More Nigerian Universities to Get Research Funds – NCC

By Bliss Okperan A lawmaker representing Kaura-Namoda/Birnin Magaji Federal Constituency in the National Assembly, Mr Aminu Sani Jaji, has raised alarm over the safety of children in schools in some parts of Northern Nigeria. The part of the country has witnessed kidnappings by terrorists and bandits, including in schools, leading to a low appetite for education over safety issues. While addressing newsmen in Abuja, he said, “These concerns intensify as incidents like the kidnapping of Federal University Gusau students follow purported dialogues, prompting public figures to call for a holistic approach to address the insecurity crisis decisively.” “Addressing the issue

By Modupe Gbadeyanka Operators within the private sector have been charged to promote innovative and sustainable approaches to uplift the educational standards for underprivileged children living in low-income communities. It was submitted that private sector collaborations would offer the advantage of diffusing emotional burdens, leading to more informed and intelligent decision-making, as together, they can achieve much more to support the provision of sustainable education for the Nigeria youth. This was the view of some participants at the Special Foundation annual summit, the Transforming Education Summit 2023, themed Enhancing Access and Quality Education in Africa. The event, held at the

By Adedapo Adesanya Nigerian e-book distribution startup, OkadaBooks, which allows users to bypass traditional publishers and publish their stories, will shut down by the end of this month. In a message seen by Business Post on Monday, the platform, which was established by Mr Okechukwu Ofili, said, “After much consideration and reflection, we have come to a difficult decision, OkadaBooks will be closing its virtual doors on November 30, 2023.” The statement added that, “This has not been an easy choice. We’ve explored various avenues to keep our virtual bookshelves alive, but, unfortunately, the challenges we face are insurmountable.” Mr

By Modupe Gbadeyanka On Sunday, October 29, 2023, the race for the sharing of N12.5 million by the top 3 contestants of the fifth edition of the InterswitchSPAK National Science Competition commenced. A total of 81 secondary school students are competing for the crown of the best Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) students in Nigeria. The first prize winner will receive a whooping sum of N7.5 million worth of scholarships for five years, a laptop, and monthly stipends. The second-place winner will receive N4 million in scholarships for three years, a laptop, and monthly stipends, while the third-place winner

By Jerome-Mario Chijioke Utomi Even when there is no codified word or structured documentation adequate enough to evaluate a public office holder, there exists presently, a compelling need to evaluate the present administration in the country, via a broader view of the people’s paramount concerns and legitimate expectations in order to unravel its values of fiscal discipline, prudent management, robust and continuous community engagement, effective and efficient public communication, and excellent public service delivery for the benefit of this generation and the next. This logical, rational and practical belief is predicated on the current unpalatable happenings and failures recorded in

By Walter Duru “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belongs to Christ Jesus.” The above are the exact wordings of the Holy Bible in 1st Thessalonians 5:18, advising all children of God to show gratitude at all times for every good gesture done to them. In furtherance and fulfillment of the above Biblical injunction, Imo State Deputy Governor, Rt. Hon. Gerald Irona, recently led a mixed delegation of his kinsmen, traditional chiefs, opinion moulders, leaders of thought, politicians, clergy, priests, titled men and elders from his native Ohaji/Egbema/Oguta/Oru West Federal Constituency, numbering over

By Dipo Olowookere The acquisition of a 49.4 per cent stake in International Energy Insurance (IEI) Plc by Norrenberger Advisory Partners Limited has been approved by shareholders of the underwriting firm. IEI shareholders authorised this transaction at the company’s 43rd Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Tuesday, October 11, 2022, at the Oriental Hotel, Lagos. They said Norrenberger’s acquisition was for the company’s benefit. “The acquisition of 49.4 per cent of the company’s shares by Norrenberger Advisory Partners Limited is hereby approved to be implemented by way of a mandatory takeover at the offer price of N1.60 per share in line

By Dipo Olowookere Cautious trading weakened the performance indices of the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited by 0.06 per cent on Tuesday as investors watch the political scene ahead of this weekend’s presidential election. It was observed that most of the sectors of the bourse closed lower during the session except the energy counter, which gained 0.28 per cent. However, it could not lift the stock market when trading activities for the session were brought to an end by 2:30 pm, as the banking index shed 0.38 per cent, the insurance space fell by 0.22 per cent, and the consumer goods

By Adedapo Adesanya Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund has reportedly reached a £300m deal to acquire Newcastle United football club from owner Mr Mike Ashley. Reports claim that Mr Ashley reduced his £340m asking price as the game of football faces an unprecedented disruption from the coronavirus pandemic. According to the reports, official paperwork showed that a deal is close with a Saudi Arabia-backed group which involves Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. It was further disclosed that the deal is being facilitated by Ms Amanda Staveley, the British financier, through which her PCP Capital Partners will put in 20 percent

By Modupe Gbadeyanka The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) has inducted 50 qualified dealing clerks. Business Post reports that the inductees were among the 57 candidates who had already passed the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers (CIS) examination and have gone through the mandatory practical Automated Trading System (ATS) training at the NSE and passed the oral examination at the NSE. Speaking at the induction ceremony last Friday at the Stock Exchange Building in Marina, Lagos, Chairman of the NSE, Mr Oscar Onyema, described the event as “remarkable”, emphasising that it “represents the symbolic unleashing of a force of qualified stockbrokers who

By Modupe Gbadeyanka The Nigerian local currency performed well on Tuesday at the parallel market against the Euro, gaining N4 at the close of transactions. Business Post reports that the Naira, which opened the day at N440 per Euro, closed today at N336 to the Euro. This growth recorded by the local currency occurred as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) announced retaining the benchmark interest rate at 14 percent after its Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting today. However, at the close of trading at the black market on Tuesday, the Naira closed flat against the two other major currencies,

By Adedapo Adesanya Bitcoin to Naira automation platform, LoadNG Automated systems, has announced Ayo Ajewole aka Woli Agba and Lateef Adedimeji as brand ambassadors. Founded in 2019, the fast-growing cryptocurrency has been described by many industry watchers as the fastest growing platform out of Africa. According to a press statement, the onboarding of the two entertainers was done in a bid to increase the brand’s awareness and also to leverage on the platform of the new ambassadors to preach the brand’s automated service delivery to more Nigerians as LoadNG marks its first year anniversary as a fully automated solution. At