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With a deep-rooted desire to ensure that the average Nigerian entrepreneur is pulled out of the abyss of frustration and poverty caused by governmental and societal neglect, AACLE International, a United Kingdom-based company founded by Nigerian professionals, is set to launch an online community of entrepreneurs providing financial and other solutions to the business needs of each member of the community.

The focus of AACLE, which website launches Thursday, December 1st, is especially on young school leavers, young adults with viable business ideas and SMEs who they give business grants ranging from N20, 000 to N1million.

A statement signed by AACLE’s Director of Social Enterprise, Tosin Adebusuyi, avers, “The aim of AACLE is to help bridge the gaps as a social enterprise that provides a veritable and robust space for interaction among entrepreneurs on one hand; and interaction with solution providers on the other hand.

These solution providers are both private and institutional and they bring to the table the seed capital, startup fund, growth capital and expansion fund to existing and start-up SMEs.”

She continued, “By the time it is launched, aacle.com will become the biggest village, a global melting pot, for entrepreneurs across Nigeria and beyond where everybody’s interest is the overall welfare of the promoter and his/her business. This is the on-line network that brings sustainable solutions to diverse challenges of the Nigerian entrepreneur.”

Adebusuyi noted that some of the solutions AACLE provides include funding SMEs, finding practical and lasting solutions to take-off challenges, offering legal advice and assistance as they affect businesses, mentoring the needs of business owners and even going as far as ensuring the well-being of entrepreneurs on the platform among others.

Further, she said, “AACLE also hopes to empower the next generation of prospective small and micro entrepreneurs with business intelligence and start-up grants, provide existing and struggling small ventures with growth financing with no collateral security, support pensioners and the unemployed with small grants for business venture and provide free on-line counsel to the unemployed in the area of CV writing, job hunting and interview preparation.”

As part of its entry efforts in job and wealth creation, the Central Bank of Nigeria, through its Entrepreneurship Development Centre, has partnered with AACLE which gives the company more in-road into other parts of the country starting with the southwest.

According to Dr Olumide Ajayi, Program Director, CBN-EDC Southwest, “Every person that enrolls for the program enjoys world class facilitation and business development services which also includes writing of their business plans and post training field visits, access to funding from the CBN MSME intervention fund and other funding opportunities, linkage with established organisations for internship, as well as 12months of post training mentoring from the centre.”

The benefits are indeed innumerable. Though registration fee for the CBN-EDC is N5, 000, AACLE has offered to pay for 600 Nigerians who register on the platform and who possess a minimum of OND qualification and a BVN among other requirements.

BIG STORY

JUST IN: Nigeria’s Inflation Rate Rises To 33.8% As Food Prices’ Surge Continues

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The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reports that Nigeria’s inflation rate reached 33.88 percent in October, up from 32.7 percent in September.

This data is outlined in the NBS’ latest consumer price index (CPI) report for October, published on Friday.

The CPI tracks the rate of change in the prices of goods and services.

According to the NBS, the headline inflation rate in October increased by “1.18% points when compared to the September 2024 headline inflation rate.”

“On a year-on-year basis, the Headline inflation rate was 6.55% points higher than the rate recorded in October 2023 (27.33%),” the NBS stated.

“This indicates that the Headline inflation rate (on a year-on-year basis) increased in October 2024 compared to the same month in the previous year (i.e., October 2023).”

“Additionally, on a month-on-month basis, the headline inflation rate in October 2024 was 2.64%, which was 0.12% higher than the rate recorded in September 2024 (2.52%).”

“This means that in October 2024, the rate of increase in the average price level was higher than the rate of increase in the average price level in September 2024.”

  • ‘INCREASE IN RICE, YAM PUSHED FOOD INFLATION RATE TO 39.16%’

The NBS also revealed that the food inflation rate in October soared to 39.16 percent, up from 33.77 percent in September.

On a year-on-year basis, the food inflation rate was 7.64 percent higher compared to the rate recorded in October 2023 (31.52 percent).

“The rise in food inflation on a year-on-year basis was driven by increases in prices of items such as guinea corn, rice, maize grains, etc. (Bread and Cereals Class), Yam, Water Yam, Coco Yam, etc. (Potatoes, Yam & Other Tubers Class), Palm Oil, Vegetable Oil, etc. (Oil and Fats Class), and Milo Lipton, Bourvita, etc. (Coffee, Tea & Cocoa Class),” the bureau explained.

