GTBank Raises Cultural Awareness In Children

....promotes Mother Tongue through SKS Competition 

In a bid to ensure sustenance our National cultural heritage, which according to most experts is gradually fading amongst children, foremost financial institution; Guaranty Trust Bank plc is embarking on anamazing journey to promote the Nigerian native languages through a national competition for children titled “SKS In Your Mother Tongue”.

The competition which is powered by the Bank’s Smart Kid Save account runs till September 07, 2015 and is  open to children nationwide in the following categories; kiddies (6-9 years old), pre-teens (10-13 years) and teens (14-17years).

The GTBank Smart Kids Save account is a product designed specially to help parents save for their children as well as teach children about the importance of saving. This new competition from the Bank, is part of a series of activities lined up to commemorate the 10th year anniversary of the SKS product. Earlier in year, the Bank held the “Little Picasso Contest” which provided children an opportunity to express themselves through art. Winners were rewarded with various prizes from the Bank.  According to a representative from the Bank, we are excited about the “SKS In Your Mother Tongue” competition because it is not just about organizing a campaign for children to win gift items, its about celebrating our proud Africa heritage which makes us unique and informs our identity as a Proudly African and Truly International Bank.To participate in the competition, children are expected to get a picture of any significant monument in Nigeria and describe it in their Mother Tongue. Completed entries are to be sent via email tosks@gtbank.com with a detailed description of the monument accompanied by its name, location andlanguage  of description along with the senders name and age. The picture of the monument can be obtained from newspaper clippings, online or the kids can take the picture themselves.

Customers have so much to look forward to as the the Bank will be rewarding its loyal SKS customers with mini sport cars for toddlers, iPod touch, iPad Air, playstation4 consoles, bicycles, tricycles, limited edition beats by dre Headphones.

The Smart Kids Save account is designed to inculcate financial literacy in children and teenagers early in life as well as promote a healthy savings culture amongst them. Parents can open the account with as low as N1, 000 (One Thousand Naira) in any Guaranty Trust Bank branches nationwide.

As leaders of tomorrow and tools to sustain our culture, it is imperative for parents to continually ensure traditions are passed down to the younger generation so as to prevent any erosion of our proud African heritage.

The SKS Account has its interactive site www.gtbank.com/sks where kids can play games, receive educational support for homework and study, subscribe to the SKS newsletter and sign up for various competitions to win prices.

Banks reduce withdrawal limits on ATMs

The battle for defence of the Naira value has widened, affecting existing withdrawal limits on Automatic Teller Machines (ATMs) and foreign transactions on all existing Naira debit cards (ATM cards).

In the new arrangement, all ATMs that were hitherto enabled for domestic and foreign transactions have been restructured to limit Naira cash withdrawal at ATMs to N60,000 per day while foreign currency is $300 per day. Hitherto, the domestic withdrawal limit was N150,000 per day.

The new arrangement has separated traditional ATM from MasterCard credit card where the former has now been deactivated and can no longer be used for transactions abroad. Hitherto, a single ATM card serves for transactions for both domestic and abroad.

Also, the restructured cards now have spending limits on POS/eCommerce (online shopping) pegged at $300 (about N60,000) per day. Before this, the limit was N2 million per day.

In the new arrangement, a bank customer with multiple debit cards (ATM cards), only the one linked to the primary transactional account will be enabled for use abroad. Hitherto, such customers could transact with any of the cards that is funded.

However, banks are putting in place alternatives in these adjustments to address the concern of customers who are now being directed by their banks to reapply for a new card arrangement to suit their purposes.

For instance, Standard Chartered Bank has asked its customers to request a complementary ATM card for domestic use only so that the original N150,000 daily cash withdrawal limit can be restored and also reactivate POS/online purchase limit of N2 million per day.

The bank also required their customers to apply for a foreign currency denominated ATM linked to domiciliary account which would be enabled with no daily or annual international transaction limits.

Earlier, Guaranty Trust Bank Plc had informed its customers of its decision to reduce the daily international spending limit on their Naira MasterCard to $300 with effect from yesterday.

In a communication to the customers, the bank explained: “In view of the increased difficulty in sourcing foreign currency to settle international transactions on Naira MasterCards, we have reduced the daily international spending limit on your Naira MasterCard to $300.This means that you can only spend up to $300 daily when using your GTBank Naira MasterCard for international payments via POS and online.

“You will, however, continue to have the option of paying for medical bills, school fees, mortgages and credit cards using Form A, as these are eligible transactions for foreign currency. Simply visit any GTBank branch to complete a Form A along with the required documents to make these payments.”

