30 Million Bank Accounts Abandoned By Nigerians.

The total number of inactive bank accounts in Nigeria stand at 30.26 million despite efforts by banks to retain old customers and attract new ones.

The accounts, activated by commercial banks for new holders but later abandoned to dormancy by the customers now constitute 32.42 per cent of the total 94.388 million activated bank accounts in the country.

Consequently, only 64.128 million accounts that represent 68.7 per cent of the total activated accounts domiciled in commercial banks are functional.

According to the latest industry statistics obtained by Daily Trust from the Nigerian Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) Plc over the weekend, the growing wave of new, active and dormant accounts across savings and currents account types in the country has been progressively steady.

Giving the year-to-date (YTD) analysis of the latest report up till October this year, NIBSS indicated that a total of 4.13 million accounts have become dormant within the period, jacking up dormant account base to the current figure from 26.042 million it stood at the end Q4, 2015.

NIBSS further stated that from a figure of 85.018 million accounts in December 2105, total account base in the country has grown by 11.02 per cent as 9.37 million new accounts were activated within the period.

In its breakdown, 30.063 million, 2.896 million and 2.365 million new accounts came on board in Q1, Q2 and Q3 2016 respectively, while in October, the figure maintained the upward momentum by 1.12 per cent as 1.046 million new accounts were recorded in the month alone.

Meanwhile, further analysis data revealed savings accounts as constituting the largest chunk of the total activated bank accounts as it stood at 66.255 million while current accounts are just 25.58 million.

Experts have also warned that Nigerians, who make use of dormant bank accounts, should not throw caution to the wind as the account might generate debt.

A customer, who preferred not to be named, recounted her ordeal with one of Nigeria’s leading banks, saying “My dormant bank account generated a debt which kept growing overtime, so, one must be careful.”

According to Investopedia, a dormant account has had no activity for a long period of time, other than posting interest and a statute of limitations usually does not apply to it, so funds can be claimed by the owner or beneficiary at any time.

However, it will be recalled that until a new dormant account management policy was released by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) late in 2015, commercial banks in Nigeria have always converted customers’ money in dormant accounts from liabilities to income of the banks. While the apex bank put an end to this standard by also directing banks to reverse such conversion of customers’ money made five years before the 2015 policy which was in favour of account holders, analysts said this must have also contributed to the growing rate of dormant accounts.

Source:
http://www.dailytrust.com.ng/news/business/nigerians-abandon-30m-bank-accounts/173512.html#f2r5GUdO8fr6mPY8.99

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INEC Declares 340, 634 Registered Voters For Lagos Bye Election On Saturday

Lagos -The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it has 340, 634 registered voters for the Dec. 3 bye-election in Ifako-Ijaiye Federal Constituency of Lagos State.

Clement Oha, INEC Administrative Secretary in Lagos State told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the distribution of Permanent Voter’s Card (PVC) was ongoing ahead of the poll.

“We are distributing PVCs so eligible registered voters can still go to INEC office in Ifako Ijaiye Local Government and pick up their PVCs,” Oha said.

The INEC official explained that not every registered voter had PVCs to exercise their voting rights as many were either dead or relocated out of the state.

He urged registered voters in the constituency to collect their PVCs at the local INEC office in order to participate in the election.

Oha said that INEC was ready to conduct a free and fair election urged politicians and their supporters to be peaceful before, during and after the poll.

According to the INEC official, Ifako/Ijaiye Federal Constituency had 335 polling units and 687 voting points where accreditation and voting would be conducted simultaneously.

The commission had concluded the training of 50 Supervisory Presiding Officers (SPOs) and 3, 440 corps members for the election.

The six political parties that would contest in next Saturday’s poll are: Action Alliance (AA), Alliance for Democracy (AD), African Democratic Party (ADC) and the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The rest are Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Social Democratic Party (SDP).

Mr Elijah Adewale, who represented the constituency in the House of Representatives, died on July 20 and INEC had fixed Dec. 3 for the bye-election into the vacant seat.

Source:
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/11/340-634-registered-voters-lagos-bye-election-saturday-inec/

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Senate Drops Cleared Buhari’s NCC Nominee

Barely two weeks after the Senate cleared Chief Okoi Ofem Obono-Obla, Cross River, South South, as a non-Executive Commissioner on the governing board of the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, it has made a dramatic turn by dropping his name from the list of successful nominees sent to President Muhammadu Buhari.

Obono-Obla’s name was removed in the letter transmitted to Buhari as one of those confirmed by the legislature.

