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UBA Introduces Braille Account For The Visually Impaired
For easy business transaction for Visually Impaired, Africa’s Global Bank, United Bank for Africa (UBA), has launched the UBA Braille Account Opening Form, a first of its kind initiative in the Nigerian and African market, designed specifically to cater to the financial needs of the visually impaired.
Until now, this unique and special section of the society has been disadvantaged, but with this ground-breaking initiative, UBA has fully demonstrated its unwavering commitment towards providing an excellent user experience for all its customers, regardless of their individual abilities or disabilities.
The new UBA Braille Account Opening Form was launched at the UBA Head Office in Lagos on Tuesday, in an event that had in attendance key executive members of the bank and guests including Multi-Award Winner, Nigerian Musician, Producer, and Songwriter, Cobhams Asuquo, General Manager, Lagos State Office for Disability Affairs (LASODA), Dare Dairo; Former Senior Special Assistant to the Lagos State Governor on Persons Living with Disability, Adenike Oyetunde-Lawal, as well as students from the Pacelli School of the Blind.
While endorsing the laudable initiative, Award winning Music Producer, Cobhams Asuquo, described the Braille account as an innovative initiative that presents UBA as a bank with a heart that pays keen attention to the needs of the blind and disabled.
Asuquo said, “Before now, we have always been at the mercy of the reader when we want to do things like open accounts for ourselves, but this account opening form has come to solve the problem of access which has previously been a huge limiting factor for people like me who are blind. With this initiative, UBA has promoted our ideal of inclusivity and has helped to put back freedom in our hands while opening us up to the variety of opportunities and options available to us.
Continuing he said, “UBA has blazed the trail, I am beyond elated, as this new initiative will send a strong note to others to replicate the same feat and make people realise that banking services can and should be done with humanity in mind. Thank you UBA for amplifying this much needed cause, I endorse this 100 per cent and I believe it is a much needed first-step that will lead to so many others.”
Speaking earlier, UBA’s Executive Director, Finance and Risk Management, Ugo Nwaghodoh, said the bank continues to look for ways to make the physically challenged and others to be comfortable in their life-long relationship with the financial industry.
He said, “In our quest to drive all-encompassing financial inclusion, we decided to support the visually impaired by developing a Braille Account Opening form and these special customers now have the same opportunities available to our customers. The ultimate benefit is to ensure that everybody has the right to select and choose the kind of account they want to operate, and this account opening form will go a long way to ensure this.”
The UBA Braille Account Opening Form was produced with the support of Anglo-Nigerian Welfare Association for the Blind and is the first of its kind in the industry, designed specifically to cater to the needs of visually impaired individuals. With this innovative solution, UBA is empowering blind customers to independently initiate and complete the account opening process, ensuring their seamless integration into the financial system.
The General Manager, Lagos State Office for Disability Affairs; LASODA, who was also at the event, commended the entire team for conceiving the idea. He said, “I am so elated at this initiative, and I am happy to hear that this is also going to be replicated in the 19 African countries where UBA is present. I say thank you to this bank for this beautiful project. It is true that Government cannot do it all, and we are glad when we see institutions charting the course for others.”
United Bank for Africa is one of the largest employers in the financial sector on the African continent, with 35,000 employees group wide and serving over 35 million customers globally. Operating in 20 African countries and in the United Kingdom, the United States of America, France and the United Arab Emirates, UBA provides retail, commercial and institutional banking services, leading financial inclusion and implementing cutting edge technology.
OLUTAYO AMOO- LAGOS.
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu in a bilateral meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Prime Minister Xi Jinping.
The meeting is part of the China-Africa Collaboration Summit expected to attract more foreign direct investment to Nigeria.
Among those attending the meeting are prominent officials of the Chinese government’s economic team, members of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum led by its Chairman, Governor Abdulrazak Abdulrahman of Kwara State, and Governor of Kaduna State, Uba Sani.
Others in attendance are members of the economic team of President Tinubu’s administration and other cabinet members.
The Presidential spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, had last week informed journalists at the State House, Abuja, that one of the reasons for the official visit would be the interaction between both leaders on behalf of their countries.
He had stated, “Mr. President will also meet with his Chinese counterpart in the person of President Xi Jinping, where several MOUs will be signed.
“The MOUs will involve agreements in deepening cooperation, in green economy, in agriculture, in satellite technology development, in media enterprise development and promotion, as well as blue economic development and national planning cooperation.
“This is going to be part of a broader engagement where the two heads of state will discuss matters of mutual interest across, not just the economy, but also on issues of national, regional and international security.”
The meeting also comes amidst recent reports of seizure by a Chinese company of some aircrafts belonging to the Nigerian government.
All the Chiefs of Defence Staff of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) are meeting at the Defence Headquarters Abuja, except Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.
The meeting is chaired by Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, who is the chairman of the ECOWAS committee of Chiefs of Defence Staff.
Present at the meeting are the Minister of Defence Mohammed Badaru, Minister of Foreign Affairs Yusuf Tuggar, Chairman Senate Committee on Defence Ahmed Lawan, Chairman House Committee of Defence, representative of the National Security Adviser, Chief of Defence Staff Christopher Musa and service chiefs, and the Chief of Defence Staff of ECOWAS countries.
OLUTAYO AMOO
The organizer of ongoing protest against hunger and others in Osun State have suspended demonstration over the upcoming 2024 Osun Osogbo festival.
The decision was reached after presenting protest letter to Osun State governor, Ademola Adeleke, which was received by his deputy, Kola Adewusi at state secretariat.
Adewusi assured the protesters that the governor would deliver the letter to President Bola Tinubu and also do everything possible to continue delivering dividends of democracy to the people of the state.
The protesters under the aegis of coalition for concerned Nigeria Citizens, Osun state through Comrade Adetunji Ajala during a news briefing at NUJ Correspondents’ Chapel, Osogbo declared that the demonstration is suspended indefinitely because of the upcoming 2024 Osun Osogbo Festival which grand finale slated for Friday.
Ajala said: “We, the coalition of Concerned Nigerian Citizens, the organizing body of the EndBadGovernance protest in Osun state, wish to address the public and the media regarding the ongoing protest, which began on the 1st of August 2024 and marks its 6th day today.
The protesters under the aegis of coalition for concerned Nigeria Citizens, Osun state through Comrade Adetunji Ajala during a news briefing at NUJ Correspondents’ Chapel, Osogbo declared that the demonstration is suspended indefinitely because of the upcoming 2024 Osun Osogbo Festival which grand finale slated for Friday.
Ajala said: “We, the coalition of Concerned Nigerian Citizens, the organizing body of the EndBadGovernance protest in Osun state, wish to address the public and the media regarding the ongoing protest, which began on the 1st of August 2024 and marks its 6th day today.
“Since the inception of this peaceful protest, we have made our demands clear, seeking immediate action from our leaders to address the pressing issues affecting the citizens of our beloved state and country.
“We acknowledge the recent address by the President of Nigeria; however, we express our profound disappointment as the President speech failed to address any of our specific demands. Despite this setback, today we successfully presented our demands to the Governor of Osun State through the deputy governor and secretary to the state government who told us that the governor will forward our demands to the federal executive Council.
“Furthermore, we reviewed the security situation vis-a- vis the Osun Osogbo festival presently ongoing at Osogbo. It is worthy of note to establish that protest is incidentally taking place in Osogbo which is of concern.
“Considering the safety of the influx of tourists coming for the global Osun osogbo festival and the possibility of hoodlums disguising as tourist and unleashing attacks on peaceful protesters amidst other security concerns, we consider it imperative to put the protest on hold today 6th August, 2024.”