These developments were coming on the heels of Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) statement on Sunday that all legitimate requests for foreign currency for eligible transactions, normally referred to as “invisibles,” such as remittances for school fees, student maintenance allowances, BTA, PTA, medical and other eligible transactions, shall be fully met at the official/interbank exchange rate.

A statement from the CBN added that already all the legitimate demands for such transactions through recognised channels have so far been fully met by CBN.

The statement stated: “The CBN hereby directs all authorised dealers in foreign exchange in Nigeria to henceforth treat as top priority all legitimate demand for foreign exchange for eligible transactions.

“The CBN once again advises individuals that wish to source foreign currency for such eligible transactions to approach their banks with their legitimate demand as the CBN has made adequate provisions of foreign currency for all such legitimate and eligible purposes.

“Furthermore, holders of Naira denominated debit and credit cards shall continue to have access to the use of their cards at ATMs in any part of the world but subject to the annual limit of $50,000. ATM withdraws shall continue to be a maximum of $300 per day.”

Culled from Vanguard

Researchers detect high level cancer substance in foreign rice!

New research says it is no longer safe to eat imported rice and rice products daily due to the high level of arsenic, a cancer-causing trace element, found in them. At high levels, arsenic, over time, can cause cancer.

According to a recent investigation by the world’s largest independent product testing/ consumer-advocacy organization in America, Consumer Reports, more than half of the most popular rice products in Britain including Kellogg’s Rice Krispies and Smooth Baby Rice by Heinz, Uncle Ben’s, Goya, Earth’s Best Organic and Gerber- all had high level of arsenic.

The organization recently tested 200 samples of different rice products – from organic rice, baby cereal and brown rice to rice crispies – and found alarmingly high levels of arsenic present. Organic original puffed rice cereal by Kallo Foods was found to have 323 parts of arsenic per billion (ppb) while Organic wholegrain baby rice by Organix was found to have 268 ppb – 168 per cent above recommended levels for babies and children.

Also, Rice Krispies by Kelloggs were found to have 188 ppb, far above the recommended levels for babies and children. This has raised concern as inorganic arsenic is known to cause lung, skin and bladder cancers, as well as a host of other lifelong health problems. A similar test by The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also found the arsenic levels in 200 rice products they recently tested, yielded similar results. But the agency said it will not make any recommendations about altering the consumption of rice or rice products until it has tested an additional 1,000 rice samples, which will reportedly be completed by year end.

However, high level of arsenic has not been found in Nigeria local rice, Dr. Olukayode Oyeleye, the special adviser to the outgoing Honourable Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, told National Mirror.

“It is common where rice is grown in flooded fields, in conditions entailing the cultivation of swamp rice. It is this flooding that releases inorganic arsenic, normally locked up in soil minerals, which makes it available for the plants to uptake.

“We are not under as much risk from rice produced in Nigeria, which is mostly the upland type of rice. We have also not subjected our land to as much of intensive rice production as found in Asian countries of India, Vietnam, Thailand and even China where this arsenic problem is pronounced. This arises from years of repeated cultivation of the same piece of land under flooding condition”, he said.

To save Nigerians from the risk of cancer, Dr. Oyeleye called for import regulation of food products, “since a bulk of what we consume (rice and fish) are imported. Imported rice poses more of arsenic risk than that which is produced locally. Nigerian rice is therefore safer and more nutritious”, he added.

However, Dr. Oyeleye, explained that high level of arsenics are not found in rice alone. According to him, other food items (particularly the sea foods) are known to contain high levels of arsenic.

“Arsenic poisoning is a global problem arising from naturally occurring arsenic in ground water. The dominant basis of arsenic poisoning is from ground water that naturally contains high concentrations of arsenic. A 2007 study found that over 137 million people in more than 70 countries are probably affected by arsenic poisoning from drinking water”, He further said.

While the health effects of arsenic in food are still unknown, researchers say at high levels, arsenic, over time, can cause cancer. “This is a known carcinogen linked to several types of cancer, including lung cancer, skin cancer and bladder cancer,” said Keeve Nachman, food safety scientist at Johns Hopkins University.

The scientists are particularly worried about children who consume these foreign rice products. “We think children should consume even less of rice products because they are more vulnerable to the toxic effects of arsenic,” said Urshavi Rangan, one of the scientists who ran the study for Consumer Reports.

