News
OYEBANJI EXPRESSES DELIGHT IN EKITI’S GIANT STRIDES IN ANNIVERSARY BROADCAST
OYEBANJI EXPRESSES DELIGHT IN EKITI’S GIANT STRIDES IN ANNIVERSARY BROADCAST
…Hails President Tinubu’s Unflinching Support
MUBARAK LUKMON EKITI
SPONSORED BY: H&H
Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Biodun Oyebanji, has expressed satisfaction with giant strides made by the State since it was created as a political entity exactly 28 years ago.
The Governor noted that the creation of the State on 1st October, 1996 has accelerated the development of Ekiti land which has culminated into the state becoming a trail blazer in every aspect of human development under his watch as the chief executive in the last two years.
Addressing the people of the State in a broadcast to mark the 28th anniversary of the creation of Ekiti State and the 64th anniversary of the nation’s Independence, Governor Oyebanji also hailed President Bola Tinubu for his unflinching support for Ekiti development since coming to power on 29th May, 2023.
Governor Oyebanji said Ekiti is “grateful for President Tinubu’s numerous interventions and approval of critical federal infrastructure in the State and his support especially in tackling security challenges that confronted us early in the year.” He noted that the presidential intervention has provided Ekiti with the right atmosphere for its growth as a State.
He used the opportunity of the broadcast to eulogize the former Military Administrators and former elected Governors who had held office before him for their contribution to the growth and development of the State on which his administration is presently building.
The Governor paid respect to the Founding Fathers especially Royal Fathers who championed the struggles for the creation of Ekiti State through the Committee for the creation of Ekiti State under the chairmanship of Chief Deji Fasuan. He also appreciated Aare Afe Babalola for his contribution towards the actualization of the Ekiti Project.
While paying tributes to traditional rulers and other Ekiti patriots for their roles in the struggle for the creation of the State, Governor Oyebanji also hailed the Ekiti State National Assembly Caucus under the leadership of Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, the Ekiti State use of Assembly, the State Executive Council and other political office holders for adding value to governance.
Making reference to empirical evidence of social and economic growth being witnessed in the Land of Honour, Governor Oyebanji stated that Ekiti is building a robust profile on all indexes of development attested to by recent figures released by Nigeria Bureau of Statistics (NBS) which was realized through the robust implementation of his administration’s six-pillar development agenda.
He said: “There is no doubt the creation of Ekiti State has accelerated the development of Ekitiland. Today, we are more than happy to affirm that Ekiti is now a trailblazer in every aspect of human development index, with those who started before us, now struggling to catch up with us in critical development indices.
“For instance, in the recent data on education by the National Bureau of Statistics, Ekiti was adjudged the second most literate State after Lagos in the South West and one of the most literate in Nigeria. Similarly, the same Bureau also reported that Ekiti has the least out-of-school children in the South West.
“We are very proud to say Ekiti is a front-liner in education, life expectancy, access to quality healthcare services, physical infrastructure development, access to water, peaceful co-existence, ease-of-doing business, gender equality, social inclusion among others. Gradually and assuredly, Ekiti is building a formidable profile of a progressive and development-oriented State that is poised for prosperity for all.
While acknowledging some challenges being faced in the governance of the State, including macroeconomic, security and infrastructural challenges and low industrial presence, the Governor said the six-pillar agenda of his administration was carefully crafted and is already yielding fruits across all sectors.
He added: “To respond to this, we came up with the Six Pillars of Administration with the primary objective of ensuring a shared prosperity for all. It is gratifying to note that our efforts are already yielding fruits across all sectors. We are not only meeting targets, we have surpassed targets in many instances.
“We believe in inclusive growth and sustainable development without leaving anyone behind. As it can be seen in our efforts so far, our Government is very focused and strategic in our development drive. We want to ensure every policy and programme of Government is connected to the chains of Ekiti Development Master Plan and the Six Pillars of Administration to deliver the shared prosperity promise.
“We are also deliberate in our plan that every Government spending must lead to job creation, inclusive growth and sustainable development. In the last two years since we came on board, we are glad to report that we have made some giant strides in different aspects of administration in accordance with our social contract with Ekiti people.
“Law and order is the primary responsibility of every government, Accordingly, we have made security of life and property our topmost priority. As a State, we have, like many other parts of the country, had to contend with occasional opportunistic attacks of ‘hit-and-run” kidnappers, I am glad that we have been able to bring them to book while we continue to do our best to prevent future recurrence.
“Similarly, we have been able to end the frightful incidence of street hoodlums who troubled the city of Ado-Ekiti in recent months. We have arrested them and they are currently facing trial. I therefore want to assure you that we will continue to do our best to protect you while we also appeal to you to help the Government by providing helpful information that can assist the security agencies to prevent and fight crimes in our dear State.”
The Governor assured the people of the State of his commitment to the social contract he has with them stressing that the people’s welfare and wellbeing remain the sole pursuit of his administration expressing gratitude to their trust in his leadership.
