Thursday 3 December 2015

Nigeria slashes MTN N1.4Trillion fine

MTN Nigeria office
The MTN Group has released the statement below announcing the resignation of its Nigerian CEO just as the N1.4 trillion fine imposed on the company was slashed by the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC.
“MTN Nigeria’s CEO Michael Ikpoki and the head of Regulatory and Corporate Affairs Akinwale Goodluck have tendered their resignations with immediate effect,” the company said in a statement Thursday morning.
“They are replaced by Ferdi Moolman as MTN Nigeria CEO and Amina Oyagbola as its head of Regulatory and Corporate Affairs. Mr Moolman was previously COO at MTN Irancell and most recently CFO at MTN Nigeria. A Nigerian national, Ms Oyagbola also retains the position of MTN Nigeria’s Head of Human Resources. She formerly headed regulatory affairs at the Nigerian operating company.”
The company also said it has received a formal letter dated December 2 from the NCC informing it that, “after considering the Company’s request, it has taken the decision to reduce the fine on the MTN Nigerian business from the original N1,040,000,000,000 (One Trillion, Forty Billion Naira) to N674 Billion Naira which has to be paid by 31 December 2015.”
The fine relates to the late disconnecting of 5.1 million MTN Nigeria subscribers in August and September 2015.
The company also announced major restructuring.
Details of these two developments will come later in our subsequent updates.
However, read full statements below.

New operating structure and senior management changes

South Africa | 
Johannesburg – MTN Group has reviewed its operating structure with a view to strengthening operational oversight, leadership, governance and regulatory compliance across its 22 country operations in Africa and the Middle East.
To this end, the Group has resolved to re-implement its previous reporting structure. This will see MTN Group restructured into three regions – namely West and Central Africa (“WECA”), South and East Africa (“SEA”), and Middle East and North Africa (“MENA”). MTN has also made a number of senior appointments to support this structure.
Effective 1 December 2015 Jyoti Desai assumed the new position of Group Chief Operating Officer (“COO”). Based in Johannesburg, she reports to the Executive Chairman, Phuthuma Nhleko. Ms Desai has 14 years’ experience at MTN. She has previously held the positions of Chief Information Officer at MTN Nigeria, was COO of MTN Irancell and was recently seconded to support the Nigerian country operations. Her replacement as Group Chief Technology and Information Officer will be announced soon.
Two regional Vice Presidents (“VP”) have been appointed, also reporting to the Executive Chairman. The VP for WECA is Karl Toriola, with Ismail Jaroudi the VP for MENA. The VP for SEA will be announced soon.
Based in Nigeria, Mr Toriola has been at MTN for 10 years, having held senior operational roles at MTN Group and MTN Iran. He was formerly also the Chief Technology Officer at MTN Nigeria and CEO at MTN Cameroon.
Mr Jaroudi has been CEO of MTN Syria since 2006. Prior to this he held senior operational roles for Investcom’s subsidiaries across the Middle East and North Africa.
Also reporting to the Executive Chairman is the new Group Executive for M&A, Matthew Odgers. The former head of TMT for Africa & the Middle East and head of investment banking for MENA at UBS, Mr Odgers led UBS’s overall relationship with MTN.
MTN Nigeria’s CEO Michael Ikpoki and the head of Regulatory and Corporate Affairs Akinwale Goodluck have tendered their resignations with immediate effect. They are replaced by Ferdi Moolman as MTN Nigeria CEO and Amina Oyagbola as its head of Regulatory and Corporate Affairs. Mr Moolman was previously COO at MTN Irancell and most recently CFO at MTN Nigeria. A Nigerian national, Ms Oyagbola also retains the position of MTN Nigeria’s Head of Human Resources. She formerly headed regulatory affairs at the Nigerian operating company.
The search for the MTN Group CEO is underway and remains a priority.
Commenting on the announcements, MTN Group Executive Chairman Phuthuma Nhleko said: “This revised structure and strengthened leadership will improve operational oversight and increase management capacity. This will enable MTN to continue to realise its strategy and vision, while also ensuring we achieve high governance standards and robust risk mitigation.”
With the financial year closing on 31 December 2015, the MTN Group will report its FY2015 results in line with the former structure – namely for MTN Nigeria, MTN South Africa, Large Operating Companies and Small Operating Companies.
– Issued by MTN Group Corporate Affairs

