The Sultan of Sokoto, Saad Abubakar, has expressed concern at a
development where social media are diverting the attention of students in
the country.
Mr. Abubakar expressed the feeling in Sokoto on Sunday at the closing
ceremony of the 6th National Edition of the Quranic Recitation
Competition.
The Sultan said: “There is a disturbing development where the attention of
students is being diverted from their studies.
“This is through the use of various social media like Facebook, Twitter,
Whatsapp, 2Go and Instagram, among others,’’ he said
The traditional ruler urged youth, particularly girls, to stop spending
too much time on social media at the expense of other engagements that
would add more values to their life.
“The rate at which girls are spending time on social network is worrisome
and this poses imminent danger to our society.
“Girls are the nerve centre of our moral and societal development and if
they derail, the whole society will be in danger because they are our
mothers and care givers.”
Mr. Abubakar advised parents to ensure that their daughters spend more
time on meaningful things, like reciting the Holy Qur’an.
“Doing so will make them better mothers and care givers’’.
The monarch also urged Muslims to desist from doing things capable of
tarnishing the image of their religion.
The Sultan, who congratulated the winners of the competition, donated
N10,000 to each of the 89 participants, while the overall winner, Husna
Nura from Katsina State, got N100,000.
The sultan further promised to host the 7th edition of the competition in
2018.
In his remarks, Governor Aminu Tambuwal said that the competition would
encourage girls to memorise the whole sixty chapters of the Holy Qur’an.
The Secretary to the State Government, Bashir Garba, represented the
governor at the occasion.
Mr. Tambuwal announced a gift of hajj seat to the overall winner of the
competition in addition to N150, 000 and a deep freezer, among other
gifts.
Other winners also went home with deep freezers and cash among other items.
NAN also reports that 22 states participated in the competition which was
dedicated for non-Arabic Girls’ Secondary Schools and it was hosted by
Sokoto State Government.
GTBank Gets Double Honors at Euromoney Awards…Wins Nigeria’s Best Bank &
Africa’s Best Bank for SMEs
Foremost African financial institution; Guaranty Trust Bank plc reaffirmed
its position as a leading global brand with its recent recognition as
‘Nigeria’s Best Bank & Africa’s Best Bank for SMEs’ during the 2017
Euromoney Awards which held in London on Thursday, July 06, 2017 at the
prestigious Tower of London.
Now in its 26th year, the Euromoney Awards for Excellence covers more than
20 global product categories, best-in-class awards and the best Banks in
over 100 countries around the world by recognizing institutions that have
demonstrated leadership, innovation, and momentum in the markets they
operate. In selecting its recipients, Euromoney combines quantitative and
qualitative data to honor institutions that have brought the highest
levels of service, innovation and expertise to their customers.
According to Mr. Clive Horwood, Euromoney Magazine’s Editor, “Nigeria went
through a difficult year, as low oil prices and capital flight continued
to hurt the country’s economy. Many banks struggled as a result of this
but GTBank remained strong, recording significant and enviable financial
and non-financial performance. According to him, the bank’s digital
transformation drive has been very successful as it has enabled the bank
to deepen financial inclusion across Africa with its array of tailor-made
digital solutions that has made banking simpler and more accessible.
Commenting on the award, Segun Agbaje, Managing Director/CEO of GTBank
said: “We are honored to win the Best Bank in Nigeria award a record eight
times and to be recognized as Africa’s Best Bank for SMEs. These awards
reflect our progress in building strong, value adding relationships with
our customers whilst positioning the bank as the financial institution for
Small and Medium Enterprises through our creation of free business
platforms that are geared towards promoting enterprise in key economic
sectors.”
We remain committed to maximizing shareholders’ value and delivering
superior and sustainable return, guided by our founding values of hard
work, discipline and integrity.
GTBank has consistently played a leading role in Africa’s banking
industry. The GTBank brand is regarded by industry watchers as one of the
best run financial institutions across its subsidiary countries and serves
as a role model within the financial service industry due to its bias for
world class corporate governance standards, excellent service quality and
innovation.