Business

CACOVID To Distribute Food Items To 1.7m Vulnerable People

Published

6 years ago

April 20, 2020

The private sector-led Coalition Against COVID-19 (CACOVID-19) has concluded plans to distribute food items to at least 1.7 million vulnerable people in Nigeria to complement governments’ efforts in cushioning the economic consequences of the coronavirus pandemic in the country.
The Coalition also noted that N25 billion so far has been raised as it has placed order for 250 million test kits to be distributed across the country to boost the testing centres.
The Chief Executive Officer of Aliko Dangote Foundation, ADF, Zouera Youssoufou, disclosed this yesterday at a press briefing in Lagos to intimate the public of what the Coalition headed by Alhaji Aliko Dangote and Group Managing Director, Access Bank Plc, Mr Albert Wigwe, has been doing and about to do in the fight against COVID-19.
She said the CACOVID will continue to step up its complementary efforts toward freeing the nation from the coronavirus pandemic and is already looking at the issue of the post COVID-19.
She said : Following the devastating impact of the pandemic and the limited resources available to the government to tackle the health crisis, the private sector in the Nigeria decided to come together and set up the CACOVID-19 to assist the government to fight the virus.”
The body, which is led by Aliko Dangote, through the Aliko Dangote Foundation(ADF) and Herbert Wigwe of Access Bank, is also backed by Zenith Bank, Guaranty Trust Bank, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) , MTN Nigeria , Flourmills Nigeria, Femi Otedola , Tony Elumelu, among others.
Speaking on the Coalition and its activities, Youssoufou said, it is the brainchild of Dangote and Wigwe who had started their separate initiatives to fight the virus but decided to involve more corporate bodies and individuals who are willing to ensure the pandemic is stamped out of the country.
Youssoufou said: “ the past weeks, the coalition has been working on how to better support the government in many areas and is working with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control(NCDC) on building of isolation centres.
The COCAVID has now decided to distribute food items ranging from rice, garri, beans, noodles etc to reach about I.7 million who are in need. We call upon other Nigerians to join CACOVID in fighting this pandemic so that it will be better for us all.
Commenting as well, Wigwe said : “ CACOVID-19 has equally been working with the Presidential Task Force (PTF) of the Federal Government to ensure that the government is supported to fight the COVID-19. CACOVID has realised about N25 billion and it has spent between N16 to N20 billion procuring various medical needs for the country to fight the pandemic.
In fact, various committees have been set up for better synergy and operations in order to ensure that better results are achieved and the needy gets the food items.”
He said: “Apart from helping to build isolation centres across the country the CACOVID will also assist in the training of medical personnel for speedy testing and procure more testing kits to ensure it is spread across the country.
We want people to go out there for tes,t wherever they are, .Nigerians would be getting regular update on coalition’s activities as we seek for further funds.
We would audit whatever we have gathered and make it public.” Also speaking, the MTN Managing Director, Ferdi Moolman said : The pandemic we are seeing is real. We need to get together as a private to support the country in whatever way possible to tackle the effect of the pandemic .
Continuing, he said: “ It is now that the country has to work and ensure the necessary efforts are made to prevent the situation from worsening, hence the CACOVID-19 is supporting the federal government to achieve this.
“We should help ourselves as quickly as possible and be prepared and ready and let everybody to know that it is real. It involves everybody and it is a fight of our lives. So we must spread the news and tell people what to do and what not to do in the fight against this virus.”

Business

Boat Mishap Kills Pastor, Wife And Church Members In Brass Water

Published

2 days ago

May 18, 2026

The Tide

A boat accident in Bayelsa state has killed a serving Pastor, Wife and other church members along Brass waterways

The sad incident happened at Odioama in Brass local government area of Bayelsa State when the Pastor, wife and members of his church were in a programme.

?Tide confirmed that the lifeless body of the Pastor’s wife has been found and deposited in a mortuary while the remains of her husband ,the Pastor is yet to be recovered

as search party are still ongoing.

Although the real cause of the boat Mishap is not yet known as at the time of this report, our Correspondent gathered that the identities of the Pastor, wife and church members were not disclosed to the public.

The mishap, Tide gathered occurred on Friday morning when the church members were on a boat transit

The Bayelsa State government and the state police command are yet to issue official statement’s on the sad accident

By: CHINEDU WOSU

Business

Rivers Workers Seek Scrapping Of Contributory Pension Scheme

Published

2 days ago

May 18, 2026

The Tide

The Rivers State Council of Nigeria Civil Service Union has called on the State Government to urgently scrap the contributory pension scheme, describing it as unfavourable to long-serving civil servants in the state.

Chairman of the union, Chukwuka Osuma, said this in an interview with newsmen in Port Harcourt, recently.

