News
Zinox, Doing Good with CSR
Zinox, Doing Good with CSRCorporate social responsibility (CSR) is a massive bandwagon; generating both accolades and cynicism.
But when it comes to a local company doing extraordinary things without expectation of recognition, it shows extraordinary determination to push the society a little further on towards the heights of excellence.
And while many organizations and institutions feel deeply frustrated with the government and indeed the country, this company remain convinced that the fundamental structure must be underpinned for generations yet unborn.
It is the story of the exceptional corporate social responsibility initiatives of Zinox Group, the proudly Nigerian IT conglomerate.
It is a story of placing the country first; of sticking with the society through thick and thin; and of giving back to men and women that have helped the company grow.
CSR is an integral part of the Zinox Group’s development policy. It is part of the everyday life of the company.
Its objective is to allow the Group pursue sustainable yet profitable growth while having a positive impact on the society in which it develops.
For instance, the Group donated items worth over N50 million to the Lagos State Government.
These items include ; four units of fully equipped Security Vans, 150 units of Digital Radio, 150 units of Digital Solar lamp and 150 units of solar torch meant to enhance the efficiency and digital comfort of the Police and other security organizations in Lagos State while on duty.
Zinox Group also made the same intervention in Imo State that cuts across security, digital equipment, Information and Communication Technology development for school pupils and training for teachers. It is also spending N50 million in the state.
The company’s CSR which is championed by Leo-Stan Ekeh, the chairman of the group and enthusiastically embraced by the board of directors and staff also targets the younger generation.
The company is to use four schools in Lagos state as Digital Content Centres for its new digital Product – the Zinox Whizkid Ver. 11, which has helped many students to achieve excellent result in GCE, WASCE, JAMB and Post UME nationwide.
Ekeh said Zinox will deploy the equipment and content, train the teachers in its digital laboratory in Gbagada, Lagos and certify them ready to challenge the best teachers in the world.
Zinox has a history of a responsible corporate citizenship in Lagos beginning with the equipping of a digital laboratory at the Lagos State Polytechnic, Ikorodu.
It has upgraded and tarred of the Redemption Crescent, Gbagada; aroused competition in mathematics for pupils in Primary 4; donated computers to many schools in Lagos State including Queens College, Yaba, and Archbishop Aggey Memorial Secondary School, Mushin; trained four budding entrepreneurs in the Spirit of the True Nigerian Entrepreneur, SoTNE and settled medical bills of many patients.
In Imo State, the group is a household name where it has touched many lives.
It recently topped it up with an intervention that cuts across security, digital equipment, Information and Communication Technology development for school pupils and training for teachers and worth N50 million.
The donation include four security vans, 150 Jonta flash lights, 150 self-charging digital lanterns, and 150 I-Max radio sets that would help support the security monitoring responsibility of the state.
Ekeh said his group of companies primarily concerned with knowledge development and building a new generation of Nigerians would also donate digital knowledge content encapsulated in the Zinox Whizkid Version 2 to four schools in the state.
This content would make kids from public schools better, while enhancing the overall academic performance of the underserved.
Elsewhere, in support of structured overall social development of Imo state, Zinox released some N10milion a few months ago to the Imo Foundation set up by Governor Rochas Okorocha.
The Group has a tradition of executing major CSR every five years outside its annual commitments in the spirit of Zinox.
The company had built and equipped digital laboratories at the Federal Polytechnic, Nekede; Imo State University; Federal University of Technology, Owerri; and some secondary schools in the state.
There is no geo-political zone in the country that has not been touched by Zinox interventions in tertiary, secondary and primary education since the company’s interest is in capacity building has benefitted scores of Imo indigenes in the form of scholarships at all levels of education, including post graduate education in world class European and American universities.
Zinox CSR is intensely focused on the building of capacities for the growth of a knowledge society and equipping Nigeria to host complex events.
From Katsina to Awka and from Markudi to Ikorodu, Zinox is strategic interventions aimed at building capacities.
It has used CSR as a way to motivate all employees – starting at the lowest level of the organization because as part of its internally-focused initiative, the Zinox Group offer scholarships to the children of all its employees who earn less than N1milion as gross salary per annum.
In simple terms, Zinox is pro-active towards “doing good”.
African fintech revenues are projected to expand 13-fold to approximately $65 billion by 2030, marking the continent as the world’s fastest-growing digital finance market.
The “Beyond Payments: Unlocking Africa’s Second FinTech Wave ” report, released by Boston Consulting Group at the Inclusive FinTech Forum in Kigali, indicates the sector is shifting from transactional inclusion to scalable, infrastructure-driven systems.
While Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for 74% of global mobile money volume, more than 50% of lending still occurs through informal channels, representing a massive gap for B2B payments and data-driven underwriting.
The opportunity now is to convert scale into sustained, institutional-grade growth, says the report. Markets offering regulatory clarity and interoperable infrastructure are becoming increasingly attractive to long-term capital.
Rwanda is highlighted as an example of deliberate institutional coordination that lowers the cost to scale for financial institutions.
Forward-looking regulation and the License Passporting Memorandum of Understanding between Rwanda and Kenya are cited as practical steps toward easing regional expansion.
Financial centres like the Kigali International Financial Centre play a critical role in this next phase by reducing uncertainty for banks and investors.
By combining regulatory clarity and Pan-African integration, they reduce uncertainty for banks, fintechs, and investors, and help position markets as credible, long-term investment destinations.
Africa’s next fintech phase will be led by financial institutions, the report notes. It goes on to say banks and regulated entities are becoming the primary customers of digital financial infrastructure, demanding platforms that align with their risk frameworks.
