Nigerian Newspapers
‘I started my company with my NYSC allowance’
FORTY-YEAR-OLD Oluwayemisi Adesina has every reason to be happy with the success she has recorded in life. And that was how she was while she shared her life odyssey with the reporter. Adesina, the brains behind Digital Hall Nigeria Limited, an Information Communication Technology (ICT), recalled her plunge into the world of business with the meager allowance she saved during her National Youth Service Corps days.
She said: “I think that there is a lesson today’s youth can learn from me. You won’t believe that I started my company with my youth service allowance. I was saving every bit of the money throughout my service year at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in Lagos. Although it was a bit difficult for me then, I weathered the situation. As soon as I finished my service, I set up the company and was also taking interior decoration jobs, as well as organising training on ICT for some public and private establishments.”
She recalled further how she started out without an office, saying: “When I started the company, I did not have an office and that affected our operations. It was several months later that we got an office in Victoria Island. This is the lesson: young graduates who are busy looking for white collar jobs should consider starting something little and grow with it.
“I had only one female staff who served as both clerk and administrative officer. Today, we operate from our office both in Lagos and Abuja, while the company has about 15 employees.”
The Ikole-Ekiti-born woman revealed how she once turned down an offer to work in a new generation bank shortly after she graduated. “I had the opportunity of becoming a banker, but I turned down the offer. A new generation bank offered me employment, but I had already made up my mind not to work for anybody in my life. Hence, I rejected the mouth-watering offer. The risk I took has paid off and I am glad that I took the right decision about 15 years ago.”
Despite her relative success and status, Adesina did not choose the conventional designation as Managing Director. Instead, she prefers to be addressed simply as the Director, Business Development of her own company!
The reason for this, she revealed, is that “I am a very simple person who does not like carrying airs around my personality. Life has taught me to be humble because when you don’t take to arrogance and respect people around you, your height in life is limitless.”
Adesina, an MBA holder with a strong background in management, said that she went into ICT and management skills training to help people in both sectors to be relevant in their respective fields of work.
“I enjoy imparting knowledge in people and my passion toward contributing my quota to human capacity development in the last few years has contributed immensely to the growth and development of many public and private organizations,” she explained.
Her company, Digital Hall Limited, was established and incorporated in 1998 to train and empower many people. It is an indigenous contracting company with core competence in ICT and management skills training and competency development, aimed at helping private businesses and major governmental organisations to turn potentials into high performance.
She continued: “I never knew that I had a skill in lecturing, marketing and moving around until I became the Director, Business Development of Digital Hall Limited. God has been kind to us, giving us favour before the people we trained and those in high places.
“Digital Hall Nigeria Limited is a commercially-minded training and competency development management company with proven business judgment, strong strategic capability, leadership and general management experience. In the last 15 years, my company has trained many people in ICT and management skills.”
Speaking further on the strides recorded by her company, she said: “Since we started our organisation, we have trained many people. Many of those that we trained always improve on their productivity whenever they get back to their places of work. Some organisations do come to tell us that the person we trained has actually attended a course, maybe in attitude and decision taking. Their co-workers also confirmed that this person has really given room for a change for the short period he or she attended our workshop and seminars.”
She added: “We have trained many people, especially from government parastatals like PHCN, Nigeria Ports Authority, Lagos, Oyo and Ogun States civil service, and we are in touch with Anambra State. They are interested and they are willing that we should come and run the same programme for their civil servants. Initially, our target audience was government workers. But we have also extended our services to many private organisations.
“We organise management training, ICT training, engineering programme for engineers like some oil companies. We have experts from abroad who we invite to come and be our speaker and resource personnel and share their foreign experience with us. Instead of people travelling abroad for seminar or workshop, we bring them here to be part of our team, and that has really motivated many parastatals to continue doing business with us.”
Speaking on some of the challenges she has faced in the course of imparting knowledge in people, Adesina said she has experienced a lot of ups and downs. She, however, maintained that her strong determination kept her going.
