FirstBank has achieved the recertification of the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) in 2014, having been one of the first top-tier banks in Nigeria to obtain the certification in 2013. The certification is renewable annually as demanded by the standard and regulators following a rigorous audit of the Bank’s payment card security processes environment.

As the NASD Over the Counter, OTC Market activity continues to rise, about 15 participating institutions in the market have accounted for 93.8 per cent of the trade done in the year 2014 Of the 86 participating institutions, 37 had traded on the NASD OTC market by the end of 2014. The top 5 traders accounted for 62.9 per cent of total market activity.

PORT HARCOURT—RIVERS State chapter of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has insisted that it will use the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium in Ikwerre Local Government Area for its presidential rally on Wednesday this week.

ABUJA—Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, has called on Nigerians to unite against all forms of electoral violence.

Phillips Oduoza, Group Managing Director/CEO, United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc has urged investors in Nigeria not to panic over falling crude oil prices and exchange rate volatility as the country has enough reserves to support the local currency.

Lagos—Security agencies in the country have been urged to provide the necessary protection for the safety of journalists during and after the coming elections.

“The last case of polio virus in Nigeria was reported in July 2014 and making it six months without the incidence of polio virus in Nigeria. What it means is that no child has been paralyse as a result of polio virus in Nigeria in six months”,—Tomori

lagos—The E-Eleven, a forum of Ekiti stakeholders, yesterday distanced the people of the state from the state governor, Ayodele Fayose’s advert, insinuating that the Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, General Muhammad Buhari, (rtd), will die in office if elected on February 14th.

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Senatorial candidate for Ogun Central, Dr. Bisola Sodipo-Clark, has promised to build on the achievements of his grandfather who was the first elected representative of the Egba division in the colonial administration of the 1950s.

The National Insurance Commission, NAICOM, has inaugurated fourteen insurance companies to operate the Technical Management Board of the Energy and Allied Risks Insurance Pool of Nigeria (EAIPN).

JALINGO—Three persons were reported killed by soldiers yesterday at the the venue of All Progressives Congress, APC, governorship campaign at Wukari, Taraba State, following a shoot-out between soldiers and protesting civilians.

Ogun State Property and Investment Corporation (OPIC) has proposed the sum of N5.637 billion as its total expenditure for housing development in the state in 2015, with N5.2 billion committed to capital projects.

New York City regained its top position among global commercial real estate buyers, unseating London and highlighting the appeal of U.S. properties in general, according to a survey of international investors released last week.

The Naira on Friday depreciated against the dollar as it traded at N208 from the N191.50 it sold for on Monday, Jan. 19. The new rate has made the naira to lose N16.50 within five days. The CBN’s website, however, put the Naira against the dollar at N167.50, while the Pound sold for N253.20 and the Euro stood at N193.89S

AGENEBODE—A HYBRID library equipped with 21 internet ready computers, a state-of-the art system sever, a data base of electronic library books stored locally on the server, backed up with a 20KVA standby diesel plant plus an inverter backup amongst other facilities has been built and handed over to St. Peter’s Grammar School, Agenebode in Etsako East Local Government Area of Edo State by Texaco Nigeria Outer Shelf, a Chevron-owned company.