₦airaland Forum

In the quest to continually refresh the world and deepen its Real Magic narrative, which plays on each individual’s uniqueness to make the world a richer place to live-in through shared joyful experiences, Coca-Cola has unveiled this year’s Coke Studio with ‘THE CONDUCTOR’.

‘THE CONDUCTOR’, a global video, is a fusion of colorful cultures, pop music culture, and energy that condenses the diverse magic at the heart of the Coke Studio platform, featuring seven global artists who teamed up to remix the iconic British rock band, Queen’s 1986 track ‘A Kind of Magic’, with the idea being to preach devotedness, closeness, and collaboration with friends and family at all times.

The 2-minute video on the global Coke Studio with TEMS, singer, songwriter, and producer flying the Nigerian flag, is digital-first, always-on, and provides an opportunity for emerging talents, to partner, create and deliver moments of musical magic to new audiences.

‘THE CONDUCTOR’ is produced in an extraordinary collaboration with the seven global breakthrough artists who each brought their unique style to the music, and repurposed it for a new generation.

Other artists on the Remix, with billboard chart, topping TEMS, are Grammy-nominated American R&B sensation Ari Lennox; British Singer and Songwriter Griff; Turkish Electro-Pop Producer Ekin Beril; Latin Urban Pop Powerhouse Mariah Angeliq; Canadian-Indian Rapper and Producer Tesher; and Multilingual K-Pop Girl Band, TRI.BE.

In addition to the video, each of the seven artists also recorded their versions of ‘A KIND OF MAGIC’ which was an opportunity to refresh and reinterpret the track in different ways across cultures and musical genres for a new generation. The video, with additional exclusive tracks and behind-the-scenes footage, is accessible on the Coke Studio YouTube Hub.

According to Bunmi Adeniba, the revamped Coke Studio celebrates the unique ability of music to unite, and uplift, and provides a connection point for fans around the world to come together and enjoy a new experience.

She said, ‘’With the launch of “THE CONDUCTOR” we are glad to have a global representation in the Coke studio by one of the biggest emerging artists in Nigeria, TEMS. That is what Coca-Cola represents; collaboration, bonding, and fun times, which is what has been portrayed with the “A KIND OF MAGIC” collaboration’’.

Adeniba disclosed that “THE CONDUCTOR” campaign recognizes the need to forge solid relationships and collaboration with different cultures and promote bonding in diversity with the Coca-Cola brand as a pioneer for such movement globally.

"With “THE CONDUCTOR”, we shall continue to set the pace using music as a platform to connect, seeing that music is a great platform of expression for our consumers, which does not only buttress our ongoing commitment to reconnect with the world through real magic but also to inspire shared happy moments with Coca-Cola” Adeniba asserted.

The Coke Studio is a music collaborative reality show that seeks to bring together continental and intercontinental artists to celebrate the diversity of music and talents. It was launched in Pakistan in 2008 and has spread globally.

MOJEC Meter Asset Management Company (M3AC), has continued its metering drive with the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) approved Mobile Meter Access Provider (MAP) scheme, as it partners with the Jos Electricity Distribution Plc to take meters to customers within the Disco coverage area and end the menace of estimated billings.

The launch of the Mobile MAP scheme started in Abuja, with the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC); and then moved to Shomolu, Lagos under Ikeja Electric; and Sango, under the Ibadan Electric Distribution Company (IBEDC).

According to the Product Manager, MOJEC, Engr. Mayowa Oyelakin, the extension to the Jos Disco coverage area was a further demonstration of their commitment and resolve to make sure Nigerians are metered in line with the goal of the Federal Government.
Oyelakin stated that the Mobile MAP scheme came about due to customers’ unending calls to be metered so as to be saved from estimated billings that are not proportionate to the energy they consume.

He said the meters will be taken directly to the consumers as they want to protect them from being extorted under any guise, which was why the prices for the meters were boldly stated in all communications. ‘’Under the Mobile MAP scheme, the approved NERC prices for meters are N63,061.32 for single-phase and N117,910.69 for three-phase (VAT inclusive), and the prices cover the cost of meters and installation”, he asserted.

The Managing Director, Jos Disco, Alhaji Mammanlafia Umar, called on customers desiring meters to take advantage of the current metering programme, adding that the exercise was running concurrently in Bauchi, Benue, and Gombe states.

Umar, represented by the Chief Commercial Manager, Engr. Mansir Nakande, disclosed that the cost of the meters would be amortized, as the company was working towards metering all its customers.

He said, “All our customers without meters are insisting that they are being overcharged. We cannot say with certainty that customers are right or wrong. There are a lot of challenges with estimation’’.

MOJEC partnered with nine Discos to spread the Mobile MAP scheme across Nigeria. They are the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC); Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC); Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC); Jos Electricity Distribution Company (JEDC); Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company (KEDC); Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDC); Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC); Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (IKEDC); and the Yola Electricity Distribution Company (YEDC).

MOJEC Meter Asset Management company has bolstered its commitment to providing unmetered customers across the nation, access to meters through its Mobile Meter Asset Provider initiative (MOJEC Mobile MAP) The Mobile MAP is an extension of the general Meter Asset Provider scheme which began at the beginning of the year

MOJEC commenced Mobile MAP earlier this month in partnership with Abuja and Ibadan Discos, and also kicked off at the Shomolu business Unit of Ikeja DISCO on Tuesday, 26th April 2022. The objective of the initiative is to bring the entire MAP process to the doorstep of a specific community. Unmetered customers within that community are taken through all the processes of MAP, from registration to KYC, to survey, to payment and installation are all achieved in 24-48 hours vis-à-vis the general MAP which takes 2 weeks.
This Mobile MAP program which will run until the end of May is expected to continue in the Oshodi and Ikeja business units under Ikeja Electric.

Speaking at the event, The Group Managing Director, MOJEC International Holdings, Chantelle Abdul explained that the initiative is basically about bringing meters to the doorsteps of consumers. She stated, “MOJEC has set itself to provide meters to the end users because metering is critical to both the consumers and the electricity providers. We have taken up the mandate of establishing trust between the consumers and the distribution companies by manufacturing over 100,000 meters for the business units under the Ikeja DISCO just for this Mobile MAP.

Ms. Abdul concluded her remarks, cautioning end-users against extortion. She further stated “The approved NERC prices for meters are N63,061.32 for single-phase meters and N117,910.69 for three-phase meters (VAT inclusive) and this prices cover the cost of meters and installation.” These are the prices that customers are required to pay under the MAP scheme.

In his opening remark, Amosun Morenikeji, Head, Prepaid Revenue Management and Metering department, Ikeja Electric, said: “We are aware of the recently concluded Phase Zero of the National Mass Metering Programme under which customers were metered without cost. However, while we await the commencement of phase one of the NMMP scheme, the government has inaugurated the MAP program to meter customers who are ready to pay for their meters and these customers would be refunded through energy credit.

Michael Onourah, Head of Metering Projects, MOJEC International, in addressing the extortion challenge in the electricity supply industry emphasized that MOJEC in conjunction with IKEDC has developed an automated payment reference system with PayStack and Remitta through which customers can initiate payment for their meters.

He concluded that for customers who experience fund solicitation from any staff of MOJEC or IKEDC for meter installation services, whistleblowing can be initiated via the customer care lines or the social media handles of both organizations.

As part of efforts to ensure reforestation, reduce biodiversity loss, boost food security and support the global net-zero emission agenda, Seplat Energy, Nigeria’s foremost indigenous energy company, has launched a special sustainability campaign tagged “Seplat Tree 4Life.”

Seplat Energy, the first Nigerian company to complete a dual listing on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) and the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NGX), announced the "Tree4Life" initiative as part of its commitment to address the effects of climate change, which not only sabotage the Nigerian economy but also prevents it from reaping the inherent benefits of the global energy transition agenda.

To accomplish this, the company declared that it will plant one million trees every year, with 75 percent of them being economic trees, with the goal of planting 5 million trees in five years to combat climate change and carbon emissions.

Nigeria’s Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, who led other dignitaries to the hybrid event on Tuesday, at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Memorial Centre, Abuja commended Seplat Energy for its initiative. He noted that the Company has proved to be a very responsible company judging by its strategic Social Investment programmes.

Sylva said that gas will be the pathway to clean energy, which was why the government is committed to creating a lot of opportunities for local operators to leverage.
He said, “The Petroleum Industry Act will enable a vast amount of gas projects but it behoves operators in the industry to also take advantage of the opportunity provided by the PIA to deepen the gas business in Nigeria.

“And to achieve that, we have declared the year 2021 to the year 2030 as the decade of gas and we are not just declaring it, we are creating a roadmap to achieving the decade of gas.”

He said the government is creating corridors to deepen the gas business, including the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) pipeline corridor across Nigeria, from the Southern part to the North; the West Africa Gas Pipeline corridor to Morocco; the Trans-Saharan Pipeline, and the Nigerian Gas Transportation Network Code.

He noted that President Muhammadu Buhari set a target for 2060 for net zero-emission, and he is happy that Seplat is leading the drive to achieve the target.

Speaking at the event, the Minister of State, Environment, Sharon Ikeazor, represented Victoria Pwol Gyang, Deputy Director and Head Green House Gas Inventory Division of the Federal Ministry of Environment, said Seplat Energy’s tree planting drive aligns with the global environmental protection agenda, along with the protection of the Nigerian environment and ensuring sustainable growth and development.

She stated that climate change remains the biggest challenge faced by the world, adding that, collaborations and partnerships are needed to aid the reduction of carbon emissions, guarantee environmental protection, and eventually end deforestation.

“After COP26, Buhari signed a bill on the Climate Change Act in October 2021 aimed at formulating programmes around climate change. The law has a legal framework to ensure climate resilience, adoption of climate action into governance priorities”, she added.

According to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Board Chairman, Margery Chuba-Okadigbo, coming at a time the oil and gas industry is facing unprecedented challenges, the Seplat Tree4Life initiative should be lauded.

She said, “The good news is that concerted efforts are being made on climate action and asking what we can do to mitigate climate change,” she explained, adding that the solutions would involve everyone.

The Group Managing Director/CEO, NNPC, Mele Kyari, who joined virtually, said the Tree4Life is a good initiative from Seplat to protect the environment and the people.

He said, ‘’Our people still use firewood to cook which is bad for their health and the environment. It's necessary at this point in time, what Seplat Energy is doing and he is happy to be a part of the journey, as he is in support and will continue to support.
He announced at the event that the NNPC is transiting to a Limited company and the unveiling will be done by President Muhammadu Buhari on July 18.

In his remarks, the Chairman of Seplat Energy, Dr. ABC Orjiako called for concerted efforts by stakeholders in the energy sector to develop key strategies and investments aimed at reducing the carbon footprint by embracing cleaner and healthier energy. He explained that reforestation would reduce the carbon dioxide in the air, prevent erosion and contribute to food security.

Orjiako recalled that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued its First Assessment Report in 1990, which had three significant conclusions, which are: global temperatures have risen by 0.3-0.6 degrees Celsius over the last century; that human emissions were adding to the atmosphere's natural complement of greenhouse gases; and that any addition to this would be anticipated to result in warming.

He emphasized that the IPCC's predictions from more than 30 years ago have not only been followed but are now direr in 2022.
The Seplat Energy Chairman stated that the February 2022 report revealed that climate change consequences were already pervasive and more difficult to adjust to than anticipated, emphasizing the importance of climate action.

He stated that the world is in an energy crisis, adding that: "There is a worldwide energy problem. Everyone is in a crisis, and the form and manner in which it is resolved vary. More than 60 percent of Nigeria's population lives in absolute darkness.

