Bigi Carbonated Soft Drink, a leading Nigerian beverage brand, is thrilled to announce its return as the headline sponsor for the 9th season of Nigerian Idol, Africa’s biggest music reality TV show. This partnership reaffirms Bigi’s commitment to supporting the growth and development of the Nigerian entertainment industry and empowering aspiring talents to achieve their dreams.
Since the first sponsorship in season 6, Bigi has witnessed the rise of remarkable talents like Kingdom Kroseide, Progress Chukwuyem, and Victory Gbakara. Season 8 saw Bigi go above and beyond with exciting campus activations, engaging live show activities like the life-size Bigi Chiller photobooth, and captivating events like the Ikeja City Mall Flash Mob and shoppers dash where the top three finalists bought household items worth over a million naira.
This season, Bigi promises to raise the bar even higher, ensuring its presence resonates throughout the entire journey. From pre-show events to live performances and beyond, the brand aims to be on the lips and in the hearts of everyone involved.
Assistant Brand Manager, Bigi, Biola Aransiola states “We are excited to be back for Nigerian Idol Season 9, and we can’t wait to share our exciting plans! As a brand that cares deeply for its consumers, Bigi wants to empower talent and provide a platform for dreams to take flight.”
Aransiola adds, “Our partnership with Nigerian Idol is a reflection of our unwavering commitment to seeing young talents thrive and reach their full potential.”
Bigi’s partnership reflects a shared passion for nurturing talent and creating opportunities for young Nigerians to shine. This aligns perfectly with the show’s theme, “Dare to Dream,” encouraging individuals to chase their aspirations and believe in their potential.
As a brand synonymous with joy and refreshment, Bigi promises to inject fun and excitement into every episode of Nigerian Idol Season 9. Get ready for a season filled with talent, excitement, inspiring stories, the shared pursuit of dreams, and the refreshing taste of Bigi!
In light of the recent tragic incidents of drowning in State, the Lagos State Government has issued an urgent advisory to all public facilities, including beaches and swimming pools, to adhere strictly to the Lagos State Swimming Pool Regulations of 2021.
This measure is to ensure the safety of all residents and visitors engaging in aquatic activities.
Director General of the Lagos State Safety Commission, Mr. Lanre Mojola, stated that reported cases of increase in drowning incidents, with quantum loss of lives in the past few weeks, is unimaginable.
Mr. Mojola said the government urges facility operators to ensure the presence of certified lifeguards during operational hours, display clear safety rules and emergency procedures and conduct regular safety audits and maintenance checks.
They are also to provide appropriate safety equipment, including first aid kits and enforce strict adherence to safety guidelines by all patrons.
He said the Lagos State Government is taking proactive steps to enforce these regulations and will not hesitate to apply penalties to any facility found in violation.
The Lagos State Swimming Pool Regulations was established to create a sustainable safety culture, outline critical safety policies, standards, and practices key provisions which includes the presence of trained lifeguards, proper signages, incident reporting protocols, and restrictions on alcohol usage and fire around pool areas.
Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, will from Tuesday, April 16th embark on a three-day working visit to Ogun State.
During the visit, Egbetokun will unveil the newly built Ogun State Police Command Headquarters, the Technical Intelligence Unit as well as the Complaint Response Unit, all within the premises of the state police command at Eleweran, Abeokuta.
He will also pay a courtesy call on Governor Dapo Abiodun, the four paramount rulers of Egba, Ijebu, Remo, and Yewa lands while also meeting the police operatives in the state and other stakeholders.
The spokesperson for the State Police Command, Omolola Odutola, made this known in a statement made available to journalists.
“The IGP will arrive in Ogun State officially from Tuesday 16th April through the 18th of April 2024. The itinerary for each day is herein summarized. On his arrival on Day 1, he will pay a courtesy visit to the Governor, and after that, he will also pay a courtesy visit to the paramount ruler of Egbaland, the Alake.”
