According to the National Bureau of Statistics, about 78% of all banking sector loans by value, given to states, went to Lagos state operating entities: “According to the data, about N15.1 trillion out of N19.4 trillion of the loans went to Lagos State in the third quarter of 2020, a 13.86% rise from the same period in 2019”. During the same period, entities in  Yobe, Jigawa, and Ebonyi States received 0.1%, 0.13%, and 0.13% respectively.  Rivers state, following Lagos, received  5% of the loan or N977 billion.

Of course, the NBS data while correct must be understood from the angle that most businesses in Nigeria have corporate headquarters in Lagos. In other words, while the loans could be booked against Lagos state, the project implementation could be in other states. Yet, there is no argument that Lagos state has a dominant impact in the Nigerian economic system.

From the data, Lagos is indeed a key-state risk for Nigeria. Since other states are not emerging, maybe, it is time to find a way to secure the state since it technically drives the nation, commercially and economically.

Nigeria can help Lagos on this burden by operating seaports in the South-south region of the nation.

The Lagos Ports are over congested causing the nation economic losses in billions of naira daily. Eastern Ports could provide a viable alternative by redesigning them as Free Trade Ports.

The Onitsha River Port which was built in 1983 by the President Shehu Shagari administration is a 1.2 million TEU port of destination that can clear goods from any part of the world, but the River will need to be dredged

It is a new era as Vetifly begins planned operations ahead of FULL launch in January 2021. Our partners, through Vetifly, flew around the beautiful Nigeria this week. We are pioneering a new phase of transportation and logistics in Africa. Vetifly, an on-demand helicopter service, is here to serve you. Click here for more photos and videos.

Vetifly Partners’ Experience: A perfect blend of fun, beautiful experiences and strategic alliances

Ahead of its official launch in January 2021, Vetifly, an on-demand helicopter service, treated its partners to a fun-filled day at a cocktail event organized to give them an exclusive feel and experience of Vetifly’s offerings. 

Starting the day with luxury

For most of the partners, the day started on a great note -luxury rides were sent to convey them from their various locations to the takeoff point, a helipad in the heart of Victoria Island. As one of the services that Vetifly will offer once it launches fully in January, the Luxury ride experience speaks to how the brand aims to give a complete package of luxury and convenience to its users. This option ensures that you can be picked up from wherever you are to the helipad, from where you will then be flown to your desired location.

The helicopter experience

While flying was not new to the partners, a helicopter ride was a whole new beautiful experience for most of them – an experience they keenly looked forward to and thoroughly enjoyed.

After strict adherence to all safety procedures, the helicopter departed Victoria Island and landed at Ikeja Airport in less than 10 minutes. Beyond the beautiful scenery, being able to beat the chaotic traffic situation that commuting in Lagos is known for was a thrill for the partners.  This shows why Vetifly is a reasonable option for busy executives who desire more productivity in their day to day activities. 

Let’s mingle and connect

On-ground at Ikeja Airport, the partners were welcomed to a beautiful cocktail event, which presented an opportunity to mingle, connect and further interact with the brand. 

Back in the sky

The return trip to VI was as smooth and enjoyable as the one to Ikeja. The partners did not only find the brand’s service offerings fascinating, they also enjoyed how unique and easy-to-use the Vetifly app is. The app can be downloaded on Apple Appstore and Google Playstore.

Booking a helicopter ride

Booking a helicopter ride is only a tap away on the Vetifly app. You will be required to select your destination on any of the scheduled flights, book your seats and you’re on your way. However, for those who desire a different schedule, you can charter a helicopter to suit your needs per time.

When Vetifly fully launches in January 2021, it will redefine commuting for people from different walks of life, who desire more convenience and productivity in their day to day activities. It will also give them a secure way to escape from the chaotic traffic situation on Nigerian roads, thereby, giving the freedom to do more, accomplish more and move different.

Nigeria reopens selected land borders with others to follow by Dec 31 2020. The four immediately affected borders are Seme (South-west), Ilela (North-west), Maitagari (North-west part ) and Mfun (South-south). Nigeria’s finance minister, Zainab Ahmed, disclosed the policy shift to newsmen after this week’s Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting.

“So, these four land land borders will be reopened immediately while the remaining borders are directed to be reopened on or before 31st of December, 2020. Mr. President has also directed on the reopening of the borders that while others are being reopened, the ban on importation of rice, poultry and other banned products still subsists and will be implemented by border patrol team.”

I personally think that 2021 will be a great year for innovators in Nigeria; this is a good call by the government, as many of us have asked for the largely poor land border policy to be reversed. The question remains: what did Nigeria accomplish with this land border closure? We keep scoring own-goals!

Losing A Nation Through Cement

Read here for the context to this video.

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has given telecommunications operators (MTN, Glo, Airtel, 9Mobile and others) in the country two weeks to block all SIM cards that are not registered with the National Identity Numbers (NIN), the Commission has said in a statement.

— Bashir Ahmad (@BashirAhmaad) December 15, 2020

We just received a note from NIMC:

The Honorable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami), has approved the licensing of 173 Agents and 30 State Governments/Public Sector Institutions to conduct enrolment of all persons including legal residents into the National Identity Database (NIDB) on behalf of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC).

Pursuant to the above, find the list of all the successful firms who satisfied all the evaluation criteria as stated in the Advert for the Expression of Interest (EOI) of each of the respective categories in full. The Commission congratulates all those who have been cleared to conduct enrollment of all persons on behalf of NIMC for data capture services.(The list is huge to attach here)

Meanwhile, if you have NIN with NIMC, and have forgotten it, you can retrieve it as follows.