Osuma said the current pension structure has continued to worsen post-retirement hardship for workers.

He noted that the contributory pension scheme had failed to provide adequate retirement security for workers who had spent many years in service, especially those approaching retirement age.

According to him, civil servants who had served for more than 20 years were among the worst affected under the scheme, insisting that many retirees could no longer cope with prevailing economic realities.

He also informed that the Union has made moves to showcase their concerns, pleading with Governor Siminalayi Fubara to abolish the pension policy and introduce a more favourable arrangement for affected workers.

“The union was not opposed to pension reforms, the contributory scheme should only apply to newly employed workers or those with fewer years in service”, he said.

Osuma explained that workers who had already spent decades in the civil service ought to remain under a more secure pension structure capable of guaranteeing stability after retirement.

The labour leader further noted that inflation and the rising cost of living had continued to erode the value of retirement savings, thereby increasing the suffering of pensioners across the country.

He also appealed to the state government to consider extending the years of service in the civil service from 35 to 40 years and the retirement age from 60 to 65 years.

Osuma argued that such adjustment had become necessary in view of present-day economic realities and changing conditions in the workplace.

The unionist also reviewed that similar policies had already been adopted in some sectors and jurisdictions, expressing optimism that the State could also implement the reforms for the benefit of workers.

He however, commended Governor Fubara for approving an N85,000 minimum wage for workers in the state, noting that the amount was above the national benchmark of N70,000.

Osuma also acknowledged the government’s efforts in the area of workers’ promotions and bonuses, but insisted that pension reforms and extension of years of service remained critical to the long-term welfare and stability of civil servants in Rivers State.

By: King Onunwor

Business

FG Begins South-West Tour To Promote New Cooperative Bank

Published

1 week ago

May 13, 2026

The Tide

The Federal Government has launched the South-West zonal engagement and ministerial advocacy tour on the Cooperative Bank of Nigeria share capital mobilisation, sensitisation and cooperative sector digitalisation.

Reports say the initiative was launched through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.

According to reports, the advocacy tour, organised by the ministry’s Federal Department of Cooperatives, began on Monday in Lagos.

Speaking at the event, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security and Supervising Minister of Cooperative Affairs, Dr Aliyu Abdullahi, said the initiative was part of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

Abdullahi described the exercise as a strategic effort to reposition the cooperative sector as a key driver of inclusive economic growth, financial inclusion, enterprise development, food security and national prosperity.

“Today represents a defining moment in our collective determination to reposition the cooperative sector as a major driver of inclusive economic growth, financial inclusion, enterprise development, food security and national prosperity,” he said.

The minister noted the modern cooperative movement in Nigeria originated in the South-West following the 1934 Strickland Report, which led to the enactment of the Cooperative Societies Ordinance of 1935.

According to him, the decision to commence the sensitisation and share capital mobilisation tour in the region is symbolic, as it marks a return to the roots of cooperative development in the country.

Abdullahi said the advocacy tour was a direct outcome of resolutions reached at the 8th Regular Meeting of the National Council on Cooperative Affairs held in Abuja in March 2026.

He said the council approved the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme, a comprehensive framework designed to strengthen the cooperative sector and align it with the administration’s goal of building a one-trillion-dollar economy.

“The reform programme focuses on seven strategic pillars, including governance reforms, cooperative financing and the establishment of the Cooperative Bank of Nigeria, digitalisation, capacity building, value chain development, inclusion of youths, women and persons with disabilities, and strategic partnerships,” he said.

He said the establishment of the Cooperative Bank of Nigeria and the digitalisation of the cooperative sector were the two major transformational initiatives under the programme.

“The Cooperative Bank of Nigeria is aimed at rebuilding a strong cooperative financial system capable of supporting cooperators, farmers, artisans, traders, SMEs, youths, women and persons with disabilities with accessible and affordable financial services,” he said.

Abdullahi emphasised that the proposed bank would be government-enabled but not government-funded.

“Government is not establishing the bank as an owner, nor will it rely on Treasury Single Account funds.

“The role of government through the FMAFS is to provide policy support, stakeholder coordination, regulatory facilitation and an enabling environment under the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme,” he said.

Also speaking, the Lagos State Commissioner for Commerce, Cooperatives, Trade and Investment, Mrs Folashade Ambrose-Medebem, reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to cooperative sector transformation.

She described cooperatives as critical tools for promoting inclusive growth, grassroots productivity, food security, financial inclusion and community wealth creation.

Ambrose-Medebem said Lagos State would continue to support reforms and collaborate with stakeholders to ensure the successful implementation of the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme (2025–2030).

“Together, let us build a cooperative ecosystem that is modern, transparent, digitally enabled, financially inclusive and globally competitive.

“Let us build cooperatives that not only mobilise savings, but also mobilise prosperity,” she said.