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POISONED LOVE Episode 2

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"the GST department? What course are you offering?" he asked. 
"laboratory science". 
"it... seems you're new here? I haven't seen you in any of our lectures before". 
"yes. I'm kind of new". 

“okay, then. I’m Oliver, and you?”
“I’m Sophia”
They exchanged a warm handshake.
“come with me. I’ll show you to the GST lecture hall” Oliver said and Sophia walked along with him.
He took the longest route to the GST department because he wanted to spend some more time with Sophia.
It seemed he enjoyed her company.

He led her to the GST department and stopped at the entrance. 
"okay, dear. See you later", Oliver said as he patted her shoulders and left. 
Sophia looked at him and smiled. 

She was about going into the hall when she heard her name from behind. She turned around and discover it was Treasure.
“Treasure!” she called happily and embraced her. “it’s a good thing I finally met you”.
“I’ve also been looking for you. Welcome to Cariters. Come on, we might be late for lectures” Treasure replied and walked into the GST hall with her.

The lecture lasted for two hours and at that time, Treasure and Sophia were already exhausted. They decided to have lunch together.
They were still existing the GST hall when Oliver walked up to them, a napkin around his neck. 
"hi, Sophia" he greeted excitedly and waved at Treasure. 
"hi," Sophia replied. 
Treasure was starring at them. 
"uhm, how about we hang out for lunch?" 
Sophia was tempted to agree but quickly had a second thought about it. 
"I'd really love to, but, I'm already booked with my friend" she replied and adjusted the textbooks she held in her hands. 
"maybe next time" she added. 
Oliver starred at her for a while without saying a word. 
She was beautiful. He admired her. 
"okay, then. Next time" he replied and left with a smile. 
It seemed Treasure was just waiting for him to leave so she could unleash her curiosity. 
"when did you and Oliver become acquainted?" she asked with a grim look. 

“just today”, replied Sophia as they continued walking. “he was the one who showed me to the GST department.”
“hm. Well, you better be careful around him”.
“why? Is there something wrong with him? He seems a nice person”.
“well, yes. He might look like a nice person, but you know, there’s a saying that, birds of the same feathers flocks together. He’s a friend of a jerk”.
“a jerk? And who’s the jerk?”
“believe me, darling. You wouldn’t want to know him”.
They walked into the eatery together and settled down on a table.
They ordered for some light food and kept themselves busy with it while going through their lecture notes.
Shortly, Sophia saw him again – the unique charming guy. The guy that had almost held her breath in suspense when she first saw him.
He came into the eatery with some boys, Oliver included, and settled down on a table that was distant from theirs.
“Treasure,” Sophia called. “who’s that guy over there? The one sitting next to Oliver?”
Treasure starred at him and flinched.
“who? The jerk?” she asked with a disgusted look.
“wait, hold on. Don’t tell me he was the jerk you were referring to? What on earth makes him a jerk?”
“Oh, my Gosh! Girlfriend, don’t tell me you’ve also contacted the virus?”
“virus? What virus?”
Sophia was still starring and smiling at him.
“the virus that every lady in this school contacts about him.
“he’s a womanizer; a chronic one”.
“what?” Sophia shriek. “really? Does he have a girlfriend?”
“girlfriend?” Treasure asked and scoffed. “take a look around this eatery, Sophia. Just take a look around. Every single lady in this eatery is starring at him – every single lady. They’re all starring at him and trying to entice him. As long as you’re an admirer, you’re his girlfriend.
“I can fearlessly say he’s slept with more than half of the ladies in this school”.
“what? Are you serious?”
“of c, I am. That’s the kind of person Steven is. He’s indeed a charming guy, and that’s why he flirts with every single lady that comes his way. He uses them and dumps them.
“and you know, the worst part is, these ladies do you realize he has other lovers, but they still take delight in laying down their bodies for him. I just don’t understand how girls could be so foolish. They don’t mind if he cheats on them, just as long as they get a bit of his attention”.
Sophia was a bit debilitated by Treasure’s story. She felt bad that the guy she had admired was a womanizer.
Well, she really wouldn’t blame him. He was really very handsome.
“hm. So, tell me. Are you also an admirer?” Sophia asked.
“of course, I’m not. Please, you know I already have a date” Treasure replied sharply.
“you know”, she continued.” there’s this certain lady,Lily. Steven had broken up with her a couple of months ago after using her uncountably. She had almost ran mad when it happened. It’s a miracle she was able to return back here in school.
“right now, the lady who seems to be on board is Michelle. But, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t flirt around with the other ladies. When I say he has a girlfriend on board, I mean he has someone he uses for regular supply”.
“that’s too bad. I really thought he was a nice fellow” Sophia said.
She suddenly felt sad and weak.
*
She was done with her lectures for the day and walked along the road to get a cab. Her mom had texted her earlier that she would be unable to pick her up from school due to her tight schedule at the office.
Treasure was still having an evening lecture and she couldn’t wait for her.
She stopped by the roadside, hoping to catch a cab soon because she really needed some rest.
Still waiting, an SUV jeep pulled up in front of her and she wandered whom it might be.
The driver lowered his glasses and starred through the window of his car.
It was Steven.

Sahara weekly online is published by First Sahara weekly international. contact [email protected]

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Bank

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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Business

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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Blessing CEO Reveals Real Reasons Men Cheat On Their Wives

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Blessing CEO Reveals Real Reasons Men Cheat On Their Wives

Blessing CEO Reveals Real Reasons Men Cheat On Their Wives

 

Interestingly, self-acclaimed relationship expert Blessing Okoro, popularly known as Blessing CEO, has revealed that Nigerian men cheat for fun and not because they don’t love their wives.

 

Blessing made this known during an interview on Arise TV. She also claimed that men cheat because of the distractions they face in their marriage.

Blessing CEO Reveals Real Reasons Men Cheat On Their Wives

Okoro further stated that most men cheat out of ego and because the country does not have laws backing infidelity in marriages.

 

In her words:

 

‘’A lot of men cheat for ego, for fun. Not because they don’t love their wife or their wives are not curvy, it’s just lawless in the country that gives them the confidence to cheat.

 

“The fact is, if the law states that men who cheat will be jailed for 20 years, you’ll see that men can be faithful

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