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Ogun Absorbs 7500 Vigilante Officers Into Civil Service

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The Ogun State government has approved the employment of 7500 volunteering officers of the Vigilante Service of Ogun State, VSO into the state’s civil service.
Speaking in Abeokuta yesterday, the State Commander of the VSO, Mr. Soji Ganzallo said, unnamed the adoption of the volunteers is part of the implementation of the new law passed by the Ogun the State house of assembly and signed by Governor, Ibikunle Amosun, which has transformed the present volunteering Vigilante Service of Ogun State into an enacted State security organization- Ogun State Social Orientation and Safety Corps, SO Safe Corps, effective from January 2019.
 Ganzallo stated that VSO is now a scheduled organisation with carrier progression, which means officers will henceforth draw their salaries and other allowances from the State government, while they are also entitle to gratuity and pension after retirement and can also aspire to become the State Commander and even permanent secretary in Ogun State civil service.
“The VSO has served the state in providing security at the grassroot level right from 2011, when crime rate was on very high side and indigenous security organization like this is needed to compliment efforts of other security agencies.
“This impressed the people and the VSO bill was taken to the house of assembly, with people’s support the bill was passed and assented by the Governor.
“We have over 12000 officers under the VSO, and out of them about 7500 are moving into the SO safe corps in January as full-time State’s public servants while others will remain as volunteer corps, whose remunerations will be coming from money realized from guard duties and some other special assignments we are running,” he added.
According to Ganzallo, despite the constant and comprehensive security training of all VSO officers by partnering security agencies, institute and expatriates, the new minimum qualification for recruitment for the organization is Senior Secondary Certificate Examination, SSCE, which is unlike the conventional community and township vigilantes.
He noted that this is to ensure officers can comprehend every paramilitary training given to them both practical, which include raffle handling and security intelligence and investigation tips, in order not to recruit illiterates which be more dangerous.
He said, “It is not like before when people without any academic qualification can be an officer of the VSO, this has changed because it will be impossible for an illiterate to unstand and put to use most of our trainings from the Ogun State Police command, the Civil defense, the DSS and even expatriates from foreign security institute.
“Our officers with SSCE, OND, HND, B.Sc are the ones that are moving into So Safe Corps. Some of them have gone through various diploma and advance diploma security programmes from reputable institutes of learning like Nigeria Institute of Security.
“Crime is now more dynamic and sophisticated. The way crime is 10 years ago is different from the way is now or will be ten years time, therefore we most keep training and retraining our officers so they can always meet up with the sophisticated state of crime this time.
“We are also assured of getting best hands into this organization because the So safe corps is attractive in the sense that they will be earning a special salary scale as security officers which is more rewarding than the average civil or public servasnts in the state.”
Speaking of the organisation’s relationship with the conventional Vigilante Group of Nigeria, VGN, Ganzallo revealed that new law has given SO Safe corps the power and right to regulate the activities of other vigilante group in the State including VGN.
“With the new law, other private vigilante group either township, community or VGN outfits must register under the SO safe corps, if they want to operate in Ogun State.
“VGN is registered other CAC as a private organisation which is not established by any act of the parliament. It is registered by an individual and VGN officers are volunteers, unlike the VSO who are now public servants employed that the Government.
“There is clear cut difference now, anybody can register a company like VGN but not just anybody can take a bill to the state house of assembly and get it passed into law with the governor assent. This is also part of the reasons while we changed our uniform so that people will not mix us up with VGN. We are special corps, we are SO safe corps,” he added.

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Modupe-Ola Shine Shine, Iya nKa-ola, Opeyemi Jemila Felicitate with Barrymade As She resume ISMAN National Amirah

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AJAGBE ADEYEMI TESLIM

SPONSORED BY: H&H

The Trio of Cosmetics giant, Alhaja Module-Ola Shine Shine, Nigerian Born America Base Islamic Star Artist, Alhaja Sofiat Iya NKa-ola and her counterpart, Alhaja Opeyemi Jemilat has Congratulated and Felicitate with the newly Amirah Suarai of ISMAN, Alhaja Modinat Ashabi a.k.a Barrytide, Omo Babae, Iyawo Babae, Iya Agbaye respectively. 

