Ayo Elias Becomes Airtel Nigeria’s Human Resources Director

By Aduragbemi Omiyale Mr Zikrullah Kunle Hassan has been removed as the Chairman and chief executive of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON). A statement issued on Tuesday night by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Ajuri Ngelale, disclosed that Mr Hassan was sent on compulsory leave. It was disclosed that the NAHCON chief was asked to embark on a three-month pre-retirement leave from today, Tuesday, October 18, 2023. According to the statement, the action of President Bola Tinubu is in line with the Public Service Rule (PSR) 120243. Mr Hassan is due to

By Modupe Gbadeyanka Four new persons have been appointed to the board of directors of a Nigerian consumer-packaged-goods company, Rite Foods Limited. A statement from the company explained that the appointments were part of a strategic move to position the business for accelerated growth and improve the organisation’s market presence as it takes giant strides into the next phase of its growth strategy. The appointees are Mr Kunle Elebute and Isa Mohammed Inuwa as Independent Non-Executive Directors, Raheem Owodeyi as a Non-Executive Director and Dr Kehinde Onijingin as an Executive Director. The new board members are expected to use their

By Aduragbemi Omiyale Mr Andrew Ikekhua has been authorised by the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) to become the chief executive of NEM Insurance Plc. The astute insurance professional was appointed by the underwriter to lead its affairs, but needed the approval of the regulator. In a statement signed by the group head of its legal department, Ms Olajumoke Philip-Akede, NEM Insurance said the sector’s watchdog has given its nod, noting that the appointment became effective October 1, 2023. “We wish to notify Nigerian Exchange Limited, our esteemed shareholders, and the investing public of the appointment of Mr Andrew Ikekhua as

By Modupe Gbadeyanka The publisher of an online news platform, Per Second New (PSN), Mr Femi Oladapo Soneye, has been appointed as the Chief Corporate Communications Officer (CCCO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited. The appointment of the veteran journalist was announced on Wednesday night by the state-owned oil agency, which said it looked “forward to his valuable contributions to our company.” The new spokesman will be in charge of the corporate communications of the NNPC, leading the organisation’s “corporate communications team and drive our brand penetration, strategic communications initiatives, and stakeholder management.” According to the statement, Mr

By Adedapo Adesanya Nigerian foremost rating agency, Agusto & Co, has assigned top merchant bank in the country, Coronation Merchant Bank, an A+ rating. In a recently released report, Agusto affirmed the A+ rating assigned to the bank with a stable outlook and stated that the rating reflects the bank’s position in the merchant banking space. The rating agency stated that Coronation Merchant Bank had good capitalisation, good asset quality and good liquidity position. However, it emphasised that the lender has high funding costs as well as a very volatile customer deposits, which it said are issues that could cause

By Modupe Gbadeyanka A broadcast journalist has been sentenced by a court for one year after being found guilty of insulting a Governor. The newsman, Steeve Mwanyo Iwewe, was convicted on March 1, 2019, in the Mbandaka criminal court on a charge of insulting Équateur Governor, Mr Bobo Boloko Bolumbu. Already, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has asked authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo not to oppose Iwewe’s appeal. Iwewe’s Souverain Pontife Ikolombe, who spoke with CPJ, said the journalist was sentenced to one year in prison and instructed to pay $200 in damages to Mr Bolumbu. Ikolombe

By Dipo Olowookere Shares of Dangote Cement Plc have appreciated by at least 17 percent two weeks after it announced appointing erstwhile Managing Director/CEO of its key competitor, Lafarge Africa Plc, Mr Michel Puchercos, as its new GMD/CEO. In a notice dated December 24, 2019, Dangote Cement said Mr Puchercos was joining the company after resigning his position at Lafarge Africa. The Frenchman picked to replace Mr Joseph Mokoju, who retires January 31, 2020. Market observers saw this development as a master stroke and a huge blow on Lafarge Africa, which was beginning to stand on its feet after the

By Aduragbemi Omiyale Customers of Kuda, a digital banking platform, have been advised to upgrade their mobile application to the latest version to enable them to enjoy the new features embedded in the app. A statement from the company said the additions to the recently upgraded app make it easier for users to have more access to financial products and services, including investments and UK-to-Nigeria transfers. It said the newly-launched money app for Africans in Nigeria and the UK offers convenient, easy access to frictionless and affordable financial services for users as transactions can be done faster and seamlessly. To

By Adedapo Adesanya Business Post has gathered that although some Nigerian banks have started disbursing the old higher denominations of Naira notes, traders, artisans, and retailers, among others, have continued to reject them. Last Friday, the supreme court extended the validity of the old N200, N500, and N1,000 banknotes till December 31, 2023, upturning the February 10, 2023, deadline of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). But investigation showed that some Nigerians are rejecting the old Naira notes, saying they will only collect the redesigned currency notes. A PoS attendant in the Ifako-Ijaiye area of Lagos identified simply as Ruth

By Adedapo Adesanya  Nigeria has resolved to join a key United Nations accord known as the Water Convention, in which the country will play its part in using its water resources for conflict prevention, climate change adaptation, and development. Nigeria, on March 22, officially became the 48th Party to the Water Convention and the 7th African nation to join since 2018, following the footsteps of Chad, Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Ghana, Togo and Cameroon. With over 213 million inhabitants, Nigeria is the most populous state in Africa, and shares with its neighbours most of its water resources, which include Lake Chad and

By Adedapo Adesanya Verve cardholders have been advised to join the ongoing customer loyalty reward promo, which started in August 2022 and will end on October 30, 2022. The payments company introduced the campaign to reward cardholders with exciting gifts and cash prizes that will enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty. Customers can enjoy their slice of the N70 million up for grabs in the promo. The more transactions carried out with Verve cards on POS, WEB, ATMs, and Paycodes, the closer they are to being amongst the 20 customers to cruise in the millionaire club. Verve cardholders will be able

By Modupe Gbadeyanka A programme aimed to engage 2.4 million farmers to produce over 10 million metric tonnes of food to feed 100 million households in Nigeria has been launched by the federal government. The programme, called the Agriculture for Food and Jobs Plan (AFJP), was launched at an event on July 23, 2020, in Funtua, Katsina State. At the unveiling of the agric scheme, it was stated that the AFJP programme will allow private players, like the AFEX Commodities Exchange Limited (AFEX) with access to a large number of farmers, to collaborate and work together, sharing knowledge and technology,