Standing at an incredible height of 6.2 feet, with a skin that glows like something taken from a Hollywood bestseller, Clare Omatseye is the poster girl of medical equipment and Pharmacy profession.

With remarkable traits that make every first time visitor mistake her for a top rated screen diva, Clare dons a trademark smile and composure that subtly mask her true age.

A pharmacist by training, entrepreneur by vocation, Clare is the managing director of international award winning company, JNC International Limited, a medical equipment project company with 18 exclusive International distributorship and a Marketing lecturer at the Lagos Business School.

Over the last 12 years, she has grown JNCI into a proudly ‘Nigerian National Corporate’ company receiving several International and Nigerian Awards/recognitions such as the NHEA Award for best healthcare equipment (2014/2015/2016).

She graduated with honours from the prestigious Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria, with a B.Pharm and subsequently followed it up with an MBA from the University of Navarra (IESE) Barcelona, Spain.

With about 25 years of experience in medical device technology, public health, healthcare policy, international marketing, pharmaceuticals, business strategy and entrepreneurship, she stands shoulder high above her contemporaries.

Prior to establishing JNC International, the ‘Mulatto’ had a colourful career with Nigeria’s biggest indigenous pharmaceutical manufacturing company, May and Baker Plc, where she was head of the vaccines sales and distribution section.

Clare started her career in 1990 with an internship stint at Sterling Health (now GlaxoSmithkline). She later moved to Nigeria’s biggest indigenous pharmaceutical manufacturing company, May & Baker Plc (M & B), where she had a progressive career in several job roles – Sales Representative, head of the vaccines sales and distribution section, Business Development Manager (Pasteur Merieux Connaught) and National Sales Development Manager.

She left M & B to become an executive director (Business Development) with Aventis Pasteur Nigeria, a French Multinational Pharmaceutical Company, where she spent another two and a half years.

Subsequently, she left for a new frontier as country manager (Nigeria) for Huntleigh Healthcare UK Plc – a British multinational quoted on the NYSE. After a year, Clare had seen enough to make her conclude that she can make a difference in the healthcare sector.

That was how she left and birthed JNC International (JNCI).

In the last couple of years, the pharmacist was elected pioneer president of the Healthcare Federation of Nigeria (HFN) and equally sits on the board of several reputable organizations including Society for Corporate Governance (SCG), Vaccipharm Limited and 234-Give.

Lest we forget, she is also a dedicated Rotarian.

As expected, the Nigeria’s pharma poster girl is happily married with three children – two grown-up daughters and a son.

SOURCE: http://citypulseng.com/2017/08/meet-the-most-beautiful-pharmacist-in-nigeria.html

Standing at an incredible height of 6.2 feet, with a skin that glows like something taken from a Hollywood bestseller, Clare Omatseye is the poster girl of medical equipment and Pharmacy profession.

With remarkable traits that make every first time visitor mistake her for a top rated screen diva, Clare dons a trademark smile and composure that subtly mask her true age.

A pharmacist by training, entrepreneur by vocation, Clare is the managing director of international award winning company, JNC International Limited, a medical equipment project company with 18 exclusive International distributorship and a Marketing lecturer at the Lagos Business School.

Over the last 12 years, she has grown JNCI into a proudly ‘Nigerian National Corporate’ company receiving several International and Nigerian Awards/recognitions such as the NHEA Award for best healthcare equipment (2014/2015/2016).

She graduated with honours from the prestigious Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria, with a B.Pharm and subsequently followed it up with an MBA from the University of Navarra (IESE) Barcelona, Spain.

With about 25 years of experience in medical device technology, public health, healthcare policy, international marketing, pharmaceuticals, business strategy and entrepreneurship, she stands shoulder high above her contemporaries.

Prior to establishing JNC International, the ‘Mulatto’ had a colourful career with Nigeria’s biggest indigenous pharmaceutical manufacturing company, May and Baker Plc, where she was head of the vaccines sales and distribution section.

Clare started her career in 1990 with an internship stint at Sterling Health (now GlaxoSmithkline). She later moved to Nigeria’s biggest indigenous pharmaceutical manufacturing company, May & Baker Plc (M & B), where she had a progressive career in several job roles – Sales Representative, head of the vaccines sales and distribution section, Business Development Manager (Pasteur Merieux Connaught) and National Sales Development Manager.

She left M & B to become an executive director (Business Development) with Aventis Pasteur Nigeria, a French Multinational Pharmaceutical Company, where she spent another two and a half years.

Subsequently, she left for a new frontier as country manager (Nigeria) for Huntleigh Healthcare UK Plc – a British multinational quoted on the NYSE. After a year, Clare had seen enough to make her conclude that she can make a difference in the healthcare sector.

That was how she left and birthed JNC International (JNCI).

In the last couple of years, the pharmacist was elected pioneer president of the Healthcare Federation of Nigeria (HFN) and equally sits on the board of several reputable organizations including Society for Corporate Governance (SCG), Vaccipharm Limited and 234-Give.

Lest we forget, she is also a dedicated Rotarian.

As expected, the Nigeria’s pharma poster girl is happily married with three children – two grown-up daughters and a son.

SOURCE: http://citypulseng.com/2017/08/meet-the-most-beautiful-pharmacist-in-nigeria.html

This is a follow-up to the previous interview I had with Hon. Yahya Adeniyi Dosunmu. A former house of representative member whose impact in Lagos politics has left indelible prints in Eti Osa, the constituency he once represented.

If you miss it, click here http://www.citypulseng.com/2017/07/my-first-meeting-with-chief-obafemi.html

In this article, the revered statesman explained the struggle they went through before the Alhaji Kayode Jakande administration (fondly called ‘Action Governor’) eventually cast away the burden of Eti Osa people and blessed them with a dual carriage road.

Excerpt below:

“When God wants to use you, he will always create a way. I have never regretted since then. When people say politicians are dirty, I used to tell them it wasn’t the kind of politics we played. At least, we thank God that our efforts after getting into office wasn’t in vain. We succeeded in turning this place (Eti-Osa) into a cosmopolitan area.

“Seriously, I wish you know this place from 1977 to 1980. It was more of a jungle area. In fact, at one point, I started wearing rain boot to the Lagos State House of Assembly. The speaker then would warn against defiling the chamber. Sometimes, the sergeant-at-arm would be placed on alert to stop me from coming into the House with the boots. It was apparent that my picture would adorn the pages of newspapers whether it was Punch or Concord with screaming headlines like “Speaker Bars Hon Dosunmu From Entering Chamber Over Rainboot!” the very next day.

“Whether controversial or not, that was where my popularity started – protesting against my own government over roads. The motion I moved in the House must be more than 10. There was a day I was invited through an official letter to appear before Governor Jakande at the oval house. He was the one who informed me that as a member of the technical committee, he deemed it fit to inform me that they have started working on our road.

“To further show how serious the government was about giving Eti-Osa a quality road, the job was contracted to Julius Berger. That was how we started opening up the various communities under Eti-Osa with dual carriages without even erecting toll gates. Today, the rest is history.


The Action Governor

“That is why Jakande will always be credited and referenced as the governor who transformed bushes into homes and dunghill into a market square. Where Chevron occupies today was a deep swamp. No human can pass that place and survive without the use of a boat. Even at that, you would be required to carry your clothes and personal belongings on your head. That has been the case. But we thank God for using Alhaji Jakande to open up this place. And ever since he opened up the roads, there has been increase in schools (both primary and secondary), health services, development, commerce and industry, housing estates and many other things.

“From there, life became easier for the people. Can you now see why I said earlier that I didn’t regret becoming a politician?” he quipped.

Interestingly, the action governor has also been credited with constructing, rehabilitating and resurfacing Epe/Ijebu-Ode Road, Oba Akran Avenue, Toyin Street, Town Planning Way, Alimosho-Idimu-Egbe Road, Idimu-Iba-LASU Road, the new secretariat road and several others.

* His government built the current Lagos State Secretariat which houses all the state ministries as well as the popular round house hitherto occupied by all subsequent governors of the state.

* His government built the Lagos State House of Assembly complex.

* His government built the Lagos State Television.

* His government built the Lagos Radio.

* His government built Lagos State University.

* His government established General Hospital in zones all over the state with assurance of free health care.

* His government established Teacher Training College and the College of Education.

* His government built low cost houses in Ijaiye, Dolphin, Oke-Afa, Ije, Abesan, Iponri, Ipaja, Abule Nla, Epe, Amuwo-Odofin, Anikantamo, Surulere, Iba, Ikorodu, Badagry, Isheri/Olowu, Orisigun etc.

* His government established the Water Management Board and Waste Disposal Board on the 18th of August, 1980.

* His government constructed the Adiyan Water Works to increase water supply in the state to 18.16 million litres per day.

* His government modernized and expanded the Iju Water Works which was first commissioned in 1915. This increased daily capacity from 159 million to 204 million litres per day.

* His government purchased and commissioned the giant car crusher equipment. The equipment was designed specifically to crush derelict vehicles in Lagos State. It had the capacity to crush 45 vehicles per day.

* His government constructed Victoria Island/Epe Road and thereby creating an ‘oil rig’ for Lagos State.

* His government established Asphalt Plant for the Department of Public Works.

* His government established Electricity Board for Rural Electrification with provision of street lights.

* His government modernized, expanded and commissioned Onikan Stadium in 1982.

* His government established a singular school system and ensured genuine free education in Lagos State and the beneficiaries of this policy are in different positions of eminence in the country and around the world.

* His government raised the primary schools in Lagos State to 812 with 533,001 pupils (against 605 primary schools with 434,545 pupils he met in 1979) and secondary schools to 223 with 167,629 students (against 105 schools with 107,835 students in 1979).

* His government constructed 11, 729 classrooms with the maximum of 40 children per class between March and August 1980, by 1983, he had constructed over 22,000 classrooms.

* In July 1983, two commercial passenger boats christened "Baba Kekere and Itafaji" to run the Mile 2 - Marina (CMS) route via the lagoons were inaugurated by his government to mark the official launch of the Lagos State ferry services.

* His government took over the ownership and financing of Lagos State Printing Corporation in July 1980

* His government established the first State Traffic Management Authority (Road Marshals).

* His government established small scale Industries Credit Scheme which preceded the EKO bank.

*His government established LASACO Insurance.

*His government expanded existing market and built new ones.

*His government established Traditional Medicine Board.

Who else dare say 4 years in office is not enough for meaningful achievements except crooked political office holders?

SOURCE: http://www.citypulseng.com/2017/08/why-eti-osa-will-always-remain-indebted.html

goldbim:
Wow!inspiring and motivational..we need more of stories like this to encourage young entrepreneurs..not one uncle somewhere posing with a designer maternity gown to show off!

You can say that again!

Once just hope the moderator can do the needful by moving it to the front page for more people to benefit

* His humble beginning from a family of nine
* How he spent 4 years raising money to go back to school
* His first major breakthrough in business
* Why he named his business ‘SLOT’
* How He Built Tecno & Infinix From Scratch

-

The name Nnamdi Ezeigbo may not sound familiar to many, but the brand Tecno or Infinix resonates well. Ezeigbo is the founder of SLOT GROUP whose resilience birthed the two innovative android phones. Today, the Slot boss has become a success model of sort for young entrepreneurs who are fascinated by his odyssey. In fact, to say Tecno and Infinix have become the fastest selling phone brands in Sub-Saharan Africa especially Nigeria is state the obvious.

