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Western Union’s PASS initiative reaches 250,000 pass milestone

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LONDON  – The Western Union Company, a leader in global payment services and a Global Partner of the UEFA Europa League, today announced that, as the Group Stage in this season’s competition comes to an end, over 250,000 successful passes have been made since the launch of its three-season PASS initiative in September 2012.

With the PASS initiative, Western Union and the Western Union Foundation in collaboration with UNICEF, are turning every successful pass in the UEFA Europa League into funding for better education, harnessing the power of football to support vulnerable children around the world.

At the end of last season, the PASS fund totaled 178,231 passes, a figure which has now reached 282,568 since the 2013/14 season started on September 19, 2013.

The top 5 clubs/players for passing in the UEFA Europa League 2013/14 season to date are as follows :

Leading Passing Teams Leading Passing Players

1. Tottenham Hotspur FC (3,673) 1. Mousa Dembélé, Tottenham Hotspur FC (451)

2. Swansea City AFC (3,269) 2. Jeffrey Gouweleeuw, AZ Alkmaar (352)

3. AZ Alkmaar (2,663) 3. Thanos Petsos, SK Rapid Wien (346)

4. Valencia CF (2,651) 4. Alexandros Tziolis, PAOK FC (340)

5. PSV Eindhoven (2,532) 5. Jan Wuytens, AZ Alkmaar (337)

In September, Western Union announced that Jamaica, Nigeria and Turkey were the first countries to receive funding raised by the PASS initiative. In Jamaica, PASS is supporting UNICEF programs aiming to achieve high levels of attendance, retention, numeracy and literacy among secondary school children with a focus on adolescent boys. In Nigeria, Western Union is helping increase the number of qualified female teachers and, in turn, the enrollment of female students, contributing to UNICEF’s efforts to meet the country’s need for 1.3 million more qualified teachers in the country. In Turkey, funding raised by the PASS initiative is being used to ensure disadvantaged children and ethnic minorities have access to a quality secondary education, with a focus on rural and low income areas where only 30 percent of children attend secondary school.

As part of Western Union’s three-year partnership with UNICEF, Brazil will be a future recipient of funding from the PASS initiative.

Brazilian International and Tottenham Hotspur FC midfielder, Sandro Raniere said: “The Western Union PASS scheme means a lot to me because we can help children go to school, and children in Brazil need this help as some children are very poor”.

“It means a lot to me also because I am from Brazil so I can help children from my home country and around the world. I’m so happy on the pitch doing my job and helping people around the world. Tottenham are the highest passing team this season and that is amazing – I feel great, helping people, it’s amazing”.

Patrick Gaston, president of The Western Union Foundation, commented: “Since the PASS initiative commenced in September 2012, we have experienced an outstanding level of support from players, fans and customers, which has been instrumental in allowing us to not only use the power and reach of football to build awareness of the global education challenge, but to also start to make a real difference to young people and their communities. PASS is a key part of Western Union’s Education for Better campaign for secondary and vocational education, and it is fantastic to see the positive impact funding from this initiative is making in the countries that need it most.”

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Elon Musk’s Transgender Announces Plans To Leave U.S. After Trump’s Victory

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In the aftermath of Donald Trump’s recent presidential victory, Vivian Wilson, the 20-year-old estranged daughter of billionaire Elon Musk, has publicly stated her intent to leave the United States.

Wilson, who is transgender, shared her decision on the social media platform Threads, citing discomfort with the country’s current political landscape.

“I don’t see my future in the United States,” she wrote. “I’ve felt this way for some time, but yesterday solidified it. Even if Trump’s presidency lasts just four years, his supporters and their ideology will remain, making me feel unwelcome in my own country.”

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Born Xavier Musk in 2004, Vivian transitioned and legally changed her name and gender in 2022, further distancing herself from her father by adopting her mother’s maiden name, Wilson. Court documents from the time reveal her desire to sever ties with Musk, stating, “I no longer live with or wish to be related to my biological father in any way.”

The relationship between Musk and Wilson has been strained, with Musk reportedly describing his daughter’s beliefs as “communist” and expressing regret over his previous support for her use of puberty blockers. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Musk claimed he was “misled” into signing documents that supported Wilson’s transition, adding, “I didn’t fully understand the situation; I was informed Xavier might be at risk of self-harm.”

Musk, who has been outspoken on issues surrounding gender identity and treatment, has previously labeled puberty blockers as “sterilisation drugs” and criticised gender dysphoria, calling it “incredibly evil.” He stated, “I feel as though I lost my son to the ‘woke mind virus,’ as they call it.”