“Day 2, there will be an inspection of the guard of honour at police state headquarters Eleweran, he will then address police officers, in Powa Hall, address stakeholders who have come to welcome him. He will now commence the official commissioning of the newest building state headquarters, commission the Technical intelligence unit, commission the complaint response unit, all in Eleweran.”
“He will now move to the OluKayode Egbetokun multipurpose hall in Oke Ilewo and Event Center to commission it. Thereafter, he will proceed to Sagamu, to pay a courtesy visit on the Akarigbo of Remoland, immediately after that he will replicate the same in Ijebu Ode to pay a courtesy visit on the Awujale of Ijebu land.
“Day 3 he will proceed to Ilaro to pay a courtesy visit on the Olu of Ilaro. Then finally departs for Lagos.”
LAWMA Academy, the Educational Arm of the Lagos Waste Management Authority, has welcomed a fresh set of candidates for its one-month internship in April. The interns are all recent graduates of various universities in the country, across different academic disciplines.
Addressing the participants, the Managing Director/CEO of LAWMA, Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin, congratulated them for making the internship programme, noting that it will assist them learn as much as possible about waste management and its inherent benefits.
He said waste is not waste but resources, urging them to embrace the business opportunities offered by the circular economy value chain, where so-called waste becomes wealth and blessing, to individuals, society, and the environment.
According to him, “This internship will go a long way in exposing you to the positive and rewarding side of waste management. I am sure you are aware that nothing is a waste until you waste them. What used to be waste is now a resource that can be harvested to make money and improve lives. Indeed, it’s a long value chain you can tap into, depending on your area of interest. It is a promising and highly rewarding venture”.
The LAWMA boss also urged them to pay good attention to the practical aspects of their training and arm themselves with determination, to become change agents and champions of environmental sustainability.
Speaking in the same vein, the Executive Director of LAWMA, Mr. Kunle Adebiyi, urged the interns to maximise the knowledge gained, to leverage their areas of interest along the value-chain, for personal enterprise and good reward.
He said, “This is a good opportunity for you to acquire knowledge and make money from modern waste management initiatives. What is important for you here, is to pay attention to the various things you will be taught, so that you can decide where to key in, for future enterprise and handsome financial rewards”.
Recall that LAWMA Academy, last month, ran a one-month internship programme for some graduate and post-graduate candidates, representing the first batch of interns for this year. The candidates who enjoyed in-depth training in modern waste management from various departments of the agency, received completion certificates, after presenting their group final project.
LAWMA Academy, has since the beginning of this year, taken environmental advocacy to more than 5,000 pupils of public schools across the state, in Eti-Osa, Ikeja, Mushin, Ijora-Olopa, Agege, Victoria Island, and other areas.
The pupils were enlightened on LAWMA’s diverse operations, effects of indiscriminate waste dumping, making money from recyclables, usage of trash bags and cans, shunning cart-pushers, and the need to patronise assigned PSP operators.
The founding objective was to expand the frontiers of knowledge on waste management, by teaching it as much as possible, to the younger generation for new cultural orientation and perception of waste management, for environmental sustainability. It is the basis for stretching the dragnets to bring in as many young people as possible into the fold, to form the vanguard of environment ambassadors, for a new culture and orientation, for a people-friendly environment.
LAWMA Academy Internship is a monthly programme of environmental and waste management education for willing candidates.
The prestigious Lagos State University has been named the 5th best University with the most employable graduates in Nigeria. The ranking was recently released by Stutern, a reputable skills development and job marketplace for graduates in Nigeria.
Stutern, ranking higher institutions about the employability of their graduates, said 62.50 percent of graduates from LASU are employable, which ranks the institution as the 5th best in the country and the best among State universities.
Established in 1983, Lagos State University, LASU, under the leadership of Prof. Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, mni, NPOM, operates three major campuses, namely: Ojo, Ikeja, and Epe. The university was also ranked the best State University and the 9th best overall in Nigeria by the reputable AD Scientific Index ranking in 2023.