"Gas is a more environmentally friendly source of energy. Homes consume more than 80 percent of the energy required. We should not deforest; doing so worsens environmental damage. CO2 emissions will also rise. Instead, we are encouraging reforestation. We're assisting with LPG penetration so that people don't have to rely on trees to cook.

Orjiako stated that trees must be planted everywhere to stem the tide of deforestation. His words, "With the supply of electricity in our environment, there is full deforestation. The more deforestation there is, the more we not only encourage climate change infestation, but we also generate more carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases into the environment.

"We want to emphasize that the purpose of the tree planting activity is to prevent deforestation and promote reforestation. You must plant trees everywhere you go. We took the intentional choice at Seplat that ESG (environmental, social, and governance) is an important component of conducting business that will be beneficial to our communities.’’

Nigeria has since committed to net-zero carbon emission by 2060 and climate change actions by 2030, though Seplat has chosen 2024 to end its CO2 emission.

According to Mr. Roger Brown, the Chief Executive Officer of Seplat Energy, Nigeria has demonstrated a commitment to reducing carbon emissions.

Brown stated that the tree-planting effort, which includes 75 percent economic trees, will primarily begin in five states: Edo, Delta, Imo, and two Northern states.

"We will purposefully involve women, youth, and communities for sustainable food production and a sustainable environment through community tree planting and mentality transformation. We have adopted a two-pronged strategy to campaign for Tree Planting and Protection to raise awareness of the necessity of tree planting and peoples' responsibilities to guarantee its success. Another way is to plant trees - undertake afforestation/restoration programs with a commitment to plant one million trees each year, mostly from economic trees”, he affirmed.

According to a Mckinsey research issued in January 2020, the oil and gas industry is responsible for 42 percent of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, either directly or indirectly.

The research goes on to say that if the world is to fulfill its climate-change targets, the industry must play a significant role, as its practices account for 9 percent of man-made greenhouse gas emissions. Furthermore, it generates fuels that account for another 33 percent of world emissions.

Brown stated that given the foregoing, Seplat Energy has started various decarbonization projects to significantly reduce its carbon footprint as an energy firm.

He noted that they are strongly committed to sustainable business practices and are steadfast in their determination to contribute to climate change mitigation by steadily dedicating greater resources to creating strategic solutions to the climate change problem.

He stated that the initiative intends to restore and reforest, address biodiversity loss, and naturally boost carbon capture, in line with SDG 13 on Climate Action, which aspires to reduce greenhouse gasses and combat climate change.

Furthermore, it will improve food security and reduce poverty by empowering communities to grow economic trees that will give food and combat hunger without harming the environment (SDG 2 – Zero Hunger).

For Dr. Chioma Nwachuku, Director of External Affairs and Sustainability, Seplat Energy, the Tree4Life initiative is a means to further grow the Company’s sustainability footprints across the country and also empower more women and youths.

She stated that it is a testament to Seplat Energy’s belief in not only protecting the environment but also empowering people to mitigate the impacts of poverty in society.

Obi Nnanna, the CEO of Kaitani, a plastic recycling and waste management solutions provider and the maiden winner of the Seplat Environmental challenge at the 2021 Seplat Energy Summit, stated that It is exciting to see an energy company looking beyond the status quo of shareholder profits and proactively engaging in solutions that create a cleaner world.

He said in today’s world, ‘’We - people, nations, governments, corporations can no longer afford to think in terms of profit alone. We cannot ignore the impact of climate change, environmental degradation, and unemployment.

‘’This is why the 3 dimensional nature of sustainability - economics, social and environmental factors are so important and any solutions for today and tomorrow must follow this holistic approach,’’ he added.

MOJEC Meter Asset Management company has bolstered its commitment to providing unmetered customers across the nation, access to meters through its Mobile Meter Asset Provider initiative (MOJEC Mobile MAP) The Mobile MAP is an extension of the general Meter Asset Provider scheme which began at the beginning of the year

MOJEC commenced Mobile MAP earlier this month in partnership with Abuja and Ibadan Discos, and also kicked off at the Shomolu business Unit of Ikeja DISCO on Tuesday, 26th April 2022.

The initiative's objective is to bring the entire MAP process to the doorstep of a specific community. Unmetered customers within that community are taken through all the processes of MAP, from registration to KYC, to survey, to payment and installation are all achieved in 24-48 hours vis-à-vis the general MAP which takes 2 weeks.

This Mobile MAP program which will run until the end of May is expected to continue in the Oshodi and Ikeja business units under Ikeja Electric.

Speaking at the event, the Group Managing Director, MOJEC International Holdings, Chantelle Abdul explained that the initiative is about bringing meters to consumers' doorsteps.

She stated, “MOJEC has set itself to provide meters to the end users because metering is critical to both the consumers and the electricity providers. We have taken up the mandate of establishing trust between the consumers and the distribution companies by manufacturing over 100,000 meters for the business units under the Ikeja DISCO just for this Mobile MAP.

Ms. Abdul concluded her remarks, cautioning end-users against extortion. She further stated “The approved NERC prices for meters are N63,061.32 for single-phase meters and N117,910.69 for three-phase meters (VAT inclusive) and these prices cover the cost of meters and installation.” These are the prices that customers are required to pay under the MAP scheme.

In his opening remark, Amosun Morenikeji, Head, Prepaid Revenue Management and Metering department, Ikeja Electric, said: “We are aware of the recently concluded Phase Zero of the National Mass Metering Programme under which customers were metered without cost. However, while we await the commencement of phase one of the NMMP scheme,the government has inaugurated the MAP program to meter customers who are ready to pay for their meters and these customers would be refunded through energy credit.

Michael Onourah, Head of Metering Projects, MOJEC International, in addressing the extortion challenge in the electricity supply industry emphasized that MOJEC in conjunction with IKEDC has developed an automated payment reference system with PayStack and Remitta through which customers can initiate payment for their meters.

He concluded that for customers who experience fund solicitation from any staff of MOJEC or IKEDC for meter installation services, whistleblowing could be initiated via the customer care lines or the social media handles of both organizations.

The community of Onigbongbo, Lagos, was in a joyous mood today, as 1062 women were equipped with transformative skills through the Coca-Cola Foundation-funded women empowerment initiative, Catalyst for Change 2.0, to enhance their economic standards and quality of life for themselves and their families.

The graduation ceremony, held at the Redeemed Christian Church of God in Maryland, marked the conclusion of another edition of the initiative in Lagos, bringing the total number of empowered communities in Lagos to 9 out of 10.

Catalyst for Change 2.0 is one of Coca Cola's several women empowerment and youth development initiatives and has delivered economic empowerment to a total of 9,062 women through vocational skills such as pastry making, shoemaking, fashion designing, makeup artistry, wig making, tie and dye, household essentials and bag making. Participants in financial literacy and business management classes learned about bookkeeping, personal and product branding, social media management, and customer relationship management.

Speaking at the ceremony, Nwamaka Onyemelukwe, Director, Public Affairs, Communications, and Sustainability, Coca-Cola Nigeria, commended the beneficiaries and challenged them to continue using the skills gained through the program.

"I am heartened by the great achievements of previous participants of this program. When women work, economies thrive, and women empowerment increases productivity. The sponsorship of this project is in line with our Africa sustainability platform JAMII focused on wealth creation for women and youths. The system is thrilled about the outcomes and impact stories, and I anticipate that this batch of beneficiaries will attain a better degree of achievement," she said.

The goal of this initiative, according to Onyemelukwe, is to constantly lower the number of disadvantaged women in society and integrate them into a growth trajectory that generates value for their families and society.

She added that the recycling knowledge garnered from the training should be capitalized on by the beneficiaries as a supplementary source of income while ensuring community sanitation. "The Waste to Wealth initiative is one of Coca-Cola’s numerous recycling projects aimed at promoting recycling by collecting PET waste and converting it to monetary value or food items This practice is a source of value and additional revenue for women who own businesses or work in the corporate sector. I encourage everyone to take advantage of this opportunity to promote financial inclusion in our society.’’

Bukola Bamiduro, founder, Karis and Eleos Hand of Hope Foundation, the program implementing partner advised the beneficiaries to continuously create value in their communities through the application and transmission of knowledge while uplifting themselves, thereby leading to the formation of a cycle of transgenerational businesses.

She thanked the Coca-Cola Foundation for financially supporting the project and Wema Bank for the financial opportunities offered to the beneficiaries to ensure a better standard of living.

Amaka Igboaziahia, an outstanding alumna of the Catalyst for Change 2.0 in Surulere community, recounted her experiences during the occasion. Igboahazia, who now runs an Ottoman upholstery business as well as a confectionery startup, urged the program's participants to make the best use of the tools and skills they gained. "Rather than sitting passively at home, employ these skills you have gained to construct a better life for yourselves," she said. I understood what I wanted out of the program from the first day, and I continually enhanced my efforts toward launching my business".

Adeyemi Adebimpe, a beneficiary from the Onigbongbo Community, also conveyed her appreciation to the Coca-Cola Foundation and the Karis and Eleos Foundation for the opportunity. "I am grateful to both foundations for this life-changing experience, and I can't wait to start my business with all I've learnt. Being a part of this program has transformed my perspective on being self-sufficient, and I intend to pass this information on to other women in my life," she stated.

Chinyere Nwigwe, another program beneficiary, expressed confidence in her ability to account for her funds while running her shoe making and fashion designing businesses as a result of the business lessons she took during the program.
So far, a total of 1,800 women have received start-up kits/seep capital to start businesses out of the 9,000 women who have participated in the program.

Jubilant electricity consumers trooped out in their numbers to participate in the MOJEC Mobile MAP initiative, with many applauding the pleasant surprise of being metered the same day.

The Mobile MAP team, comprising MOJEC and Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (IKEDC) employees stormed the Oshodi Business District recently in furtherance of its mobile metering initiative.

This is a continuation of the Mobile MAP launch that started last month in Abuja, with the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC); Shomolu, Lagos with Ikeja Electric; and Sango, under the Ibadan Electric Distribution Company (IBEDC).

As early as 8am, customers under the coverage area were already at the business unit to make inquiries on how they can participate, as according to most of them, getting metered will be a solution to most of the issues they encounter with energy.

An elated consumer, Kelechi Okafor, who got metered on the spot, recounted how he and his neighbours made several failed efforts at getting prepaid meters in time past. He took time off some other important things to see for himself and is pleased that he did.
He said, “I heard about Mobile MAP and the 24 hours metering target with the assurance that the meter will be brought to my house and made up my mind to be a beneficiary before the window would close.”

He urged the team to sustain the initiative and ensure that it goes around the country because most electricity consumers were not metered presently and would want to be metered.

“More people under this business area want meters. Participating under Mobile MAP, hopefully, will solve our estimated billings problem, which is necessary especially when many have been subjected to irrational billing, even when most are not home, or travelled’’, he asserted.

Estimated billing - a situation where electricity consumers are billed a certain amount based on the calculation of the distribution company and not on the worth of energy they consume – has been the bane of energy consumers in the country as the amount billed cannot be said to be the true worth of power they consume.

To ameliorate this situation, MOJEC extended its Mobile MAP initiative to Ikeja Electric consumers in Okota, Ijesha, Festac, and environs under the Oshodi Business Unit in accordance with its resolve to take meters to more unmetered customers across the country.
The Mobile MAP is aimed at taking meters to the customers’ doorsteps as it aims at alleviating the laborious general meter acquisition processes, ranging from KYC, survey, payment to installation, by consolidating and making them achievable under 24-48 hours.

According to Ademola Ademulegun, Head of Procurement at MOJEC, Mobile MAP is also by extension a continuation of Phase 2 of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) approved ‘Meter Asset Provider (MAP)’ initiative.

