Broadcasting
Coca-Cola Foundation, IGEC Partner for Women Economic Empowerment
The Initiative for Gender Empowerment and Creativity (IGEC), which was created to inspire creativity and empower vulnerable women, has unveiled its Climate Smart Shea Processing Facility project funded by The Coca-Cola Foundation on July 28, 2021.
L-R: Mrs Bolanle Emmanuel, State Director, Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC); Mr Samson Ilori, Head of the Atisbo LG, representing the LG Chairman; Executive Director, Initiative for Gender Empowerment & Creativity (IGEC); Nwamaka Onyemelukwe, Director, Public Affairs, Communications & Sustainability, Coca-Cola Nigeria, and Mrs F.F Akande, Secretary, Oyo State Agribusiness Development Agency, at the launch of the Climate Smart Shea Processing Facility project, sponsored by The Coca-Cola Foundation, recently.
The NGO officially launched the much-anticipated project at a commemorative event in Tede, Oyo State, following a grant awarded by the Coca-Cola Foundation (TCCF), the philanthropic arm of The Coca-Cola Company.
The project, one of many to receive funding from the Coca-Cola Foundation this year, is focused on supporting rural community women who make a living through farming and trade in the Shea Butter value chain.
Speaking at the launch of the project, Nwamaka Onyemelukwe, director, Public Affairs, Communications & Sustainability, Coca-Cola, emphasized the economic opportunities the facility presented to the women of Tede community and expressed her faith in the implementing partners, IGEC, to deliver beyond expectations.
In her remarks, she said, “The Coca-Cola Foundation (TCCF) is deeply committed to improving lives and creating a better-shared future for its host communities. 2020 was a challenging year that taught us more about how to adapt to new realities in the face of a harsh economic situation.
“We are confident that this grant that has been awarded to IGEC will go a long way in economically empowering the women in the Tede community.
“The Climate Smart Shea Processing Facility is a project that offers these women in the less privileged communities a competitive edge in shea butter production while providing economic opportunities for the community at large.’’
Ekuma Eze, director, Public Affairs & Communications, Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC), expressed delight as the Oyo State has hosted its bottling operations for so many years.
“As the company celebrates its 70 years of doing business in Nigeria, we believe there is no better time to unveil this project.
“we are deeply excited at the huge impact the project will have on the community and the economy.
“The Climate Smart Shea Processing Facility offers unprecedented economic opportunities and inclusion for the women.” he added.
Shea butter production is known as a major preoccupation of the rural dwellers in the Tede community and most of the Shea processors are women, often without formal education.
Over the years, these Shea processors have relied on crude techniques that are often time-consuming and physically demanding.
As part of efforts to support sustainable community initiatives around the world, TCCF awarded this grant to IGEC, an NGO that has sought to alleviate poverty through economic empowerment in less privileged communities.
The project, which runs through 2021, birthed the establishment of the Climate Smart Shea Processing Facility in the Tede community.
Olasunmbo Adeleke, executive director, Initiative for Gender Empowerment and Creativity (IGEC), lauded the financial support from TCCF, reflecting on the positive impact that this project will have on the community.
“At IGEC, we are very honoured to receive the grant towards the establishment of the Climate Smart Shea Processing Facility which will empower women and youths in Tede Community.
“With the establishment of this facility, there are now huge economic opportunities for women in this community in Shea butter production. Undoubtedly, this project will empower the women of Tede who are the most involved in this trade and create job opportunities for others in the production and supply chain.
“We are very pleased to be implementing this exciting project and thank our partners Coca-Cola System for providing us with their support,’’ she said.
A community water project was also deployed with three source taps which would provide the community with treated potable water.
The facility was unveiled by the ATISBO local government Chairman, Honorable Adeagbo Fasasi Ademola and the wife of Onitede of Tedeland traditional ruler who commended Coca-Cola for this impactful intervention.
Other dignitaries in attendance include the Nigeria Export Promotion Council represented by Mrs Bolanle Emmanuel, Oyo state Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Raw Materials Research and Development Council and many others.
Broadcasting Organization of Nigeria (BON) has established six committees to help strengthen and modernize the country’s broadcasting industry.
