COVID-19
Firm restates commitment to enhance financial inclusion
Nigeria-based fintech solution, NowNow, has said that it will continue to upgrade its services to attune to current realities, such that will drive economic and social growth. Founder of NowNow, Sahir Berry, while speaking on how COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the financial space recently, mentioned that Nigeria needs to strengthen its fintech space more than before. Berry stated that it was important for Nigeria to tap into the trends and prospects of fintech given the country’s large unbanked or underbanked. He added the company recognised this gap in Nigeria, which informed its investment in the space. “In 2017 we identified that one of the two big problems in Nigeria was lack of youth empowerment and financial inclusion. With a population of almost 100 million youths, we found that ac...
Nigerian government seeks new Eurobond
The federal government yesterday disclosed that it would approach the Eurobond market next year in its effort to shore up the economy, amidst cocktails of measures being put in place to douse the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the economy. On the same day, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, while speaking at the 55th Annual Bankers Dinner organised by the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) in Lagos, predicted a two per cent growth in the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2021. Finance Minister, Zainab Ahmed, who disclosed the Eurobond plan while speaking on Bloomberg TV, explained that the decision would depend on the prevailing interest rates. She, however, did not specify the amount to be accessed from the Eurobond. The Eurobond option is ...
Eric Clapton Teams with Van Morrison for Anti-Lockdown Protest Song “Stand and Deliver”
Van Morrison (photo by Philip Cosores) and Eric Clapton (photo by Majvdl via Wikimedia Commons) Looks like Van Morrison has pulled Eric Clapton into his suckhole of pseudo-science bull. The legendary musicians have teamed up for a new anti-lockdown protest single called “Stand and Deliver”. Morrison has been speaking out against the United Kingdom’s COVID-19 restrictions since the summer, particularly as they relate to live music. In September, he launched an anti-lockdown song series that included the tracks “Born to Be Free” and “No More Lockdown”. In spite of the fact that such measures have helped the country start to see a flattening of its infection curve even as one in every 185 people in Morrison’s native Northern Ireland test positive, the Astral Weeks singer apparently hasn’t evo...
Holiday shopping moves online amid surging coronavirus, retailers face shaky prospects
File Photo Long lines and crowds at shopping centers have been as much a Thanksgiving tradition as the turkey dinner, but this year, things could look different. As COVID-19 numbers continue to surge, rushing to brick-and-mortar retail stores might seem not so appealing to many, and the holiday shopping season is moving online. “More and more shopping was already moving online, but COVID-19 concerns are definitely accelerating the shift to online buying,” David Reibstein, a marketing professor from Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, told Xinhua. The trend is evident as shown by recent data. Walmart, the nation’s largest retailer, reported that its third-quarter e-commerce sales surged 79 percent from a year ago. Amazon, the largest e-commerce retailer, reported a 37 percent ...
eGovernment: NITDA begins capacity building for ministries, agencies
Commonwealth of Nations The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) on Wednesday began a two-day virtual strategic capacity building workshop for federal ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs). The exercise is being carried out to hasten the implementation of the National e-Government Masterplan and inculcate the use of Information Technology in government activities. The training is in three phases for directors of ICT and heads of procurement, network administrators and domain managers, while the third batch is for the NITDA team driving the digital transformation agenda. The Director-General of NITDA, Kashifu Abdullahi, who was represented by the Director e-Government Development and Regulation, Vincent Olatunji, in his opening remarks said the training aims at e...
President Buhari: How we’re addressing gender-based violence in Nigeria
President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday acknowledged worsening cases of sexual and gender-based violence in the country due to the lockdown measures introduced to check the spread of COVID-19. He said this in a goodwill message to commemorate the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women which kicks off today. Buhari stated that sexual and gender-based violence in all its forms had been recurrent especially considering the alarming statistics of violence against vulnerable persons recorded in Nigeria, particularly women and girls. Buhari, who said he was aware of the unfortunate situation from reports of incidents in the country, highlighted actions taken by the government to address the issue, according to a statement by his spokesman Garba Shehu. Sexual...
Governor Lalong: 2020 NAFEST confirms return of peace in Plateau
Plateau State governor, Simon Lalong Bako, has stated that the hosting of the 2020 Jos National Festival of Arts & Culture (NAFEST) is a confirmation that peace has been restored in the state as he also restated his conviction in the need for regulation of the social media. The governor spoke yesterday at the opening ceremony of the 2020 NAFEST titled “Post Covid-19 and Cultural Dynamism” taking place in Jos, Plateau State. The governor who extolling the abundant resources in the state said “Plateau State is home of peace and tourism. We remain a state that is endowed with the best weather condition comparable to none in Nigeria, which explains why Plateau remains the destination of choice for many who desire to partake in its potentials such as rich arable soil, breathtaking tourism d...
NAFEST: Nigeria will lead the world – Senator Okorocha
Sen. Rochas Okorocha, Chairman, Senate Committee on Culture and Tourism, has expressed greater hope that Nigeria will definitely lead the world with the vast culture and tourism potential. Okorocha said this at opening ceremony of the 33rd National Festival of Arts and Culture (NAFEST) held at Rwang Pam Township Stadium, Jos, Plateau on Monday. The theme of the event was “COVID-19 and Cultural Dynamism”. The lawmaker advised Nigerians generally to keep hope alive as the COVID-19 pandemic and the ENDSARS protests which had caused lots of havoc to the nation would be forgotten issues with time. He said Nigeria was only going through a phase that would lead to greatness as some other countries had experienced in the past. He noted that the two incidences had aggravated the nation’s problems o...
Coronavirus vaccine breakthrough raises hopes of rapid global rollout
A coronavirus vaccine developed by Britain’s University of Oxford and the pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca has shown successful results in early trials. If it is approved by regulators, the vaccine appears suitable for a fast rollout around the globe. Early analysis of trials involving 20,000 volunteers in Britain and Brazil show the vaccine is at least 62% effective after two doses. In volunteers given a different dosing regimen — a half dose, followed by a full dose — that figure rose to 90%. The average efficacy of the two dosing methods is 70%. None of those given the vaccine developed severe COVID-19 illness. Andrew Pollard, director of the Oxford Vaccine Group, said the recent successful trials of three different vaccines by Oxford-AstraZeneca, Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, represent a...
Speaker: Lagos Assembly to pass 2021 budget before December 31
The Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, says the 2021 Appropriation Bill currently before the house will be passed before Dec. 31. The post Speaker: Lagos Assembly to pass 2021 budget before December 31 appeared first on TODAY. You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be. It begins with giving you back power. Get to meet Beautiful people, chat and make money in the process. Earn rewards by chatting, sharing photos, blogging and help give users back their fair share of Internet revenue.
UN, EU urge media to intensify advocacy against gender violence
The joint EU-UN Spotlight Initiative, on Monday called on the media to intensify advocacy through reportage of violence against women and girls to end the menace in the country. The post UN, EU urge media to intensify advocacy against gender violence appeared first on TODAY. You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be. It begins with giving you back power. Get to meet Beautiful people, chat and make money in the process. Earn rewards by chatting, sharing photos, blogging and help give users back their fair share of Internet revenue.
