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NEVACO: The Newest Sherriff in town

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Dr._Emmanuel_Adeoye_(middle)[1] Dr._Emmanuel_Adeoye_(right)[1]

In 2004 a popular Nigerian pop musician released a song that took a swipe at Nigeria. Though so many thought the lyrics to be satirical, former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s reaction to Eedris Abdukareem’s Jaja-Jaga made headlines in national dailies.

The lyrics described how uncoordinated and hopeless the Nigeria project had become in the sense that nothing was working in the security, business, education and other sectors.

Contrary to the sharp criticisms and bashing the presidency lashed out at the artiste, the song was heralded by Nigerians as describing the reality in the country and captures the desperation, frustration and utter disconnect the citizenry had with government. It was, in a way, a plea by the artiste to the government to get things organized.

With the return to democracy in 1999 following long years of military regimes, there was certainly a lack of ethics and values in Nigeria and Nigerians.  There became an urgent need to urge the citizens to once again have a belief in themselves, the government and the country. There was a basic need to uplift the standard of living of the populace in the communities and ensure that they have a sense of belonging in Nigeria and get the best of social services, having the mindset that our political class had overtime encouraged disobedience to the rule of law which has inadvertently eroded the ethical value systems and belief.

The Federal Government, under former President Goodluck Jonathan, on March 17th, 2015 established National Ethnics and Values Department to critically examine the fundamental change in Nigeria that brought corruption to the glare of the public and looking into the importance of ethics and values in our system of governance with Dr. (Mrs.) Serah Jubril appointed the Special Adviser with a view to promoting inherent values of integrity, honesty, fairness and responsibility towards a positive transformation of Nigeria’s cultural heritage and ethical awareness the nation’s core values system.

Dr._Emmanuel_Adeoye_(centre)[1]Dr._Emmanuel_Adeoye_(2nd_right)[1]

After the historic election in 2015 which for the first time saw an opposition party defeating the incumbent government, Nigeria was seen to be in a path to self-realization based on the Change Mantra in which the President Muhammadu Buhari government came into power with.

And to achieve this, President Buhari established the National Ethics and Values Compliance Office (NEVACO) to build in Nigerians that self-confidence is needed. NEVACO is looking at developing the entrepreneurship skill of individuals to be self-reliant, developing code of ethics that will stand the test of time, developing code of conduct of ethical training for all staff, developing a broader social responsibility to showcase it as a source of group strength.

Appointed to shepherd this new establishment is Dr. Emmanuel Adeoye as its first Director General, saddled with the task of giving a new orientation to Nigerians to ethics and values.

 

Correcting the wrongs

According to Adeoye, the core responsibilities that NEVACO has now are to correct the wrong perceptions in the country and redirect the thinking of Nigerians positively.

NEVACO is established to correct the wrong, the evil vices we are doing in our country and society today. It is to make sure we do things the right way, which we have not been doing in the country, even the little child in Nigeria today want to make money by wrong ways. So, the aim of the commission is to educate people to be upright and sincere in whatever they are doing. For instance, you want to go to the ministry for something, you must have to bribe somebody to help push the letter, this act is wrong and we want to correct it. So, we are out to let everybody know whatever you are doing in the country, let it be ethnical, let it be done in the right way. Ethnic is to correct the abnormality in the society, to correct the misimpression by the outside communities.”

Being among the newest federal government organizations to be established there are fears that the current state of the economy would affect the effectiveness of the commission given the heavy task it has been saddled with in dealing with over 150 million Nigerians and also with the various experiences being witnessed in the North East, South East and Niger Delta regions.  But Adeoye dispelled those fears saying that NEVACO existed as the Foundation for Ethics and Values (FEAV) under the former special adviser, Dr. Sarah Jubril under the Goodluck Jonathan administration.

“If you would remember vividly, how Ethics and Value was been run, the former administration, appointed her Excellency Sarah Jubril as Special Adviser on Ethics and Values and later on my office was created, I am the first Director-General. So, based on this what was in existence before was FEAV   at the time, she was not been given fund so she has to use her NGO to carry the message which to me was a good idea, she started it as a corporative society to help the people with their communities.

