Leading Multidisciplinary Marketing and Communications Company, Verdant Zeal Marketing Communications Group Ltd has announced plans to celebrate its 10th anniversary of providing media solutions in Nigeria, Ghana and Gambia”.
The anniversary celebrations slated to hold in the month of March will kick off with a thanksgiving service on Wednesday March 1, 2017 at its premises in GRA, Ikeja, a Photo Exhibition themed, ‘Journeys and Discoveries’, will follow from Friday, March 17 through Sunday, March 19 at Renaissance Hotel, GRA Ikeja.
The annual Verdant Zeal 6th Innovation Series tagged ‘How Technology is driving Africa’s new narrative’will hold on Thursday, March23rd, 2017 at The Civic Centre OzumbaMbadigwe, Victoria Island, Lagos. A Quantum awards night will be held on the same day while the anniversary activities will be wrapped up on Friday, March 24 with a reunion event.
Highlighting details of the event at a media briefing, the Chairperson of the 10th Anniversary Planning Committee, Nkiru Oguadinma noted that,“The events will be an opportunity to showcase what we have done and we decided to start with thanks-giving, which will host some of our key clients and partners and those who have supported us in the past 10 years”.
“The Photo exhibition will tell the story of our journeys across the nine different African countries we have visited. We go around every year, seek opportunities and then come back to Nigeria to see what we can do differently to win the future.Also, in exploring, we have our staff take images of places and we want to use this opportunity to show these pictures of places we have been to and have people come in and buy them if they want and the proceeds will go to our Corporate Social Responsibility Program – ‘The Good Cheer Initiative, through which we partnerand provide support for groups such as The Society for the Blind and Sickle Cell Foundation, AtundaOlu School for the Physically Challenged, Children Development Centre, Save our Needy amongst others”.
Oguadinma also noted that the Quantum awards would be awarding our first set of staff who are still with us, first client and other passionate people who have worked with them since inception.
Speaking on the annual Innovention Series, the Group Director, Content, Synergy and Innovation, Mr. DipoAdesida noted that, its focus on technology was due to recent evolvements. His words, “ Internet penetration in Africa has been gathering momentum over the last half decade as we seek to close up the gap on ICT with western climes and with all these trends, Nigeria leads the continent and is supposed to be among the top 10 internet using countries in the world by 2018”.
“In recent years, a lot of African countries have embraced technology as a driver of development. According to statistics updated in June 2015, Africa has 28.6 per cent internet penetration with Nigeria having 11.3 percent of the total penetration in Africa. This shows that Nigeria is a big player in the African”, he added.
Adesida further maintained that Africa is gradually moving from a resource-based economy to knowledge-based, innovation-driven economy. This he said, has helped in impacting our youths as more of them are exposed to the internet, share ideas with local and foreign friends and great minds are stirred up and our leaders are gradually investing in technology in ensuring that Africa is not left behind.
After more than five years of security restriction, the Federal Government has lifted the ban on mining exploration activities in Zamfara State, citing significant improvements in the security situation across the state.
Making the announcement during a press briefing at the weekend, the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake stated that the nation has a lot to gain from reawakened economic activities in a highly mineralised state like Zamfara that is imbued with vast gold, Lithium, and copper belts. He noted that the previous ban, which was good intentioned, inadvertently created a vacuum exploited by illegal miners to fleece the nation of its resources. He emphasized that the state’s potential for contributing to national revenue is enormous.
It will be recalled that in 2019, the federal government imposed a total ban on mining activities in Zamfara State due to the escalating security concerns, particularly the links between banditry and illegal mining.
Since the beginning of the Tinubu administration, however, intelligence-driven, coordinated security operations have resulted in the neutralization of key bandit commanders, significantly reducing incidents of insecurity. A recent success was the capture of one of the most wanted bandit commanders, Halilu Sububu, in a covert operation in Zamfara.
“The existential threat to lives and properties that led to the 2019 ban has abated. The security operatives’ giant strides have led to a notable reduction in the level of insecurity, and with the ban on exploration lifted, Zamfara’s mining sector can gradually begin contributing to the nation’s revenue pool,” Alake asserted.
The minister added that the lifting of the ban would also facilitate better regulation of mining activities in the state. This will enable more effective intelligence gathering to combat illegal mining and ensure the country benefits from the state’s rich mineral resources.
Commending members of the fourth estate of the realm for championing the propagation of reforms and initiatives of the ministry in 2024, Alake noted that the press have been key allies in efforts to sanitise the mining sector, and promote market reforms which have made the industry attractive to indigenous and foreign investors.
On the recent controversy surrounding the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with France, Alake reaffirmed the Federal Government’s position that the agreement does not imply Nigeria is relinquishing control over its mineral resources or entering into any military pact with France. He emphasized that Nigeria’s military remains fully capable of safeguarding the nation’s territorial integrity.
“The high point of the MOU is on training and capacity building for our mining professionals. We need all the assistance we can get in terms of capacity, technical, and financial support from abroad, and that wasn’t even the first we are signing. We’ve signed similar ones with Germany and Australia. Deliberate peddling of misinformation, despite facts to the contrary, is uncalled for, “the minister emphasised.
Dr. Alake also urged the media to continue to play its crucial role in educating the public about government policies in order to prevent ignorance, mischief, and the spread of misinformation.
Looking ahead to 2025, the minister hinted at upcoming policy initiatives aimed at revitalizing the mining sector. He revealed that the ministry plans to further consolidate reforms, enhance the enabling environment for investments, and continue efforts to reposition the sector for long-term, sustainable growth.
Segun Tomori, FSCA
Special Assistant on Media
to the Honourable Minister of Solid Minerals Development
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