The report identifies five institutional priorities to sustain momentum: interoperable infrastructure, data-driven credit, regulatory coherence, trust, and resilience.
Building seamless wallet-to-bank integration will enable more efficient value movement, while transforming transaction data into AI-enabled underwriting models will help bridge the gap in SME lending.
Proportional licensing frameworks and predictable supervisory practices will lower the cost to scale for innovators. Furthermore, expanding cybersecurity capabilities will ensure the ecosystem remains reliable as digital usage grows.
Africa has demonstrated that fintech scale is achievable, and the next decade will be shaped by those markets that strengthen their institutional foundations, the report concludes.
For too long, the story of Nigeria has been told by foreigners or shaped by people who don’t truly understand our spirit; This Is Nigeria is a movement changing that. We are putting the power back into the hands of Nigerians to tell our stories from our perspectives.
Our mission is simple: to change how the world sees us by sharing the positive, impactful stories of our land and its people.
Today, we are officially launching “The 36: Nigeria Unscripted”. This series will travel through every single state in the country, starting with our pilot season in Lagos. We want to show the world the true drive, food, diversity, culture, and innovation that define Nigerians at home.
“The 36: Nigeria Unscripted” takes a deep dive into the history, people, landmarks, and investment potential that make each state unique. Instead of focusing on the usual headlines, we are highlighting the real people building businesses, creating new technologies, making scientific breakthroughs, and leading cultural shifts here and across the globe.
The Kick-Off
The journey begins in Lagos. Over the next two weeks, our crew will be on the streets filming the vibrant energy of the city. This is a “boots-on-the-ground” look at what Nigerian innovation actually looks like today.
Alongside the series, we are also launching a Global Desk. This is a dedicated space to find and share stories of Nigerians living abroad who are making us proud with that signature Nigerian excellence.
How We Are Different
Most Nigerian travel content usually falls into two categories: it’s either a refined ad that ignores reality, or it focuses only on struggle while ignoring achievements.
This Is Nigeria rejects both. Our campaign gives you a behind-the-scenes look at the real passion and effort that fuel our success.
For more information or to share your story, visit www.thisis-nigeria.com.
Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja has ordered the Incorporated Trustees of the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) to pay N100 million in damages to two operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) over defamation.
SERAP
Justice Yusuf Halilu delivered the judgment in a suit filed by two DSS operatives, Sarah John and Gabriel Ogundele, who accused SERAP of making false and defamatory claims against them.
The claimants had approached the court following a series of posts published by SERAP on its X handle on Sept. 9, 2024, alleging that DSS officers unlawfully invaded and occupied its Abuja office.
In the posts, SERAP claimed that officers of the State Security Service had stormed its office and were demanding to see its directors.
“Officers from Nigeria’s State Security Service are presently unlawfully occupying SERAP’s office in Abuja, asking to see our directors. President Tinubu must immediately direct the SSS to end the harassment, intimidation, and attack on the rights of Nigerians,” the organisation had posted.
However, in his judgment, Justice Halilu held that the allegations made by SERAP were false and defamatory, adding that the two DSS operatives were justified in instituting legal action to protect their reputations.
The court consequently awarded N100 million in damages against SERAP in favour of the claimants.
Justice Halilu also ordered SERAP to issue a public apology to the two DSS operatives.
According to the judgment, the apology must be published in two national newspapers and aired on two television stations.
In addition, the court awarded N1 million against SERAP as the cost of litigation.
The court further ruled that the judgment sum would attract 10 per cent interest annually until the full amount is paid.
The case stems from growing tensions between civil society organisations and security agencies over allegations of harassment, intimidation, and civic space restrictions in Nigeria.
Neither SERAP nor the DSS had publicly reacted to the judgment as of the time of filing this report.
Jim Ovia Steps Down as Zenith Bank Chairman, Bello Takes Over
Kled AI, US Data Firm Blocks Nigeria over High ‘Fraudulent Activity’
Reps Approve NCC’s N479.508Bn Budget for 2026
SEC Flags Weak Disclosures by Nigerian Companies
NCAN Commends NCC for Mandating Telcos to Compensate Subscribers for Poor Services
Kaspersky Discovers Vulnerability in Qualcomm Snapdragon Chips that can Lead to Data Loss & Device Compromise
FG to Gift Nigerians over 100 Free TV Channels from May 15
MTN Suspends Data, Airtime Borrowing Service over New FCCPC Lending Rules
What Adekunle Gold’s Support Means for ‘The Gathering on 100
Bank Customers to Pay N1,500 for ATM Card Issuance, Replacement – CBN
E-Financial3 days agoTax Ombudsman Sets 30-Day Limit for Settlement of Tax Disputes
News3 days agoStakeholders Applaud NiRA’s Leadership in Strengthening Nigeria’s Internet Infrastructure
General News3 days agoUBA Debunks Viral Divorce Claim against Elumelus, Suspects in Custody
E-Business3 days agoNDPC Warns of Offshore Data Risks as 90 Percent of Country’s Data is Hosted Abroad
Broadcasting3 days agoDavid Ogbueli and Unseen Architecture of Global Transformation
E-Business2 days agoFirm Spots Rising Scam Activity Around the 2026 World Cup, from Bogus Tickets to $500,000 “grant” Emails
E-Financial3 days agoAccess Bank Warns Nigerians against Fake WhatsApp Investment Groups using Aig-Imoukhuede’s Identity
General News2 days agoWhy 9 African Countries Are Looking to Nigeria for Data Protection Lessons