In a recent survey carried out among the Nigerian populace, a larger percentage of the masses are not even aware that those two popular smartphones were the brainwork of a compatriot.

But who exactly is this man – Nnamdi Ezeigbo?

Young Nnamdi is a graduate of Electrical /Electronics Engineering at Yaba College of Technology and graduated with a Higher National Diploma (HND). He undertook the compulsory National Youth Service Corps in 1996, with Guinness Nigeria Plc.
He also studied Computer & Electronics Engineering at the Lagos State University (LASU) between 1996 and 2001, where he bagged a BSc (Second Class Upper).

According to an interview he granted Allure Vanguard last year, the now accomplished businessman opened up on his upbringing.

“I hate to say that I come from a humble background; my background was more difficult. I come from a family of nine. I remember when, after secondary school, I stayed home and worked for 4 years to raise money to go back to school. My parents were not able to pay my school fees.

“When I eventually got admission to read Electrical Engineering, I had to work in a factory. It was a very difficult period for me; my colleagues who worked with me, gained admission and went back to school but I had to work for four years,” he reminisced

On completion of his service, Ezeigbo confessed that he tried in vain to secure a job for two years with several written applications ending in trash cans. It was as though a road block was mounted against his being called up for employment.

When it became obvious no potential employment was heading towards his direction, Ezeigbo delved into the world of apprenticeship learning how to repair computers.

“So, barely 6 months after, I left because my friend and I were having problems. I usually objected to him collecting exorbitant fees from customers and he did not like it. That was how I left without any money on me,” he bemoaned.
A little bit depressed, the Slot boss left and started squatting with a friend who owned a bookshop in Ikeja area of Lagos.

In his opinion, nothing gave him the inkling that he will become a businessman apart from the fact that he sold bread for my mother as a kid. Selling, one can conclude, was perhaps what he enjoyed doing more in his adolescent years. Ezeigbo would carry a full tray of bread and come back with an empty tray and the money in his pocket. That was about the only idea he had as far as business or trading was concerned.

His First Major Breakthrough

Whenever a customer came in to buy or enquire about books, Ezeigbo engages them as they are leaving the shop. That was how he started generating attention and, because he was good at what he does, customers were always coming back for him.

They even went the extra mile to get him referrals by word of mouth. Gradually, the customer base grew in numbers largely because of his honesty and the premium he places on customer service.

"That was how we started growing. I was even referred to fix computers for Daily Times, Standard Chartered Bank and the University of Lagos (UNILAG). I became busy and I started making money. Then, there was no phone alert to know how much you have in your bank account so I went to the bank one day and saw 1.2 million naira. I had no car. I was living in a two-bedroom apartment in Meran area of Lagos. I thought to myself – is it easy or that possible to become a millionaire?
"That shaped my life. I began to think like a millionaire. I attended seminars and trainings that were relevant to what I was doing. I saw myself as a businessman, not as an engineer anymore. We dabbled into sales of accessories as well, computer parts, and started assembling computers as well. We began to build computers for clients and competing with the HPs of this world. The kind of services we were offering was better and cheaper, in terms of after sales, than those of the multi-nationals," he recalled.

With time, the young executive gathered proceeds from the sale and got himself a new shop in Computer Village, an equivalent of the Silicone Valley in the heart of California, United States. At that time, the rent for Slot Systems Limited was pegged at N180,000 .

If there was something that worked well for him, it has to be his good customer service. It was what made Slot stood out from the stream of other competitors milling around the now famous Computer Village. From his new store, he began to sell computers with his younger acting as his only employee. As his business expanded, he started receiving demand from loyal customers to open up branches close to either their places of work or residences.

What further caught his attention was the constant demand for phones. For someone with a keen eye to spot opportunity when it presents itself, the new CEO immediately expanded his business to accommodate sale of mobile phones.

To further sharpen his business acumen and properly manage his fledgling business, the Slot owner enrolled for an MBA programme at Lagos Business School as well as workshops on entrepreneurship.


Disappointment over Nokia Snub

From era of one-sim to three or four-in-one sim phones, Nigerians have had to make the best of a bad situation. Reason? The rise of telecommunication networks created many opportunities in the Nigerian market. It was in the advent of GSM in 2001.

The Umuahia-born entrepreneur saw the privatization of the telecoms industry as an opportunity to launch himself into the telecoms sector and started doing more of mobile phones than computers. Truth be told, Slot was the first GSM store and business in Nigeria.

The poor services rendered meant that Nigerians would have to purchase more than one mobile phone, so they could try a different network when the other was bad. The numerous opportunities opened to investors were not lost on Ezeigbo. He therefore made a proposition to Nokia.

The mission was simple!

Convince the phone company to manufacture dual sim phones for Nigerians that would ensure only one mobile phone is carried at a time instead of two. His proposal was thrown out by Nokia which preferred to see people move around with more of their brands. The logic is simple too! The more Nokia gadgets people brandish, the more phone sales for the company.


China to the rescue

Following the snub by Nokia, Nnamdi Ezeigbo narrated how he picked up himself after the blow.

“My attention turned to China. I went into alliance with a guy who had worked with a company called Bird. Bird was into phones but they got choked and lost market share. I came up with a name and we registered it and brought the guy to Nigeria. That was the high point of our business. We came together and I designed the first Tecno product, Tecno T101. Unfortunately the Nigerian market did not accept it. We also had problem with the dual SIM not working together and had to make corrections. Eventually we came up with Tecno 201 which was partially accepted in the market. At one point, we were basically giving marketers to sell the phones on credit and pay us later. All the while, I was practically funding it alone.”

“Since I was funding it alone, we were finding it difficult to get the right quantity to sell until the market started accepting us. Once that was achieved, we started asking the dealers to pay us in advance. Subsequently we started using their money to order the products. This was around 2007. Let me categorically say the introduction of Tecno brand was the turning point of our business.”

“Tecno remains my baby and we hope to keep improving it. I knew a day would come when the middle class would accept Tecno. Initially, it was perceived as a phone for low income people but based on improvement and upping of our game, the middle class has come to accept it.

“When the economy went down in 2008, the momentary economic recession helped to shoot Tecno to the top. As the purchasing power dropped, people were compelled to go for something that have same capabilities but cheaper. So with N15,000, you could buy a Smartphone and thank God for 3G network. The advent of 3G network actually helped Tecno to move up. What this meant was that students who could not afford to buy phones in the range of N30,000 could buy one for N15,000 and enjoy features of Smartphone like Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp and other social apps.”


How did he come up with the name SLOT?

I derived the name ‘Slot’ from the big desktop computer that had a robust processor called ‘Slot’. I always recommended them to my customers. The slot processor is very rugged. You can imagine the kind of environment people placed their computers; I will always recommend slot. People began to call me Mr. Slot. So, I checked that word in the dictionary and realized it actually fit in to what we were doing and I came up with a colour which is red and white.


What a story!

Today, Nnamdi Ezeigbo stands shoulder high among his contemporaries in Nigeria and indeed Africa. From a humble repair man, he has succeeded in building himself a MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR company and one of the most recognizable brands.

From the small shop he leased for N180,000 in Computer Village (and which he later bought that same store many years later for 100 million Naira), Ezeigbo has several Slots mini branches across the country.

His quest for further education took him to Ladoke Akintola University, Ogbomoso. Today, he has Masters in Information Technology (MIT) degree (2008/2009) tucked under his belt and an entrepreneurship programme in Harvard, employing over 700 workers.

And when the need for Slot Phones Ambassador came up, guess who Nnamdi Ezeigbo went for? The Koko Master, Banga Lee, Eja Nla,Kiniun Funfun and CEO of DBN Records – Dapo Oyebanjo who is otherwise known globally as DBanj.
In another interview with Allure Vanguard, Ezeigbo whose birthday comes next week (August 7) was quick to attribute his success story to divine providence.

“Over the years, I would say, I have been able to achieve what most men would be proud of. I have a good home. I have beautiful kids and I have been able to touch lives. I have been able to help some people through school, which makes me happy.

“When people come back to me to say ‘thank you for paying my school fees’ or ‘I am a product of that scholarship’ or ‘now I have a god job’, it inspires me to do more. I think my fulfilment is based on the fact that people have been able to become who they are today because of God’s grace upon my life and I have been able to extend that to touch more lives.”


What are the lessons to learn in this story?

· * Pay attention to your business no matter how small it is today, it can be the seed of a global company tomorrow.

· * Integrity in business is extremely important, it will open doors for you, and speak for you, even when you are not present.

· * When you see opportunities, grab it and run with it. Nokia refused Nnamdi’s idea, Nokia was mighty and Nnamdi was nobody, but today because Nnamdi believed in his idea and grabbed the opportunity, Tecno is everywhere, and Nokia is dead. How are the mighty fallen? Run with your idea, and this too will be your story.

· * Keep improving your products and services every day. Nnamdi kept improving Tecno steadily until it became an accepted brand in Nigeria.

· Most importantly, the greatest investment you will make is an investment in yourself. As a businessman, if you can afford a business school, enrol yourself. If you cannot, make good use of the free entrepreneurial seminars around.

· * Don’t follow the Joneses by wasting your time crying over state of the economy, there is nothing you can do about it, but there is a lot you can do about yourself.

Think positive, always!

SOURCE: http://www.citypulseng.com/2017/07/grass-to-grace-how-one-mans-effort-made.html

* His humble beginning from a family of nine
* How he spent 4 years raising money to go back to school
* His first major breakthrough in business
* Why he named his business ‘SLOT’
* How He Built Tecno & Infinix From Scratch

-

The name Nnamdi Ezeigbo may not sound familiar to many, but the brand Tecno or Infinix resonates well. Ezeigbo is the founder of SLOT GROUP whose resilience birthed the two innovative android phones. Today, the Slot boss has become a success model of sort for young entrepreneurs who are fascinated by his odyssey. In fact, to say Tecno and Infinix have become the fastest selling phone brands in Sub-Saharan Africa especially Nigeria is state the obvious.

In a recent survey carried out among the Nigerian populace, a larger percentage of the masses are not even aware that those two popular smartphones were the brainwork of a compatriot.

But who exactly is this man – Nnamdi Ezeigbo?

Young Nnamdi is a graduate of Electrical /Electronics Engineering at Yaba College of Technology and graduated with a Higher National Diploma (HND). He undertook the compulsory National Youth Service Corps in 1996, with Guinness Nigeria Plc.
He also studied Computer & Electronics Engineering at the Lagos State University (LASU) between 1996 and 2001, where he bagged a BSc (Second Class Upper).

According to an interview he granted Allure Vanguard last year, the now accomplished businessman opened up on his upbringing.

“I hate to say that I come from a humble background; my background was more difficult. I come from a family of nine. I remember when, after secondary school, I stayed home and worked for 4 years to raise money to go back to school. My parents were not able to pay my school fees.

“When I eventually got admission to read Electrical Engineering, I had to work in a factory. It was a very difficult period for me; my colleagues who worked with me, gained admission and went back to school but I had to work for four years,” he reminisced

On completion of his service, Ezeigbo confessed that he tried in vain to secure a job for two years with several written applications ending in trash cans. It was as though a road block was mounted against his being called up for employment.

