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Been a while...

The Debt Management Office (DMO) on behalf of Federal Government is issuing a 7–year FGN Sovereign Ijarah Sukuk Due 2024 at a return of 16.47%. Sukuk is an investment certificate that represents ownership interest of the holder in an asset or pool of assets.


The Offer for Subscription opened on Thursday, September 14, 2017 and will close on Wednesday September 20, 2017. We highlight below the details of the FGN Sovereign Ijarah Sukuk that the DMO released to the public:

Purpose

To fund the construction/rehabilitation of key economic infrastructure projects

To diversify the sources of government funding

To offer ethical investors an opportunity to invest in government issued securities

To achieve a higher level of financial inclusion

Benefits

Regular cash flow, as rental income will be paid half yearly to Sukuk holders

Rental Income is tax free

Classified as liquid asset by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)

Good security for diversification of asset portfolio

Good investment opportunity for ethical investors

Acceptable as collateral for loans by banks and other financial institution

Safety: backed by the full faith and credit of the FGN.

Features

The minimum subscription amount of N10,000 (i.e. 10 units@N1,000/unit) and in multiples of N1,000 (1 unit) thereafter

Tenor – Seven years.

How to Invest in the FGN Sovereign Ijarah Sukuk

1. Please print and carefully complete the application form.

2. Issue a cheque/draft or transfer the amount you intend to invest into your broker’s bank account

3. Send evidence of payment to your broker

4. Submit the completed form before the close of business on Tuesday September 19, 2017

SOURCE: https://brandspurng.com/investment-opportunity-in-fgn-sovereign-ijarah-sukuk/

After scouring the store for a new pair of sneakers, Paballo Molahlehi finally lands on the one that catches her attention. She stares at it excitedly, swooning over the fresh pair of purple Reeboks. “It’s precisely the one I was looking for, I knew I was going to find it here” she nods as she adds the shoes to her shopping basket. Thrilled with her latest addition to her growing sneaker collection, she navigates her way to the pay point. Molahlehi is doing all this while reclining comfortably on her couch, enjoying the convenience of online shopping. “I stopped going in-store after discovering online shopping. It makes more sense because my purchases get delivered to me for free, and I usually get discounts.”


Molahlehi is among Africa’s growing middle class who have money to spend and whose shopping habits have changed. With the surge of internet penetration on the continent, many Africans are easing into the habit of shopping online. According to a McKinsey’s Lions go digital report, online shopping could account for up to 10% of retails sales (with a value of around US $75 billion) by 2025, as more Africans gain access to the internet.

The increasing access to the internet is seeing a rapid emergence of e-commerce sites eager to tap into the continent’s growing online consumerism. The likes of Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa are at the forefront of this evolution. Companies such as Jumia, a Lagos-based online retailer, are dipping their finger in almost all major markets on the continent, cutting themselves an enviable piece of every pie. Jumia is also among Africa’s best-funded e-commerce sites, having raised US $150 million in funding in 2014.

As more people take to the internet to do their shopping, the demand for devices such as smartphones also increases. The 2017 Accenture Digital Consumer Survey finds that in countries such as South Africa, smartphone acquisition increased from 52% in 2016 and 63% in 2017. Some of the more technologically advanced nations like Kenya and Nigeria boast a smartphone uptake of more than 44% and 30% respectively. Across the continent, the number of smartphone users saw a nearly twofold increase, reaching more than 226 million. This spike in smartphone penetration is steering a digital revolution on the continent, exposing users to the endless opportunities the internet provides.

Here are some of the top e-commerce platforms in Africa that are reaping the benefits of the booming internet penetration on the continent.

JUMIA

With a mission statement and ethos for connecting African consumers and entrepreneurs to do better business together, Jumia is blazing the trail of e-commerce sites in Africa.

The company is creating a platform where small, medium and large African companies link with their potential market, thus creating a new-age ecosystem that bypasses the middle man.

Launched in 2012 in Nigeria, the site has solidified a footprint in over 23 African countries, with a network of over half a million sellers since its inception. Jumia has managed to create a stellar reputation for being a hub for products and services spanning across the retail, food and hospitality, talent recruitment, concierge and the hotel and catering industries. Apart from servicing the needs of consumers and businesses, Jumia has also been upskilling and aiding employment for many Africans who are qualified in areas such as Engineering, IT and online marketing and web development.

TAKEALOT

South Africa’s Takealot is the go-to online retailer for the shopper that seeks a convenient and simplified online buying and user experience. The site has been around for over a decade, having been established in the year 2002. Its broad catalogue and variety of products in entertainment gives it an impressionable edge. Customers can shop anything from books to games, computers and TVs.

Part of what makes Takealot an e-commerce success story is that the online retailer strives to provide its customers with the very latest products in the market, coupled with up-to-date product specification.

