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Shettima Tasks Committee on Enhancing MSMEs Financing

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By Adedapo Adesanya

The Vice President, Mr Kashim Shettima, has tasked the National Council on Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to enhance financing of small businesses in Nigeria.

This came as the federal government constituted a committee to interface with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). The committee was set up on Tuesday during the first meeting council for 2025 held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Nigeria has over 40 million small businesses that contribute a large percentage to its economy. However, financing acts as a barrier to effective operations and growth and this committee is the latest effort to solve this issue.

The committee headed by the Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr John Enoh, has Ministers of Science and Technology; Women Affairs; Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security and the Senior Special Assistant to the President on MSMEs as members.

Others include the Chief Executive Officers of Bank (CEOs) of Industry, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Bank of Agriculture (BOI) and the Nigeria Export-Import Bank (NEXIM Bank).

Also in the committee are the CEOs of Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN), Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), and the representative of organised private sector.

In the same vein, the council also approved a loan scheme for MSMEs known as the syndicated de-risked loans for small businesses.

The scheme will be a partnership between state governments and financial institutions aimed at enhancing access to finance for MSMEs at single-digit rates across the country.

Mr Shettima said that the federal government in collaboration with other stakeholders, would be more deliberate in ensuring growth in MSMEs space in the country.

He noted that the federal government, through its agencies and partners, has the moral burden of supporting growth in the MSME space and facilitating job creation across different sectors for Nigerians.

The Vice-President stressed the need for stakeholders, especially the private sector, to complement efforts of President Bola Tinubu’s administration in supporting small businesses.

Mr Shettima advised state governments to set up vehicles that were devoid of political interests to drive the implementation of the syndicated de-risked loans for the MSMEs scheme.

“Some of these initiatives are laudable and will need to outlive the present administrations in the states.

“Regardless of political affiliations, Nigerians must be seen to be the ultimate beneficiaries of these schemes that we are trying to put in place.”

On his part, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on MSMEs, Mr Temitola Adekunle-Johnson, presented the ‘syndicated de-risked loans’ scheme for small businesses.

Mr Adekunle-Johnson, who sought the cooperation of members, described it as a game-changing programme to provide affordable and available loans for businesses.

He said the initiative was in acknowledgement of the President’s passion and commitment to the development of small businesses and aimed at providing more jobs for Nigerians.

Adedapo Adesanya is a journalist, polymath, and connoisseur of everything art. When he is not writing, he has his nose buried in one of the many books or articles he has bookmarked or simply listening to good music with a bottle of beer or wine. He supports the greatest club in the world, Manchester United F.C.

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Dominion City 2025 Camp Meeting Starts April 17

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Dominion City 2025 Camp Meeting

By Aduragbemi Omiyale

The 2025 camp meeting of Dominion City Church will commence from Thursday, April 17 to Monday, April 21 at Golden Heart Place, Km 22, Lekki-Epe Expressway, beside Lagos Business School, Ajah, Lagos.

The Senior Pastor of Dominion City and President of the Dominion Leadership Institute, Pastor David Ogbueli, will lead the event alongside other anointed ministers, including Apostle Michael Orokpo, Pastor Randy Mitchell from the USA, Apostle Ben Noobe from South Africa, Reverend Samson Ajetomobi, and Rev Pade Tokun.

The power-packed spiritual gathering is designed to ignite revival, salvation, deliverance, miracles, and breakthroughs in the lives of attendees.

Every year, the event attracts thousands of worshippers at the venue of the programme and virtually and the church said it would not be different this year.

Attendees will experience an atmosphere of deep worship with renowned gospel ministers such as GUC, Anthony Kani, Sunmisola Agbebi, and David Nkennor and the DC Angels, a statement disclosed.

There will also be specialized training sessions for ministers of the gospel, career professionals, social workers, entrepreneurs, children and teen workers, etc. for exponential growth.

As part of Dominion City’s commitment to ensuring accessibility, free transportation will be provided to and from the venue.

“We believe this Camp Meeting will be a divine appointment where lives are transformed, faith is strengthened, and destinies are realigned.

“We invite everyone seeking spiritual renewal and breakthrough to join us for this life-changing encounter,” the cleric stated.

With sessions at 8 am and 5 pm daily, the event will officially commence with an opening session on Thursday, April 17 at 5 pm.

A key highlight of the program will be the Good Friday Healing and Miracle Night on Friday, April 18, at 5 pm, an extraordinary session dedicated to divine healing and supernatural encounters.

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Nigeria’s Mining Marshals Arrest 327 Illegal Miners

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By Adedapo Adesanya

The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Mr Dele Alake, has announced the arrest of 327 illegal miners across Nigeria since 2024.