Wilson has pushed back against her father’s comments, revealing that Musk had minimal involvement in her upbringing and often critiqued her for her “femininity and queerness.” She commented, “He never truly knew me as a child. I was often mocked for expressing myself, and it showed his true views on queer people.”

As debates around LGBTQ+ rights intensify under Trump’s leadership, Vivian’s planned departure reflects the challenges faced by many young Americans seeking an inclusive environment, highlighting a generational divide in perspectives on identity and freedom.

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Shallipopi Splits From Record Label, Dapper Music

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Popular Nigerian musician Shallipopi has officially parted ways with his record label, Dapper Music.

Rumours of the split had circulated earlier, as Dapper Music played a pivotal role in Shallipopi’s rise to fame in 2023.

A look at Shallipopi’s social media now shows he has removed Dapper Music’s name from his bio and unfollowed the label’s boss, confirming the end of their partnership.

READ MORE: Lagos Gov’t Launches Bid For 500MW Gas Power Hubs Amid Energy Crisis

The developments appear to confirm rumours of his split.

The separation follows Shallipopi’s recent launch of his own label, Plutomania Records, with Zerry DL and Tega Boi as the first signed artists.

BIZTELLERS notes that Shallipopi’s exit comes less than two months after Seyi Vibez also parted ways with Dapper Music.

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Increased Crude Oil production: NCDMB Advocates Annual FID Week

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NCDMB Emerges Best MDA In Ease Of Doing Business Ranking

 

As part of the strategies to increase Nigeria’s crude oil production and enhance revenue accruing to the national treasury, the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has advocated for a week in each year to be dedicated to signing final investment decisions (FIDs) on new oil and gas projects.

The Executive Secretary, NCDMB, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe made the proposal on Tuesday in his presentation at the 2024 African Energy Week (AEW), at Cape Town, South Africa.

A final investment decision is the final point in an energy project, in which the company or partners owning and operating a project give the final approval for the development, releasing the funding for the commencement.

ALSO READ: AMCON Not In Dispute With Heyden Petroleum

Ogbe stated that the FID Week, if adopted, could be incorporated into the existing annual international oil and gas conferences and would feature international and indigenous operating companies.

He posited that dedicating a week every year for FID signing could compel companies and relevant regulators to fast-track their processes to meet the deadline.

He also indicated that the proposal for the annual FID Week has already been broached to Special Adviser on Energy to President, Mrs. Olu Verheijen and the leadership of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited and international operating companies and was being considered.

Represented at the African Energy Week (AEW) by the Director, Projects Certification and Authorization Division (PCAD) Engr. Abayomi Bamidele, the NCDMB boss said the proposal for an annual FID Week was geared to address the insufficient FIDs signed by the operating companies and the limited number of new projects being developed in the Nigerian oil and gas industry. These worrisome developments contributed to Nigeria’s dwindling crude oil production and the negative impact on revenue, he said.

He suggested that the Nigerian oil and gas industry needed to have at least one or two final investment decisions on major projects to be signed every year, to catalyze activity in the local service sector and the national economy and ultimately increase crude oil and gas production and revenue for the country.

He made reference to the three Presidential Directives (PDs) rolled out by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in March 2024, for the oil and gas industry, stating that NCDMB had complied fully with the directives as it relates to fast-tracking the contracting cycle and eliminating middlemen with no demonstrable capacity from participating in the oil and gas value chain.

The PDs included Presidential Directive on Local Content Compliance, Presidential Directive on Reduction of Petroleum Sector Contracting Cost and Timelines and Presidential Directive on Oil and Gas Companies (Tax Incentives, Exemption, Remission, etc)

Ogbe announced that NCDMB had applied the Presidential Directives in approving five oil and gas projects which are currently in the funnel.

He hinted that the expected production values of those projects are 1 billion standard cubic feet of gas per day and 350 million barrels of crude oil per day.

Commenting on strategies that would ensure sustainable local content development in African nations, the Executive Secretary stated that local content has to be promoted as a national agenda and supported by all institutions, businesses, decision makers, investors and citizens.

Some other personnel of the NCDMB made presentations at the 2024 edition of the African Energy Week (AEW) on core operations and initiatives of the agency.

The officials included Director of Finance and Personnel Management, Mr. Ifeanyi Ukoha, the Manager, Institutional Strengthening, Engr. Obongo Dokubo and the Supervisor Upstream, Engr. Bashir Ahmed.

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