In April 2017, Takealot scored a significant investment of over US $69 million from Naspers, one of Africa’s biggest digital companies. This came after the online retailer received US $100 million investment from investment firm Tiger Global Management in 2014. Naspers boasts a 53,5% stake in Takealot, while Tiger Global owns about 34%.

KILIMALL

Kenya’s largest online shopping mall, Kilimall is relatively new in the e-commerce space but has remarkably managed to create an inter-continental mark since its launch in 2014. The site, now established in other countries such as Nigeria and Uganda, has a retail customer base that continues to boom.

Kilimall is known for providing electronics such as phones, computers and gadgets, stocking top brands such Samsung, Huawei, Lenovo, and Phillips. The site also offers other products such as home appliances, clothes, books, health and beauty products, and more. All its services are accompanied by a 7-day free return policy on their premium range of goods, making it an attractive choice for consumers.

KONGA

Konga has come a long way since its humble beginnings in 2012 as a Lagos-only e-commerce site that specialised in baby and beauty care. The online platform has morphed into a major online retailer, often dubbed “The Amazon of Africa.” In 2015, Konga joined forces with leading Nigerian banks to launch KongaPay, a safe and convenient online payment method to tackle the issue of trust in Africa when it came to online payments.

The online marketplace was one of the first in Africa to create a system of payment that was integrated with world banks – an innovation that uses click system that eliminated the sharing of sensitive information during payments.

With a backing from the South African media giant, Naspers, Konga is now a major player in the e-commerce space. In 2014, Naspers, which has a 50% stake in Konga, invested US $50 million in the online store.

BIDORBUY

Established in 1999, South Africa’s online store Bidorbuy is one of the oldest online marketplaces in Africa. What makes the site unique is that buyers don’t only get to purchase what they want, but they can also make a bid for products, functioning as an online auction. The site provides a platform to facilitate trade between buyers and sellers. Previously owned items such as antiques and collectables are some of the most popular on Bidorbuy, making up 40% of all items sold. Other second-hand products shoppers prefer include high-end DSLR cameras and lenses, laptops, books, as well as video games.

Over the years, Bidorbuy has made several acquisitions of South African online businesses. These include popular sites such as online jobs portal, Jobs.co.za and e-commerce company uAfrica.com.

SOURCE: https://brandspurng.com/growth-of-e-commerce-gives-rise-to-sophisticated-african-digital-consumer/

The Atlanta – Lagos Sister Cities Committee in collaboration with the Lagos Island East, Local Council Development Area has put all machinery in motion to use the sister cities relationship between the cities of Lagos, Nigeria and Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America to generates developmental projects for Lagos Island in the areas such as tourism traffic, provision of medical support such as equipment for health centres being managed by the Local Government, provision of educational materials and tools for primary schools within the development area, cultural and education exchange programs for the benefits of the citizens of Lagos Island amongst others.


According to the Executive Secretary of Atlanta- Lagos Sister Cities Committee, Agunloye Adewunmi Bashiru, the newly elected Mayor (Chairman) of Lagos Island East , Local Council Development Area, Kamal Salau-Bashua is passionate about making the collaborative efforts a success.

Mayor Salau-Bashua, he said, is very keen with the joint efforts and supportive in making sure that the necessary logistic to kicks start the process of achieving the set objective are put in place.

Agunloye said there abound in Lagos Island many historical monuments and tourists attraction that includes ; the Cathedral Church of Christ, Marina built in 1946, Shitta – Bey Mosque on Martins Street built in 1892, the Water House on Kakawa Street owned by Candido Joao Da Rocha built in 1895, Tinubu Square (formerly Independence Square), Oba of Lagos Palace popularly known as (Iga Idungaran) and many other attraction.

“We are in discussion with our counterpart in Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America to generates tourist traffic to Lagos Island to see the culture of our people, Lagos Island foods, monuments and other tourists attractions”.

Atlanta- Lagos Sister Cities Committee , one of the oldest members of the 17 cities relationships worldwide that make up the Atlanta Sister Cities Commission, is part of the Sister Cities International whose primary mission is the promotion of better international relations and understanding between United States of America Cities and other Cities of the World through people to people programs that revolve around the axis of social, educational, economic, trade, cultural and technological exchanges. All the above mentioned is being executed through the Local Government.

Through this organization, a framework for the world network of Sister Cities can be developed. The implication for Lagos Island, Lagos State and, ipso facto, Nigeria can be monumental. It transcends governmental constraints and operatives and as such can be a potent force for various countries involved in the relationship.

SOURCE: https://brandspurng.com/lagos-island-atlanta-partners-for-tourism-development/

Ok

Société Générale has announced the launch of YUP, a mobile money solution that provides access to financial services even without having a bank account.