Ademulegun stated that the Mobile MAP programme will assist the customers to measure what they spend on power, save them from estimated billings and it is expected to run for the next two months across the various business units of the nine discos MOJEC International currently partners.

Engr. Taofik Basanya, the Business Manager, Oshodi Business Unit said the Mobile MAP extension to the area is necessary at this moment considering the numbers of those that indicated their interest in getting metered. He said they will attend to all those that want to be metered as capturing more customers under the metering net will grow the electricity sector.

He urged the customers to visit their website if they want to leverage the Mobile MAP initiative and avoid going to third-party agents who will extort them.

MOJEC Meter Asset Management Company (M3AC) has partnered with the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) to ensure 24-hour meter delivery to interested customers through the MAP Initiative.

This is by extension a continuation of Phase 2 of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) approved ‘Meter Asset Provider (MAP)’ initiative, whose mantra is “metering at your doorstep”. The initiative is aimed at consolidating the rigorous general meter installation process that includes KYC, survey, payment, acquisition, and installation all under 24-48 hours.

Team Lead, M3AC, Titilope Oyelade, disclosed during the launch of the scheme at the Sango business unit, that the Mobile MAP initiative would run for the next two months across the various business units of the nine Discos with whom the M3AC currently partners. “Each Disco is expected to meter at least 100,000 customers under the initiative,” she stated.

She added that M3AC initiated the Mobile MAP scheme in response to persistent calls by consumers who want pre-paid meters to save them from the menace of estimated billings and other under-table dealings which they consider economically strangulating. Oyelade explained that the process of meter acquisition has been so simplified that all interested customers needed to do was to register on their Disco’s website.

She hinted that there would be over 10,000 meters available to be given out monthly to customers at the Sango Ota axis and that the exercise would be a continuous one as long as consumers make demands for the meters.

She said the meters are being taken directly to the consumers as they want to protect them from being extorted under any guise and which was why the prices for the meters are boldly stated in all communications. ‘’Under the Mobile MAP scheme, the approved NERC prices for meters are N63,061.32 for single-phase and N117,910.69 for three-phase (VAT inclusive), and the prices cover the cost of meters and installation”, she added.

IBEDC Business Manager, Sango Unit, Olujide Odutuyo, said they partnered with M3AC because of their desire to make pre-paid meters available to all consumers so that each consumer would have quality measurement of the electricity they consume. He urged the consumers to embrace the Mobile MAP as it will eliminate estimated billings and is a faster alternative to the NMMP. Under it, he posited that consumers can get metered under 24 hours as all processes from KYC, to survey, to payment and installation are achieved in record timing.

A consumer, Tunde Folarin, expressed satisfaction with the Mobile MAP initiative, as he beamed with happiness on being metered under 24 hours. He was optimistic that more Nigerians would embrace the Mobile MAP metering plan to escape the menace of estimated billing.

MOJEC partnered with nine DisCos to spread the Mobile MAP scheme across Nigeria. They are the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC); Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC); Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC); Jos Electricity Distribution Company (JEDC); Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company (KEDC); Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDC); Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC); Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (IKEDC); and the Yola Electricity Distribution Company (YEDC).

It was nights of Afrobeats music at its best. For four days running, the son of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, the legendary founder of Afrobeat, Seun Anikulapo-Kuti, and his Egypt 80 band relived old memories and brought back nostalgia to the appreciative mix of expatriates and Nigerians with his rich repertoire of Afrobeats music that has made him a global star.

At the Alliance Francaise hosted concert, Seun Kuti not only gave the best of his music, he also performed new songs from his upcoming album that he intended to take on his global tour.

The show, which held from April 28 – 30 (public show) and a private one on May 1, from 7 pm, saw concert attendees and followers of Afrobeat trooped into the venue before time to watch the best of Seun Kuti and The Egypt 80’s first concert at the Alliance Francaise, Ikoyi, Lagos, a move Seun said is similar to coming back home.

Seun stated that he started his professional music carrier at the famed French Cultural Center as he was given support and residency when he had nowhere to go when his father died and African Shrine was closed. He noted that it was prudent that before he starts his global tour, which was on hold at the instance of the Coronavirus pandemic-induced lockdown, he has to rekindle old memories at the new French cultural center, Alliance Francaise / Mike Adenuga Center.

The show, he enthused is to test his songs before he goes on tour as he called on the audience to be critical of his performances so that he learns and revises the songs before the tour. If that's going to ever happen, it's another conversation in its entirety.
He started his performance as he is known to, by playing one of his father’s songs, a practice he said is to show his respect to the renowned Fela Anikulapo-Kuti.

Following the political and social echoes of his father by calling those elected into power to account for their actions, he performed ‘Run’, a song affirming Karma to evildoers, as no matter how fast they run, they cannot run from the judgment that will eventually come to them. He mentioned names of those that have put their hands inside the proverbial filthy lucre, telling them to prepare for their comeuppance.

There was a slight dig at law enforcement agencies going after smokers as like the proverbial maxim, ‘practice what you preach’, he satirized the Police, politicians campaigning against smokers with his ‘Bad Man Lighter’ song. With the excerpt, "Anywhere dem say no smoking, l know dem joking", he said the Police, politicians, and others are sycophants telling people not to do what they do secretly.

His leftist ideology is always there as he enjoins people to be socially conscious. He wants the government to be called to order, and workers should side with the people, not the aggressors. This was before his ‘Love and Revolution’ energetic performance, one of the new songs he performed at the concert.

Copying from Che Guevara who said ‘Revolution is the greatest form of love’, Love and Revolution is his love song about revolution being the greatest form of love as those that embark on it do so for the upliftment of the society. Romantic love for a single person, he stated is selfish as a society cannot benefit from it, which was why the song was about a woman who wants revolution as her love potion. He added that it is only through a revolution that society’s welfare can be met.

Before bringing the concert to an end, Seun Kuti used the opportunity to thank his fans and followers, talked about the various trending topics in society, and called on parents to train their children on societal happenings.
The collaboration with Seun Kuti, according to Alliance Francaise was borne out of the continuous need to promote the artistic nature of Afrobeat, and also promote cultural events.

The Alliance Française of Lagos is a Nigerian not-for-profit institution dedicated to the promotion of French language, Francophone cultures, and the promotion of cultural diversity. Based in Ikoyi and Ikeja, the Alliance Française of Lagos offers French classes for all kinds of audiences, as well as professional translation services for private and corporate needs. It also offers a variety of cultural events such as exhibitions, screenings, and concerts all year long.

Ramadan is considered one of the holiest months of the year for Muslims. During Ramadan, Muslim families abstain from food and water from sunrise to sunset and gather, either during the morning to start the fast or at night to break it, thus encouraging a special sharing moment with family, especially at Iftar and Sahur.

Continuing this yearly commitment to families during the Ramadan season, Coca-Cola seeks to encourage bonding moments of real human connection amongst families by providing platforms to help them connect and keep them refreshed.

To mark this year's fasting,, Coca-Cola launched its Ramadan campaign tagged This Ramadan, there’s joy when we Iftar together” to provide Coca-Cola Iftar packages to families to promote togetherness. This is to deepen family bonding over meals while starting the day's fast and after the break.

The Online Campaign will provide an inside look into the life of Individuals and their families during Ramadan in a deeper, more relatable way as it focuses on a chapter by chapter fun cooking moment story of select Influencers with their Families during the Month of Ramadan.

According to the brand, the outdoor activation campaign tagged “Iftar Wonder Meals would focus on the execution of a series of sampling activities of branded goodies targeted during break times for Muslim faithful in designated locations in Mosques across Lagos, Ibadan, Abuja, Kano, and Kaduna.

Consumers will participate in various activities where they will win tickets to the Iftar Magic Table, a grand event towards the end of Ramadan where they will be entertained by the beauty of the Iftar Wonder Table at a grand Tasfir - Islamic entertainment-themed event.

Speaking on the campaign, Marketing Director, Coca-Cola Nigeria, Bunmi Adeniba, said “As we understand the value of sharing moments of happiness and refreshing our consumers, we hope to promote family bonding by entrenching the importance of sharing and bonding over meals with Coca-Cola during Ramadan to ensure that the general essence of the Iftar bonding is realised.

She further added that the month of Ramadan significantly contributes to fostering good relations and the promotion of community cohesion, adding that the campaign is the company’s way of promoting sharing and togetherness, one of the core messages of Ramadan, which is an important aspect of people’s lives.

Henkel Nigeria strives to be at the forefront of supporting governmental programmes, such as the country’s education ambitions. Through Researchers’ World (Forscherwelt), Henkel will not only continue to be a strong contributor to the Nigerian economy by empowering young talents through science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), but also drive and amplify its involvement in community relations.

Researchers' World is an educational initiative designed by Henkel to introduce children to the fascinating world of science. Since its inauguration at Henkel’s Düsseldorf headquarters in April 2011, more than 62,000 children around the world have taken part in Henkel’s Researcher’s World programmes. Since then, the education initiative has become global. There are "Forscherwelt projects" in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, India, Italy, Mexico, Poland, Russia, South Korea, Turkey, UAE, and USA…and now in Nigeria, as of November 2021.

The programme was launched in Oyo State and sessions will continue in this State until the end of June 2022. Phase 2 of the strategy will see Researcher’s World enter Lagos State in July 2022.

“We are committed to shaping a purposeful future for the next generations,” explained Rajat Kapur, Managing Director for Henkel Nigeria. “Our goal was always to start small and then expand throughout Nigeria so that children around the country will be exposed to the fascinating world of science”.

Dr. Ute Krupp, Forscherwelt’s global coordinator, remarked that Researcher’s World gives young children all over the world a fascinating introduction to the world of science and what it means to be a researcher through hands-on teaching methodology.

‘’The children gain first insights into research processes and can apply this knowledge to future tasks as the first contact with science leaves a very positive impression and may encourage the participants to later choose a scientific profession,’’ she asserted.

Krupp said the Researcher’s World programme has several impacts. ‘’Firstly, it introduces children to science at a young age when they are open and curious about such subjects, and this can spark their curiosity and influence their future educational choices. Secondly, it encourages and inspires the teachers to integrate science into the primary education curriculum by showing that this is possible even without complicated and expensive equipment.”

For Damilola Asaleye, coordinator, Girls and Women Technological Empowerment Organisation (GWTEO), the non-governmental organization executing the Researcher’s World training in Nigeria, the mode of learning will produce future citizens that are more resilient and persistent in solving societal problems instead of shying away from challenges.

She said they have been able to adapt the global Researcher’s World training in the country. ‘’We have been able to incorporate a lot of related specimens to make learning more relatable for the children. It will take a gradual process to fully adapt the global syllabus to the Nigerian system but so far, we are making tangible progress in this direction.’’

She said the Researcher’s World initiative can thrive effectively across the 36 states in Nigeria and will be a transformational and strategic nation-building tool especially in shaping the minds of future talents.

This is what Henkel intends to achieve with Researcher’s World…to empower young talents through science, technology, engineering, and math.

Nigeria has one of the highest infant and neonatal death rates in the world. In a strong push to effect needed change, participants at the maiden Obijackson Women and Children Hospital (OWCH) funded Newborn Respiratory Support Workshop has called for immediate and broad adoption of a national neonatal respiratory support policy and plan in Nigeria.

The newborn healthcare practitioners in attendance included doctors and nurses from the South-East and South-South regions of the country. The policy adoption they advocated for would drastically reduce neonatal mortality and morbidity responsible for 59.1 deaths per 1000 live births in infants before the age of 1 year and over 35 per 1000 live births for newborn deaths in the country.

