Good day Nigerians,
IBM to Train 25 Million Nigerians in 5 years
International Business Machines Corp. is ramping up its digital-skills training program to accommodate as many as 25 million Africans in the next five years, looking toward building a future workforce on the continent. The initiative which will launch from IBM’s regional offices in South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt and Morocco, will be rolled out on a cloud-based learning platform, providing free programmes to users to help nurture innovation, and improve digital competence.
The company will invest $70m into the initiative which will focus on cultivating skills for “New Collar” jobs – a range of careers which include cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and the cloud computing.
FG Begins Disbursement Of Interest-Free Loans
Disbursement of interest-free loans to the beneficiaries of MarketMoni, the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP) targeting market women and traders, artisans, youth and farmers has commenced.
MarketMoni is one of four schemes under the social intervention programme of the Federal Government, and is being executed by the Bank of Industry.
The Acting Manager of BOI, Waheed Olagunju said the programme aligns with BOI’s goal of inclusive growth and expanding economic opportunities.
N8 Billion Currency Scam: Defence Counsel Asks Judge To Disqualify Herself
Michael Lana, the defence counsel to the fifth accused person, Festus Adeyemi, in the alleged N8 billion CBN currency scam case, has filed an application asking the trial judge, Justice Joyce Abdulmaleek to disqualify herself from the case because he no longer had confidence in her.
But the counsel to the EFCC, Adebisi Adeniyi, expressed surprise at the attitude of the defence counsel in accusing the judge of bias by “employing delay tactics.”
Nigeria To Auction Treasury Bills On February 15
In a statement, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) said it plans to raise about N142.43 billion ($453.60 million) in short-dated Treasury bills at an auction on Feb. 15.
N32.43 billion will be raised in three-month debt, N30 billion in six-month bills and N80 billion in one-year notes, using a Dutch auction system. Payment will be due the day after the auction.
The target for gross domestic product (GDP) growth is part of a medium-term economic recovery plan, it said in a statement.
Total Lifts Dividend For The 4th Quarter
Total has increased its dividend by a cent to €0.62 per share for the fourth quarter after reporting good results, reinforcing its status as one of the best-performing global oil and gas groups.
Total’s adjusted net income in the three months leading to December 31 were $2.4bn, up 16 per cent from the same period in 2015 and better than the average $2.2bn forecast by analysts.
Nigeria Must Ensure The Domestication of Bio-Fuels – Kachikwu
The Minister of Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu, while declaring open the national capacity building and sensitization workshop on bio-fuels, said, changing the previous import-based bio-fuels policy was the best decision by government for the country.
“The Ministry of Petroleum Resources has a seven-point programme to ensure hydrocarbon-based fuels are delivered to customers in a sustainable manner, by removing structural problems in the industry and ensuring efficiency and productivity is brought around issues of fuel management in the country,” Mr Kachikwu said.
Court Remands Four In Prison For Alleged $1 Million Fraud
The Federal High Court in Abuja has remanded four persons in prison who allegedly conspired to defraud one Donald Latella of North Park LLC of $1 million under the pretext of supplying about two million barrels of Bonny Light Crude Oil.
The accused, Umar Bida, Truth Igogori, Ifenyinwa Nwankwesiri and Ogechukwu Obaji, were arraigned on Wednesday by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, before the court presided over by Justice Binta Nyako.
Arraigned with them are four companies: Universal Contractors, Lambda Energy Services Limited, Double Wonder Concept Limited, and ICS Energy Services Limited.
The 2022 World Cup In Qatar Is The Priciest Yet
Qatar, as the host of FIFA World Cup 2022, is spending a whooping $500 million per week to build stadiums, and infrastructure projects like roads, railways, airports, seaports and hospitals.
Qatar is looking at spending $200 billion by the time the tournament kicks off, which is 19 times more than Russia is projected to spend ($10.7 billion) and 18 times more than Brazil spent ($11 billion).
This makes the 2022 World Cup in Qatar will be the most expensive iteration of the event ever, and it won’t be even remotely close.
Hike In Poultry Feed: Nigerian Farmers Adversely Affected
The scarcity and sporadic price of feeds has resulted in a fast dwindling number of poultry farmers.
A bag of feed now sells for between N4,300 and N4,500 as against N2,800 it sold for last year.
Raphael Nwaenigwe, the MD of Ken-francis Farms Limited in Anambra State, lamented that the demand of poultry feed is currently low, as many farmers are becoming disenchanted with the high prices of commercial feeds.
New Lagos Waste Management Policy Will Benefit The City – Ambode
Just a week after the private waste operators in the state asked the court for a roll-back on some aspects of the new reform, Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, in the annual lecture of the Centre for Values in Leadership, held at Muson Centre in Onikan, has said the state’s new waste management policy would be befitting a mega city and ensure the state remains clean and safe for healthy living.
