The sustainable banking initiative in the financial sector has received a boost from First City Monument Bank, FCMB Limited with a $ 70 million (N14 billion) facility created for agric sector in collaboration with International Finance Corporation, IFC. The package, made up of a long term loan of $50 million and a convertible loan of $20 million, was targeted at supporting the bank’s growth strategy and helping it increase financing of small and medium enterprises in the sector.

Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, yesterday, berated Governor Nyesom Wike and his party, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, over a documentary being aired by African Independent Television, AIT, to allegedly dent the image of the former governor of the state, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi.

For a lot of personal reasons, I would have loved to keep Saturdays result and performance of the Super Eagles in Dar es Salaam to myself, but not so readers of this column

As efforts are in top gears to fill the vacant stool of the Ooni of Ife, the Giesi ruling house of Ile-Ife which claimed it is its turn to produce the town’s next monarch has conducted its final screening of aspirants with five princes scaling the hurdle.

Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasir El Rufai, has announced the recovery of N42 billion from no fewer than 273 unknown accounts of the state government.

The crisis rocking Ovia South West Local Government Area, Edo State over the suspension of its chairman, Morrison Ogunrobo, and Secretary, Oyomire Idahosa has taken a twist with soldiers and policemen allegedly invading the council secretariat at Iguobazuwa.

Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets lost 3-2 to Croatia in their final match of the Suwon International Cup on yesterday.

Leaders Enyimba and Sunshine Stars slipped in their chase for the Nigeria league championship after they lost at Giwa FC and Shooting Stars, respectively, on Sunday.

Catholic and Anglican Bishops of Owerri and Egbu dioceses have raised alarm over what they called “the deplorable state of roads in Imo State.

The Petroleum Technology Development Fund, PTDF, has stated that it has not cancelled or intends to stop its overseas scholarship scheme.

Abia State health workers have suspended their five months old strike which they embarked upon to protest non-payment of arrears of their salary.

The continent of Africa loses over $50 billion dollars each year as a result of the illicit flow of funds, former president of South Africa, Thabo Mbeki told the meeting of the Group of African Governors affiliated with the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, known as the African Caucus. “Africa faces the great challenge of large volumes of capital leaving the continent illicitly – money that our continent needs to address the challenges of development.

Nigerian governors have not stopped to amuse me. They are so empty in thought and imagination that whenever it pleases them, they speak tongue-in-cheek. They double-speak and dance naked to please their mentors or to get political advantage. Development in the country in recent weeks has shown how shameless these small men in agbada can be. They throw up figures they know are not correct to distract public attention from them.

The focus is on the roles of technology and vocational education in enhancing entrepreneurial skills that will equip students for entrepreneurship education in Information and Communication Technology (ICT.) driven technological environment. The world has become globalized and the future prosperity depends on comparative advantage. This comparative advantage hinges on people and their technical or technological sophistication. Towards this, some crucial entrepreneurial and technical skills needed by the students in colleges of education (technical), polytechnics and universities to meet the trends in a global economy is analyzed.

Nigerian cashew processors are operating below 30 per cent of their combined installed capacity of 48,000 tonnes, according to an official of the umbrella association for the crop. Mr Sotonye Anga, the National Publicity Secretary of the National Cashew Association of Nigeria (NCAN), disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.