“For instance, if there is cassava in a particular village, anybody can borrow money from the corporative and process the cassava, refund the money after selling and the loan given to another people. That was how the structures started going base on NGO bases, what the government is doing now is that they are interested, and decided to say let make it a proper structure. But, again, there is no fund, what we told the government is that we will create something to be generating fund, so that the burden would not be on the government alone. That is what the government is looking for, that is what everybody need now. Because the government can’t do everything, there’s no fund/money anywhere at the moment,” he said.

 

Not waiting for government

With a full knowledge of the task ahead the new DG embarked a sensitization programs aimed at introducing NEVACO to the grassroots all across the six geo-political zones in the country. The first was held at Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State over the weekend with a great emphasis on agriculture.

The conference tagged South West Convention on Ethics and Values sought to engage the people, listen to their complaints and educate them on the need to adhere strictly to the ethics and values of the country. The participants drawn from all sectors of the economy had open access to the Director-General. The core message NEVACO is dwelling on is the need for Nigerians to return to farming. Also enumerated were some of the attracting offers NEVACO spelt out to those who comply.

“We intend to create employment, by training people on different vocations. For instance, in Ekiti state right now, the yam flour Processing Mill is down; it has not been working for a long time. We are looking at NEVACO taking over the mill, we can talk to the people, they bring the yam to our warehouse, we can buy it from them, process it and repackage it for final consumption. We have to invest; we have to also look at bringing in investors to partner with us. We must find a way to create jobs/employment; we don’t need to wait for the government for everything.”

Adeoye made it clear that as a new sheriff tasked with preserving the ethics and values of the land, they are looking for partners that will work progressively with them to achieve the objective.

“We are looking for credible people to drive these programs, not just anybody that would come to destruct the whole process. Like I always tell people, Nigerian like to two things, they like uniform and they like titles. So, structures have to be on ground to correct. Everybody must know their function, not for a watch repairer to stand up and tell the whole world he is a managing director. In order words, we need to get the message of the government to the grassroots; there must be orderliness, structures for everybody to carry out their respective functions.”

 

Duplication of duties

With the Bill establishing the National Ethics and Values Compliance still under consideration by the National Assembly, some experts are of the fear that the duties of the compliance officers may be conflicting with those of the police and Civil Defense corps, an assertion Adeoye said isn’t possible as ethics and values compliance will also partner with the police, armed forces and civil societies.

“The police is established to act after the offence, the Police arrest because you are a criminal, the DSS arrest   criminals but NEVACO is a compliance office. We are there to correct everybody; all Nigerians. We are compliance officer and tasked to preach the change, ethnics and value to let people know their right from wrong. We are there to correct people, even the policeman can be corrected by a Compliance Officer. We were with the Inspector General of Police recently and we told them we are here to partner with them, we told them they also need to establish ethnics and value in the police force to deal with any officers that try to go above the law. Every department of our lives, every ministry, parastatals must have a compliance officer to correct abnormality in the country.  We don’t arrest, we make sure you don’t commit the crime. The police arrest after a crime is committed   but we are here to prevent you from committing the crime in the first place. We are going to partner with the police and already existing arm forces; we are here to enlighten people.”

Owing to the hard anti-corruption stance of President Muhammadu Buhari and his establishment of the War Against Indiscipline (WAI) as a military administrator with WAI brigade corps enforcing discipline at times with force, there has been some allegations by the opposition that the establishment of NEVACO is another form of Buhari bringing in attack dogs that will champion his anti-corruption cause. But the DG reassures that none of that is true as every advanced government knows the need to have an ethics and values department.

“Any serious government all over the world must have Ethics and Values, just take a look at the advance world. It duties is to correct, train and enlighten the citizen. In Nigeria we are developing and as a develop nation things like this will need to stay together as one. Other organization will come up in the nearest future that will are suppose to have. Even in the National Assembly at the moment have a committee on Ethnic and Values is to check them.”

