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Nigeria@63: Envoy urges nationals in U.S. to keep hope alive
The Consul General of Nigeria in New York, Amb. Lot Egopija, has urged Nigerians living in the U.S. to be hopeful about the future of the country and its leadership.
Egopija made the call in an interview with newsmen in New York as Nigerians at home and abroad commemorate the 63rd Independence Anniversary of the country.
The theme of the anniversary is “Nigeria@63, Renewed Hope for Unity and Prosperity.’’
“My message to Nigerians is, ‘we should be hopeful and we should hold on to our belief that we will all arrive at our destination’.
“As the president has admonished us, let us ensure that even as the government renews our hope through its policies, we will also do everything to follow and ensure that we attain our desired goals,’’ he said.
The envoy said hope is alive and hope is being renewed, according to the president’s “Renewed Hope Agenda”.
Egopija, however, urged diasporas to follow the polices of the government and also contribute their quota to the “Renewed Hope Agenda” of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
He told NAN that the Consulate General of Nigeria in New York had outlined some events to mark the anniversary, urging nationals within its jurisdiction to attend the events.
The events are Flag Raising, which will be held on Monday, Oct. 2, and Independence Anniversary Parade and Festival, which will be held on Saturday, Oct. 7.
The Consulate will hold the events in collaboration with the Nigeria Independence Day Committee (NIDC) and the Organisation for the Advancement of Nigerians (OAN).
“Judging from the mood of the nation, after the successful visit of Mr President to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), we will be having celebrations to commemorate our independence anniversary.
“It is significant because this year, for the first time, Nigeria’s flag will be hoisted at the Bowling Green Arena.
“This is possible because of Mayor Eric Adams’ friendly disposition to the Consular Corps. He has given the Consular Corps all the supports so we have indicated interest that we want our national flags to be raised at Bowling Arena,’’ he said.
Egopija recalled that flag raising events were done outside New York before now.
“If you recall before now, we do have our flag raising in other cities but not in New York. Nigeria’s flag will be hoisted at Bowling Green, incidentally, it is the site where the American National Flag was first hoisted.
”So, we are doing everything to ensure that Nigerians will participate, we have invited a couple of Nigerians who have excelled in their various positions.
“We’ve also invited Nigerian diaspora organisations within New York jurisdiction to come and witness the event. The mayor himself will be there as a special guest and together, we will we hoist the Nigeria flag.’’
In addition, Egopija said the Consulate would host a dinner on Monday, Oct. 2, in collaboration with OAN after the flag raising event.
“Unfortunately, we had earlier invited MohBad, who recently passed on, to perform as the special artist at the festival; having lost him, we will honour him with the event.
“Also, many cultural groups will perform; Nigerians and Nigerian associations in America who want to showcase their culture and promote tourism in their respective ethnic groups are welcomed.
“Mayor Eric Adams has also agreed to participate with us to ensure the success of the festival and the parade.
“The parade will start at 2nd avenue and East 54th street and will proceed to East 44th and ends at Dag Hammarskjold Park where the festival will be held,” he said.
The envoy, however, urged every Nigerian to come for the celebrations, saying, “it is only in our celebration of Nigeria that we can come together and it is in togetherness that we can overcome our challenges.’’
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MOSOP issues 7-Day ultimatum to FG over abandoned East-West Road project
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Abiodun orders manhunt for perpetrators of Sunday’s kidnapping on Sagamu-Ijebu Ode expressway
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Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun has ordered security agents to launch a massive manhunt for perpetrators of Sunday’s kidnapping along the Sagamu-Ijebu Ode Expressway.
Many people were reportedly kidnapped around the Area Command and Ilishan City Gate on the ever busy road by gunmen who ambushed them at about 9 pm.
Security sources said the kidnapping was an insider’s job as all the victims were foreign nationals who arrived the country the same day the incident occurred, adding that they were probably trailed to the location where the kidnapping took place.
Prince Abiodun, in a statement on Tuesday, said Ogun State will not be allowed to become a den for kidnappers, even as he promised that the perpetrators would be smoked out and punished.
The governor said all the security agencies, including the police, army, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corp (NSCDC), Amotekun, So Safe Corps and local hunters are on the trail of the kidnappers with arrays of security gadgets, including drones.
He assured the people that their security is guaranteed as the present administration has committed so much to secure the state.
“Following Sunday’s kidnapping incident that occurred in Ilishan, we want to reassure all residents that decisive action is being taken to apprehend the perpetrators and ensure the safe return of the victims.
“The security forces have launched a comprehensive manhunt and are working tirelessly to track down the kidnappers. Additional security measures and patrols have also been deployed to the affected area and across the state to prevent any further incidents.
