NEWS
We’re committed to creating decent living for Kwara workers, retirees: Govt
- Holds 1st Kw-SDGs Convention, trains civil servants on organic waste, ICT
Kwara State Government on Thursday said it is committed to improving the well-being of its workforce and creating an atmosphere for them to live a decent life after retirement.
Declaring its support for the realization of the Seventeen World Sustainable Development Goals, the government said part of these goals centre around ensuring decent work for people and growing the economy.
“The era where Kwara civil servants retire and have nothing to do has passed. What the administration is trying to focus on is to make sure that after you retire you have something to fall back onto,” Deputy Governor Kayode Alabi told reporters in Ilorin during the maiden Kwara SDGs Convention (1st Kw-SDGs).
Alabi urged participants to see the convention as an opportunity to make necessary inquiries and network towards building a solid foundation for a better tomorrow.
Organized by the office of the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on SDGs, Hon. Mariam Nnafatima Imam, the Convention featured lectures and panel discussion.
It was attended by some government officials, Permanent Secretaries,
and other top civil servants on Grade Level 15 to 17, including Commissioner for Finance, Dr Hauwa Nuru; and Commissioner for Business Innovation and Technology Hon. Damilola Yusuf-Adelodun.
Among the Speakers were the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Digital Innovation Ishola Kayode; founder, Tamirah Entrepreneurship Center (TEC), Rukayat Yahaya; a serial entrepreneur with focus on Water, Education and Agriculture, Gegele Yahya Olushola; Managing Director, CNN Limited, Nelson Daramola; and an associate Professor of Enterprise Creation, Incubation and Development (ECID) at the Kwara State University (KWASU), Dr Rahman Oladimeji Mustapha.
“The state government is in support of the SDGs which is a blueprint for the global future. We are creating an atmosphere where an average retiree can say ‘yes it paid me when I was working with the government and I have something meaningful to be doing afterwards’,” the Deputy Governor said.
He was represented by the Commissioner for Communication Bola Olukoju.
SSA to the Governor on SDGs and convener of 1st Kwara SDGs Convention, Nnafatima, said they organized the programme to equip participants with relevant skills and strategies needed to harness opportunities and thrive in agriculture, entrepreneurship and ICT.
“Our goal is to explore vital topics that will not only help us navigate the present but also ensure a prosperous and secure future for everyone, especially those approaching retirement in the Civil Service,” she said.
“We aim to equip participants with the knowledge and strategies needed to harness opportunities in agriculture, information and communication technology, entrepreneurship, and other related fields of endeavor, so you can thrive both professionally and personally which is in line with SDG Goal 8, 9, 11 and 12.”
She said they conducted surveys and realized that many civil servants usually develop phobia when going for retirement, adding that they need enlightenment on how to cope after leaving the Service.
“We are focusing on civil servants because after conducting surveys we realized some sorts of retirement syndrome that come up when civil servants are about to retire,” she said.
“From the survey we are able to find out that they need an enlightenment programme like this so that they don’t have a phobia and they can move on even after retirement. Let it be an incubation period for them to carry on smoothly.”
She said the training will be a continuous exercise, adding that the plan includes introducing how the trainees can access loans, international grants and other skills for them to grow.
Ishola, in his lecture, spoke on some of the opportunities in digital innovation, including how it enables the government and participants to diversify the economy.
He said the digital world offers a lot of opportunities that the retirees can leverage to network their businesses and meet their economic needs.
“For us to be able to bring life into Sustainable Development Goals in our state and in our country, we have to leverage digital innovation. In the hall, we have retirees, government officials, people from the civil society groups speaking on collaboration, accountability and transparency. These are key things that can only be driven through adoption of digital innovation,” he said.
Olushola Gegele, whose lecture was titled “Agricultures: Sustainable Practices and Opportunities for Retirees”, dwelled on how participants can harness the potentials of organic waste to create wealth and become self-sufficient.
