How To Apply To Become A Hausa Or Yoruba Teacher In The United States

Oreoluwa Aderinkomi
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How To Apply To Become A Hausa Or Yoruba Teacher In The United States

The US Embassy & Consulate located in Nigeria has announced job openings for Hausa and Yoruba teachers in the United States. The Public Affairs Section of the U.S mission asked qualified graduates to apply for its Foreign Language Teaching Assistant Program (FLTA) to tutor American students in Hausa and Yoruba.

The application process for the programme is to run from February 8 to June 1.

How To Apply To Become A Hausa Or Yoruba Teacher In The United States brandspurng
Photo by Santi Vedrí

To be qualified for this program:

  • Applicants must be citizens or nationals of Nigeria, or permanent residents holding a valid passport issued by the government of Nigeria. – He or she must be residing in the country at the time of application
  • Applicants must be graduates who have received their bachelor degrees in English language, Education, Linguistics, Yoruba, Hausa and Languages
  • Applicants must be teachers of English Language or Yoruba or Hausa in Nigerian secondary schools, colleges or universities. – – Proven years of teaching experience are mandatory
  • Applicants must have the endorsement of their employer
  • Applicants must have an outstanding academic record and high level of English proficiency as demonstrated by a minimum score of 90 in the Internet-Based TOEFL test.
  • Applicants must have at least a credit in the Yoruba language in WAEC/NECO Applicants must have an in-depth knowledge of Yoruba or Hausa culture and current events in Nigeria. They must have a sincere interest in teaching Hausa or Yoruba language and culture to students in the U.S.
  • Applicants must have leadership skills and the ability to motivate students in an emphatic manner
  • Applicants must clearly demonstrate maturity, dependability, creativity, professionalism, flexibility, and a willingness to learn
  • Applicants must be ready to become a cultural ambassador interested in meeting people and becoming part of community events and campus activities
  • Applicants must have high motivation and a serious commitment to completing the program as scheduled and to returning home
  • The FLTA program seeks applicants that have developed a sense of personal integrity and are original thinkers.
  • Applicants that are found to have plagiarized in their application will be disqualified

For more instructions and in order to apply kindly visit https://apply.iie.org/flta2022

Here are what the application entails:

  1. Log onto the website, enter an e-mail address and create a password.
  2. Applicants are strongly advised to read the instructions preceding the application carefully.
  3. All applicants must fill out the application forms completely and attach their supporting documents online (3 letters of references, Curriculum Vitae, academic transcripts from each post-secondary institution attended and writing samples.)
  4. Essays should address the program goals and include future plans of teaching the English language in Nigeria.
  5. Hard copies of official academic transcripts should be forwarded to our office by regular mail.
  6. For Yoruba Please address the envelope to the Fulbright Program Officer, Public Affairs Section, U.S. Consulate General, 2 Walter Carrington Crescent, Victoria Island, Lagos.
  7. For Hausa Please address the envelope to the Cultural Affairs Assistant, U.S. Embassy, Plot 1075 Diplomatic Drive, Central Area, Abuja

For specific information and questions not addressed by the online application, applicants may e-mail them to Nigeriafulbright@state.gov for Hausa and Culturallagos@state.gov for Yoruba.

If you are a Yoruba or Hausa teacher kindly don’t miss this opportunity to spread aspects of the Nigerian culture and language to interested students in the United States.

Fostering Unethical Advertising: The Influencers Manipulation Tactics.

Oreoluwa Aderinkomi
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Fostering Unethical Advertising: The Influencers Manipulation Tactics.

Brands and Businesses of recent have been using a lot of influencers in their campaign to drive sales and improve the image of their products or company.

Those in the fashion, fitness and beauty industry make more use of influencers and models compared to some other industries. However, these brands and their influencers are guilty of exaggerating the effects of their products especially those in the beauty category.

Fostering Unethical Advertising The Influencers Manipulation Tactics BRANDSPURNG
Photo by Eyitayo Adekoya

Women don’t play with their beauty and whenever they see an avenue to enhance their beauty, they take it but of recent many have fallen victims of many of these influencers uncertified claims about some of the beauty products they advertised.

Many of these social media influencers advertise this beauty product subtly that they don’t appear as ads most times, however, this can be dangerous in the sense that your followers did not know that such post intended to advertise to them.

They watch as you apply the product thinking you actually use that product as this serves as a form of validation for them. A proof that someone they consume their content actually uses that product and this can influence their decision to buy. While this might serve as a problem the major Problem is the deceit.

