Banks To Publish Names Of 1600 Debtors This Week

About 18 Banks and discount houses operating in the country will publish the names of at least 1600 customers whose loans have become non-performing this week.

This follows the expiration of the July 31, 2015 deadline set by the Central Bank of Nigeria for banks and discount houses to publish the names of debtor-companies, their subsidiaries and directors in national newspapers.

The CBN had on April 22 directed the financial institutions to commence the publication of the names of their delinquent debtors from August 1.

Banks and discount houses are to publish the list of the delinquent debtors in at least three national newspapers on a quarterly basis.

In line with the directive, banks gave chronic debtors a three-month ‘grace’ period, which expired on July 31.

It was learnt on Saturday that the number of delinquent debtors on the lists under preparation by over 18 banks and discount houses operating in the country range from 100 to over 300 names for each bank.

The chief executive officer of a bank, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, said at least over 1,600 names of delinquents were expected to be published by all the banks during the exercise.

“Going by what we can see across the industry, at least 1600 names are expected to be published by all the deposit money banks and a few discount houses,” the bank CEO said.

Officials of financial institutions confirmed to our correspondents on Saturday that they would publish the names of the delinquent debtors this week in compliance with the CBN directive.

The spokesperson for First Bank of Nigeria Limited, Mr. Babatunde Lasaki, told one of our correspondents that the tier-1 bank would comply with the central bank’s directive by publishing the names of the debtors during the week.

“We will comply. We will publish the names this week; any time from Tuesday,” he said.

Also, the Head, Corporate Communications, Diamond Bank Plc, Mr. Mike Omeife, confirmed that the lender would comply with CBN’s directive, saying “we will publish this week.”

Similarly, the spokesperson for Skye Bank Plc, Mr. Rasheed Bolarinwa, said the bank would publish the names in line with the CBN’s directive but he declined to give the specific date.

Top bank officials said chief executives were busy fine tuning the list.

“We are fine-tuning the list. As of Friday, some customers were still coming to pay while a few others came to renegotiate. Over this weekend, we are drawing this final list which will be published on Tuesday,” the executive of a tier-2 bank told one of our correspondents on condition of anonymity.

Meanwhile, the CBN on Saturday ruled out possible deadline extension on its directive to banks to publish the names of the debtors.

The Director, Corporate Communications Department, CBN, Mr. Ibrahim Mu’azu, said there was no extension to the deadline.

As of last week, debtors were rushing to banks to renegotiate their loans.

The CBN had in a circular dated April 22, 2015 gave the July 31 deadline, saying the decision was necessary in order forestall the spate of non-performing loans in the sector.

The CBN also warned banks against being used as conduit for the transfer of illicit funds and money laundering activities.

The bank in a statement issued at about 9:06pm on Saturday night by Mu’azu said the warning became imperative owing to a recent report by the Global Financial Integrity Group which ranks Nigeria as one of the 10 largest countries for illicit funds flows in the world.

The group in the report estimated that about $15.7bn (N3.09trn) of illicit fund goes through the nation’s banking system annually.

But the CBN in the statement said although it had not done an independent assessment of the assertion of the group, it stated that the bank would step up vigilance in order to ensure that Nigerian banks are not used as conduit for illicit funds flow, especially in foreign currency.

http://news2.onlinenigeria.com/

Boko Haram: African diplomats vow to support Nigeria

The African Diplomatic Group has condemned the terror attacks carried out by the Boko Haram sect in parts of the country.

The diplomats also called on the Federal Government to expedite action for the rescue or release of the abducted Chibok school girls even as they commiserated with the government of Nigeria, the families of the kidnapped girls and other victims of the terrorists’ attacks.

The ambassador of Shaharawi Arab Republic to Nigeria and Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, Oubi Bachir said this on Friday during the Africa and Mandela Day celebrations in Abuja.

Bachir said, “The Africa Diplomatic Group condemns all threats to the progress of Africa, including Boko Haram terror attacks that have taken the lives of hundreds of innocent Nigerians, and families of the victims for loss of their loved ones.

“The group calls for the unconditional release of the over 200 girls, who were kidnapped in chibok, Borno State, on April 14, 2014.

“Africa is committed to garner all the necessary resources to support Nigeria in its quest to combat terrorism.”

The envoy noted that Africa had come a long way since the formation of the Organisation of African Unity in 1963, which later changed to African Union in 2002, adding that the continent, despite its challenges had made tremendous strides in peace and development.

He said the United Nations General Assembly on July 18, 2009 launched Nelson Mandela International Day in recognition of the birth anniversary of the iconic late President of the Republic of South Africa for his immense contribution to the liberation of his country and humanity in general.

The High Commissioner of South Africa to Nigeria, Lulu Mnguni, who paid tributes to Mandela, called on all well-meaning individuals to emulate the iconic virtues of the late former South African president.

In his remarks, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Bulus Lolo called on Africa to unite and collaborate in the fight against terror and insurgency.