The report also highlighted that the month-on-month food inflation rate in October was 2.94 percent, showing an increase of 0.3 percent compared to the 2.64 percent recorded in September.

“The rise can be attributed to the rate of increase in the average prices of Palm Oil, Vegetable oil, etc. (Oil & Fats Class), Mudfish, Croaker (Apo), Fresh fish (Obokun), etc. (Fish Class), Dried Beef, Goat Meat, Mutton, Skin meat, etc. (Meat Class), and Bread, Guinea Corn flour, Plantain flour, Rice, etc. (Bread and Cereals Class),” the NBS added.

“The average annual rate of food inflation for the twelve months ending October 2024, compared to the previous twelve-month average, was 38.12%, an 11.79% point increase from the average annual rate of change recorded in October 2023 (26.33%).”

The report also noted that Sokoto state (52.18 percent), Edo (46.55 percent), and Borno (45.85 percent) experienced the highest food inflation in October, while Kwara (31.68 percent), Kogi (33.30 percent), and Rivers (33.87 percent) recorded the slowest increases in food inflation on a year-on-year basis.

In terms of month-on-month food inflation, Adamawa (5.08 percent), Sokoto (4.86 percent), and Yobe (4.34 percent) states had the highest rates.

According to the NBS, states such as Kwara (1.11 percent), Ondo (1.31 percent), and Kogi (1.50 percent) had the slowest rise in food inflation in October 2024.

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BIG STORY

Blackmailing Of GTCO, CEO: Court Constrained To Grant Bloggers Bail Due To History Of Being Serial Offenders

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Justice Ayokunle Faji of the Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered an accelerated trial of the four bloggers charged with defaming and cyberstalking the management of GTCO (Guaranty Trust Holding Company), including its Group CEO, Mr. Segun Agbaje.

The four accused—Precious Eze, Olawale Rotimi, Rowland Olonishuwa, and Seun Odunlami—are facing 10 amended charges for allegedly publishing false information about the company through various social media platforms.

At the resumed hearing of the matter on the 13th and 14th of November, Justice Faji also dismissed the bail applications, citing the serious nature of the alleged offences, which include charges that could lead to up to 14 years in prison.

The judge also held that one of the defendants – Precious Eze has shown the tendency to commit a similar offence again if let out as he is currently charged with a similar offence in another court and was only on bail when he went ahead to commit the alleged offence for which he is now standing trial.

Justice Faaji also highlighted the potentially destabilizing impact such actions could have on the banking sector, particularly since some of the charges involve cross-border activities on the Internet.

The defense counsel, Afolabi Adeniyi, had at the last hearing of the matter while moving an application for bail for the accused persons argued that the defendants should be granted bail on liberal terms, emphasizing that the charges were bailable and that the accused were willing to face trial.

Opposing the application, the prosecution Counsel, Chief Aribisala, SAN, urged the court to reject the bail request, highlighting the risk of the defendants absconding and stressing the need for an expedited trial.

In delivering his ruling, Justice Faji not only denied bail but also ordered an accelerated trial, underlining the gravity of the charges.

He also noted that the defendants’ actions challenged the authority of regulatory bodies, including the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), which had approved GTCO’s audited statements.

The matter has been adjourned until the 10th and 12th of December for continuation of the trial.

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BIG STORY

UPDATE: Friends Of Late Band Boy Insist “Overnight Beating” Led To His Demise, Not Suicide [VIDEOS]

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Friends and acquaintances of the late 26-year-old Lagos-based guitarist, Lekan, have raised new concerns regarding the circumstances of his tragic death, claiming that it was the severe beating he endured, rather than suicide, that ultimately led to his passing.

Lekan was found lifeless inside his room after allegedly consuming an insecticide liquid, sniper, following accusations of stealing money from his band leader, Sam Omo-Oba.

While initial reports suggested that Lekan took his own life in the wake of the allegations, his friends believe the brutal torture he faced at the hands of his boss is to blame for his untimely death.

According to a close friend of the deceased, who spoke in a video by a social media personality “Dr. Oyinlomo Diamond”, the beating began late at night and continued throughout the following morning.

A friend of the late guitarist also mentioned that there was no Snipper in the room where Lekan was found dead.

Recall that in a video that circulated on social media, Lekan is seen denying the theft allegations while being repeatedly slapped and punched by Sam Omo-Oba and other members of the band.

Despite the physical assault, Lekan maintained his innocence, but it appeared that the torture only intensified after his refusal to confess.

 

See videos below:

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