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ASUP Strike Takes Toll On Students, Businesses

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The Academic Staff Union of
Polytechnics (ASUP) has  planned to embark on massive     protest to draw support for its strike action which has entered its nineth month.
In a statement issued by the union President, Comrade Chibuzor Assomugha said the planned protest is aimed at drawing the attention of the Federal Government to the lingering ASUP strike.
Asomugha said he would not announce the date of the protest now for security reason.
Meanwhile, the supervising Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike, has described as “mere propaganda’ the planned “massive protest’ by striking members of ASUP.
Wike said, using such action to draw the attention of the Federal Government would not resolve the impasse, stressing that over 90% of the-demands of the polytechnic lecturers, has been met, remaining the outstanding issue, of the salary arrears.
The Tide investigation; however, revealed that economic activities have been grounded in most Federal Polytechnics across the country as the indefinite strike continues.
The Tide observed that, most shops closed down due to lack of patronage. High Chief Lazarus Ekwueme, traditional head of Oko community in Anambra State where Federal Polytechnic Oko is situate told newsmen  that the strike had paralysed businesses in the community, forcing many traders out of business.
He noted that the students alone constituted about 90 per cent of business operators customers.
“Everybody is affected, from shop owners, petty traders, artisans, hawkers, transport workers, landlords, you name them.
“This has brought untold hardship to our people, whose businesses rely solely on the students.”
Another petty trader acknowledged the problem, saying more than 30 traders had closed down their shops.
He said if the strike is not immediately, called off, many traders in the community would be forced to  relocate to other areas.
The Tide was told by Chukwudi Emeka who provisions, drinks and snacks that his daily turn-over had dropped from N200,000 to N30,000 because of the strike action.
He said that due to low patronage he had to shut down his other shop located inside the school, stressing that “the students made up 90 per cent of his customer base.
“Sadly, since the commencement of the strike my sales have drastically dropped from N200,000 to barely N30,000 daily.
“This has forced me to layoff two sales girls that I employed to assist me because of the volume of customers at my shop.·
“I had to lay them off since I can no longer afford to pay them,” he explained.
He appealed to Federal Government and ASUP to resolve their differences so that students would return to school to save their business from total collapse.
Similarly, Amaechi Fidelis,  who owned a business centre, optimal computers, said he made up to Nl0,000 daily, but could barely make N800 since the commencement of the strike.
“I am into typing, binding, photocopy, passport photographs and the likes. My customers therefore are mainly students.
“When Students are around there is market, but when they are not around there is completely no market.
“I make up to Nl0,000 daily, but now I barely make up to N800 and I had to buy fuel and stationery. “Currently I barely make enough to feed my family”.
Nwosu Chinyere the owner of BM  Communications, who was dealing with airtime recharge cards and charging of cell-phone batteries, said the strike has affected him both as a businessman and as a student.
He said that he was selling the N400 and N200 airtime recharge cards, noting that because of the strike, not many people were even asking for the N 100 airtime.
Nwosu said that the battery recharging aspect of the business had completely gone.
I usually made up to N2,000 daily, charging phone batteries, but the strike has robbed me of that means.
“That part of the business is no longer fetching me anything,” he said.
Another trader, Chibuzor Oba, who was selling tomatoes and other vegetables said his daily turnover had dropped from N17,000 to N3,000.
“I sold out three to four basket of tomatoes daily when students are around, but now it takes me four to five days to finish just a basket, that is if I am lucky, and you know the perishable nature of vegetables.
“Beside vegetables, I also sale yam and potatoes, but I had to stop because there is no patronage,” he said.
Mrs. Stella Offer, a petty trader selling food stuffs, also said her daily turnover was N20,000 but had dropped to N4,000.
“This lingering strike by the academic staff of the polytechnic is worrisome, because whenever students are not in school there is no market and they have been away for nine months now.
“Sometimes I bought things to re-sale but they will be in the shop growing dust and we end up consuming them at home.
She said “The Federal Government should please do something to save our business from folding up completely”.

 

Philip Okparaji

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Banking/ Finance

Job Searching Tips for Recent College Graduates

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Breaking into any field isn’t easy, especially now when so many companies have taken a hit from COVID and are in the process of changing their operations. New graduates are likely going to face intense competition in a job market filled with recently unemployed people, many of whom have serious credentials and work experience that makes them viable candidates. Downsizing on a more practical front includes reducing the number of entry-level employees, which could make a college graduate with no experience feel like they’ll never get hired.

Although you do have a six-month grace period to start paying your student loans, it’s natural to worry what you’ll do if you don’t find a good paying job by then. In the event you are still unable to lock down a stable income, you may consider refinancing your student loans to save money. Refinancing can modify the interest rate and terms of your loan to make them more manageable, especially if you’re not earning enough to even be financially secure. Before you worry about loans, though, here are three things to keep in mind while you’re applying to jobs.

