By Abigael Joshua

Inspiring confidence during an era of low morale, potential future global damaging economic recession and failing organisational models have been identified among challenges facing organisations in Africa, Asia and Western Europe.

These threats are fallouts of the COVID-19 and Russia-Ukraine crises. Their possible panaceas will be addressed by TEXEM UK at its programme coming up from Nov. 21 to Nov. 24 in Birmingham.

TEXEMs Director of Special Projects, Caroline Lucas, in a statement on the firms website, says the Strategic Leadership for Success in Volatile Times programme aims to equip leaders with the skills to deal with the uncertainty that tomorrow brings.

As a leader, you hope each year brings great fortunes for your organisation.

However, there is a lot that we do not know about tomorrow. So, as you wish for the best, you need to develop the core competence to prepare for an uncertain future, Lucas said.

She said other challenges facing organisations include supply chain disruption, new cybersecurity threats, low national cohesion, dramatic forex fluctuations, high level of inflation and, by extension, low customer disposable income.

Lucas said that dwindling government, business revenue and diminishing productivity are major existential threats for all organisations.

Specifically, she said political unrest, the upcoming election in 2023 and likely uncertainty in monetary and fiscal policies in a country like Nigeria would likely affect the competitiveness and comparative advantage of organisations and the nation.

Lucas reiterated that TEXEMs tested and proven methodology comprising of case studies, role play, games and working visits to companies would be deployed during the programme.

According to the director, this will be deployed to encourage participants to enhance their cognitive skills and improve their analytical rigour and evaluation skills to better assist them in managing ambiguity.

She added that this would make the programme an enjoyable, impactful, and memorable experience which would stimulate better strategic leadership competence.

On the programmes impact, Lucas assured that participants should expect to learn several actionable winning strategies on how to thrive in a future characterised by stiff competition, a fast-paced and challenging operating context.

Some ways to provide leadership for success in such times is by being agile, optimising the capacity of your organisation to turn challenges into opportunities, building resilience, prioritising your people and acting decisively.

You need these practical strategies and others to help steer your organisations plan for success in a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous tomorrow, she affirmed.

Prof. Rodria Laline,

Professor of Strategy and Governance, the Founding Director of the Harvard University Maximise Your Boards Potential Programme, is expected as a faculty member of the programme.

Laline has been CEO of Global Research and Development Collaborations with IBM, Hewlett -Packard, ING Bank, Royal KPN, Groupe Bull, Elsevier Science, Siemens, And Philips.

Another distinguished faculty expected is world-renowned London Business School alumnus Prof. Paul Griffith,

Professor of Practice and the Senior Vice President, Products at Ashridge Executive Education, Hult International Business School.

Griffith is the worlds first Management Professor to lead a team that launched a rocket to space.

He is a business leader with extensive experience in leading culture change and Business Innovation.

Cambridge University alumnus Ambassador Charles Crawford, founding Partner of the Ambassador Partnership LLP, Communication and negotiation specialist par excellence and public speaking expert, is a faculty on this programme too.

A qualified Barrister and Mediator, Crawford draws on 28 years of experience in the UK diplomatic service, much of it spent in former Communist Central and Eastern Europe. He is the winner of two Oscars for strategic communications.

The statement also articulates the following testimonials from past participants of TEXEMs recent programme in the UK:

I learnt about organisational dexterity, exploitation and exploration aspect of an organisation and how to strike a balance.

One major key takeaway for me would be that fear is our biggest enemy, and once you can conquer fear, you can do anything, Ann Iyonu, Executive Director, Goodluck Jonathan Foundation.

I liked so many things about the programme; it was very interactive and insightful, the lecturers were carefully selected, they came full of experiences.

Here we are, matching theories and experiences and interacting with colleagues from different private and public sectors. At the end of the day, we also carried out some exercises to test our understanding of the programme.

I have learnt about leadership, how to manage a leader and follower, and I am going to use this to improve my leadership skills when I get back home,

Dr Musa Zagi, Zonal Operation Controller, Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission.