Report has it that Islamic Star Artist, Alhaja Modinat Ashabi Barrymade has been elected unopposed for the second term as the National Amirah Suarai of Islamic Musician Association. ISMAN. 

In her congratulatory Message, Alhaja Module-Ola Shine Shine Said Barrytide victory as the National Amirah Suarai is a round peg in a round hole, that is why she was elected unopposed praying that may her reign bring more succour into the Association.

On her own side Alhaja, Sofiat Iya Nkaola hearty felicitate with Amirah Suarai Claiming she has been a wonderful and lovely sister and a lover of peace and unity. 

Alhaja Opeyemi Jemila told August24news.com on behalf of sister in love that “we will all rally round her to give maximum support so as to deliver good leadership because we believe in her leadership style” says Jemilat Opeyemi

The Peacefully and well conducted Election took place on January 24 2024 in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti state, Nigeria. 

Asabi will be inaugurated along side with the National President of ISMA, Alhaji AbdulAzeez Ibrahim Arafalujona at the prestigious Ikeja City Mall Lagos on Sunday 2024.

Other Elected officers that will join the inauguration ceremony Includes Office of the Secretary of ISMAN, Treasurer, Public relations Officers among others. 

Also Extending their felicitation to Alhaja Modinat Ashabi Barrytide is the sisters in love head by its Madam Mayor Alhaja Mujidat Lawal a.k.a Asbunallah respectively.

In a telephone interview with Alhaja Modinat Ashabi on her newly inaugurated office, Barrymade told news men that Welfare of its females members will be her priority. 

Barrytide, daughter of Fuji legend is no doubt an Icon in the field of Islamic Music, Event Moderator, Event Planner, Vocalist, Music Producer and the CEO of Barrytide Music company.

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AfCFTA SECRETARIAT AND ZENPAY SIGN AGREEMENT TO DEVELOP SMARTAfCFTA PORTAL FOR ENHANCED INTRA-AFRICAN TRADE

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AJAGBE ADEYEMI TESLIM

SPONSORED BY: H&H

Zenpay Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Zenith Bank Plc, has signed an Agreement with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat for the development and deployment of the SMARTAfCFTA Portal to facilitate trade within the African continent.

L-R: Chairman of Zenpay Limited, Dr. Ebenezer Onyeagwu and the Secretary-General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, His Excellency Wamkele Mene, during the signing of an agreement for the development and deployment of the SMARTAfCFTA Portal to facilitate trade within the African continent, at Zenith Bank Headquarters, Ajose Adeogun Street, Victoria Island, Lagos on Friday.

The agreement which was signed by the Chairman of Zenpay Limited, Dr. Ebenezer Onyeagwu and the Secretary-General of the AfCFTA Secretariat, His Excellency Wamkele Mene, at Zenith Bank Headquarters, Ajose Adeogun Street, Victoria Island, Lagos on Friday, May 3, 2024 comes as a follow-up to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which was previously signed by both parties during the 8th Annual Edition of Zenith Bank’s International Trade Seminar on Non-Oil Export which was held on Wednesday, August 8, 2023.

During the agreement signing, Dr. Ebenezer Onyeagwu, Chairman of Zenpay Limited, expressed his enthusiasm for the collaboration with the AfCFTA Secretariat, highlighting its significance given the current understanding of trade flows in Africa. Dr. Onyeagwu noted, “In Africa, intra-African trade constitutes only about 20% of total trade, with the rest going overseas, despite Africans making up 18% of the world population but contributing less than 5% to global GDP. By trading within Africa, we anticipate building prosperity across the continent.”

He further stated, “This initiative is not driven by profit but by the need to support the African Continental Free Trade Area. It aims to create a unified African market, enhancing economic integration and standardising customs and practices. As we advance this agenda, we expect tosee significant growth and improvement in intra-Africa trade.”

Also speaking during the agreement signing, His Excellency, Wamkele Mene, Secretary-General of the AfCFTA Secretariat, shared his delight over the partnership with Zenpay Limited in developing SMARTAfCFTA. He appreciated Jim Ovia, CFR, Founder and Chairman of Zenith Bank Plc, for his commitment to the project. According to him, “Four years ago, we discussed and envisioned SMARTAfCFTA as a digital platform to empower SMEs and young entrepreneurs in Africa, facilitating their inclusion in trade and boosting intra-African trade. This platform will serve as a repository for crucial trade data, offering insights on rules of origin and market intelligence, thus playing a pivotal role in implementing the AfCFTA agreement. Today is a testament that working together with our African partners in this case, Zenith bank, shows that their commitment goes beyond their progit margins to their stakeholders, but are motivated by our shared duty towards the Continent.”

