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NCOY: FirstBank Powering Next Generation of Innovators, Entrepreneurs

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What did (the various territories that were later to be amalgamated into) Nigeria look like in 1894? How about a hundred years later in 1994? And what could Nigeria look like in the year 2094? History provides elaborate answers to the first two questions. Answers – accurate or near-accurate answers, that is – to the third, however, will rely entirely on the ability to predict/envision the future and work to invent and create the predicted future.

With a continuing shining legacy of nation building – supporting innovative financial, commercial and other developments in Nigeria and even Africa – one bank is already projecting beyond today to the year 2094 – exactly 200 years from its founding in 1894. The bank, First Bank of Nigeria Ltd, is not just predicting a bright, innovative future for Nigeria but is going all out to foster what is required to invent it. FirstBank is putting its money where its mouth is. The bank has been betting the farm on Nigeria’s young and emerging generation for decades.

Take the last two decades, for example. FirstBank has been involved with Junior Achievement Nigeria (JAN) for over twenty years as one of the many ‘fronts’ in the bank’s engagements with the next generation of Nigerians to collaboratively create the bright, innovative future that Nigerians dream of. For ten years now, FirstBank has been supporting the National Company of the Year (NCOY) competition, an extension of the JAN Company Programme, designed to help senior secondary school students better understand how businesses are organised and operated. The students will be required, during the course of the competition, to develop a business plan, establish production and sales of goods and services for their company, monitor progress toward goals at regular department and company meetings, maintain complete financial records, compile a report to stockholders, and liquidate the company at a given period with the support of a volunteer.

FirstBank’s partnership with JAN on the National Company of the Year competition has meant a decade of impact and innovation illustrated by the very nature of innovative products and services created by young minds to solve real problems facing society and the business systems they put in place in form of student companies to successfully produce and market the products and services sustainably and to impact their local communities. Consider the growing problem of fire accidents and deaths from gas explosions resulting from gas leakage in homes, offices and industries. The students from Taidob College, Abeokuta, through their student company, TC Achievers, created an innovative solution to address it.

TC Achievers produced a domestic and industrial gas leakage detector – a device which raises an alarm and sends SMS to the owner’s mobile phone once there is any gas leakage. Their innovative device fetched TC Achievers first position in the regional competition in Ogun State and at the national level in Lagos, earning them the right to represent Nigeria in Ghana at the 2019 African Company of the Year competition. Taidob College emerged from Ghana with four awards, the most by any of the participating Junior Achievement member countries, including Botswana, Eswatini (Swaziland), Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The Nigerian representatives won the following: Client Focus Award, Entrepreneurial Spirit Award, Facilitator of the Year Award and were second runners-up for Company of the Year Award.

The 2018 National Company of the Year competition winners who went on to emerge the grand winners at the Africa Company of the Year competition in Ghana same year, Inventive Explorers from Caro Favoured College, Ajegunle, Lagos were concerned about traffic accidents, especially in areas with school children crossing busy streets. Their innovative device, a rechargeable handheld LED traffic light, was designed to solve this real problem faced by various congested communities. Besides the grand prize at the Africa Company of the Year competition, they also brought back home the Access Award, given to the business that best exhibits the principles of global connectivity.

Guided by the same spirit of innovativeness and enterprise and a passionate desire to solve a real problem facing society that were at work when TC Achievers and Inventive Explorers devised their award-winning innovative solutions, the first runners-up in 2018, Brain Max, the student company formed by student representatives of Government Girls Secondary School, Abaji, Abuja designed a website and software application for connecting local produce farmers directly to their customers. Brain Box also won Best Corporate Social Responsibility Project Award on account of which they visited camps of Nigeria’s internally displaced persons (IDPs) to provide financial literacy and entrepreneurship education to occupants, including helping the IDPs to secure seed funding. It was the same inspiration for the second runners-up, Sharon Glory Ventures, the student company formed by students of Sharon Rose College, Saki, Oyo State who produced a water-level indicator to enable homeowners to determine the level of water in their tanks. Sharon Global Ventures also received the award for the Most Innovative Product.

In 2020, given the global COVID-19 pandemic, the FirstBank-sponsored National Company of the Year competition will be conducted virtually. The virtual format will, however, not take anything away from the allure and competitiveness that the competition has been noted for over the years. This year’s unique competition, holding on Saturday, 12 December 2020 at 3 p.m. (West/Central African time), will bring together six outstanding student companies across Nigeria to lock horns for a lifetime opportunity to carry Nigeria’s flag at the JA Africa Company of the Year competition later in the year, and possibly repeat the feat achieved by the 2018 Nigerian representatives.