I have read a few things about TEXEM before coming here, but my expectations were surpassed by any standard and by any way.

This training institute can compare with any other one worldwide. The packaging, the faculty, everything is just excellent.

More importantly, the module on resilience, the world is changing and changing very fast, it is those who can adapt to their environment that would be able to survive or be able to excel in the future, Michael Faloseyi, Assistant General Manager, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Razak Owolabi

Source: NAN News

By Philomina Attah

The Chairman, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye, has said that money recovered by the commission is paid into the coffers of the Federal Government.

The chairman disclosed this at a one-day Sensitisation Dialogue with stakeholders on Behavioural Change, National Ethics and Integrity Policy on Wednesday in Abuja.

The workshop is an avenue to sensitise stakeholders on its Constituency Projects Tracking Initiative which commenced in 2019, focusing on how well money allocated to critical sectors by government is utilised.

The project is in it fourth phase with the recovery of assets worth billions of Naira to the government, return of equipment to communities for whom they were meant.

Also, the project has forced a lot of contractors to return to sites and completed hitherto shoddily done or abandoned projects.

The exercise, however, led to revelation that some projects were excellently and completely executed.

Reacting to question on what happened to recovered assets, the ICPC boss reiterated that all the monetary recovered goes into the Recovery Account and the account is with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

He said the commission has no powers over funds or assets recovered from corrupt people, adding that it does not spend recovered funds.

The commission has a designated account for the recovery of proceeds of crime known as ICPC Recovery Account into which all recovered funds were paid into

Let me clear some of the misinformation out there. First thing is that, all the monetary recoveries goes into the recovery account.

And theres a lot of misinformation out there and its because there is a high level of cynicism. People do not believe anything righteous about the government.

But I can swear an affidavit I can go on oath and swear on the Bible. Since I resumed in ICPC, no one kobo from recovered assets have been diverted.

What is the proper thing? There is a recovery account the money goes there, thats one.

So if it is liquid cash, the money goes there and that account is in the CBN. This information is important for community leaders to have because most people just accuse and say things that are simply incorrect.

You can ask anybody that you know who has ever been the suspect of investigation by ICPC.

They have paid through remittance into the recovery accounts called ICPC Recovery Account, he said.

Owasanoye further explained that the Proceeds of Crime Act was recently passed and the law says, confiscation account should be opened and we have also opened one.

If you step out of our compound, all you cars you see to the right are sized vehicles, covered vehicles, because the procedure for disposal was not carried until recently.

We pressured until government made claim the guidelines by saying every agency now has responsibility to dispose of assets and put the money into the recovery account.

So ICPC has formed an Asset Disposal Committee which included members of the public as observers. The Nigeria Labour Congress, Nigeria Union of Journalists, Civil Societies, Bureau of Public Procurement all are represented.

Let them come and see what we are doing and broadcast it to the whole world, he added.

He urged the public to visit the ICPC website for information on its recovered assets, adding that such information has been on its website since 2020.

We try to put this information out there. All the recovered assets by ICPC have been on our website since 2020 and we have a digital assets record for all recovered assets whether interim or final.

Government doesnt have good reputation. Even when they are doing the right thing, citizens will say they have stolen the money.

People will grant interview and they will be talking with passion and you will almost believe them that what they are saying is correct. But sometimes, how many people can you correct?.

In explaining further, the three categories of assets recovery, Owasanoye added it was important for the public to be carried along for transparency purposes.

Its good to educate the public.

When assets are recovered, they are recovered in three categories.

They can been siezed, interim forfeiture and final forfeiture.

So, a lot of assets that dragged for years are under interim forfeiture. If at the end of the day ICPC loses the cases for whatever reason. The court might say we do not agree with us on some evidence tendered.

Like recently, we arrested somebody that used public fund to acquired 19 properties and we say this can not be his money.

We filed all the documents. The court said some of these properties can be acquired by the suspect.

The court forfeited four to government and left the rest of the properties to the suspect. We have appealed but there is nothing we can do, he said.

The ICPC boss maintained that under interim forfeiture, the properties would be under its custody until the court case had concluded.