Speaking about the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) alongside the SMARTAfCFTA portal, H.E. Mene described PAPSS as “Africa’s payment highway.” He clarified that, unlike PAPSS, SMARTAfCFTA is not a payment platform itself but will be interoperable with PAPSS, allowing functionalities that facilitate easy payments. He emphasised that these platforms complement each other; they are not in competition. “We promote and encourage only one payment platform—PAPSS. Our goal is to integrate the digital ecosystem we are developing into PAPSS. We are committed to fostering innovation within this framework, ensuring it supports a seamless continental payment system without creating competition among platforms.”

SMARTAfCFTA is a digital platform designed to facilitate international trade by providing the necessary information and tools to the African private and public sectors. The Portal aims to streamline and unlock vast opportunities for trade across the African continent, and has the capacity to provide information like trade indicators, market trends, custom tariffs, trade agreements, Rules of Origin, market access requirements of relevant jurisdictions, export potentials, export diversification indicators and contact details of business partners in target markets and other trade-related information about Africa.

About ZENPAY Ltd 
Zenpay Ltd is a private limited liability company duly incorporated under the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as a wholly owned subsidiary of Zenith Bank Plc. The company. It is a one-stop revolutionary financial technology (Fintech) company responsible for digital innovation and payments.

About the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) 
The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is one of the flagship projects of Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want and entered into force on 30 May 2019. It is a high ambition trade agreement, which aims to bring together all 55 Member States of the African Union, covering a market of more than 1.3 billion people, with a comprehensive scope that includes critical areas of Africa’s economy, such as digital trade and investment protection, amongst other areas. By eliminating barriers to trade in Africa, the objective of the AfCFTA is to significantly boost intra-Africa trade, particularly trade in value-added production and trade across all services sectors of Africa’s economy, at a potential of 52.3 percent. 
 
For further information, please contact: 

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GRMA To Partner NiMet In Climate Risk Modeling

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AJAGBE ADEYEMI TESLIM

SPONSORED BY: H&H

The Global Risk Modelling Alliance (GRMA), has expressed a willingness to partner the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), in creating and enhancing access to risk data and models.

During a courtesy visit on the Director General, Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), and Nigeria’s permanent representative with WMO, Professor Charles Anosike, on Thursday, 2nd May, 2024, Alastair Norris and Renuka Srinivasan from the GRMA said the proposed partnership will also cover application of open source platforms and open standards designed to inform risk financing, and providing technical assistance via strategic and operational projects co-defined with key stakeholders in Nigeria.

According to Prof. Anosike, “Nimet welcomes the idea of the proposed partnership with GRMA to support our efforts and improve our forecasting and dissemination capacity”.

He further stated that the agency provides early warnings to farmers and other stakeholders by downscaling and disseminating the seasonal climate prediction (SCP). Professor Anosike also highlighted that pilot briefings and daily advisories on weather and climate conditions are other ways NiMet provides early warnings to the aviation sector.

The Global Risk Modelling Alliance (GRMA) is a technical assistance programme funded by the German government. GRMA leverages public and private sector risk expertise to enhance capabilities in vulnerable communities to undertake risk analytics.

Falemi Ayodeji of The National Council on Climate Change, NCCC, accompanied the GRMA team during the courtesy visit. Mrs Gloria Onyegbule, Director, Department of Applied Meteorological Services (DAMS), and Mr James Ijampy, Chief Meteorologist at NiMet, were also present.

PHOTO STORY

Left to Right; Alastair Norris of The Global Risk Modelling Alliance (GRMA), Professor Charles Anosike, Director General, Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), and Nigeria’s permanent representative with WMO, Renuka Srinivasan of the GRMA, and Falemi Ayodeji of The National Council on Climate Change, NCCC, during a courtesy visit on Prof. Anosike at NiMet Headquarters in Abuja, on Thursday, 2nd May, 2024.

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