The UI GreenMetric World University Ranking also adjudged LASU as the best university in West Africa for 2023 and 2024 bolstering the reputation of the institution as the 3rd most sought-after University by admission seekers in the 2023 Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) Examination.
The latest Stutern ranking is a testament to the top quality of teaching and research in LASU that culminates in the training of market-ready graduates in the University.
Vice Chancellor of the Lagos State Univesity, LASU, Prof. Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, mni, NPOM, has charged newly admitted Sandwich Degree students to take pride in the fact that they are now part of the LASU family, a family that values diversity, inclusivity, and excellence.
She said this at the matriculation and orientation programme organised by the Directorate of Sandwich Degree Programme for its newly admitted students for the 2023/2024 academic session. The event took place on Friday, 12th April 2024, at Buba Marwa Auditorium, main campus, Ojo Lagos.
Prof. Olatunji-Bello who was represented by Deputy Vice-Chancellor, (Academic) Prof. Olufunsho Omibitan, during her opening speech, congratulated the students for being fortunate to have gained admission into one of Nigeria’s best and most sought-after universities.
The professor of Physiology further said the Sandwich Programme, to which the students have enrolled, holds a special significance as it provides an opportunity for working professionals, especially those in the educational sector, individuals with other commitments to pursue further education in enhancing their skills. She averred that their admission is a testament to the institution’s dedication to accessibility and inclusivity in education.
She also said, “The University has digitalised admission process and students’ records allowing students to register for their courses and also access their results promptly online; the university’s digitalisation process has also robbed off positively on our certificate process cutting the processing time and eradicating delays in the issuance of certificates. These, in addition to the quality of lecturers and organisation, mean that LASU has arguably the best Sandwich Degree Programme in Nigeria today.”
The Dean, Faculty of Education, Prof. Solomon Makinde, while delivering his address at the orientation programme earlier in the day, encouraged the newly admitted Sandwich degree students to embrace curiosity wholeheartedly, as this is a time for exploration and discovery.
He said they should take advantage of the vast resources available to them, from the institution’s state-of-the-art libraries to the esteemed faculty members who are experts in their fields, and ask questions, seek answers, and never be afraid to challenge conventional wisdom, for it is through curiosity that they can push the boundaries of knowledge and make meaningful contributions to society.
The Director, Directorate of Sandwich Degree Programme, Prof. J. O. Adeogun, in his speech, spoke more on the cardinal objective of the event, which he said was to acquaint the newly admitted students with the fundamental principles, norms, and culture of the University as it is expected that they abide by all rules and regulations of the university.
They are also expected to commit themselves fully to their studies so that their efforts in the next 4-5 years (depending on their mode of entry) will culminate in standing them out on the podium for Awards on graduation day. He also sounded a note of warning to the students that the university has zero tolerance for any form of misconduct or involvement in vices as the institution will not hesitate to apply sanctions whenever there is an infraction.
In a country with short-lived corporate excellence and a handful of centenary companies, hitting 130 years is undoubtedly a significant milestone for Nigeria’s premier financial institution, FirstBank. GEOFF IYATSE writes.
Experience, they say, comes with age. Nothing else aptly defines the consistent growth of First Bank of Nigeria Limited (FirstBank) and its consistent reinvention as the conscience of corporate Nigeria in the face of rising competition from traditional and other shadow banking brands.
Not many living Nigerians can list a single other existing Nigerian company founded in 1894, long before modern Nigeria was created. But FirstBank has not only survived the long 13 decades during which it etched itself into the socio-economic fabric of the country and created a niche as Nigeria’s banker, but it has also pushed itself into the frontier of financial technology evolution, making an inroad into the consciousness of tech-savvy Nigerian youths and the upwardly mobile banking public.
For an organisation that has stuck to Nigeria through thick and thin and enjoyed the monopoly of banking the country from the cradle, long before Africa tasted the beauty of financial system evolution, FirstBank could have been a dinosaur. That would have been easy. But it has chosen the tougher option; challenging traditions, breaking new ground, and constantly refreshing its operational template to stay ahead of the curve.
