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All Posts in "Day: April 14, 2025"
Army Decries Poor South East Youth Enlistment Into Military Service
LarryBravo Nwaiwu
The Nigerian Army has raised the alarm over the poor enlistment of South East youths into the military service, and called for a change of attitude to reverse the trend.
According to the Army, while Kaduna State had recorded over 3,000 applications in the ongoing 2025 recruitment exercise, Enugu State was still struggling with just a hundred, noting that the story was not different with other South East states.
It called FC numbers in the ongoing 2025 recruitment exercise to fill their quotas.
The Army made the call in Enugu during an enlightenment town hall meeting with Local Government Council Chairmen, traditional rulers, Presidents-General of town unions, and other community and thought leaders at the weekend.
Leader of the 2025 Army Recruitment Enlightenment Team, Brigadier-General Chima Ekeator, said, “Our people are losing what rightly belongs to them. Each year, whenever a slot is being allocated to our people, we keep noticing that the number of applicants from our side is usually very poor.
“Take for example, Enugu State was given about 200 slots, but the people who made it were never up to 100 due to poor application. This has also become a recurring decimal in other states in the South East.
“Today’s statistics on the number of applicants show that Kaduna has about 3,000 applicants, while Enugu is still battling with about a hundred; and by the time we will be through with screening, you will not have enough to recruit from the state.”
He refuted the allegation that people of South East origin were being killed in their numbers in the Army because they were the first to be sent to the battle fronts. He added that the region was also holding strategic positions in the Army presently.
“There are a lot of falsehoods out there stating that the Igbo are being killed because they are the first to be sent to the battlefield. These things are not true. After all, we that are here have risen high in the Army and we are telling you that they are lies. Today in the Nigerian Army, our brother is one of the top commanders in charge of equipment. His name is Chibueze Ogbuabor,” he said.
Speaking, the Commissioner for Youths and Sports Development, Barr. Lloyd Ekweremadu, regretted that the problem had persisted despite the collective efforts to reverse the trend and called for a review of modes of advertising the opportunities and the need to provide more details about the benefits of serving in the Army.
“While seated here, I was just trying to conduct a very quick research and it appears this same problem is happening worldwide and militaries across the world are deploying more cutting-edge strategies for recruitment because we are talking about the new generation that you communicate in a different way from the past,” he stated.
He reiterated Governor Peter Mbah’s commitment to ensuring that the state filled its quota, describing the military as a noble and highly respected profession across the world.
On his part, the Chairman of the Enugu State chapter of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, ALGON, Hon. Okechukwu Edeh, pledged even stronger cooperation of the Local Government Council, but called on the military high command to equally address any concerns of the people to make the service more appealing to the youths.
Also speaking, the State Coordinator, Presidents-General of Enugu State Town Unions, Hon. Arinze Ogbodo; former Chairman, Enugu State Traditional Rulers Council, Ambassador Lawrence Agubuzu and the traditional ruler of Nomeh Unataeze, Lieutenant Colonel Israel Mbah (rtd.), called on the youths to enlist in the Army, but stressed the need for more enlightenment.
“I was a military man before. I survived every war. I did mine and today I am a traditional ruler. So, I believe that our young people should join the force,” Mbah stated.
Moniepoint to Strengthen UK and Nigeria Trade Ties Partnership
In era where global commerce is increasingly interconnected, the significance of fostering strong trade relationships between nations cannot be overstated. With the UK-Nigeria trade relations are expected to see significant growth in several sectors this year, the British Deputy High Commissioner in Lagos, Mr. Jonny Baxter has paid a working visit to Moniepoint’s UK office. The visit underscores the value of strong partnerships in driving growth and innovation across continents, with Moniepoint’s emergence as a global fintech leader, showcasing how bilateral cooperation fuels economic progress.
During the meeting, discussions revolved around strengthening trade and investment ties between Nigeria and the UK. Mr. Baxter highlighted the importance of trade as a cornerstone of diplomatic and economic relations between the two nations, emphasizing its role in fostering prosperity, innovation, and cooperation across sectors such as energy, financial services, and infrastructure. The envoy highlighted the British International Investment (BII)’s investment in Moiniepoint Inc as a critical point in increasing economic opportunities for small businesses in Africa, as well as enhancing financial inclusion for consumers and providing direct financing to impactful companies.
Tosin Eniolorunda, Founder and Group CEO of Moniepoint, lauded the British government and DBT for creating an enabling environment for Nigerian businesses operating in the UK. He noted that Moniepoint’s presence in the UK contributes to actualizing this bilateral relationship by ensuring it is not a one-sided transfer of investments but a mutually beneficial partnership.
“Trade and investment are pillars of UK-Nigeria relations. We’re proud to be part of a movement that’s turning those pillars into bridges for real economic transformation. Our mission has always been to engineer financial happiness while powering the dreams of millions businesses and individuals through digital financial technology. Every step we take—whether in Nigeria or the UK—is about making that vision a reality. Our growth is a testament to what’s possible when partnerships go beyond investment—it’s about shared prosperity and innovation,” Eniolorunda said.