Fostering Unethical Advertising brandspurng The Influencers Manipulation Tactics
Photo by Smart Araromi

Many influencers employ the use of deceit to market products of business who employed their services. A lot of these influencers graphically manipulate the images or video in which they feature the beauty products.

They create videos and images of them using this product and how the product has been helping them clear their skin or treat their skin to the desired state. This move generates interest for people who are aspiring to look better than they currently are. Why practice such manipulative evil? Why deceive your followers just to make your money?

The Advertising Practitioners of Nigeria (APCON) and National food and National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) need to wake up and put a stop to these atrocities that Businesses part in.

They can collaborate with consumer protection bodies to fight off this manipulation done by influencers and supported by brands. The regulatory bodies have to put a stop to this before it is too late.

The constant deceit used by social media influencers to sell their clients’ product is a very deadly sin that shouldn’t go unpunished.

10 Ingredients Needed For Boosting The Radical Livestock Husbandry Program

Ayo Akinfe
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10 Ingredients Needed For Boosting The Radical Livestock Husbandry Program

10 ingredients that go into animal feed compounds which Nigeria needs to step up production of as part of a radical livestock husbandry program.

10 Ingredients Needed For Boosting The Radical Livestock Husbandry Program BRANDSPURNG
Photo by Juliana Amorim
  1. Maize – We currently produce about 11m tonnes. We need to up this to about 20m tonnes to have enough maize to feed livestock commercially
  2. Palm kernels – We are currently producing about 1.3m tonnes a year but need to increase this to at least 5m tonnes as we consume about 2m tonnes already
  3. Soybeans – We are currently producing about 758,000 tonnes a year but need to increase this to at least South Africa’s 1.5m tonnes
  4. Cassava – We are the world’s largest producer with a crop of about 60m tonnes but as cassava is such an important staple food used for Garri, Fufu, Lafun, etc, we will need to almost double production to about 100m tonnes to supply a thriving livestock industry
  5. Millet – We are currently producing about 2m tonnes a year but need to increase this to match the 4m tonnes of our northern neighbours Niger Republic. We are the world’s fifth-largest producer behind India, Niger, China and Mali. If you ask me, we should aim to be number one
  6. Sorghum – We are currently the world’s second-largest producer with an annual crop of 7m tonnes. To supply the feed industry we will need to overtake the US that has an annual crop of 9m tonnes, so I would aim for 10m tonnes
  7. Coconuts – Nigeria currently has an embarrassingly small crop of about 290,000 tonnes, making her only the world’s 19th largest producer. Animal feed or not, we should at least match Tanzania’s 550,000 tonnes. Thailand has the same climate as Nigeria and produces about 900,000 tonnes. I believe Governor Babajide Sanwoolu is planning a major coconut expansion programme in Badagry. I think he should aim for a crop of 600,000 tonnes for now
  8. Groundnuts – We are currently the world’s third-largest producer with an annual crop of about 3m tonnes. Let us try and catch India which produces about 7m tonnes a year
  9. Yam – Again, we dominate global yam output, accounting for about 70% of world production. Given that yam is such an important staple meal for us, to effectively supply the animal feed trade we will need to increase production to about 80m from our current 50m tonnes a year
  10. Sugarcane- This is another crop with which we are not pulling our weight at all. Pakistan is producing 68m tonnes, while Thailand has an output of 104m tonnes but hey, the African giant only produces 1.4m tonnes. Embarrassingly, Nigeria spends about $337.3m a year importing some 700,000 tonnes of sugar. Basically, we need at least 3m tonnes of sugar for human consumption. To supply the animal feed industry, we will need a sugarcane crop of about 10m tonnes as you get approximately 120 kg of sugar and 38 kg of molasses from 1 tonne of sugarcane

Am I the only one who sees the immense commercial opportunities in this Fulani herdsmen business? For me, it has been a blessing in disguise as it has opened our eyes to a potential gold mine.

I see no reason why animal husbandry, livestock and meat production cannot take over from crude oil as our national cash cow. What is most fascinating about this sector is that it opens up opportunities in so many other industries.

Over the coming weeks, we shall be looking at the openings in the dairy and leather industries. Who says we need crude oil?

Primary Market Auction: DMO Struggles To Keep Rates Low, Raises 1-Yr Rate By 200Bps

ZedCrest Capital
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Primary Market Auction: DMO Struggles To Keep Rates Low, Raises 1-Yr Rate By 200Bps

Primary Market Auction: DMO Struggles To Keep Rates Low, Raises 1-Yr Rate By 200Bps

FGN Bonds

The FGN Bond market suffered yet another quiet trading session, as market participants focused on the posture from the Debt Management Office (DMO) at the NTB Primary Market Auction on the day.