When it became obvious no potential employment was heading towards his direction, Ezeigbo delved into the world of apprenticeship learning how to repair computers.

“So, barely 6 months after, I left because my friend and I were having problems. I usually objected to him collecting exorbitant fees from customers and he did not like it. That was how I left without any money on me,” he bemoaned.
A little bit depressed, the Slot boss left and started squatting with a friend who owned a bookshop in Ikeja area of Lagos.

In his opinion, nothing gave him the inkling that he will become a businessman apart from the fact that he sold bread for my mother as a kid. Selling, one can conclude, was perhaps what he enjoyed doing more in his adolescent years. Ezeigbo would carry a full tray of bread and come back with an empty tray and the money in his pocket. That was about the only idea he had as far as business or trading was concerned.

His First Major Breakthrough

Whenever a customer came in to buy or enquire about books, Ezeigbo engages them as they are leaving the shop. That was how he started generating attention and, because he was good at what he does, customers were always coming back for him.

They even went the extra mile to get him referrals by word of mouth. Gradually, the customer base grew in numbers largely because of his honesty and the premium he places on customer service.

"That was how we started growing. I was even referred to fix computers for Daily Times, Standard Chartered Bank and the University of Lagos (UNILAG). I became busy and I started making money. Then, there was no phone alert to know how much you have in your bank account so I went to the bank one day and saw 1.2 million naira. I had no car. I was living in a two-bedroom apartment in Meran area of Lagos. I thought to myself – is it easy or that possible to become a millionaire?
"That shaped my life. I began to think like a millionaire. I attended seminars and trainings that were relevant to what I was doing. I saw myself as a businessman, not as an engineer anymore. We dabbled into sales of accessories as well, computer parts, and started assembling computers as well. We began to build computers for clients and competing with the HPs of this world. The kind of services we were offering was better and cheaper, in terms of after sales, than those of the multi-nationals," he recalled.

With time, the young executive gathered proceeds from the sale and got himself a new shop in Computer Village, an equivalent of the Silicone Valley in the heart of California, United States. At that time, the rent for Slot Systems Limited was pegged at N180,000 .

If there was something that worked well for him, it has to be his good customer service. It was what made Slot stood out from the stream of other competitors milling around the now famous Computer Village. From his new store, he began to sell computers with his younger acting as his only employee. As his business expanded, he started receiving demand from loyal customers to open up branches close to either their places of work or residences.

What further caught his attention was the constant demand for phones. For someone with a keen eye to spot opportunity when it presents itself, the new CEO immediately expanded his business to accommodate sale of mobile phones.

To further sharpen his business acumen and properly manage his fledgling business, the Slot owner enrolled for an MBA programme at Lagos Business School as well as workshops on entrepreneurship.


Disappointment over Nokia Snub

From era of one-sim to three or four-in-one sim phones, Nigerians have had to make the best of a bad situation. Reason? The rise of telecommunication networks created many opportunities in the Nigerian market. It was in the advent of GSM in 2001.

The Umuahia-born entrepreneur saw the privatization of the telecoms industry as an opportunity to launch himself into the telecoms sector and started doing more of mobile phones than computers. Truth be told, Slot was the first GSM store and business in Nigeria.

The poor services rendered meant that Nigerians would have to purchase more than one mobile phone, so they could try a different network when the other was bad. The numerous opportunities opened to investors were not lost on Ezeigbo. He therefore made a proposition to Nokia.

The mission was simple!

Convince the phone company to manufacture dual sim phones for Nigerians that would ensure only one mobile phone is carried at a time instead of two. His proposal was thrown out by Nokia which preferred to see people move around with more of their brands. The logic is simple too! The more Nokia gadgets people brandish, the more phone sales for the company.


China To The Rescue

Following the snub by Nokia, Nnamdi Ezeigbo narrated how he picked up himself after the blow.

“My attention turned to China. I went into alliance with a guy who had worked with a company called Bird. Bird was into phones but they got choked and lost market share. I came up with a name and we registered it and brought the guy to Nigeria. That was the high point of our business. We came together and I designed the first Tecno product, Tecno T101. Unfortunately the Nigerian market did not accept it. We also had problem with the dual SIM not working together and had to make corrections. Eventually we came up with Tecno 201 which was partially accepted in the market. At one point, we were basically giving marketers to sell the phones on credit and pay us later. All the while, I was practically funding it alone.”

“Since I was funding it alone, we were finding it difficult to get the right quantity to sell until the market started accepting us. Once that was achieved, we started asking the dealers to pay us in advance. Subsequently we started using their money to order the products. This was around 2007. Let me categorically say the introduction of Tecno brand was the turning point of our business.”

“Tecno remains my baby and we hope to keep improving it. I knew a day would come when the middle class would accept Tecno. Initially, it was perceived as a phone for low income people but based on improvement and upping of our game, the middle class has come to accept it.

“When the economy went down in 2008, the momentary economic recession helped to shoot Tecno to the top. As the purchasing power dropped, people were compelled to go for something that have same capabilities but cheaper. So with N15,000, you could buy a Smartphone and thank God for 3G network. The advent of 3G network actually helped Tecno to move up. What this meant was that students who could not afford to buy phones in the range of N30,000 could buy one for N15,000 and enjoy features of Smartphone like Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp and other social apps.”


How did he come up with the name SLOT?

I derived the name ‘Slot’ from the big desktop computer that had a robust processor called ‘Slot’. I always recommended them to my customers. The slot processor is very rugged. You can imagine the kind of environment people placed their computers; I will always recommend slot. People began to call me Mr. Slot. So, I checked that word in the dictionary and realized it actually fit in to what we were doing and I came up with a colour which is red and white.


What a story!

Today, Nnamdi Ezeigbo stands shoulder high among his contemporaries in Nigeria and indeed Africa. From a humble repair man, he has succeeded in building himself a MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR company and one of the most recognizable brands.

From the small shop he leased for N180,000 in Computer Village (and which he later bought that same store many years later for 100 million Naira), Ezeigbo has several Slots mini branches across the country.

His quest for further education took him to Ladoke Akintola University, Ogbomoso. Today, he has Masters in Information Technology (MIT) degree (2008/2009) tucked under his belt and an entrepreneurship programme in Harvard, employing over 700 workers.

And when the need for Slot Phones Ambassador came up, guess who Nnamdi Ezeigbo went for? The Koko Master, Banga Lee, Eja Nla,Kiniun Funfun and CEO of DBN Records – Dapo Oyebanjo who is otherwise known globally as DBanj.
In another interview with Allure Vanguard, Ezeigbo whose birthday comes next week (August 7) was quick to attribute his success story to divine providence.

“Over the years, I would say, I have been able to achieve what most men would be proud of. I have a good home. I have beautiful kids and I have been able to touch lives. I have been able to help some people through school, which makes me happy.

“When people come back to me to say ‘thank you for paying my school fees’ or ‘I am a product of that scholarship’ or ‘now I have a god job’, it inspires me to do more. I think my fulfilment is based on the fact that people have been able to become who they are today because of God’s grace upon my life and I have been able to extend that to touch more lives.”


What are the lessons to learn in this story?

· * Pay attention to your business no matter how small it is today, it can be the seed of a global company tomorrow.

· * Integrity in business is extremely important, it will open doors for you, and speak for you, even when you are not present.

· * When you see opportunities, grab it and run with it. Nokia refused Nnamdi’s idea, Nokia was mighty and Nnamdi was nobody, but today because Nnamdi believed in his idea and grabbed the opportunity, Tecno is everywhere, and Nokia is dead. How are the mighty fallen? Run with your idea, and this too will be your story.

· * Keep improving your products and services every day. Nnamdi kept improving Tecno steadily until it became an accepted brand in Nigeria.

· Most importantly, the greatest investment you will make is an investment in yourself. As a businessman, if you can afford a business school, enrol yourself. If you cannot, make good use of the free entrepreneurial seminars around.

· * Don’t follow the Joneses by wasting your time crying over state of the economy, there is nothing you can do about it, but there is a lot you can do about yourself.

Think positive, always!

SOURCE: http://www.citypulseng.com/2017/07/grass-to-grace-how-one-mans-effort-made.html

- * Originally wanted to be lawyer and film actor

- * Why he left Brila Group

- * Still misses Chief Larry Izamoje

- * Enumerate 3 factors needed to became a successful sports broadcaster

- * Why sports company was named '27 July Limited'


For many, going to school or work was not complete without listening to Brila Sports programme on Ogun State Broadcasting Corporation (OGBC) and Cool FM in late ‘90s. If one missed the OGBC version, one can easily look forward to the Cool FM version which was just about 30 minutes difference. Popularly called ‘Sports Machine,’ the programme was co-anchored by two sports broadcasting legends – Dr. Larry Echejile (now Larry Izamoje) and Abimbola Adeola otherwise known as the Top Striker. Although it was a 15-minute programme, you can be sure it would cover every sporting event that a day before or over the weekend.

A survey conducted in the South West even revealed that between 1999 and 2004, Brila was the foremost and most listened-to programme on the airwaves. That depicts how dynamic it was!


Making of The Dream Team

While the latter (Adeola) has a swashbuckling and adrenalin-pumping approach to his delivery, the former was modest and provided indepth background with quality country music to further drive home the point. As that went on, other versatile radio presenters like Yemi Fagbolagun and Tony Obot joined the team.

The union was like a marriage made in heaven until Brila FM, an exclusive sports radio and Africa premier sports broadcasting studio, came on board to accommodate other segments like interviews, vox pop, player score cards, sports drive, fans assembly and the likes. While Izamoje assumed the post of managing director, Adeola became the general manager. The dynamic radio broadcasting station grew steadily and opened up 4 other radio stations in major cities across Nigeria, including Abuja and Port Harcourt.

In 2008, the Top Striker decided to part way with Izamoje to pursue his dream of becoming an entrepreneur like his former boss. Thus both parties were compelled to go their different ways to further their career calling. In truth, many (including this writer) did not really think he could recover so soon from such heart-rending break-up.

Ten years down the lane, it is amazing to see how Bimbo Adeola (also christened as ‘Oga Bee’ by his fans) has come after picking up pieces of what remained of his career at Brila FM. He still has that adrenalin-pumping and morale boosting control over the airwaves. He has made a massive impact with daily sports diets across the country on 16 stations nationwide. The popular ones among them are Soccer Expo, Game Show, This is Football and Mega Sports which currently aired on Star FM 101.5. In one of the recent surveys carried out on most listened-to sports programmes on radio in the country, it ranks among the Top 5. Apparently, it is one of those early morning programmes sports lovers look forward to.


How did he do it?

In this interesting interview with Adebayo Folorunsho-Francis, the sports analyst who cuts the image of an American music rapper opened up on a whole lot of issues ranging from humble beginning to his break-up with Brila FM and he came up with the concept of Mega Sports.


Tell us a bit about yourself, especially your upbringing and educational background

I came from a humble background. Although I was born in Lagos, I hail from Ondo State. I bagged my first degree in Political Science at the Ondo State University, Ado-Ekiti (now University of Ado-Ekiti) and Master in Public and International Affairs at the University of Lagos (UNILAG).


