First Bank of Nigeria Limited has rewarded six of its customers with N1 million each at the fourth
and grand finale of its ‘WinBig’ promo draw held at its head office in Lagos recently. The promo,
which kicked off in October last year, was one of the biggest campaigns in the financial industry
with FirstBank targeting to give out N170 million cash rewards and recharge cards to customers
who participated and met the criteria to qualify for the monthly draw selections.

In his remarks at the event, Adesola Adeduntan, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of FirstBank
Group, lauded the customers for what he described as their partnership and patronage over the
years.
Adeduntan, who was represented by Ini Ebong, the bank’s Executive Director, Treasury and
International Banking, said the promo was designed to reward new and existing customers for
making incremental deposits and savings amongst other transactions on their FirstBank
account. He said the initiative was aimed at reiterating the longstanding commitment of the bank
to put its customers first by rewarding them for their loyalty.

He stated: “At the onset of the promo, we set out to give 170 million naira cash rewards to our
customers who participated and met the criteria to qualify for the monthly draws. “I am happy to
announce that 1,240 customers have been rewarded in fulfilment of our promise today. “Today,
six more customers who have been certified to meet the criteria for the final draw will be
rewarded with N1 million each. “Let me also use this opportunity to thank all our customers for
their wide adoption of this promo across all the geographical locations in Nigeria, accentuating
the steady confidence reposed in the FirstBank brand.”

The FirstBank CEO assured the customers of the bank’s continued commitment to digitalise
financial inclusion, “where every Nigerian has ample opportunity and access to financial
services irrespective of age, location and geography.” Ikemefula Nwachukwu, Head of personal
banking at FirstBank, said 1,240 winners had won N100,000 each in the four draws. He added
that six lucky Nigerians won a million naira each while 40,000 customers got N1,000 airtime.

Representatives of the National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC), Federal Competition
and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), and Lagos State Lotteries and Gaming
Authority (LSLGA) witnessed the draw. Nkiru Onuzulu, zonal coordinator, Lagos zonal office,
NLRC, commended the transparency of the process and commended the bank for the promo.
She said the cash prizes would go a long way in alleviating the economic hardship faced by
families in Nigeria. Two past winners at the last draws — Precious Daniel and Nnaji Alphonsus,
who won a cash prize of N100,000 each, were also recognised.

Lagos State Government, on Wednesday, brokered a strategic partnership with Niger State — a sub national entity with the largest agricultural farmland in the country — towards enhancing food production and security.

Governors of the two States signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Lagos for a cooperation geared towards exploring their comparative advantages in order to facilitate constant supply of agricultural commodities for the end consumers.

The agreement tagged “Produce for Lagos Initiative” is part of the efforts of the two parties to key into the Emergency Food Security Initiative declared by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to cultivate thousands of hectares of land to sustain food production and supply chain.

This arrangement is a long term strategic partnership between the two States in building competencies around their areas of strength. While Lagos is positioned as a ready organised food market for consumers, Niger has its core strength in arable land for agriculture and food production.

The signing of the agreement will be followed by massive supply of fresh farm produce to the Lagos Food Logistics hubs for storage and distribution.

Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his Niger State counterpart, Mallam Umar Mohammed Bago, signed the contract on behalf of the parties.

Sanwo-Olu said: “We have just put the pen to paper and signed the Government-to-Government agreement between Lagos and Niger states for agricultural production. Lagos, being the smallest State in terms of landmass, and Niger, being the largest State, is no coincidence that the biggest and the smallest are looking for at opportunities to citizens of our both states to be the beneficiaries of this historic partnership.”

l-r: Lagos State Attorney General & Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Lawal Pedro, SAN; Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his Niger State counterpart, Governor Mohammed Bago during the signing of MoU on Agriculture, at the Lagos House, Marina, on Wednesday, 06 March 2024. Behind are: Commissioners, Hon. Olanrewaju Layode (Home Affairs); Mr. Ope George (Economic Planning & Budget) and Ms. Abisola Olusanya (Agriculture).

Gov. Bago described the partnership as “a landmark” for both parties, noting that the North Central state was willing to leverage organised market in Lagos to boost economic activities in his State.

He said: “This is a landmark agreement that has been made today. Lagos is the largest consumer of agricultural resources in the country based on its population, while Niger State has the largest agricultural land. So, this Memorandum of Understanding came on the heels of exploring the strength of each state to promote food security and safety.

“Niger State is to produce agricultural commodities for Lagos State, and also process staple food items. Lagos State is to leverage the organised market and supply chain to meet consumers’ demands. This is basically the simple explanation of the Memorandum of Understanding, which is in tandem with Mr. President’s food security agenda.”

Lagos Commissioner for Agriculture, Ms. Abisola Olusanya, noted that the arrangement would help in price stability, as the MoU accommodated pre-production contracts in the value chain to enable farmers cut costs and improve output.

She said the first phase of the Food Security Systems and Central Logistics Park being built in Ketu-Ereyun, Epe would be commissioned in December to warehouse the large supplies from Niger State. In the meantime, she said the existing middle level hubs would be used as distribution points for the supplied commodities.

“This is a marriage made in heaven for our two States. This is a function of production meeting markets. Once there is an off-take market, it would catalyse the production end of the market. Then, this will lead to price stability and food availability.

“Farmers’ profit will also be guaranteed, just as consumers will be happy for timely supplies. We will also have middle men who will have regular sources of income by acting as a bridge between both ends of the market.”

Some of the agricultural commodities to be produced and shipped to Lagos markets include staple foods, rice paddies, tubers, beans, legumes, maize and grains.