Side Effects…

UBA’S UPWARD SWING

There ’s something about the United Bank for Africa that every business and organisation shou ld imitate. It is the way this pan- African financial institution hankers after innovative ways to make banking services attractive for its customers on one hand and work place alluring for its staff on the other hand. The recent introduction of contactless payment, which makes it easy for customers to have access to basic banking transactions quickly, safely, and conveniently without having to visit bank branches, via ATMs, POS and on the internet is one way the bank is leading the way. Though, contactless payment has been around for more than a decade, making it happen in Nigeria by the UBA is one good example of changing business landscape positively.

THE YOBE SCHOOL ATTACK

After every horrific attack by Boko Haram on school facilities and communities, the impulse of our politicians is to trade blames. For the security agencies, theirs is to make us think the attacks are unsuccessful in order to protect their own image. They simply think we are a dump by stating Boko Haram is completely out of our life. The Monday night attack on Dapchi town of Yobe State by Boko Haram terrorists is concerning. The fact that it happened in a school is painful. The debate on whether some students were kidnapped or not is raging, but why did the security agency allow an attack on a school to happen again. Does this mean we didn’t learn anything from the Chibok school attack to avoid this?

FIGHTING FIREARMS

The campaign by the Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau, for strict enforcement of the law against illegal possession of firearms in the country is a campaign that everyone should embrace. The illegal arms in circulation in the country should be a concern as we go into 2019. Dambazau has said that “firearm is a driver to violence, so there is a need to address the current situation that we are in.” I agree.