Focus on Skills, Not Job Descriptions

If you don’t have any relevant work experience, focus on what you know how to do, instead. The goal of a resume isn’t to show employers what you’ve done but rather what you can do for them. While prior experience is always great, you shouldn’t let it deter you from really selling yourself as a talented, eager candidate. In the event your experience was not in a related field, try to draw out any details from your responsibilities that carry over. Align your resume to each job’s specific needs, which will drastically improve your chances of getting a callback. Avoid turning in the same resume to different employers; even if you only change the wording on a few lines, it shows you care enough to read what an employer wants.

Don’t Say No to Internships

You may think interning is for undergrads, but it actually might be your ticket to a full-time position. Interning isn’t for everyone, and if the gig is unpaid, it certainly won’t work for a lot of people. But most internships function more like temporary jobs, which means you are paid hourly or given a fixed amount for working a set amount of time.For recent college graduates, internships can provide the experience, skills and connections they need to qualify for positions in the field of choice. You may also find a mentor in one of the company’s employees who can give you insider knowledge and teach you things that you’d never have found out on your own. Many jobs also promote interns into employees if they perform well enough. So, it may not be your first choice, but if you’re looking for work and considering a part-time job anyway, it’s worth considering.

Stay Connected to Your Fellow Alumni

Your university’s alumni community will allow you to network with other graduates who have found work in your desired field. They can offer you tips, provide some sound advice and possibly even recommend you for positions in their own company. Sometimes, job recruiters even check out alumni groups at universities to find candidates that are available for immediate start. Make that point clear whenever you mention you’re looking for a job.

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Business

The inflation rate in Nigeria on an all-time high

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Inflation is a rise in the price levels in relation to goods available leading to endless fall in an economy’s purchasing power over a period of time. It measures the proportion of the rate at which the normal price level of goods and services rise over time in an economy. Nigeria has been experiencing increased levels of inflation since the pandemic broke.

 

The world is currently fighting COVID-19 that has greatly affected many countries and the world at large, that has measures put in place to suppress the virus. Not only did these measures help curb the spread of the novel virus, but it has also reduced the performance of many economies, businesses and health systems of countries. Currently, more than 3,000,000 people got infected worldwide, with almost over 220,414 people dead. 44 people died in Nigeria from the virus with 255 recoveries. This has had a drastic effect on Nigeria’s economy, which saw its peak in March when the first case was recorded. In March, the CPI recorded a 0.84% rise in month-on-month inflation rate in Nigeria, which was a 0.5% increase from the previous month.

 

The inflation rate in Nigeria has continually been on an increase from month-on-month and year-on-year rates and several financial experts in Nigeria express their concerns about it and are calling for the currency’s stabilization. A majority of forex traders are particularly unaware about the state of the currency at a given period of time, especially beginners who rely on their brokers to update them on events plaguing the markets. The issues with FX broker comparison is that some brokers are more analytical than others when it comes to delivering information to their customers. While some brokers would prefer analyzing news before delivering it to a beginner trader, others just send out the news to their clients, without ensuring that the implications of the news are fully understood.

 

The average change in the percentage in both rural and urban areas in CPI of one year, ending in March 2020, over the CPI for the previous year till March 2019 was 11.62%. This shows a 0.08 increase rate of over 11.54% recorded in February 2020 for the same average.

 

In March 2020, the inflation rate in urban regions increased by 12.93% YoY; which was a 0.08 increase rate from 12.85% YoY change recorded in February 2020. With regards to the MoM rate, urban regions list increased by 0.88%, which is a 0.06 increase rate point from 0.82% recorded in earlier months.

 

This MoM development is generally caused by the prices of food to other consumer goods. Additionally, in March 2020, the inflation rate in the rural areas also increased by 0.03%, highlighting 11.64% from 11.61% in February 2020, which significantly contributed to the index prices of food. Simultaneously, there was a 0.80% increase in indices, at an additional 0.04 rate point from the 0.76% increase recorded earlier that month.

 

 

Statistics show that there was a rise in food prices that were brought about by an increase in costs of Potatoes, sweet potato, yams, fish, oils and fats, meat, fruits, bread and oats, and vegetables. There is currently volatility in the prices of all agricultural products, with the inflation rate steady at 9.98%, which is a 0.25% increase compared to the 9.73% recorded in March.

