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Western Union’s PASS initiative reaches 250,000 pass milestone
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.”
The Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) have disclosed details of their recent closed-door meeting with President Bola Tinubu, explaining that the engagement focused on strengthening Nigeria’s democratic process ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The clarification came amid speculation surrounding the meeting, which took place at the Presidential Villa in Abuja after leaders of several opposition parties attended an Iftar dinner hosted by the president earlier in the week.
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Speaking during a gathering hosted in Abuja by the SDP’s former presidential candidate, Adewole Adebayo on Friday, the party’s National Chairman, Prof. Sadiq Gombe, said the meeting with Tinubu followed an official invitation from the Presidency and lasted about an hour.
According to Gombe, the discussion centred on the need to strengthen Nigeria’s electoral laws and restore public confidence in the country’s electoral process ahead of the 2027 polls.
He explained that the meeting provided an opportunity for party leaders to remind the president of the importance of conducting transparent, free, and credible elections.
Gombe noted that democracy can only thrive when governments listen to the concerns of citizens and ensure electoral processes that guarantee fairness and accountability.
The SDP chairman also expressed concern over growing voter apathy, pointing to the low turnout recorded in the recent Area Council election in the Federal Capital Territory.
He said the Abuja Municipal Area Council election witnessed only about seven per cent voter turnout, which he described as a clear sign that many Nigerians are losing confidence in the electoral system.
Gombe urged the government and members of the National Assembly to take urgent steps to review electoral laws and rebuild public trust in Nigeria’s democracy.
Also speaking, the National Chairman of IPAC, Dr. Yusuf Dantalle, said political parties used the meeting to raise concerns about aspects of proposed electoral reforms, particularly issues related to indirect primaries and the mandatory electronic transmission of results.
Dantalle explained that the parties appealed to the president to use his influence to encourage legislative review where necessary, noting that reforms should strengthen, rather than complicate, the democratic process.
He expressed optimism that Tinubu would consider the concerns raised and support necessary amendments that would improve the electoral system.
The IPAC chairman also called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to strictly adhere to electoral guidelines as preparations for the next election cycle begin.
Earlier in his remarks, Adebayo cautioned political actors against turning the 2027 general elections into a do-or-die contest, stressing that the primary goal of democracy should be the progress and stability of Nigeria rather than personal political victories.
He urged leaders across political parties to encourage citizens to actively participate in the democratic process and ensure that elections are conducted peacefully and transparently.
President Bola Tinubu and Mr. Taiwo Oyedele during his nomination on Wednesday.
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