Bank boss seeks revival of industrial sector

The Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Diamond Bank Plc., Dr. Alex Otti, has said that for Nigeria to attain its target as a developed country, it needs to revive the industrial sector, alongside infrastructure.

  Otti, who was the guest speaker at the Hallmark Public Policy Forum in Lagos, with the theme: “Saving the Future: Challenges of the New Nigeria”, said: “nations compete to offer the most productive environment for business. Competitiveness depends on productivity, with which a nation uses its human, capital and natural resources.”

  He pointed that the country was ranked 147 out of 189 countries surveyed in ease of doing business, even as it recorded low rating in the areas of electricity provision, property registration, trading across borders, enforcing contracts and payment of taxes.

  He also noted that the big challenge for the Nigerian economy is its mono-cultural profile with crude oil as its major income earner.

  Also speaking at the forum, the Deputy Governor, Corporate Services, Central Bank of Nigeria, Alhaji Suleiman Barau said that micro-economic indices show that Nigeria is on the right track to attaining significant growth and development, but explained that the country needs to improve on the area of leadership.

   “Nigeria needs to improve on the quality of its leadership to be able to compete in the comity of nations.

  “We can improve on our leadership. It is an area of challenge that we need to improve on. We need to elect credible leaders. We have credible leaders but we need to hold them accountable.

   “If we have a leader that is disciplined, sets agenda and implements it and we hold him accountable and with our potentials, we would be on top as one of the greatest countries in the world, at least in Africa,” he said.

By Adeniyi Idowu Adunola

UK College partners Nigerian schools on varsity foundation programme

The United Kingdom (UK) based TRC College University Foundation Programme, which facilitates students’ admission to partner universities in the UK, United States of America (U.S), Canada and Russia, will from January 2014 be offered by two Nigerian boarding schools - Whiteplains British School in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and The Bells School, Ota, Ogun State, in a partnership deal.

        Speaking at a briefing in Lagos on Monday, Director of the TRC College University Programme, Mr. Keith Broomer said prospective students could enter their forecast Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) results in January and finish the course in July, enabling entry to a university overseas by September 2014, thereby saving students a whole year.

       The programme, Broomer explained, also provides a pathway to all degree subjects such as Accounting, Business, Engineering, Law and medicine.

        Another unique feature of the Programme, Broomer stated, “is that it provides a university transcript from Kursk State Medical University, which oversees the programme in conjunction with the TRC Colleges monitoring process, in all the subjects, for every student.”

       Broomer added: “With the wider spread of wealth in the Nigerian society, more parents are looking for ways to send their children to overseas universities and the TRC Colleges University Foundation Programme provided in Nigeria will now make the whole process more affordable, without compromising high standards.”

      According to a statement, the TRC college plans to runs its university foundation programme in one top boarding school and Polytechnic in all the geo-political zones in the country, to enable students have easy access.

      Mr. Victor Ajulo, the Chief Executive Officer of Michele & Anthony Consulting, which coordinates the TRC University Foundation programmes in Nigeria through regional coordinators, encouraged interested candidates to come forward and obtain forms.

    

 By Adeniyi Idowu Adunola

ComSom hosts IEEE workshop on WCET Certification

 KEEPING pace with global development, especially in wireless communications,  IEEE has said that it has developed an array of continuing education materials in the field of wireless, the IEEE WCET Certification.
  Speaking at the IEEE technical meeting, The Chair, Technical Programs, ComSoc Nigeria, Ogwo Ugo, said the IEEE WCP is designed to have high pay off for the wireless communication industry.
  She said to obtain the IEEE WCP certification, candidate must pass a rigorous examination based on the task performed in the industry.” The exam was developed purely on technical knowledge and practical applications”
  “Committed to enabling professionals continuing professional development to further enhance their ability to move the profession forward. This is in line with the greater IEEE mission which is to foster technological innovation and excellence for the benefit of humanity.”
  Lecture at meeting, MD, Parkway Projects Limited, Uzo Eziukwu who lectured on mobile financial services carrier channels in Nigeria said, “The global proliferation of mobile phones, mobile computing technologies, de-regularization of the financial services market, & advanced telecommunication channels, have resulted in an active drive towards delivery of afore-mentioned services on mobile devices, resulting in an overlap of the Telecommunication and Financial Services sectors.”
  He said leveraging for strategic socio-economic initiatives, provision access to funds in the informal sector are why we go for mobile.
  Likewise, convenient tools for service delivery and promote corporate reach in remote areas are not left out.


 By Adeniyi Idowu Adunola

Courier operators get new president

The Managing Director of Bowill Errands Limited, Mr. Siyanbola Oladapo has been elected President of the Association of Nigeria Courier Operators (ANCO).
He polled over 99.7 percent endorsement of members during the election held on November 13. Oladapo’s company is the sponsor of the Bowill Errands Annual Public Lecture, which in the past five years has preached professionalism and issues that are germane to the growth of the sector.

By Adeniyi Idowu Adunola

Why we’re championing war against HIV stigmatisation, by FriendsAfrica

AHEAD of the December 1, 2013 World AIDS Day, an anti HIV stigmatisation campaign tagged: Team Eagles Vs Team Entertainers, will hold on November 30, 2013 the Campus mini Stadium, Onikan, Lagos, FriendsAfrica, organisers of the event has said.
   The programme, which is in its second edition and will feature soccer legends and Nollywood celebrities, is meant to draw global attention to the evil of discrimination against People Living with HIV/AIDS.
    Speaking on Monday on the planned campaign tagged: Play for Life, the CEO/Founder, Friends Africa, Dr. Akudo Anyanwu Ikemba said while advances in science and medicine had made progress in the cure and prevention against HIV/AIDS globally, there was still the worrisome issue of stigmatisation and discrimination.
     She added that ending discrimination of People Living with HIV/AIDS was utmost hence the Play for Live, adding that it is a week-long programme covering free testing of people to know their HIV status. She stressed that the free testing which started on Monday, November 25 at Camus mini Stadium, Lagos, and which is targeted on 5000 people, will end on Saturday, November 30, 2013.
    Dr. Ikemba added that the campaign, which is targeted at over two million people will explore the natural convening power of football  to draw attention to the dangers of stigma and discrimination against People Living with HIV/AIDs.

By Adeniyi Idowu Adunola