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) reduces imposed fine to US$3.4 billion equivalent and further cautionary announcement

South Africa | 3/12/2015
Shareholders are advised that, after further engagements with the Nigerian Authorities, the NCC has reduced the imposed fine.
MTN has received a formal letter dated 2 December 2015 from the NCC informing the Company that, after considering the Company’s request, it has taken the decision to reduce the fine on the MTN Nigerian business from the original N1,040,000,000,000 (One Trillion, Forty Billion Naira) to N674 Billion Naira which has to be paid by 31 December 2015. The fine relates to the late disconnecting of 5.1 million MTN Nigeria subscribers in August and September 2015.
The Company is carefully considering the NCC’s reply, however the Executive Chairman Phuthuma Nhleko will immediately and urgently re-engage with the Nigerian Authorities before responding formally, as it is essential for the Company to follow due process to ensure the best outcome for the Company, its stakeholders and the Nigerian Authorities and accordingly all factors having a bearing on the situation will be thoroughly and carefully considered before the Company arrives at a final decision.
Shareholders are therefore advised to continue to exercise caution when dealing in the Company’s securities until a further announcement is made.
– Issued by MTN Group Corporate Affairs
SOURCE: Premiumtimesng

Oprah Winfrey Talks About Been Raped At Age 9, Losing Her Baby At Age 14



Oprah Winfrey has revealed the name she chose for the premature baby boy she lost when she was just 14 years old. She also spoke of being raped by a cousin at the age of 9.

The  61 year old former talk show host opened up about her painful past when speaking at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia, according to news.com.au.


    "I did an interview with a reporter before I came to Australia and she said you should name the baby son who died," "So I have named him, I had a little boy named Canaan," I did have a son. And I named him Canaan because Canaan means new land, new life." 

Winfrey spoke movingly about the sexual abuse she suffered as a young girl, which resulted in the pregnancy.

    "I was raped at 9 years old by a cousin, then again by another family member, and another family member,"

 Winfrey reportedly said, adding that she tried to hide her pregnancy at 14 because she felt so much "pain and shame."

    "I took to my bed and cried for three days. I felt devastated. Wounded. Betrayed. How could this person do this to me.I imagined that every person on the street was going to point their finger at me and scream, 'Pregnant at 14, you wicked girl ... expelled!' " 

Winfrey gave birth as a teen to her son, who died in the hospital weeks later. 

Office Of The Senate President Clarifies Rumored Social Media Bill




Read the press statement from the office of the Senate president below.

Clarification on false claim that Senate passed a bill proposing to jail social media users for two years. The bill being made reference to, is An Act to Prohibit Frivolous Petitions and Other Related Matters, which absolutely makes no mention of jailing social media users.

Senator Na’Allah’s bill seeks to make illegal, the common act of individuals sponsoring frivolous petitions to tarnish/blackmail public servants or political office holders for selfish purposes.

The bill also seeks to make it a requirement for petitioners to depose to an affidavit in court which will must be attached to any petition. Where such petition is discovered to be frivolous, or mischievous or the fact there in are false, the proposed bill makes it a case of perjury which is an offense under the law.

The Deputy Senate leader in his submission expressed concern that with such frivolous petitions, the right of an individual to be presumed innocent until proven guilty by a competent court, would have eroded such presumption of innocence as these petitions lead to media trials that hampers the rule of law.

In the developed societies and in particular, the US, if one files a petition with the Federal Bureau of Investigation or any other government agency, aimed at defaming someone, ruining their reputation or family and such petition is discovered to be false, such a person will be held liable and would pay dearly for it.

One can only imagine that if countries allowed dishonest elements to file petitions against their opponents without having to hold them accountable, this will amount to impunity.