Deployed in Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal, YUP already has more than 30,000 open wallets and nearly 600 agents. YUP will continue its development by launching in Ghana and Cameroon by the end of the year and in 2018 in Burkina Faso, Guinea and Togo before being extended to the entire network.

Société Générale hopes to open 1 million wallets within 3 years, doubling its customer base in sub-Saharan Africa, and building a network of 8,000 agents to serve their users.

Commenting on the launch, Alexandre Maymat, Head of the Africa/Mediterranean Basin & Overseas region said: “Africa is inventing the future of banking. The project’s key ambition is to be a part of this revolution by offering a simple transactional tool that’s accessible to all residents of the countries in which Societe Generale does business, be they individuals or corporations, Group customers, account holders with our competitors, or customers without bank accounts. This last category makes up 80%-90% of the population depending on the country, and it’s a major financial inclusion challenge in which the Group wants to take part through YUP.”

The wallet, built on technology from French start-up firm TagPay, allows customers to transfer money, receive cash and pay bills with a mobile phone. It is targeted at both banked and unbanked customers and is available to any mobile phone user, regardless of its telephone operator.

SOURCE: https://brandspurng.com/societe-generale-set-to-disrupt-africas-mobile-payment-system-with-the-launch-of-yup/

AVERAGE PRICES OF PMS, AGO, HHK & COOKING GAS

Average price per litre paid by consumers for National Household Kerosene decreased by 19.60% month-on-month and by 24.37% year-on-year to N225.52 in August 2017 from N280.49 in July 2017.


States with the highest average price per litre of kerosene were Ogun (N285.00), Plateau (N281.66) & Kogi (274.71).

States with the lowest average price per litre of kerosene were Rivers (N181.59), Yobe (N197.62) and Osun (N197.92).

Premium Motor Spirit (Petrol) Price Watch (August 2017)

Average price paid by consumers for premium motor spirit (petrol) decreased by 1.9% year-on-year and by -2.5% month-on-month to N144.4 in August 2017 from N148.2 in July 2017.
States with the highest average price of premium motor spirit (petrol) were Plateau (N146.4), Rivers (N145. & Zamfara (N145.4).
States with the lowest average price of premium motor spirit (petrol) were Nasarawa (N143), Oyo (N143.2) and Lagos & Ondo (N143.3).

Automotive Gas Oil (Diesel) Price Watch (August 2017)

Average price paid by consumers for automotive gas oil (diesel) decreased by 0.70% month-on-month and 0.15% year-on-year to N196.23 in August 2017 from N197.62 in July 2017.
States with the highest average price of diesel were Sokoto (N227.86) Imo (N225.87) and Niger (N224.23).
States with the lowest average price of diesel were Abia (N175.83), Ebonyi (N174.29) and Osun (N170.36).

Average price for the refilling of a 5kg cylinder for Liquefied Petroleum Gas (Cooking Gas) decreased by 10.58% month-on-month and 3.25% year-on-year to N1,990.71 in August 2017 from N2,226.21 in July 2017.
States with the highest average price for the refilling of a 5kg cylinder for Liquefied Petroleum Gas (Cooking Gas) were Edo (N2,240.63), Akwa Ibom (N2,214.29) & Anambra (2,207.69).
States with the lowest average price for the refilling of a 5kg cylinder for Liquefied Petroleum Gas (Cooking Gas) were Abuja (N1,740.00), Ogun (N1,721.43) and Adamawa N1,720.00).

SOURCE: https://brandspurng.com/average-prices-of-pms-ago-hhk-and-cooking-gas-august-2017/

Ok oo

Somebori will still buy power bank for 15000 MAH Battery.
Thats Addiction creepn in.

The world largest encyclopedia Wikipedia, has promised to increase Nigerian women visibility on the internet through its affiliate, Wikimedia Nigeria.


The President of Wikimedia User Group Nigeria (WUGN), Mr. Olaniyan Olushola, said in a statement on Wednesday in Lagos, that the group had partnered with the Radio WFM 91.7 to give visibility to Nigerian women. He added that WFM 91.7 was Nigeria’s only radio station for women and their families therefore it would be used to boost the needed visibility of women.

He said that as part of the partnership, a project tagged: “Wiki Loves Women,” which was conceptualised in 2015 to give visibility to African women on Wikipedia would be aired on the station.

According to the WUGN boss, being a pan African initiative “Wiki Loves Women” started in four African countries-Nigeria, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire and Cameroon.

Olusola said: “The project seeks to encourage the contribution of quality information on African women to be published and made widely available via Wikipedia. This will correct gender inequalities on Wikipedia, the world largest encyclopedia as statistics show only 16 per cent of African women biographies are available in contrast to their female counterparts globally.

He disclosed: “We plan to engage female students in our various tertiary institutions across the country to create contents on Wikipedia to increase our local contents and to create awareness for Wikipedia in Nigeria.

