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International Men’s Day Symposium: Elizabethan Founder Advocates for Ministry of Men’s Affairs
International Men’s Day Symposium: Elizabethan Founder Advocates for Ministry of Men’s Affairs
By Martin Ogumah
Sahara Weekly Reports That The CEO and Founder of Elizabethan Humanitarian Life (H&H) Foundation, Mrs. Oyinade Samuel-Eluwole, has put forward a strong advocacy to the federal government for the establishment of the Ministry of Men Affairs for the sake of gender balance, equity, and inclusion.
H&H Symposium Speakers on Stage
Mrs. Samuel Eluwole made this call at the Elizabethan Foundation’s International Men’s Day Symposium which took place Wednesday, November 15, 2023, in Lagos. The Symposium was organized as one of the activities to commemorate the International Men’s Day-themed “Zero Male Suicide.”
Speaking at the event, she said, “International Men’s Day is a Day established by the global community to create awareness and to underscore the need to bring to the front burner many issues faced by men, which include but are not limited to suicide, violence, and parental alienation, among others; and this is celebrated annually on November 19th.” She added “The theme emphasizes the six significant pillars of International Men’s Day, which include: To promote male role models. To celebrate the contribution that men make. To focus on men’s health and well-being. To highlight discrimination against men. At Elizabethan, IMD is very important to us because our focus is to intervene for the male gender at all levels. We are focusing on the psychological and emotional frustration of males at all levels because we see males as endangered species.”
The Convener Mrs. Oyiade Samuel-Eluwole with the Panelists
Speaking further the Elizabethan Foundation Boss said that the male gender in Nigeria suffers from lack and neglect and that there is an urgent need to focus on how to attend to them. “We have paid so much attention to the women, the girl-child, and to the female gender generally. This is good and the society and government should do more in that regard. However, we in the Elizabethan Humanitarian Life Foundation, think that society should not neglect men in the process. If you notice, the men and the boy-child in our society, are going through so much pressure based on traditional disposition and societal expectations. Our boys are not expected to cry to express their painful emotions, and our men are expected to shoulder too heavy and too many loads – from taking care of their wives, children, and extended family, and even to the larger society – where they are expected to take the lead in every activity. As a result, most of them go through psychological trauma without notice, and physical emasculation without anyone paying attention.
Consequently, she called for intentional mindfulness of the well-being of our male gender from cradle to old age. According to her, our men, and in fact, the male gender generally, are systematically marginalized. For instance, you have the Ministry of Women Affairs at the federal and state government levels, whereas the Ministry of Men’s Affairs. My Foundation calls on the federal government, state governments, and the local government areas in Nigeria, to be sensitive and hence set up ministries of Men Affairs to also attend to the peculiar needs of the male gender. This is necessary because, today, the world is concerned about diversity, gender equity, and inclusion, DEI. Nigeria should not be left behind in the matters that concern humanity.”
Mrs. Samuel-Eluwole addressing boys and men at the Surulere Outreach
Fielding questions to the press about the Foundation’s other plans for International Men’s Day, she said “Earlier in the week we went for an Outreach around Surulere in Lagos and its environs, where we met and spoke to a lot of abandoned male children who had no one to care for them. It was a very traumatic experience for me. It is so easy for some of us to move ahead with our children or families without caring or paying attention to what is happening to other children, especially the boy child; Or even our aged fathers. Some of them are in a very desolate and pathetic condition. But, we move on. No one cares. But, we, in the Elizabethan Foundation care. That is why we are doing what we are doing.”
