Expo Round Naija

In a matter of one month, a second bank has been liquidated in Nigeria. The first null came upon Skye Bank, a nationwide bank, now taken over and managed under a new name, Polaris Bank. The second however not a nationwide in operation scope, is Garu Micro-Finance Bank, a community bank in Bauchi. According to Premium Times Nigeria, " The manager of the bank, Ibrahim Abubakar, told NAN in Bauchi on Tuesday that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had revoked its license, adding that the bank had been taken over by Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC)." While this occurrence in quick succession has raised the blood of some customers patronizing the Nigerian banks, others express appreciation over the measures that have been taken by the government and CBN to secure the funds of banks customers. One such customer is Mr. Ferdinand Otu who banks with Stanbic IBTC Bank. Concluding his statement in an interview, he said: "Nigerians, there is no shaking." ...

FOUR YEARS OF DEMOCRACY Every new government has four years of a democratic term to rule the people for the record. But how this time is aloted between the government and the governed is so ridiculous that it will take only the American Political Correctness to make it fair at the ratio of 1 to 15. (3 : 45) Every new government in Nigeria spends three months to rule the people. During this period the government tells the people: "We know that you are there. We have a lot of good stuff in the pipeline for you." Then, they make a lot of good promises. Their presence fade from the people's lives like shadow, by the end of the three months. Then, you wonder what happens for the rest of the three years and nine months that follows. Beginning of politics. Second term preparations. Big shots. Heads rolling. Cross-carpetting. For the remainder three years and nine months, the government is incapable of remembering that people are still there. That there is hunger. That unfu...

According to the Punch newspaper today: "In a meeting he reportedly attended in June at the Oval Office, Trump was quoted to have said Nigerians refuse to “return to their huts” after seeing America. "He was also quoted to have said immigrants from Haiti “all have AIDS”, while describing Afghanistan as a “haven of terrorists.”" According to the report, the New York Times report confirmed the meeting, but denied that the president used those terms "Huts" and "Aids" Go to PUNCH for full report This news has grown viral on the Internet. Those responding want answer to the question of who has the blame, whether the US president or the Nigerian leaders.  From what I gathered from the thousands of comments so far, those who accommodate Nigerians in their countries are kind. We are a proud people on top of nothing. If it is possible to switch places with that Western country, it would help to understand this. We often hear tales: The best doc...

A small shop in Igando  Lagos   Shops like this save many women entrepreneurs and their dependants in the State of Lagos in Nigeria. But the proprietors face mountain problems keeping them running. This woman here, owner of the above shop, pays N6000 to the Alimosho Local government area of Lagos, and another N2400, to Lawma, an agency that controls the companies that take refuse round the state. Yet, this woman doesn't have as much as N3000 to stock her shop. What can the government do to grow micro business and in turn the economy of the state? Well, there are a few schemes currently in place to help in this area. One among the ones that are currently running is the Lagos State Employment Trust Funds (LSETF). While stiff stringent are not attached to this empowerment program, people still find it hard to obtain loan. There should be an extension programs to educated people on documentation issues since many of these people are not literate. There should also...

In front of a residential building Refuse waiting Clearing van This sight is common in some parts of Lagos. This morning in Igando, Lagos, a small crowd in frenzy talk almost grew into a protest. Many said they pay regularly to the utility agency, LAWMA, who controls the companies that pick up refuse. But they wouldn't find them to pick up the things. In some cases, refuse would begin to spill over the fence before they are taken up. In the past, it was the government that encouraged residents to keep the state or country clean. Now that residents have learned to imbibe the culture of cleanliness, the government is not found to do its part. Most of the time though, the government points it out of themselves to the agency. True, any residence of Lagos up till 2006 knew how dirty the state used to be. Residents pay truck pushers to take their garbage. It was expensive too. Even though the environmental agencies force people to dispose their refuse to make environments s...

Something like this is common in Lagos. This association is celebrating end-of-year party this morning in Osunba, Igando area of Lagos. This kind of association is not limited to Lagos. Throughout the country, various traders have association, small or large. Association members dancing during ceremony  While their main purpose is to control price and keep others in check, who might be interested in the trade, they also play other roles to their members. They run micro savings for members. They render social assistance to members who might be disadvantaged. And they for solidarity in fighting legal battles. They also have areas of weakness. Because the government of the country has not created trade environment in proper legal framework, some of these associations go beyond their boundaries at time. In some cases, they try to stop others from doing the same business in certain locality if they are not registered with them even though these others are registered with the ...