The first test that NEVACO is likely to encounter is the turbulence being witnessed across the regions; Boko Haram in the North East; the agitation for Secession by the Independent People of Biafra (IPOB) and the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) in the South-South, how ready is the commission to send its officers to these volatile areas.

“You know as government, we are talking to everybody; some parts of the country feel cheated and feel they need to have their own share. But, most of the problems are even the communities themselves, they vandalize the pile and it will spill over and destroy their farm, some of them have different ship on the sea to hijack vessel and this is not helping the federal government. Resource control is what they are fighting for, they want to be in control, but this is one Nigeria they should know that there is no negotiation. Power belongs to the people and not one section of the country. They claim they are fighting for the community, but the communities are rejecting them, as we read in the papers every day,” he said.

 

 

 

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ZENITH BANK REWARDS HACKATHON WINNERS WITH N77.5M CASH PRIZE AT ZENITH TECH FAIR 4.0

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ZENITH BANK REWARDS HACKATHON WINNERS WITH N77.5M CASH PRIZE AT ZENITH TECH FAIR 4.0

 

A total sum of N77.5 million in prize money was won at the end of a keenly contested hackathon session at the Fourth Edition of the Zenith Tech Fair, themed “Future Forward 4.0: Embedded Finance, Cybersecurity & Growth Imperatives – The Impact of AI “, which held on Thursday, November 21, 2024, at the Eko Convention Centre, Eko Hotels & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.

The prize money was shared among ten finalists who emerged from the over 1,700 contestants that took part in the hackathon, with JumpnPass, a self-checkout technology solution reshaping the retail landscape in Africa emerging as the overall winner and taking home the grand prize of N25 million. This is in addition to a six-week mentorship and incubation program designed to help them grow and scale effectively, which will run from December 2024 to February 2025.

The first runner-up, CreditChek, a credit and verification service provider which leverages AI and open banking to streamline income and credit history verification for financial institutions, won N20 million and a mentorship programme, while the second runner-up, Salad Africa, a start-up which offers seamless integration of credit products for digital platforms and software companies won N15 million as well as a mentorship programme. Other finalists who took home N2.5million each include Regxta, CashAfrica, Middleman, Messenger, Pocketfood, Famasi Africa, Kitovu.

Earlier during the programme, the Group Managing Director/CEO of Zenith Bank Plc, Dame (Dr.) Adaora Umeoji, OON, in her welcome address expressed her appreciation to the Founder & Chairman, Dr Jim Ovia, CFR, for birthing the idea that led to the establishment of the Tech Fair initiative 5 years ago, she thanked him for his vision and foresight in utilizing technology to revolutionize the world of business and banking.

Commenting on the Hackathon, she said, “This prestigious annual event was created to empower and nurture young fertile minds. We hope to produce the likes of Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs and Elon Musk from the Zenith Bank Hackathons in the nearest future. According to the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics, 70% of Nigeria’s population are youths which is an economic asset when properly harnessed. This is part of the reason why Zenith Bank is hosting this event to support the development of technology startups. Their success not only fosters innovation and growth in Nigeria, but it also plays a vital role in creating employment opportunities for our youth.” She also stressed on the importance of innovation and embedded finance in ensuring strong and enduring institutions. According to her, “it is paramount that we adapt and adopt technology to stay ahead of the curve. We have seen various cases of companies that failed because of their lack of innovation. It is quite obvious that when companies fail to innovate; they can easily be displaced, so this is not the time to be orthodox, innovation should be a top priority for us.”

In his goodwill message, The Governor of Lagos State, His Excellency, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu called for a global approach to doing business in the country. According to him, “What we need to do is to be able to enhance our product and services in order to compete in the world. We can’t continue to act local, we need to think global. Anything that we’re doing now, we need to be able to know that we are not just serving a local market, we actually want to serve the global market, and that’s why I’m glad that consistently, for the past four years, I have kept up with the Zenith Tech Fair. I am sure 5.0 should be bigger and better than what we have today, but for us as a government, what we need to do is to continue to use platforms like this to reassure you of our readiness to provide an enabling environment for your ideas and innovative solutions.”