Please find attached the lead debate to the said petition.
Signed

Bamikole Omishore
SA New Media
President of The Senate

Wednesday 2 December 2015

Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook CEO and wife mark baby girl's birth by giving away 99% of their Facebook shares currently about $45 billion

Facebook Inc Chief Executive Officer, Mark Zuckerberg and his wife,  Priscilla said they will give away 99 percent of their Facebook shares, currently worth about $45 billion, to a new charity in a letter addressed to their daughter, Max, who was born last week.
A letter to our daughter
Dear Max,
Your mother and I don't yet have the words to describe the hope you give us for the future. Your new life is full of promise, and we hope you will be happy and healthy so you can explore it fully. You've already given us a reason to reflect on the world we hope you live in.
Like all parents, we want you to grow up in a world better than ours today.
While headlines often focus on what's wrong, in many ways the world is getting better. Health is improving. Poverty is shrinking. Knowledge is growing. People are connecting. Technological progress in every field means your life should be dramatically better than ours today.
We will do our part to make this happen, not only because we love you, but also because we have a moral responsibility to all children in the next generation.
We believe all lives have equal value, and that includes the many more people who will live in future generations than live today. Our society has an obligation to invest now to improve the lives of all those coming into this world, not just those already here.
But right now, we don't always collectively direct our resources at the biggest opportunities and problems your generation will face.
Consider disease. Today we spend about 50 times more as a society treating people who are sick than we invest in research so you won't get sick in the first place.
Medicine has only been a real science for less than 100 years, and we've already seen complete cures for some diseases and good progress for others. As technology accelerates, we have a real shot at preventing, curing or managing all or most of the rest in the next 100 years.
Today, most people die from five things -- heart disease, cancer, stroke, neurodegenerative and infectious diseases -- and we can make faster progress on these and other problems.
Once we recognize that your generation and your children's generation may not have to suffer from disease, we collectively have a responsibility to tilt our investments a bit more towards the future to make this reality. Your mother and I want to do our part.
Curing disease will take time. Over short periods of five or ten years, it may not seem like we're making much of a difference. But over the long term, seeds planted now will grow, and one day, you or your children will see what we can only imagine: a world without suffering from disease.
There are so many opportunities just like this. If society focuses more of its energy on these great challenges, we will leave your generation a much better world.
• • •
Our hopes for your generation focus on two ideas: advancing human potential and promoting equality.
Advancing human potential is about pushing the boundaries on how great a human life can be.
Can you learn and experience 100 times more than we do today?
Can our generation cure disease so you live much longer and healthier lives?
Can we connect the world so you have access to every idea, person and opportunity?
Can we harness more clean energy so you can invent things we can't conceive of today while protecting the environment?
Can we cultivate entrepreneurship so you can build any business and solve any challenge to grow peace and prosperity?
Promoting equality is about making sure everyone has access to these opportunities -- regardless of the nation, families or circumstances they are born into.
Our society must do this not only for justice or charity, but for the greatness of human progress.
Today we are robbed of the potential so many have to offer. The only way to achieve our full potential is to channel the talents, ideas and contributions of every person in the world.
Can our generation eliminate poverty and hunger?
Can we provide everyone with basic healthcare?
Can we build inclusive and welcoming communities?
Can we nurture peaceful and understanding relationships between people of all nations?
Can we truly empower everyone -- women, children, underrepresented minorities, immigrants and the unconnected?
If our generation makes the right investments, the answer to each of these questions can be yes -- and hopefully within your lifetime.
• • •
This mission -- advancing human potential and promoting equality -- will require a new approach for all working towards these goals.
We must make long term investments over 25, 50 or even 100 years. The greatest challenges require very long time horizons and cannot be solved by short term thinking.
We must engage directly with the people we serve. We can't empower people if we don't understand the needs and desires of their communities.
We must build technology to make change. Many institutions invest money in these challenges, but most progress comes from productivity gains through innovation.
We must participate in policy and advocacy to shape debates. Many institutions are unwilling to do this, but progress must be supported by movements to be sustainable.
We must back the strongest and most independent leaders in each field. Partnering with experts is more effective for the mission than trying to lead efforts ourselves.
We must take risks today to learn lessons for tomorrow. We're early in our learning and many things we try won't work, but we'll listen and learn and keep improving.
• • •
Our experience with personalized learning, internet access, and community education and health has shaped our philosophy.
Our generation grew up in classrooms where we all learned the same things at the same pace regardless of our interests or needs.
Your generation will set goals for what you want to become -- like an engineer, health worker, writer or community leader. You'll have technology that understands how you learn best and where you need to focus. You'll advance quickly in subjects that interest you most, and get as much help as you need in your most challenging areas. You'll explore topics that aren't even offered in schools today. Your teachers will also have better tools and data to help you achieve your goals.
Even better, students around the world will be able to use personalized learning tools over the internet, even if they don't live near good schools. Of course it will take more than technology to give everyone a fair start in life, but personalized learning can be one scalable way to give all children a better education and more equal opportunity.
