Metro
First bank deepens financial inclusion with largest agent Banking network, empowers SMEs.

At present, there are over 86,000 banking agents across 772 out of the 774 local government areas in Nigeria, a demonstration of FirstBank’s commitment to deepening financial inclusion and ensuring the unbanked are adequately catered for. In an interview with BusinessDay, Adesola Adeduntan, FirstBank’s CEO, noted that over N9.6 trillion had been processed through the bank’s agent network.
As he explained, FirstMonie agents have supported several government and NGOs’ cash transfers to the poorest of the poor in the rural areas. Additionally, selected FirstMonie agents in the rural communities are equipped with BVN enrolment devices; as such they are able to enrol and open accounts for rural dwellers that hitherto may not have had the opportunity to be included in the formal financial services system.
The bank’s commitment to providing access to finance for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) was also highlighted by the CEO, who hinged this on “their potential to impact the economy”.
He discussed the bank’s value adding solutions that have created a functional ecosystem for SMEs to thrive. The ecosystem includes propositions such as connection of the SMEs to talents and resources/cutting edge tools, access to business finance and market, capacity building opportunities and policy advocacy.
These are all aggregated on its SMEConnect platform as value adding products and services for easy access and at rates (prices) that are competitive and mostly discounted. The SMEConnect is a digital platform that allows the SMEs connect to FirstBank’s offerings from the comfort of their locations anywhere in the world.
This, according to Adeduntan, has been well received by the SME community as we engage across the country.
Culled from BusinessDay
Metro
Watchtower Christian Assembly celebrates 10th anniversary

There was unlimited praise, singing and dancing as members of Watchtower Christian Assembly (WCA), a pentecostal church headquartered in Ikeja, Lagos, celebrated the church’s 10th year anniversary on Sunday 25th September, 2022.
The celebration service was themed; ‘My Help’.
Men, women, youths and children of the church were beautifully dressed dancing to songs from the choir as they worshipped God.
The church was completely filled up such that some congregants had to remain standing while the service lasted.
Besides singing and dancing, the anniversary was celebrated with different activities that those who attended will not forget in a hurry.
Speaking during the celebration service, the senior pastor of the church, Samuel Adeleke Olayinka, explained that the celebration was not just about singing the church’s praise, but to reflect on God’s benevolence, goodness and mercies within the 10 years of existence.
Pastor Sam, as he is fondly called, further noted that the purpose of the church was to contribute its quota to the expansion of Christ’s Kingdom by getting men “breaded, buttered, bettered, bolstered and boosted.
“We achieve this purpose and mission by evolving a system of hunger for the Word. We believe the Word of God is the ultimate mechanism to get life work and drive it into success and fulfillment. So, we mobilize souls, and apply both conservative and modern creative techniques to execute the great commission, to get their hearts open to their ultimate need,” he added.
Speaking further, he said life was interesting and worthwhile when God is given the driver’s seat. This is appropriated if His ideas, principles and ways are fully embraced (Job 22:23-30).
The guest minister, Pastor Tokunbo Oshokoya, a popular tele-evangelist, in his sermon stressed on the need to leverage on God’s help, which is ever available, to secure all-round rest, peace and prosperity in every Christian’s life.
Using the life of King Asa in the Bible as basis for his message, where truth is taught, believed and engaged as lifestyle, in a nation like Nigeria, church or family, cheap and permanent victories are consistent blessings (2 Chr. 14 to 16).
Founded on September 30th 2012, the church currently has three other branches in Ogun State.
Metro
BREAKING: ECOWAS court declares #TwitterBan in Nigeria illegal

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Court on Thursday declared the suspension of Twitter operations in June 2021 as unlawful and ordered the Nigerian Government not to give a similar order again.
This judgment was given in a suit filed by Chief Malcolm Emokiniovo Omirhobo, challenging the ban as a violation of his fundamental rights to freedom of expression, speech and association and other Nigerian nationals.
This news blog gathered, the case filed by Malcolm was consolidated with other suits with a similar cause of action.
From 5 June 2021 to 13 January 2022, the government of Nigeria officially banned Twitter, which restricted it from operating in the country.
The ban occurred after Twitter deleted tweets made by Buhari, warning the southeastern people of Nigeria, predominantly Igbo people, of a potential repeat of the 1967 Biafran Civil War due to the ongoing insurgency in Southeastern Nigeria.
The Nigerian government claimed that the deletion of the president’s tweets factored into their decision, but it was ultimately based on “a litany of problems with the social media platform in Nigeria, where misinformation and fake news spread through it have had real world violent consequences”, citing the persistent use of the platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence.
Metro
How Primate Ayodele Forewarned Attack On President Buhari’s Convoy Since 2021(PROOF)

‘Heaven and Earth will pass away but none of the word of God shall go unfulfilled’, no matter how long, what God has said will always come to pass.
Nigerians were shocked yesterday to read about the attack on President Muhammadu Buhari’s convoy that saw two security operatives badly injured on their way to the president’s hometown in Daura, Katsina state.
According to the presidential spokesman who confirmed the attack, they were the advance team of the president who is billed to arrive at a later date to celebrate Sallah.
Though sad, this unfortunate incident has confirmed the prophecy of popular Nigerian prophet, Primate Elijah Ayodele who has warned President Buhari severally especially on the issue of insecurity and had also categorically stated that he foresees an attack on the president’s convoy.
This is what obstinacy and disregard for the word of God has led the government of the day. In the same 2021 when the man of God released some prophecies about the state of the country, the president’s aide, Femi Adesina launched a futile attack on Primate Ayodele’s person, calling him names and now that these prophecies have been fulfilled one after the other, where is Femi Adesina? Probably licking his wounds. As a matter of fact, Femi Adesina needs to apologize to Primate Ayodele for speaking ill against his ministry all because he wanted to satisfy his pay masters.
There are proven records on the internet, no man of God said that the presidential convoy will be attacked apart from Primate Ayodele. Even when he said it, it seemed unbelievable because attacking a president’s convoy has a lot of meaning, if a presidential convoy can be attacked, it’s synonymous to terrorists taking over a country and worse still, no arrest has been made up till now.
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