“We understand the concerns and anxiety this incident has caused, but we want to emphasize that Ogun State remains a safe place to live, work, and visit. The government is committed to maintaining law and order and will not relent in its efforts to protect the lives and property of all citizens,” Prince Abiodun said.
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With Alebiosu, FirstBank transitions to growth consolidation era
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FirstBank’s 130 years of gripping history is a corporate handbook in many ways. Its fortunes are as great a lesson as its challenges. Its leadership and choice of leaders are fascinating chapters of the book it has become, validating the notion that each era in human history is shaped by the king of the moment. This is true across the corporate environment but uniquely applicable to Nigeria’s premier bank.
For its diffused ownership structure, its leadership is particularly dynamic, adding a great deal of variety to the journey. The confirmation of Olusegun Alebiosu as the new Chief Executive officer of the bank is seen as a consolidation of the rich culture of the bank. At a peculiar juncture in its 130 years of incorporation, the market has seen a new FirstBank that is ready to compete with the new entrants to recover the market it was holding in its grip as a monopolist.
The bank is consolidating on its adoption of the new ‘click’ banking through which it has invested heavily in digital infrastructure. The success Alebiosu helped to create at the corporate performance of Q1, the quarter heralding Alebiosu was particularly fascinating across top and bottom-line indicators. First, the bank’s total assets leaped by 28 per cent year-on-year to N20.7 trillion, while gross earnings rose by 178 per cent to N682.5 billion on the back of strong growth in the credit portfolio (which was 33 per cent up from December 2023). Non-interest income, which reflected the robust transactional platforms, doubled year-on-year to N224.6 billion compared with N110 billion it earned in Q1 of 2023.
The Chief Executive Officer also rode on powerful bottom-line indicators with profit before tax seeing exponential growth of almost 300 per cent to N209.8 billion and profit after tax growing in the same margin to N188.5 billion. These are not isolated figures but a reflection of a decade of robust performance of the banking group that feeds into the holding company that has become the toast of the investing public in recent years.
For one, FirstMobile, its digital banking application emerged as a household name in the financial technology ecosystem. In 2015, when the platform was still in its infancy stage, its user base was about 60,000, a figure that has soared to over six million as of last year. That has contributed immensely to changing the market’s perception of the institution as a traditional bank to an innovative digital bank.
Today, over 85 per cent of its transactions are initiated via digital platforms, according to insights provided by the bank. That suggests that while it consolidates on its hedge as a saver’s bank, it has also emerged as a transaction-driven bank. FirstMobile appears to have hit the bull’s eye in the bank’s reinvention drive and efforts to appeal to younger demographics. However, the platform is only one of the many telecommunications-driven initiatives the bank has innovated to get young depositors on board. FirstOnline has also grown in leaps in terms of users – from about 90,000 to over one million in less than a decade.
USSD banking, under the watch of the immediate past handler, is even more successful with users increasing by close to 3,000 per cent in the last eight years, to about 15 million. What USSD banking, which targets feature phone users and rural communities where internet penetration is still very low, has done for the bank is giving a slice of it to the original owners – rural dwellers and non-Internet natives who had never known any other bank than FirstBank.
The success of Firstmonie Agent Banking also validates its agelong popularity in rural areas. Last year alone, its Firstmonie Agent Banking services processed over ₦1.1 trillion in transactions, more than double the amount handled by seven other big banks. Its strategic investments in technology include the development of its interactive transaction banking platform known as FirstDirect2.0 and the introduction of the humanoid robot to the banking ecosystem in the country.
The smart banking initiatives have been complemented by its Digital Xperience Centres (DXC), which are currently located in Lagos, Ibadan, and Abuja with plans to open more across the country. Overall, its digital banking has evolved in both volume and public perception even with artificial intelligence-driven commercials complementing its digital imprints. Ease, convenience and reliability created in recent years have moved the customer base from 0.6 million in 2015 to well over 42 million customer accounts as of 2023. This number, according to the immediate past Chief Executive Officer, Adesola Adeduntan, would double in no distant future as the organisation migrates more aggressively to transaction-led banking.
Last year, its holding company earned N171.8 billion in income from fees and commissions, a 46 per cent year-on-year growth, demonstrating its success as a transaction-led bank. Its fee and commission income growth were not an exception but drew from impressive performances across the board. Its operating profit also jumped by 129 per cent, much higher than the industry average, to N361.8 per cent, leading to an earnings per share of N8.56k.
The total assets also saw a 60 per cent growth to N16.3 trillion. The total assets, like other metrics, had seen over 300 per cent expansion from 2015 when it was N4.2 trillion. FirstBank also experienced aggressive growth in its customer base in the past nine years. The figure has grown from 10.9 million to over 42 million customers, leading to the aggressive growth of fee and commission income of the bank.
Culled from Guardian