We're starting to build this technology now, and the results are already promising. Not only do students perform better on tests, but they gain the skills and confidence to learn anything they want. And this journey is just beginning. The technology and teaching will rapidly improve every year you're in school.
Your mother and I have both taught students and we've seen what it takes to make this work. It will take working with the strongest leaders in education to help schools around the world adopt personalized learning. It will take engaging with communities, which is why we're starting in our San Francisco Bay Area community. It will take building new technology and trying new ideas. And it will take making mistakes and learning many lessons before achieving these goals.
But once we understand the world we can create for your generation, we have a responsibility as a society to focus our investments on the future to make this reality.
Together, we can do this. And when we do, personalized learning will not only help students in good schools, it will help provide more equal opportunity to anyone with an internet connection.
• • •
Many of the greatest opportunities for your generation will come from giving everyone access to the internet.
People often think of the internet as just for entertainment or communication. But for the majority of people in the world, the internet can be a lifeline.
It provides education if you don't live near a good school. It provides health information on how to avoid diseases or raise healthy children if you don't live near a doctor. It provides financial services if you don't live near a bank. It provides access to jobs and opportunities if you don't live in a good economy.
The internet is so important that for every 10 people who gain internet access, about one person is lifted out of poverty and about one new job is created.
Yet still more than half of the world's population -- more than 4 billion people -- don't have access to the internet.
If our generation connects them, we can lift hundreds of millions of people out of poverty. We can also help hundreds of millions of children get an education and save millions of lives by helping people avoid disease.
This is another long term effort that can be advanced by technology and partnership. It will take inventing new technology to make the internet more affordable and bring access to unconnected areas. It will take partnering with governments, non-profits and companies. It will take engaging with communities to understand what they need. Good people will have different views on the best path forward, and we will try many efforts before we succeed.
But together we can succeed and create a more equal world.
• • •
Technology can't solve problems by itself. Building a better world starts with building strong and healthy communities.
Children have the best opportunities when they can learn. And they learn best when they're healthy.
Health starts early -- with loving family, good nutrition and a safe, stable environment.
Children who face traumatic experiences early in life often develop less healthy minds and bodies. Studies show physical changes in brain development leading to lower cognitive ability.
Your mother is a doctor and educator, and she has seen this firsthand.
If you have an unhealthy childhood, it's difficult to reach your full potential.
If you have to wonder whether you'll have food or rent, or worry about abuse or crime, then it's difficult to reach your full potential.
If you fear you'll go to prison rather than college because of the color of your skin, or that your family will be deported because of your legal status, or that you may be a victim of violence because of your religion, sexual orientation or gender identity, then it's difficult to reach your full potential.
We need institutions that understand these issues are all connected. That's the philosophy of the new type of school your mother is building.
By partnering with schools, health centers, parent groups and local governments, and by ensuring all children are well fed and cared for starting young, we can start to treat these inequities as connected. Only then can we collectively start to give everyone an equal opportunity.
It will take many years to fully develop this model. But it's another example of how advancing human potential and promoting equality are tightly linked. If we want either, we must first build inclusive and healthy communities.
• • •
For your generation to live in a better world, there is so much more our generation can do.
Today your mother and I are committing to spend our lives doing our small part to help solve these challenges. I will continue to serve as Facebook's CEO for many, many years to come, but these issues are too important to wait until you or we are older to begin this work. By starting at a young age, we hope to see compounding benefits throughout our lives.
As you begin the next generation of the Chan Zuckerberg family, we also begin the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative to join people across the world to advance human potential and promote equality for all children in the next generation. Our initial areas of focus will be personalized learning, curing disease, connecting people and building strong communities.
We will give 99% of our Facebook shares -- currently about $45 billion -- during our lives to advance this mission. We know this is a small contribution compared to all the resources and talents of those already working on these issues. But we want to do what we can, working alongside many others.
We'll share more details in the coming months once we settle into our new family rhythm and return from our maternity and paternity leaves. We understand you'll have many questions about why and how we're doing this.
As we become parents and enter this next chapter of our lives, we want to share our deep appreciation for everyone who makes this possible.
We can do this work only because we have a strong global community behind us. Building Facebook has created resources to improve the world for the next generation. Every member of the Facebook community is playing a part in this work.
We can make progress towards these opportunities only by standing on the shoulders of experts -- our mentors, partners and many incredible people whose contributions built these fields.
And we can only focus on serving this community and this mission because we are surrounded by loving family, supportive friends and amazing colleagues. We hope you will have such deep and inspiring relationships in your life too.
Max, we love you and feel a great responsibility to leave the world a better place for you and all children. We wish you a life filled with the same love, hope and joy you give us. We can't wait to see what you bring to this world.
Love,
Mom and Dad
SOURCE: Mark Zuckerberg Facebook page.