The OWCH Head of Hospital Services, Dr Ikechukwu Okonkwo, the lead knowledge expert at the workshop, expressed sadness that most of the neonatal deaths are from preventable causes. Improving respiratory support for our most vulnerable population will significantly impact the three leading causes of neonatal and infant deaths; preterm birth, intrapartum-related events (previously called perinatal asphyxia), and infections which are all accompanied by degrees of breathing difficulties.

Dr Okonkwo said the newborn respiratory support workshop was conceptualized in collaboration with our national and international partners to train medical practitioners on how to save babies' lives. It provided evidence-based, state of the art hands-on training and practical knowledge to participants in various aspects of newborn and infant care including specialized transport of critically ill baby. He added that unfortunately, only one out of every three babies are currently delivered in a healthcare facility, greatly decreasing the survival chances of the mother and newborn.

He revealed that available data and models show that for any country to have less than 35 deaths per 1000 births, a national policy on newborn respiratory support is key. This is why this group of professionals enjoined the government to focus on the issue and make it a national policy, to save more babies.

He said, “These three major causes of neonatal mortality accounting for 85 percent of deaths were covered extensively in this comprehensive workshop. This high-level skill acquisition training addressed the healthcare system from top to bottom.
“We have consultants, doctors, and nurses here to learn new ways to save babies, and afterward they will teach others in their hospitals and medical facilities how to care for the newborn babies all with the goal of reducing neonatal mortality.”

This workshop which focused on capacity building and skills acquisition in providing respiratory support to newborn babies was subsidized by the Obijackson Foundation, funded by Dr. Ernest Azudialu-Obiejesi, whose tireless drive to support the reduction of neonatal death in the country has resulted in significantly improved health outcomes for newborns cared for at OWCH.

Neonatologist & Pediatrician at OWCH, Dr Chinelo Madueze, presented the topic “Newborn Resuscitation; Principles, Practice & Solution for LRS”. She reemphasized that a lot of neonatal deaths are due to intrapartum-related events (previously called perinatal asphyxia). This results in respiratory failure, a situation where a newborn baby can neither breathe nor cry at birth. She emphasized that the aim of the training was to better equip health care practitioners in evidence-based neonatal resuscitation, especially in low resources centers. This will result in skilled attendants being available and ready to provide expert care to all babies at the time of birth and assist them in breathing.

‘’Ventilation of the lungs is the most important thing to do when babies are born. Obstetricians and other health care professionals present during childbirth must be able to help all newborn babies who do not cry or breathe at birth to breathe within one minute of life to prevent irreversible brain damage and death. The knowledge and skills acquired from this workshop will help to reduce neonatal deaths nationally and globally’’, she added.

A participant, Dr. Ileli Sheila, from Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Edo State, said she came to the workshop to learn how she could do her part to make a difference and improve the survival of Nigerian babies. ‘’The main reason why I came to this workshop is capacity building such that wherever the facilities are available for advance resuscitation, l can be part of those to use it to improve my community and reduce neonatal death’’, she stated.

The participants agreed that for Nigeria to significantly lower its neonatal mortality rate, the government must make more of the respiratory support workshop available in different States across the country; extend the reach of healthcare insurance to cover all citizens and make healthcare affordable to all.

David Adeoye Abodunrin, a life coach and personal development expert with over 25 years of experience has been shortlisted alongside 4 others, and one of them will emerge the Online Coach of the year in the digital space at the 2022 Gage Awards.

David Abodunrin, deeply passionate about helping people and organizations achieve superior performance & success using unusual Insights and knowledge rooted in Behavioral Psychology, according to the award organisers, was shortlisted to show that his contributions to the digital space in Nigeria have not gone unnoticed and he is well celebrated for it.

The organisers said he, along with others, were selected by a process that was opened to the general public on its digital portal, in a pan Nigerian digital campaign thrown open for 6 weeks in major cities, and nominees were shortlisted through a fair and transparent process, to ensure only the best are shortlisted and selected for the GAGE 2022 Awards.

David Abodunrin, with an MBA from the award-winning and prestigious Hult International Business School, is a leading Psychologist, whose mission is to catalyze individuals, families, organizations, and communities to understand themselves, build future networks, and apply inspired-anticipatory thinking in their lives and careers to create personal wealth and superior value that can be offered in the marketplace for value exchange.
An Electronics & Computer Engineer by training with experience spanning the fields of Information Technology and Telecommunications with Cybersecurity, with Coaching, Consulting expertise, and experience in Human Capital Consulting with a blend of unique Capabilities in Human Behavioral and Personality Psychology with the use of Psychoanalysis, Personality Engineering & Re-Engineering for individual and Organizational Success; he is also a Certified Scrum Master & Certified Scrum Product Owner from the Scrum Alliance.

As Enterprise Agile Coach, he has used Agile, Scrum, and Project Management Knowledge, Tools & Techniques to drive Business Process Management/Optimization, RoI, and tangible business results and bottom lines for clients and organizations.
As a Life Coach and talented Neuro-Linguistic Programmer; he has also achieved phenomenal and outstanding results using unique tools and techniques to drive Personal and Organizational Transformations that last by installing game-changing competencies that guarantee results.
As a track record; he has helped brands and organizations achieve business success, operational excellence, and Profitability by the proper use of knowledge & methodologies (Sales& Consumer Psychology, Project and Process Management, Six-sigma, and Lean) for superior customer experiences and competitive advantage that also result in significant waste reduction.

He has consulted for organizations in the Telecommunications, Information Technology, Oil & Gas, Construction, Marketing & Advertising, as well as Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) industries on Human capacity development and psychology.

He also has a proven track record in assisting individuals to navigate into the future with time-tested, proven tools and techniques that will guarantee tangible results in the businesses, careers, and personal lives of his clients and his employers.
He is also the Serving Overseer at Kairos Inspiration Network; An Apostolic Prophetic Ministry reaching out to Mankind for the fulfillment of purpose and direction

The 2022 edition of the GAGE Awards debuts with the theme, “Co-Create 2022”, which, according to the organisers, is proof of how much Nigerians and, by extension, Africans can achieve together in the tech space by collaborating.

The peculiarities of the business operating environment in Nigeria are common knowledge but concerns are mounting that a bad situation is suddenly turning worse, owing to extraneous factors such as the development in Eastern Europe, which has mounted pressure on the prices of fuel including Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), known as petrol, and Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) also called diesel, and aviation fuel.

The harsh reality is that the few small-scale businesses trying to stay afloat, having not fully recovered from the consequence of the COVID-19-fueled recession, might be contemplating winding down unless something critical is done to mitigate it. Many posit that this might also pose a security risk to the country considering the critical role and contributions of the micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) sector, to the Nigerian economy.

According to Nigeria’s Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Ambassador Mariam Katagum, SMEs contribute over 50 percent to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and also account for over 80 percent of employment in the country.

Nigeria’s macro-economic ecosystem, in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, appears to be on the recovery path, with the low numbers being recorded daily by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). The effect of the pandemic’s disruption on families, small businesses, artisans, and other vulnerable Nigerians is dire, with many having lost their sources of income or livelihood.

Though the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) revealed in its Q4, 2021 GDP report released in February, that the GDP grew 3.4 percent, the strongest since 2014, headline inflation has continued to rally within the double digits region, with the prices of commodities skyrocketing. Unemployment continues to rise despite the number of graduates being churned out yearly across all the higher institutions in the country.
The average citizen’s disposable income has been worsening. This is compounded by Foreign Exchange scarcity and stability concerns which has seen some businesses either close shop or scale down on activities.

With the attendant effect of COVID-19, as well as economic and socio-political developments disrupting the regular way of life, businesses have had to adapt their strategies to fast-changing realities in the bid to stay afloat. Similar to most other companies, Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited, the leading total beverage company in the country, is not immune to the limitations posed by the hard-hitting economic situation, as the last two years has proved a challenge for all.

The food and beverages industry is one of the more mature industries across the globe and has undergone changes regarding product innovations and offerings. To face the growing market challenges, companies are bringing new flavours onboard, keeping in mind the health and wellness concerns of consumers, which is why the Nigerian market is bursting with different flavours introduced by the new entrants.

Managing Director, Coca-Cola Nigeria, Alfred Olajide, attributed the country’s poor economic performance, over the past 24 months, to several factors which left the country to make certain important decisions, which meant companies had to think on their feet and make difficult business decisions.

Part of the decisions by the beverage leader in the quest for opportunities to delight its consumers includes the expansion of its supply and capacity in the bid to meet the teeming demand by consumers, while also reinforcing all its brands with consumer-focused activities like Coke with Meals; Fanta with Snacks; Sprite with anything Spicy; Juices and water for nutrition and hydration; and its premium brand, Schweppes for socializing occasions.

Olajide said, ‘’With inflation comes an increased cost of production and living, and this is not within our control. However, with our foresight, we anticipated these developments and created more value-based SKUs. Over the years, we have developed smaller packaging for our product variants to cater to consumers with lower purchasing power”.

Over the past five to six years, Olajide asserted that they have seen to the introduction of brands with aggressive introductory strategies disrupting the market and presenting numerous options for Nigerians. Some of these strategies include new product launches to cater to the evolving tastes of consumers such as Schweppes Ginger and Zobo, 5 Alive Pulpy Lemon and Mango, and product reformations to provide superior taste to consumers like Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, being touted as the best coke ever with a challenge for people to try it first and not just take the slogan at face value.

“Consumers want brands that support them and their struggles; brands that understand them; brands that genuinely want to make a difference in their lives, and this is what we have always represented and will continue to do’’, he added.

Olajide believes that the development has made the company even better, as they constantly reinvent themselves while staying true to their core value of customer satisfaction, to remain competitive and lead the market.

The impact of the Coca-Cola brand on Nigeria is evident for all to see – from employing thousands of Nigerians to creating shared opportunities in various communities through various sustainability initiatives that have empowered and created sources of income to millions of Nigerians. Coca-Cola has always been at the forefront of corporate support for the development of football in Nigeria. This is evidenced by the huge funds committed to the Copa-Coca-Cola Under-15 Secondary School National Football Competition, which culminated in scholarships for players of winning schools as well as sponsoring the best players to international soccer camps.

“Coca-cola believes that football is a platform that unites people all over the world. Football is particularly one that is loved by Nigerian consumers; that is why the arrival of the FIFA World Cup™ Trophy Tour will be an opportunity to stir emotions for the coming FIFA World Cup™ Competition and also relive the past World Cup™ moments”, he said.

Courtesy of Coca-Cola, Football lovers in Nigeria will have the opportunity of close contact with the authentic iconic FIFA World Cup™ if the Super Eagles qualify. “This is one of those ‘only Coke can do’ campaigns to help foster optimism and unity while making a positive difference in the communities we serve”, Olajide re-iterated.

He explained that the brand will continue to identify opportunities to make products that consumers love, more affordable despite the difficult macro-economic and operating environment, support the events and activities their consumers love, and launch innovative products that appeal to the tastes of its consumers.

‘’There will also be a heightened advocacy and engagement drive in shaping fair regulatory framework, taking into consideration the disruptive realities of the operating environment for the ultimate benefit of our consumers’’, he added.
Coca-Cola’s story in Nigeria, according to him is typified by hard work, innovation, and steadfastness, as it is a story of inevitability which is why Coca-Cola is famed for its ubiquity and pedigree of being available up to the last mile.

A leading player in Nigeria’s power sector, Dr Chukwueloka Umeh, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Century Power Generation Limited, has advocated that Discos have to be auctioned again for the public to start getting value from the sector.

According to Umeh, aside from solving the liquidity problem that ails the sector, the government must treat power as a commodity and not a social responsibility if the gains of the power privatization done eight years ago is to be felt by the citizenry.

He stated this as a guest on a monitored television programme where the issue of ‘Growing Debt base; Analysing Banks - DisCos battle, Electricity Market Shortfall’ was dissected.

