Union Bank has recently concluded a series of business seminars for
Small and Medium scale Enterprises (SMEs) as part of its support for
this group of businesses. The seminars took place in seven locations
across the country including Aba, Lagos, Anambra, Kano, Kaduna, Abuja
and Oyo. The sessions themed ‘Managing a successful small Business’,
were designed to provide practical information and guidance on how to
address typical challenges small businesses face in Nigeria. The
workshops included modules on sales and marketing, governance,
succession planning and capacity building. In addition, attendees were
equipped with relevant digital marketing and accounting skills to enable
them compete favourably in the Nigerian marketplace.
Speaking
on the Bank’s focus on providing support for SMEs, Union Bank’s Head of
Retail Segments, Paul Aseme highlighted the role of SMEs in boosting a
nation’s economy. He added; “Union Bank has been known for its
contribution to the growth of Nigerian businesses. Recognising the role
of SMEs in driving Nigeria’s economic growth, these seminars were
organised to equip business owners with the knowledge and skills they
require to establish a strong foundation for their business, widen their
exposure and expand their business connections.” Some participants who
attended the seminars thanked the Bank for the free training which they
stated is sure to boost their businesses and the SME sector as a
whole.
Union
Bank’s SME support scheme also includes the provision of access to
market, a conducive banking climate for investment and, easy access to
finance for working capital through loan products that include
non-collateral loans. The Bank’s commitment to SMEs earned it the ‘Best
Bank to Support Nigeria’s Small and Medium Scale Enterprises’ award at
the 2016 BusinessDay Annual Banking Awards.
Last
year, in partnership with Co-Creation Hub, Union Bank launched a
first-of-its-kind business acceleration programme ‘Start up Connect’
which provides an opportunity for Nigerian businesses creating
technology-based solutions for the emerging African market , to partner
with the Bank and the social innovation center for rapid growth.
Union
Bank continues to operate various SME funding schemes to assist SMEs in
financing, expanding markets and enhancing competitiveness in the
marketplace.
Mel B was rushed to a hospital in New York after she suffered two broken
ribs and a severed right hand.The 43-year-old Spice Girl ended up
spending three hours in surgery and shared a photo of her arm in a
purple foam protector. She also shared a video of other Spice Girl group
members - except Victoria Beckham - visiting her in the hospital. 
Mel
B has been on a whirlwind tour promoting her new book Brutally Honest,
an autobiography exposing her allegedly abusive marriage to former
husband Stephen Belafonte.She was forced to cancel her latest signing
after heading to America but promised to reschedule.She wrote on
Instagram:Suffering two broken ribs, a severed right hand needing
emergency care, to having had to have over a 3 hr surgery to repair the
damage hence the purple sling.I've had to unfortunately cancel my book
signing today in NY, I apologise to each and everyone of you who bought
their tickets to meet me today. I'm absolutely gutted but I can assure
you it WILL happen at a later date. I promise.For now my right hand/arm
is all stitched up and I'm trying to keep still to heal my broken ribs,
ohhh the pain, but I'm in super safe hands with the care of everyone
here at the hospital!!!!! thank you all for understanding, I love you
all #accidentshappen #hospital #needtimetoheal.
No fewer than ten persons, including a religious leader, were said to
have been killed by bandits in Dogon village of Tsafe Local Government
Area, and Birnin Yero of Shinkafi local authority of Zamfara State on
Sunday. It was learnt that armed bandits stormed the villages and began
to shoot sporadically in every direction and the shooting resulted in
the death of the nine people. According to reports, after killing the
people, the gunmen rushed into the mosque in the village and killed one
religious leader, Mallam Ibrahim Dan Kurya, who was offering his
prayers.while it was gathered that the remaining villagers had since
deserted the village for fear that the armed bandits would return. It
was gathered that after killing the religious leader, the armed bandits
searched his pockets and took his handset which they used in calling his
son, telling him that his father had been killed and that he should go
and take him away for burial. Mallam Ibrahim Dan Kurya has been buried
in Gusau, the state capital, according to Islamic rites. Confirming the
incident, Spokesperson for Zamfara State Police Command, SP Shehu
Mohammed, said troops of armed policemen had been dispatched to the area
to comb all nooks and crannies of the area to fish out the armed
bandits and prosecute them for their notorious activity. In a similar
attack in Birnin Yero village, Shinkafi Local government, gunmen
suspected to bandits stormed the villages and killed 3 civilian JTF, and
kidnapped three House wives of former vice chairman of Shinkafi local
government malan Bello Muhammad B/Yaro, of Zamfara state.
Drop your best caption. The photo was taken at the Inauguration of
Two-Tier Presidential Intervention Structure on the Elimination of Drug
Abuse in State House today December 10th..
