WordPress

Blog

  • Moniepoint relaunches banking referral programme

    Banking
    By Funmilola Gboteku
    Lagos, June 6, 2024 (NAN) Moniepoint MFB, an African financial institution, says it has relaunched its personal banking referral programme to enrich its customers.
    Mr Babatunde Olofin, the Managing Director of Moniepoint MFB, said this in a statement on Thursday in Lagos.
    Olofin said the referral programme was designed to reward users every time their friends or family performed  a transaction on Moniepoint after signing up with referral link.
    He said that through this, millions of people would earn well over N100,000 from referrals alone.
    According to him, Moniepoint’s technology has powered over three million businesses across Nigeria.
    Olofin said that with its reliable infrastructure in the hands of personal users, it now enabled seamless payments for many across the country.
    The managing director said the referral programme would provide extra income for many of its users.
    “The customer-centric referral programme supports the bank’s focus on driving financial inclusion while helping to accelerate its vision of creating a society where everyone experiences financial happiness.
    “We know how important seamless financial transactions are and we have seen first-hand the power of peer to peer recommendations and how word-of-mouth referrals can grow a customer base and increase revenue.
    “With our strong customer obsession and the strings of commendations, we want to provide our customers with rewards even as they continue to share these positive experiences with the Moniepoint brand,” Olofin said.
    He noted that each current and new personal account holder had been provided with a unique referral code which was identical to their account username and was visible in the referral section on the personal banking app.
    Olofin said the link could be shared with anyone, who, upon signing up and transacting with the Moniepoint Personal Banking app, would contribute to rewards for the referrer.
    He added that for every outward interbank transaction conducted by referred customers in the next 12 months, participants would receive a commission.
    He explained that the transparent and straightforward incentive structure ensured that participants reap tangible benefits for actively promoting the Moniepoint Personal Banking app. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
    FOG/CHOM/JNC
    ==============
    Edited by Chioma Ugboma/Chinyere Joel-Nwokeoma

  • Court remands man, 30, over alleged kidnapping

    Man, 30, remanded over alleged kidnapping

    Kidnapping

    By Chidinma Ewunonu-Aluko

    Ibadan, June 6, 2024(NAN) An Iyaganku Magistrates’ Court, Ibadan, on Thursday ordered the remand of a 30-year-old Sanda Umaru, in a correctional facility in Oyo, over  alleged kidnapping.

    Umaru, whose address was not provided, is being tried for alleged kidnapping.

    The Magistrate, Mr Maruff Mudashiru did not take the plea of the defendant for want of jurisdiction.

    He, however, directed the police to return the case file to the Director of Public Prosecution for legal advice and adjourned the case until Aug. 29, for mention.

    Earlier, the Prosecutor, Insp Femi Oluwadare told the court that the defendant allegedly committed the offence on May 10, at about 12.30 p.m, at Idi-Ayunre Ibadan express way.

    Oluwadare alleged that the defendant unlawfully kidnapped the duo of Emiola Akindele and Kehinde Akinoso from their farms.

    He alleged that the defendant allegedly collected N10 million in ransome from Olawale Hammed for the release of his victims.

    The prosecutor  said the offences contravened Section 4(2) of the Oyo State Kidnapping prohibition law, 2016. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

    CC/KOO/JPE

    =========

    Edited by Kevin Okunzuwa/Joseph Edeh

     

  • German rail services resuming after flooding in Bavaria

    German rail services resuming after flooding in Bavaria

    Resumption

    Munich, June 6, 2024 (dpa/NAN) Long-distance railay services are operating again in much of southern Germany following the recent flooding, according to the latest service updates.

    By Thursday, flood-related restrictions had been lifted on the Ulm-Augsburg-Munich route in Bavaria, while a previously restricted route between Augsburg and the town of Donauwörth no longer listed any disruptions or closures.

    However, the Eurocity Express connection from Munich to the Swiss city of Zurich remained closed, as did the Intercity Express route between the cities of Nuremberg and Würzburg.

    The detour is expected to add around 25 minutes to the journey.