He said sawdust and rice shafts, after burning and left for a period of time in a container, can generate mushrooms, whose waste he said can be used as manure for farming.
“Let’s go for waste management if we want to harness the future. Using what we have locally to create economic prosperity. This is where the World is going. Retirees can look at what they see as waste around them and strive to turn it into what can give them income,” he said.
The family of Chief Samuel Ayodele Adebanjo, revered nationalist, elder statesman, and leader of the Pan-Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere, has formally announced the funeral arrangements following his passing on February 14, 2025, at the age of 96.A series of events have been planned to honour the life, legacy, and values of the late Pa Ayo Adebanjo — a man widely respected for his lifelong dedication to democracy, Yoruba unity, and national development.In a statement by the chairman of the burial planning committee, Dr. Biodun Shobanjo, on behalf of the family, they expressed their deep gratitude for the outpouring of support and prayers received since his passing and welcomed well-wishers to participate in celebrating the life of their beloved patriarch.The funeral arrangements are as follows:Day of Tributes/Service of Songs Wednesday, April 30th, 2025 || 2 p.m. Eko Hotels & Suites, Victoria Island, LagosColour: Shades of GreenWake Friday, May 2nd, 2025 || 4 p.m. Pa Ayo Adebanjo’s Country Home,, Isanya Ogbo, near Ijebu Ode, Ogun StateColour: Alari of GoldChurch Service/Funeral Saturday, May 3rd, 2025 || 10.a.m. St. Phillips Anglican Church, Isanya Ogbo, near Ijebu Ode, Ogun StateColour: Powder Blue Gele/Cap on Ankara or Royal Blue LaceThanksgiving Sunday, May 4th, 2025 || 10.a.m. St. Phillips Anglican Church, Isanya Ogbo, near Ijebu Ode, Ogun StateThe family invites friends, colleagues, political associates, and the general public to join them in paying final respects to a man whose courage, integrity, and unwavering belief in justice left an indelible mark on Nigeria’s political history.Chief Samuel Ayodele Adebanjo, widely known as Chief Ayo Adebanjo or Pa Ayo Adebanjo, was born on the 10th of April, 1928, in Ogun State, in the south-western region of Nigeria. He was born into the family of Joel Adebanjo Adedairo and Salamotu Odubanke. Chief Adebanjo began his public journey as a journalist before proceeding to the United Kingdom to study law. He was called to the English Bar in 1961.His political journey began in 1943 as a member of the Zikist Movement, before joining the youth wing of the Action Group in 1951, where he became a political disciple of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo. Throughout his life, Chief Adebanjo remained a fearless advocate for democratic governance, true federalism, and Yoruba interests within the Nigerian federation.He will be remembered as a titan of Nigeria’s nationalist struggle and a principled voice in the country’s post-independence political evolution.SIGNED:Mrs. Ayotunde Atteh (nee Ayo-Adebanjo)Mrs. Adeola Azeez (nee Ayo-Adebanjo)Mr. Obafemi Ayo-AdebanjoFor The FamilyApril 24, 2025
Governor Umar Bago of Niger State has declared zero tolerance for rascality even as he has directed security agencies to arrest individuals wearing dreadlocks in Minna, the state capital.
The directive was issued during Tuesday’s high-level stakeholders’ security meeting at the Government House.
Governor Bago instructed security agencies to not only arrest those with dreadlocks but also forcibly shave their hair and impose fines on them.
“We will have zero tolerance for rascality. Anybody that you find with dreadlocks, arrest, barb the hair, and fine him,” Bago declared.
“Nobody should carry any kind of haircut inside Minna. I have given marching orders to security agencies.”
The meeting, attended by security operatives and traditional rulers, focused on clamping down on what the governor described as rising criminality and disorder in the state.
“Parents should warn their children. From this moment, it’s 100% fire-for-fire,” he said. “Also, any house found harbouring criminals should be demolished. Niger State is not for useless people.”
Among other measures announced were restrictions on commercial motorcycles and tricycles, which are now banned from operating between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m., except for emergency medical purposes.