Culled from: Punch News

JAMB backs down, says candidates can write post-UTME in their first choice institutions

The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board on Wednesday said candidates are allowed to do the post-UTME in their first choice institutions.

JAMB’s Public Relations officer, Fabian Benjamin, said in a statement that candidates can do the post-UTME exercise in the institutions, particularly universities to which they were posted by JAMB.

“Following the various public opinions, we have taken two approaches to ease the problems of our candidates,” Mr. Benjamin said.

The universities will soon get the soft copies of the list of candidates that applied to various institutions as first choice.

“We hope this will help the candidates in their endeavour,” Mr. Benjamin said.

He said the voice of the people is the voice of God, adding that this action would go a long way to show that the Board is a responsive organisation which has concern over the feeling of Nigerians.

“The Board will not relent in its efforts to see that our education is one of the best in the world,” said Mr. Benjamin.

Controversial New Policy

Earlier on, at a combined policy meeting, JAMB announced the adoption of a policy where applicants are reassigned to other universities with lower number of candidates.

The JAMB Registrar, Dibu Ojerinde, explained that the benefit of the new policy would help needy universities with lower number of candidates.

Mr. Ojerinde said the policy would also assist JAMB candidates have better chances of admission in universities they are reassigned to.

http://www.premiumtimesng.com/

Children and mentally ill lead new wave of suspected Boko Haram suicide bombers

By Peter Foster, telegraph.co.uk

A 12-year-old girl and a “mentally handicapped” woman were among those who carried a weekend wave of suicide bombings by suspected Islamic militants in northern Nigeria and Cameroon that left more than 60 people dead and hundreds fleeing their homes.

The attacks were widely blamed on Boko Haram, the Islamic State-affiliated terror group that has carried out widespread atrocities in the region since 2009.

The most recent bombing came on Sunday morning in a crowded market in north-eastern Nigerian town of Damaturu when a “mentally handicapped” bomber struck, killing 15 and injuring 47 others.

That attack came just hours after a 12-year-old girl killed 20 people in a Saturday night attack on a bar in the Cameroonian city of Maroua, a commercial hub of the extreme north of Cameroon close to the Nigerian and Chadian borders.

It came a day after Boko Haram were blamed for a series of attacks on villages across the border in north-eastern Nigeria that left at least 25 dead and forced hundreds more to flee their burning homes.

Over the past two years Boko Haram fighters have carried out several cross-border raids and abductions in northern Cameroon but the country, which is engaged in a regional fightback against the jihadists, had previously been spared from suicide attacks.

A new, five-nation force – from Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Cameroon and Benin – is due to deploy by July 30 to take on the militants, whose six-year insurgency has left at least 15,000 dead and increasingly threatens regional security.

Earlier this month the new Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari visited Washington and received pledges for greater US assistance, however the US continues to refuse to provide arms shipments to Nigeria citing its poor record on corruption and human rights.

Mr Buhari recently criticised that decision as tantamount to “aiding and abetting” the terrorists, but is under mounting pressure to tackle the militants after a fresh outbreak of violence left 800 people dead since he came to power in May.

But despite repeated promises from Nigerian leaders that the militants would be crushed, the attacks keep coming on both sides of the Nigerian-Cameroon border.

Last Wednesday 13 people were killed in twin bombings in Maroua carried out by two girls said to be "under 15" years of age. That assault was the second of its kind in the area in the past 10 days.

Meanwhile Damaturu, the capital of Nigeria’s Yobe state that has been worst-hit by Boko Haram, was the scene of a triple suicide bombing on July 18 when three girls blew themselves up killing at least 13 people as residents prepared for the Eid festival marking the end of Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Bobbi Kristina Brown Dies at 22

Bobbi Kristina Brown, 22, the only daughter of singers Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown, died Sunday, nearly six months after she was found unresponsive in a bathtub of her home, her family said.

Brown has been unresponsive in hospitals and hospice care since she was found in her Roswell, Georgia, home on Jan. 31. Her family said she suffered irreversible brain damage.

"She is finally at peace in the arms of God," her family told NBC News in a statement. "We want to again thank everyone for their tremendous amount of love and support during these last few months."

Bobbi Kristina was music royalty as the daughter of two superstars — and the granddaughter of another, Cissy Houston, the mother of Whitney, who died in February 2012.

Police have said that they investigated the case as a medical emergency and that no foul play is suspected. No criminal charges have ever been brought.She became even better known at age 10 when she was featured on her father's reality TV series, "Being Bobby Brown."

But late last month, Brown's conservator sued Nick Gordon — who has been described as Brown's boyfriend and husband, an attachment her family denies — for $10 million, accusing him of having physically abused Brown and having improperly withdrawn $11,000 from her bank account after she was in a coma.

Whitney Houston brought Gordon into her household as an orphan at the age of 12, raising him with her daughter after divorcing Bobby Brown in 2007. Gordon wore a large tattoo of Houston's face on his arm and called the singer "mom," but she never adopted him or included him in her will.

http://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/bobbi-kristina-brown-dies-22-family-confirms-n398756

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