As kids, we tend to have childhood fantasies. Did you actually dream at a point that you will become a sports pundit?

I actually wanted to become a lawyer, actor and broadcaster. God made me one out of the three but I never thought it would be in sports.


Were there moments you regret not taking up football or any other sport as a career?

Never! But maybe outside sports though.


Why?

When some of my friends were getting employed in oil companies and banks, earning big and I was just being paid 'peanuts.' Who doesn't want to earn well? (laughs)


Who were your role models before veering into sports reporting?

Nobody actually! But let me just say I respected those already in the trade.


Over time, we know you are bound to have one. Have they changed or you probably have new ones as you progressed?

I just wanted to do my thing because sports wasn't even thought about ab initio because I started out in Clapperboard TV as an entertainment / kiddies / youth programmes production before I got the opportunity to go on air.


You have been in the sports business for long. If serious investors seek your counsel on areas to invest in Nigerian sports business, what niches would you suggest?

I am sure you expect me to say football but no! We have tennis, basketball, volleyball and even handball. These are sports that have been neglected for so along but they have the potential of giving any brand a great mileage. You need to see basketball games being played in Kano and the crowd that throng the venue. Put in good sponsorship and you'll see returns.


To become an accomplished sports broadcaster and entrepreneur like yourself, what advice will you give young people looking up to you?

Just three things - Work hard, work hard and work hard! Unfortunately, the new ones are not ready to do that. It is all about money right now and it is sad.


You were once an integral part of Brila FM from inception until fans woke one day to hear you had left. What happened?

Stagnant pool stinks, so it goes with me. I had to plough my own land too and God made it happen.


In retrospect, can you confidently say your decision to leave the organisation you co-pioneered was a good one?

Yes, it has been okay so far and I give God the praise.


Were there times you miss your former boss, Dr. Larry Izamoje?

Of course! This was a man I spent nine years of my life working with.


What lesson did you take away from your split?

To keep at what I was doing. Not waiting for salary at the end of the month makes it more challenging and God had been faithful.


In floating your outfit (can’t recollect the name at the moment), will you say your name and pedigree worked for you?

27 July Limited is our company's name. Like the Bible says, a man's gift will make room for him and I can say that God has been there all the way. I appreciate those who have the confidence that I can always deliver.


Are there areas of improvement for today’s sports broadcasting?

Hard work pays no matter how you look at it. The elevator to success has crashed, they should take the stairs. There are no quick fixes in life. You must take the pain for the gain to come.


Why chose a strange name as 27 July Limited for a business?

It represents my son's birthday


Finally, if you were not to be a Nigerian, what nationality would you have opted for and why?

None! Nigeria over and over again...

SOURCE: http://www.citypulseng.com/2017/06/the-untold-success-story-of-ace-sports.html

At least, we can start from somewhere first.

Mechanised farming in itself is capital intensive and can be quite hard to sustain without government support

mikolo80:
story
6000 tractors where we need between 100 thousand(manageable)and 1 million tractors (full mechanisation)
just tractors o
not harvesters or storage or processing machines o
just tractors

For decades, I have been wondering how so many imported rice were allowed to flood the Nigerian food market unabated. The excuses I got were either flippant (to say the least) or untenable. Not until I stumbled on a classic write-up by Ray Ekpu (one of my favourite writers during the era of Newswatch Magazine). It sums up virtually everything I need to know.

I guess you will enjoy it too…

During the Second Republic there was some bit of cash to throw around because crude oil was doing its duty well: bringing in the dollars. But there was not much food, not for the stomach, not for the refuse bin. The government came up with an answer. It had promised during the campaigns to usher in an unspoiled paradise. Time to deliver. It decided to import rice from all corners of the globe.

At the cabinet meeting where the proposal was tabled a young Cabinet Minister made a suggestion that the government should invest the money in rice production rather than importation. He was just barking up the wrong tree. His sensible suggestion was brushed aside. It was easy to yield to the importation impulse because rice importers were already on the queue, salivating and those who benefit from the kickbacks were also on their own queues, salivating.


Nigeria brought into the country rice from every conceivable part of the planet – Uncle Ben’s rice from America and Thailand parboiled rice from Thailand. We made rice producers in other countries rich and rice producers in Nigeria poor from non-patronage. Our ports were choked. The press named it the “rice armada.”

The young cabinet minister who made that heretical statement must have had a stab in the heart when the imported rice choked our ports. That man is, today, Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development: Audu Ogbeh.

Ogbeh brings to the table his experience in politics as chairman of the PDP and in Agriculture as a cashew nut and poultry farmer. He now has a chance to step up to the plate. He is now swallowing his own medicine by turning vigorously to the idea of producing rather than importing food which in the last three decades or so has gulped about $22 billion yearly of Nigeria’s scarce resources.

I find the new agriculture architecture interesting. It seems to be organised in concentric circles. In the innermost circle is the Life Improvement Family Enterprise (LIFE), a programme that attempts to empower youths and women in the rural areas for subsistence farming. The target is to directly empower three million rural youths and women so that they can produce about 14 million metric tonnes of food in the 9,975 council wards across the 774 local government areas. The outer circle is populated by the state governments and private sector entrepreneurs who produce rice and other consummables in commercial quantity.

States such as Kebbi, Nasarawa, Ebonyi etc are already making big strides in rice production. Private sector entrepreneurs such as Aliko Dangote, Cosmas Maduka and Olam in Nasarawa State are weighing in with huge investments in rice production. The state governments and the big private sector companies are engaged in mechanised farming which will vastly improve food availability.

The Federal Government’s Mechanisation Intervention Programme, we learn, involves the distribution of 6,000 tractors and 13,000 harvest and post-harvest equipment units to the various states of the federation. With all these plans in place Ogbeh believes Nigeria will be self-sufficient in rice production by the end of this year.

For many Nigerians imported products are an exhilarating status symbol whether the quality is better than the local product or not. Take rice for example. Locally produced rice is healthier and more nutritious than the imported, polished rice. Some people claim that the imported rice is less expensive than the local rice.


It is up to our rice producers to ensure that they do not price themselves out of the market. It is also the responsibility of government to ensure that the country is not flooded with inferior food items from abroad that are sold cheaply at the expense of good quality local products. Did you not read of jollof rice imported from India into Nigeria?

SOURCE: http://www.citypulseng.com/2017/07/how-uncle-bens-other-imported-rice.html

For decades, I have been wondering how so many imported rice were allowed to flood the Nigerian food market unabated. The excuses I got were either flippant (to say the least) or untenable. Not until I stumbled on a classic write-up by Ray Ekpu (one of my favourite writers during the era of Newswatch Magazine). It sums up virtually everything I need to know.

I guess you will enjoy it too…

During the Second Republic there was some bit of cash to throw around because crude oil was doing its duty well: bringing in the dollars. But there was not much food, not for the stomach, not for the refuse bin. The government came up with an answer. It had promised during the campaigns to usher in an unspoiled paradise. Time to deliver. It decided to import rice from all corners of the globe.

At the cabinet meeting where the proposal was tabled a young Cabinet Minister made a suggestion that the government should invest the money in rice production rather than importation. He was just barking up the wrong tree. His sensible suggestion was brushed aside. It was easy to yield to the importation impulse because rice importers were already on the queue, salivating and those who benefit from the kickbacks were also on their own queues, salivating.


Nigeria brought into the country rice from every conceivable part of the planet – Uncle Ben’s rice from America and Thailand parboiled rice from Thailand. We made rice producers in other countries rich and rice producers in Nigeria poor from non-patronage. Our ports were choked. The press named it the “rice armada.”

The young cabinet minister who made that heretical statement must have had a stab in the heart when the imported rice choked our ports. That man is, today, Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development: Audu Ogbeh.

Ogbeh brings to the table his experience in politics as chairman of the PDP and in Agriculture as a cashew nut and poultry farmer. He now has a chance to step up to the plate. He is now swallowing his own medicine by turning vigorously to the idea of producing rather than importing food which in the last three decades or so has gulped about $22 billion yearly of Nigeria’s scarce resources.

I find the new agriculture architecture interesting. It seems to be organised in concentric circles. In the innermost circle is the Life Improvement Family Enterprise (LIFE), a programme that attempts to empower youths and women in the rural areas for subsistence farming. The target is to directly empower three million rural youths and women so that they can produce about 14 million metric tonnes of food in the 9,975 council wards across the 774 local government areas. The outer circle is populated by the state governments and private sector entrepreneurs who produce rice and other consummables in commercial quantity.

States such as Kebbi, Nasarawa, Ebonyi etc are already making big strides in rice production. Private sector entrepreneurs such as Aliko Dangote, Cosmas Maduka and Olam in Nasarawa State are weighing in with huge investments in rice production. The state governments and the big private sector companies are engaged in mechanised farming which will vastly improve food availability.

The Federal Government’s Mechanisation Intervention Programme, we learn, involves the distribution of 6,000 tractors and 13,000 harvest and post-harvest equipment units to the various states of the federation. With all these plans in place Ogbeh believes Nigeria will be self-sufficient in rice production by the end of this year.

For many Nigerians imported products are an exhilarating status symbol whether the quality is better than the local product or not. Take rice for example. Locally produced rice is healthier and more nutritious than the imported, polished rice. Some people claim that the imported rice is less expensive than the local rice.


It is up to our rice producers to ensure that they do not price themselves out of the market. It is also the responsibility of government to ensure that the country is not flooded with inferior food items from abroad that are sold cheaply at the expense of good quality local products. Did you not read of jollof rice imported from India into Nigeria?

SOURCE: http://www.citypulseng.com/2017/07/how-uncle-bens-other-imported-rice.html

Pastor Seyi Ogunorunyinka, general overseer of the Promised Land Restoration Ministry, has lashed out at Ministers of God who tend to force their spouses on the Church as assistant pastors.

Addressing his congregation during a sermon on the topic, “Abundance of Rain” last Sunday, the trendy preacher noted that in the absence of God’s presence, some servants of God are known to resort to use of voodoo and evil powers.

“To cover up their tracks, they have no option other than to make their wives either second-in-command or assistant pastors because they know their husbands’ secrets. They are those popularly referred to as Pastor Mrs,” he remarked.

In reference to the Book of 1 Kings 17 & 18, Ogunorunyinka said such wicked case is not different from that of King Ahab and Jezebel, adding that such pastors are the ones giving true Men of God bad names.

He recalled instances where some ministers allegedly engaged comedians to partake in stage-managed miracles by acting blind, deaf, dumb or dead in return for money.

“There was one particular video clip I watched recently on WhatsApp where the preacher engaged a guy to pretend as a dead man brought in a coffin to the revival ground for miracle. Unfortunately, the man died from suffocation before the proposed sham miracle began.

“These are perilous times. We have too many dubious preachers on the rampage. Until now, Nigeria used to have foreign missionaries coming into the country to minister at crusades and revivals. Today, the case is different. They have stopped coming because of dubious practice among the organisers who are, of course, pastors,” he declared.

While warning ministers of the Gospel to have a rethink and shun the habitual attempt to scam innocent people of God, Ogunorunyinka called on Nigerians not to give up praying for them.

