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World Bank Releases N600m Grant to Kwara Community

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World Bank
  • World Bank Releases N600m Grant to Kwara Community

The Acting General Manager, Kwara State Community and Social Development Agency, Alhaji Yahaya Ahmed, says the agency has accessed over N600m from the World Bank for community and social development projects.

He added that the grant was facilitated through the mandatory payment of N50m by the state government in 2015.

Ahmed said if another N50m approved by Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara State in December was cash-backed, the agency could access about N800m from the World Bank for projects.

He spoke with journalists in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, on Thursday on the sidelines of the presentation of cheques to 16 communities in the state.

The benefiting communities, according to him, are Igbo-Owu, Ahun, Owode-Ofaro, Ijomu-Oro, Idi-Ose, Gulufu, Gedeworo, Ifedawapo, Oke-Agbede, Oloro-Oja, Eleko, Elega, and Aladere Magaji.

He listed other benefitting communities to include: Lata-Nna, Oluode-Aluwo and Oke-Atan.

He stated that the benefiting communities were in Ifelodun, Irepodun, Moro, Edu, Ilorin West, Asa, Patigi, Offa and Oyun Local Government Areas.

Ahmed stated that the first tranche of the cheques worth N34m were disbursed to the benefiting 16 communities during the occasion, adding that a total grant of N83m would be disbursed.

According to him, the remaining communities will also be presented with their cheques from January.

He said the agency was presently in 104 communities of the state from 2016.

Ahmed said, “The state upgraded the poverty map of the state, which has been approved by the governor. From the ranking of LGs, it was also approved that we should commence our activities from eight LGs. We have three in Kwara North (Edu, Moro and Kaiama); two in Kwara Central (Ilorin West and Asa LGs) and three in Kwara South (Offa, Oke-iro and Isin LGA). Those are the poorest LGs in terms of infrastructural development.

“The CSDP commenced operations in Nigeria in 2009, with 26 states including Kwara State and the Federal Capital Territory participating in the scheme. The first phase of this project however closed in 2013. Following the significant impact of this scheme in all the participating states in Nigeria many more states have joined the race such as Sokoto, Borno, Kaduna and Ogun while Anambra is still struggling to join the project.

“The KWCSDA has intervened in 104 communities across the 16 LGAs of the state with 176 micro projects out of which 99 has been completed while 78 are still ongoing in the sectors of education, water, health, rural electricity, environment and socio-economic. Fifteen community developments plans have been fully completed.”

The Kwara State governor, who was represented by the Commissioner for Planning and Economic Development, Alhaji Wasiu Odewale, said the payment of mandatory N50m and approval for the release of another N50m by the state government even during the current economic challenges exemplified the governor’s commitment and contribution for rural communities to benefit from the project.

Is the CEO and Founder of Investors King Limited. He is a seasoned foreign exchange research analyst and a published author on Yahoo Finance, Business Insider, Nasdaq, Entrepreneur.com, Investorplace, and other prominent platforms. With over two decades of experience in global financial markets, Olukoya is well-recognized in the industry.

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Banking Sector

Zenith Bank Commends Customers After Successfully Unveiling Upgraded Enhanced Tech infrastructure

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Zenith Bank Plc has announced that it now boasts the best technology infrastructure in the banking industry, positioning itself to provide an exceptional customer experience and superior service delivery moving forward. This upgrade follows a recent comprehensive technology enhancement.

The bank expressed its heartfelt gratitude to customers for their support and patience throughout the upgrade process, while also extending apologies for any inconveniences experienced during this time.

This announcement was made in a social media post on Wednesday, signed by Dame Dr. Adaora Umeoji, OON, the Group Managing Director/CEO.

In her message, the GMD/CEO emphasized the bank’s commitment to delivering an unparalleled service experience, stating, “We undertook this upgrade to ensure we can offer our customers the best possible service.”

Umeoji pledged that Zenith Bank will continue to innovate, ensuring that customer needs are met swiftly, safely, and conveniently.