Described as a huge success by participants, the Fair featured the launch of the bank’s digital wallet, EazyByZenith, which will help to support the bank’s retail and financial inclusion strategy. The fair also included presentations on the leading technological innovations that cut across different aspects of life, such as Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity, Risk Management, Compliance, Financial Intelligence, Cloud Computing and Communication Technologies, with the keynote address, “Banking Transformation in a Digital World”, delivered by Robin Speculand, a renowned Strategy & Digital Implementation Specialist.

The event also featured goodwill messages by Jim Ovia, CFR, Founder and Chairman of Zenith Bank; His Excellency, Hon. Kashim Shettima, GCON, Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (represented by Dr. Tope Fasua, Special Adviser to the Presidency on Economic Matters). Other eminent IT practitioners from top global brands who also made presentations include; Robin Speculand, renowned Strategy & Digital Implementation Specialist; Danilo McGarry, Global Expert on Digital Transformation and AI; Jania Okwechime, Partner, Africa, AI & Data Leader, Deloitte; Rupert Nicolay, Director, Microsoft Worldwide Financial Services.

The panel session had Wole Odeyele, Client Technology Lead for Microsoft Inc. as its host, and featured six discussants including Ada Jabaru, Founder & Director, Nistad Limited; Funke Opeke, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, MainOne; Guy Futi, Chief Executive Officer, Orda; Dr Auwal Adam Sa’ad, Founder, ZamzamPay; Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, Director General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), and Engr. Bisoye Coker-Odusote, Director General/Chief Executive Officer, National Identity Management Commission (NIMC).

The Zenith Bank startup pitch competition and incubation program seeks to identify and fast-track the growth of high-potential Nigerian startups innovating in key sectors, including Embedded Finance, Cybersecurity, Fintech, HealthTech, Agritech, E-commerce, and more. The program provides an ideal platform for startups to showcase their groundbreaking ideas and gain access to invaluable resources to scale their businesses.

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NEW BPP DG COMMITS TO EFFICIENCY AND STAFF WELFARE FOR IMPACTFUL SERVICE DELIVERY

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NEW BPP DG COMMITS TO EFFICIENCY AND STAFF WELFARE FOR IMPACTFUL SERVICE DELIVERY*

*_…begins review of bureau processes to enhance government procurement systems_*

The Director General of the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), Dr Adebowale Adedokun, has outlined his vision to drive efficiency, enhance staff welfare, and reinforce the Bureau’s regulatory mandate in alignment with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s renewed hope mandate and his commitment to improving Nigeria’s economy. This was made known during an interactive session with staff of the Bureau at the State House Banquet Hall on November 20, 2024. Dr Adedokun emphasised the urgency of delivering results as well as improving trust in the government procurement system to support President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, declaring, “Let us work together to get value for money for Nigeria’s developmental processes and achieve President Tinubu’s mandate of making Nigeria’s economy better.”

Furthermore, in a bid to strengthen operational efficiency, the DG also announced key reforms, including introducing Service Level Agreements for the bureau’s processes ensuring that letters are treated within 3 (three) days, and ensuring reports are completed within 14 (fourteen) days. He also highlighted plans to secure a sustainable budget that would improve the working environment and provide better welfare for staff.

Dr Adedokun firmly stated the Bureau’s resolve to uphold its regulatory integrity under his watch. He warned that officers are prohibited from visiting Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) unless on official assignments stressing the need for officers of the Bureau to stay above board. He further declared that contractors are no longer allowed within the Bureau’s premises to ensure that officers can perform their duties without undue interference and influence.

Calling for a collaborative approach, the DG urged staff to embody the Bureau’s regulatory values by adhering to procurement guidelines, avoiding delays, and striving for excellence. “As a regulator, you must be seen to be guided by the procurement process,” he stated. He assured the team of an open-door policy, encouraging innovative ideas that could propel the Bureau to greater heights.