H&H Surulere Outreach
Other speakers at the symposium which focused on the theme “Zero Male Suicide” were: Prof. Sola Aletan, an Associate Professor of Educational Psychology, at the University of Lagos, Nigeria; Prof. Oyekunle Oyelami, a specialist in Community Development and Social Works Education, at the Faculty of Education, University of Lagos; Ahmad Ibrahim Sajoh, an activist, a Journalist, a Public Relations Practitioner, an Administrator and a renown Public Affairs Analyst. Currently, he is the Executive Director/CEO of FutureNow Initiative, an NGO based in Abuja; Prof. Omoniyi Kayode Yemitan, the Dean of, the Faculty of Basic Clinical Sciences, and Sports Director, of Lagos State University College of Medicine, Ikeja, Lagos; and Prof Emevwo Biakolo, the founding Dean of Media and Communication Pan-Atlantic University, Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos.
Joko Okupe, Making a Point
The event which was moderated by Mr. Joko Okupe, an accomplished brand management and marketing communication expert, who is also the founder of Mindshift Advocacy for Development Initiative, got the participants and the general audience – both those on the ground psychically, and those who joined online – agitated and reflective, as so many salient issues concerning the male gender from cradle to old age were raised and discussed, including the fundamental issue of men suicide.
More than ₦3 billion was targeted, but about ₦677 million reached the culprits, with recovery and prosecutions underway, reflecting how banks are responding to more sophisticated fraud risks.
Nigeria’s expanding digital banking sector is facing increasingly sophisticated fraud attempts, as financial institutions adapt to faster transactions and broader online services.
A recent case involving First City Monument Bank (FCMB), linked to fraudulent activity detected in December 2025, has drawn attention to how banks are responding to such incidents, with a focus on limiting exposure, recovering funds and working with law enforcement.
According to findings referenced in proceedings before the Lagos State Special Offences Court, the incident involved unauthorised transactions tied to a digital product. Early reports erroneously suggested more than ₦3 billion was lost. Subsequent clarification shows that over ₦3 billion was targeted, ₦2.4 billion was blocked and recovered, while ₦677 million got into the possession of the culprits. This outcome reflects the bank’s cyber security and monitoring capabilities, as well as improved collaboration among regulated financial institutions and with law enforcement agencies. Several suspects and beneficiaries have been apprehended, while recovery and prosecution efforts are ongoing, led by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Proceedings at the Lagos State Special Offences Court have resulted in convictions, including that of a repeat offender, with restitution orders issued. Related matters are also being handled at the Federal High Court in Lagos, where additional suspects are being tried in connection with the scheme. This process is aimed at ensuring that bad actors are identified and permanently blacklisted from the financial system.
Authorities say recovery efforts are continuing as additional funds are traced.
Analysts note that the pace of legal action reflects closer coordination between financial institutions and enforcement agencies in addressing cyber-related financial crime.
The case comes as banks contend with more complex fraud methods, including social engineering and automated exploitation of system processes.
As digital products and platforms expand, so too does the risk associated with cyber-crime and related fraud.
“The scale of digital banking means risks are evolving alongside the systems,” said a Lagos-based financial analyst. “Institutions are now judged by how they manage these events.”
Observers say the sector is moving toward a stronger focus on response and recovery, rather than prevention alone.
This includes improving monitoring capabilities, strengthening transaction controls and enhancing collaboration with regulators and law enforcement. The FCMB case, with limited exposure relative to the amount targeted and ongoing recovery, reflects that shift.
For customers, the primary concern is the safety of their funds. In this case, there has been no indication of losses affecting customer deposits. Maintaining that level of protection remains central to sustaining trust in the financial system.
Nigeria’s financial sector continues to grow, supported by digital innovation and expanding access to banking services.
However, analysts say fraud attempts are likely to persist as systems become more complex and interconnected.
They say institutions will increasingly be judged not only on their ability to prevent incidents, but on how effectively they respond and recover when they occur.
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Ex-APC Deputy Guber flag bearer, Joshua MacIver backs Tinubu, express fears over implosion in Bayelsa APC
….congratulates new State Party Chairman, Warman Ogoriba
APC Deputy Governorship Candidate in the 2023 general elections in Bayelsa State, Great Joshua MacIver has declared his total commitment to the re-election of President Bola Tinubu come 2027, declaring that the Tinubu re-election project is non-negotiable.