    Delays and cancellations due to route closures continued to hamper regional rail traffic in Bavaria on Thursday. (dpa/NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

    COO/IKU
    ======

    Edited by Cecilia Odey/Tayo Ikujuni

     

  • Why we invested in Deafening Silence film in Nigeria –  EU, UNDP

    Premiere
    By Chioma Ugboma
    Lagos, June 6, 2024 (NAN) The European Union (EU) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) said they invested in the film – “Deafening  Silence”, because Sexual and Gender -Based Violence (SGBV) was under- reported in Nigeria.
    The EU and UNDP also said  they wanted to leverage  the power of arts to combat SGBV in Nigeria.
    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Deafening Silence, a film  directed by Biodun Stephen,  premiered in Lagos on Wednesday night.
    Deafening Silence, produced by the UNDP within the framework of the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative,  aligns  strongly with Nigeria’s gender priorities as well as the EU’s and  UN’s Gender Action Plans.
    The film leveraged the power of storytelling to explore themes of Gender Equality, Women’s Empowerment, and SGBV in Nigeria.
    Speaking at the premiere of ‘Deafening Silence’, a feature film on the theme of SGBV,
    EU Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Samuela Isopi said that SGBV was under reported in Nigeria.
    Isopi, who was represented by Ruben Alba Aguilera, Head of the Governance, Gender Human Rights and Migration Section at the EU Delegation,  said they considered the potency of art as a driver of social transformation in investing in the flick.
    “SGBV is not only a Nigerian problem but a global issue requiring collective efforts and approach to solve it. It is not optimally reported in Nigeria.”
    With one in every three women globally having  experienced physical, sexual or any other form of violence in their lifetime,
    the EU ambassador stressed the need for continued advocacy on the  menace.
    This, she said, was  to inspire action to combat it and promote gender equality and women and girls’ empowerment.
    “Through initiatives like Deafening Silence, we aim to spark meaningful conversations and inspire tangible action toward gender equality.”
    According to Isopi, the  movie will  contribute to broader interventions around gender-based violence, connecting with rights holders and bearers, and opening up otherwise complex and difficult perspectives.
    “We hope that the movie will contribute to moving the needle on these susceptible topics, and trust that it will galvanise action and be a natural or intuitive way of further engaging with this discourse,” she said.
    Reaffirming the EU’s commitment to combatting SGBV, Isopi said the power of storytelling showcased in Deafening Silence would amplify the voices of survivors and advocates, and drive momentum for change.
    “The power of art lies in its ability to evoke empathy and provoke introspection.
    “It provides a platform for marginalised voices to be heard and validated.”
    NAN reports that the movie,  produced by Emem Isong Misodi, starred popular Nollywood actors including Toni Tones, Kate Henshaw, Femi Jacobs, Daniel Etim Effiong, Chidi Mokeme, Bimbo Akintola, Debby Felix and Ekamma Etim-Inyang.
    The movie premiere was attended by  Desmond Elliot, a Lagos State Assembly Lawmaker and Actor; Mr Steve Ayorinde, a   former Commissioner for Information in Lagos state; Ghanaian Actor, Majid Michel; BB Naija winner and influencer, Uti Nwachukwu among other top  actors and actresses.
    Deafening Silence will be in cinemas across the country from June 7.(NAN)
    CHOM/VIV
    =======
    Edited by Vivian Ihechu

     

  • Aid centre receives 121 disputes, abuse complaints in Kano

    Complaints

    By Bosede Olufunmi

    Kano, June 6, 2024 (NAN) A Kano-Based NGO, Centre for Legal Orientation and Humanitarian Aid Initiative (CELOHA), says it received 121 complaints bothering on community disputes and human rights abuses in the state between January and May.

    CELOHA’s Case Managing Officer, Alhaji Auwal Yunusa, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Kano.

    Yunusa said that out of the total number of cases, the centre had already treated 110 while 11 were pending.

    He further stated that 20 of the cases bothered on community disputes, 43 were about gender based violence while 22 of them centred on human trafficking.

    “About 11 of the cases bothered on human rights violations, 15 on migration related issues, while 10 were on responsibility,” he said.

    The CELOHA official said that the centre remained committed to upholding human rights and promoting access to justice.

    “We provide legal assistance and support to individuals affected by human rights violations, we refer very complicated cases to the police and other agencies,” he said.

    Yunusa urged members of the public to always exude tolerance and patience in the interest of cordiality and peaceful coexistence.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

    BO/DCO/AZU

    ==========

    Edited by Deborah Coker and Azubuike Okeh

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Ukraine damages Russian oil refinery in Rostov with drone attack