“As ministers, we must learn the act of telling the truth and offering selfless service to the people. Also, part of our prayers should be for God to raise us pastors that will stand for truth. Not the ones that will foster their wives as authority over his people. They are all over the place. Once they anoint themselves as pastors, their wives must become Pastor Mrs. They want to be seen on Church banners, bulletins, posters and souvenirs.

The oppression is too much. But just like that popular Christian hymn by Daniel Whittle, THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING; THIS IS THE PROMISE OF LOVE for those who truly wait on God,” he charged.

SOURCE: http://www.citypulseng.com/2017/06/gods-wrath-coming-on-pastors-who-force.html

I quite agree with you.

HungerBAD:
A moving story.

Men like Alex Ekwueme in the East have gone into extinction.

He is indeed a rare breed.

There was a Eastern Nigerian. Once upon a time,well educated men like Zik,Chuba Okadigbo,Cyprian Ekwensi,Justice Oputa and Chinua Achebe and his likes were looked upon as role models by all.

And now?the new role models are Nnamdi Kanu,Ralph Nwazuruike,Ekweremadu and the political kleptomaniac called Iwuanyanwu.

Sighs. No more role models across the bridge anymore. There indeed was a Eastern Nigeria.

You are a very dude!

Quality don't usually make the front page. It is a trend I have noticed about Nairaland which I believe should work on.

Anyway, people like us are not deterred. We will continue pushing for originality.

Benekruku:
Brilliant and enlightening write-up!

If "SNAKE" had been in the write-up, it would have conveniently hit front-page.


Try add a picture of a python cos it would be easier for Tonto Dike`s picture cleaning her kitchen than for this exclusive write-up to hit front-page

Pastor Seyi Ogunorunyinka, general overseer of the Promised Land Restoration Ministry, has lashed out at Ministers of God who tend to force their spouses on the Church as assistant pastors.

Addressing his congregation during a sermon on the topic, “Abundance of Rain” last Sunday, the trendy preacher noted that in the absence of God’s presence, some servants of God are known to resort to use of voodoo and evil powers.

“To cover up their tracks, they have no option other than to make their wives either second-in-command or assistant pastors because they know their husbands’ secrets. They are those popularly referred to as Pastor Mrs,” he remarked.

In reference to the Book of 1 Kings 17 & 18, Ogunorunyinka said such wicked case is not different from that of King Ahab and Jezebel, adding that such pastors are the ones giving true Men of God bad names.

He recalled instances where some ministers allegedly engaged comedians to partake in stage-managed miracles by acting blind, deaf, dumb or dead in return for money.

“There was one particular video clip I watched recently on WhatsApp where the preacher engaged a guy to pretend as a dead man brought in a coffin to the revival ground for miracle. Unfortunately, the man died from suffocation before the proposed sham miracle began.

“These are perilous times. We have too many dubious preachers on the rampage. Until now, Nigeria used to have foreign missionaries coming into the country to minister at crusades and revivals. Today, the case is different. They have stopped coming because of dubious practice among the organisers who are, of course, pastors,” he declared.

While warning ministers of the Gospel to have a rethink and shun the habitual attempt to scam innocent people of God, Ogunorunyinka called on Nigerians not to give up praying for them.

“As ministers, we must learn the act of telling the truth and offering selfless service to the people. Also, part of our prayers should be for God to raise us pastors that will stand for truth. Not the ones that will foster their wives as authority over his people. They are all over the place. Once they anoint themselves as pastors, their wives must become Pastor Mrs. They want to be seen on Church banners, bulletins, posters and souvenirs.

The oppression is too much. But just like that popular Christian hymn by Daniel Whittle, THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING; THIS IS THE PROMISE OF LOVE for those who truly wait on God,” he charged.

SOURCE: http://www.citypulseng.com/2017/06/gods-wrath-coming-on-pastors-who-force.html

The Nigerian Civil War (1967-1970) otherwise known as ‘Biafran War’ may have come and gone, the memory still lingers on. One interesting feature of the civil strife is that whenever it is discussed, it tends to throw up a fresh dimension and new story line to the over-30 months mayhem.

From snuffing out some of our great war heroes to how people fled for safety outside their once-comfortable abode, the tale is endless.

One of my favourite journalists cum historians, Dare Babarinsa, has an archive that is replete with such articles. In a recent narrative, one of such private stories concerns a young banker, who had a house in Apapa G.R.A. His neighbour then was a young Igbo architect.

The architect fled in the wake of the crisis and relocated to the Eastern Nigeria enclave of the ill-fated Republic of Biafra. When the war ended in 1970, the architect returned to Lagos and the banker not only returned the house to the owner, he had kept all the proceeds of the rent for him in the bank.


Guess who the banker is?

That young banker is Otunba Michael Olasubomi Balogun, the founder of the First City Monument Bank (FCMB) and the architect in this narrative is one of Africa’s elder statesmen and former Vice President of the Republic of Nigeria, Dr. Alex Ekwueme. While Otunba Balogun, a first class prince of Ijebuland and Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON) was somewhat different like other Yoruba kinsmen in other parts of the West, we know what happened to abandoned properties in other parts of the Federation.



The story did not just end there.

Ekwueme was to repay such unusual kindness and generosity a decade later when he emerged as deputy president in Shehu Shagari’s government (1979-1983).

Balogun, a trained lawyer-turned-banker, explained that his major turnaround, facilitated by the former vice president, occurred when he was desperately seeking to secure the licence for his bank.

This was how the 84-year-old puts in his interview with Top Celebrities Magazine:

“When I wanted to set up a bank, many people saw it as an anathema, something unheard of. Some even claimed that I was a protégé of a particular politician and so they went about saying ‘Don’t give him any licence!’ If you give him a licence, he would use it to finance someone else.

Some people thought it was crazy for a man to say he wanted to set up a bank. My stroke of fortune however turned out to be my relationship with former vice-president Alex Ekwueme.

Ekwueme and I had been friends for a long time before politics (as mentioned earlier). I even advised him not to go into politics but at that time, he was already the vice president.

One day, he was coming to the cathedral. I planned with my wife that we were going to waylay him. While he was coming down that aisle, I broke the cordon, pulled the vice-president’s cloth; my wife pulled the cloth of his wife. The security people thought we were mad.

Alex looked at me and said, “Subomi, what is the problem?”

I said, “Mr. Vice-President, where is my licence?”

He looked at his entourage and asked them to excuse us. It was there that he instructed me to come and see him at Dodan Barracks. Of course, that was after he had hinted me on those behind my plight. In fact, he further disclosed that somebody from our own part of the world (Yorubaland) had confided in them that if they give it to that man, he is going to give his money to (Obafemi) Awolowo.

Alex reassured, “Don’t worry yourself, Subomi! Just come on Thursday at the Federal Executive Council meeting which I would preside because President Shehu Shagari would not be there.”

By 3.00pm, Alex asked the minister of finance, Yomi Akintola to phone that my licence was ready. I shouted and said God has saved me. I am just giving you this landmark to show how Alex has formed part of my success story and that I am a chosen child of God,” he concluded.

Well, you will agree with me that it pays to be good regardless of tribe, sex and language.

SOURCE: http://www.citypulseng.com/2017/03/biafran-war-meet-man-who-secured-and.html

CityPulse Nigeria
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All over the world, records are meant to be created and to be broken. When the issue of the most qualified in Eti Osa part of Lagos Metropolis first came up, a handful of names were thrown up. This got us at CityPulse Nigeria thinking about running an indepth survey.

The result was outstanding!

Virtually all the revered community leaders and elder statesmen we interviewed in Eti Osa pointed at the late two-time second republic minister and senator of the federal republic of Nigeria – Sen. Wahab Olaseinde Dosunmu as being the first to have the highest level of academic degree in Eti Osa.

While Hon Yahya Dosunmu, a former Lagos State House of Reps member, recalled that Dosunmu, Chief A. O. Anjorin, one of the leading permanent secretaries in Lagos then and himself attended the first education building in Ado as far back as 1945 when there was no school at all in Eti Osa.

Not done, his passion for further education cut him out as a cult hero in the community. Imagine getting a Masters when your contemporaries are contented with a university degree,

Let alone a Ph.D!





Dr. Kolade Sulaiman Adams, a lecturer in Lagos State University (LASU) and a fellow Ph.D holder in International Relations and Strategic Studies, described Dosunmu as an illustrious son of Ado community in Eti Osa Local Government Area of Lagos.


A prominent politician and former minister for housing, the late Dosunmu won a seat at the Nigerian senate from 1999-2003.

The politician along with other members of National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) was prominent in the struggle for the actualisations of the June 12 presidential mandate of late Chief M.K.O Abiola in 1993. Between 2004 and 2007, he was High Commissioner to Malaysia.

It would be recalled that Dosunmu contested the Lagos governorship primaries in 1999 and lost the ticket to Senator Bola Tinubu. He, however, clinched the ticket for the Lagos Central Senatorial District and won on the platform of Alliance for Democracy (AD). Later, he defected with some other AD federal lawmakers to PDP. Dosunmu remained a vibrant member of the Senate where he was Chairman, Senate Committee on Science and Technology till 2003.

He later fell seriously ill and had to be flown abroad for further treatment. Just when many turned the senator has fully recuperated after he was spotted shuttling in and out of a particular hospital in the United States,

Dosunmu died on Sunday, June 9, 2013 in the presence of his wife, Modinat Dosunmu.

Even in death, his legacies and footprints in Eti Osa and Lagos politics has become a standard of sort for those seeking to emulate his feat.

According to Dr Ade Dosunmu, a former PDP guber candidate in Lagos, it must be noted that a humble family background and strict religious upbringing invested young Wahab with strong character and virtues. He was raised an effective ‘Epetedo boy,’ cosmopolitan, urbane, assertive, dignified, modest and humble! These attributes were a major plank upon which he cultivated a focused and disciplined approach to life.

SOURCE: http://www.citypulseng.com/2017/05/guess-who-holds-record-of-1st-phd.html

All over the world, records are meant to be created and to be broken. When the issue of the most qualified in Eti Osa part of Lagos Metropolis first came up, a handful of names were thrown up. This got us at CityPulse Nigeria thinking about running an indepth survey.

The result was outstanding!

Virtually all the revered community leaders and elder statesmen we interviewed in Eti Osa pointed at the late two-time second republic minister and senator of the federal republic of Nigeria – Sen. Wahab Olaseinde Dosunmu as being the first to have the highest level of academic degree in Eti Osa.

While Hon Yahya Dosunmu, a former Lagos State House of Reps member, recalled that Dosunmu, Chief A. O. Anjorin, one of the leading permanent secretaries in Lagos then and himself attended the first education building in Ado as far back as 1945 when there was no school at all in Eti Osa.

Not done, his passion for further education cut him out as a cult hero in the community. Imagine getting a Masters when your contemporaries are contented with a university degree,

Let alone a Ph.D!





Dr. Kolade Sulaiman Adams, a lecturer in Lagos State University (LASU) and a fellow Ph.D holder in International Relations and Strategic Studies, described Dosunmu as an illustrious son of Ado community in Eti Osa Local Government Area of Lagos.


A prominent politician and former minister for housing, the late Dosunmu won a seat at the Nigerian senate from 1999-2003.