The committees will focus on content creation, skills development, digital transformation, sustainability, policy and commercial opportunities
The initiative aims to support industry growth and improve collaboration between broadcasters, regulators and media experts
The official launch recently, was led by Tony Akiotu, president, BON and attended by media professionals, program directors, former journalists and heads of specialized media organizations.
The event brought together several prominent figures in Nigeria’s media industry, including veteran broadcaster and trainer Bimbo Oloyede, Tony Uyah of M4S TV, Kingsley Uranta of Channels Television, Ismael Sani of Platinum TV and Ibrahim Shehu of Trust TV.
Together, they are expected to help drive innovation and support the growth of Nigeria’s broadcasting sector.
According to Akiotu, the committees are intended both to help shape industry policy and to provide a forum for dialogue between BON and broadcasting experts.
Akiotu said the ad hoc committees were intended to strengthen BON’s work and ensure that the umbrella body for Nigeria’s broadcasters played a more direct and meaningful role in developing the country’s broadcasting sector.
The six committees reflect the sector’s main priorities. The first focuses on collaboration and innovation to promote content creation.
The second is dedicated to training and talent development, while the third focuses on industry sustainability by improving the sector’s long-term financial viability.
A fourth committee will focus on digital transformation and work with the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) on regulatory issues.
The remaining two committees will oversee public policy advocacy and the development of sports and commercial rights to help broadcasters increase revenue and attract more investment. Together, the committees are expected to guide BON’s efforts to modernize and strengthen Nigeria’s broadcasting industry.
The committees, chaired by members of BON’s General Assembly and supported by the organization’s Secretariat, have an initial 12-month mandate that may be renewed if necessary.
They are required to submit a progress report within three months and implement approved recommendations within the following six months.
The arrangement is intended to ensure close oversight and the timely implementation of their work.
Akiotu also reminded committee members that Nigeria pioneered television broadcasting in Africa and urged them to carry out their work with greater effectiveness and efficiency.
Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) says it is investigating about 34 tertiary institutions over allegations that they failed to refund students whose tuition fees were paid twice under the Federal Government’s student loan scheme.
The Managing Director of NELFUND, Mr Akintunde Sawyerr, disclosed this during an interview on Arise Television.
Sawyerr said the agency had deployed a five-member investigative team, including operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and internal auditors, to examine the allegations.
According to him, the investigation was prompted by numerous complaints received from affected students.
“As of right now, there are 34 institutions that we are looking at closely with respect to this issue,” he said.
Sawyerr explained that the double payment issue arose because President Bola Tinubu directed that the student loan scheme commence in the middle of an academic session instead of at the beginning.
He said the decision compelled many students to pay their tuition fees to meet registration deadlines while awaiting approval of their loan applications.
“What happened is that a lot of schools got double payment; some from the students and some from us,” he said.
“The refund process is entirely out of our hands. It is the recipient of the double payments that is obliged to make refunds to the students.”
The NELFUND boss noted that many students had borrowed money from family members, friends and other sources to pay their tuition with the expectation of receiving refunds once the loans were disbursed.
He said while some institutions had promptly refunded affected students, others had failed to do so.
“Some have been very good at this. Others haven’t been so good at it,” Sawyerr said.
“I reserve judgement on the intentionality around it because, for some of them, they just didn’t have the process to make refunds.”
Sawyerr disclosed that NELFUND was exploring a tokenised payment system that would enable students to authorise tuition payments directly to their institutions, thereby reducing the likelihood of duplicate payments.
He said the agency deliberately chose not to disburse tuition loans directly to students to minimise the risk of fund diversion.
“Paying the funds to the students could really lead to the temptation for them to divert and do other things,” he said.
The managing director, however, acknowledged that NELFUND lacked the statutory powers to compel institutions to refund students or prosecute officials found culpable.
He added that many frustrated students had submitted complaints not only to NELFUND but also to anti-corruption agencies, including the EFCC and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
Sawyerr also expressed concern over increases in tuition fees by some institutions following the introduction of the student loan scheme.
He said NELFUND had declined to pay institutions that increased their tuition fees beyond acceptable levels.
“Some schools, because they get paid easily, started to put up their fees. We refused, point blank, to pay institutions who had hiked their fees beyond a certain level,” he said.
He reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to investigating every reported irregularity and strengthening the implementation of the student loan programme through continuous monitoring and internal reviews.
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