been Twitter has an office in Nigeria, issues would have been resolved a lot quicker. In other climes, Twitter signs agreements on the rule of engagement. I don’t think that has happened here. The federal government, I believe, can handle the issue a lot better, because of the number of e-commerce firms and youths that are engaging in digital stuff.

“I believe there should be a lot of restraint and better management from both sides. I’ll plead that both sides come together in next one or two days and resolve this. We should not politicise this issue. People are losing money and economies are being destroyed, but there are also security issues. I am ready to give quality advice on what needs to be done if I’m called upon.”

The governor said the repeal of Pension Act for former Lagos governors and military administrators was a popular action taken by his administration to cut spending and improve good governance.

“There is no need for any pension for ex-governors in Lagos. I won’t be earning any pension after my tenure,” he said.

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That, he said, was because they also attended public universities in Nigeria.

Ngige made the declaration during an interview on Arise Television on Sunday when disputing the general impression that those in government did not care about the nation’s education system because their children attended schools abroad.

His words: “I have three biological children in public schools. They are in public schools; they are not in private universities. Unlike ASUU members who have most of their children in private universities, three of mine are here. So, I am a very big stakeholder in the public tertiary school system.

“So, when ASUU says politicians don’t care because they have taken their children abroad, Chris Ngige cares because my children are not abroad even though they have dual nationality – two of them have American citizenship; they can be in America but I choose them to be here with me.

“So, ASUU cannot accuse me of not being nationalistic enough. Anything that will help the university system here, I am in the forefront.”

Indication that the ongoing strike by lecturers may soon come to an end was given on Friday following the federal government’s decision to grant the lecturers some of their demands.

Key among the demands is that they should be exempted from the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System, IPPIS, and the government has granted that.

The new development was announced by Ngige after a meeting between the federal government and ASUU in Abuja.

He stated that the government had also resolved to pay the aggrieved lecturers their salary arrears from February to June, using the old payment platform of Government Integrated Financial and Management Information System.

That, Ngige said, was pending when the University Transparency and Accountability Solution, UTAS, which the lecturer insisted should be used instead of IPPIS would be ready.

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