The politician along with other members of National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) was prominent in the struggle for the actualisations of the June 12 presidential mandate of late Chief M.K.O Abiola in 1993. Between 2004 and 2007, he was High Commissioner to Malaysia.

It would be recalled that Dosunmu contested the Lagos governorship primaries in 1999 and lost the ticket to Senator Bola Tinubu. He, however, clinched the ticket for the Lagos Central Senatorial District and won on the platform of Alliance for Democracy (AD). Later, he defected with some other AD federal lawmakers to PDP. Dosunmu remained a vibrant member of the Senate where he was Chairman, Senate Committee on Science and Technology till 2003.

He later fell seriously ill and had to be flown abroad for further treatment. Just when many turned the senator has fully recuperated after he was spotted shuttling in and out of a particular hospital in the United States,

Dosunmu died on Sunday, June 9, 2013 in the presence of his wife, Modinat Dosunmu.

Even in death, his legacies and footprints in Eti Osa and Lagos politics has become a standard of sort for those seeking to emulate his feat.

According to Dr Ade Dosunmu, a former PDP guber candidate in Lagos, it must be noted that a humble family background and strict religious upbringing invested young Wahab with strong character and virtues. He was raised an effective ‘Epetedo boy,’ cosmopolitan, urbane, assertive, dignified, modest and humble! These attributes were a major plank upon which he cultivated a focused and disciplined approach to life.

SOURCE: http://www.citypulseng.com/2017/05/guess-who-holds-record-of-1st-phd.html

In late 1920s, Late Alhaji Fasasi Adams, a young Islamic scholar embarked on a trip to Mecca via road in what many earlier thought was an impossible feat.

In those days, there was no major means of transport. The only popular means of transport in and out of Lagos Island was by camels and horses.

However Fasasi, whose father and mother were indigene of Ado settlement in Lagos, managed to find his way around and moved to Egypt. He was a young adventurous man in his late 20s. It was from Egypt that he crossed over to Mecca where he spent six and a half years before heading back home.

In fact, people thought he was dead. If you fully understand how people reasoned back in those days when there was no means of communication, you will get my point. There was no means to write home because things like postal office or post masters were not yet in existence.

So how did young Fasasi fare in his controversial journey? City Pulse Nigeria paid a visit to his hometown (Ado) in a quest to find out two things – authenticity of the story and what his people thought about him.

Fare enough, there were a handful of people who confirmed it was true. Some gave us an incomplete version of how this Holy Sojourn impacted on the town. Not until we bumped into two detailed versions from his nephew, Alhaji Mohammed Adams, a former assistant director with Lagos State Internal Revenue Service and the other source, a revered community leader and former Lagos State House of Assembly member, Hon. Yahya Adeniyi Dosunmu.

Adams explained that, in truth, the swash-buckling Fasasi was the first Alhaji in the entire Eti Osa.

"Alhaji Fasasi Adams who happened to be my uncle was equally from this town. My parents used to tell me about how he brought fame to this family when he trekked to Hajj from Lagos with a group of people in 1920s," he enthused.

Hon. Dosunmu continued the story from where the latter left off.

“I may not be sure about the exact year, but I think he returned from his Mecca trip around 1935 or 1936. It was about that period people like us were about to be born (laughs). I was born in 1939 precisely. Ironically, I learnt that it was this same Alhaji Fasasi who officiated at my naming ceremony.

It is also imperative to note that he was one of the first few privileged educated folks who had access to Arabic education. It was Arabic that brought the first glimpse of civilisation into our society. Then it was a sight to behold seeing somebody who had sojourned for seven years, coming back and speaking Arabic fluently as well as reading the Holy Quran and interpreting it.

I recalled that some Alfas would cross over to Lagos to visit him. He had then established an Arabic school before the establishment of any primary school in Ado. He even went as far as bring in so many people from far and near in Eti Osa to come and learn Arabic. That was why we had people like Adewale, the former missioner, who died in Jammat Islammiyah; Muri Olufunmi, who also became a great teacher and Alhaji Imam Alimi. These people were his products who later became teachers too. These people went to school at adult age and became useful especially when the colonial masters came, taught and converted them to teachers in their classrooms.

He went back to Mecca in early 1980s where he later died. Prior to that time, he had always dreamt of dying at the Holy Land in the far Middle East. That has always been his wish ever since I knew him. Luckily for a man with such desire, he travelled to Mecca that same year. However he has a phobia that the people around him were not holy enough to carry his body. He had this obsession that many of them were sinners and not worthy enough to carry his body.

Fasasi’s character was not that weird before, not until he learnt about the death of the only man he ever trusted and whom he thought would eventually bury him when he die. He became a different person and started dreaming of dying in Mecca one day. There was a time I tried dissuading him from repeating such mantra, he remained adamant.

He died at the age of 80 a fulfilled Muslim.

Many scholars and historians had made painstaking efforts to get, at least one of, his photographs to no avail. Fasasi was someone who never took delight in taking pictures. He was such a conservative Muslim cleric who believed that since nobody has seen the image of Prophet Mohammed, it would be an anathema to dare to snap one.

Another reason was possibly because he knew humans, once given such privilege, may resort to start idolising such photographs. You recall that Osama Bin Laden was drown by the United States Marine in the deepest part of the blue sea. They knew if the body was allowed to be buried, his followers may gather round his graveyard and turn it to a worship centre.


On why Fasasi was not immortalised...

“The society we are, particularly Eti Osa, was hardly given such recognition. We can only say that we are somewhat lucky now that we are getting closes to the government.

Until now, Ado and all the villages in Eti Osa were mere settlement. People went about their farming, fishing and petty trading businesses. You tend to hear the cries of pap and akara sellers in the wee hours of each morning. Some usually returned late in the evening fagged out. The only thought on their mind as at that time was just to get something to eat and sleep.

Tell me, who out of this lot did you actually think had the time to talk about immortalising supposed heroes?"

What a legend! Interesting, isn't it?

SOURCE: http://www.citypulseng.com/2017/05/behold-legendary-muslim-scholar-who.html

In late 1920s, Late Alhaji Fasasi Adams, a young Islamic scholar embarked on a trip to Mecca via road in what many earlier thought was an impossible feat.

In those days, there was no major means of transport. The only popular means of transport in and out of Lagos Island was by camels and horses.

However Fasasi, whose father and mother were indigene of Ado settlement in Lagos, managed to find his way around and moved to Egypt. He was a young adventurous man in his late 20s. It was from Egypt that he crossed over to Mecca where he spent six and a half years before heading back home.

In fact, people thought he was dead. If you fully understand how people reasoned back in those days when there was no means of communication, you will get my point. There was no means to write home because things like postal office or post masters were not yet in existence.

So how did young Fasasi fare in his controversial journey? City Pulse Nigeria paid a visit to his hometown (Ado) in a quest to find out two things – authenticity of the story and what his people thought about him.

Fare enough, there were a handful of people who confirmed it was true. Some gave us an incomplete version of how this Holy Sojourn impacted on the town. Not until we bumped into two detailed versions from his nephew, Alhaji Mohammed Adams, a former assistant director with Lagos State Internal Revenue Service and the other source, a revered community leader and former Lagos State House of Assembly member, Hon. Yahya Adeniyi Dosunmu.

Adams explained that, in truth, the swash-buckling Fasasi was the first Alhaji in the entire Eti Osa.

"Alhaji Fasasi Adams who happened to be my uncle was equally from this town. My parents used to tell me about how he brought fame to this family when he trekked to Hajj from Lagos with a group of people in 1920s," he enthused.

Hon. Dosunmu continued the story from where the latter left off.

“I may not be sure about the exact year, but I think he returned from his Mecca trip around 1935 or 1936. It was about that period people like us were about to be born (laughs). I was born in 1939 precisely. Ironically, I learnt that it was this same Alhaji Fasasi who officiated at my naming ceremony.

It is also imperative to note that he was one of the first few privileged educated folks who had access to Arabic education. It was Arabic that brought the first glimpse of civilisation into our society. Then it was a sight to behold seeing somebody who had sojourned for seven years, coming back and speaking Arabic fluently as well as reading the Holy Quran and interpreting it.

I recalled that some Alfas would cross over to Lagos to visit him. He had then established an Arabic school before the establishment of any primary school in Ado. He even went as far as bring in so many people from far and near in Eti Osa to come and learn Arabic. That was why we had people like Adewale, the former missioner, who died in Jammat Islammiyah; Muri Olufunmi, who also became a great teacher and Alhaji Imam Alimi. These people were his products who later became teachers too. These people went to school at adult age and became useful especially when the colonial masters came, taught and converted them to teachers in their classrooms.

He went back to Mecca in early 1980s where he later died. Prior to that time, he had always dreamt of dying at the Holy Land in the far Middle East. That has always been his wish ever since I knew him. Luckily for a man with such desire, he travelled to Mecca that same year. However he has a phobia that the people around him were not holy enough to carry his body. He had this obsession that many of them were sinners and not worthy enough to carry his body.

Fasasi’s character was not that weird before, not until he learnt about the death of the only man he ever trusted and whom he thought would eventually bury him when he die. He became a different person and started dreaming of dying in Mecca one day. There was a time I tried dissuading him from repeating such mantra, he remained adamant.

He died at the age of 80 a fulfilled Muslim.

Many scholars and historians had made painstaking efforts to get, at least one of, his photographs to no avail. Fasasi was someone who never took delight in taking pictures. He was such a conservative Muslim cleric who believed that since nobody has seen the image of Prophet Mohammed, it would be an anathema to dare to snap one.

Another reason was possibly because he knew humans, once given such privilege, may resort to start idolising such photographs. You recall that Osama Bin Laden was drown by the United States Marine in the deepest part of the blue sea. They knew if the body was allowed to be buried, his followers may gather round his graveyard and turn it to a worship centre.


On why Fasasi was not immortalised...

“The society we are, particularly Eti Osa, was hardly given such recognition. We can only say that we are somewhat lucky now that we are getting closes to the government.

Until now, Ado and all the villages in Eti Osa were mere settlement. People went about their farming, fishing and petty trading businesses. You tend to hear the cries of pap and akara sellers in the wee hours of each morning. Some usually returned late in the evening fagged out. The only thought on their mind as at that time was just to get something to eat and sleep.

Tell me, who out of this lot did you actually think had the time to talk about immortalising supposed heroes?"

What a legend! Interesting, isn't it?

SOURCE: http://www.citypulseng.com/2017/05/behold-legendary-muslim-scholar-who.html

I spent the entire Sunday night appeasing Francisca, my 4-year-old daughter, who was battling with Whitlow (come to think of it, I grew up calling it ‘Wiklo’ like any average Nigerian). Her finger was sore with painful swelling and pus. That I was able to make it to Monday morning without breaking down emotionally was a miracle.

Rather than rush all the way to Mt Sinai Hospital, the infirmary I pitched my health insurance with, I headed for the Ebute Metta Public Health Centre being closer to my residence in Yaba.

Guess what I discovered?

The admission card is pro bono, consultation and diagnoses are absolutely free!

Wow!

“Why then do people still patronise ‘Opa Eyin’ and ‘Agbo Iba’ vendors?” I pondered.

Anyway, I am not here to hold brief for ‘Itesiwaju Eko.’ Back to the issue at hand.

After due consultation with one of the young brilliant doctors on duty, I took the prescription to the pharmacy to procure the drugs.

