BY dotun ibiwoye
LAGOS — An estimated 80 percent of Nigerians has been identified as un-banked.
Managing Director of Funds and Electronic Transfer Solution Nigeria Limited, FETS, Mr. Oluwadare Owolabi, disclosed this in a chat with newsmen.

FETS also said that the strategic large gap in the banking industry gives room for people to carry a lot of cash around.
Based on this demogra-phic divide, FETS, he said intends  to leverage on the mobile telephony penetration to increase the rate of financial inclusion in Nigeria.

He said that  increasing the un-banked Nigerian population dependence on electronic means of conducting financial transactions, mobile payment drive of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, will further assist the Nigerian economy in transiting to a cashless economy.

Owolabi stressed the need for Nigeria to transform into a cashless society in line with the global cashless revolution.
He said, “it is important for us to go into a cashless society. I have lived in the United States for 17 years and the maximum amount I had in my wallet was about 200-300 dollars.”

“You can go anywhere and withdraw money. This will reduce the risk involved in carrying money around.”
The directive of the Central Bank of Nigeria for a maximum of N150,000 daily cash withdrawal is laudable.” He said.

Former Lagos State Governor Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, yesterday, said that House of Representatives leadership should not be along partisan or regional lines as the House deserve credible leadership.

Tinubu stressed the need to balance the democratic institution reinforces the need for the lower legislative chamber to look inwards by selecting among its members those who are credible and could deliver.

He explained that there wa need for the legislative arm to have credible leadership, which should not be dictated by the swing of speculations or permutation, even as he denied that at no time did he rout for the selection of Saidu Ismaila Sambawa, as speaker, a development he derided as mere “Pepper Soup Joint speculations.”

He added that ACN will accept wholeheartedly, whoever the House of Representatives members select as their leader, as much as such a choice, is theirs .”

Tinubu said on the speculations that he was allegedly supporting the selection of Sambawa : “ I am not a gambler now, how do you expect me to respond to such gambling speculation as those who play coupon do.I do not play coupon that I will now start to per mutate, whoever the House of Representatives select as the choice of their speaker and other leaders , is solely their choice. What Nigeria needs now, is stability and action, not this kind of speculation.
The House of Representatives has the right to choose whoever they want as their leader.
All we have to do is to ensure that democratic principles, are applied and the question of zoning is not necessarily applicable.

One, we must allow constitutional democracy to prevail, we must encourage standard of performance, experience of the members and the integrity of the individuals must come to play, to ensure stability of the polity and the promise of transformation, that Nigeria needs.
Any other speculation to me is rubbish. I do not respond to hypotheses that are made out of Pepper Soup Joint. “
On whether he is supporting former Benue Governor, George Akume for the position of Senate Minority leader, Tinubu said : “The issue of Akume is our party’s question, and that question can be directed at the national chairman of the ACN.

Akume is my very good friend, I know him, he has being a governor, he governed Benue for eight years, he is a senator, he has served the first term, and now going for the second term, he has good character, if he leads the senate as minority leader, we will not find him lacking.”