“What I do is a job that is highly competitive. There are many consultants that we do meet and compete with. And that is why we are not relenting. We like people to assess us at the end of our seminar, workshops and conferences, and that is why at the end of the day, we give them our evaluation forms. The response of some of those that participated in the training has really strengthened us and motivated us to keep moving forward.
“By diagnosing the evaluation form, it gives us the courage to know what to do. If it is like we are weak in some areas, we think of what to do. Does it involve us going to training in some of areas to equip ourselves? Should we call experts from abroad to come and train us so that we can deliver our best?
“I give thanks to God that we have been able to overcome many challenges and today, we are stronger than when we started. Perseverance and having the spirit of not giving up has made us to overcome some of our challenges. The integrity and competence that we have been able to show and display to all our participants and the clients generally have also helped us to move to greater heights. We have been able to show to people through our work that we are different.
“I thank God for everything, looking at where we are coming from and where we are today. We started in a small office in VI then, but now we have been able to move to Area 2, Garki in Abuja, and we are still planning more extension. Today, we have about 15 full-fledge staff and they are happy with us because we treat them very well. So, compared with where we are coming from and where we are going. We have reasons to thank God.”
Although, Adesina, would be celebrating her birthday next week, she explained that she would mark her birthday by training secondary school students on ICT Digital literacy and taking care of indigent patients in a public hospital.
“I’ll be organising a training on digital ICT for students of Igbogbo Secondary School, Ikorodu, Lagos State. I’ll also visit some public hospitals to assist some indigent patients with their bills in my own little way.”
She did not end the chat without a word of advice for young girls, saying: “I want to admonish young girls to face their studies, because doing so is the only assurance that they can become great in life like Nigeria’s Minister of Finance, Dr. Okonjo Iweala, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Prof. Sophie Oluwole, among others.”
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•Deploy more personnel as army chief vows to wipe out terror group
•Security beefed up at N’Assembly
Deji Elumoye and Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja
Abuja, Nigeria’s seat of power, is under a massive security cordon following threats of attacks by insurgents and the increasing wave of banditry in the contiguous states of Kaduna, Kogi, Nasarawa and Niger States, THISDAY’s investigation has revealed.
There has been a wave of kidnappings in the outskirts of the federal capital, notably Pegi, Tuganmaje and Kuje among others, which the police have battled in recent times.
The security situation in and around the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was heightened by the pronouncement of the Niger State Governor, Mr. Sani Bello, that Boko Haram fighters who he said sacked 50 villages in the state and hoisted the terror group’s flag, were about two hours drive away from the FCT.
Security has also been beefed up at the National Assembly as operatives, yesterday, thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja.
The deteriorating security situation nationwide prompted the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, to warn that the 2023 general election may not hold, demanding the declaration of a state of emergency as well as the convocation of a national conference.
However, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, yesterday restated the Nigerian Army’s determination to annihilate Boko Haram.
But the Governor of Katsina State, Hon. Bello Masari, cautioned against declaring a state of emergency, saying doing so isn’t the solution to combat the security challenges facing the country.
The security of the nation’s airports was also in focus yesterday as the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) said there was no threat to them.
THISDAY’s investigations showed increased presence of troops, police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) personnel and intelligence operatives at the three strategic entrances to the city notably, Keffi, Zuba and Gwagwalada.
More checkpoints were also mounted around Gwagwalada and Keffi.
THISDAY also observed increased intelligence deployment at the entrance and the borders of FCT with contiguous states.
Beyond the borders, there were more deployments and police patrols inside the city and increased intelligence deployments as well.
Security sources told THISDAY: “There are deployments here and there but they are routine. Alertness is key to a secure environment.”
It was also learnt that security agencies were involved in frenzied meetings throughout yesterday.
The meetings, coordinated by the office of the Chief of Defence Staff under the new joint operational strategy of the armed forces, were aimed at coordinating a joint response to possible threats of attack to the FCT.
“I understand the security teams have been meeting for some days now and if you look around you, you will notice that there are increasing patrols and numbers of security personnel. The threats are not been taken lightly,” a source said.
National Assembly workers, lawmakers and visitors also had a harrowing experience accessing the legislative complex due to heightened security in the area.