Established in 1894 as British Bank of West Africa (BBWA) by the late Sir Alfred Lewis Jones, a shipping magnate, FirstBank has been at the forefront of Nigeria’s economic growth and development through its superior banking services and social investments across sectors – manufacturing, small and medium scale enterprise (SMEs), agriculture, oil and gas and just about every other sector that has contributed to the country’s economic discovery.
The history of FirstBank is the history of Nigeria. At some point in its history, it even served as Nigeria’s Central Bank. Today, as the undisputed leader of the country’s brick-and-mortar banking, its nearly 800 business locations across the country give it robust presence in every local government across the nation.
Of course, in an era of ‘click’ banking, no financial institution is assessed by the strength of its physical banking network alone. Interestingly, the premier institution understands this logic, hence it has emerged as a force in continuously investing in cutting-edge financial technologies. For one, FirstMobile, its digital banking application, has also become a household name in the financial technology ecosystem. In 2015, when the platform was still at its infancy stage, its user base was about 60,000, a number that has soared to over six million (a growth of over 10,000%) as of last year. That has contributed immensely to its changed perception from traditional bank to innovative digital bank. Today, about 85 per cent of its transactions are initiated via digital platforms, according to insights provided by the bank in its public statements.
FirstMobile appears to have hit the bull’s eye in the bank’s reinvention drive and efforts to appeal to younger demographics. But the platform itself is only one of the potpourri of telecommunications-driven initiatives it has taken on to get young depositors on board. FirstOnline users have also grown from about 90,000 to over one million in less than a decade just as its USSD banking, which targets feature phone users, is even more successful with users increasing by close to 3,000 per cent in the last eight years, to about 15 million.
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. Some of its strategic investments in technology include the development of its smart and 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 nation.
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 Chief Executive Officer of FirstBank Group, Dr Adesola Adeduntan, during an interview with The Guardian last year, would double in no distant future as the organisation migrates aggressively to transaction-led banking. In September 2023 the bank’s non-interest income hit ₦293.0 billion, up 111.6% in comparison to September 2022 at ₦138.5 billion validating the bank’s commitment to a transaction-based era.
In addition, the number of users on the Bank’s digital channels has grown from about 600,000 users in 2015 to over 23.2 million users in 2023.
On the back of the extensive technology infrastructure overhaul FirstBank embarked on under Adeduntan’s leadership, its digital banking channels have become the most dominant delivery channel with the percentage of customer-induced transactions processed via digital channels increased from about 20% to over 90%. FirstBank has equally been consistent in its profitability. Its Group profit before tax (PBT) has climbed steadily from 10Billion naira in 2015 to 362.24Billion naira in 2023.
For an organisation that has not only created Nigeria’s banking industry but also dynamically shaped it, there is no reason the brand would not attract the best professionals. It attracted a blend of top Nigerian bankers and became the training ground for young professionals who have contributed to its rich history of corporate leadership. Despite this, Adeduntan who assumed office with a touch of dynamism, clearly understood the meeting point between institutional legacy and modern ‘click’ banking. In close to a decade since he first took over the reins at the Bank, he has brought this to bear, rejuvenating the rich corporate culture of the bank, competing actively in the youth space in both employment and business.
Nigerian banks have grown to become international brands, competing for businesses across Africa, (which they have dominated), Europe, Asia, and other Continents. With its United Kingdom subsidiary (which has a representative office in Paris, France) celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2022, FirstBank has led the revolution. Other subsidiaries of Nigeria’s premier financial inclusion services provider include FirstBank in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea, Sierra Leone, and The Gambia; FBNBank in Ghana and Senegal as well as a Representative Office in Beijing, China.
Indeed, local banks have done well in recent years in opening offshore operations except that most of them are cost-centres, hence the promoters are often accused of ego-seeking and extroversion. And it is true because most of the subsidiaries’ operations have created a gaping hole in the bottom lines of the consolidated accounts of many of the institutions. But FirstBank turned the tide. In 2022, its overseas operations contributed a combined 21.3 per cent to the group’s pre-tax profit. Adeduntan has repositioned the financial institution from purely a Nigerian company to a multinational brand with African focus but a Nigerian nucleus.