Yields continued to expand, especially at the belly of the curve, with selling pressure on the 2026s, 2028s and 2029s papers pushed the bond yield curve up by c.2bps on the average.

As expected, the DMO’s response to the increase in short-term rates harmed the bond yields. With this firm in their minds, we expect investors to continue to act on their expectations for higher yields by staying away from longer duration amidst this volatility. 

Treasury Bills

The secondary market of Treasury Bills took a backseat in today’s trading session, as all eyes were on the primary market auction. Offers were seen across the NTB and OMO curves, but with no-bid interests could be firmed up. Reflecting the uncertainty of the DMO’s auction spreads widened on the average rising by c.36%bps on the average across the benchmark bills curves.

At the Primary Market, pressures from investors for higher interest rates bided proved too much for the DMO as it struggled to keep a handle on single-digit borrowing rates. Demand at the auction was weak, with a much wider range of bids as investors were expectant the NTB rates will follow the precedent set by the CBN at last week’s c438bps average rise in OMO stop rates.

The DMO managed some of the pressure by moving more volumes to shorter-dated tenors and redeeming a portion of the 364-day maturing bills. The stop rates eventually closed higher by c.45bps, c.70bps and 200bps to close at 1.00%, 2.00% and 4.00% for the 91-, 182- and 364-day tenors.

We expect a more volatile trading session tomorrow, as the market attempts to price-in the effects of consecutive rate hikes at the last two primary auctions. 

Money Markets

System liquidity improved opening today, as the market opened at N486Bn net positive (c.71% higher D/D). OBB and OVN rates consequently crashed further by 350bps on the average to close at 5.00% and 5.25% respectively.

We expect interbank rates to oscillate in tandem to the system liquidity tomorrow, with pressure expected from the weekly anticipated OMO auction. 

FX Market

Traded volumes lower at the IEFX market remained stable D/D, with the Naira still trading above the N400.00/$ at the official windows (the first traded at these levels in the official markets so far this year). The parallel market stabilized a bit from the recent moves in rates, with cash and transfer rates closing unchanged at N473.50/$ and N489.50/$ respectively.

Eurobonds

The NGERIA Sovereigns received a return of positive flows in today’s session, as yields across the sovereign curve compressed by c.2bps on the day. The newly issued Egypt papers started its open trading on a positive note, with prices improved by 0.75c on the average at the session’s open similar to the gains witnessed across most of the SSA Sovereigns Space.

The issuance of the new Ecobank Nigeria Limited dominated most of the attention of the trading session of the NIGERIA Corps as most tracked papers faced selling pressures most especially the related ETINL 2024s paper which saw its yield rise c.28bps at the close.

The Ecobank issue was highly successful, with being oversubscribed by 3X, as the bank stuck to is planned issuance amount of $300mio closed at 7.125% yield for the 5-year bond. This high unmet demand should push the bond to open on a positive note.

Sterling Bank Upgrades Agric Commodities Trading Platform

Esan Bolaji
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Sterling Bank Upgrades Agric Commodities Trading Platform

Sterling Bank Plc has updated its agriculture commodities platform operated by SABEX, an affiliate company.

According to the bank, SABEX, first introduced in 2018, is the world’s first fully digitized, end-to-end blockchain commodities trading and financing platform, built by Sterling Bank Plc in collaboration with AFEX Commodities Exchange Limited.

Sterling Bank Reports 15% Growth in Net Profit In 2019 specta brandspurng

MrYemi Odubiyi, Executive Director, Corporate & Investment Banking of Sterling Bank, who disclosed this in a statement issued by the bank explained that the upgraded digital commodities trading platform will provide real-time credit financing solution for farmers, sellers and buyers of agro commodities to transact.

Odubiyi said Sterling Bank has shown beyond every reasonable doubt that it is committed to important innovations, adding that the end-to-end blockchain commodities trading and financing platform is the future of agribusiness and trading in the country.

Odubiyi said,

“With all that we have done, we wish to further expand agribusiness’ growth, improve investments in the sector, and drive economic growth using innovative technologies such as SABEX. We are confident of the huge prospects available to all stakeholders who come on the platform.”

The Executive Director noted that,

“Aside from the opportunities available for electronic warehouse receipt, commodity trading has just got better on the platform,” remarking that, “It is no understatement that at Sterling Bank, our commitment to innovative banking and wealth creation is one of the reasons for the SABEX solution.”