Mr Alake disclosed this at a recent news conference to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the operations of the Mining Marshals (MM).

He stressed that while the MM has “arrested 327 suspects for illegal mining,” the ministry, in partnership with other agencies, has prosecuted 143 individuals across the country since the MM began operations in 2024.

Recall that the Mining Marshals was inaugurated on March 21, 2024, to serve as a security outfit tracking illegal mining in the solid minerals sector.

The security personnel are mainly from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC). The mines marshal devised to be an inter-agency security outfit also incorporates special operatives from other security agencies like the Nigeria Police, the army, amongst others.

Speaking at the event, Mr Alake stated that the Marshals’ key target for 2025 is to secure the conviction of the 327 individuals already arraigned in court.

According to him, this will enhance deterrence in the mining sector and enforce compliance with the law.

He appreciated the contributions of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Nigerian Army, highlighting that their efforts have helped in the drive to sanitize the solid minerals sector.

“This month, the Federal High Court in Ilorin, Kwara State, sentenced two foreigners, Yang Chao and Wu Shan Chuan, to prison for illegal mining of solid minerals following a case prosecuted by the EFCC.

“We also commend the EFCC for its diligent prosecution of illegal miners.

“In May last year, the EFCC successfully prosecuted and secured the conviction of two other foreigners, Duan Ya Hong and Xiao Yi, to one year of imprisonment for illegal mining at another Federal High Court, also sitting in Ilorin, Kwara State,” he said.

The Minister stressed that in the last year, the MM has tackled the severity of illegal mining, which, according to him, “has been exacerbated by companies collaborating with individual miners to carry out the act.”

“According to our records, the MM recovered over 98 sites last year. This has enabled many license owners to return to sites and resume operations.

“This will ultimately improve royalties and raise the contribution of solid minerals to the country’s revenue.

“So far, the MM has identified 457 suspected illegal mining sites and has improved intelligence gathering on these sites,” he added.

Mr Alake explained that MM’s major areas of operation have been across 10 states: Niger, Kogi, Nasarawa, Akwa Ibom, Ondo, Kaduna, Enugu, Abia, Kwara, and the Federal Capital Territory.

He added that in 2025, the outfit is expected to increase its engagements in other parts of the nation.

He assured that the number of personnel would be expanded, and more logistics, including vehicles and other equipment, would be made available to the Mining Marshals to strengthen their operations.

On his part, the Commandant of the Mining Marshals, Mr John Attah, thanked the minister for his support and urged the public to see their operations as a national project.

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Amnesty International Wants Allegations Against Akpabio Probed

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By Adedapo Adesanya

The Amnesty International has called for a thorough, independent investigation into the allegation made by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan against the Senate President, Mr Goodwill Akpabio.

The human rights watchdog made this demand in a statement on X (formerly Twitter) by the Director of Amnesty International Nigeria, Mr Isa Sanusi.

“Amnesty International calls on the Nigerian authorities to immediately institute an independent and impartial investigation into the allegations of sexual harassment by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan against the President of the Senate Godswill Akpabio,” he said.

Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan, a People’s Democratic Party (PDP) lawmaker representing Kogi Central, accused Mr Akpabio of depriving her of her right to represent her people after she rejected sexual advances from Akpabio.

She alleged that Mr Akpabio had been denying her the opportunity to contribute to debates and table matters affecting her constituents on the floor of the Senate.

Mr Akpabio since denied the allegations.

“At no time did I ever harass any woman. I was raised very well by my late single mother, and I have always upheld respect for women. I was even awarded the most gender-friendly governor in Nigeria,” he said at the March 5 plenary.

The Senate later went on to suspend the lawmaker over what it described as her “unruly conduct.”

In response, Amnesty International warned that, “The weight and scale of the allegations of the sexual harassment are one more pressing reason for establishing an independent, resourceful and impartial investigation.

“The National Assembly must not continue to look away while the allegations remain and are being trivialized, unaddressed and ignored.

“Blatant failure of the authorities to investigate the allegations raised by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan will have devastating consequences, that include perpetuating a system that makes it increasingly difficult for survivors of sexual harassment to get justice, while allowing perpetrators to get away with gross human rights violations.

“This is one case that the authorities can use to show that there is zero tolerance for sexual harassment – no matter who is involved.

“The fear of not being believed, or even being blamed, is already creating a dangerous culture of silence that prevents women who faced sexual harassment from seeking justice. The tide of sexual impunity against women and girls must be turned now,” Mr Sanusi stated.

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