    Ukraine damages Russian oil refinery in Rostov with drone attack
    Attack
    Moscow, June 6, 2024 (dpa/NAN) A Ukrainian drone attack has damaged a refinery in southern Russia, the governor of the Russian region of Rostov, Vasily Golubiev, said on Thursday.
    He said no one was injured, although the attack on the plant in the city of Novoshakhtinsk caused a fire that spread over 50 square metres.
    However, the fire looked larger in videos that were shared in social networks during the night.
    Russian Telegram channels reported that local residents had noticed the use of air defence and heard explosions.
    The Novoshakhtinsk refinery, located close to the Ukrainian border, was previously under aerial attack in April.
    Ukraine has been attacking Russian fuel production sites for several months, in an attempt to interrupt Moscow’s supplies by using drones capable of travelling longer distances, carrying small explosive charges.
    Russia said Ukraine also attacked a fuel depot in the Belgorod region during the night.
    Meanwhile, Ukraine’s military also reported Russian attacks during the night using 18 combat drones and two Iskander missiles.
    Kiev said 17 drones had been shot down.
    Russia aimed the two Iskander-M ballistic missiles at the southern Ukrainian region of Dnipropetrovsk, Kiev said, without providing any information about damage caused.
    Ukraine has been fending off a full-scale Russian invasion for more than 27 months.
    Russia occupies almost a fifth of Ukraine’s territory, including the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, which it illegally annexed in 2014. (dpa/NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
    UMD/IKU
    ===
    Edited by Ummul Idris/Tayo Ikujuni

  •  Bauchi community seeks stiff punishment for loggers

     Environment 

    By Amina Ahmed

    Azare (Bauchi), June 6, 2024 (NAN) The Azare community in Katagum Local Government Area of Bauchi State has advocated stiff penalties to stem indiscriminate felling of trees in the state.

    Alhaji Shehu Mu’azu, the Ward Head of Nasara ‘A’ community, stated this during a tree planting campaign on Wednesday in Azare.

    The tree planting campaign was part of activities to mark the 2024 World Environment Day organised by the Bauchi State Rural Water and Sanitation Agency in collaboration with the United Nations’ Children Fund (UNICEF).

    Mu’azu said proactive measures were imperative to ensure effective enforcement of environmental laws, and to prosecute offenders to check indiscriminate felling of trees in the state.

    The community leader, who decried the alarming rate of tee felling, said the measure would pritect forest resources and enhance environmental sustainability.

    “Strict measures are necessary to check the menace of tree felling in the state, it will also encourage reforestation, conserve the environment and mitigate climate change,” he said.

    Mr Garba Adamu, the Ward Head, Nasara ‘B’, lauded the tree planting in the school, adding that it would protect it against windstorm and land degradation. 

    “The selection of the school for the tree planting is strategic because some spart of the tructure building had been destroyed by windstorm,” he said.

    He said the community would support the school to ensure monitoring of the plants to maturity.

    Also speaking, Bala Zailani, the Assistant General Manager, Sanitation of the RUWASA, said the agency would partner relevant organisations to promote tree planting campaign in the state.

    He said the campaign would check tree felling and encourage best tree planting practices in the society. 

    On his part, Mr Salish Ali, the Sanitation Officer in charge of Katagum LGA, said the council has mobilised communities to plant trees, especially at the onset of the raining season. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

    AE/RSA

    =======

    Edited by Rabiu Sani-Ali

  • Scholz vows to protect Germans after Ukraine weapons u-turn

    Protection

    Berlin, June 6, 2024 (dpa/NAN) German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has promised the citizens that he would do everything in his power to ensure that Germany is not drawn into Russia’s war on Ukraine.

    Scholz said in his address to the parliament on Thursday.

    His comments came days after he authorised Kiev to deploy German weapons on Russian territory, a decision long resisted by Berlin over fears it could draw Germany into the war.

    “We have closely coordinated our response with our allies. Just as we always do’’, Scholz told lawmakers in the Bundestag, or lower house of parliament, following his government’s change of course.

    After long-held concerns about escalating the conflict with Russia and drawing Germany into the war, Scholz altered his policy on Ukraine last week to allow the government in Kiev.

    It is for the government to use German weapons to attack military targets on Russian territory, in particular to defend its second city of Kharkiv, near the Russian border.

    Several other countries, including the U.S., have recently made similar moves to give Ukraine more room for manoeuvre in its use of Western-supplied weapons.

    It is after the previously specifying that they should only be used against targets within Ukraine itself.

    In Germany, the opposition subsequently called on Scholz to explain the sudden reversal.

    In the Bundestag, Scholz said that Russia had opened a new front against Kharkiv, home to millions and close to the Russian border.

    Together with its partners, Germany had reaffirmed Ukraine’s right under international law to defend itself against attacks on its territory, cities and citizens, he said.

    That is why “Ukraine can also use the weapons supplied by us and our allies always in accordance with international legal obligations,’’ he said.

    As chancellor, Scholz said he is responsible for ensuring “that no child born in Germany today will ever have to experience war in our country. That is my absolute priority.’’

    He said he wanted to reassure citizens who are fearful that the war could escalate and jeopardise German security and peace.

    “There is nothing naive or disreputable in worrying about peace, as is sometimes portrayed,’’ he added, referring to fierce debates over how much Berlin should support Ukraine.

