The management of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, UNN, has suspended Mr Mfonobong David Udoudom, a lecturer in the General Studies division, who was caught in a video allegedly harassing a female student.

The lecturer was caught pants down on Monday while allegedly trying to have a sexual affair with a female student in exchange for grade.

In a statement made available to DAILY POST on Tuesday, signed by Okwun Omeaku, Acting Public Relations Officer of the UNN, he said the university has zero tolerance for sexual misconduct.

“For the records, the University of Nigeria has a zero tolerance for sexual misconducts involving our staff and students.

“UNN is among the few universities in the country that has a Sexual Harassment Policy, which guides the relationship between our staff and students in particular and among our male and female staff.

“As a university, we are committed to protecting our students from any form of abuse and exploitation, and the University Management will not hesitate to punish Mr Mfonobong David Udoudom, according to our rules if he is found guilty by our disciplinary panel.”

The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) has bagged six awards at the recently concluded 2024 Bonds, Loans and ESG Capital Markets Africa Awards in South Africa.

This is contained in a statement signed by Vincent Musumba, Manager, Communications and Events, Afeximbank, in Abuja on Tuesday.

Musumba said the awards were presented on the sidelines of the Bonds, Loans and ESG Capital Markets Africa Conference.

He said the awards recognised Afreximbank’s outstanding achievements in financing, promoting, and facilitating trade and for its broadening work to facilitate sustainable economic growth and development in Africa.

Musumba said Afreximbank was recognised with ‘Financial Institutions Bond Deal of the Year’ for acting as Joint Lead Manager on the debut 300 million dollar senior Eurobond issuance by Mauritius Commercial Bank (MCB), in April 2023.

“This marked the first Investment Grade-rated commercial bank senior bond out of Africa as well as the first international Eurobond out of Mauritius.”

He said Afreximbank also won the ‘Infrastructure Finance Deal of the Year’ award for its 1.76 billion dollar loan to the Government of Tanzania, issued on June 30, 2023.

Musumba said the award for the Export Credit Agency, Development Finance Institution, and International Finance Institution Deal of the Year was presented to the bank for its 640 million dollar Samurai loan issued in July 2023.

“The Renewable Energy Finance Deal of the Year award went to the Bank for its 147 million euro loan to the Government of Cameroon which was issued on October 7, 2023.”

“For the Oil and Gas Deal of the Year award, the organisers recognised Afreximbank for its 1.3-billion dollar loan to Sonangol Finance Limited, issued in August 2023.”

He said the final award to the bank was for being the Financial Institution Debt House of the Year.

Musumba said Chandi Mwenebungu, Director and Group Treasurer, Afreximbank, reacting to the awards, was quoted as saying “these awards represent a recognition of our bank’s strategic work in Africa’s financial markets.

“They also present an opportunity for Afreximbank to recognise and celebrate the outstanding achievements of its clients and partners working to advance the economic development of Africa.”

Mwenebungu said that the bank had been playing a leading debt-arranging role across Africa’s main industry sectors.

The director said Afreximbank had been instrumental in promoting the inclusion of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) standards in financing structures, thereby furthering their application on the continent and attracting capital.

Musumba said the Bonds, Loans and ESG Capital Markets Africa Conference is the only Pan-African debt event bringing together local and international bonds issuers, investors and financial institutions, and financial services providers from across the continent.

“The conference is recognised as the number one business meetings facilitator for Africa’s capital markets and is Africa’s largest corporate and investment banking event.”

He said no fewer than 1,060 senior borrowers, issuers, regulators, bankers, investors, advisors, and government officials from 383 companies and 46 countries participated.

BY RAYMOND OZOJI, Awka

Chairman of the Anambra State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Dr. Odogwu Emeka Odogwu, has described the governor of the state, Charles Chukwuma Soludo as an enemy of journalists in the state.

Odogwu who made the statement while taking questions from select journalists on the state of the state in Awka, remonstrated that Governor Soludo has not extended a hand of friendship to members of the 4th Estate since he became governor.

He said Soludo hates journalists with passion and has demonstrated that animosity with the destruction and scrapping of the State-owned newspaper called National Light Newspaper, rendering their workers jobless and useless.

According to Odogwu, the governor is not perturbed about the plight of journalists and that his body language has shown that anything concerning journalists irritates him, adding that in states like Delta, Edo, Kano, Jos and some others, journalists are treated with respect and due recognition.

He said while other state governments see welfare of journalists as top priority, Anambra State Government, according to him, treat journalists’ welfare with levity and complacency.

He said Soludo has not been of any help to journalists in the state and that his press corps team are not spared of the unfair treatments. Odogwu maintained that the governor prefers to deal with his makeshift Soludo TV but oblivious of the fact that mainstream media can not be suppressed or silenced.

And that in other states of the federation, NUJ enjoyed subventions and the unions have their secretariats built and secured by the government.

Another salient issue he raised was that in other states, journalists are appointed into positions of authority and the Council assisted greatly but the reverse is the case in Anambra state.

Odogwu said even when the Council applied for training of her members, government threw the application inside the gutter.

Responding to Odogwu’s claims, Press Secretary to Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo, Mr. Christian Aburime said it was not true that Soludo is an enemy of journalists in Anambra State.

Aburime argued that how can a governor who doled out rice palliatives to journalists last Christmas be described as an enemy ? He said Soludo was just two years old in office and transforming the state with a rapid developmental pace in all ramifications.

Aburime noted that the governor is taking it one step at a time as seen in his declaration of free education, free antenatal and child delivery services in all government hospitals, construction of over 400 kilometers of roads, winning the war against Insecurity, urban regeneration, etc.

He mentioned the employment of 5000 teachers, empowerment of 5000 youths of One Youth Two Skills with grants, employment of doctors and nurses to enable Anambra hospitals function again, to mention just a few of Governor Soludo’s milestone achievements in just two years.

The governor’s Press Secretary however advised the leadership of the NUJ in Anambra to be patient as Soludo will respond to their needs in due course.

He said that Odogwu’s claims that Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo is an enemy of journalists and insensitive to their needs is cheap blackmail intended to create undue emotions as well as rubbish the giant developmental strides of the governor within a short period of time.