Beyond its name, it has recorded several firsts in the industry it single-handedly created. Some firsts include – the first to be listed on the stock exchange, the first – amongst the existing banks – to adopt the use of ATM and the first Nigerian bank – and second in Africa – to reach the 10 million ATM cards-issued milestone. In addition, FirstBank is leading in AI and robotics with regards to the deployment of Humanoid Robots, in the financial services space in Nigeria. The robots are equipped with Video Banking and Artificial Intelligence (AI), taking on the role of friendly branch staff. The financial institution is the first to foray into arts, food, music, and other lifestyle sponsorships as part of the brand value proposition for clients of all ages.
Speaking on the resilience of the bank at a recent function Adeduntan disclosed what he called the bank’s secret of success: “At FirstBank, our purpose is to enable success, putting our customers and stakeholders at the heart of our business.
“For the years of our existence, we have focused on providing excellent financial services to meet the needs of our esteemed customers. We continue to improve on our products and create new ones that suit their specific needs. The reason why we have been successful is our ability to invent and reinvent ourselves. You can only be successful like that when you make your customer the centrepoint of all your actions. That is the secret of our success.”
The bank has demonstrated it is a responsible corporate citizen, playing a catalytic role in the economic and social development of the country. FirstBank’s sustainability/ESG focus, and commitments are in three key areas: Responsible Lending, Procurement & Climate Performance; Financial Inclusion & Diversity; as well as Education, Health, and Welfare.
Customers of the financial institution remain a vital element of its business. So, the bank constantly seeks responsible ways to provide lending and investment products and services that meet the customers’ needs, while ensuring that it manages the environmental social and governance (ESG) impacts in the process thus contributing to and promoting overall sustainable growth and development. About N5 Trillion worth of transactions were screened for ESG risks in 2023.
The bank has shown its commitment to playing a key role in the transition to a global net-zero economy by decarbonising its operations and value chains, driving climate finance, and promoting climate thought-leadership. For example, its partnership with Nigeria Conservation Foundation has seen the financial giant begin 50,000 trees planting with this year 2024 set as target year for this audacious goal.
FirstBank’s community development initiatives are anchored on its strategic Education, Health, and Welfare pillars. In 2023 alone, FirstBank executed various projects under the Start Performing Acts of Random Kindness (SPARK) initiative with growing impacts across 8 countries, including 60 beneficiary schools with over 150,000 secondary school students, and 30,000 underprivileged people and widows; over N100,000,000 (one hundred million naira) donations covering books and infrastructure for students, food items and clothing for the underprivileged, provision of capital for small and micro businesses.
Its FutureFirst programme in partnership with Junior Achievers Nigeria (JAN) has impacted over 1,000,000 (one million) people across the regions of the country including Lagos, Port Harcourt, and Abuja with the knowledge of financial literacy and entrepreneurship. It has also strategically driven partnerships with over 100 Charities/NGOs including LEAP Africa; International Women Society; UNGC; UN Women; Junior Achievement Nigeria.
Following the COVID-19 lockdown, FirstBank stepped in to donate cash (over 1 billion naira) and food to support the government in the fight against the pandemic. It also provided an innovative e-Learning initiative enabling the education of one million Nigerian students to drive sustainable efforts towards improving education for all. In partnership with the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF), it launched a N5 billion LSETF-First Edu Loan scheme to cushion the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on low-cost private schools in Lagos State.
For 30 years, FirstBank has remained a sponsor of the annual Nigerian Economic Summit, organised by the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, a think tank group with a mandate to promote and champion the transformation of the Nigerian economy into a private sector-led economy.