    Earlier, on Thursday, Scholz added that it was right for Germany to consult closely with its partners and allies “again and again and again’’ before making such far-reaching decisions.

    He promised Germans that they could rely on the fact that “we will act prudently. That we carefully weigh up all the risks.’’

    He underlined, “I stand by this as chancellor, committed to peace and Germany’s security.’’

    Before Scholz’s address, left-wing politician Christian Görke said he would have preferred Scholz’s statement to come last week, “instead of announcing lonely decisions to expand the war in Ukraine.’’

    The chancellor also addressed the recent knife attack carried out by an Afghan national during an anti-Islam gathering in Mannheim.

    It killed a policeman and has sparked a debate about security and the threat of extremist violence.

    Meanwhile, calls have since been growing for the government to again allow deportations to Afghanistan and Syria, a move that Scholz told the Bundestag he supported. (dpa/NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

    COO/HS
    ======

    Edited by Cecilia Odey/Halima Sheji

     

  • Leaked documents on fiscal policy proposals not official – FG

    Leaked documents on fiscal policy proposals not official – FG

    Documents

    By Salif Atojoko

    Abuja, June 6, 2024 (NAN) The Presidency said that two fiscal policy documents in circulation being given wide coverage by the mainstream media and social media platforms were not official.

    Mr Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, said this in a statement in Abuja on Thursday.

    He said one of the documents titled: “Inflation Reduction and Price Stability (Fiscal Policy Measure etc) Order 2024” was being shared as if it was an executive order signed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

    According to him, the second one is a 65-page draft document with the title, “Accelerated Stabilisation and Advancement Plan (ASAP), which contains suggestions on how to improve the Nigerian economy.”

    He explained that a copy of the draft was received by President Tinubu on Tuesday.

    “We urge the public and the media to disregard the two documents and cease further discussions on them. None is an approved official document of the Federal Government of Nigeria.

    “They are all policy proposals that are still subject to reviews at the highest level of government. Indeed, one has ‘draft’ clearly written on it,” said Onanuga.

    Quoting the Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Wale Edun, he said, “It is important to understand that policymaking is an iterative process involving multiple drafts and discussions before any document is finalised.

    “We assure the public that the official position on the documents will be made available after comprehensive reviews and approvals are completed.”

    According to Edun, emanating from the two documents have been reports second-guessing government’s policy on customs tariffs, fuel subsidy and other economic matters.

    “The government wants to restate that its position on fuel subsidy has not changed from what President Bola Ahmed Tinubu declared on 29 May 2023.

    “The fuel subsidy regime has ended. There is no N5.4 trillion being provisioned for it in 2024, as being widely speculated and discussed,” Edun stated.

    The Coordinating Minister of the Economy further clarified: “As previously stated by government officials, including myself, President Tinubu announced the end of the fuel subsidy programme last year, and this policy remains firmly in place.

    “The Federal Government is committed to mitigating the effects of this removal and easing the cost of living pressures on Nigerians.

    “Our strategy focuses on addressing key factors such as food inflation, which is significantly impacted by transport costs.

    “With the implementation of our CNG initiative, which aims to displace high PMS and AGO costs, we expect to further reduce these costs.

    “Our commitment to ending unproductive subsidies is steadfast, as is our dedication to supporting our most vulnerable populations.”

    He urged the media to always exercise necessary checks and restraints in the use of documents that did not emanate from official channels so that the members of the public would be properly informed, guided and educated on government policies and programmes. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

    SA/VIV

    ====

    Editing by Vivian Ihechu

  • Man, 28, docked for allegedly stealing cocoa, maize worth N492,000

    Stealing

    By Chidinma Ewunonu-Aluko.

    Ibadan, June 6, 2024 (NAN) A 28-year old man, Toheeb Alabi, was on Thursday, arraigned before an Ona-Ara Magistrates’ Court, Ibadan, for allegedly stealing cocoa and maize worth N492,000.

    Alabi, whose address was not provided, is facing a two-count charge of forceful entering and stealing.

    The Prosecutor, Insp Folarunmi Adeshina told the court that the defendant committed the offence at about 11.00a.m on May 6, at Akanran Road, Ibadan.

    Adeshina said that Alabi trespassed into the complainant, Jubril Ojo’s farm and stole some quantity of cocoa and maize.

    He said the offence contravened Sections 81 and 390(9) of the Criminal Laws of Oyo State, 2000.

    The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.

    The Magistrate, Mr Ayorinde Ayo-Alagbe, granted the defendant bail in the sum of N200, 000 with two reliable sureties in like sum.

    He adjourned the case until June 27 for hearing. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

    CC/KOO/AZU

    ==========

    Edited by Kevin Okunzuwa and Azubuike Okeh