As I tried explaining my mission to the pharmacist, a familiar face surfaced and whispered something into the ear of the lady pharmacist.

On his way out, he smiled and waved at me saying ‘How is work, Sir?’ It was more of rhetoric as he didn’t even wait for my reply.

‘Who is this man?’ I kept asking myself.

Fifteen minutes later, the lady pharmacist was back with my drugs – Ceftriaxone (injection with syringe for a 3 day-treatment), Amoxicillin, Vit C suspension and Paracetamol suspension.

As she handed me the receipt, I winced at the total cost. N8,650 in this economic recession? Isn’t the idea of using another hospital outside my health insurance a big mistake?

Long story short, when I dipped my hand in my pocket fishing for my ATM card, the lady gave me a quizzical look.

“If what you are looking for is money, don’t bother. The chief pharmacist has settled your bill!” she said.’

What? I stared hard at her. No way, I am not going to allow anybody do a ‘Ruben Abati’ for me. There is no way I will receive a Greek Gift from strangers, more so in a government parastatal.

“Sorry o, who is the chief pharmacist you mentioned?” I quipped.

“You mean you don’t the man who greeted you earlier?” she looked surprised.

It was then my mind went to work. I demanded to see him, at least, to thank him.

Five minutes later, we shook hands and hugged each other.

He was among the 30 chief pharmacists of public health centres, general hospitals and federal medical centres honoured at Micro Nova Annual 2015 Awards Nite held at Protea Hotel in Ikeja sometime in February this year. As expected, I was invited along with other journalists to cover the event.

At the end of the programme, the chief pharmacist made an usual request. He wants me to send him every picture of him from sitting posture to collection of award. ‘I am not a commercial photographer, Sir!’ I tried to evade him.

But he came after me begging persistently, ‘I know you are not. I was just hoping you could help by sending them to my email. I will be grateful if you can,’ he said extending a business card to me. I took another look at him and collected it.

The next day, I forwarded them to him and he acknowledged by saying he is grateful.

Fast-forward 8 months after, here I am leveraging on such relationship. The same man I probably thought I wouldn’t see again settling a debt of N8,650 on my behalf.

Wow! It couldn’t get any better than this. Perhaps my coming to the health centre wasn’t a mistake after all. It appears to be providence-driven.

As I picked my kid to leave the premises, I turned to take another look at the clinic. Guess I have just added a new ally to my friendship list.

Source: http:///2fmkAvB

It is said that “A good advertisement is one which sells the product without drawing attention to itself.” Either way we look at it, BRT / LagBus have come to stay!

Like every form of advertising, advert reach in numbers should be considered while cost and demographic classification are also key in advertising.

As a mobile advertisement, you see BRT / LagBus running different routes in the metropolis. They stop at each designated bus terminal to drop and lift up passengers respectively. Many get stuck in traffic, some are chartered for religious or social events, few break down along the route due to mechanical fault, yet some others run a one-stop route from main terminal to the final destination.

The interesting feature about this is that whether you like whatever is advertised on the bus or not, it has a compelling way of drawing your attention as well as provoking your thoughts to whatever is being displayed. It is one aggressive marketing strategy for those hoping to rebrand businesses, launch new products, force new brands into the sub-consciousness of the average Lagosian as well as religious organisations planning a convention / revival programmes etc.

COMMON BRT ROUTES

Although BRT / LagBus initiative is not meant to take over the entire stretch of Lagos roads, 70 specific routes known to be chaotic and traffic prone were cut out to meet its purpose. The five major routes include:

· CMS - Ketu

· Maryland - Iyana Ipaja

· CMS – Lekki / Ajah

· Maryland – Ikotun / Igando

· Mile 12 – CMS



HOW IS BRT / LAGBUS ADVERTISEMENT DIFFERENT FROM NEWSPAPER, RADIO AND TELEVISION?

As mentioned earlier, advertising on BRT / LagBus is relatively cheap and reaches a wide range of people who would ordinarily not see your advert on TV, radio or newspaper. To clarify that statement, let us run a comparative analysis of daily rate card of three newspapers (coloured) to justify that statement.

Full Page (N) Half Page (N)
PUNCH 620,000 385,450
THE SUN 578,000 342,000
GUARDIAN 619,500 382,000

From the table above, we can see what an average full page / half page cost in the dailies. For the record, with the current deplorable state of the economy and the dwindling reading culture in the country, NO Nigerian newspaper can claim to sell 100,000 copies in a day. Yet your precious advert expires in 24 hours unless you book it concurrently.

Let us examine the pros and cons of premium airtime rate for television and radio.

Premium Rate For Radio
15’ 30’ 60’
BEAT FM 6,500 8,500 15,500
BRILA FM 6,500 9,500 15,000
INSPIRATION 7,085 8,874 13,865

The above rate is only for airtime alone, while every advertiser is expected to come with his own jingles with voice-overs which production alone ranges from N50,000 – N250,000 depending on quality, duration of jingles and negotiation reached. Secondly, for the advert to register into the subconscious minds of Nigerians, a serious advertiser knows that he needs to promote the jingles like three to ten times a day. That means multiplying the number of times by the fixed amount. Do the maths yourself...

Premium Airtime Rate For Television

15’ 30’ 45’ 60’
CHANNELS (6am – 3pm) 23,800 29,052 42,000 46,077
NTA (6.00am – 3.00pm) 10,000 18,000 20,000 25,000

As analysed under the radio premium rate, same thing applies here. Instead of jingles, you are expected to come up with a finished production (which cost varies, of course) before negotiating for the airtime. Just as explained in the former, for the advert to register into the subconscious minds of potential audience, advertisers know they need to promote the ad more than three times in a day. This also means multiplying the number of times by the fixed airtime rate.


HOW CHEAP EXACTLY IS BRT / LAGBUS ADVERTISEMENT COMPARE TO OTHER CONVENTIONAL ADVERTISEMENT MEDIA?
The cost of running an average advertisement on BRT / LagBus is pegged at N210,000 a bus per day (at the time of filing this report). What this connotes is that, regardless of the route, an advertiser is spending just N7,000 on a bus advertisement throughout the entire day. How does that sound?

Additional Benefits
· You might decide on the number of buses you hope to advertise vis-a-vis different route
· The stress of running after APCON, Lagos State Signage & Advertisement Agency (LASAA) and LAMATA will be taken care of at no extra fee.

· BRT / LagBus are great advertising platform that doesn’t require electricity, inverter or solar energy to pass its message

· Whichever side of the divide you are in traffic, you are bound to see the BRT / LagBus advertisement

· BRT / LagBus advert messages are clear and neatly branded
· BRT / LagBus has a general maintenance policy of cleaning advert materials on buses frequently
· Advertising on BRT / LagBus gives potential the luxury of maximising a 3-D dimensional space on each shuttle. Both sides of the bus measure 365 inches (length) X 54 inches (height) while the rear (including windscreen) measures 95 inches (length) X 58 inches (height).
· All advertisements on BRT / LagBus are insured against damages and vandalisation. Where such occurs, a replacement is made at no extra cost. Where else can you get that?


However, for an effective advertisement campaign plan, it is advisable that potential advertisers book for year or minimum of three months due to the limited number of BRT / LagBus carriages in Lagos.

Secondly, ad materials are produced and installed every quarter as the cost of producing and installing of a bus is N100,000. Of course, this cost would be bored by us as mentioned earlier.

Sidney Lanier, American musician and poet said: “If you want to be found, stand where the seeker seeks!”

If this prospect of advertising on BRT / LagBus in Lagos meets your demand, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.

SOURCE: http:///1PMpufu

It is not unusual to hear young entrepreneurs and small and medium scale (SMEs) business owners lamenting “I don’t have the financial muscle to advertise on television and radio” or “Advertising in Nigerian newspapers is outrageous!”

The lamentation further takes a different twist the moment you moot the idea of advertising on BRT / LAGBUS. Most entrepreneurs tend to turn and take another look at you to be sure you are okay.

The essence of advertisement, in the first place, is to call the public's attention to your business, usually for the purpose of selling products or services, through the use of various forms of media, such as print or broadcast notices.

Yet, we understand that brands, services, awareness campaigns on a metropolitan shuttle like LAGBUS / BRT readily gives value for money in the long run (if you missed the maiden article, read it here http:///1PMpufu), it is not advisable for small and medium scale enterprises.

That notwithstanding, smart SMEs can explore the huge opportunities embedded in showcasing brands via the ultra modern in-transit multimedia screen in every BRT / LAGBUS on Lagos roads.
It comes with huge benefits such as:

Stable power:
Whether there is power outage or, it has nothing to do with your advertisement which requires energy from the shuttle to run. Thus while commuters who are fatigued from continual scorching of the sun are cooling off in the air-conditioned buses, their attentions are focused on the multimedia which tends to play recent sports clips, trendy music and movie trailers neatly blend with a handful of in-transit TV commercials.

Demography (Audience):
BRT Commuters cut across the ‘B’ to ‘C’ classes (medium to average income earners) which comprise civil servants, technocrats, business owners, market women, students, religious leaders, corp members, artisans and traders among others.

Reach
* An average 15’ 30’ or 60’ commercial slot runs 56 times daily, 392 times weekly and 1,568 times monthly.

• No of Buses: 400

• No of Commuters Daily: 460,000

• Average No of Commuters Monthly:14,000,000

• Passenger Flow (Peak Period): 360000

• Passenger Flow (Off Peak): 100,000

• Passenger capacity/bus: 80 (37 sitting/43 standing)

• Daily Passenger Flow/Bus: An average of 200 passengers (including those embarking and disembarking at different bus terminals) per trip

• Each bus makes 20 trips (to and fro) each day. That makes the total carriage about 4,000 passengers per day and 120,000 commuters per month thereby offering advertisers the opportunity to reach a wide, diverse, heterogeneous audience.

As earlier mentioned, product / service commercials will be featured amidst entertaining content such as musical videos, sports, movie trailers, fashion tips, comedy flicks and so on. This guarantees large viewership of your advert.
Interestingly, we presently have 400 in-transit audio and visual display units available in BRT commercial shuttles.

Cost friendly:
For as low as N60, 000 per month, SMEs can be assured of maximum exposure to commuters who form the bulk of their potential customers at a relatively cheap rate. As against spending about N6,500 on single slot radio jingles, N48,000 on one slot of television commercial or N30,000 on 3 x 4 advert space in newspaper, you are merely spending more about N1,700 a day to run similar television commercial (albeit small audience) on LAGBUS / BRT multimedia to a diverse audience. Not bad, isn’t it?

Major Route:
Although BRT / LAGBUS initiative is not meant to take over the entire stretch of Lagos roads, specific routes known to be chaotic and traffic prone were cut out to meet its purpose. The five major ones include:

• CMS - Ketu
• Maryland - Iyana Ipaja
• CMS – Lekki / Ajah
• Maryland – Ikotun / Igando
• Mile 12 – CMS

Influences Consumer Buying Behaviour
A recent survey conducted by Folfrad Media Classics has shown that consumers tend to make shopping decisions whenever they are on the move. Secondly, whether commuters like it or not, they don’t have the luxury of alighting from the bus in annoyance or tuning into another channel if they are not too comfortable with whatever is shown on the screen. In this regard, advertiser has more control over the audience not the other way round. This is why we believe showcasing your brands in as many as BRT multimedia as possible is a great way to break into the sub-consciousness of your consumers and direct their attention to your products and services.