In the letter dated November 22, signed by Senate President Bukola Saraki, a copy of which was obtained yesterday, Obono-Obla was listed as one of the three whose nominations were rejected by the Senate.
It would be recalled that Oboni-Obla was among the five whose nominations by President Buhari were approved by the Senate on November 17, 2016, while two of the nominees were dropped.

At the plenary, those whose appointments were confirmed were Senator Olabiyi Durojaiye (Chairman/Ogun/South-West), Senator Ifeanyi Ararume(Non- Executive Commissioner/Imo/South East), Sunday Dare (Executive Commissioner, Stakeholders Management/Oyo/South-West), Okoi Ofem; Obono-Obla (Non-Executive Commissioner/Cross River/South-South) and Clement Omeiza Baiye (Non-Executive Commissioner/Kogi/North-Central).
The lawmakers, however, dropped Aliyu Abubakar (Non-Executive Commissioner/Bauchi/North-East) and Pastor Ezekiel Yissa (Non-Executive Commissioner/Kwara/North-Central).
According to the report of Senator Gilbert Nnaji led Committee on Communications, Pastor Ezekiel was rejected because of his background as a nursing officer.

The second nominee rejected by the Senate, Alitu Abubakar, had repeatedly called for the scrapping of the Senate, even when he appeared before the Senate for screening, saying the existence of the Senate was not justifiable.
He also pointed out that the upper chamber was only wasting the nation’s resources by its existence.

Obono-Obla, who is the Special Assistant to the President on Prosecution, attached to the Ministry of Justice, protested in an email sent yesterday against what he described as back-door removal.

The mail was titled, Can the Senate President unilaterally overrule the confirmation of a nominee by the Senate?

The nominee, who asked why he was removed after the Senate had confirmed his nomination, simply said: “The entire major electronic and print media organs in the country, on November 17 and 18, 2016, carried the confirmation by the Senate of the Board of Nigerian Communications Commission.

“Surprisingly and curiously, the Senate President, Senator Abubakar Bukola Saraki, in a letter dated November 22, 2016, to President Muhammadu Buhari, titled ‘Confirmation of Appointments,’ falsely stated that the Senate did not confirm the following nominees: Aliyu Saidu Abubakar; Pastor Ezekiel Yissa and Chief Okoi Ofem Obono-Obla.”

source:

www.vanguardngr.com/2016/11/senate-makes-u-turn-drops-already-cleared-buharis-nominee/

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African Man Marries His Own Mother

Slovo Park near Siyabuswa, South Africa, villagers were torn with joy and surprise as they witnessed a rather strange wedding where a mother and son exchanged wedding vows.

The son, a traditional healer from Siyabuswa in Mpumalanga, said he married his biological mother in awedding ceremony to appease his ancestors. He now calls his mother “my wife”.

On Sunday more than 2000 people turned up to witness the wedding of ButiMphethi, 28, to his mother Francinah Makunyane, 62.
But it wasn’t the kind of marriage where a man takes a wife to love and have children.

Buti Mhethi married his mother so that she could be accepted into the Mphethi family.

“The ancestors will reward Buti for what he has done today,” said his 62-year-old mother, Francinah, whose family name used to be Makunyane.

Now she is a proud member of the Mphethi family.

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Lai Mohammed lauds Nollywood “for taking centre stage” with movie

   The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji
Lai Mohammed, has commended the organisers of the newly premiered movie “The Wedding Party” for raising Nollywood artistic bar to international level.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the movie, which is a romantic comedy and a drama film, premiered at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival version held in Lagos.
The Kemi Adetiba-directed movie had some of Africa’s biggest stars led by Richard Mofe-Damijo, Sola Sobowale, Alibaba, Iretiola Doyle, Banky W and Adesua Etomi , with the stars attending the premiere.
In his remark, Mohammed said the important thing was to see how the creative industry was moving from the margins to become one of the pillars of the economy.
He added that “ people are beginning to take the arts more seriously, a lot of things are happening. You can see the major shift that is beginning to happen.
“You can imagine the amount of investment that will go into this film, you can imagine the number of jobs it will create, that’s a challenge to us in government.
“It shows that this industry is sustainable when we provide the right environment in terms of regulatory framework, in terms of laws, in terms of protecting intellectual property.
“What is clear is that the kind of framework the government today is providing the film industry, tourism, arts and the likes, will definitely play to become a better role in the economy” , the minister added.
On his part, Cameron Bailey , the Artistic Director of the Toronto International Film Festival,
said “ we are pleased to welcome The Wedding Party by award-winning filmmaker Kemi Adetiba to the Festival.
“We are proud to present it to a global audience. Adetiba has delivered an exciting character-driven film on a grand scale, while putting her own unique spin on a familiar genre.”
Also, the Executive Producer of Ebony Life TV, Mo Abudu, said the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF)’s selection of “The Wedding Party” was a true honour.
She said “ I can’t think of a better place, or a better global audience for the film’s festival Premiere than this.”