News
Access Bank Appoints Uche Orji as Independent Non-Executive Director
Access Bank Appoints Uche Orji as Independent Non-Executive Director
AJAGBE ADEYEMI TESLIM
SPONSORED BY: H&H
Access Holdings Plc (‘the Company’) is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Uche Orji as an Independent Non-Executive Director of its flagship subsidiary, Access Bank Plc (‘the Bank’), effective from January 7, 2025, following the approval of the Central Bank of Nigeria (‘CBN’).
This appointment reflects our commitment to enhancing our governance practices and ensuring a diverse and experienced board.
Mr. Orji is a renowned investment banking professional, information technology entrepreneur, and finance expert with three (3) decades of professional and board experience. He is the Co-founder and Partner of Titangate Capital Management, an equity firm that invests in deep-tech, enterprise software, semi-conductors, hardware, and artificial intelligence companies.
He is the Founder and Director of Vitesse Africa Limited, an investment advisory firm focused on African energy, technology and infrastructure sectors. He serves as an Executive Board member and investor in Ultrasafe AI, an artificial intelligence/IT development firm that maintains strategic collaborations with leading technology companies. He also sits on the Board of Private Infrastructure Development Group, London, and chairs the Risk Committee.
Previously, Mr. Orji served as the founding Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority. He held positions as Managing Director and Senior Analyst at UBS Securities Limited New York and Managing Director and Head of European Technology/Semiconductor Equity Research at JP Morgan Securities, London. He also served as Executive Director/Portfolio Manager at Goldman Sachs Asset Management, London. Earlier in his career, he was Acting Financial Controller at Diamond Bank Limited and an Audit Trainee at Arthur Andersen & Co.
He holds a Bachelor of Engineering Degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Port-Harcourt and a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School.
Commenting on the appointment, Mr. Paul Usoro, SAN, the Chairman of the Bank said:
“Mr. Orji has been appointed based on his exceptionally rich professional, academic, and corporate board experience which will be invaluable to the Bank as we continue to pursue our strategic objectives.
We are confident that his addition to the Board would further enrich the quality of our decision-making process, enabling us to deliver even greater value to our customers and stakeholders.
His appointment has been made in accordance with the Bank’s internal policies and has been notified to all relevant regulatory authorities underscoring our commitment to upholding the highest standards of corporate governance.
On behalf of the Board, Management and staff, I warmly welcome Mr. Orji to the Board and look forward to his contributions towards our goal of becoming one of the top 5 African Banks in the shortest possible time.”
News
Go and List Your Challenges, Lagos Speaker tells NANS Member During Courtesy Visit
Go and List Your Challenges, Lagos Speaker tells NANS Member During Courtesy Visit
AJAGBE ADEYEMI TESLIM
SPONSORED BY: H&H
The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Lagos State University (LASU) branch, on Friday paid a courtesy visit on the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Princess Mojisola Lasbat Meranda.
The student representatives said the visit was to congratulate Meranda over her emergence as Speaker of the State Assembly.
Meranda, an alumnus of LASU, was elected Speaker on January 13 after the removal of Mudashiru Obasa by the lawmakers over issues relating to alleged high-handedness and financial impropriety.
Describing her as a thoroughbred Lagosian, the chairman of NANS, Abdulraheem Azeez, used the opportunity to list some of the challenges faced by students in the university.
According to him, students have had to read in darkness as the Ikeja campus gets less than two hours of power supply daily.
Azeez also raised the need for the State to make available loans for indigent students as well as for the Assembly to provide opportunities for students to witness the plenary of the House.
Meranda, while thanking the students for the visit, urged them to always attend town-hall meetings in their constituencies where they can contribute and make their opinions known.
She further encouraged them to apply for the loans initiated by the government as done by students in other countries.
The Speaker requested the students to formally send their complaints in written forms to the House for action.
News
EFCC Tasks Corps Members on Corruption
AJAGBE ADEYEMI TESLIM
SPONSORED BY: H&H
EFCC Tasks Corps Members on Corruption
The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Mr. Ola Olukoyede charge members of the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, to be change agents and strong resisting force against corruption.
He also enjoined them to be active foot soldiers and whistle-blowers or intelligence-gatherers against corruption.
Speaking on Thursday, January 30, 2025 at the NYSC Orientation Camp, Yikpata, Edu Local Government Area of Kwara State, Olukoyede said It is important for youths to realise that, these roles, if performed creditably, will bring up appreciable growth in the economy of our nation. He said that, “creative energies of youths will be maximised when corruption is brought to its knees.”
The EFCC boss whose address was delivered by the Head, Public Affairs Department, Ilorin Zonal Directorate of the EFCC, Ayodele Babatunde said that most of the problem confronting the country such as kidnapping, banditry, poor infrastructure, among others were connected to corruption. He added that all hands must be on the deck to tame the cankerworm.
Olukoyede encouraged the youths to embrace the virtues of hard work and shun fraudulent practices such as cybercrime noting that, “it’s profitable to earn dignity and fame through hard work and legit business.”
While calling on the youths to channel their potentials productively and shun crime, the EFCC Chair said that, “Yahoo-Yahoo is not a sustainable way of life.”
“There is no shortcut to wealth and fame. The fact that the rate of unemployment is high should not be an excuse to resort to crime. Act of criminality might deliver wealth in the short term but there will be misery and gnashing of teeth”, he said.
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