Umeh, who is also an Executive Director at the Nestoil Group stated that the challenges in the power sector will always be there every year if the government does not realise that it has no business in the sector, hence should let the sector develop before encumbering it with regulations that are stifling it.

‘’The horse must always be before the cart and the reverse should not be the case. Investors should be encouraged to come to the market with a cost reflective tariff that will ensure a free market, rule of law being respected by all. Regulations can come after the sector has been developed, not before. This is the only way the current administration can make Nigerians see value’’, he asserted.

He said Nigerians are ready to pay for regular power supply and the gap in the space is being filled by some state governments, like Akwa Ibom’s Ibom Power, with various power projects that cannot be more than 500 Megawatts due to their nature. He urged the state governments to create an enabling environment in their states where private investments will work and not smother it.

Nestoil marked the 2022 International Women’s Day with a stimulating engagement with elite ladies making themselves proud in business and career in the Nigerian economy.

The virtual gathering, which had about 50 in attendance, including men, had select women who had broken the glass ceiling in their chosen fields lead conversations with a view to encouraging others, motivating the young to aspire, and debunking the notion of gender stigmatization.

The 2022 Nestoil Group International Women’s Day event was held under the theme, ‘’#BreaktheBias: Gender Equality Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow.”

During the event, speakers explored the implications of gender bias in the workplace and charged fellow women to be ambitious, focused, deliberately competent, and willing to put in the extra work as necessary ingredients to breaking the glass ceiling.

Director, Public Affairs, Communications and Sustainability, Coca-Cola Nigeria, Nwamaka Onyemelukwe, opined that for women to break the bias, they must be ready to purge themselves of stereotypical beliefs and embrace life with a positive mindset.

According to Onyemelukwe, one of the stereotypes that hold women back is the lack of conviction which prevents women from pursuing opportunities for which they are qualified.  Whereas the menfolk, even those with lower qualifications, are often undeterred in going for every available opportunity.

Onyemelukwe charged women to cultivate the habit of self-belief because there is no limit to what they can achieve if they do. She said, “Women account for two-thirds of the world’s spending power; 66 percent of work is done by women, yet they earn 10 percent of the world’s income due to the type of work they do. By being more deliberate in creating value, mentoring other ladies and girls, while not forgetting to grow their network, more women will be empowered to break the bias and rise to the top.     ”

Onyemelukwe also urged women not to be fixated on doing everything by themselves to avoid burnout but should get support, if need be.  She advised women to make their presence count at each opportunity.

Head of Gas, Neconde Energy, Chichi Emenike, described breaking the bias as breaking from the norm while being competent is the key to growth for women because the world demands more people who have what it takes to succeed.

According to Emenike the strongest call for inclusion and diversity is for women to do better at each given opportunity. She counseled women to be resolute in their chosen careers.

‘’A capital investor doesn’t look at the sex, but at one who can deliver, who can make judicious use of the resources at their disposal’’, she asserted.

For women to grow, she tasked them to do a self-appraisal, be more intentional  ‘focus on their focus’, and know the type of conversations to engage in, while putting a support system in place.

Every year, a large number of newborns and infants die in Nigeria. Though improvements have been made, in 2020, 35.5 deaths per 1000 live births occurred in newborns before 28 days of age (neonatal mortality rate) and 59.1 deaths per 1000 live births in infants before the age of 1 year (infant mortality rate).

The sad reality is that Nigeria remains in the top 10 globally for deaths before 1 year of age. Many of these deaths are from preventable causes like infection, premature birth, and intrapartum-related events. Maternal mortality in Nigeria remains one of the highest in the world. Currently, only one out of every three babies is delivered in a health center, decreasing the mother and her newborn baby’s chance of survival.

From its opening in 2015 till date, Obijackson Women and Children Hospital (OWCH) has made immense progress in the fight to improve maternal, neonatal, and infant mortality said the Head of Hospital Services in OWCH, Dr. Ikechukwu Okonkwo, during a chat with select media personnel,

With its state-of-the-art equipment, highly trained human resources, conducive ambiance, and international collaboration, OWCH has made significant gains in its mission to contribute to reducing neonatal and infant deaths in our country.

According to Dr. Okonkwo, OWCH continues to tackle the menace with its facilities that care for mothers and newborn babies at Okija, Anambra State, in the Southeast of Nigeria.

On why the hospital is sited in Anambra State, Obijackson Foundation made the bold decision to invest in the community by establishing this state-of-the-art hospital where it is needed most, which is in the rural area where access to quality medical care is very sparse. According to Dr Okonkwo, “With its unacceptably high rate of neonatal mortality rate, the South-Eastern part of the country largely lacks advanced neonatal care facilities required to provide much-needed care. Hence, the hospital was built in the heartland of the South-East, at Okija, where it is easily accessible to all’’.

On how the hospital takes care of the children, Dr. Okonkwo stated that premature babies are resuscitated at the facility with advanced equipment including a T-piece resuscitator, an omnibus, a resuscitative neonatal intensive care incubator, and medications like surfactant and caffeine. Ventilators and other breathing support devices known as ‘CPAP’ or Continuous Positive Airway Pressure are being deployed in the management of infants born with respiratory distress. The hospital is supported by a state of –the art blood bank with expertise in blood products separation – only one of a few of its kind in Southeast Nigeria serving locations up to 800km away. We also have a full-service laboratory, pharmacy, and a Radiology department with highly qualified staff.”

On accessibility and logistics, Dr Okonkwo pointed out “We have emergency transport services with state-of-the-art ambulance services, transport/evacuation teams, transport incubators, oxygen, and air plants, which is why we have the regional referral hospital status for maternal and child health. The facility is also equipped with a helipad, which makes it easy for patients to be flown in from any part of the country” Dr Okonkwo added.

He revealed that OWCH medical staff conduct Community Outreach programs to sensitize pregnant women on how to take care of themselves and render community services through the Obijackson Foundation.

“The children’s hospital aims to be the leading hospital caring for children in the country. Collaboration with leading medical facilities globally is one of our strategies to help the hospital attain its goal of catering to pregnant women and newborn babies. It has active partnerships with The McGovern Medical School of the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) and Medical Education International to name a few. OWCH serves as a key educational resource, serving to provide continuing medical education to health care workers regionally and nationally in addition to serving as a referral resource to regional hospitals.”

 “The hospital currently runs a programme in partnership with UTHealth, which provides capacity building to neonatologists and paediatricians nationally providing access to free high-level training in best practices in neonatal delivery and efficient management of neonatal risks,” Dr. Okonkwo added.

The Catalyst for Change 2.0 programme, funded by The Coca-Cola Foundation and implemented in Nigeria by local NGO, Karis and Eleos Hand of Hope Foundation, with support from Nigerian Bottling Company on Thursday, March 3rd, 2022, saw another tranche of 1000 women successfully graduate from the programme in Ijora, Lagos State.

Director, Public Affairs, Communications, and Sustainability, Coca-Cola Nigeria, Nwamaka Onyemelukwe, during the event, disclosed that the Ijora community brings the number of empowered communities to eight impacting over 8,000 women under the Catalyst for Change initiative since the programme started in 2020.

Onyemelukwe further explained that this project is one of the signature projects under its newly launched sustainability platform “JAMII”, contributing to the company’s commitment to promoting women's economic empowerment as a key to bridging the poverty gap across the African continent.

She stated, “Our desire is to continue to economically uplift as many women as possible in Nigeria as we recognize their critical roles in society, in keeping with our “JAMII” sustainability focus on driving change across the world through activities around waste management, women empowerment, water stewardship, youth development and wealth creation for communities”.

Following a successful one-month vocational training programme, the women of the Ijora community were also presented with startup kits to help kickstart their small-scale businesses.

Founder, Karis & Eleos Hand of Hope Foundation, Bukola Bamiduro, said empowering women and girls across the rural demographic remained their objective as the skills acquired by the women would enable them and their families to escape extreme poverty.

Bamiduro urged the women to be professional in all their business dealings and to use the startup kits effectively. She also advised that as ambassadors of the initiative, they should be open to transferring knowledge to other women in their communities.

A beneficiary, Adaobi Abeng, who was enrolled in the baking stream, lauded the organisers of the programme as she said she came to the training without any substantial knowledge of baking but was leaving fully equipped with skills and kits to uplift her economically.

The Apapa Iganmu LCDA Chairman, Funmilayo Akande Muhammed, represented by the Vice-Chairman, Femi Bamidele, thanked The Coca-Cola Foundation and Karis & Eleos Hand of Hope Foundation, for bringing the empowerment initiative to the Ijora community. He encouraged the women to take advantage of the startup kits provided, using it to improve their economic status.

The Baale of Ijora Kingdom, Chief Tajudeen Igbalaye extolled The Coca-Cola Foundation and Karis and Eleos Hand of Hope Foundation as he said that prior to the commencement of the training, some community residents had initially doubted the possibility of the programme coming to life.

Karis and Eleos Hand of Hope Foundation is a non-profit established in 2017, with a vision to empower women and girls across the rural demographic.

Catalyst for Change 2.0 is said to adopt two training models, which includes hands-on training classes (such as baking, bagmaking, shoemaking, hairstyling, makeup artistry, tie & dye design and production of household cleaning items), and business classes, which provides training around the foundations of running a successful business; personal and product branding; accounting; bookkeeping and finance management; recruiting customers; leveraging social media; accessing loans and grants; gender-based violence and recycling.

In recognition of its outstanding efforts in girl child development, women empowerment, and job creation under its 5by20 programme, the Coca-Cola System in Nigeria has received the ‘Job Creation Champion’ award from the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF) at the Fund’s 5th Anniversary Gala and Awards Night which held on Friday, March 4th, 2022, in Lagos State.

Chairman, LSETF, Bola Adesola, while conferring the honour on Coca-Cola at the Awards Night on Friday, commended the Coca-Cola System (comprising Coca-Cola Nigeria and Nigerian Bottling Company) for sharing in the goal of the Fund, which led to improving the learning outcomes and economic status of 18,000 marginalized adolescent girls in Nigeria aged 16-19 under its Educating Nigerian Girls in New Enterprise (ENGINE), implemented by Mercy Corps, a global humanitarian agency, in a partnership intervention with UK Department for International Development (DFID).

LSETF is proud to have been part of this journey as well as the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Coca-Cola and Nigerian Bottling Company under its 5 by 20 initiative aimed at empowering over 1,000 women in the State.

The MoU, executed in 2018, was a framework where select women across the state received training in financial literacy and business skills, as well as startup capital to integrate them into the Coca-Cola value chain as retailers of the company’s beverage products.
Managing Director and Vice President, Coca-Cola Nigeria, Alfred Olajide, noted that the 5by20 initiative came about upon empirical studies that revealed overwhelming evidence indicating that achieving gender parity through women empowerment would have broad ripple effects for the good of the society.

He highlighted that though originally conceived for women economic inclusion and productivity, the ‘5by20 Initiative’, was an offshoot of Coca-Cola’s ‘Global Women’s Initiative’, created in 2007 to accelerate recruitment, advancement, and retention of women across the organisation’s value chain.

“It later morphed into a 10-year master plan from 2010 – 2020 as the System collaborated with non-governmental organisations (NGOs), governments and businesses across operational locations of the company”, Olajide pointed out.

He harped on the enduring strengths of womanhood and how impactful they can be on mankind. “As pillars of their communities, women invest a sizable portion of the income they earn in the health and education of their children and in their local economies, creating a tremendous economic impact, and the Coca-Cola system remains committed to making a positive change in the communities we call home’’, he added.

