Urhobo Union to float Microfinance bank
Prominent sons and daughters of Urhobo land are mobilising funds to set up a micro finance bank to cater for the needs of the ewheya (women) and ighelle (youngsters) of Urhobo land.
A fundraising committee to raise the funds was recently inaugurated by the president general of Urhobo Progress Union (UPU), Olorogun Moses Taiga with Abraham Ogbodo as chairman, Francis Ewherido, vice chairman and Benson Uwheru, secretary.
Speaking during the inauguration, Taiga said, “the beginning of a journey like this always looks tedious and uncertain, but I encourage you not to be deterred by this small beginning. My dream is that this seemingly small effort, like a mustard seed, will metamorphose into a big bank like Wema Bank someday, hopefully in my life time.”
The mandate of the committee is to raise an initial N300m to enable the bank commence as a unit. The second phase of the project is to raise N1.5b to enable the bank get a state-wide status so that it can cover all the nooks and crannies of Urhobo land.
To raise the initial N300m, the committee is targeting 300 Urhobo sons and daughters resident in Nigeria and abroad, who can invest a minimum of N1m in the bank. So far 98 individuals and 10 Urhobo associations have indicated interest to invest in the bank, according to Ogbodo, a former editor of The Guardian.
Other members of the committee are Joe Abugu (SAN), Fred Ohwawha, Ted Okumakube, Johnson Agagbo, Eddy Odivwri, Bernice Dema, Obaro Osa, Abel Ojo, Friday Ebojor, Steve Ighomuaye, Ibunor Agama, Chief Kenneth Iwhewhe, Kenneth Young, Lucky Sargin and Rume Ophi.
Train passengers are daily exposed to the coronavirus spread following the flagrant abuse of passenger quota on the Lagos to Ijoko passenger train services operated by the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC).
A recent experiential train ride by Businessday recently paints an ugly picture of complete disregard to stipulated COVID-19 protocol as outlined by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
Findings by our reporter shows that, while there is a specified number of passengers that are issued tickets on the Lagos train service terminating at Ijoko by the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), there is always an overflow on the number of passengers on the train; an act allegedly suspected to be committed with the collaboration of some NRC personnel including security and para- military officials working inside the train.
While fares paid by the passengers on the Lagos to Ijoko and Ijoko to Lagos train services have doubled from the previous N230 to N460, yet some of these on-board officials can collect as much N500 or more from passengers, thereby overcrowding the coaches in total abuse of laid-down NCDC COVID-19 protocols and exposing passengers to possible train derailment. All efforts made to get the reaction the reaction from the NRC proved abortive as at the time of filing this report.
Nationwide, the rail sector despite its potential for curtailing perennial chaotic transport situation in a megacity like Lagos remains inefficient and underutilized. And desspite attempts by the Lagos state government to provide a mass transit service for the millions of commuters, the share of rail as a mode of transportation has not been encouraging.
Recall that while the coronavirus rages, the Nigerian Railway Corporation put in place a number safety guidelines and necessary protocols to be observed by all passengers on the Abuja-kaduna standard gauge passenger services.
While NRC decontaminated all train stations and rolling stocks last year in readiness to commencement of full passenger operations, strict adherence to appropriate use of face mask throughout any journey duration were emphasised.
Safety protocols demands that passengers travel with their own alcohol- based hand sanitizers which must be 90 percentages alcohol-based as neither the federal government nor the Nigeria Railway Corporation will provide sanitizers for the passengers.