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Kaduna Women Now Give Daughters To Bandits For Money — Commissioner

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Hafsat Baba, Kaduna commissioner for human services and social development has disclosed that women now give their daughters to bandits for money.

Baba who said this on Wednesday at the 22nd meeting of the National Council on Women Affairs held in Abuja called for urgent steps to address the issue.

Speaking as a panelist on girl child development and school safety, the commissioner said parents who offer their daughters as house-helps and hawkers are contributing to the rate of out-of-school girls in the country.

According to the data from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), 60 percent of the over 10 million out-of-school children in Nigeria are girls.

The commissioner expressed concern over parents’ attitude towards ensuring the safety of their children.

“We have talked about insecurity but we also have a little thing to blame. What about these informants? They are from us, they inform the bandits because they have made it a business. I see women even giving their children to the bandits, to go and sleep with the bandits in order to make money,” she said.

“If you look at our streets, you will see them going about with their little bowls and the most disturbing thing is that the children have now become the breadwinners of the family.

“Even apart from insecurity, we have these children on the street that hawk and engage in all sorts of menial jobs. Our young girls were being taken from their community, from their states to another state to go and become baby nurses, they cook and sweep.

“This also stops them from going to school apart from the insecurity we are talking about because that means that the child is not secured. If a child becomes the breadwinner of a family, what is the essence of the parents? What are the responsibilities of the parents?

“These are all things we need to sit down and look at deeply. How does it affect the girl child? How does it also affect the family collectively? Whatever intervention we are doing, we also need to learn from each other.

“It is our collective responsibility to ensure that we keep our children safe. Safety is very key both in school and at home. With the recent insecurity, it is now a wake-up call for us to be more vigilant as government, parents, community, and religious leaders. Security is everybody’s business, without security, children cannot go to school.”

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BREAKING: EFCC Declares Yahaya Bello Wanted [PHOTO]

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Yahaya Bello, the former governor of Kogi state, has been declared wanted by the EFCC.

He reportedly evaded arrest yesterday when the commission visited his home to enforce arrest.

More to come…

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Hydrogen, CCHub Partner To Encourage Fintech Startup Success

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As the country faces economic challenges, the need for adaptive strategies in the fintech industry becomes paramount. In line with this, leading fintech startup Hydrogen Payment Services Limited (‘Hydrogen’) has teamed up with Co-creation Hub (‘CcHub’) to host an insightful event themed ‘Adapting Fintech Business Models to Economic Climates’.

The event is set to take place on Thursday, April 18, 2024, from 12:00 a.m. WAT at the CCHub office in Sabo, Lagos, will delve deep into the intricacies of Nigerian economic challenges and how these influence the fintech ecosystem. Participants will gain actionable insights on how to adapt fintech business models to volatile economic conditions by prioritising flexibility, agility, and customer-centricity.

This collaboration underscores the shared commitment of both entities to empower aspiring founders venturing into the fintech space amidst economic uncertainties. By leveraging their respective expertise and resources, Hydrogen and CcHub aim to equip
emerging entrepreneurs with the knowledge, tools, and support needed to thrive in today’s dynamic economic conditions.

Emeka Awagu, Chief Technology Officer at Hydrogen, commented on the strategic partnership with CcHUB: “Our alliance with CcHUB amplifies our shared commitment to pioneering transformative solutions in the Nigerian fintech sector. By leveraging Hydrogen’s technological expertise alongside CcHU’s innovative approach, we are primed to set a new standard for fintech excellence and drive impactful change across the industry.”

The event will feature a distinguished panel of industry experts and thought leaders. including Ina Alogwu, Group Director, Digital Transformation, ARM HoldCo; Emeka Awagu, Chief Technology Officer, Hydrogen; and Miracle Ezechi, Digital Marketing Manager, Hydrogen.

The panel discussion will be moderated to encourage an engaging and insightful conversation on the strategies and innovations required to thrive in the Nigerian fintech landscape amidst economic challenges.

Interested attendees are encouraged to register here and reserve a spot.

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ECONOMY: CBN Not Using Foreign Reserves To Defend Naira — Olayemi Cardoso

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The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Olayemi Cardoso, asserts that the nation is not defending the value of the naira with its foreign reserves.

He made this known on Wednesday in Washington, DC, where he is attending the International Monetary Fund-World Bank Spring Meetings.

Cardoso said $600 million came into Nigeria’s reserves account within the last two days.

The naira has appreciated against the dollar in recent weeks, gaining over 40%, from about N1,900/$ to about N1,000/$1 now. But while the naira rebound, Nigeria’s foreign reserves are dwindling, dropping to about $32.29 billion on April 15 — the lowest level in over six years.

Cardoso said, “What you’ve seen with respect to the shift in our reserves is normal in any country’s reserves where for example, debt is due and certain payments need to be made because that is also part of keeping your credibility.

“Other times money comes in, it takes it up again. Between yesterday and today, about $600 million came into the reserves account. We are looking towards a market that operates by itself, willing buyers, willing sellers and price discovery.

“The shift in our reserves has really little or nothing to do with defending naira and that is certainly not our objective.”

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