He explained that though they had surpassed their target, they had also accepted that the challenges confronting female entrepreneurs across the world were still enormous and solving them would require a collective effort, a task to which they remain committed, in a bid to make the world a better place for all.

In his words, “By investing in women’s economic empowerment over the past decade, we have created shared value in the hope of a better-shared future—enabling improved livelihoods for women, their families and their communities”.
With the conclusion of the 5by20 programme in 2020, more than 6 million women entrepreneurs across 100 countries had been successfully impacted—from fruit farmers, retailers, and restaurant owners, to artisans, recyclers and distributors. 34 percent of this number, representing over 2 million women, benefitted from the programme in Africa, with almost 500,000 constituting Nigerian women.
Coca-Cola and its bottling partner, Nigerian Bottling company will continue to support women-focused initiatives creating shared opportunity for all, contributing to an equal and better world.

When Amarachi conceived her baby girl, the chances of losing her baby during childbirth appeared slim as she was very intentional about taking care of her health and attending the required antenatal sessions. It was therefore saddening to her friends and family when all her efforts proved unsuccessful.

On Friday, 29th September 2021, Amarachi went into labour. Unfortunately, complications arose which proved beyond her local primary healthcare centre that she needed a referral centre with lifesaving medical equipment to keep her and the baby alive.
A few hours later, she and her baby were confirmed dead by the attending doctor as basic lifesaving equipment were either non-functional or unavailable. The Nigerian landscape is rife with heartbreaking cases such as Amarachi’s.

Conception and childbirth are celebratory events believed to form parts of the numerous joys of womanhood, and it is expected that memories of childbirth are treasured as positive experiences. However, the current analysis of neonatal and maternal mortality index in Nigeria tends to counter this with the country’s high mortality rate notably traceable to its poor health care systems.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) places the neonatal mortality rate in Nigeria as at 2022 at 56.220 deaths per 1000 live births, which is a 2.57 percent decline from 2021. UNICEF raises that the maternal mortality rate in Nigeria currently contributes to 10 percent of the global death rate as it stands today at 576 per 100,000 live births.

This means that each year, over 262,000 babies die due to issues such as diarrhea, infection, premature birth, asphyxia, or congenital anomalies. Despite this deficit, the Nigerian health care system has continued to suffer due to inadequate funding, poor health care infrastructures among many variables.
It is often said that infant mortality rates are used as indicators of the health and well-being of a nation. Where does this rank Nigeria in comparison to countries such as Slovenia, South Korea, Germany, Japan and Iceland, whose infant mortality rates are between 1 – 4 deaths per 1000 births?

The difference is that developed countries provide access to health care facilities, equipped with functional machines and skilled human resources which combine to prevent avoidable deaths of both mother and child.
Two key questions arise: ‘How do we solve this dire situation in our country?’ and ‘How do we mitigate the risks associated with childbirth and push for a turnaround in our country’s mortality rate?’

Healthcare interventions like the Safe Birth Initiative is a crucial example of how socially responsible companies like Coca-Cola Nigeria is helping to solve the health care situation in the country.

The total beverage company has shown leadership in promoting sustainable development in the country by ensuring continuous investments in the wellbeing of its host communities through diverse sustainability initiatives under its new sustainability platform, JAMII, which focuses on Water, Waste, Wealth, and Wellbeing.
Just like its flagship women empowerment initiative, 5by20, that delivered on its objectives through the economic empowerment of over 6 million women at the end of 2020, Coca-Cola Nigeria has continued to support women by addressing the critical issue of neonatal and maternal mortality rates in Nigeria through its Safe Birth Initiative (SBI).

The Safe Birth Initiative was launched in partnership with the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on SDGs, Federal Ministry of Health, and US-based International NGO, Medshare International, to support and strengthen the country’s healthcare capacity in achieving the SDG goals in relation to maternal and new-born mortalities.

With the launch of SBI in 2018, mother and infant death is being addressed through equipping neonatal units in over 10 teaching hospitals and federal medical centres in Nigeria, with the essential infrastructures to aid safe deliveries and post-delivery care for babies and mothers, including intensive care provisions due to delivery complications.

SBI has so far reached over 56,000 families with over 3,000 mothers & babies impacted and a total of 150 Biomedical Technicians/Engineers reached through its social investment program. In addition, Coca-Cola Nigeria has successfully upskilled over 150 biomedical engineers and 400 end-users with the requisite knowledge and skills to ensure optimal utilization of the medical equipment, and their effective maintenance. This intervention is aimed at promoting a maintenance culture and rehabilitation of abandoned medical equipment reducing downtime across these hospitals.

Some of the hospitals which have benefited from Coca-Cola’s Safe-Birth Initiative include Federal Medical Center, Ebute-Metta, University of Port-Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Federal Medical Centre, Owerri, Wesley Guild Hospital Ilesha, Abuja National Hospital, and Alimosho General Hospital, with more hospitals in progress.

Thus far, Coca-Cola Nigeria has donated Eighteen 40-feet containers of medical equipment and medical supplies, with the intention to donate more equipment and supplies to other public health institutions in 2022 and beyond, all to sustain the fight against mother and infant deaths. The donated medical equipment and supplies are valued at $10.8 million.

Speaking on the initiative, the Director of Public Affairs, Communications and Sustainability, Nwamaka Onyemelukwe, reiterated the company’s resolve in promoting sustainable communities. She described motherhood as a vital aspect of life and noted that the difficulty encountered by underserved pregnant women in Nigeria was alarming.

In her words, “no family should ever experience the loss of a mother or a newborn child due to unavailability of equipment at a critical stage in delivery or even as a result of lack of functional lifesaving medical equipment in a healthcare institution”.

She further stated that in providing modern equipment under the initiative, it is ensured that each equipment donated to any medical institution conforms to the country's specifications and standards set by the World Health Organization.

In celebration of the one-year anniversary of the “Waste in the City” initiative, - a community-based recycling programme funded by the Coca-Cola Foundation, the Statewide Waste and Environmental Education Foundation (SWEEP) has called on the government, corporate organizations, and citizens to recalibrate their lifestyles to promote environmental sustainability for a litter-free world. It was a call for more action towards environmental protection for sustainable human living.

The waste and environmental awareness rally which held in Surulere, Lagos State on Thursday, February 24th, brought together diverse stakeholders comprising of environmentalists, collectors, aggregators, recyclers, media, volunteers, regulators, policymakers, associates, and friends, who came together to raise one voice against the environmental pollution and plastic waste situation in the country.

The foundation called for behavioural change in plastic waste management, highlighting a lack of awareness by Nigerians in some communities, as the rally sought to reorientate Nigerians on the benefits of recycling their plastic waste and the opportunity for revenue generation.

Obuesi Phillips, President of SWEEP Foundation, explained that behavioural change was crucial to promoting sustainable plastic waste management which results in more sustainable communities and improved quality of life for residents. He emphasized that there was no better time than now to take action against plastic pollution.

Commenting on the rally, the Surulere Local Government Chairman, Sulaiman Yusuf, represented by the Vice-Chairman, Muiz Dosunmu, commended SWEEP foundation for the initiative, while he reassured them of the council’s support to continue to spread the recycling message to residents of the area and Lagos state in general.

“Waste in the City’’ initiative, a Coca-Cola-funded community-based recycling and implemented by SWEEP Foundation has recorded significant success over the last one year in Surulere environs and continues to empower more and more people across the recycling value chain. So far, 120 recycling cages have been deployed across the Surulere community, impacting over 1,000 active recyclers, empowering over 100 youths and women and extracting over 60,000kg of plastic waste from the environment.

The project is committed to addressing environmental and waste management issues through the provision of the needed recycling infrastructure and drop-off zones, helping consumers who have separated their waste from the source to know how and where to recycle while getting financial benefits. This has led to a win-win situation as the communities are cleaner and the people are empowered through incentives earned from recycling their plastic waste.

Speaking on the importance of the rally, the Director, Public Affairs, Communications and Sustainability, Coca-Cola Nigeria, Nwamaka Onyemelukwe, challenged Nigerians to become more purposeful in handling recyclable materials and expressed the need for rapid behavioral change in communities.

On the impact of the “Waste in the City” initiative, she highlighted that the project has led to the deployment of 120 recycling receptacles, 5 tricycles, a collection and sorting hub in Surulere, Lagos State, and the creation of job opportunities for over 100 youths and women directly while impacting over 1,000 residents of Surulere with financial benefits. “We have seen a significant level of community participation and we are convinced that with the right recycling infrastructure and incentive, plastic pollution will be a thing of the past,” she said.

Also present at the rally were representatives from the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), National Orientation Agency (NOA), National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), Lagos State Ministry of Environment, Lagos State Recyclers Association, and Recyclers Association of Nigeria.

A leading player in Nigeria’s power sector, Dr. Chukwueloka Umeh, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Century Power Generation Limited, has advocated that Discos have to be auctioned again for the public to start getting value from the sector.

According to Umeh, aside from solving the liquidity problem that ails the sector, the government must treat power as a commodity and not a social responsibility if the gains of the power privatization done eight years ago is to be felt by the citizenry.

He stated this as a guest on a monitored television programme where the issue of ‘Growing Debt base; Analysing Banks - DisCos battle, Electricity Market Shortfall’ was dissected.

Umeh, who is also an Executive Director at the Nestoil Group stated that the challenges in the power sector will always be there every year if the government does not realise that it has no business in the sector, hence should let the sector develop before encumbering it with regulations that are stifling it.

‘’The horse must always be before the cart and the reverse should not be the case. Investors should be encouraged to come to the market with a cost-reflective tariff that will ensure a free market, rule of law being respected by all. Regulations can come after the sector has been developed, not before. This is the only way the current administration can make Nigerians see value’’, he asserted.

He said Nigerians are ready to pay for regular power supply and the gap in the space is being filled by some state governments, like Akwa Ibom’s Ibom Power, with various power projects that cannot be more than 500 Megawatts due to their nature. He urged the state governments to create an enabling environment in their states where private investments will work and not smother it.

WAW detergent, produced by Expand Global Industries Limited (EGIL), has been adjudged as the West Africa Best Premium Multi-Use Detergent brand of the year. The detergent won the award based on its impact on the lives of its customers with its innovations, inventions, and ideas.

At the 11th West Africa Brands Excellence Awards Gala, 2022, with the theme, “Leveraging New Brand Strategies for the New Decade of West Africa”, organised by the Institute of Brand Management of Nigeria (IBMN), the detergent emerged on merit according to the technical committee research’s report.

Mrs. Augusta Joshua, the secretary of the technical committee said in the Soap/Detergent category, WAW came out tops having met the awards criteria – “Quality and resilience, Brand market share, Brand acceptance, Reliability and value, and Optimum Consumer Satisfaction”.

According to the Institute’s Deputy Registrar, Event, Mrs. Ifeoma Emeka, “The West Africa Brand Excellence Award is aimed at identifying, recognising and rewarding companies that apply branding culture and branding management policies, designed to achieve corporate objectives in both profit and non-profit organisations in Western African countries like Nigeria, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Niger, Mali, Senegal, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Togo, Benin, Liberia, Cameroon, Mauritania, and Upper Volta.”

Winners under various categories across different sectors of the consumer products sector were also awarded for their feat.
“We are very proud to be recognized by the industry for our quality and reliability, as well as overall customer satisfaction. This demonstrates that we are achieving our objective to develop Nigeria-centric brands and products that are backed by global German product quality and reliability standards,” stated Kaveh Sani, Marketing Manager, Henkel Nigeria.

In 2016, Henkel acquired Expand Global Industries Limited (EGIL). Since then, Henkel in Nigeria has continuously invested in the improvement of the production tools and the SHE standards in its Ibadan site. Thus, contributing to satisfying the local demand in products that combine high performance, reliability, and quality.

