AFR Business Media

AFR Business Media

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AFR Business

First Bank names Aishatu Bubaram as Group Executive

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FirstBank of Nigeria has appointed Aishatu Bubaram as group executive, Commercial Banking North Division, making her the first female from Northern Nigeria to attain an executive management position in the bank.

Prior to her appointment, she was the group head, Commercial Banking North, a position she assumed in 2016 following other senior management roles held since joining FirstBank in 2009, including zonal head, Public Sector Group and Business Development Manager, Retail Banking Group.

She has over 25 years industry experience, having previously worked with Standard Trust Bank and United Bank for Africa Plc.

In her profile posted on the bank’s website, Mrs Bubaram brings to the executive management of FirstBank extensive banking experience in various fields spanning Operations, Strategic Business Development, Assets and Portfolio Management, Risk Management, Financial Advisory and Trade Dealings in Public Sector, Retail and Commercial Banking.

As the Group Head, Commercial Banking North, Ms Bubaram strategically led her team to increase business efficiency by creating quality risk assets, reducing non-performing loan portfolios, improving account acquisition, implementing product development, and driving trade transactions that have led to sustained growth, increased profitability, and business stability.

Mrs Bubaram is a certified accountant of the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria and honorary senior member, Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the University of Maiduguri, a Master of Business Administration from University of Maiduguri, and a Master of Science in International Money, Finance and Investment from Brunel University, London, United Kingdom.

She has attended Senior and Advanced Management programs in Lagos Business School and IESE Business School Barcelona, Spain, amongst several other senior management trainings and certifications.

Besides her illustrious banking career, Mrs Bubaram is the co-chair and founder of the Hearty Hands Humanity Foundation, a foundation dedicated to saving and enriching the lives of women and children, focusing on child education and healthcare. She currently serves as the alternate global chair of the FirstBank Women Network, FWN.

Mrs Bubaram is happily married with children.

Google accepts entries for third cohort of Black Founders Fund

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Google has started accepting entries for the third edition of the Black Founders Fund for Startup in Africa and Europe. The window will close on March 24, 2023.

This year, Google is committing $4 million to support eligible black-founded startups in line with its commitment to digital transformation and support to black-founded startups.

Startups operating and headquartered in Africa or having a legal presence on the continent are eligible to apply for the Black Founders Fund.

Other eligibility criteria for startups that wish to apply are that the business should be benefiting the black community or that early-stage startups have black founders or diverse founding teams.

The startups should be building for Africa and the global market, have the growth potential to raise more funding, create jobs and generally be making a measurable impact.

Upon selection, the startups will receive up to $150,000 equity-free cash awards and up to $200,000 per startup in Google Cloud credits, support in the form of training, and access to a network of mentors to assist in tackling the challenges unique to each startup.

“Startups are a critical driver of innovation, economic growth and social progress, especially in Africa, and the support that the selected startups will receive will go a long way to unlock the potential and promote growth in the African tech ecosystem and the next generation of African tech entrepreneurs. We encourage all eligible startups to apply,” says Folarin Aiyegbusi, Head of Startup Ecosystem, Google Sub-Saharan Africa.

Following the successful completion of two cohorts of the Black Founders Fund, the program has supported a total of 110 black-owned startups across Africa. Sixty growth-stage startups were selected and supported through the program last year in Africa.

Africa has a growing population, with 1 in 3 Africans estimated to be under 35 by 2050. The continent presents a huge opportunity for startups to provide innovative solutions for the growing market. It is also estimated that by 2025, the African Internet economy will have the potential to add up to $180 billion to Africa’s GDP.

By funding Black founders, Google is promoting job creation and wealth generation in the continent. The Black Founders Fund program for startups provides not only funding but also hands-on support, connections and resources to help founders build solutions that are relevant to the African economy.

Kaduna PDP asks voters to boot out PDP

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The Kaduna State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Felix Hassan Hyat has called on the members of the Labour Party (LP) to join forces in order to salvage the state from the recklessness of the APC in the last 8 years.

Hyat in a statement issued to newsmen in Kaduna, appealed to the members and supporters of the Labour Party in the state to put behind the setbacks that they all suffered in the last presidential elections and move ahead together to salvage Kaduna State.

He said that the much anticipated 2023 general elections kick-started with the conduct of the presidential and National Assembly elections on the 25th February, 2023, lamenting that the process and outcome of the election, especially in the presidential election, fell short of the expectations of majority of Nigerians and the PDP, but expressed gratitude for the show of support given to their candidates and party across the state.

He added, “We appreciate the large turn-out of voters in our state, especially those who voted in favour of our presidential candidate, Alh. Atiku Abubakar.”

He also thanked party members and Nigerians for voting their three Senatorial candidates into power, stressing that the party emerged victorious with 10 House of Representatives in the state.