Nigerian singer, Tekno has returned to the country after undergoing
treatment for his damaged vocal box. According to his manager Ubi
Franklin, the singer still can't perform but he'll turn up and show love
to his colleagues in the industry 'Welcome back Man. Though you can’t
still perform for now till you are fully recovered, we will turn for
others and show love' Ubi wrote.
A young couple were publicly humiliated after they were caught having
sex in a car in broad daylight.The lovers were seen getting intimate in
the car parked along a quiet street and residents gathered round to
shame them and take their photos without letting them dress properly
first.The location where the photo was taken or the day was not revealed
but the photos have become a topic of conversation online with a lot of
people criticizing the residents for humiliating two consenting adults.
NBA star Dwyane Wade took to his Instagram stories to share this
adorable photo of himself bottle-feeding his newborn daughter Kaavia.The
basketball veteran, 36, and his wife, actress Gabrielle Union 46,
welcomed their first child together, baby daughter Kaavia, on November 7
via a surrogate.
Dwyane is also a dad to kids Zaire, 16, Zion, 11, and Xavier, 5, from past relationships.
Cynthia "Cee C" Nwadiorah has pitched her tent with Ezinne Akudo on the
feminism debate.It all began after Annie Idibia's interview where she
said she is not a feminist because she doesn't subscribe to the idea of
women referring to themselves as kings.Former beauty queen, Ezinne Akudo
replied and explained that feminism has nothing to do with whether a
woman addresses herself as a king or a queen. She went on to explain
what feminism really is and Anita Okoye supported her. 
Now,
Cee C, who is famously referred to by her fans as "King Cee C" has now
weighed in on the debate. Cee C shared Ezinne's post on feminism and
said she is still a king but added that her referring to herself as a
king has nothing to do with feminism. She, however, made it known that
she is a feminist. 
The Bishop of Niger Delta West Diocese, Rt Rev. (Dr) Emmanuel Oko-Jaja,
has said permitting couples to kiss inside the church during their
wedding service is unscriptural, unholy and should be banned.According
to Oko-Jaja, such practice of couples kissing during their wedding
service, promotes immorality and corrupts the mind of teenagers that are
in church to witness what is supposed to be a holy solemnization. The
clergyman said this while delivering his sermon at the St Mark’s
Anglican Church, Biogbolo in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State on Sunday December
9th.“The practice where couples are allowed to kiss in the church during
wedding service is unscriptural. I wish to direct clergymen and church
workers in this Diocese to guard against such unholy conducts. According
to the scriptures, the church is not supposed to serve as a place meant
to promote immorality but encourage people to uphold and practice
Christian virtues with a view to winning souls for Christ.” he said
Operatives of EFCC last weekend, reportedly raided a building housing an
apartment occupied by two sons of Atiku Abubakar. According to a report
by Premium Times, the raid on Aliyu and Mustapha Atiku-Abubakar’s
residence in the posh Maitama neighbourhood comes a day after claims
emerged that Atiku’s running mate, Peter Obi, had his bank accounts
frozen by federal authorities. Paul Ibe, a spokesperson for the Atiku
Abubakar family, confirmed the search to Premium Times, saying the
officers who conducted the “grievous act of intimidation” were “unable
to find anything implicating.” Neither Aliyu nor Mustapha was in town
when the anti-graft agents arrived as both are said to be studying for
master’s degrees at foreign universities but those with whom they share
the building were reportedly taken to the EFCC office and some of their
properties confiscated.The report said, “when the EFCC officers arrived
on Saturday, they met Theodore Orji’s sons at home, because they both
live in the same building. They asked to see the apartment of Aliyu and
Mustapha Atiku-Abubakar but Theodore Orji’s sons refused to show them,
saying their friends are out of the country, anyway.The EFCC operatives
then said they have intelligence that a large cache of dollars had been
kept in the apartment which they had come to recover. They forcibly
searched the apartment, but there was no hard currency or anything that
could be construed as fraudulently damning.” 
Many people have been injured after members of the African Action
Congress (AAC) clashed with men of the Lagos state police command.The
members of the political party embarked on a peaceful protest this
morning to demand the release of six members of their party who were
arrested by the police yesterday December 9th for allegedly destroying
campaign posters of other party members. According to the police, the
arrested members of the AAC, were caught destroying the campaign banners
and posters of other candidates so that they can install that of their
presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore.The protesters picketed the
entrance of the Area F Police Station in Lagos but were dispersed after
the police officers in the station fired teargas multiple times at the
protesters.One of the protesters, Okoh-Oboh Omotese Annabelle, was also
allegedly shot in the leg.