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Pastor makes cool cash from sales of anointed cucumber

    A Zimbabwean clergyman, Prophet Walter Magaya, has made money from his congregation through the sale of what he called anointed cucumber.
This has led to a bit of negativity on social media, especially on micro blogging site, Twitter .
A user with the ID @mcicewater attributed the occurrence as a sign of the end time.
He wrote, "Signs of the end time. Zimbabwean prophet Walter Magaya allegedly sold anointed cucumbers to his church."

According to reports, Magaya is currently in Nigeria to visit the Synagogue Church of Nations leader, Pastor T.B Joshua .
It has been rumored that the latter gave him the power to perform miracles.

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I slept for 22 hrs in London hospital after heart surgery – Tony Anenih

    Octogenarian and a former Board of Trustees, BoT, Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Tony Anenih, yesterday, revealed how he slept for 22 hours when he underwent a major heart snuggery at a private hospital in London.
Chief Anenih, who spoke during a thanksgiving service in his honour held at the Our Queen of Nigeria Pro-Cathedral Catholic Church, Area 3, Abuja, recalled that about seven doctors conducted surgeries that lasted for eight hours on him when the major artery pumping blood to his heart got burst.
     Recall the rumour death of the sage politician, Chief Tony Anenih went viral lat year shortly after the conduct of the 2015 presidential election, where his party, the PDP, lost the presidency to the All Progressive Congress, APC.
He was reportedly dead in the Royal Brompton Hospital, London in the presence of his wife and personal physician.
Those who attended the thanksgiving service include, former President, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, second Republic vice President, Dr. Alex Ekwueme, former Minister of Information, Professor Jerry Gana, former Minister of Works, Chief Mike Onononelemen, former Minister of Environment, Mr. John Ode, former Governor of Kogi State, Captain Idris Wada, African’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, and Head of Service, Stephen Oronsaye amongst others.
Chief Anenih in reminiscence of the incident told the bewildered congregation that he went to London to undergo eyes surgery before the heart disease came up in the process.
According to him, “There’s nothing God cannot do if you believe in Him sincerely. If 200 Anenihs told you that you won’t achieve your goals and God says otherwise, then the sky is your limit. The only being that would be with you when you are in critical position is God.
“I had a problem with my heart. The major artery that transports blood to the heart got burst. So I was subjected to eight hours of surgery and seven doctors were carefully selected to do that because of their experience.
“Before the operation, the seven doctors told the people that accompanied me that I won’t make it loudly to my hearing. Then I said to myself, if I am not going to make it, then it is better I go to my flat and board any available flight to my home. But on a second thought, I said to myself, God brought me here to remove something in my eyes. But it may be for another reason.
“Then I gave my family that was with some words of encouragement. I assured them that God that brought me here would see me through to the theatre and bring me back alive.
“Then the seven doctors looked at themselves and smile, they took my bed to the theatre and shot the door. When they finished, they were surprised that surgery that took eight hours they removed two arteries from my body. When they connected the new ones to my body, they were shocked that my heart began to function as if there was never a surgery.
“They sent me to intensive care unit where I slept for 22 hours without waking up. The Chief Medical Director was waiting for the bad news of possible death, but I after 22 hours I woke up.
“One of the nurse told the doctor that the man had woken and his response was stop it!. He came to my bed and asked if I am fine and responded yes. I said doctor, I am very fine. He said I have started having pains and I screened no pain!.
“In fact, I asked if he has not done the operation and he said, Chief we have finished the surgery 23 ago. He also told me that the hospital is 150 years old and this is the first miracle God has performed. This happened a year and two months ago.”
On his philanthropic service the church of God, Chief Anenih recalled how he made a vow to contribute N100 million to church building project when the leadership of the church approached him on the issue.
According to him, “I requested to know the cost of finishing the building and they said N200 million and promised to pay half of it. I sent my first instalment of N50 million but unfortunately, the Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, did not approve the building resulting in the delay of the work.
“But when I came to submit my letter to the cardinal telling him about the low key thanksgiving service, the cathedral administrator reminded me about the great help I rendered.
He said that it was two weeks ago that they got the approval they applied for some three years ago and I said thanks for reminding me. Now that I had opportunity to speak, I have told the cathedral administrator that once they start the construction, I will pay the balance of N50 million.”
In his sermon, Bishop Donatus urged the politician to continue to be doing good to the people and in service of the lord because God has not yet finished with him. He told Chief Anenih to continue to give God thanksgiving in the event of the incident of last year.

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