Bimbo Akintola, Gideon Okeke To Host BON Awards 2015

Bimbo-Akintola-and-Gideon-Okeke
Celebrated actress Bimbo Akintola and fast rising actor Gideon Okeke have been announced as the hosts of this year’s Best of Nollywood, BON Awards.
In a statement released by the organisers of the annual awards ceremony, the two great role interpreters will be anchoring the event scheduled to hold on Sunday, 13 December at the new ultra-modern International Conference Center (The Dome) in Akure, Ondo State.
Akintola and Okeke will play hosts to hundreds of Nollywood celebrities, top government functionaries and other guests from the corporate world expected to grace the Nigerian movie industry’s leading reward ceremony.
This year’s hosts will join the growing list of privileged hosts of the BON Awards including last year’s pair, Fred Amata and Gbemi Olateru-Olagbegi.
Akintola made her debut in the Nigerian movie industry about 20 years ago with her stunning delivery in Tade Ogidan’s blockbuster, Owo Blow, while Okeke, was a reality TV star turned actor.
He later stunned millions of television viewers as one of those who played lead roles in MNet’s series, Tinsel.
Both are also on the set as lead acts on the upcoming multi-million naira movie, 93 Days, an epic on the last year Ebola crisis that shook the entire world, especially Nigeria, and the role of the late Dr. Ameyo Adadevoh.
Akintola plays the role of Dr. Adadevoh. The film also features American great, Danny Glover.
In its seventh year, this year’s BON Awards will also feature some exclusive performances by some top music artistes and comedians.
SOURCE: thelivefeeds