Hyat maintained that the outcome of the just concluded election was a clear indication that the people of Kaduna State have rejected the APC and have now resolved to pitch their tent with the PDP, saying that they do not take the vote of confidence for granted.

The party chairman called on the people of Kaduna, irrespective of the party they supported in the presidential election, to do even more in the next round of elections and come out en masse and ensure they send the APC packing from the state.

GTBank denies claims it handed over 500m to Tinubu

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The management of Guaranty Trust Bank has denied a news report that it gave the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, N500m naira new notes on the eve of the presidential and national assembly election.

The bank urged its customers to disregard the unsubstantiated claim in its entirety.

A Twitter user, @ifygold21 had earlier posted that the bank gave the sum on February 24, 2022, on the order of the President, Major General Muhammadu Muhammadu Buhari (retd).

But the bank in a statement posted on its social media on Tuesday refuted the report, describing the sponsors of the post as uninformed and malicious.

It added that the name of its managing director is Miriam Olusanya and not Segun Agbaje as posted by the sponsor of the post.

The statement read, “The attention of Guaranty Trust Bank Ltd (the “Bank”) has been drawn to a spurious post on Twitter by @ ifygold21 alleging that the Bank gave the new Naira notes in the total sum of ₦500 million to one of the leading presidential candidates in the ongoing General Elections on the eve of the elections and at the order of a high-ranking Government official.

“The Bank wishes to refute this claim in its entirety and state categorically that it is completely false and is designed to bring the image of the Bank and its officers to disrepute. The fact that the post refers to Segun Agbaje as Managing Director of the Bank further exposes the sponsors of the content as uninformed and malicious. Accordingly, we would like to clarify that Miriam Olusanya is the Managing Director of the Bank and has been at the helm of affairs of the Bank in that capacity since her appointment in August 2021.”

The bank said that its preliminary findings showed that the post was made using a faceless bot account thought to be operated by unscrupulous person intent on propagating falsehood and inciting well-meaning Nigerians to their malicious ends.

This attack, the bank said, is clearly unwarranted and poses a serious threat to their continuing operations, with incalculable risks to lives and property.

“This post has been escalated to all concerned parties including Twitter, for the identification of the owner of this fake account and consequent legal action.

“Our Nigerian operations support a diverse customer base with varied business interests in communities across the country and remain available to everyone.

“Guaranty Trust Bank hereby restates its commitment to being a responsible, non-partisan corporate citizen with strict adherence to the highest standards of global best practice as well as sound corporate governance in all aspects of our business operations.”

President Buhari congratulates Tinubu over election win

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President Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated the winner of the 2023 Presidential Election, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Bola Tinubu.

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, on Wednesday morning declared Tinubu as winner of Feb. 25 presidential election with 8,794,726 votes.

Mr Tinubu defeated his closest rival Atiku Abubakar of the People Democratic Party, PDP, who polled 6,984,520 votes, and Peter Obi of Labour Party who secured 6,101,533 votes of the 24,965,218 total vote cast.

Also, Rabiu Kwankwaso- of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, came distance fourth with 1,496,687 votes.

Reacting to the results announced by the INEC chairman, Mr Buhari said: “I congratulate His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu on his victory. Elected by the people, he is the best person for the job. I shall now work with him and his team to ensure an orderly handover of power.

“The election was Africa’s largest democratic exercise. In a region that has undergone backsliding and military coups in recent years, this election demonstrates democracy’s continued relevance and capability to deliver for the people it serves.

“Within Nigeria, the results reveal democracy’s ripening in our country. Never has the electoral map shifted so drastically in one cycle.

“In the presidential elections, states in all regions across the nation changed colour.

”Some amongst you may have noticed my home state amongst them. The winning candidate did not carry his own home state either. That happens during a competitive election.

”Votes and those that cast them cannot be taken for granted. Each must be earned. Competition is good for our democracy.

”There is no doubt the people’s decision has been rendered in the results we look at today.”

The president, who acknowledged that there were technical problems with electronic transmission of the results, maintained that efforts would be intensified to bring further transparency and credibility to the voting procedure in the country.

He said: “That is not to say the exercise was without fault. For instance, there were technical problems with electronic transmission of the results.

”Of course, there will be areas that need work to bring further transparency and credibility to the voting procedure.

“However, none of the issues registered represent a challenge to the freeness and fairness of the elections.”

“I know some politicians and candidates may not agree with this view. That too is fine.

”If any candidate believes they can prove the fraud they claim is committed against them, then bring forward the evidence.

”If they cannot, then we must conclude that the election was indeed the people’s will – no matter how hard that may be for the losers to accept. If they feel the need to challenge, please take it to the courts, not to the streets.

“However, to do the latter means they are not doing it in the interest of the people, but rather to inflame, to put people in harm’s way and all for personal, selfish gains,” he said.