The Virtual Company of the Year (VCOY) competition is the culminating point for the implementation of the Virtual Company Programme. The goal of the VCOY is to create a signature showcase for JAN and the students who benefited from the impact of the digital JA Company Programme. This pilot programme will be in two stages where the first stage will identify the top business ideas from each region and select the top five most viable business ideas and reward them with seed funding to fully develop their ideas into businesses. The second stage of this competition sees the introduction of top professionals across different sectors who would serve as the panel of judges to determine each student company’s performance against a set of established criteria. Judges look out for evidence of innovation and application of new ideas in all aspects of business and select the best team to represent Nigeria at the Africa Company of the Year competition.

Whichever student companies emerge as winners of the 2020 National Company of the Year competition, one thing is certain: All the participants, not just at the national level but also at the regional levels, will join the ever-growing and rapidly-expanding crop of young minds engaged, trained, prepped and reoriented in a FirstBank-sponsored empowerment programme to become innovative and entrepreneurial thinkers and problem solvers. The bank is supporting such programmes so the young participants will join it in the arduous task of nation building and inventing the desired future for Nigeria. FirstBank is confident that the young minds who come through the JAN Company of the Year competition will be Nigeria’s future Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Richard Branson, Larry Page and Sergey Brin. In their time and in the envisioned future for Nigeria, the country will stand tall, unintimidated by her Western counterparts, having been catapulted to the status of a leading developed nation by the young and emerging generation FirstBank has been betting big on for years.

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Food for Living: You Are Endowed with Success DNA

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By Henry Ukazu

Dear Destiny Friends,

Every living creature has DNA. Your DNA is what makes you distinct and unique from other creatures.  For the sake of emphasis and clarity, DNA means Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). It is the hereditary molecule that carries the genetic instructions for the development, functioning, growth, and reproduction of nearly all living organisms and many viruses. It serves as a biological blueprint, encoding the information necessary to construct proteins and RNA molecules that drive cellular life.

Nobody can function outside their DNA. Also, nobody evolved from nothing; we all came from something. When a child is born, the child will look like the father, mother, or a relative from either the father or mother.

As human beings, we all have the DNA of success in us. The mistake most people make is that most of the time, we think somebody will come and save us, but life does not work that way. Nobody, and I repeat, nobody will come and save you. We have the responsibility of saving ourselves, just like we have the responsibility of succeeding in life.

According to Azuh Arinze, success is not served on a silver platter (or “a la carte”); it is earned through hard work, perseverance, and daily effort rather than handed out easily. If you want to know how this works, imagine a 4.5 or 5.0 GPA student who earned A’s in all his classes; nobody did it for him, nor did he earn them by accident. No, he was intentional in succeeding in his academic endeavors, and he put in the hard and smart work.

The same principle is applicable for an employee who would like to rise the corporate ladder. The employee will be intentional in putting in the desired work.

It’s sad to see people who are always looking for a handout for cheap success. It’s instructive to note that nothing good comes easy. Whatever anyone desires, one must put in the work, especially if it is something of value. Waiting for someone to assist you or give you an opportunity might not be the best route to take sometimes.

Do you know when you put yourself out there, the universe has a way of conspiring with you to get what you desire and deserve? Experience has taught me to know that the more risk I take, the more opportunity I create. So, instead of waiting for anyone to reach out to you, take advantage of the internet and show your work. Fate might open the door to blessings and opportunities for you.

As a matter of fact, do you know that sometimes, when you put yourself out there, what you are looking for will begin to look for you when they see your work.

To understand how the DNA of success works, one must do what I call self-examination to know what’s unique about them and what they are naturally good at.

So, if you desire to make any impact, it’s advisable to use the magnetic power of the internet to broadcast your work as opposed to waiting for the traditional method of using television, radio, or newspaper to announce one’s work. The internet is indeed a currency if properly utilized.

I have seen cases where some ingenious minds who went viral on TikTok or social media were called upon to speak about their work. Do you see that we all have the DNA of success? All we need is activation.

I strongly believe we all have the potential to succeed because, given every equal opportunity, everyone is a potential achiever. After all, we don’t have dull brains, only brains that are undeveloped.  When we activate our brains, only then will we discover we have DNA for success.

Most of the great people the world has celebrated are simply because of the ingenuity they used in producing products that have solved problems, in addition to being a blessing to humanity. These great minds tapped into the subconscious power of their DNA. They didn’t have any other DNA that’s separate from what we have. They didn’t wait for anyone to literally show them what to do. They took their life and business into their hands and ran with it.