It is known for other sponsorships including, the Kaduna Georgian Cup Polo Tournament, now in its 103rd year, which is perhaps the longest-standing sports sponsorship in the world. FirstBank is also a long-standing sponsor of the Lagos Amateur Open Golf Championship at the Ikoyi Club, a property it has faithfully sponsored for 62 years.
The bank has played a crucial role in empowering entrepreneurs, women, students and the rapidly growing creative industries locally, which are gaining global recognition. Its strategic interventions through DecemberIssaVybe, FirstGem, SPARK, FirstBank Women Network and numerous other campaigns have been impactful, especially in addressing some key United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
FirstBank has demonstrated its commitment to Diversity through policies, partnerships, and initiatives, such as its employees’ ratio of female to male (39 per cent :61 percent); and 32 percent women in management, and 11 women on the Board of Directors across the FirstBank Group as well as various initiatives aimed at addressing the gender gap and increasing participation of women at all levels within the organisation.
In addition, the Bank’s membership of the UN Women is an affirmation of a deliberate policy that is consistent with UN Women’s Women Empowerment Principles – Equal Opportunity, Inclusion, and Non-discrimination.
And there have been rewards via awards for its leadership and life-changing initiatives. The recent ones include Best Corporate Bank at the recent Euromoney Awards for Excellence, Nigeria 2023; Best Corporate Bank Western Africa 2023, by Global Banking and Finance; Best Internet Banking in Nigeria 2023, by International Business Awards; Most Innovative Banking Brand in Nigeria, by Global Brands Awards; the Financial Institution of the Year 2023, by Afreximbank Pan-African Business and Development; Best CSR Bank Western Africa 2023 by Global Banking and Finance Magazine; Market Leader Nigeria in ESG – Euromoney Market Leaders 2022. For six consecutive years (2011 – 2016), FirstBank was named ‘Most Valuable Bank Brand in Nigeria’ by The Banker Magazine of the Financial Times Group and ‘the Best Retail Bank in Nigeria’ from 2011 to 2018, an award of the Asian Banker International Excellence in Retail Financial Services Awards.
At the heart of FirstBank’s success story – which includes enabling the success stories of its customers and other stakeholders – lies its ability to continuously reinvent itself. And the reinvention seems to have started in earnest. For instance, its stock soared recently, pushing the Group into the exclusive club of stocks with over one trillion (SWOOT) capitalisation. A few months after the remarkable feat, it went, shoving other lenders aside to reclaim the most capitalised banking stock on the stock exchange.
It has been 13 decades of rising and growing with Nigeria. But FirstBank is obviously not slowing down in its journey with the country its operation pre-dated.
A 500 level student of the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Lagos, UNILAG, Princess Kamsy Okeke has emerged the Best Pharmacy Brain in Nigeria.
Princess Okeke was announced winner at the grand finale of the Shalina Young Talents Award, SYTA, Season 5 competition held at the NECA house, Ikeja, Lagos on Thursday, March 21, 2024.
STYA is a competition organized by Shalina Healthcare Limited in search of the best pharmacy brains in Nigeria. This year, about 3,000 final year students participated in the quest across the 24 pharmacy schools in Nigeria, producing 1 finalist from each school to make a total of 24 finalists for the Grand Finale.
The award was presented by the Registrar of the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria, Pharm. Ibrahim Babashehu Ahmed and the Chief Commercial Officer of Shalina Healthcare Ltd, Mr. Raj Arun.
The Vice-Chancellor of UNILAG, Professor Folasade Ogunsola, OON, FAS, on behalf of University Senate, staff and students, congratulates Princess Kamsy Okeke on this outstanding achievement and wishes her success in future endeavours.
A Real Estate Expert, Ms. Martha Onsachi has urged the federal government and states across the country to ease the processing of titled documents for property owners.
According to her, it will make real estate a more attractive investment option for Nigerians.
Onsachi, the Chief Executive Officer of GText Land, a leading real estate company made the call during the allocation of plots to investors at the White House estate, Moniya and Beryl Golf estate, Ibadan, Oyo State on Thursday.