We will mark them and put security there. We do not allow you to operate there except if they are perishable, we bond it. You give us the value of the assets. We hold it until the case is concluded.

He, however, stated that the new regime openly stated that before the end of the year, the commission would publish some assets that were under final forfeiture that have been valued and have no challenge in court.

We will wait until the court cases are concluded. If ICPC wins, the assets becomes government properties, if we lose it goes back to the suspect, he maintained. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Julius Toba-Jegede

Source: NAN News

By Tosin Kolade

The National Water Resources Institute (NWRI), has adopted Eco-hydrological solutions and innovations to manage the nations water resources potential.

This was the thrust at a workshop on Implementation of Integrated and Holistic Eco-hydrological Approaches for Improved Water Management in West Africa, organised by NWRI in partnership with UNESCO.

The Director-General of the Institute, Prof. Emmanuel Adanu, at the event in Abuja on Tuesday, said Jabi Lake in the FCT had been selected as the first eco-hydrology demonstration sites.

According to him, the approach uses simple solutions toward addressing the challenges in the water resources sector, as all stakeholders should embrace it.

So, anywhere you have stagnant water, you have a way of approaching it, because no water is useless until it is impure, so if you make it pure, it becomes useful at any environment you see it, so thats what we want to do, and eco-hydrology is one of the methods.

Now let me tell you one thing, if you go to your villages, anywhere you see stagnant water, the kind of plants that grow there are different from plants that grow in moving water, those are the kind of plants we intend to put around stagnant water to remove all the impurities in the water.

When those plants become yellow, it means they have rid the environment of those impurities. So we now intend to do that one intentionally in stagnant places, so it is just an integrated way of using nature to purify water, instead of toxic materials used in treating water.

Adanu, however, called for the support of all stakeholders in its implementation, saying bureaucracies in establishments would not do the country any good.

Mr John Ochigbo, the Director, River Basin Operations and Inspectorate, who represented the Minister of Water Resources, Mr Suleiman Adamu, said water was an important resource to lifes sustenance and for economic developments.

According to him, as the population expands, the need for water is increasing, with many environmental pollutions threatening the countrys water resources.

Ochigbo said discharges from industries and homes into the lake was abusive, hence the need to clean them up and for them to be more beneficial.

Jabi Lake has been approved by UNESCO as a demonstration site for eco-hydrology, and the ministry is here to support the UNESCO office towards the development of this center.

We are encouraging all relevant water agencies in Nigeria and across West Africa to make use of this demonstration site to be able to build their capacity to handle water resources management issues.

The lake was initially to serve the purpose of water supply to FCT before the Usuma dam came on board, it is an important water resource and needs to be protected.

Mr Dimitri Sanga, of UNESCOs Dakar Regional office, said that water was at the core of sustainable development, adding that it was critical for socio-economic development, healthy ecosystems and for human survival.

According to him, the incidence of COVID-19 has shown how access to clean and safe water and sanitation is critical and indispensable to avoid the spread of the virus.

Given the importance of water, UNESCO works to build the scientific knowledge base, to help its member states manage their water resources in a sustainable manner.

We work through the Intergovernmental Hydrology Programme (UNESCO-IHP), through leading the UN-wide World Water Development around the world.

Sanga said that the partnership would contribute to the achievement of human sustainable development goals and build the resilience of ecosystems in member states. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Ese E. Eniola Williams

Source: NAN News

By Tosin Kolade

Minister of Water Resources, Engr. Suleiman Adamu, on Monday, called on the private sector and other stakeholders to be involved in the protection of the nations rivers from man-made pollution.

Adamu made this call at an event commemorating the 2022 World Rivers Day, with the theme: The Importance of Rivers to Biodiversity, in Abuja.

He said that challenges, such as pollution through dumping of refuse and untreated sewage wastes, open defecation, urbanisation and climate change were still affecting the nations waterways.

According to him, rivers have rights and they need to be healthy, as this is critical for promoting livelihood support and sustenance to those who depend on them.