On precautionary measures, Consumer Reports recommends cutting back on rice and eating it in moderation while some experts suggests washing the rice to get rid of some of the arsenic, soaking and rinsing it in a bowl of water until the water is clear.


culled from: National Mirror 

A Chief who is a member of the Ife traditional council in Osun State has officially confirmed the death of the Ooni of Ife, Okunade Sijuwade Olubuse II. Laye Adereti, who is the Wara of Iwara-Ife, told reporters today that the official announcement of the Ooni’s death would be made on Wednesday, August 12, 2015. Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade

A source at the Osun State Government House also confirmed that the formal announcement of the Ife monarch’s death is due in two days.

SaharaReporters had reported the news of the death of the Ooni of Ife at the elite London Clinic at 20 Devonshire Place, London on July 28, 2015. He had been rushed to the UK hospital after he took ill in Nigeria and his condition worsened.

A palace source also disclosed to a correspondent of SaharaReporters that the Ooni’s remains would be flown into Nigeria on Wednesday. The latest information contradicts some media reports that the late traditional ruler’s body had already arrived in his palace in the ancient town of Ile-Ife. 

SaharaReporters also learned that an interdenominational service is scheduled for Thursday in the Enuwa-Ile area of Ife to herald the beginning of the late Ooni’s funeral rites.

A family source at the Ooni’s palace told SaharaReporters that the late monarch would be interred in a private burial. Asked to explain what “private” meant, the source, who is a prince, disclosed that no one will see the late traditional ruler’s body before it is committed to earth.

credit: Sahara Reporters

Will You Marry A Fat Person?

Maybe, if you are fat and see this caption, the first thing that may come to your mind is: What kind of foolish question is this? However, if you really think about again, wouldn't you rather know the opinion of different people out there and learn to live with it rather than pretend like "who cares"?
Honestly, you should care and know what to take seriously and what to discard.
For me, I believe the most important thing is to love yourself enough to do for yourself what wil make you comfortable in yourself and for yourself. I have discovered that people around us will get comfortable with us to the degree that we are comfortable with ourselves.
So the secret is: Get comfortable with your Creator (whose your are) and you will find that you are daily getting comfortable with who, what, why, where you are in your life on the way to all you are becoming! And, the aura on you will draw builders to you rather than destroyers.
Now, get some popcorn, sit back and read some of the opinions of people that are not fat - about getting married to people who are fat.

John: 
No, it shows lack of self discipline. No matter how comfortable a lady is, she needs to watch her weight till she starts giving birth.

Shade:
Why not? If there's love, shape or size doesn't have to be an excuse at all. What if that person add weight him/herself, will the partner leave him or her? I can be married to anybody. Happiness and peace of mind count and not size of body

Kay:
Yes, if I really love the person and I am sure it is the will of God for me. Adding so much wight or not, I will marry him; then, assist him to continue to stay health.

Gbemisola: 
I can't. They sweat excessively, snore annoyingly, they also get tired easily.

Ijeoma:
No, not too fat. Too much weight to manage on bed (my opinion). Oh my God! He is going to look like my father when together. However, God's will be done.

Shola:
Obviously No. Shape to me means a lot. I can marry a person that is shapely (hips et al)

TJ: 
It all depends, If my spec is someone on the heavy side, then yes. However, If I met her and started dating her while (she was) slender, then I think, it's so wrong to leave her becuase she became heavy. I, for one, would remain with her irrespective of her new found size. Love should conquer size.

Gbenga: 
Yes, I can marry a fat person because, they seem more caring and committed to a relationship; the reason being that most of them have inferiority complex and low self esteem. They appreciate people that accept them. I dated someone like that in school. She was very committed so I wouldn't mind marrying such.

Kehinde:
No! I can't get married to a person that has put on so much weight because of future health challenges related to excess body fat. A person who is over-weight is for sure going to suffer from health problems like diabetes, hypertension, arthritis, coronary heart disease, etc. due to excess body fat. To avoid such challenge, it's better I don't get involved with such a person.

Lamide:
My candid opinion is this: I would not like to marry someone that has put on so much weight. Most of them get too comfortable in their own skin and, most times, they don't like working on it. Instead, they start their own quote - 'this is me, accept me!' But, if the person is willing to work on it, I am ready to go all the way. Unfortunately, they spend more time battling with low self esteem rather than losing weight.


Friends feel free to comment...Do have a great day

BREAKING: All NNPC Group Executive Directors Fired

SaharaReporters has learned that all of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Group Executive Directors (GEDs) have been sacked effective immediately. This news comes only one day after President Buhari appointed Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu as the Group Managing Director of the NNPC.

