Nigeria yesterday defeated North Korea 3 – 1 in a pre-World Cup warm-up match played at the Makhulong Stadium, Johannesburg.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is set to increase the minimum paid-up capital of Unit Micro-Finance Banks (MFBs) by 500 per cent to N100 million. It also increased that of State MFBs by 100 per cent to N2 billion. Under the micro-finance bank policy introduced in 2006, there are two categories of MFBs -State MFBs and Unit MFBs.

The immediate past Governor of Benue State, Senator George Akume has accused Northern political leaders of failing in their responsibilities to address the infighting and power struggling amongst leading political heavy weights from the zone.

President Goodluck Jonathan has directed the Ministry of Power to commence full implementation of the Power Sector Reform Act to create room for private sector participation and efficient service delivery to Nigerians.

The House of Representatives Committee on Public Procurement is apprehensive that a damning report by its committee against Total Upstream Nigeria Limited, TUPNI, which was laid on the floor of the House on 17 December 2009 is singled out for the trash can.

The Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker, Mr. Idowu Bakare, in a statement yesterday said, “the alleged face off in the House of Representatives between a few members and the leadership took a dangerous dimension, weekend, as the lives of the Speaker, Rt.Hon. Dimeji Bankole and that of one of his aide was threatened by some unknown person.

The Nigerian Guild of Editors, NGE, has urged stakeholders in the Niger Delta to support the Federal Government’s post-amnesty programme to maintain stability in the region.

AS the battle of wits between North and South rages over 2011 Presidency, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has said he was the most popular and acceptable candidate to beat in the contest.

This came just as moves by some Northern elders to scare President Goodluck Jonathan out of the race intensified yesterday.

FORMER President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday said that there was nothing wrong in President Goodluck Jonathan contesting the 2011 Presidency

SHELL Petroleum Development Company, SPDC, pipeline security workers, covering six flow stations in the Northern Swamp operation of the Anglo-Dutch oil company, staged a peaceful protest to Egwa 1 and 2 flow stations in Warri South-West, demanding salary increment and better working condition.

VARIOUS professional bodies and residents in the industrial town of Nnewi in Anambra State have made a passionate appeal to the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Ogbonna Onovo, to effect massive transfer of policemen in the state, if the battle against kidnapping is to succeed.

Except the in-coming chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, decides not to toe the path of his predecessor, Professor Maurice Iwu, the 59 political parties are set to lose N1.3 billion grant to the commission.

Inadequate power supply has choked the development and growth of Nigeria’s economy, particularly in the last two decades. The Punch Newspapers editorial of 22/3/2010 explicitly paints this reality.

The economic growth of any nation cannot be achieved without putting in place well focused bank products that could reduce poverty and increase people’s access to factors of production, especially credit.

Despite the challenges that the board and management of Integrated Microfinance Bank, IMFB, have been faced with, it is determined to come out stronger and bigger. In this interview, IMFB’s Managing Director, Mr. Adamu Ibrahim, takes us through the events of the past 9 months, steps being taken to regain public confidence and the recent injection of funds by an investor.