He said that private individuals and volunteers had a huge role to play in protecting rivers and lakes, adding that this was crucial for public health and socio-economic development.

We are in a society where everybody is waiting for government to do everything; this is not supposed to be the case; I will like to see volunteers and champions.

We need to create an arrangement where the society and people take ownership themselves. These things are not owned by government. So people should be able to come and take ownership and do the needful.

We are sending the message and we hope that the citizens will come to do the needful, even if its just a question of, okay, I will not drop this bottle in this river.

I think you have done enough if we can get people to stop polluting the rivers; that will be a major achievement, he said.

The minister said he had mandated the 12 River Basin Development Authorities and Agencies to carry out regular and increased advocacy programmes for rivers restoration, protection and conservation.

This, he said, would be done within the framework of Integrated River Basin Management, for the overall development and management of all water resources.

Earlier, the ministrys Permanent Secretary, Dame Didi Walson-Jack, said that rivers had been degraded, diverted, and polluted at high cost to people and the earths living system for a long time.

She stressed the need for scaling up national efforts toward rivers remediation, protection and conservation in the interest of the present and future generations.

Prof. Ramah Elfithri, Representative, Regional Centre for Integrated River Basin Management in Nigeria, urged all stakeholders to do more to protect rivers water quality.

According to her, the quality of the countrys rivers and lakes will ensure livelihood support for those living around them.

She also called for more measures to protect the biodiversity of all water resources, saying that this would promote inclusive development.

Highlights of the event were a memorial tree planting and symbolic river clean up at Jabi Lake in the FCT. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Wale Sadeeq

Source: NAN News

By Sumaila Ogbaje

The Military Pensions Board (MPB) says it is yet to fix date for verification of military pensioners urging them to disregard the publication which said the exercise would commence on Nov. 26.

The Public Relations Officer of the board, Flt.-Lt. Abdullahi Gambo, said this in a statement on Monday in Abuja.

Gambo described the information as fake, saying that it did not emanate from the board.

He clarified that the purported story was lifted from the website of a popular newspaper which was published in 2017 during the preparation for the 2017 verification exercise.

Although, the board is working towards conducting a verification exercise of military pensioners on its payroll, the board will adequately inform military pensioners of the date and time when all preparation for the exercise are concluded.

Accordingly, our esteemed military retirees are please urged to remain calm and patient.

Finally, all military pensioners are advised to always rely on established official means of communication provided by the board to source their information.

Pensioners can call the Board on 09087447782 or 09087994694 or send an email to [email protected] in order to confirm any issue that concerns them, he added.

He said the board appreciated the retirees for their usual support and understanding. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Maharazu Ahmed

Source: NAN News

By Abbas Bamalli

The Management of Katsina United Football Club has invited 120 indigenous players across 34 local government areas of the state for talent hunt and screening.

The spokesperson of the club, Mr Nasir Gide, disclosed this in a statement issued to newsmen in Katsina.

According to him, the screening is scheduled to hold between Sept. 28 and Oct. 6 at Muhammadu Dikko Stadium Katsina.

He explained that participants were expected to arrive at the venue by 10 a.m on Wednesday.

The exercise is meant to revamp the team and also to give more chances and playing time to the home based players, he said.

According to him, the clubs Director of Football Development, Mr Saleh Yusuf, said the slots for the players were given, depending on the profession of the active football teams in the local governments areas.

Katsina local government, being the centre, carried 20 slots with some of the players from the Junior Katsina United FC.

The director stated that feeding and accommodations will be provided to all the invited players.

The invited players are therefore urged to exhibit sportsmanship and discipline during the screening and assured that fairness and just consideration will be done to whoever deserves to be registered with the club.

The management expressed gratitude to the state sports Commissioner, Dr Bishir Gambo-Saulawa, for giving the state home based players a chance to exhibit their talents.

Gide reported Yusuf as saying this would greatly improve the performance of the players and the development of football in general. (NAN)

Edited by Idris Abdulrahman

Source: NAN News

By Kadiri Abdulrahman

As the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) holds its Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting on Monday, some stakeholders project a hike in policy rates.

