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Coca-Cola Foundation Empowers Over 4,600 Women in Five Months
A women empowerment and capacity building program sponsored by The Coca-Cola Foundation in partnership with Karis and Eleos Hand of Hope Foundation, tagged, “Catalyst for Change” has come to an end having impacted over 4,600 women in Lagos and Ogun states.
The initiative wrapped up with its final graduation ceremony held on Wednesday, December 23, 2020, at Iwaya, Lagos.
Positioned to alleviate women from financial instability due to the attendant effects of the pandemic, the training included courses in wig making, make-up artistry, fashion designing, household essentials, shoe making, social media presence and business development amongst others.
The training was held across five communities namely Iwaya, Oworonshoki, Sangotedo, Magboro and Ogijo, with 1,000 of these women receiving startup kits, upon completion of the training, to help set up their small-scale businesses.
The last two communities, Oworonshoki and Iwaya, had a total of 2,000 women trained in the months of November and December.
Speaking on the program, Mabel Odunayo Fagun, the Valedictorian from Oworonshoki said, “With what we have learnt, we need to show the world the skills attained, and the impact The Coca-Cola Foundation has made in our lives”.
Also, Prince Babatunde Saliu of Oworoshoki expressed his satisfaction with the community-centred initiative saying, “We are very appreciative of Coca-Cola for the one thousand women who were trained, as employment has been created for our people.
“As we have seen, with more employment of our people comes peace in the Oworonshoki community.
“We pledge to continue the great work which has been started by The Coca-Cola Foundation”.
At the final closing ceremony held at Iwaya, emotions were high as the Iwaya women rent the air with cheerful chants of “Coca-Cola”.
Asegun Bamidele, a Valedictorian and beneficiary from the Iwaya community explained, “Just like the popular saying, there is no tool for development more than the empowerment of a woman.
We are so thankful to Coca-Cola for this program to enhance the standard of living in our community”.
The graduation ceremony was a sight to behold as the graduates celebrated amidst the serenading violins playing tunes to traditional dancers who graced the stage. The program is proof that the empowerment and autonomy of women is directly linked to the improvement of their economic status.
Speaking at the event, the Public Affairs, Communications and Sustainability Manager at Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited, Nwamaka Onyemelukwe, explained “Across the world, women are faced with significant challenges that impact them economically in terms of livelihood and well-being.
“This program seeks to empower women and girls across the rural demographic with the relevant skills and support that will improve their access to a more secure future.
“In 2021, follow-ups will be done across all five communities to ensure these women are making progress and enhancing the society effectively”.
During the ceremony, Akinrogun of Iwaya Land, Chief Engr. Balance Akinyemi added, “I encourage all program beneficiaries to use the knowledge acquired to continue to build their businesses and explore opportunities in our local markets”.
Present at the closing ceremony were Women Leader, Honorable Mrs Akerele; Akinrogun of Iwaya Land, Chief Engr. Balance Akinyemi; Head, Public Affairs, Communications and Sustainability, Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited, Nwamaka Onyemelukwe; and Head, Sustainability, Coca-Cola West Africa, Uche Ogbonna.
For Coca-Cola, women empowerment and bridging the gap of opportunities are essential for achieving an inclusive and sustainable society positioned for economic growth.
The funding of the Catalyst for Change program by The Coca-Cola Foundation will help Coca-Cola achieve its “5by20” mandate to empower five million women economically where over 4.6 million women have been positively impacted in 2019.
Since 1984, The Coca-Cola Company has contributed more than $1 billion to help empower women, protect the environment, and enhance communities, socially and economically, around the world.
Nigeria has launched an emergency response centre after recording 190 deaths from Lassa fever, a viral hemorrhagic illness, according to Nigerian Center for Disease Control (NCDC).
The disease, mainly transmitted to humans via contact with food or household items contaminated with rodent urine or excrement, has infected 1,154 people in six Nigerian states.
Jide Idris, head, Nigerian Center for Disease Control, said the agency’s risk assessment has categorized it as high, prompting the activation of the emergency Operations Centre to manage the outbreak.
“While the disease occurs throughout the year, peak transmission typically happens between October and May, coinciding with the dry season when human exposure to rodents increases,” he said at a press briefing in Abuja.
The centre will ensure seamless coordination of the control and management of the outbreak.
Symptoms of the virus – which can also be passed between people through bodily fluids of those infected – include fever, headaches and, in the most severe cases, death.
The World Health Organization classifies Lassa fever as a priority disease due to its epidemic potential and lack of approved vaccines.
Federal government has proposed to spend N1.5bn for internet services for passengers at five international airports in the country.
The project, “Provision/Upgrade of WiFi Services for Passengers in Five International Airports and some Domestic Airports” was listed as a new project in the 2025 appropriation.
In some parts of the world, access to the internet via Wi-Fi at airports is regarded to be a basic human right.
Such amenities are lacking in Nigeria.
But the 2025 budget presented to the National Assembly last week by President Bola Tinubu saw the sum of N105.953,496,365 being allocated to the Ministry of Aviation.
Apart from internet access at the airports, some other capital allocations were reinstated for the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA).
In previous budgets, three agencies of the ministry including the apex regulatory agency, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA); the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and NAMA were exempted from the annual budgetary allocation.
In addition, the federal government deducts 50 per cent of the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), which is against the standard and recommended practices of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), which recommends that the funds generated by the agencies should be reinvested into improving infrastructure and boosting aviation safety.
Fidelis Egueke, former bank manager, , has been convicted and sentenced to six months in prison by an Asaba, Delta State Chief Magistrate’s Court for defrauding a victim of $46,900.
Chief Magistrate Callistus Isioma Moeteke found Egueke guilty of a single charge brought against him by the police under case number CMA/295c/2024.
Raphael Eze, prosecutor, of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Asaba, said Egueke, a former Asaba branch manager of a tier-one bank, fraudulently obtained $46,900 by using two Certificates of Occupancy (CofOs) as collateral.
One of the land titles, however, was not his, and the other was fake.
After receiving the money, Egueke used it for personal expenses and failed to repay the victim as promised.
The prosecution argued that Egueke’s actions violated Section 419 of the Criminal Code Law, Cap C21, Vol.1 Laws of Delta State, Nigeria, 2006.
Despite denying the offence, Egueke failed to present evidence of repayment during the trial.
Chief Magistrate Moeteke determined that the prosecution had proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt.
Egueke was convicted and sentenced to six months imprisonment.
However, the court also gave him the option to pay a fine of N350,000 in lieu of serving the prison term.
The court ordered Egueke to pay N30 million in restitution to the victim within six months of his conviction.
The charge against Egueke stated that, in 2016, he fraudulently obtained a credit facility worth $46,900 (approximately N60 million) from Chief Jude Ndudi by presenting false documents, including land titles that did not belong to him, in violation of Section 419 of the Criminal Code Law.
Egueke is also facing trial before a Lagos Federal High Court on charges related to a separate fraud case involving N179.498 million.
He is being prosecuted by the Force Criminal Investigation Department (ForceCID), Annex Alagbon-Ikoyi, Lagos.
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