“The core objectives of the project are to give visibility to Nigerian women using Wikipedia through Wiki Loves Women programmes and create awareness about Wikimedia and related projects,” he said.

Olushola said that the objectives would be achieved with a 30 minutes per week of 13 weeks phone-in live broadcast with focus on Nigerian women on Wikipedia.

He said that the radio programme was also to identify women that were supposed to have articles on Wikipedia but not yet there.

According to him, suggestion will be collated from callers on the radio programme about who they think should be on Wikipedia but not yet there.

“It will also serve as providing answers to series of questions from readers and contributors on Wikipedia in Nigeria. There will be monthly Edit-a-thorn with participation from female students in tertiary institutions across the nation and each month will focus on a unique theme. Most reports about women in Nigeria focus mainly on works of such individuals but not on their personalities. We tend to use this medium to change this attitude,” he said.

SOURCE: https://brandspurng.com/wikipedia-wants-increased-visibility-of-nigerian-women-online/

X3M IDEAS, a one-stop-shop marketing communication company that is 100 percent built on ideas on Tuesday became the first advertising agency in Nigeria to beat the closing gong at the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE).


The event, which held at the 9th floor of the Exchange House had Steve Babaeko, Managing Director and Chief Creative Officer of the company and his management team in attendance.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Brand Communicator, Babaeko said the company’s invitation to the NSE marked the beginning of the industry heading to the right direction. According to him, “I am proud of the industry and ‘am proud to be a member of the Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN) and Mr. Kayode Oluwasona, President of AAAN who was really supportive and appreciative of the honour done to X3M Ideas.

NSE

“I am really grateful to God for the opportunity as a person and my management team who was at the Exchange yesterday. This is an indicative that we are moving forward. The whole world will see that whatever they see at X3M is not about Steve Babaeko it’s about the team,” he said.

Babaeko said that the invitation by the NSE to beat the Exchange closing gong was to “mark our 5th anniversary and then to encourage us for our contributions to nation building. This shows that our track record for lot of CRS initiatives we had embarked upon are being appreciated. In the past we had also partnered with NSE on notable causes which I think also gave us the recognition.”

The Kogi born Babaeko reminded us how he had big hopes and dreams when he came to Lagos from Kaduna on June 8 1995, but the closing gong at The NSE wasn’t one of them. He thanked the NSE for the honour.

He added that yesterday’s event was one step closer to getting the conglomerate listed on the floor of the Exchange.

In his words:

I always say that if we really want our business to outlive us that is the inevitable direction. I don’t see how banks are different from communications companies. The only different is that they are much more organised and more futuristic. I believe our people in the industry are scared of losing control of the business. However, if WPP of this world are listed and the Scannad Group, an African example can be listed on Kenya Stock Exchange, I believe that is the direction to go. Definitely we have being in talk unofficially with the NSE to see what the rules of engagement are and we will be more than happy to open up the business so that more people will participate to have better corporate governance to do things properly so that generations coming behind us can benefit.
X3M IDEAS is a pacesetter in the practice of IMC through its uncommon innovative ideas, backed by share hard work and tireless dedication. The agency has continued to blaze the trail for players in the sector through its creativity and impactful ideas.

X3M NSE4

Within its five years of operation in the Integrated Marketing Communication enterprise, the agency has solidly established itself as one of the Nigeria’s fastest growing marketing communication firm that have demonstrated an uncommon courage in contributing meaningfully to the advertising business in Nigeria.

SOURCE: https://brandspurng.com/x3m-ideas-scores-first-beats-closing-gong-at-nse/

Hmmmm. lets see

Space taken.

OK

Re-branding move

Lets see what you got brewing.

This is Hot.

ok

Hmmm

Uber Everywhere

Techy made easy.

As global sales of palm oil dwindle, Indonesia, the world’s largest producer of palm oil said it will look to do barter trades to increase sales of the commodity.

The country is looking at exchanging palm oil for crude oil with countries such as Nigeria and even airplanes with EU countries for its national carriers.

Indonesia’s Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita said in a statement issued to Reuters that it has signed a preliminary deal last month with Russia’s Rostec to exchange commodities, including palm, as part of a $1.14 billion payment for 11 Sukhoi jets.

The major cause of the waning demand has been attributed to the fall in demand from European Union countries. According to Reuters report, the European Union is the second-largest palm oil export destination after India for both Malaysia and Indonesia, which dominate production in a global market worth at least $40 billion.

Unfortunately for Indonesia and Malaysia, two of the world’s largest producers; palm oil has come under increasing fire in Europe over its impact on forest destruction, encouraging producers to look at new markets ranging from Africa to Myanmar.