Call to action
After watching three to four slots of a commercial during a journey from CMS to Maryland, it is not unusual to observe that an estimated 40 per cent of the passengers are spurred to give the products / services / religious or awareness campaign a trial. Guess what? If, for instance, a passenger decides to purchase a pack of noodles after alighting from the bus, don’t you think the product of the company’s commercial they had just witnessed on the in-transit LCD screen stands a better chance of being purchased as against other brands?
That is the power of advertising!

If this prospect of advertising on BRT / LagBus in Lagos meets your demand, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.

SOURCE: http:///1RIlpJL

All these moderators sef

Why has this thread not make the front page yet?

#Ishilove #Lalasticlala

Dear Nairalanders,

Please I am in need of a room & parlour self-contained (mini flat) anywhere within the vicinity of Sabo, Yaba, Tejuosho, Surulere down to Costain.

Not to sound too desperate, I need it within 2 weeks.

Any agent or property owner who has something close to such specification should contact me through:

Francis A.
folfrad@yahoo.com
@citypulse_ng
07039091674

@Mod, isn't this thread not ready to hit the front page for more views yet?

Howmanage: The guy seems like a vulnerable person. Gay or not, he appears to need counselling or behaviour therapy. I wish him well

I cannot agree less. He sure seems to be a quiet guy.

[code][/code]Frontpage thingy

He has gait and exudes confidence everywhere he goes. Joe Anthony Ekpo, fondly known as Joe Blue could best be remembered for his peculiar dress sense during 2012 edition of Nigeria idol talent hunt show which many remarked was absolutely refreshing and sensational.

An embodiment of uniqueness and poise, the 24-year-old was able to prove his mettle with his renditions of both local and international songs which kept both audience and viewers spellbound throughout his days in
the shows. But little did anybody know that Joe Blue carried a heavy burden in his mind prior to his coming and leaving the Nigerian Idol show.

CityPulse Nigeria caught with the cute dude recently during a mentoring programme for upcoming acts organised at The Empowerment Centre, Yaba, Lagos under the aegis of Evolve Workshops™.

In an emotion-laden voice, Joe Blue shocked the listening audience when he started dissecting his life from birth, his unhappy childhood including the pain and agonies he suffered, what led him into the world of homosexuality, Nigerian Idol odyssey and his ultimate triumph when he had an encounter with Christ.

Also In attendance were Afro Jazz diva, Yinka Davies; 2010 MTN Project Fame finalist, Tolulope Abraham Adesina and Mr. Gson Ebuka, coordinator of Evolve Workshops™.

Below are excerpts of the interview:

· Tell us a bit about yourself
I was born into a family of seven and studied theatre arts in UNILAG. Unfortunately I couldn’t finish my study and had to drop out.

· What gave you the needed motivation?
Music! I have always appreciated music ever since I was young. It continues to give me unlimited happiness because throughout my entire life I have faced one rejection or the other.

· How old specifically is Joe Blue?
23 years! But I will clock 24 in August this year

· Growing up to be something you never dreamt about can be quite funny. What was your childhood fantasies like?
Well, I grew up seeing my siblings as perfect. Many believed that I was born by mistake and subjected me to a life of torment. I live a very unhappy childhood. I was what you could call a child of rejection while growing up. However, the stigma has turned out to work in my favour now.

· Didn’t that trauma leave a scar on you?
It did! You see, I turned out gay because I found myself in the company of friends I couldn’t help mixing with. That was an era when people don’t talk much about this ‘gay thing’ unlike the way it is now.

· Are you still a gay?
No! I finally got transformed when I came across my current spiritual father, Pastor Simeon Adeola, less than a year ago. Prior to that, I lost my biological father three years ago. I was confused and knew I needed somebody to guide me because I wasn’t happy with what I turned out to be. How do I explain spending almost 23 years of my life as a gay? It was a terrible moment for me. After I crashed out of the first season of Nigerian Idol, I was seriously depressed. There was a time I told myself I won’t mind sleeping with anybody for N30 million or even go as far as getting a mark of the beast. At the time, it was one of those demonic thoughts I had as a kid.

That must have been a terrible moment for you, wasn’t it?
Yes, it was. My transformation was a personal decision I had to make. If I had not taken that step, I could have turned out worse. It was a time I even slept with three persons at the same time. Just as smoking, the addiction was too strong. Looking back now, I can say all the friends in my life were a waste. Rather advised against my lifestyle, they urged me on and contributed negatively to my life.

Let us talk about your spiritual father. How was he able to transform you?
At first, it wasn’t easy. But Pastor Adeola kept reassuring me that change don’t come if I don’t desire it. So I walked towards getting that needed transformation. That was how he brought Jesus into my life. He gave me a book to meditate on, observed my actions and inaction, talked to my soul and helped to study the Bible assiduously. With time I got to understand that Christ cannot help me unless I am ready to work with Him. In fact, Pastor Adeola taught me to change my confession from ‘I was GAY’ to ‘Now I am a new man!’ He understands me and can tell when the devil was about invoking the spirit of homosexuality back into my soul. He made me feel special and showed me the kind of genuine love I have craved all my life. Now I want to pray the way he prays, dress the way he dresses and prophesy the way he does.

Guests and Evolve workshop facilitators at the event

· You once lost out in your first attempt before gallantly losing out to Mercy in season 2 of Nigerian Idol. How did you do it?
My journey to stardom started years ago. Unfortunately, so many people turned me down including my big sister, Yinka (Davies). But I reminded myself that I am going to Nigerian Idol with the sole intention of winning. At first, my voice wasn’t clear but Yinka encouraged me. It was also the period I lost my father. Everything was just not going right for me. Let me say the journey wasn’t really a challenge but more of a fight.

· How do you mean?
You see, that time coincided with a period I was wrongly accused of stealing a man’s private part. It turned out to be a big case. In fact, I recalled sleeping in police cell for 5 days before I was transferred to Kirikiri. When I was finally discharged and acquitted, that was also the time I was recalled for the season 2 of Nigerian Idol. In my anguish, I vowed within myself that I won’t be deterred because I remember weeping like a baby when I was first evicted. As the saying continues, many still believed that I was an accursed child. However I received a lifeline when Jeffery (another judge on the reality show) called me around 1.00am and ask me to come back because I have been handed a wild card.

That must have taken you by surprise…
I almost died out of excitement. When I returned to the house, it was with full force. I threw everything I have into it. One thing I discovered early was that I needed to create a personality for myself. I create the design for my wears and did some crazy things so much that even Yinka kept telling me to push harder. At time point, I knew I could win it when the chips get to the final two contestants. What I have experienced so far taught me that there are times people will promise you all the things of this world just for you to sell your soul. My advice is, just stick to Christ!

· Now that you are a star, how do you manage your new found fame?
Unlike before, my management strategy has changed. I have learned to trust in Christ, not to run ahead of myself and become desperate. Also I have learnt that what you sincerely desire, you will get it. Looking back, I must confess that coming second at Nigeria Idol actually got to me. I felt like Michael Jackson. Stardom really got into my head.

· It has been said that success has many friends. Do you still retain your old friends?
No! With all I passed through, you know I can’t do that. I have cut away from old friends, because they are all gays. The fact remains that if you mix with drunkard, you will become one. If you follow prostitutes, you will equally become one soon. Unfortunately, I know not everybody is privilege to break away as I did.

· How do you describe music?
Music is life, passion and soul. I am a music freak. I see it as a god given gift and happiness for a sorrowful person like me. Sometimes I ask myself what would have become of me if I were not an artiste.

· What are your plans for the future?
I aim to teach transgressors the way of Christ is my dream. I have a lot of projects I don’t want to start mentioning here. The little time I have here on planet earth, I want to live in serving God

· Do you have a girlfriend?
Girlfriend? That is not even in my plan right now. It is not the ultimate, not even cars or money

What is your regret in life?
Not knowing Christ early enough

Source: http://www.citypulseng.com/2014/07/my-life-as-gay-nigerian-idol-runner-up.html

The rate at which some of this surgeons and scientists are going, it will be hard to tell if the next person sitting beside you is human or a clone in the near future.

Gosh!!!

When 61 year old Dr Kim Seok-Kwun, a pioneer in slowly changing views on sexuality and gender in South Korea, first started doing sex change surgeries in the 1980s, his pastor objected. Friends and fellow doctors joked that he was going to hell if he didn't stop.

But in a new interview, Dr Kim says he now feels a great sense of achievement for helping people who feel
trapped in the wrong body. And he believes he's correcting what he calls God's mistakes.

Here's what he said to justify his job as a sex change doctor:

'I've decided to defy God's will. At first, I agonized over whether I should do these operations because I wondered if I was defying God. I was overcome with a sense of shame. But my patients desperately wanted these surgeries. Without them, they'd kill themselves. Some people are born without genitals or with cleft lips or with no ears or with their fingers stuck together. Why does God create people like this? Aren't these God's mistakes? And isn't a mismatched sexual identity a mistake, too?'

Dr Kim's best known patient (also pictured above) is South Korea's most famous transsexual entertainer, Harisu who had Dr Kim officiate at her 2007 wedding to a male singer. Harisu, who only uses a single name, said in an interview that the pain she felt after her 1995 male-to-female surgery 'was like a hammer hitting your genitals.' But days later, when she left the hospital, she felt reborn, comparing her transformation to the Disney film ''The Little Mermaid" where a mermaid gives up her fish tail in exchange for human legs and eventual happiness. Harisu says that she may be dead had she not undergone the surgery, because she was always a woman on the inside.

Dr Kim has conducted about 320 sex change operations over the past 28 years, widely believed to be the most by any single doctor in the country.

He's even called the 'father of South Korean transgender people'.

http://www.citypulseng.com/2014/07/why-i-correct-gods-mistakes-south.html

Against the background of speculation that President Goodluck Jonathan has pledged to help rebuild the burnt palace of Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, one of his closest subjects has refuted the allegation.

In an exclusive interview with City Pulse during his 5th coronation anniversary, the incumbent Bashorun of Oyo, High Chief Yussuf Akiade Ayoola Layinka I said that aside commiserating with the Royal Father over the loss of his palace, the president never
discussed anything of such with anybody.

“I thank the media for their efforts so far. It is interesting to note here that the cause of the then fire was traced to faulty cables and not sabotage as some critics alleged. Although arrangements were made to address the electrical problems which were noticeable at the time, nobody knew it would suddenly lead to such disaster,” he said.

When prodded to talk about speculation making the round that the monarch’s visit to Aso Rock was to drum support for Jonathan’s 2015 ambition in exchange for a new ultra-modern palace, Layinka expressed shock saying there was no iota of truth in the report.

“It is true the monarch went to Aso Rock to visit the president, it has nothing to do with campaigning for him ahead of 2015 nor to ask for financial assistance to rebuild the palace. People should dissuade from making unfounded claim,” he lashed out.

He insisted as father of all, ‘Iku Baba Yeye’ will never take side with any politician.

http://www.citypulseng.com/2014/07/president-jonathan-didnt-promise-to.html