The post read in part: “On behalf of the Board, Management, and Staff of Zenith Bank PLC, I would like to thank you for your patience and support during our IT infrastructure migration to a new and more robust operating system.

“We are truly grateful for the trust and confidence you have placed in us. The primary reason for undertaking this extensive endeavor was to better position Zenith Bank PLC for improved service delivery to all our valued customers and to create memorable banking experiences at all our touchpoints.

“While I regret the inconveniences and challenges you faced during and immediately after our migration, I am pleased to inform you that Zenith Bank PLC now has the best technology infrastructure in the industry. We are committed to ensuring you experience superior service delivery going forward.

“Rest assured, you remain our top priority, and Zenith Bank will continue to innovate and offer value-added products and services to meet all your banking needs quickly, safely, and conveniently.”

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Finance

President Tinubu Orders Release of Minors Prosecuted for #BadGovernance Protests

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Following a recent viral video on the X app regarding the prosecution of minors who protested during the #BadGovernance movement, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered the immediate release of all prosecuted minors.

This was announced by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, in a statement to the State House Correspondents in Abuja.

In a show of concern over the detention of minors, President Tinubu directed the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction to investigate and ensure that the law is fully applied to law enforcement agents involved in the unlawful act.

It was noted that the arrests violated human rights and the Child Rights Act, as the 32 detainees are under 18 years old.

Activist organizations, including the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education (CHRICED), and Concerned Parents and Educators (CPE), condemned the actions and denounced the treason charges filed against the detained minors.

In a call to action, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) urged the president to instruct the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, to immediately and unconditionally release all protesters arrested during the #EndBadGovernance movement.

SERAP stated, “The immediate and unconditional release of all #EndBadGovernance protesters, including 32 hungry and malnourished children, is necessary.”

According to SERAP, for the peaceful exercise of fundamental human rights, including freedom of expression, assembly, and association without fear of persecution or undue restriction, all detained protesters should be released.

In response to the president’s directive, the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi, commented that his office “will need to review the matter to enable me to make an informed decision.”

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Banking Sector

FBN Holdings To Invest N103.1bn In Corporate, Retail Businesses

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FBN Holdings

As part of means of actualizing its expectation of raising N150 billion from its existing shareholders by way of rights issue, the management of FBN Holdings said it has budgeted an estimated N103.1 billion for its corporate business and retail business lending segments of the market.

The Holdings recently held the signing ceremony to begin the rights issue offering of 5,982,548,799 ordinary shares of 50 kobo each at N25.00 per share to its existing shareholder on the basis of one new ordinary share for every six ordinary shares held as of October 18, 2024.

Extracts from the offer raising prospectus of the financial institution revealed that lending to the corporate business segment gets N77.34 billion, while lending to the retail business segment gets a budget of N25.78 billion.

This covers 68.95 per cent of the N150 billion proposed rights issue the management seeks to raise from existing shareholders.

Out of the N150 billion, a total of N29.46 billion was budgeted to support international business expansion and N14.73 billion for investment in automation and digital banking.

According to the financial institution, seamless and convenient banking experience for its customers would be guaranteed through its significant investment in automation and digital banking.

Through its mobile banking app, FirstMobile, and its internet banking platform, FirstOnline, the management of FBN Holdings said it has effectively acquired a broad cross-section of the target demography, with a clear proposition of owning bank accounts and utilising various financial services from the comfort of their locations.

It added that the bank plans to upgrade the FirstMobile and FirstOnline apps with additional features while driving customer adoption of the platforms, noting that the development is in line with First Bank’s commitment to providing customers with the best-in-class electronic banking experience.

The offer, however, is part of the company’s plan to recapitalise its commercial banking subsidiary, First Bank of Nigeria Limited,  with a view to increasing the bank’s capacity for business development and growth.

Chairman, FBN Holdings, Olufemi Otedola in a statement from the document urged shareholders to support the Rights issue by accepting their rights, stating that the company will be well positioned to achieve its strategic objectives and to deliver improved returns to all stakeholders.

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