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Top Star, Youssou Ndour headlines UBA Africa Conversations 2022

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The United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc has celebrated this year’s Africa Day in commemoration of African unity with the fourth edition of its annual UBA Africa Conversations which was held at the Tony Elumelu Amphitheater at the UBA House in Lagos.

The UBA Africa Conversations  was established in May 2019 as a hallmark initiative in a series of celebrations for Africa Day. The conversations provide a platform for African and global audiences to connect with global thought leaders both in the private and public sectors, on their African journey, in a quest to change the narrative on Africa from desolate to successful.

l-r: Company Secretary, United Bank for Africa(UBA), Bili Odum; Executive Director, UBA, Chukwuma Nweke; Fashion Designer and Panelist, Kenneth Ize; High Commissioner of Namibia to Nigeria and Panelist, Humphrey Geiseb; Deputy Managing Director, United Bank for Africa(UBA) , Oliver Alawuba; Culture and Entertainment Commentator and Panelist, Steve Ayorinde; Ghanaian Actress and Panelist, Lydia Forson; Executive Director, UBA, Chiugo Ndubisi; Nigerian Journalist and Moderator, Laila Johnson-Salami and Group Head, Human Resources, UBA, Patricia Aderibigbe ; at the 4th UBA Africa Conversations, themed, The Importance of Reflecting Our African Culture in Global Success Stories, organised by UBA Group in commemoration of Africa Day 2022, held at the UBA House , Marina, Lagos

This year’s conversation was themed ‘The importance of reflecting our African culture in global success stories’ and underscores the tremendous shift in Africa’s cultural influence  – from Afrobeat to African films; Big African fashion labels and African authors; entertainment and culture. The African continent is creating positive impact globally.

UBA’s Deputy Managing Director, Oliver Alawuba, who welcomed the panellists and the guests to the event stated that as Africa’s global bank, UBA remains at the forefront of supporting businesses across the continent. He said, “It is from Africa that UBA Africa was set up. UBA has invested so much in Africa. We are in 20 African countries and 4 countries outside Africa; Our focus has always been on driving investments into Africa, through conversations such as this.

As always, UBA brought together a rich and diverse panel including Legendary African musician and Songwriter, Youssou Madjiguène Ndour, who gave the keynote address at the event, speaking on the need for collaboration to boost the continent’s fortunes. “Young people in Africa have a lot of questions and we have to listen to them and see how together we can be a solution for Africa. We need to understand that there is a lot to do. Together we can make it,” Ndour said.

The Namibian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Ambassador Humphrey Desmond Geiseb talked about how globalisation has been good for Africa. He said, “Of course, there are still some gaps, there are still a lot of things about Africa that is not known, and I believe that culture and Arts can help to get it right for us.” He added that UBA’s foray as an African bank into the United States of America is a testament to this fact.

The Former Commissioner for Tourism, Lagos State, Steve Ayorinde who also sat on the panel pointed out that the liberalisation of the Media and digital content is helping to improve the African narrative. “As Africans, we are at the point where no one denigrates the African culture anymore. Indeed there is still a gap, but we are bridging that gap,” he said.

African Movie Academy Award Winning Ghanaian Actress, Lydia Forson, who appreciated UBA’s contribution towards changing the African narrative, spoke to how the African culture is now more widely accepted around the world. “It is great to see a bank like UBA being intentional about promoting Africa. Now, the world gets to see more of us, because, we have started to tell our own stories’.

On his part, young talented Fashion Designer, Kenneth Ize, said that the continent holds a lot of potential that we are yet to tap into. “Africa is our home, our culture, and we have to do everything to preserve our culture,” he said.

Television Anchor and jorunalist, Laila Salami-Johnson, who moderated the panel emphasised “Our creativity is really putting Africa on the map.”

Africa Day has been celebrated every May 25th, since 1963, across the African continent and worldwide. The day was inaugurated by the Organisation of African Unity, in celebration of the unity, diversity and beauty of Africa and its people. UBA, one of Africa’s leading financial services institutions, with a pan-African footprint spanning 20 African countries and globally in the United States of America, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates and France, is fully committed to unifying Africa and continues to lead the narrative focused on the development, growth, and unity of Africa.  

United Bank for Africa Plc is a leading Pan-African financial institution, offering banking services to more than twenty-five (25) million customers, across 1,000 business offices and customer touch points in 20 African countries. With presence in New York, London, Paris, and an operating license in Dubai, UBA is connecting people and businesses across Africa through retail; commercial and corporate banking; innovative cross-border payments and remittances; trade finance and ancillary banking services.  UBA is Africa’s global bank

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Akpabio Relieves Natasha of Committee Chairmanship Position, Appoints Akwa Ibom Senator As Replacement

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Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has replaced suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, as the Chairman, Senate Committee on Diaspora/Non-Governmental Organisations.

In her place, Akpabio named Senator Bassey Aniekun Etim (Akwa Ibom -East).

The Senate President, who made the announcement on the floor in Abuja on Thursday, did not give any reasons.

The committee position had remained vacant since March when the Senate suspended the Kogi-Central Senatorial District lawmaker for six months for flouting the Senate’s rule on the seating arrangement and seat allocation.

The suspended lawmaker, at a point, chaired the Senate Committee on Local Content before Akpabio reassigned her to the Committee on Diaspora/NGO, shortly before she ran into trouble with the Senate over her conduct on seat allocation.

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Supreme Court Upholds Election of Monday Okpebholo As Edo Governor

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The Supreme Court has affirmed the 2024 governorship election victory of Governor Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC), dismissing the appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Asuerinme Ighodalo.

In a unanimous decision by a five-member panel led by Justice Mohammed Garba, the apex court ruled that the appeal lacked merit. It upheld the earlier judgments of the Court of Appeal and the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, which had both declared Okpebholo the validly elected governor.

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‘Overthrow’ Comment: Tinubu’ll Be Removed by Votes, Not Bullets, ADC Replies Presidency

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The African Democratic Congress (ADC), on Wednesday, said President Bola Tinubu will be removed through the ballot and not bullets.It dismissed insinuations that the coalition is interested in truncating democracy in Nigeria.

ADC’s Interim National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, accused Tinubu of laying the foundation for a clampdown on opposition leaders.

He made the remark in response to a tweet by Tinubu’s spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, who alleged that the opposition was planning to overthrow the President.

Onanuga had said the coalition had ganged up to overthrow Tinubu’s administration.Rubbishing Onanuga’s comment, Abdullahi described his remark as reckless and unsubstantiated.

In a statement he signed, Abdullahi said Onanuga’s comment shows that Tinubu’s administration is out to intimidate and repress opposition political leaders in Nigeria.

He noted that ADC would explore Democratic means to ensure Tinubu’s removal from office and not by overthrowing him.

The statement read partly: “ADC condemned the tweet made by an aide of President Bola Tinubu, Onanuga, which alleges that the opposition is planning to overthrow the Tinubu government before 2027.

“If anything, it potentially lays the grounds for systematic clampdown on opposition leaders.

“The ADC is not interested in truncating democracy, we are solely committed to saving the nation from the irredeemable incompetence of this government. We are not soldiers, we are politicians.

“We don’t have bullets; we only have the ballots. When the time comes, we will only present our solutions and an alternative vision of the future to the Nigerian people and leave them to make their choice.”

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