One of Nigeria’s top tier lenders, Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank), has disengaged three Executive Directors and six General Managers, in a shakeup exercise aimed at paving the way for the emergence of Miriam Olusanya as the next Managing Director/Chief Executive of the bank under a Holding Company (Holdco) structure.
Already, these changes, which are expected to take effect by end of this month – May 31, 2021, had, according to a report by New Telegraph, triggered the resignation of Bolaji Lawal (ED in charge of Digital Banking) and Segun Fadahunsi, (GM, Systems and Control).
Three of its five Executive Directors, Bolaji Lawal, Jide Okunola and Ademola Odeyemi, were asked to retire. Also asked to leave were six of the lender’s nine General Managers, who are said to be seniors to the MD designate.
Four of the affected GMs are, George Uwakwe – GM Risk, Femi Akerewusi – GM Corporate Bank, Lagos Mainland, Segun Fadahunsi – GM Systems and Control Division and Subuola Abraham – Chief Compliance Officer.
The two others were still unknown as at the time of filing this report. Amongst the criteria used was that all the GMs above the age of 45 should resign.
Besides, New Telegraph reported, as part of restructuring process, the lender has made new senior level appointments.
Those appointed include, John Thomas – MD West Africa, Bayo Vera Cruz – MD East Africa, Angela Koech – Regional CFO East Africa, Caleb Osei – Regional CFO West Africa, Olumide Oguntuase – Divisional Head ERM and Olayinka Odusote – Divisional head Digital banking.
Others are Osa Aimerioghene – CCO Compliance group, Muinat Lanre Kasim – Divisional Head Syscom and Ijeoma Esemudje – Divisional Head, Corporate bank / Mainland / Agric. Attempts by New Telegraph to get the bank’s reaction were not successful.
According to the sources, however, the new appointments follow the conclusion of a selection process that started about eight months ago to choose a successor to the current Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Segun Agbaje, who would be retiring from the bank, after serving 10 years having been appointed MD/CEO in 2011.
The Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) tenure limit for bank CEOs is a maximum of 10 years. Speaking on the bank’s succession plan during the lender’s half-year 2020 investor call in September last year, Agbaje had said: “What we are looking for now is a Managing Director for Guaranty Trust Bank Nigeria.
The process has started and I have always told people that we have five Executive Directors and so all of them are going through a process at the moment.
“We are working with a consulting firm in the United Kingdom. We are looking at what we think the future would hold and what we think the Nigerian banking industry would look like.
“At the end of the process which would end at the beginning of the fourth quarter we will have a Managing Director for GTBank Nigeria. So, we are on track. So, succession in GTBank Nigeria is well under control”, the source added.
FG Extends SIM-NIN Linkage Deadline After 54m Nigerians Complete Exercise
Federal Government has extended the deadline for National Identification Number (NIN) and Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) integration exercise till June 30, 2021, just as it disclosed that 54 million Nigerians have completed their NIN registration across the country.
It stated that the postponement was made after reviewing requests made by stakeholders for an extension till 30th of June in order to make it easier for all citizens and legal residents to register in Nigeria.
The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, was said to have approved the extension during a virtual meeting attended by the government officials and stakeholders to review the ongoing exercise that was designed to address majorly security challenges in the country.
Some of those present at the meeting include Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission, Adeolu Akande; the Executive Vice Chairman/CEO of NCC, Umar Dambatta; and the Director-General/CEO of NIMC, Aliyu Azeez.
In a statement jointly signed by the Director, Public Affairs, Nigerian Communications Commission, Ikechukwu Adinde; and the Head, Corporate Communications, National Identity Management Commission, Kayode Adegoke, the minister was said to have okayed the move to prevent anyone from losing there SIMs.
The statement titled ‘NIN Enrolment Reaches 54 Million as FG Approves 30th of June as NIN-SIM Verification Deadline’, Pantami stated that significant progress had been made in the ongoing linkage.
“Significant progress has been made in the NIN-SIM verification process. For example, almost 54 Million people have obtained their NIN and this can translate to up to 190 million mobile numbers, since empirical evidence suggests that each unique NIN maps to 3 to 4 phone lines,” the statement partly read.
It would recalled that the apex government had last December declared that after December 30, 2020, all SIMs that were not registered with valid NINs on the network of telecommunications companies would be blocked.
The government later extended the December 30, 2020 deadline following widespread opposition against the earlier announcement and gave three weeks’ extension for subscribers with NIN from December 30, 2020 to January 19, 2021.
It gave six weeks’ extension for subscribers without NIN from December 30, 2020 to February 9, 2021 and further issued an eight weeks extension on February 2, 2021 but many organizations had called for further deadline extension or outright suspension of the NIN registration process.
Lagos Assembly Suspends Three Council Bosses Indefinitely For Flouting Local Govt Guidelines
The Lagos State House of Assembly has suspended three council chairmen indefinitely over alleged disregard for the guidelines governing their activities within their territories.
The three council chairman suspended by the lawmakers were Lekki Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Olaitan Ogidan, Alimosho local government boss, Suleiman Jelili, and Surulere council chairman, Tajudeen Ajide.
According to the lawmakers, the House can no longer continue to watch while the council chairmen flagrantly flout the state’s local government guidelines which they have sworn to uphold.