To further push its agenda, Indonesia’s Vegetable Oil Association executive director Sahat Sinaga said palm oil producers will open a marketing and research company in Russia, aiming to increase exports of 920,000 tonnes in 2016 by 4-5 percent per year up to 2023.

The group is also planning to open a storage facility in Pakistan, which imports 1-2 million tonnes of palm from Indonesia a year, anticipating further growth in demand.

Malaysia, the world’s second largest producer is said to be more vulnerable. Malaysia is said to be looking at exploring trade opportunities within its region with countries such as Myanmar, the Philippines, and West Africa. Malaysia has not stated its approach. However, Reuters’ data shows that Malaysia is more reliant on palm oil exports than Indonesia, shipping out more than 90 percent of its palm oil last year, compared to about 70 percent in Indonesia.

It is not clear if Nigeria is disposed to the deal as the country’s palm oil production has increased since a Forex crisis precipitated by the recession discouraged palm oil importers from increasing their volume.

As a reality check, Presco and Okomu Oil, two of Nigeria’s largest palm oil producers. Presco in its 2016 third quarter result said its net profit surged by 49% year on year. Presco’s Revenue for the third quarter of the year rose to NGN11,9 billion. Last year, the company only reported NGN8 billion. Okomu Oil also witnessed a significant increase in its result.

However, Nigeria’s local production which has been estimated at 970 million metric tonnes according to data collected by Index Mundi, the country’s consumption far exceeds the local production.



For a country which used to be the largest exporter of the commodity, analysts who spoke to PageOne.ng said going cap in hand to exchange crude oil for palm oil will further hurt the local economy especially local producers who are regaining their production strength.

SOURCE: https://brandspurng.com/indonesia-looks-to-exchange-nigerias-crude-oil-for-palm-oil/

booked space..

Welldone.

Almost every Nigerian city is synonymous with a slogan or a particular feature that dot its landscape, which has more or less become a mainstay in the city and has always defined it.


Each city has its own distinctive feature and mode of transportation which it is reputed for. Lagos for instance is reputed for its hustle and bustle as well as its yellow and black painted buses also known as “faragon”. Osun and Ekiti state are known for their “Korope” buses. Ibadan on its path was/is still reputed for its brown roofs, and the ubiquitous Micra taxis which are easily noticeable to visitors and inhabitants regardless of the route they tread to make their way into the city.

One is often left to wonder how the micra car, a mid-priced student vehicle in Europe found its way into Oyo state and has succeeded in becoming the official taxi of the state. The car got into the consciousness of Nigerians in late 2005 as it was brought it by the Motor Dealers Association (M.D.A). it began to gain ground with more demand as reviews from users shows that its fuel consumption is economical and its easy to maintain. This buoyed motor drivers to tilt towards owning a micra vehicle in order o reduce maintenance cost and increase profit.

Hence, this made the car to be leased out on hire purchase and it gradually became the “official” taxi of Oyo state which is witnessing a glut of Micra taxis.

There is no doubt that Micra taxis have come to stay in Ibadan and it has become apart of day to day life. Thus, the need to access its impact on the way of life of everyone in and around Oyo state.

From the foregoing, one can deduce that the micra taxi is a necessity for commuters who do not own a personal vehicle but need mobility from one point to another.



On the otherhand however, one can consider the Micra taxis to be a menace as the activities of some of the drivers of this vehicle leave much to desire as they tend to flout every known traffic law and often pose dangers to themselves and other road user as they manoeuvre into tiny spaces which more often than not are spots where they shouldn’t be ordinarily. They are the ‘kings’ of the road in Ibadan as private vehicle owners often cede the way to them in order to avoid collision.

Some dwellers of Ibadan have also recognized other menace beyond traffic offences as it has been claimed that kidnappings and robbery operations are carried out using the Micra vehicle as it can easily meander its way out of trouble in the event that the criminals using the vehicle need to make an escape from law enforcement officers. Based on this, some people have advocated for the car to be banned.



It is however pertinent to note that the proponents of such bans have only resorted to taking a drastic cosmetic approach to an even deeper societal issue. The crux of the matter is that there is a lacuna (crime) which must be addressed as the Micra car itself would not embark on a crime by itself but its only a tool been employed by some unscrupulous elements in the society. So banning the Micra car as been advocated by some folks wont automatically translate to an end in crime.

Conclusively, Micra taxis have become a part of day to day life in Ibadan and their menace(s) can be curbed with strict guidelines and punishment to serve as deterrence to potential offenders.

SOURCE: https://brandspurng.com/micra-taxis-in-ibadan-necessity-or-menace/

The brand introduced the Infinix independence reward for all Infinix customers and those purchasing ‘Infinix Note 4 and Note 4 pro’. The Infinix Note 4 and Note 4 pro was recently launched as the brand’s big smartphone of the year; the sophisticated smartphone features a stylus ‘Xpen’, Xcharge, 4500MAH battery, XOS 2.2 and it guarantees users 5 minutes charge for 250 minutes talk time.