Security operatives thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja, impeding both human and vehicular traffic.
The Sergeant-at-arm of the National Assembly and other security agencies supervised the operations, leading to huge traffic build-up inside the complex.
Legislative staff, visitors and lawmakers were seen patiently waiting for their cars to be searched so that they could go ahead with the business of the day.
Some staff and visitors at some point got tired of waiting and were seen alighting from their cars to trek from the gate to the complex.
Meanwhile, the ONSA has said there is no threat to the nation’s airports.
A statement by the Head of Strategic Communication, Mr. Zachari Usman, said the reports of threats to the airports were an internal correspondence of security threat assessment misconstrued as security threat to the airports.
PDP Demands State of Emergency
In a related development, the PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, yesterday demanded the declaration of a state of emergency, warning that the 2023 general election might not hold if the federal government failed to tackle insecurity.
He called on the federal government to summon a national conference to address the spike in insecurity.
Secondus added that the national caucus of the party will meet today to discuss the state of the nation.
Addressing members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) in Abuja, Secondus said: “We are worried Abuja is not even safe. It is no longer politics. We got alert of plots to bomb and burn down our airports.
“We urge the federal government to declare a national state of emergency in security. There is the need to call a national conference to discuss the insecurity in the country.
“There may not be any election in 2023 in Nigeria due to insecurity. This government must listen to the people. The Buhari government should call a national confab to discuss security and state of the nation. It is no longer politics. This time we are not playing politics. Let’s keep politics aside and move the nation forward.”
He said the country had been grounded, regretting that there had been no matching response from the federal government.
Secondus said in the past, terrorism in the North was confined to the North-east, but with the report of Boko Haram occupying villages in Niger State, terrorism had spread to the North-central
“Herdsmen are also menacing in the West; gunmen causing havoc in the East; and the militants in the South; all killing, looting, raping, maiming and burning down homes. The situation is bad; Nigerians all over are living in fear,” he said.
The Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, said the problem of Nigeria was outside of the PDP headquarters, while pledging the support of the Senate to the declaration of state of emergency in security.
Abaribe said he deliberately decided not to speak on the floor of the Senate but to allow the APC senators to speak so as to avoid being accused of giving a partisan colouration to the issue of insecurity.
He stated that only electoral reforms would give victory to the opposition party in the 2023 general election and ensure a democratic defeat of the APC-led federal government.
Also, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, commended the NEC and the PDP leadership for their collective efforts at resolving the House leadership crisis.
The NEC meeting adopted the position of Secondus, calling on the federal government to convoke a national conference to discuss the state of insecurity in the country, according to a communiqué read by the National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan.
Army Chief Vows to Wipe Out Boko Haram
The army yesterday reiterated its commitment to wipe out Boko Haram.
Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, told reporters in Maiduguri, Borno State that Boko Haram had been defeated in many encounters and would continue to be defeated until it’s annihilated from Nigeria.
“We will take on Boko Haram decisively, and we are committed to the focus of the operations, which is the total annihilation of Boko Haram from Nigeria,” he said.
The COAS, who was visiting the headquarters of Operation Lafiya Dole in Maiduguri for the fifth time since his appointment four months ago, said the visit was to boost the morale of the troops, reassure them and listen to any issues affecting them.
Earlier, the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj. Gen. Farouq Yahaya, lauded the visit, which he said had continued to boost the morale of the troops.
“We are honoured, we are grateful, we are encouraged by those visits. You provided us guidance, logistics and other things we required. We are most grateful for those visits,” Yahaya said.
State of Emergency Won’t Solve Security Challenges, Says Masari
Katsina State Governor, Hon. Aminu Masari, has, however, said declaration of a state of emergency won’t solve the security challenges facing the nation.
Masari, who spoke yesterday with journalists after meeting with the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari at the State House, Abuja stated that he was against the recent call by the House of Representatives for the declaration of a state of emergency in the security sector as it would not solve the problem.
According to him, declaring a state of emergency will not achieve the desired effect as the security structure and personnel to be used to execute the emergency are already overstretched in a bid to safeguard lives and property.