Through an extensive local distributor network, EGIL provides thousands of jobs across the country as it aims to be a major contributor to the Nigerian economy while supporting its driving forces and empowering talents with the ultimate ambition to produce for Nigerians by Nigerians.

As part of its brand promise to continue to refresh the world and inspire togetherness, moments of happiness, and optimism, Coca-Cola Nigeria releases a new and improved recipe of Coca-Cola Zero Sugar.

The new refreshing recipe and bold packaging promises to deliver a more delicious and refreshing taste that brings it closer to that of the iconic, Coca-Cola Original Taste.

Speaking on this launch, Marketing Director, Coca-Cola Nigeria, Bunmi Adeniba, expressed her confidence that the new and improved Coke Zero Sugar and Calories will deliver a great taste to its Nigerian consumers as it signifies the company’s commitment and resolve to continually explore ways to delight and refresh consumers.

“We are excited to start off the year with the new look and improved taste of Coca-Cola Zero Sugar to our consumers. This has been a well-thought-out process as we paid attention to the ever-evolving tastes of our consumers. The Coca-Cola brand is humble but iconic, authentic and magical, and it is our goal to continually bring the magic into the homes and lives of our ever-faithful consumers”, she added.

Coca-Cola Zero Sugar was launched in Nigeria in 2005 and has continued to refresh millions of Nigerians who want to reduce their Sugar and Calories intake. We implore our consumers to now enjoy Coca-Cola Zero Sugar with their favourite meals, during breaks or whenever they need a delicious refreshing drink, which is currently available in various pack sizes including in returnable Glass Bottle, 60cl PET and 33cl Can, all for the primary purpose of catering to the diverse tastes of Coke lovers across the country.

The German Consul General, Dr. Bernd von Münchow-Pohl, has commended Henkel for the company’s contributions towards growing the Nigerian economy, as well as for bringing the best of German quality and reliability to bear on its host communities.
He stated this during his courtesy visit to Henkel’s plant located in Ibadan on 16 February.

Dr. von Münchow-Pohl, Germany’s official representative in Lagos with responsibilities for the southern part of Nigeria including Oyo State, stated that Henkel has demonstrated its commitment to be a strong contributor to the Nigerian economy while supporting job creation and empowering talents with the ultimate ambition to produce for Nigerians by Nigerians.

He said that Henkel’s presence in Nigeria reinforces their belief in the potential available in the country and that the mutually beneficial relationship of the company with citizens and the business community will open up the way for more German companies to invest.
‘’We have seen the success of German companies in Nigeria, even with the challenging economic terrain of the country, more German companies are ready to invest with the aim to build skills and transfer knowledge that will be beneficial to the development of the country”, he asserted.

He added that more German companies are on the lookout for ways to either invest in businesses or start afresh in Nigeria as it has an attractive market with the biggest economy in Africa, and they believe that it is significant to have a strong partnership with companies in the country.

Rajat Kapur, the Managing Director of Henkel in Nigeria, thanked the Consul General for visiting their plant located in the capital city of Oyo State, as he said the company remains committed to creating sustainable value for its customers, consumers, employees, and the country as a whole.

Three Nigerians have just become millionaires courtesy of WAW detergent, one of Nigeria’s largest detergents. They emerged after being picked at the WAW millionaire's draw from the maiden WAW Wash and Win Millions promotion.

The draw was held over the weekend at the Ibadan office of the detergent maker, Expand Global Industries Limited (EGIL) and it was witnessed by the members of the Nigerian Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC), led by Oyo State Coordinator, Omotayo Fasuhanmi.
Fasuhanmi expressed his satisfaction with the conduct of the draw as he commended the company for rewarding its consumers during this period of economic uncertainty.

The winners in the WAW Millionaire draw were Chiamaka Chijoke, Matthew Achieve, and Ahmad Abdullahi.
One of the Millionaire winners, Matthew Achieve, when called and told that he had just become a millionaire could not hide his joy as he was full of appreciation to the company for initiating the draw.

The WAW Wash & Win promotion has since inception rewarded over 23,000 Nigerians with products, airtime, N50,000 cash prizes daily in the Instant Reward and WAW Quiz segments of the promotion.

EGIL is a subsidiary of Henkel in Nigeria as in 2016, Henkel acquired a majority stake in EGIL which has now become a 100 percent subsidiary of Henkel.

Since then, Henkel in Nigeria has continuously invested in the improvement of the production tools and the SHE standards in its Ibadan site, thus, contributing to satisfying the local demand for products that combine high performance, reliability, and quality.

Through an extensive local distributor network, EGIL provides thousands of jobs across the country as it aims to be a major contributor to the Nigerian economy while supporting its driving forces and empowering talents with the ultimate ambition to produce for Nigerians by Nigerians.

K’Ike Productions Ltd, a theatre-focused production company, is shutting down Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital from February 11 till 14 with a stage play, ‘PHILOMENA’, featuring heavyweights of Nollywood, Charles Inojie, ‘Lucky Johnson’ in popular television comedy, ‘The Johnsons’, Monalisa Chinda, Nollywood A-Lister, and talk show host, Francis Duru, Ejike Asiegbu, Don Kester, Tammy Abusi and a host of others.

The stage play, ‘Philomena’ is written by another Nollywood veteran, Bimbo Manuel, actor and he doubles as the director of the play. 

‘Philomena’ is the deftly told story of three characters who find themselves, by pure chance, in the same space at the same time, each with his and her personal issues that they would have carried with them if events do not force them out. Each character seeks justification for their rage at society, government, and life. 

The story of the fairly ordered lives of Philomena, a prostitute in her last laps, Area her regular customer, frustrated master’ degree holder, and primary school teacher is disrupted by the arrival of Wesley, a bombastic journalist with an inflated view of himself when he gets his sack on the phone while sitting in Philomena’s beer parlor for a consolatory drink. He must get back at society for the ‘injustice of his sack over the phone. The rest is a poignant comedy that will the city of Port Harcourt talking for a while.

According to the writer, Bimbo Manuel, ‘Philomena: Interview With A Prostitute’ cannot be contained in just a book anymore. Like the little acorn, the intensive little play has grown to become a massive star-studded theatrical phenomenon’

On her own part, Monalisa Chinda, who is joint Executive Producer with Bimbo Manuel said, ‘From my first encounter with the play, Philomena, it became a story that demanded to be told’

The Company has also engaged one of the leading lights of theater productions in Nigeria, Bikiya Graham-Douglas as Producer and she said, ‘I am happy to be doing this. What is even more enthralling is that it is happening in The Garden City. I believe it is the beginning of greater things to come to our beloved city, Port Harcourt. It is phenomenal that we are bringing Nollywood veterans and homegrown talents together in one performance space in our city. I am happy to be doing this at home in Rivers State.

The presentation of ‘Philomena’ has been carefully timed for Valentine to treat lovers in Port Harcourt to a great outing alternative. 


The performances kick off on February 11, 2022, at the Atlantic Hall of the Hotel Presidential, in Port Harcourt and there will be a Red Carpet and Variety Edition with fine music and choice dining at the February 14 Special Performance.

Tickets are N5000, N10,000, N20,000 and tables ranging from N250,000 to N500,000. 

Tickets are available at The Hotel Presidential, Kilimanjaro branches, Market Square, and online at http://www.ariyatickets.com. Call 07060481328 for bookings and inquiries.

B & Q Dredging Limited has disclosed that with the success recorded by the company from its operations in the Second Niger Bridge project in Anambra/Delta state, Elegushi, and Eletu axis in creating a new city in Nigeria’s commercial center Lagos, it is ready for expansion into newer markets.

Its expertise and capacity built over the years and encouraged by local content laws has made it the preferred dredging company among the foreign and indigenous dredging companies in the country, as some of the national economic projects it undertakes come from referrals made by satisfied clients.

James Okeati, the Operations Manager, said this at the first edition of the Nestoil Group Media roundtable in 2022, with B & Q Dredging Limited the focus. B & Q is a member of the Nestoil Group.

Okeati based this on the dredging firm’s contribution towards creating a new viable city that will expand the country’s revenue base with the land reclamation projects in Elegushi – completed six months ahead of schedule – and Eletu, an ongoing three-year project it intends to complete ahead of schedule with its massive investments. Upon completion of the land reclamation, Eletu will be similar to the Eko Atlantic project, he stated.

The Elegushi land reclamation project, he said, came from the referral gotten from the excellent execution of their lot, six months ahead of schedule in the 2nd Niger Bridge construction, one of the most important infrastructure projects that will connect the most economically active regions of Nigeria.

Okeati said the company beat other top firms in getting the projects with its capacity, expertise, and investments in dredging machinery, especially Pirat-X, presently one of the largest dredgers in the country.

Speaking further on the advantage of Pirat-X, he said it can dredge and transport up to 2,500 cubic meters of soil-water mixture per hour, over a distance of 6km without any external booster and is equipped with a Christmas Tree arrangement, which enables it to work in offshore facilities and platforms.

He argued that Pirat-X has a great advantage for large land reclamations, long-range sand delivery, and offshore trenching and dredging. In the field, it is continuously monitored and evaluated with underwater viewing equipment in combination with a DGPS system, mixture density, and speed measuring system. Its Rainbow system ensures that unwanted elements and dirt that could impact the project are removed.
With the acquisition of MV Rebecca Lynn tugboat to move Pirat-X, the company is in conversation with Royal IHC to bring in an Upper Dredger. He asserts that the investment is made due to its new market expansion plans.
‘’People marvel at our success, but the three pillars behind all we do are; the quality standard of jobs that we deliver to our clients; the safety of our people which is paramount, as since starting operation in 2005, no fatality has been recorded; and making the environment better after any project without negative impact’’, he affirmed.

Speaking on environmental protection, he said an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is done before any project is undertaken and on any suggestion of a negative impact on the environment, the job is not undertaken. ‘’The ability to preserve the environment is a part of our success story as all activities are undertaken to ensure the sustenance of the environment’’, he enthused.

Okeati further stated, ‘’Safety is also a priority for us as we subject ourselves to various local and international standards. We became ISO 45001 certified since 2017/2018, therefore making B&Q one of the first companies to be certified, and during our operations, regulators are always welcome to observe the process as we ensure our processes are HSE compliant’’, he added.

On the company’s projection in the next five years, he said they intend to be ranked amongst the top dredging companies in Sub-Sahara African. This belief is based on them competing favourably with the international companies in the country, which has shown that the investments and capacity upgrade of their workforce and equiptment is worth it.

The growth of the local dredging sector is also a priority for the company, as he pointed out that B&Q contributes to local capacity development through providing solutions to some of the challenges other indigenous dredgers face. This is because the company does not want to be the standalone Nigerian success story, and with the knowledge employed in carrying out previous projects, they understand the various industry challenges and are open to assisting others to develop their capacity and expertise.

[b][/b]By Chidozie Uzoma-Nwosu


House of Assembly elections afford every state constituency the opportunity to be represented in the politics of the state. In such elections, every constituency makes sure it chooses the best among the contestants. In their 2020 publication in the Journal of Research in Personality, Julian Aichholzer and Johanna Willmann described an ideal-type politician “to be more emotionally stable, extravert-assertive, more deliberate-conscientious and open, more honest, but also somewhat more disagreeable than the average citizen”. This is because lawmaking is so technical that it is not for the politically naïve or a man who lacks the necessary educational, psychological, cultural, and intellectual fecundity to deliver the necessary dividends.