Infinix customers and fans can win big during this campaign. The big wins include 7 ’43inch Television’ for 7 customers in 7 cities. Infinix is also offering 14 Synix standing fans to customers from the raffle draws, which will take place once every week in Lagos, Port Harcourt, Abuja and Ibadan on the 21st and on the 28th OF September 2017.

All Infinix Note 4 and Note 4 pro customers who purchase from Wednesday, September 13th, till Thursday, September 28th, qualify for the final raffle draw to win the 7 television sets.

To participate in the campaign online customers/fans must use the hashtag #Infinixng57.

Watch the raffle draw live on Facebook on Thursday, September 21st & Thursday, September 28th, 2017.
Tag friends to watch the live videos on Facebook
Drop a comment during the live broadcast
All participants must be following Infinix on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

For more information :-

SOURCE: https://brandspurng.com/nigeria-57-win-big-in-infinix-mobility-independence-day-promo-simply-buy-the-infinix-note-4-get-amazing-prizes/

Processing a building plan approval is one of the most intricate aspects of erecting a structure.


I like to think of building plan thus: Every idea starts with the gift of imagination! However, it has been proven that even the shortest pencil is better than the longest memory. Imagination needs to be captured otherwise it becomes a thing of the past.

They are the first tangible thing that depicts the picture of the buildings we have imagined. Without them, we cannot fully capture or see the reality of that beautiful four bedroom duplex with a swimming pool and a lovely garden or the 100,000sqm of parking space with tons of convenience stores meeting the needs of various individuals.
They are the graphical representation of what a building will look like after construction and also helps in the process of evaluating the cost of erecting such a structure.

In most countries, it is customary to obtain a permit or approval from appropriate authorities and Nigeria is not an exception. A Building plan approval is necessary before construction can commence.

This is to ensure that building complies with building laws and codes and to prevent people from just constructing as they deem fit.

Hence, the very first thing to do when you want to commence construction is to obtain a Development Permit from the Lagos State Government and the office in charge is the Lagos State Physical Planning and Development Authority (LASPPDA), a parastatal under the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development.

How to get your building approval:

In get building approval in Lagos, the land in question, where the building is to be erected must first have a certificate of occupancy before your building plan can even be assessed by the appropriate bodies. Also, your land title determines the height and the density you can go, depending on the area the building will be or the kind of building you intend to put up.

Hence, the following documents must be submitted at the point of registration of all applications for building plan approval in line with the State policy on Operation 30 – 30; an acronym for speedy processing/approval of building plan applications:

1. Five (5) sets each of :-
• Architectural Drawings,
• Structural Drawings, with detailing/calculations and letter of structural stability from COREN certfied Engineer.
2. Survey
3. Title Document
4. Tax clearance and Government fee (In the case of individuals); the Government fee only comes to play after your building plan must have been assessed and marked for approval…
Having paid your government fee, site inspection can now be carried out. It is after site inspection, all documents such as tax clearance certificate, title document, receipt of Tenement rate paid to the Government in respect of rateable properties owned by the applicant in Lagos State or Sworn Affidavit in lieu of that, or better still Land use charge rate. This ensures that you pay a development levy of 100 naira.

Furthermore, a team is sent to the site yet again to ensure that the land is still vacant, after which the Site Inspector writes a report. The Charting officer charts while the Site Engineer also performs his duties.

In the case of 1-2 storey buildings, the design is sent to the architect after charting, for clearance.

Architectural design is submitted for inspection to confirm if design is in conformity with the approval standards and order for the area which the land is located.

But, if it the structure is more than a 2-storey building in the design, then a Mechanical and Electrical drawing will be required.

Invariably, the site will also be checked with the immediate environment to see if proposal is in conformity with the existing land use, and if the size of the plot is as presented in the survey plan and design proposal. If the inspection report is satisfactory, the application will then be registered, provided all documents have been submitted.

The processes your building approval application undergoes:

The file is sent to the district officer who transfers it to the vetting officer. The application can then be recommended as long as there are no outstanding.

The District Officer later sends it for concurrent approval.

The file is authorized for registration by the District Officer(D.O) and registered by the clerical officer who assigns the file number and receives all sheets of the drawing submitted.

Provided all relevant documents are submitted, the file is sent to the table of the DO, who sends it to the field officer to include his site sketch and report while another file is opened with all relevant payment receipts and sent to the Lagos State Internal Revenue Service for payment of tax confirmation. If all is well and good, you then declare your tax.

Your file is sent back to the District Officer from the General Manager’s desk for final approval.

A stamp and a seal is put on it.

However in the case of commercial buildings, Institutional applications and some other uses prepared by an Urban and Regional Planner registered by NITP/TOPREC, an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is required.