Sourced From: THISDAYLIVE
Tribune Online
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has recorded 62 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 165,110. The NCDC disclosed this on its official Twitter handle on Friday. “55 new cases of #COVID19Nigeria; Lagos-21, Yobe-19, Ogun-6, Akwa Ibom-3, Kaduna-2, Plateau-2, FCT-1, Rivers-1.” YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE COVID-19: Nigeria Recorded […]
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Tribune Online
Sourced From: Tribune Online
By Olasunkanmi Akoni
The people of the South East region have been urged to explore the power of negotiation and mutual settlement in the face of ongoing killings and security challenges in the zone because the east can not afford another war at present.
Stakeholders from the South-East geo-political zone made the remark on Thursday, at the unveiling of the book, “Igbo, 50 years after Biafra,” written by Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Drainage Services, Joe Igbokwe, held at Ikeja G.R.A.
Speaking at the unveiling of the book, the chairman of the occasion, Mr. Cutis Adigba,
urged the people of the South-East to learn to build bridges across the country, so that they can realise their ambition of producing the next president of Nigeria.
Adigba urged leaders from the zone to discourage the move and agitation by some youths in the South East to go to war and secede out of Nigeria.
Also read: Banditry: Disregard viral video, Niger State gov’t urges residents
He said that Igbo have always found it difficult to rule Nigeria because they refused to build bridges across the six geo-political zones that made up Nigeria.
While describing the agitation as uncalled for, Adigba noted that after two decades that Nigeria returned to civil rule, the Igbo has predominantly identified with only one political party.
He maintained that remaining in one party can not advance the cause of the people of South East and cannot make them realise their objective of producing an Igbo man as president.
He maintained that the publisher of the book, Igbokwe played politics outside his state, so that the Igbo race can be integrated with one another race.
Adigba said the failure of the Igbo to reintegrate with other ethnic nationalities politically was responsible for the retrogression of the race in Nigerian politics.
Igbokwe, also addressing guests on the occasion, maintained that the Igbo are not advancing politically because they refused to be integrated into National politics, lamenting that, despite their success in business, they are not successful in playing politics at the national level.
Corroborating Dimgba, Igbokwe noted that there was the need for the Igbo people to stand up and build bridges so that their objective of producing the next president of Nigeria could be realised.
According to him: “I have decided to raise my voice, I hope my people will hear me while trying to quell the effect of the war, our people are spoiling for another war, mayhem is being unleashed in Igbo land, and there is palpable fear.
“Those who could speak have lost their voice, mindful of the consequences of their actions, I am calling on all Igbo leaders to speak up because all actions carry consequences, consequences of the silence will be too dastardly to sustain.
“Those silently supporting the wild wind should be careful or else they hand over to their children,” he said.
Igbokwe urged those spoiling for war to jettison their plan and embrace dialogue, urging them to learn from the South West region that despite the challenges faced after the annulment of the June 12, 1993, election, they did not go to war, and the region had the opportunity of producing two of her sons for presidential position in 1999.
“You have to build bridges to become president of Nigeria, but it is unfortunate the Igbo are burning bridges.”
Speaking at the event, Chief Uche Dimgba who is the coordinator of Igbo in All Progressives Congress, APC in Lagos, described Igbokwe as “a Frank, fearless and reliable leader, who based his views on issues and stand by his opinions, and we the Igbo have confidence in him and believe he can lead us aright.”
“He is a leader we Igbo believe in and we will follow him. If he can serve all the governors produced in Lagos State since 1999, he is a better man to follow because he possesses all the experience that can be of benefit to Igbo both at home and in the diaspora.”
The post Attacks on S’East: We must explore all options of negotiation — Stakeholders urge Igbo appeared first on Vanguard News.
Sourced From: Vanguard News
The government said that no worker should stay back beyond 6:00 p.m. within premises of buildings undergoing construction.
The post Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings appeared first on Premium Times Nigeria.
Sourced From: Premium Times Nigeria
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Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Military, Police Ring Abuja to Forestall Boko Haram Attack
UFC: Usman gets N584m after beating Masvidal
Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings
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