These qualities are very necessary for the type of person that Ngor-Okpala needs in the house of assembly now given the disgraceful manner in which the previous representative was booted out of the state assembly. Prior to his tenure, Ngor-Okpala had sent men who only were benchwarmers, and as such missed opportunities to become speakers of the assembly and drive the development of the state towards the local government with the highest landmass. What is more worrisome in this is that the local government has men and women of integrity with solid academic and financial backgrounds, who can engineer the election of the best into the state assembly, irrespective of party affiliation. I ask, where are the contributions of the intellectual banks and assets of our local government area - Dr. Sam Amadi, Prof. Jude Njoku, Dr. TOE Ekechi, Okenze Obinna, Hons. Greg Egu and Bede Eke, Eze Onyekpere - and many others too numerous to mention here, in moderating the political process, balance the unequal political equation and calibrate our political mechanism for the good of all. I ask when are we going to leave Egypt?

As the local government goes into another round of elections. I pick particular interest in Chief Felix Obi Nwosu who hails from Elelem in the Obike Court Area, not because his area has not produced a house of assembly member since the creation of the state, but because of the leadership qualities, he is imbued with. A little voyage into his curriculum vitae shows that he attended his secondary education at Nguru Umuaro Secondary School, after his primary education at Umuohiagu. He holds an Advanced Diploma in Human Resource Management and Administration from the University of Lagos.

Reality, as he is called is the Founder/Executive Director of an international NGO registered in Nigeria, the Centre for Peace and Positive Leadership. This is a platform used by Reality to propagate positive leadership in Nigeria and beyond. In recognition of his contributions in Nigeria, the Universal Peace Federation (UPF) based in South Korea and the USA, awarded him an Ambassador for Peace in 2017. Through this organization, he has spoken many times to the world on issues of peace, the latest being in October 2021 in Geneva, Switzerland, during the 23rd global conference of the International Leadership Association.

In Elelem community where he hails from, Reality is a peacemaker. He has brokered peace in many homes among kins and kindred. In recognition of his peaceful disposition, amidst other developmental strides in the community, the traditional ruler conferred him with the title of Ochi Udo I of Elelem. Reality is a goal-getter, who has facilitated the travel of many people across the globe, many of whom are doing very well. His political space spans beyond Ngor-Okpala and he has the right interpersonal relationship to attract the kind of relationship that will lead to the development of our dear local government.

At this time that it seems as Ngor-Okpala has been relegated to political oblivion, a Felix Nwosu membership of the assembly, who is intelligent, confident, energetic, and politically sagacious will bounce Ngor-Okpala back to political reckoning in Imo State, and delete the saying that Ngor-Okpala does not project her best in the big political parties. Among the PDP aspirants contesting the House of Assembly elections in Ngor-Okpala in February this year, Chief Obirieze Nwosu remains the best, and the best bet for PDP to bounce back to retain its seat in the assembly.

In the wake of incidences of blatant ambush marketing and intentional deceptive advertising by some businesses, targeted at illegitimately identifying with the Super Eagles and the team’s campaign at the 33rd Africa Cup of Nations ongoing in Cameroon, the Nigeria Football Federation on Tuesday assured Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited of full protection of its partnership rights.


President of the NFF and FIFA Council Member, Mr. Amaju Melvin Pinnick flew out of Cameroon to Lagos to deliver the words of assurance to the soft drinks behemoth, reiterating that the Federation would not hesitate to drag businesses infringing on the rights of Coca-Cola, and indeed any of NFF’s partners and sponsors, to the law courts.

''We are unhappy with the behaviour of these companies that went to town in a bid to intentionally identify with the Super Eagles when they have no such right or leeway. It is most condemnable. The NFF is up to the task of protecting the rights and privileges of its partners and sponsors and will not hesitate to take legal action against these infractions,” Pinnick told Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited’s top hierarchy that included the Managing Director, Mr. Alfred Olajide at the company’s headquarters in Lagos.

“The NFF cherishes the relationship we have with Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited, and indeed all our partners and sponsors, and this informed my movement to Lagos to give assurance to the company as a result of the ambush marketing and intentional deceptive advertising by one company with which we have no relationship whatsoever,” he added.

On Sunday, the NFF had issued a statement condemning the instances of ambush marketing and intentional deceptive advertising by some businesses, in which they used the photographs of the Super Eagles and the team’s participation at the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations in newspaper advertisements.

At the meeting with Pinnick on Tuesday were the Managing Director of Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited, Alfred Olajide; Public Affairs and Communications Director, Amaka Onyemelukwe; Frontline Marketing Director, Bunmi Adeniba and; Frontline Marketing Portfolio Activation Senior Manager, Soji Omoigui.

Nigeria’s advertising sector appears to be in quiet unrest with the contentious Advertising Industry Standard of Practice (AISOP) introduced by the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON) set to be operational in 2022. Advertisers, majorly in the private sector have identified certain policies they deemed detrimental as it impugns their right to enter into a contract with the advertising agencies. This, they believe affects their constitutional right to freedom of contract and want APCON to engage practitioners on how to resolve the disputes. Legal and business experts weigh in as they said it will set the sector backward.[i][/i]


The Advertising Industry Standard of Practice (AISOP) as formulated by the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON) is meant to revitalize the advertising sector and grow the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) operating in the space. They also came to the fore as part of the measures to cushion the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on businesses in the country.
The AISOP, according to the formulators, is expected to create a standard operating system that will stimulate advertising practice and the Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) environment as a whole. This came about as a result of various calls by stakeholders in the advertising space who have been calling for regulation as a result of various malaises – audience measurement; debt recovery; pitch fee; payment terms; and others - affecting them.
The standard of practice is being hailed in various quarters, especially by the Heads of Advertising Sectoral Groups (HASG) comprising of the Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN), Experiential Marketers’ Association of Nigeria (EXMAN), Media Independent Practitioners Association of Nigeria (MIPAN), Outdoor Advertising Association of Nigeria (OAAN), and Broadcasting Organization of Nigeria (BON), as the best thing to happen to the advertising sector. Only the Advertisers Association of Nigeria (ADVAN), the only member of HASG in the demand side that pays for the advertisements has rejected certain elements of the rules.
APCON Registrar and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Olalekan Fadolapo was quoted at a recent function to have said that the faithful application of the Advertising Industry Reform in the country will not only grow the business of advertising and marketing communications but will also create well over 100,000 jobs directly and indirectly in the next 12 months.
The benefits of AISOP as stated by APCON and others will lead to the development of the advertising space but on a closer look and upon examination by legal and business experts unless APCON urgently reviews the contentious elements inside the AISOP policies, retrogression and not development will be the result. The policies, they say, negates some aspects of the Nigerian constitution that allows businesses to freely enter into contractual agreements and it is ironic that a government regulatory agency that’s not a player will come up with rules for a wholly private sector-led endeavour.

A foremost business, and human rights lawyer, Jiti Ogunye in his examination of the 11 broad sections and other appendices that make up the AISOP document said the rules strive to put in place regimentation of the sector rather than regulation that it ought to be.
Ogunye said he has looked at the AISOP provisions and he is shocked that a sector that is not entirely a public sector, which, indeed, largely is private sector-led in terms of those who are on the demand side and the supply side in the advertising industry, is being dictated to on how to create a contract, on how to arrive at the contract; and not only that, on the terms that advertising contracts must contain.
That, he believes is an affront to the principle of freedom of contract and any basic text on the law of contract, business law or commercial transactions that one reads will make it known that contract, essentially is a concept, an arraignment by which two parties or more willingly and voluntarily come together to agree on a business relationship to create value, and there are certain inherent elements. ‘’There must be an offer, there must be an acceptance of that offer, there must be a consideration. A contract is not dictated but negotiated and parties are expected to voluntarily engage’’.
Giving an example of a section of the rules that needs a review, he cited section 3 that governs payment terms. Part of the specific subsections prescribe days within which payment must be made which must be within 30 days and no later than 45 days and if there's a default, there must be Interest and that interest must be at the Central Bank’s interest rate.
He said the AISOP provisions offend the right to contract in freedom, and if its looked at in the larger context, it is tantamount to restriction of trade, restriction of business, and this will stifle advertising businesses when it comes into operation, whereas the intention may be to grow the industry, protect SMEs so that they are not exploited, and ensure that they continue to create business and generate income.
For Prof Martins Ike-Muonso, a business expert that consults for various governments, and heads ValueFronteria, the AISOP rules, if operational without editing to some of its antibusiness rules, will set the industry backward, kill competition and innovation that it seeks to create.
He said though some of the rules are great for the sector, but there are challenges some other rules will pose. The first challenge is the horizontal price-fixing, the second is undue bloating, bourgeoning, increasing advertising costs, and the third is the interference in the freedom of contract, and contract enforcement.
The horizontal price-fixing, he said, is not accepted in any progressive community in the world because it infringes on the capacity of the market to independently connect or clear the subjective choices of the demand and supply sides. What APCON has done at the price-fixing, he said, for instance, in the pitch fee, that it has to be between N1m and N2m, which is fixed and that's horizontal fixed range. The implication is that If the advertiser, which is the supplier of advert jobs does not have the capacity because it is managing its cash flow to offer more than or to offer up to a N1m for pitch production, that means it would not go into the market at all because it would go off the regulator's range.
He said bloating happens when it becomes obvious that a professional fee will be paid, and if it’s assumed to be N1m, ‘’it has already been paid for five ad agencies. These five ad agencies make their pitches but only one is going to be selected. So, the company selects one, the other four are going to be paid between N500,000 and N1.5m for rejection. This means from point one, it is obvious that no matter how useless anything is brought to the table, I know that I'm going to have enough to cover my costs plus a surplus, which perhaps I don't even need to work for.
‘’Therefore, if there are errors in the selection of ad agencies pitching. You are going to be paying off much more than ordinarily, you would. The number one implication is that advert suppliers will reduce the number of agencies involved in pitching. That again drops the opportunities open to the market to learn and all of that. Number two, because I know that whatever the case, I'm going to get my pitch fee and I am also going to get my rejection fee, these two will always go beyond whatever I have budgeted for in preparing for the pitch. I am walking away with something for just being invited to pitch, so I have some profits anyway’’.
This kills innovation, according to him because one is not working for this profit and it makes people run out to improve on those skills and rather than improve on competition, rather than innovating to compete, what you see is advert agencies lobbying to get the jobs.
On contract enforcement, the professor of business said the life of every market is the freedom that individual actors have to interact with all the participants in the market to agree and to have these contracts enforced. ‘’One cannot, as a regulator, determine these terms as the moment you begin to determine these terms, you are already beginning to whittle down the capacity of the market to independently determine its progress’’, he added.
Noting that it is those on the supply side that appear to be attuned to the new proposed rules, some observers are of the view that APCON appears biased as the council doesn’t want to dialogue with the only party paying for the advertisements.
Appearing to collaborate the assumptions that APCON is biased in coming up with the rules, the Managing Partner of Gee Law firm, Nosakhare Uwadiae at the 9th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Brand Journalists Association of Nigeria (BJAN), suggested that advertising stakeholders in Nigeria be allowed to take another look at the AISOP regulation and come up with recommendations that are balanced to resolve the contentious clauses contain therein, as though various recommendations were made on payments, however, no reference was made to ensuring that the agencies fulfill Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and quality service delivery to clients.
He said, “AISOP was gladly embraced by stakeholders in the marketing communication sector in Nigeria. However, the Advertisers Association of Nigeria (ADVAN) rejected the implementation as it makes an unconstitutional attempt to infringe on the rights of private entities to determine their contractual terms and does not serve the collective interest, but rather permits unfair authority of certain parties over others and creates an unfriendly business framework.”
To save the advertising industry, stakeholders have often called for self-regulation like it is done in some other countries, but it is obvious that the AISOP might not be the solution to grow the data-deficient sector if players are not allowed to dialogue and iron out the differences already causing friction before it becomes operational.