Turn Your Phones into Profit- making Ventures, Saraki Tells Youths

Deji Elumoye in Abuja
The Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, has advised the Nigerian youths to be entrepreneurs by using their phones for self-employment and to create job opportunities for others.

Saraki, gave the advise while delivering the Fourth Convocation Lecture of Adeleke University in Ede, Osun state.

Delivering a paper titled, “National Economic Development Through Entrepreneurship: The Role of Private Universities in Nigeria,” Saraki said it has become imperative for youths not to see their phones as fashion accessories alone, but potent platforms to launch themselves into entrepreneurship and gainful self-employment.

His words : “I will say that it is perhaps true that Nigerian youths are not currently maximising the potential that social media has for stimulating entrepreneurship in many areas, including those that were unheard of just a few years ago.
“I would like to see more young Nigerians put what they learned in the university to impactful use by leveraging on the social media’s abundant opportunity for business ventures.

According to him, entrepreneurship starts with a mindset; form networks,”begin to see your phone as a business tool and not just a fashion accessory; get tutorials for starting new businesses or to ginger new business ideas. “There is no reason why any of today’s graduating students cannot become a Jack Dorsey, the co-founder of Twitter, net worth $5 billion – or Brian Chesky, a co-founder of Air BnB. Michelle Phan of the cosmetic business Ipsy is now worth $300 million – not bad for someone who first started by uploading her videos on YouTube,” he declared.

He stated that due to its belief that entrepreneurship is crucial to the success of the economy, the National Assembly has since prioritised the passage of landmark economic laws to enable Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to grow.

Saraki urged private universities to rise to the challenge of promoting private enterprises by ensuring that entrepreneurial skills are taught across various disciplines.
He said: “The education ethos ought to move away from the over-emphasis on theory-based approach and paper certification towards inculcating practical skills that support apprenticeship and boost innovation and industry.

“This is the place of Vocational and Technical education which provides that the youth imbibe practical skills that will not only make them employable but will also help the country to build an army of job providers,” he said.
The president of the senate also charged the graduates to be good economic ambassadors for their generation and for this country.

“Endeavour always to be a credit to yourselves, to your families, your communities, and your country. The motto of this university is ‘Education, Excellence and Character’ – I encourage you to be exemplars of this motto. Be lifelong students, live the knowledge culture; an individual that never ceases to learn, never ceases to grow,” he stated.

Bayelsa Community Gets Water Project from Oando, Partners

Oando PLC and its joint venture (JV) partners – Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC), have provided good drinking water to the over 5,000 residents of Agbere community in Bayelsa State, following the inauguration of a 20,000 -gallon water project in the community.

According to a statement by Oando Plc, “the initiative is grounded in the fact that water is a fundamental human need. Each person requires at least 20 to 50 litres of clean, safe water, daily, for drinking, cooking, and simply keeping themselves clean. Sadly, today in Nigeria there is an alarming dearth of access toclean water, and at Oando, we want to bridge this gap especially in our host communities.”

According to the statement, the laudable water scheme will drastically reduce deadly water-borne diseases in the community such as typhoid fever, cholera, diarrhea, dysentery, and hepatitis ‘A’.
“The scheme will also reduce the amount of time spent looking for water especially in rural areas, as noted by UNICEF – 19 million Nigerians walk long distances to collect unsafe water from lakes, streams and rivers,” the statement added.

The commitment of Oando and its partners was in line with the request of UNICEF Communications Specialist, Eva Hinds, who said:“Improving water and sanitation services as well as basic hygiene practices in Nigeria, calls for strong commitment from all partners-the government, civil society, the private sector and communities.”

He said: “For Nigeria to achieve the global goal of providing access to safe water for every citizen by 2030, it needs to make water, together with sanitation and hygiene, a national priority. This goal is closely linked with three key results for the country-good health, environmental sustainability and economic prosperity.”

In order to ensure the water scheme is maintained thereby ensuring it has a long life span and is able to support future generations in the community, the water plant came fully kitted with a 30KVA diesel power generating set with an external diesel storage tank and power connections as well as a shelter for the generator and treatment plant, a cased borehole of about 200m depth and a 10HP submersible pump, 3,000m reticulation / distribution water pipes with 30 fetching taps.

Speaking during the inauguration of the project, the paramount ruler of the community, Chief John Maseri thanked the JV Partners for completing and inaugurating the project. He noted that water was the most essential necessity of life and therefore, with the commissioning of the water project, NAOC JV has made life more meaningful for the people of the Community.
The Paramount Ruler promised that the Community will continue to ensure that a conducive working environment is provided for the company’s operations and Community’s development.

More Winners Emerge in Diamondxtra Season 10
More winners have emerged in the DiamondXtra Season 10 scheme as the bank recently unveiled 1,016 winners in the second quarterly draw held at Asa – Afariogun, Ajao Estate, Lagos State.

Addressing journalists after the draw, Head, Mass Market at the bank, Osita Ede said the DiamondXtra Season 10 promises bigger and better rewards for the esteemed customers of the bank.
He also stated that the DiamondXtra draws would reward a total of 1,016 customers each quarter -producing a star winner of a brand-new Hyundai car, one winner of an education grant for five years, two winners of a rent grant worth N1, 000,000 each and other prizes.

A targeted draw for customers in Isolo and Ajao environs preceded the quarterly draw and saw customers winning cash prizes ranging from N50,000 to N100,000 amongst other mouth-watering prizes.

“The DiamondXtra reward scheme is open to new and existing customers and all you need to do is to visit the nearest Diamond Bank branch, open a DiamondXtra account and fund it with N5,000. The more the multiples of N5,000 you save, the higher your chances of winning. The draws scheduled for this season reaffirms Diamond Bank’s commitment to financially empower more Nigerians by spreading the draws across the six geopolitical zones throughout the four business quarters of the year,” Ede said.

Buttressing Ede’s point, Karimot Tukur, Head, Consumer Banking, Diamond Bank Plc, told journalists that DiamondXtra is aimed at rewarding the bank’s loyal customers, enabling them pay rents, school fees and empowering more Nigerians financially.
Manager, Technology Advisory, KPMG, Kenneth Ukanwa, in his address, said that KPMG was working with Diamond Bank to ensure that the procedure set out for the draw is transparent.

Head, Surveillance & Enforcement, Consumer Protection Council (CPC), Mr. Anyanwu Camillus said the CPC saddled with ensuring that the rights of the customers of the Bank who qualify for the draw are protected and that all winners are duly rewarded.

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