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Onu Backs Electronic Voting System for Nigeria

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4 years ago

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Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, Minister of Science and Technology, said Nigeria needs to reform its electoral system by adopting electronic voting to help eliminate errors caused by human factor in compiling results.

This was contained in a statement released by Josephine Ademu, Press and Public Relations Officer of the ministry, on Tuesday in Abuja.

According to her, the minister said this during a facility visit to the Electronic Development Institute (ELDI) in Awka, Anambra on Monday.

The statement said Onu was positive that if the country reformed its electoral system and adopted e-voting, election malpractices, fraud, and less credible results would be a thing of the past.

He said that with this in place, more Nigerians would be willing to participate in the nation’s electoral processes.

Onu said the nation’s democratic processes would experience tremendous improvement with these reforms.

“Democracy is like a living organism that grows like humans, animals and plants but for this to happen, we need electronic voting which shall reduce malpractices associated with human errors,” he said.

He noted that with the level of innovative work done at the ELDI, Nigeria would no longer need to import electronic products.

He said rather than import the products, they shall be produced in the country to satisfy local demand and the surplus would be exported.

He added that this would help improve the nation’s gross domestic product.

The minister said his ministry had teamed up with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to build voting machines with encouraging results.

He also said Nigeria had a population of over 200 million people and needed to be in a position to feed its population, reiterating that to achieve food security, mechanized farming must be embraced.

He enjoined investors to see farming as a lucrative business, while calling for more investment in large scale farming equipment such as tractors and harvesters, among others.

Earlier, Dr Patrick Okwu, the Managing Director of the Institute, commended the minister and his team for the vigor and resilience brought to the science and technology sector.

He said the annual science and technology expo had not only brought healthy competition among various research and academic institutions but also brought to the limelight technological capacity of Nigerians.

Okwu appealed for more funding from the government to enable the institute commercialize recently developed inventions and innovations.


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PalmPay Launches CSR Initiatives to Empower Women, Foster Financial Literacy in Northern Nigeria

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6 hours ago

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May 30, 2025

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Femi Hanson, Head of Marketing & Communications at PalmPay (center), with beneficiaries of the CSR initiative in Kano State.
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In a strategic move to expand financial inclusion in Nigeria, leading mobile banking platform, PalmPay has launched a series of CSR programs across Kano and Kaduna. The CSR initiative named “Passing the Baton” represents the brand’s commitment to passing on knowledge and providing the resources individuals and businesses need to achieve financial independence and drive economic empowerment.

This initiative is a bold move by PalmPay to bridge the opportunity gap in the North by providing financial literacy training and micro-business branding support to 5,000 women-owned businesses in Kano and Kaduna. This strategic initiative reaffirms PalmPay’s commitment to inclusive development and economic empowerment, particularly in underserved regions.

“At PalmPay, we believe that real financial inclusion must be far reaching and cover the grassroots,” said Chika Nwosu, Managing Director of PalmPay. “Our new CSR program is focused on supporting gender equity by equipping women with the knowledge, tools, and visibility they need to thrive as entrepreneurs in their communities.”

Through this initiative, beneficiaries will receive free health insurance, hands-on training workshops, enhanced store branding to boost visibility, and branded merchandise to strengthen their business presence.

The initiative is part of PalmPay’s broader strategy to extend its innovative solutions, expand its footprint in Northern Nigeria, while building sustainable partnerships with local stakeholders for long-term impact.

In a show of support, His Royal Highness, the Emir of Kano, Dr. Muhammadu Sanusi II, has endorsed the initiative, calling on other stakeholders to join forces with PalmPay in ensuring the North benefits fully from the growing digital economy.  PalmPay has received commendation from community stakeholders, as the initiative aims to serve as a model for similar projects across other northern states.

As PalmPay continues to scale across Nigeria, the company remains committed to bridging the financial inclusion gap and empowering underserved groups, particularly women and youth, through its innovative solutions and impact initiatives.

 


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EFCC Witness Admits Writing Off Arik Air’s $2.3M Debt Amid N76Bn Fraud Trial