This is against the backdrop of global monetary policy trend, which has seen the American Central Bank (The Fed), and the Bank of England increasing Monetary Policy Rates (MPR).

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the MPR is the benchmark interest rate that guides all other rates in the financial market.

The MPC had raised the MPR by 100 basis points from 13 per cent to 14 per cent in its last meeting in July.

The July increase represented the second consecutive hike in the MPR within two months.

The committee had in May, and for the first time since September 2020, increased MPR by 150 basis points from 11.5 per cent to 13 per cent.

According to Prof. Umhe Uwaleke, an economist, the MPC is likely to increase the MPR again by at least 50 basis points.

Uwaleke, a Professor of Economics from Nasarawa State University, said that his projection was informed by rising inflation rates as well as the trend in the some developed countries.

Judging from the recent shift in monetary policy stance from accommodative to contractionary in deference to the CBNs primary mandate of price stability.

And against the backdrop of rising inflation, the MPC is most likely to increase the MPR by at least 50 basis points.

Aside inflationary pressure and the need to tame it, the MPC will be considering current global monetary developments such as the hike in policy rates by central banks in developed countries.

For example, the U.S. Federal Reserve recently increased the benchmark rate by 75 basis points while the Bank of England increased by 50 basis points, he said.

Uwaleke said that these monetary tightening by central banks of U.S. and the UK continued to trigger capital outflows from Nigeria with negative implications on the exchange rate.

So, the MPC will equally consider this as justification for increasing MPR, he said.

The economist, however, urged the MPC to hold the prevailing rates constant as tightening may not tame inflationary trend.

Be that as it may, if I were a member of the MPC, I would vote for a hold position. In other words, I would advise that the policy rates be held.

This is because the major drivers of inflation in Nigeria today are cost-push related rather than demand-pull.

Further policy tightening may not really tame inflationary pressures that are stemming more from high cost of energy and negative impact of insecurity on food output.

Furthermore, any hike in rate at this time will hurt output growth through higher cost of lending to SMEs.

In view of the current tepid real GDP growth, I will advise the MPC to maintain the status quo and give more time to the current CBN monetary policy to permeate the economy, he said.

Dr Tope Fasua, an economist, also urged the MPC to retain the subsisting rates as past rates increase had not tamed inflation.

Though I expect that they may further raise rates, my advice to the MPC will be that they hold rates.

We have raised rates by 250 basis points in the last two meetings but inflation has surged further.

This means that our own inflation is not tightly linked with interest rates and may recede in its own time.

Ours is a bit of a carryover from the COVID-19 era of production shut down and imported inflation because our economy is dependent on foreign ones battling inflation presently, he said.

According to Fasua, raising rates further will only be a continuation of punishment for local industries that borrow locally and are struggling to achieve previous levels of productivity post COVID-19.

Banks are always quick to raise lending rates anyway. The CBN had to recently force them to increase savings rates.

Their margins are always so high, so the committee and CBN must be careful about raising rates, he said.

A financial expert, Mr Okechukwu Unegbu, urged fiscal and monetary authorities to look beyond the MPC and work together to save the economy from negative external influence.

Unegbu is a past President of the Chattered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN).

He particularly decried the negative effect of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict on the Nigerian economy and called for policies decisions that could insulate the Nigerian economy from such incidents. (NAN)

Edited by Ese E. Eniola Williams

Source: NAN News

China has achieved initial success in new infrastructure construction, which has greatly facilitated the countrys social and economic development over the past decade, officials said on Monday.

Zhang Zhihua, an official with the National Development and Reform Commission said at a news conference that China had quickened its steps in upgrading information infrastructure as well as advancing infrastructure integration and innovation.

Zhang said that the length of Chinas optical fiber network had increased 2.7 times over the past decade, and the number of data centre racks has topped 5.9 million.

According to him, smart devices are being integrated into various industries and businesses such as transport, energy supply, and industrial production, as well as facilities concerning peoples wellbeing like e-commerce, telemedicine, and online education.