 

The highest inflation levels in Nigeria were recorded in bicycle prices, passenger transportation by sea and rates increased, medical services, medication, health services in general, and Major family equipment whether electronic or not. The most recent report suggests a quick rise in the prices of all products and services in the country, which was caused by the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown and the continuation of the pandemic. It is worth noting that the most recent inflation rate implies that the buying capacity of customers has decreased.

 

On Tuesday morning, Nigeria’s Consumer Prices Index, also known as inflation massively increased in August 2020, by 13.22% as per information delivered by the National Bureau of Statistics. This indicates the twelfth continuous rise since September 2019 and the most noteworthy in 28 months reported by a business examination shows that information from the NBS August 2020 expansion.

 

 

 

 

 

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Business

Ugandan Appointed Managing Director In Nigeria

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Ringier One Africa Media has announced that Hilda Kabushenga Kragha, who was the Jobberman Nigeria CEO, as the new Managing director of ROAM Africa jobs.

 

ROAM connects Africans to opportunities. They empower people through transparency and are transforming markets with high technology. ROAM embraces diversity and it’s their key to success. Since the diverse backgrounds are driving them to innovations, they seek and hire people from all walks of life, regardless of gender, ethnicity, or religion. ROAM creates a business with real people.

 

Why do they stay at the highest level all the time? Because of teamwork and most importantly a passion for what they do. They believe that shaping future leaders ( as they accept MBA internship candidates ) with externship programs on an ongoing basis will lead to success.

 

ROAM Africa’s job brands are dominant recruitment solutions platforms in Africa, Including BrighterMonday in East Africa and Jobberman in West Africa (Focusing on Nigeria and Ghana). Hilda will take over from Kwaku Agbesi, who chose to fully focus on his role as CEO of Jobberman Ghana. In the future, he will give his full attention to the big potential of his home country.

 

Hilda joined Jobberman Nigeria as CEO in June 2019. Under her leadership, the brand has strengthened its position as Nigeria’s largest job platform with over 2 million job seekers and 68.000 employees.

 

Taking her new role in the company, she said that she was very excited to take her role within the ROAM family. Since the ROAM has been the leading industry in the market, with the power of technology, Hilda Kabushenga promises to increase workplaces and productivity by supporting employers to place them in the right places for them. With Africa’s growing youth population and employment opportunities, ROAM Africa is promising to bring transparency to Africa’s labor markets. This attitude is promising for Africans to work in a healthy environment, and it goes without saying that it will improve their livelihoods.

 

CEO of ROAM Africa, Clemens Weitz added that Hilda’s passion and concise vision will make her the ideal person for the role and a fantastic addition to the ExCo team. She really brings a wealth of experience whenever she goes. He also added that he is especially proud that the ExCo team is now chaired by female leaders, which is certainly an exception in Africa.

 

Hilda’s main focus will be to remain in Nigeria until the end of the year. She will start her job in January 2021.

Economy of Africa

The economy of Africa consists of the trading, industry, human resources, continent, and agriculture. As of 2019, 1.3 billion people were living in 54 countries of Africa. Africa is a very rich continent within resources.

 

Africa has been working hard lately to deepen intra-continent trade and integration. That’s why this country has the potential to grow and develop its impact on global reforms. Yet, for many African countries implementing trade facilitation reforms will require overcoming challenges such as supply constraints and slow economic growth. Uganda is slowly becoming a center of FX trading, because of the perfect space for investors to take a keen interest in trading deals.

Despite the global pandemic, more and more African traders are joining the forex market. The increase is also opening up new opportunities for investors in financial markets. African traders are exploring different options of trading since it is becoming the new era’s most popular field nowadays.

In that sense, many Africans are searching for a list of best forex brokers in Uganda 2020, since Uganda is already trading with countries like Kenya, South Sudan, Rwanda, Congo, Dem, Rep, and Italy.

The path to economic diversification

The debate on the benefits of trading has dominated this decade. Africa has cast its vote for better trade with itself. In march of 2018 African countries signed a landmark trade agreement, the African Continental free trade area Agreement (AfCFTA), which commits countries to remove tariffs on 90 percent of goods and progressively liberalize trades in services. This agreement created a single African market with over a billion consumers with a total GDP of over $3 trillion. Since Africa is one of the biggest trading areas in the world, people are more and more connected with their lives to trading and are trying to make their life qualities better with trading.

 

AfCFTA is focusing on trading in goods and services, investments, intellectual property rights, and competition policy.

 

Can Africa do better with trading? With proper and trustworthy people, absolutely. A total of African exports have been increasing by about 10% from 1995 to around 17% for now.

 

ECA considers that African countries trade with themselves creating more knowledge about transfers and creates more value.

 

Trade diversification of exports is vital and it allows the countries to build resilience to movements in demand, due to economic downturns in importing countries and their price dips.

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