The Lagos State government has presented insurance benefits worth Four
Hundred and Seventy-Five Million Naira (N475m) to 189 family members of
deceased staff of the State Universal Basic Education Board, SUBEB and
Local Government Councils across the State. Commissioner for Local
Government and Community Affairs, Muslim Folami who presided over the
presentation ceremony, advised the beneficiaries of the Insurance
benefits to utilise the money in securing the future of the bereaved
children and also support other dependents. He said that the approval
for the payment of the benefits was in line with the inclusive policy of
the State Government and also as a result of the determination of the
present Administration to ameliorate the sufferings of the dependants of
the deceased staff.“Let me assure everyone that the present
administration will not hesitate to carry all her civic rights on every
member of her workforce because this administration has the interest of
everyone at heart”, the Commissioner restated.He maintained that the
State Government would always ensure that benefits of the deceased were
paid directly to the beneficiaries, stressing that since the inception
of the payment, the present administration had not relented.
A 15-year-old Russian has died after being electrocuted in her bath when
her mobile phone fell in the water while she was charging it.Irina
Rybnikova, a martial arts champion, was bathing in the Siberian
industrial city of Bratsk with her iPhone charging close to the bath.
The iPhone then fell into the bath and electrocuted her.She later was
found dead in the bath.Irina was a champion fighter in pankration.
She won the all-Russian championship two months ago and had been
selected for her country’s national team. Friends say she was
dreaming of becoming a world champion. 
Her
sister Tatiana, 25, told Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper:In August she
became the godmother to my little daughter.My child adored her and
called her ‘nanny’.And now she is not with us anymore…Our hearts are
broken.It is so quiet and feels empty at home without her.She has been
described as a "beautiful girl" with "many friends".A friend said:She
was a great person, the best and the most loved.She always dreamed of
success in sports.We wanted to go together with her to another city and
study there.Everybody loved her, she was sociable, kind and beautiful. 
Yury
Agrafonov, the head of radio-electronic department of Irkutsk State
University, said:Water is a good conductor for a current, this is why
there was a short circuit when the phone fell into the water.If the
phone had not been plugged in to 220 volts, the tragedy would not have
happened.Her sports federation issued a statement saying:A tragic
accident has taken the life of our champion, friend, mate and student
Irina Rybnikova, 15.She was a candidate for Master of Sports in
pankration, our beloved girl. Rest in peace. 
As a typical Nigerian mum she reacted to this photo of her daugther
which she shared on her Whatsapp stories, in the most dramatic way. See
their conversation below...
Former Miss Nigeria, Ezinne Akudo has taken to Instagram to address
people who say they are not feminists.Ezinne's post comes after Annie
Idibia went viral for saying she is not a feminist because women cannot
be "Kings". Though Ezinne did not call Annie Idibia's name, she made
reference to the debate about women addressing themselves as kings,
thereby making it obvious who she was referring to.The former beauty
queen in her post, explained the meaning of feminism and advised people
to stop engaging in inconsequential arguments that take us back. Anita
Okoye - Paul Okoye's wife - made sure to show on which side she was
pitching her tent by commenting to let Ezinne know that she's in support
of her post.Ezinne's post reads:For the record, each time you say
you’re not a feminist, this is what you’re saying: 1. You do not
believe that men and women should have equal access to rights and
opportunities.2. You support child marriage, female genital mutilation
and the re-victimisation of rape victims.3. You are comfortable with
earning less than your male colleagues for doing the same work. 4. You
believe boys should have better access to education because girls belong
in the other room.5. You are comfortable with being asked to choose
between your work and pregnancy or being refused employment because you
are pregnant.6. You are sexist and a patron of patriarchy.(E.t.c)If
anything above offends you, then I hate to be a bearer of bad news but
you are a feminist. (At least until the word evolves to equalist, or
humanist or something)You might refuse to label yourself a feminist
because you are scared of being disliked or perceived as angry or maybe
you just don’t understand the movement at all but, FEMINISM is simply
the belief that men and women should have equal access to rights and
opportunities. It is the freedom of choice, a choice to live and become
whoever you choose to be! Marriage is such very tiny aspect of this
entire conversation, but somehow, every time the subject of feminism
comes up, that is all we seem to think about. Plus just when we think we
are moving forward, we wake up to debates about whether or not women
should address themselves as kings or queens(personal choice really). We
have far greater issues as evidenced by the inexhaustive list above,
can we please refrain from arguing on this level? Yes, yes we have our
culture and we know that these ‘anti feminist’ beliefs are based on
traditions but maybe it’s time to sit down and ask ourselves if these
beliefs are still valid, given the evolution of civilisation. But pray
tell, What does feminism mean to you honestly?#WorldHumanRightsDay 
Jacy Ella, a Nigerian lady has shared shocking photos of injuries she
sustained from a robbery attack she was involed in. The incident took
place in Port Harcourt, Rivers state on Sunday night.Jacy in her tweet,
said she never knew Port Harcourt had become really dangerous. 