In terms of innovation, Zhang said up to 32 of Chinas planned 77 major national science and technology infrastructure projects had been put into operation.

He said centres on engineering research, enterprise technology, and industrial innovations were being set up across the country.

According to him, new infrastructure has greatly empowered Chinas economic and social development by offering sustained support to new technology exploration, effectively backing the development of the digital economy and fully facilitating the improvement of peoples wellbeing.

While each round of scientific and technological revolution introduces new infrastructure, each round of infrastructure construction will bring in an upgrade in economic transformation, he said.

Also speaking,Song Wen, an official with the National Energy Administration, said that with the energy sector seeking a faster shift to digital, internet-based, and smart-tech models, progress had been made.

In fields such as smart grid, mining, and power generation, as well as energy storage, he said.

Wen said that the coverage rate of Chinas power distribution automation system had exceeded 90 per cent by 2021.

He said that the country had seen the completion of more than 800 smart mining sites and a number of 5G plus smart thermal power plants. (Xinhua/NAN)

Edited by Ese E. Eniola Williams

Source: NAN News

The central parity rate of the Chinese currency renminbi, or the Yuan weakened 378 pips to 7.0298 against the dollar on Monday.

This is according to the China Foreign Exchange Trade System.

In Chinas spot foreign exchange market, the Yuan is allowed to rise or fall by two per cent from the central parity rate each trading day.

The central parity rate of the Yuan against the dollar is based on a weighted average of prices offered by market makers before the opening of the interbank market each business day. (Xinhua/NAN)

Edited by Remi Koleoso/Ese E. Eniola Williams

Source: NAN News

By Jessica Dogo

The Nigeria National Christian Coalition (NNCC) says no tribe or religion can build the country alone, adding that nation-building is a collective responsibility.

NNCC said this in a communiqu at the end of the annual Meet the Church summit by its Convener, Pastor Titi Oluwadare, on Sunday in Abuja.

According to Oluwadare, working together and investing wisdom are key to nation-building.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the programme, which had more than 700 participants, had the theme: The Role of the Church in Nation Building.

Oluwadare called on the Church to fight for justice for everyone, including Christians and adherents of other religions.

She said that the indivisibility of justice, and being vigilant to protect the rights of humans as enshrined in the constitution would go a long way.

No tribe or religion can build the country alone, thus all must work together and invest wisdom which is the application of the right knowledge.

Equal opportunities and access to wealth to every Nigerian and inclusion of youth and women in all national calculations must be treated with the sense of urgency that it deserves.

There should be counterpart equity in all policies that will be passed into law.

The banking sector, sharing of political and government offices or ambassadorial positions must recognise all interests identified in Nigeria, she said.

She called for selfless and visionary leadership, and a trans-generational process of producing leaders with requisite character, competence and conscious of the consequences of their actions and inactions.

She said the creation and development of strong institutions, structures, policies and strategies were applicable to everyone, adding that there was the need to realise previous mistakes and usher in a new Nigeria.

To establish credible elections, the Federal Government must derive their governance from the governed.

It is of utmost importance that there is a national vision, a national dream and nationhood premised on national shared core values.

Furthermore, we need to put in place, a national strategic purpose and the national will to pursue and enforce the purpose, she said.

According to the former Deputy Governor of Taraba State, Dr Danjuma Gani, the decisions made today and the actions that follow will greatly affect Nigeria and Nigerians.

Gani called on Christians to participate in electoral processes come 2023.

A nation is built upon the vision and values of the founding fathers which, more often than not, are a God-given ideal to see to the business of nation building, national transformation and prosperity.

Whatever we do must be accomplished with a clear vision, strong value systems rational thinking with a critical mass of information populace fully engaged in the project of nation building, he said.

NAN also reports that the summit comprised three plenary sessions and four interactive group sessions.

The conversations were aimed at identifying the role of the Church in nation building and charting a new course for credible elections with the critical inclusion of all stakeholders in the nation. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Kadiri Abdulrahman/Idris Abdulrahman

Source: NAN News