Onsachi described the process of getting a Certificate of Occupacy and other documents for landed property as being cumbersome.
She, therefore, appealed to government to simplify the process of obtaining title documents to make real estate attractive and accessible to more Nigerians.
“With the right documents, investors would not have to stress themselves going through the process of obtaining title documents for their landed properties.
Speaking further, she disclosed that White House and Beryl estates are two of their major estates, which some smart investors bought into when the price was relatively cheaper.
“We are here to allocate to smart investors who invested in months before now,” she said.
Speaking on other investment options and benefits of real estate, the real estate expert said that Gtext Land focused more on land banking
According to her, land banking help smart investors reap the dividends of investing in real estate.
She disclosed that the company’s mission is to help investors build wealth through land banking with the use of innovation and technology.
“For those who want to increase their investment portfolio, land banking is their best bet and as a real estate company; we help them grow their investment through land banking.
“Gtext Land has made it easier for investors to invest; offering them an opportunity to buy at a lower price and keep it for a longer period of time.
“Also, either use it or flip it off for profit or you can build for residential or for commercial purposes and this is all what land banking entails,” she said.
Onsachi explained that the benefits of owning a property at the estate is that they give luxury service plots.
She also assured interested investors that they are buying into a service estate that comes with perimeter fencing, access roads to their plot of land, and a centralized sewage system.
“This property comes with a whole lot of package and that is why we call it luxury service plots,” she said.
The Federal Government has announced plans to engage no fewer than ten thousand youths and retirees in the planting of six million trees across the country to mitigate the negative effects of climate change.
Minister of State for Environment and Ecological Management, Iziaq Salako, who made this known, explained that the programme is meant to create jobs for the unemployed and provide economic benefits to retired persons, while also addressing the pressing issue of environmental degradation.
Salako also said the tree planting programme would be carried out in phases, with a focus on areas that have been affected by deforestation and desertification.
“Every tree counts in the fight against climate change. This year alone, the mandate of the ministry given by Mr President is to ensure that we plant at least six million trees for 2024. And we have designed our programmes to ensure that we achieve this.
“The agencies are going to plant; we have the Forest Research Institute of Nigeria in Ibadan, the Great Greenwald, the ministries, and then we have a special intervention project by Mr President that is also going to plant trees to achieve large-scale tree planting.
He stated that the programme would involve a wide range of tree species, including indigenous and exotic varieties suitable for Nigeria’s different ecological zones.
According to the Minister, the tree planting exercise would also promote agroforestry and promote bamboo as an alternative to trees and all Nigerians should support the programme by planting trees in their homes and communities.
“We are also going to use tree planting to promote agroforestry and promote bamboo as an alternative to trees. So you see us doing all kinds of programmes like that to address land degradation.
“For the tree planting, we are going to first engage youth in tree planting. We are going to engage retirees and agencies in tree-planting exercises. And also we are going to support the state ministries to plant trees.
“We are going to produce seedlings that can be donated to states and interested non-governmental organisations that have track records of successful tree planting programmes.
“The whole idea is to train youth to be able to raise seedlings on their own and also be able to plant those trees, nurture them to adulthood, and be compensated as they go along doing that by the federal government.”
The Minister also said that the FG would deploy technology to monitor the effectiveness of the programme.
He said, “We are going to have a lot of technology deployed. It is not going to be an analogue kind of thing. You know, these days with the Internet, a lot of things can happen.
“So, we would do a lot of virtual training for youth who register for that programme. And then we will also do virtual monitoring of some activities by using geo-location images that can be located to affirm if the trees were planted.
“Those are the kinds of programmes that we are bringing on board going forward to ensure that we arrest the challenge of land degradation.
“We engage youths, we engage retirees, and we increase the forest copper for Nigeria. At the end of the day, we are looking at creating between 5, 000 to 10, 000 jobs from this particular intervention.
“For a year, you also have those youth and retirees paid some token every month to ensure that the trees they plant are also nurtured to ensure that they germinate,” he stated.