The session also featured a visit from former DG, Engr. Emeka Ezeh, OFR, FNSE, who led the Bureau from 2009 to 2016. Engr. Ezeh commended President Tinubu for appointing Dr Adedokun and urged staff to provide their full support to the new leadership. He encouraged staff to focus on leaving a legacy of excellence, saying, “Work in a way that you will be celebrated wherever you go in life.”

Senior Directors, including Engr. Nasir Bello and Engr. Isaiah Yesufu reiterated the importance of supporting the DG’s vision while emphasizing adherence to the Bureau’s operational guidelines. Staff also welcomed the session, sharing their perspectives on improving the Bureau’s operations and pledging their support for the new leadership.

In a related development, Dr Adedokun sought collaboration with the Presidential Office of Digital Engagement and Strategy (PODES) led by its Head, Mr O’tega Ogra, who is also the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Digital/New Media, during a courtesy visit to his office on November 21, 2024. The DG emphasized the need to enhance the Bureau’s public engagement and visibility in line with the all-of-government communications approach being espoused by the PODES.

Mr Ogra congratulated Dr Adedokun on his appointment and highlighted the key role BPP plays in advancing Nigeria’s development agenda. O’tega further expressed his commitment to collaborating with the Bureau in amplifying its communication efforts and ensuring Nigerians understand and appreciate its critical role in national governance.

Dr Adedokun’s leadership marks a new chapter for the Bureau of Public Procurement, focused on accountability, efficiency, and impactful service delivery. His vision aligns seamlessly with the Federal Government’s goals of economic transformation and sustainable development as well as President Bola Tinubu’s renewed hope agenda.

Janet McDickson
Director, Information & Public Relations/Head, Media-BPP

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Abducted Rivers bizman rescued, suspected robber arrested

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Abducted Rivers bizman rescued, suspected robber arrested

 

The Rivers State Police Command said its men rescued a businessman identified as Julius Madabuchi, who was kidnapped by a four-man gang at a filling station in the Oyigbo Local Government Area of the state.

The police said the man was abducted when the miscreants who were driving in a Black Toyota car stormed the area and started shooting discriminately before executing their plan.

The rescue of the man, the police said, followed a distress call sent to the command control room about the activities of the hoodlums on November 17 and immediately mobilised operatives to the scene, saying the abductors engaged the police in a shootout.

The spokesperson for the state police command, Grace Iringe-Koko, disclosed this in a statement issued in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital, on Wednesday.

 

The statement reads, “On the 17th of November, 2014, at about 2023hrs, operatives of the command received a distress call from the Room indicating that a gang of armed men numbering about four operating in a Black colour Toyota Corolla car shot sporadically and kidnapped one Madabuchi Julius at Sabbath Filling Station, Oyigbo.

“Operatives were swiftly mobilised to the scene and the hoodlums on sighting the police operatives drove off, but they were given a hot chase by the operatives and subsequently intercepted along Egbu Street, Oyigbo and a gun duel ensued between the operatives and the hoodlums.

“The hoodlums could not withstand the police’s superior firepower and eventually abandoned the victim and their operational vehicle with registration number RIVERS PHC 938 AH and escaped. The victim was rescued unhurt and the vehicle recovered. He has since reunited with his family.”

 

The state police image maker however said an investigation is ongoing while concerted efforts are being intensified to apprehend other fleeing members of the gang and recover their operational weapons.

In a related development, Iringe-Koko said the following day, precisely on Monday, operatives of the command acted on credible information, coordinated a covert operation at the St Lorinta Street, Oyigbo and arrested one Gabriel Morris, aged 25, at Mercy Ground in Kom-Kom, Oyigbo LGA of the State.

The state police spokesperson stated, “During interrogation, the suspect confessed to being a member of a syndicate that had been terrorising Oyigbo and its environs in recent times.

 

Iringe-Koko, a Superintendent of Police, listed items recovered from the suspect including one locally made pistol and a quantity of weeds suspected to be Indian hemp.

She added, “Investigation is ongoing, while concerted efforts are intensified to apprehend other fleeing members of the syndicate.

“This successful operation further demonstrates the effectiveness of the Rivers State Police Command in combating kidnapping and all other forms of crime in the state.”

 

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