Nigeria Customs Service Receives N7.87Bn From FAAC in December 2020

Esan Bolaji
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Nigeria Customs Service Receives N7.87Bn From FAAC in December 2020

Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) received N7.87bn as cost of revenue collections.

The Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) disbursed the sum of N601.11bn to the three tiers of government in December  2020 from the revenue generated in November 2020.

The amount disbursed comprised of N436.46bn from the Statutory Account, N7.87bn from FOREX Equalisation Account and N156.79bn from Value Added Tax.

Nigeria Customs Service Receives N7.87Bn From FAAC in December 2020 BRANDSPURNG

Federal Government received a total of N215.60bn from the N601.11bn. States received a total of N171.17bn and Local governments received N126.79bn. The sum of N31.39bn was shared among the oil-producing states as 13% derivation fund.

Revenue generating agencies such as Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), and Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) received N7.87bn, N9.41bn, and N3.98bn respectively as cost of revenue collections.

Further breakdown of revenue allocation distribution to the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) revealed that the sum of N143.82bn was disbursed to the FGN consolidated revenue account; N3.68bn shared as a share of derivation and ecology; N1.84bn as stabilization fund; N6.18bn for the development of natural resources; and N5.08bn to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja.

Nigeria Customs Service Receives N7.87Bn From FAAC in December 2020 BRANDSPURNG

Coca-Cola Guarantees Virtual Learning For Underserved Children With The Tech-Relevant Teacher Project

Esan Bolaji
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Coca-Cola Guarantees Virtual Learning For Underserved Children With The Tech-Relevant Teacher Project

Coca-Cola Guarantees Virtual Learning For Underserved Children With The Tech-Relevant Teacher Project

Coca-Cola Guarantees Virtual Learning For Underserved Children With The Tech-Relevant Teacher Project

COVID-19 Lockdown Did Not Affect Our Business – Eko ShortLets MD

Esan Bolaji
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COVID-19 Lockdown Did Not Affect Our Business – Eko ShortLets MD

Managing Director, Eko ShortLets, Tobi Misan Adegboyega, in an exclusive interview with Brand Afriq and Brand Spur Nigeria, disclosed that the Covid-19 lockdown was a blessing in disguise.

Adegboyega revealed that while government short down hotels, Eko ShortLets and other ShortLets were making cool money because of some clients that needed a place to stay.

COVID-19 Lockdown Did Not Affect Our Business - Eko ShortLets MD Brandspurng
Managing Director, Eko ShortLets, Tobi Misan Adegboyega | www.brandspurng.com

He noted that different people had to turn to ShortLet apartments to spend their time especially those that came into Lagos and got stranded due to the lockdown timing.

The MD stressed that he made more money during the Covid-19 lockdown as they had customers staying up to four months and paying daily.

“At Eko ShortLets, we did not even know there was covid-19 because it did not have any negative effect on us. Because of Covid-19, hotels were locked down but apartments were still running, so different people who couldn’t use hotels had to come into apartments so because of that, it has kind of open the market more and there are new people coming into the business and more competitions and all of that.”

“So, Covid-19 did not affect shortlets at all, I can beat my chest to it, in fact, we made more money because we had some people who were in our apartment for the entire 3-4 months, so imagine someone paying you daily for three months, I mean, there was never a Covid-19 negative effect on Eko ShortLets,” Adegboyega stated.

Re: ‘The ABC of a Recalcitrant Debtor’: Shaka and Yellow Journalism

Brand Spur
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Re: ‘The ABC of a Recalcitrant Debtor’: Shaka and Yellow Journalism

Danjuma Gogo

Few things rival honesty as the primary characteristic of a reputable journalist. Fairness, objectivity and honesty are three key factors that every good journalist must not jettison in his/her stories. While every journalist works hard to ensure he earns the trust of his audience, it is worth knowing that dishonesty is the surest way to violate that trust.

I read on Friday, February 5, 2021, the story in ThisDay Newspapers written by my brother Shaka Momodu which he titled “The ABC of a Recalcitrant Debtor”. Only that headline caught my attention far away here, making me go deeper into the article. No doubt I am not the only one who read it.

Re BRANDSPURNG ‘The ABC of a Recalcitrant Debtor’ Shaka and Yellow Journalism

Just like every other reader, I have followed till date Shaka’s style of writing and will still be reading him even when he often writes what seems to please his personal interest and his paymasters than the desires of his audience he often claims to be writing for.