When the EIA gets to the Head Quarters, the department of the EIA will clear it. After the EIA has been certified, it is attached to the file and sent to the General manager for concurrent approval. If the application for building plan approval entails a project that goes beyond 2-storey building, then the file will come to the permanent secretary to the government.

When it is beyond 4-storey building, the file is sent to the commissioner.
Also, beyond 6-storey building goes to the governor but in all, it’s the same process except you are doing high rise buildings.

In this case, we will be having 10-20 floors. This requires that you tender a Transport Impact Assessment (TIA) that is handled by the Ministry of Transport.

The recommendation officer’s job is crucial as he/she will go through the entire file to ensure that all requirements in terms of documents and fees have been included in the file.

Finally, the site will be re-visited to confirm that construction has not commenced before recommending to the District Officer for final approval.

All of these can be done for you by your Architect, Surveyor or any other knowledgeable member of your building team. Albeit, we can also process your building plan approval for you in any south western state of Nigeria.

SOURCE: https://brandspurng.com/how-to-get-building-plan-approval-in-lagos/

The Sallah break was the period used by a lot of Nigerians to beat a fast retreat from the drudgery of their everyday jobs to various holiday spots preferably outside their towns and cities of residence.


The Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway witnessed its own share of the commuters departing Lagos, with the hawkers capitalising on the dense flow of vehicular movement to sell off their wares. It was observed that majority of the drink-hawkers displayed PepsiCo’s products. The Cola war is real.

The year started with all the cola brands increasing their prices in response to inflation and foreign exchange (forex) pressure. BIG Cola, a relatively new entrant manufactured by AJE Group, started selling 65cl PET at the rate of N100 per unit and later the price increased to N130. Coca-cola increased the volume of the PET from 50cl to 60cl and it sells for N150. Pepsi’s 50cl PET was selling for N120 until July 25, 2017 when the price crashed to N100. Coca-cola’s competitive response was the re-introduction of Solo Coke, a 35cl PET, which sells for N100.

Market survey

In Ikorodu, the fastest growing suburb of Lagos metropolis, Pepsi is selling more than the other brands. Mummy Basit Store at TOS Benson Road, sells soft drinks in both wholesale and retail options. The owner of the store said Pepsi has been selling more relative to other brands. According to the workers at Alubarika Food Canteen, Ayanbure Road, customers demanded for Pepsi only. However, at Shehuma Bar, Coke’s 60cl bottle was hotcake, as customers needed it to mix alcoholic drinks. Fatmot Restaurant at Ayangbure Road sells more of Pepsi; the owner said her customers rarely ask for Coke and Big Cola.

The story is a little bit different in Ibadan, Oyo State capital. The popular Sky Amala Restaurant at Bodija sells only Coca-cola products and their customers have never complained about the price of Coke.

This is the same with Ola Mummy Canteen at Bodija Ojurin; and Ultima Executive Restaurant at Bodija-Secretariat. Mummy Helen Canteen at J Allen, Dugbe, also sells only Coca-Cola products but recorded dip in sales on the 60cl PET. For this same reason, Iya Azi Canteen at Mokola Roundabout said she has stopped stocking the 60cl PET Coke.

Price strategy

In a country where most people live below a dollar per day, price crash would matter a lot. Most cola drink-lovers do not know the difference in cl; many do not even understand the meaning of cl. “Coke’s big bottle is N150, while same bottle for Pepsi is N100”, said Funke, one of the passengers in transit on Lagos-Abeokuta expressway last Friday. The 10cl difference is not obvious to consumers; rather the 15cl difference between Pepsi’s 50cl and Solo Coke is very visible to their eyes.

A consumer asked: “Pepsi is big, while Coke Solo is small, so why should I buy the small one for N100?”

However, Sanni, a student and customer of Libra Kitchen, University of Ibadan also said he took the 60cl Coke. Charles, a customer of Honey Food Canteen, Bodija Market in Ibadan, said he takes Big Cola irrespective of the price. He would prefer 60cl PET Coke over the Solo Coke. Some do not see value in a smaller pack which goes for a lower price. While Solo Coke is a good retaliatory strategy, many say the volume of 35cl does not satisfy them.

Promotion, brand

Pepsi Cola is using every medium available to push the #NoShakingCarryGo campaign to reinforce its low-price appeal. #NoSha-kingCarryGo Bus Rides have been going from one location to the other within Lagos, giving free BRT tickets and free Pepsi to commuters. This marketing rave has been taken to Lekki Toll Gate and BRT terminals at Berger, Obalende, Mile 12, TBS and Ikorodu. A customer, commenting on the campaign, said consumers are now becoming aware of Pepsi’s great taste.