Diddy's kids appear to be coping quite well following the sudden death
of their mother.11-year-old D'Lila Star and Jessie James were all smiles
as they volunteered to feed the homeless with their half-sister.Diddy
shared the photo on Instagram and revealed he's proud of his girls.
A tanker driver stabbed a mortuary operator, Mr David Ibe Wagbara, to
death in Rumuosi , Obio/ Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State on
Friday. Trouble ensued when the tanker driver parked his truck in front
of deceased's mortuary. David, a former staff of Cool FM Port
Harcourt, asked the driver to move his truck as it was blocking access
to his business premises and he usually receives bodies at night.
Following a heated argument, the Hausa/Fulani tanker driver stabbed the
father of two with a dagger. 
He
was rushed to the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital but was
pronounced dead by doctors. After the driver had stabbed Wagbara, he
entered his vehicle to drive off but some youths in the area chased and
caugh him.. They later handed him over to the police. 
Angry
youths in the community went on rampage and destroyed three fuel
tankers parked in the area. Confirming the incident , the state Police
Public Relations Officer , Nnamdi Omoni, said the body of the victim had
been taken to a mortuary. “We are aware of the development and police
have taken charge. The tanker driver has been arrested and investigation
is ongoing, ” Omoni said. The late David Wagbara was is survived by a
wife and kids. Meanwhile some of his friends took to Facebook to mourn
his death. 
Former president, Olusegun Obasanjo has denied media reports that he has
decided not to support any candidate for next year’s presidential
election in Nigeria. Obasanjo made the clarification in a statement
today by his media aide, Kehinde Akinyemi saying, “It is disingenuous,
if not malicious, for anyone to suggest that Chief Obasanjo was being
neutral when he chose not to use the Owu Convention as a platform for
political campaign but instead adopt a communal and familial approach in
talking to members of his Owu family”. The statement added that, “for
the records, and as accurately reported by some media organisations,
what the former president said at the convention in Iwo was that while
he would not impress any candidates on them, Nigerians should vote for
credible candidates who will drive growth and development and make their
lives better than it is now.” He explained that Obasanjo’s statement
did not suggest his neutrality, as he believes that, “only a fool will
sit on the fence or be neutral when his or her country is being
destroyed with incompetence, corruption, lack of focus, insecurity,
nepotism, brazen impunity and denial of the obvious. Chief Obasanjo is
no such fool nor is he so unwise”.Former president, Olusegun Obasanjo has denied media reports that he has
decided not to support any candidate for next year’s presidential
election in Nigeria. Obasanjo made the clarification in a statement
today by his media aide, Kehinde Akinyemi saying, “It is disingenuous,
if not malicious, for anyone to suggest that Chief Obasanjo was being
neutral when he chose not to use the Owu Convention as a platform for
political campaign but instead adopt a communal and familial approach in
talking to members of his Owu family”. The statement added that, “for
the records, and as accurately reported by some media organisations,
what the former president said at the convention in Iwo was that while
he would not impress any candidates on them, Nigerians should vote for
credible candidates who will drive growth and development and make their
lives better than it is now.” He explained that Obasanjo’s statement
did not suggest his neutrality, as he believes that, “only a fool will
sit on the fence or be neutral when his or her country is being
destroyed with incompetence, corruption, lack of focus, insecurity,
nepotism, brazen impunity and denial of the obvious. Chief Obasanjo is
no such fool nor is he so unwise”.
In a new twist of events, the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers
Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN) has directed its members to shut down
all loading operations by midnight. The association gave the directive
in a statement released today and signed by Olufemi Adewole, its
executive secretary. According to the statement, oil marketers have
disengaged their staff due to inability to pay salaries.“The Association
took a bold step to stop the financial hemorrhaging of its members by
the painful disengagement of its loyal workers after over 3 years of
engaging with the Federal Government in the efforts to secure the
payment of all subsidy induced debt owed marketers,” the statement
read.“To avoid owing staff without any hope of pay, it is hereby agreed
that since all our staff have been disengaged, ALL DAPPMAN Member depot
are not in a position to operate hence WILL SHUT DOWN ALL LOADINGS AT
MIDNIGHT, Sunday, December 9.”Earlier in the week, the ministry of
finance had announced that it had reached an agreement with by the
painful disengageoil marketers on how to pay the outstanding subsidy
claims. DAPPMAN however denied reaching an agreement with the
government because it failed to agree to demands that the claims should
be paid in cash instead of using promissory notes. A statement released
on Saturday by Henry Ikem-Obih, chief operating officer, Nigerian
National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) downstream, had assured that the
Debt Management Office would pay N236 billion out of the N348 billion
approved by the national assembly as outstanding subsidy claims on
Friday.