Eniolorunda also acknowledged the Enhanced Trade and Investment Partnership (ETIP) between Nigeria and the UK as a critical framework for unlocking market access, regulatory cooperation, and job creation in emerging sectors. He highlighted opportunities for collaboration in areas such as innovative financial services and cybersecurity products.
Moniepoint operates as an all-in-one financial ecosystem, offering seamless payments, banking, credit, business management and cross border solutions to over 10 million businesses and individuals across Nigeria and Africa. It has established itself as the leading financial platform for Nigeria’s vast network of small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs), especially those in the informal segment of the economy. Moniepoint’s mission to drive financial inclusion and empower businesses has been widely acknowledged and signposted by its listing for two consecutive years as Africa’s fastest growing financial institution. As Nigeria’s largest merchant acquirer, the company powers most of the country’s Point of Sale (POS) transactions, processing over 1 billion transactions monthly, with total payments volume exceeding $22 billion.
During the visit, Moniepoint discussed plans for new solutions to help Nigerians in the UK easily send money home. These solutions will leverage Moniepoint’s reputation for trust, speed, and transparency to solve payment issues. Eniolorunda noted this is part of a larger effort to improve economic and trade relations between Nigeria and the UK..
Moniepoint executives at the event include Felix Ike, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer, Moniepoint Inc; Moniepoint Inc; Ross Strike, Senior Vice President, M&A & Investor Relations; and Ravi Jakhodia, CEO, Moniepoint UK. The British delegation which had in attendance Hugh de Lusignan, Head of Financial Services at the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) recognized Moniepoint as a testament to Nigeria’s growing prominence in global fintech while reiterating the UK’s commitment to furthering economic collaboration with Nigeria, particularly as both nations explore new opportunities for innovation and growth
Seplat Energy’s Sustainability Commitments Targeted Beyond Today – COO
Seplat Energy Plc, leading Nigerian independent energy Company has restated its commitments to energy sustainability as it impacts people, environment and corporate governance, stressing that its focus is long-term with dividends accruable beyond today.
The Chief Operating Officer, Seplat Energy, Mr. Samson Ezugworie, stated this at the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Nigeria Council 2025 Oloibiri Lecture Series and Energy Forum (OLEF) held in Abuja recently.
Ezugworie, who spoke in the Forum’s panel session titled ‘Driving Energy Sustainability Through Technology, Policy, and Supply Chain Excellence’ maintained that business sustainability is about vision and building a future “you may not benefit from”.
He likened sustainability to the human race and many challenges that have confronted it; amongst which is energy poverty in Nigeria, which he stressed had limited the potential of the country and its people.
Speaking on Seplat Energy’s effort at addressing energy poverty in Nigeria, Ezugworie noted that over 850MMscfd of gas installations have been achieved in-country (excluding capacities from the recently acquired MPNU assets).
“Over the years, we have currently installed over 850MMscfd of gas geared towards supplying gas to domestic users in Nigeria. With the recent acquisition of the MPNU assets, we will now begin to explore and exploit other growth options. We are going to go into the mass gas reserves of that asset and still ensure that we use significant part of that to power Nigeria,” the Seplat Energy COO said.
He said the panel’s theme which hovers around energy sustainability, technology, policy and supply chains is centred around human beings and building the right capacities to drive growth and developmental progress. “Early this month at Seplat Energy, 50 young graduates just resumed for employment and they are undergoing diverse trainings at the moment. For us, this is capacity development; making sure that we have the funnel of talents that will replace us in due course. This is sustainability,” Ezugworie affirmed.
Highlighting what Seplat Energy had done in the deployment of technology in Nigeria’s gas space, the Seplat Energy COO said the Company’s various interventions were quite transformational. Seplat has implemented its end of routine flaring (EORF) roadmap, which includes investments across our production facilities to minimise Scope 1 & 2 greenhouse gas emissions and improve overall energy efficiency.
For instance, the first module of Seplat’s Sapele Integrated Gas Plant (SIGP) has commenced operations and is now producing. Once the plant is operating at capacity, expected during 2025, it has the potential to materially reduce the Group Scope 1 emissions. Other ongoing key flare-out projects, including the Western Asset Flares Out (installation of vapour recovery unit compressors), Sapele LPG Storage & Offloading Facility, Oben LPG Project and Ohaji Flares Out Project. The Company is on track to end routine flaring of gas across its onshore assets in 2H 2025.
Ezugworie also highlighted Seplat Energy’s strong commitment in deliver Corporate Social Investment initiatives in health, education and access to energy sustainably in Nigeria. Last year, 352 teachers were impacted in the 2024 edition of Seplat Teachers Empowerment Programme (STEP); 6,373 students impacted during the 2024 Pearls Quiz; 4 Science Technology Engineering Arts & Mathematics (STEAM) Labs equipped in 4 secondary schools; 9,780 impacted in the 2024 Eye Can See Programme; and Energy solutions delivered in 6 schools and 3 hospitals completed.