The GEDs fired are Mr. Ian Udoh leading Refining and Petrochemicals, Mr. Adebayo Ibirogba leading the Engineering and Technical team, Dr. David Ige leading Gas and Power, Dr. Attahir Yusuf leading Business Development; Dr. Dan Efebo leading Corporate Services, Mr. Bernard Otti in charge of Finance and Accounts, Ms. Aisha Abdurrahman leading Commerce and Investments, and Mr. Joseph Dawha leading Exploration and Production. 

The former President Jonathan appointed all these GEDs in March, 2014.

SaharaReporters has also learned that GMD Kachikwu intends to reduce the number of GEDs from nine to four. 

credit: Sahara Reporters

Emeka Offor, Abike Dabiri’s firms, others owe banks N143.81bn

AUGUST 4, 2015 : AKINPELU DADA AND OYETUNJI ABIOYE 227 COMMENTS

 

Nigerian Deposit Money Banks on Monday continued with the policy of naming and shaming their delinquent debtors with further publication of the names of firms and their directors whose loans have become non-performing for more than one year.

While nine banks published the names of the loans defaulters on Monday, four banks released the lists of their chronic debtors, owing a total of N143.81bn, on Tuesday.

The four banks are First Bank of Nigeria Limited, Access Bank Plc, Diamond Bank Plc and Unity Bank Plc....

Continue reading....http://www.punchng.com/news/emeka-offor-abike-dabiris-firms-others-owe-banks-n143-81bn/

‘Black men are 200% more likely to develop prostate cancer than whites’

• By Chukwuma Muanya with agency reports on August 4, 2015

Second study identifies five different types, raises hopes of better future treatments, increased survival rates

BLACK MEN are at twice the risk of developing prostate cancer than their white peers, experts have warned.

Meanwhile men of Asian heritage have around half the chance of being diagnosed with and dying from the disease.

The research, carried out by Prostate Cancer United Kingdom (UK), revealed the lifetime risk of being diagnosed with prostate cancer is approximately one in eight (13.3 per cent) for white men.

However for black men it is one in four (29.3 per cent) and one in 13 (7.9 per cent) for Asian men.

And they established that the lifetime risk of dying from the disease was one in 24 (4.2 per cent) for white men, one in 12 (8.7 per cent) for black men and one in 44 (2.3 per cent) for Asian men.

It comes as a landmark study, also published today, reveals scientists have for the first time identified there are five distinct types of prostate cancer – each with its own genetic fingerprint.

And the Cancer Research UK researchers have discovered a way to distinguish between the five types, which range in severity.

The two studies, it is hoped, will improve understanding of the disease and raise hopes of better targeted care and improved survival rates.

Scientists at Prostate Cancer UK found white, black and Asian men who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer all have a one in three chance of dying from the disease, independent of their ethnicity.

Their study, published in BMC Medicine, does not provide reasons for the increased risk of prostate cancer in black men, and it is not known why black men are at higher than average risk, although it is thought it could be genetic.

It cautioned that each individual man’s risk is different and will vary based on a combination of factors in addition to ethnicity, such as age, family history of prostate cancer, and body weight.

Lead author Alison Cooper said: “We already knew that black men were more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer than white men, however, the data we had was fast becoming out of date.

“The study also provides important absolute risk figures to help black men better understand their risk of developing prostate cancer.
“These figures can be used for targeted awareness-raising and to help them make an informed decision about whether or not to have a prostate specific antigen (PSA) test.”

The researchers studied prostate cancer incidence and mortality data for England for the period 2008 to 2010.

They used a combination of sources including Public Health England, Office for National Statistics, and the national census, looking at a total sample size of more than 25 million men, including 102,252 prostate cancer diagnoses and 26,521 deaths due to prostate cancer.
Landmark study identifies five different types of prostate cancer

Scientists have, for the first time, identified five different types of prostate cancer tumour – each ranging in severity.

The landmark study, by researchers from the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute and Addenbrooke’s Hospital, could have important implications for how doctors treat the disease in the future.

Their findings mean clinicians will be able to identify tumours that are more likely to grow and spread aggressively through the body.

Researchers studied samples of healthy and cancerous prostate tissue, from more than 250 men.

They analysed samples for abnormal chromosomes, and measured the activity of 100 different genes linked to the disease.

As a result they were able to group the tumours into five distinct types, each with a characteristic genetic fingerprint.

This analysis was better at predicting which cancers were likely to be the most aggressive than the tests currently used by doctors, including the PSA test, and Gleason score.

But, the findings need to be confirmed in clinical trials with larger groups of men.

credit: The Guardian