After reading Shaka’s ‘The ABC of a Recalcitrant Debtor’, what first came into my mind was how a renowned journalist Femi Adesina who is the spokesman of Nigeria’s President had described him in his article on January 13, 2020. Adesina had titled that piece “Shaka Momodu: A Columnist as Hater-in-Chief” … Sorry I wouldn’t like to deviate here.

I recall that my brother Shaka Momodu said in his February 5 write up that “The latest in the pantheon of bad debtors, who are either refusing or unwilling to pay back their loans, is the Chairman of Seplat Petroleum Development Company Plc, ABC Orjiako.”

Dear Shaka, I would have loved to read from your piece all the bad debtors you know and those who are either refusing or unwilling to pay back their loans because you wrote as if you have their list. So why single out one man? At that point, I didn’t need a soothsayer to tell me how Shaka will proceed and end the article knowing fully well that Access Bank Plc and Seplat Petroleum Company Plc have been entangled in a legal tussle in the former’s misdirected efforts to recover an outstanding $85.8 million loan given in 2012 to Cardinal Drilling Services Limited by Diamond Bank (now Access Bank) which Cardinal was yet to offset.

Like every other public commentator, I have followed developments around the botched crusade on December 2, 2020, when the bank tried so hard to take aback the Nigerian corporate world using a team of fully armed policemen and lawyers, who in a commando approach took over and disrupted businesses and activities at the No. 16 Temple Road, Ikoyi Lagos corporate office of the Nigerian oil and gas giant, Seplat Petroleum Company Plc. Thanks to the Court as the last hope of a common man…

Like every other person interfacing with global investors, I became worried when Seplat’s application for the vacation of the orders was not ruled on by Justice Rilwanu Aikawa on December 24, even though it had been argued by both parties, thus halting corporate activities of the global brand.

My dear brother Shaka, you know how economical you were with the truth in that piece by describing ABC Orjiako as the sole owner of Seplat knowing fully well that the company listed on both Nigerian and London Stock Exchanges is a public company whose ownership is distributed amongst general public shareholders.

Shaka, as it has been reemphasized severally, aren’t you aware that as chairman of Seplat, Orjiako was not a party to the loan agreements or Deeds of Debenture, and did not stand as a guarantor or make any commitment whatsoever in respect of the loan at any point? Rather, Access Bank had filed an action against him as the Third Respondent, which you know is in flagrant violation of well-established and universal principles of law.

The Appeal Court had on January 22, 2021, intervened in the miscarriage of justice, by suspending the interlocutory orders pending the determination of the substantive appeal brought by the oil firm. Expectedly, the Appeal Court’s ruling was predicated on public good and economic consequences of the lower court’s orders.

Shaka, please be fair to readers and ensure your personal feelings most time on any critical issue is put aside in order to unleash the truth –that is good journalism.

Danjuma Gogo, an economist and a public affairs analyst is based in Houston Texas (+1 832-774-2176)

Ecobank announces Hervé Assah as new Non-Executive Director

Esan Bolaji
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Ecobank announces Hervé Assah as new Non-Executive Director

February 10, 2021 – Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI), the parent company of the Ecobank Group, announces the co-option to its Board of Directors of Hervé S. Assah, as Independent Non-Executive Director from the CEMAC Region.

Hervé S. Assah is a national of Congo Brazzaville with almost four decades’ experience as a senior executive in various fields, including investment and financial advisory, global trade development, public-private partnerships in emerging markets, regional development and business strategy amongst others.

Ecobank announces Hervé Assah as new Non-Executive Director

He is Managing Partner of Aequaria Capital, a fund management company focused on growth companies in sub-Saharan Africa.

For over 20 years, Mr. Assah held senior roles at the World Bank including Lead Private Sector Development Specialist in the Finance Competitiveness & Innovation Global Practice; Country Manager and Resident Representative for Togo; Senior Private Sector Development & Public-Private Partnership Specialist; and Investment Officer for worldwide oil, gas and mining sectors at the World Bank Group’s International Finance Corporation.

Hervé’ has also worked with the African Development Bank as Country Manager and Resident Representative for Nigeria and ECOWAS; Vice President, Corporate Finance, Global Emerging Markets Group, Head of sub-Saharan Africa at BNP-Paribas; and Senior Associate, Corporate Finance Global Emerging Markets Group at Deutsche Bank.

Hervé has an MBA from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, an MSc in International Economics and Finance from Paris Sorbonne University, and a Master of Management and Business Administration from the Institut Supérieur de Gestion, Business School, Paris.

Mr. Assah brings these wide and varied experience which would no doubt enrich the board of ETI.

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