The suspension of the council chairmen was unanimously approved by lawmakers on Tuesday in a voice vote after the chairman of the House Committee on Commerce and Industry, Bisi Yusuff, who represents Alimosho, raised a complaint against the Lekki LCDA chairman, Olaitan.
Announcing their suspension, the Speaker of the House, Mudashiru Obasa, noted that the House had received petitions from many councillors in the state against sitting chairmen and that the House cannot continue to watch while they flout the laws they were elected to uphold.
Obasa said: “Total disregard for the local government guideline is something that should not be tolerated. We cannot continue like this. We can’t be breeding monsters in our local government councils”.
The Speaker added that it would not be ideal to gloss over the issue as it would be creating a precedence of disobedience to the law by council chairmen especially at a time the state is planning elections for new council chairmen.
Earlier, Yusuff, who narrated to his colleagues how Olaitan had allegedly been rude to the house, complained that Olaitan even accused the lawmakers carrying out an oversight function on a memorandum of understanding in relation to the issue that arose from a resettlement programme in Lekki of being ignorant of their jobs.
He further said the council chairman had total disregard for the electorate, saying, his action, even as a lawyer, was an insult to true governance and respect for the authority.
Supporting Yusuff, another lawmaker, Fatai Mojeed, urged the House to suspend Jelili and Ajide pending the outcome of ongoing investigations, saying, this will serve as a deterrent to others.
MILE 12 CRISIS: LAGOS CP ORDERS ARREST OF 13 LEADERS OF WARRING GROUPS
The Commissioner of Police, Lagos command, CP Hakeem Odumosu, has ordered for the arrest of 13 leaders of warring groups of Gengere Community, Mile 12, Ketu Area of Lagos State for their alleged involvement in the crisis that was orchestrated by some hoodlums in the Community on 30th April, 2021 at about 3.3pm.
According to a statement by the PPRO, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, “The order for the arrest of the leaders was given during interrogation and interview session with the leaders by the Commissioner of Police at the Conference Room, State Headquarters, Ikeja.
Based on preliminary investigation, the Commander Security Committee in Gengere Community, Alhaji Alidu Mohammed, was alleged to have disrespected and blasphemed Prophet Mohammed (SAW) and the hoodlums went on rampage, attacked him, set ablaze his two (2) cars, vandalized one of his houses and set ablaze a small building belonging to one Alhaji Mamuda, m.
In response to the crisis, the Commissioner of Police immediately deployed additional policemen to the area where forty five (45) suspects were arrested. As a result of the crisis, one Papa Mohammed, m, who was stabbed on 30th April,2021, gave up the ghost while on admission on 1st May, 2021.
In the bid of the Command to restore normalcy and maintain law and order in the area, the Commissioner of Police, today, Tuesday 4th May, 2021, ordered for the immediate arrest of the leaders of the warring groups who have been fuelling the crisis in the area as the warring parties still plan for continuous attacks on one another.
The Police boss also directed the Deputy Commissioner of Police, State CID, Panti, DCP Adegoke Fayoade, to immediately take over the case and carry out discreet Investigation into the general crisis in the area particularly the murder and arson cases recorded during the crisis.
CP Hakeem Odumosu however warned the general public that the Command will not tolerate any act of religious intolerance and lawlessness in any part of the state as any individual or group of persons caught in the act or behave in such a manner that can trigger religious intolerance and lawlessness will be caused to face the full wrath of the law.
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Simply Call It “TRUMP”.
Trump launches new ‘communications’ platform
Donald Trump has launched a new “communications” website, which says it will publish content “straight from the desk” of the former US president.
Mr Trump was banned by Twitter and suspended by Facebook and YouTube after the Capitol riots in January.
The former president has since been releasing statements by press release – which the new website will now host.
Users will be able to like posts – and also share them on Twitter and Facebook accounts.
Image source:DONALD TRUMP
“It is a blog,” Kara Swisher, technology columnist for the New York Times told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. “I was like ‘2002 is calling and it wants its blog back…’
“I don’t know what the overall plan is because he does have some very sharp digital advisers. It is just the beginning of his attempts to try to re-establish a louder ability to participate in digital media.”
The move comes a day before a decision is due from Facebook’s Oversight Board on whether to permanently ban Mr Trump.
Mr Trump’s senior adviser, Jason Miller, had previously said a new social media platform was to be launched. “This new platform is going to be big,” he said in March.
Image source:DONALD TRUMP
But Mr Miller tweeted on Tuesday that the new website was not the social media platform he had previously hyped.
“We’ll have additional information coming on that front in the very near future,” he said.
The website is reportedly built by Campaign Nucleus, a digital services company created by Mr Trump’s former campaign manager Brad Parscale.
Several posts on the site repeat debunked claims that last year’s presidential election was rigged.
Facebook’s Oversight Board will announce its decision on whether Mr Trump is to be permanently banned from the platform on 09:00 EST (14:00 BST).
If he is allowed back on to the site, Facebook will have seven days to reactivate his account.
YouTube has said they will reactivate Mr Trump’s account when the threat of “real-world violence” reduces.
Twitter, where Mr Trump had 88 million followers, has banned him permanently.
A Twitter spokesperson told the BBC: “Generally, sharing content from the website referenced is permitted as long as the material does not otherwise violate the Twitter Rules”.
Article by James Clayton: BBC’s North America technology reporter based in San Francisco.
Title by massbook