The governor also directed traditional and community leaders, including district, village and ward heads, to ensure accurate documentation of all residents in their areas.
Union Bank of Nigeria Plc led by Yetunde Oni, is currently grappling with a massive N9.3 billion fraud following a significant operational system breach, THE WITNESS reports.
The development comes exactly one year and three months after the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) sacked the bank’s board and entire management, citing governance failures. A new management team was subsequently appointed to lead the financial institution.
Union Bank is battling to recover the sum of N9,329,322,870.00 (nine billion, three hundred and twenty-nine million, three hundred and twenty-two thousand, eight hundred and seventy naira), withdrawn from customers’ accounts without authorization.
In a suit marked FHC/L/CS/629/2025, filed before the Federal High Court in Lagos, seen by THE WITNESS, Union Bank sought a preservative order compelling the financial institutions involved to place Post No Debit restrictions on the accounts of all beneficiaries and to return the stolen funds traced to their institutions.
According to the bank, the fraud followed an operational failure and fraud in its core banking system on March 23, 2025, which led to unauthorized transfers from customers’ accounts.
An affidavit deposed to by Oluwasegun Falola, head of the E-Fraud Investigations Department at Union Bank, stated that the funds were fraudulently and erroneously transferred from the bank to various accounts across 53 financial institutions.
Falola explained that on March 23, 2025, the bank observed that N9.3 billion had been debited from customer accounts and dispersed into various accounts maintained by the respondent banks. He added that Union Bank immediately contacted the banks involved in a bid to halt further dissipation of the funds.
“The Fraud Desk Department of the bank, in the course of its investigations, discovered that the monies were transferred in trickles into several accounts domiciled with the 1st to 54th Respondents,” the affidavit stated.
Union Bank attributed the unauthorized debits to a system glitch and exploitation, which it says enabled the illicit transfers.
“The funds were erroneously and fraudulently transferred from customers’ accounts.
“Upon further investigation, it was found that the funds were subsequently moved from these primary beneficiary accounts to other accounts also held by the respondents.”
The bank disclosed that it had submitted the list of recipient accounts to the respective financial institutions as a preliminary measure to recover any remaining funds
To support its recovery efforts, the bank said its internal audit and legal departments compiled detailed reports tracing the flow of funds and identifying all beneficiary accounts.
When the case was mentioned on April 2, 2025, Union Bank’s counsel, A. Adedoyin-Adeniyi, informed the court that the stolen funds were still being moved.
“₦9.3 billion has been moved from the account, and they are still moving funds. We now have more people involved in moving the funds,” the lawyer told the court.
To support its recovery efforts, the bank said its internal audit and legal departments compiled detailed reports tracing the flow of funds and identifying all beneficiary accounts.
When the case was mentioned on April 2, 2025, Union Bank’s counsel, A. Adedoyin-Adeniyi, informed the court that the stolen funds were still being moved.
“₦9.3 billion has been moved from the account, and they are still moving funds. We now have more people involved in moving the funds,” the lawyer told the court.
In his ruling, Justice Deinde Dipeolu agreed with the submissions and thereafter granted a motion ex parte filed by the bank concerning the unauthorized fund transfers.
“Having reviewed the motion ex parte, the application is hereby granted,” the judge ruled.
The incident has raised broader concerns about the security of Nigeria’s banking infrastructure, especially as interbank transactions continue to increase. Financial analysts suggest that outdated systems and inadequate oversight may be exacerbating vulnerabilities, heightening the risk of fraud and transactional errors.
Union Bank did not respond to THE WITNESS’ inquiries as at press time.
(S) Witnessngr
From Lagos to Atlanta: Reality Shows You Just Can’t Miss on GOtv
No School, Still Learning: How GOtv is Helping Parents Win the Holiday Season
PRIMATE AYODELE SHOCKER!! Not Atiku, Not Obi, only Tinubu Can Make Nigeria Great Again!