Great Joshua MacIver, in his statement titled ” BAYELSA APC CONGRESSES: GOING FORWARD, A CALL TO LOOK INWARDS” and made available to newsmen in Yenagoa, warned APC leaders in the state to look Inward and take note of certain factors which may hinder or cut short our victory.
According to Great Joshua MacIver, such noticeable pitfalls include the imbalance in the united front being put up by the State Governor,Senator Douye Diri among various political blocs in the state.
In the statement issued at the weekend. Great Joshua MacIver stated that “First, before His Excellency, Senator Douye Diri, joined the APC in the state, there were clearly two political blocs that made up the party, with the approximate population ratios of the blocs standing at 95% to 5%.”
“After the entrance of His Excellency, Senator Douye Diri, ONLY THE SMALLER BLOC IS BEING CARRIED ALONG IN THE AFFAIRS OF THE PARTY, leaving the greater percentage to their fate, and this situation has the potential to build anger and dissatisfaction in our dear party.”
” The consequence of this has been the high level defection we have witnessed in the party recently and we believe more may likely follow, if we do not put our house in order.”
” If we do not pull together as a party, we may witness a situation where we will lose key stakeholders, especially after the State and National Assembly Primaries as well the Gubernatorial Primaries.”
“Finally, while it is very clear that we are the party to beat in the 2027 elections and that our loyalty to Mr. President IS NON-NEGOTIABLE, we must make haste to say that we cannot afford to create situations or loopholes in our unity which will be exploited by other political interests in the state. We cannot afford to under-rate anyone.”
“Our core interest remains the re-election of Mr. President, a project to which we have committed our all. We also pledge our total loyalty to the party as we have no alternative to the APC. However, our concern is that we must, as a party, look inwards and ensure that we do not create loopholes that can impede our common goal.”
Great Joshua MacIver, however congratulated the newly elected State Executives of the APC in Bayelsà State led by Hon. Warman Ogoriba, saying their emergence is welcomed at this critical time in our national history.
At least 23 people were killed in a series of suspected suicide bombings, police in Nigeria’s northeastern city of Maiduguri said on Tuesday.
https://www.stanbicibtcbank.com/nigeriabank/personal/products-and-services/all-loans/stanbic-ibtc-mreif-home-loans
More than 100 other people were injured in the blasts that took place on Monday evening in the capital of Nigeria’s restive Borno state.
No group has claimed responsibility for the suspected attacks.
The deadly blasts come after a military post was attacked overnight Sunday to Monday, which authorities blamed on suspected Islamist militants.
This sad incident is coming barely two weeks after Primate Elijah Ayodele, the Leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church specifically warned against attacks in some states. He mentioned these states while calling on security operatives to pay close attention to them.
These were his words:
“Another attack is coming up in these following states where the military must watch carefully and intelligently; Kano, Kaduna, Zamfara, Kebbi, Niger, Borno, Kwara and Kogi state. They want to do a deadly attack, it’s preventable but it depends on how they will handle it. I have told you about the danger coming up.”
@primateayodele
Unfortunately, some of our military agencies don’t believe spiritual intelligence can save the country from so much danger hence, their neglect of this prophetic warning but now, it has been fulfilled with the miliary losing credibility by the day while Primate Ayodele continues to gain momentum.
Likewise, At least 26 passengers and crew sustained varying degrees of injuries on Monday following an accident involving the Kaduna–Abuja train, according to the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC).
Opeifa explained that the train departed Rigasa in Kaduna at 7:15 a.m. and was approaching Asham station around 9:16 a.m. when a loud bang was heard after the power car and trailing locomotive collided with one of the passenger coaches.
In July 2025, Primate Ayodele asked nigerians to pray not to see train mishap on the Kaduna-Abuja route.
@primateayodele #nigeriantiktok🇳🇬 #fulfillment #train #abuja #primateayodele
“Let’s pray not to see train mishap in Abuja-Kaduna, Kaduna-Abuja route.”
This has also been fulfilled.
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