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May 29, 2025

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A former Group Executive Director of Union Bank PLC, Mr. Austine Obigwe, on Wednesday testified before the Lagos State Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, detailing how he wrote off a $2.3 million debt owed by Arik Air to his private company, Staal. Obigwe is one of the witnesses of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on the matter.
Recall that when he was first interrogated before the matter was adjourned, the same Obigwe claimed that Arik was a healthy company that had no financial challenges up to the time he left the service of Union Bank in 2009. But pressed further today, he accepted that Arik was an irresponsible, badly run, immoral company, which also owed him a whopping 2.3 million dollars, which he had to write off because of his business relationship with the promoter of Arik Air Limited.
Obigwe appeared as a prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of the former Managing Director of the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), Mr. Ahmed Kuru, and four others, who are standing trial over alleged financial misappropriation amounting to alleged N76 billion and $31.5m., etc.
The EFCC arraigned the defendants on a six-count charge bordering on conspiracy, stealing, and abuse of office. The defendants include Kuru, the former Receiver Manager of Arik Air Limited, Mr. Kamilu Omokide; Arik Air’s Chief Executive Officer, Captain Roy Ilegbodu; Union Bank of Nigeria PLC; and Super Bravo Limited.
They all pleaded not guilty to the charges, and Justice Mojisola Dada subsequently granted them bail in the sum of N20million each, with one surety in like sum.
Under cross examination, Mr. Obigwe informed the court that, in 2011, two years after he exited Union Bank, Arik Air was indebted to his private company, Staal, in the sum of $2.3 million. He stated that the amount was never repaid but that he had written it off due to the operational difficulties faced by the airline at the time.
“I am not interested in collecting it. I wrote it off when I discovered that Arik Air started having challenges,” Obigwe told the court. The witness also confirmed that following his exit from Union Bank, he formally became a consultant to Arik Air and other companies.
When asked whether the founder of Arik Air, Sir Johnson Arumemi-Ikhide, was a personal acquaintance, he responded in the affirmative, noting that although he currently has no formal relationship with the airline, he maintains a relationship with Arumemi-Ikhide, who is also his church member.
During cross-examination by defence counsel, including Olasupo Shasore, SAN (for the second defendant); Olalekan Ojo, SAN (for the fourth defendant); and Tayo Oyedepo, SAN (for the fifth defendant), Mr. Obigwe stated that in 2009, he participated in an inspection of 26 aircraft belonging to Arik Air.
According to him, the aircraft were found to be airworthy and in good condition, based on assessments provided by Lufthansa. “I had no reason to doubt Lufthansa’s evaluation,” he said, adding that the purpose of the inspection was to ensure that the airline’s fleet had not been depleted.
When asked about the airline’s compliance with its loan obligations, Obigwe testified that during his tenure at Union Bank, there were no complaints from other financial institutions suggesting that Arik Air was defaulting on its loan obligations. He also confirmed that, to the best of his knowledge, Arik Air was servicing its loan with Union Bank during his tenure.
Responding to a letter dated April 23, 2009, allegedly written by AMCON to Union Bank concerning a N46.11 billion debt owed by Arik Air, the witness denied knowledge of the letter, even though he was still in the service of Union Bank at the time, and was the Group Executive Director whose directorate supervised the Arik transaction.
On the character and management of Arik Air, the witness said: “I can only speak for the period I was there. When I was at Union Bank, Arik Air was one of the best companies.”
When questioned on the options available to lenders when a loan becomes non-performing, Obigwe responded that the lender may choose to transfer the loan to another bank, reassign it, or enforce the security tied to the loan. He also acknowledged that a lender is legally empowered to dispose of the security in the event of default by the borrower in other wards justifying the decision of AMCON to have intervened in Arik to recover the Arik Air debt, which Union Bank sold to AMCON on the directive of Union Bank when AMCON was established by the Federal Government to mop-up all non-performing loans in the banks.
The matter was adjourned till June 4, 2025, for the continuation of the trial. On the last adjourned date, Obigwe, who is the second prosecution witness, and was led in evidence by Dr Wahab Shittu (SAN), told the court that he was a Group Executive Director in Corporate and International Banking at Union Bank.
The court was also able to establish that the witness, while in the service of Union Bank as Group Executive Director, Corporate and International Banking, Union Bank had a business relationship with the promoter of Arik, which was regularised and formalised into a full-fledged consultancy arrangement shortly after he exited Union Bank, which implied that even as ED, Union Bank, he may not have operated in the overall interest of the bank due to his relationship with the Arik owner.

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Anambra Shines in 2025 E-Governance Rankings, Setting National Standards

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May 29, 2025

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Anambra State has once again demonstrated its leadership in digital transformation, emerging as one of Nigeria’s top three states in the 2025 e-Governance Report published by the Panorama CIAPS Governance Performance Index (CGPI).

According to the report — a collaborative effort between Nigerian Panorama and the Commonwealth Institute of Advanced Professional Studies (CIAPS) — Anambra ranks alongside Lagos and Enugu as the leading states in adopting and implementing e-governance practices that foster accountability, transparency, and improved service delivery.

In his remarks, Professor Anthony Kila, Director of CIAPS, emphasized the importance of e-governance in shaping how governments interact with citizens. “The centrality of e-governance allows us to assess the performance of state governments in the country. How the government treats the digital world says a lot about them,” he said.

The report evaluated states based on a comprehensive set of criteria, including website security, up-to-date content, public engagement, availability of online services, policy updates, and user accessibility. Anambra’s performance reflects the state’s deliberate investment in digital infrastructure and its commitment to leveraging technology as a tool for inclusive governance.

Reacting to the recognition, the Managing Director/CEO of the Anambra State ICT Agency, Chukwuemeka Fred Agbata, CFA, described the report as a welcome validation of the efforts being made under the leadership of Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo, CFR, to reposition Anambra as a liveable and prosperous smart mega-city.

“This is not just about being tech-savvy,” Agbata said. “It’s about using digital tools to create real impact — making the government more accessible, responsive, and transparent. Anambra is building a digital future that works for everyone.”

The CGPI Report recommended that all states intensify efforts to train public servants, maintain digital platforms effectively, and build user-friendly systems that keep citizens informed and empowered. For Anambra, this recognition serves both as a milestone and a motivation to scale new heights.

As the journey continues, Anambra remains focused on setting the pace for e-governance in Nigeria in line with the Governor’s mantra of Everything Technology & Technology Everywhere.


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