The same way they did it, we can do the same. All we need is to look into ourselves to know what’s unique inside of us. Nobody is more special or blessed than another. What makes some people appear more successful is simply their doggedness in being consistent with their life.

If you are asked, what’s your DNA for success? What will be your response? Trust me, a lot of people will have a different answer, but the true response is what made you stand out, what you are passionate about, or what one can do.

For me, my DNA for success is counseling, speaking, writing, and helping human beings reach their greatest human potential regardless of whatever they may have in mind

It’s unfortunate to see some people copying other people’s work instead of developing themselves to stand out

So, today, I will charge you to figure out what’s unique about you.

Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He works with the New York City Department of Correction as the Legal Coordinator. He’s the founder of Gloemi. He’s a Transformative Human Capacity and Mindset coach. He is also a public speaker, youth advocate, creative writer, and author of Unleash Your Destiny, and The Six Pillars of Success. He can be reached via info@gloemi.com

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Tinubu Honours Eno with Approval for Akwa Ibom Deep Seaport, Int’l Airport, Gets Two Million Votes Promise

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President Bola Tinubu has approved the proposed Ibom Deep-Sea Port and the upgrade of the Victor Attah International Airport in Akwa Ibom State to international airport status.

The President announced the approvals while addressing residents of the State at a rally held in his honour at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo, on Friday

He had made a similar promise during his 2023 presidential campaign rally at the same stadium, pledging to establish a deep-sea port in Akwa Ibom. He cited the Lekki Deep Sea Port, developed during his tenure as Lagos State governor, as a model for the proposed project.

Tinubu urged eligible voters to collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and participate in the electoral process.

“I heard from my friend; my governor; my pastor, on behalf of the people and leadership of Akwa Ibom, a request for Ibom’s Deep-Sea Port. Ibom Deep-Sea Port. It’s approved,” Tinubu said.

The approval came after Governor Umo Eno pledged that the State would deliver two million votes for Tinubu’s re-election in 2027 if the Federal government approves and facilitated the delivery of the Ibom Deep-Sea Port project.

“Give us Ibom Deep Seaport, we will deliver two million votes. This deep seaport is capable of unlocking the economy of the state, the South-South region and Nigeria at large,” Eno said.

On infrastructure, the President disclosed that he had approved the request for the Victor Attah Airport to attain international status.

He promised a better future for the people of Akwa Ibom, pledging investments in education, skills development, job creation and economic growth.

He said his administration would support the development of economic opportunities in the state, particularly through the cultivation and processing of palm produce.

“There is no reason why Akwa Ibom cannot use the value of palm trees and the palms here. There is no reason that we cannot create skills, developmental skills, that are enduring and everlasting,” he said.

The President said the port would generate economic value and promote development in the State.

He stressed that development must be inclusive and capable of creating tangible economic benefits for the people.

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Court Ruling: APC Afraid of Strong Opposition Against Tinubu, Says Osunbor

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A former Governor of Edo State and National Legal Adviser of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Oserheimen Osunbor, has accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of being jittery ahead of the January 2027 presidential election.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, Osunbor said the APC did not want a strong candidate to challenge President Bola Tinubu at the polls.

“I have said that repeatedly, they (APC) are afraid of any strong candidate running against President Bola Tinubu in the January presidential election,” Osunbor said.

The ADC legal adviser said the party and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, were continuing with their campaigns because they believed the court judgment nullifying Atiku’s candidacy would not stand.

“Our presidential candidate (Atiku Abubakar) and the presidential campaign is going on, unperturbed because we believe that this judgment will not stand and cannot stand,” he said.

Osunbor said the party would appeal the judgment to ensure that a higher court sets it aside.

He expressed optimism that Atiku would survive the current challenge, insisting that the former Vice President has the peoples’ support.

“Atiku will survive because the people are behind him. The force of the people will be greater than the force of those who want to enslave Nigerians,” he said.

Osunbor’s comments followed Thursday’s judgment by the Federal High Court in Abuja, which sacked the David Mark-led ADC leadership and invalidated actions taken by the party under the leadership, including the process that produced Atiku as its presidential candidate for the 2027 election.

Justice Peter Lifu delivered the judgment in a suit filed by Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former National Deputy Chairman of the party, who challenged the process through which the Mark-led leadership assumed control of the ADC.

Meanwhile, the party has rejected the ruling and vowed to challenge it at the appellate court.

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