Pepsi’s #NoShaking-CarryGo’s advert says nothing about the uniqueness of Pepsi’s brand – all it says is “Pepsi is now N100”. This is the right time for a competitor to rather reinforce its’ own brand. Coke’s proposition is a bottled Happiness, and Coca-cola Nigeria is rather focused on promoting the global “Share a Coke” campaign. Cocacola has taken “Share a Coke” beyond replacing the brand icon with Nigerian names; the company has produced over 1, 000 songs using common names of Nigerians. The brand seems not to lose focus of the global strategy of “One Brand” despite the Cola War in Nigeria.

Conclusion

The Chief Executive Officer, Contagious 128 Media, a digital marketing agency based in Lagos, Sola Adewumi, said: “When you have the equity, then you can play with pricing.”

Sola, who has worked on many multinational brands, said PepsiCo and Coca-cola have the capacity to cut prices without having far-reaching effect on their brands in the long run because they are not at the brand-building stage. “Pepsi and Coke are both at the stage of taking their consumers from loyalty to addiction; only the new entrants would suffer in this price war,” he added.

The founder of Disrupt Digital, David Idagu Goldfinger, agrees no less with Sola. He added that the consumers’ loyalty “will lie with any of the brands that offer them a good deal as their target audience (class C & D) is more sensitive to price than branding.”

Goldfinger, a PR consultant, believes the consumers will be on the winning side eventually. Sola expects Pepsi’s contenders to also bring down their prices. “The consumers will be surprised to discover that the other brands also have the capacity to bring down their prices,” he said.

“As we remember Glo Mobile for the per-second billing introduced in the telecom industry, we will remember Pepsi for disrupting this market to favour consumers,” an analyst said.

SOURCE: https://brandspurng.com/pepsi-cola-war-disrupts-market/

Data released by the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics shows that Nigeria’s economy is finally out of a recession. GDP growth for Q2 of 2017 grew by 0.55%, halting five quarters of negative growth. As expected, there have been mixed reactions to this. Some have celebrated what they consider a praiseworthy feat which indicates that the government has finally turned the corner on revamping the economy.


Others are however less excited by the developments, and there are two reasons for this thinking: First, the turnaround to positive growth was predicted by many parties – it was expected, given how the negative growth had already caused the economy to contract, providing a low base for growth to start from. Seeing this, a growth of 0.55% not only does not compensate for the lost ground, it also is below expectations considering the low base the growth is starting from. Below is a chart showing the quarterly GDP growth trend:

Nigeria’s two year GDP growth Q2 2015 to Q2 2017. Source: NBS

The least negative growth in any quarter was -0.67% in Q1 of 2016. Subsequent contractions were higher, peaking at -2.34% in Q3 of 2016. The single quarter growth that now has the country out of recession is 0.55% and is less than the lowest period of contraction, from a much higher base.

The second and more crucial issue comes from a closer look at the issues that led to the recession. A contraction in government revenue due to persistent overdependence on the single revenue source that is oil was significant. This cascaded into currency controls that saw foreign capital leave, the ability of producers to import raw materials, and that of traders to import produce, severely hampered. A stubborn refusal to allow the naira float causing multiple exchange rates was the result, with arbitrage opportunities increasing to almost 100% at some point within the period.

Unfortunately, the Nigerian government has not taken advantage of the crisis to make tough decisions that will forestall such a recession in the short and long term. The moment oil prices take a big enough hit again, Nigeria will be headed back to a recession.

Finally, coming out a recession is not the same as the economy making a recovery. Nigeria is very far from recovering from the loss of the last eighteen months. It will be more beneficial if the government and its agents shelve the unnecessary celebration and backslapping. The recovery plans documented in the ERGP have been unfavourably reviewed by all informed observers of the Nigerian economy. We have wasted a crisis. We will do well not waste the aftermath of the crisis. It is time to get to serious work.

SOURCE: https://brandspurng.com/analysis-now-that-the-recession-is-over/

SP Olayinka Egbeyemi who is the chairman of Lagos State Task Force has announced that they would start clamping down on illegal bus and cab parks under bridges in the state. Action will be taken after the expiry of a 48 hour quit notice. The initial places to be affected are Ojuelegba and Ikeja Bridges.


“All these illegal motorists engaging in commercial activities around Ojuelegba and Ikeja by Ipodo Market, Awolowo Way have been served a ‘Quit Notice’ on Saturday, Sept. 9, 2017 to vacate under the bridges immediately.

“Activities of these illegal motor parks are contributing to the traffic gridlock across the state. “No responsible and responsive government will tolerate criminal activities being carried out by hoodlums and miscreants around these illegal parks,” Egbeyemi said.

The task force confirmed that this development is not punish the transport operators but to reduce traffic and clear hideouts of criminals in the state.

SOURCE: https://brandspurng.com/lagos-commences-cleanup-of-illegal-motor-parks-under-bridges/