NLC to present new minimum wage proposal – Wabba In NATIONALDecemb

NLC to present new minimum wage proposal – Wabba
Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President Ayuba Wabba has said a new minimum wage will soon be presented to the government.
Speaking at the delegate conference of the Non Academic Staff Union (NASU), Wabba said since the five- year period stipulated for the review of the minimum wage had lapsed, the NLC was working in collaboration with the Trade Union Congress (TUC) to arrive at a figure to be presented to government.
He said the recent announcement by governors under the Nigeria Governors Forum that they could not continue to pay the N18,000 minimum wage was part of a ploy to frustrate the demand for an upward review.
He vowed that the congress would make the states ungovernable for any governor that tinker with the current minimum wage, pointing out that the leadership of the labour movement in the country was committed to a review.
While admitting the challenges in the economy, Comrade Wabba said “the fact that there is challenge in the economy does not mean that only the workers should suffer the consequence.
We will ensure that any governor that want to reduce the N18,000 minimum wage will not have rest in his domain until the right thing is done. Reducing the minimum wage is something that cannot be defended. If political office holders still collect the same salaries nationwide, there is justification for anybody to be thinking of tinkering with the minimum wage.
“I want to assure us that the issue of review of the minimum wage, the leadership stands on that. We are only trying to consult with the TUC to ensure that they don’t divide our rank and come up with a figure that we will make public before we make our demand. I think it is defensive for them to say that they cannot continue to pay the minimum wage. I also think that they are saying so because they know that the review is due”
Comrade Wabba also called for a review of Privatisation policy of the government saying it has not yeilded the desired result especially in the power sector which he said has resulted into more darkness rather than leading to improved power supply.
The outgoing President of NASU, Comrade Ladi Iliya admitted that President Muhammadu Buhari has said that the nation’s economy was in crisis, with industries daily winding up, jobs being lost, while galloping inflation is being experienced .
According to her, “these are all indications of an economy in crisis. We call for the diversification of the economy to bring back on board agriculture, manufacturing and mining of the solid mineral”.
She said further that it was unfortunate that only public service workers are the real tax payers, saying “it is doubtful whether the rich in the society do pay tax and if they do, the question is, do they pay correct tax”.
She reminded Buhari that he was elected by Nigerians based on his anti corruption posture and appealed to the government to follow due process in the anti corruption war of the government so that the culprits will not escape Justice.

Tuesday 1 December 2015

Boko Haram expanding, chance to stop it is now – UN official

Boko Haram expanding, chance to stop it is now – UN official
West Africa’s Boko Haram Islamist militant group is expanding and there is only a small window of opportunity to stop it, the top U.N. aid official in Cameroon said on Monday.
Najat Rochdi, U.N. Resident Coordinator in Cameroon, said the group’s strategy was to demonstrate its power by almost daily suicide bombings, often by young girls, while trying to gain territory.
Its offensive was bankrupting Cameroon’s economy and destroying a fragile society, especially influencing the young.
“Boko Haram is giving them a sense, because they are convincing them that it is a sacrifice for the better. So we have to show them that they don’t have to die to have a better life,” Rochdi told Reuters.
There was a chance to do so in Cameroon because Boko Haram recruits were driven by poverty and marginalisation.
“If it was Jihadism, we all know, it’s very difficult to compete with God. But because it’s just about having a voice and empowerment and economic opportunities and believing in a future, that’s something we know how to do.”
Boko Haram declared allegiance to the Islamic State group in March and stepped up its suicide bombing campaign, more than tripling Cameroon’s number of displaced people to 158,000.
The group emerged in Nigeria, but it now straddles the borders of Nigeria, Chad, Niger and Cameroon, with numbers estimated at 40,000 and ambitions to set up an oil-rich Islamic state around Lake Chad, Rochdi said.
“We used to have pockets of Boko Haram, it’s definitely expanding. It looks like they are trying to break through inside the country but also towards the borders in the east, the borders with Central African Republic.”

The impact on farming and markets had more than doubled the number of food-insecure people to 2.2 million people, and more than 15 percent of children were acutely malnourished, she said.
The U.N. is trying to counter Boko Haram by re-establishing markets and the jobs that go with them, and getting children back to school. The danger is that Boko Haram could grow and link up with other Islamist groups, potentially triggering a worse refugee crisis in Europe than the one seen this year, Rochdi said.
“Investing in today and reversing the trend is investing in a better security and stability of Europe tomorrow. And tomorrow is really tomorrow, not 2030,” she said. “It’s doable. But it’s really a very small window of opportunity. If you ask me the same question next year, the answer will be no.”
SOURCE:today.ng