₦airaland Forum

Africa’s overall mobile phone market had a year-on-year (YoY) growth of 14.0 percent in the first quarter to 53.3 million units, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC).
Its report says the region’s smartphone market grew 16.8 percent in Q1 to 23.4 million units, with the feature phone market up 11.9 percent to 29.9 million units.

Major African smartphone markets performed well with the exception of South Africa, where the main vendors faced supply shortages and an economic environment that hit demand.

Egypt had one of the highest growth rates in the region in Q1 thanks to strong local demand, the easing of Covid-19 restrictions, and major vendors like Samsung and Oppo increasing their shipments to the country.

Nigeria also had a strong YoY growth rate with the release of pent-up demand and increasing shipments of Transsion and Samsung devices to the market.

Transsion brands (Tecno, Infinix, and Itel) continued to lead Africa’s smartphone space in Q1, with a combined unit share of 44.3 percent, followed by Samsung and Oppo with respective shares of 22.9 percent and 8.3 percent.

Transsion brands also dominate the feature phone market, with a combined unit share of 78.7 percent, followed by Nokia and Stylo with respective shares of 8.1 percent and 1.7 percent. The ultra-low price band (below USD 100) accounted for 42.0 percent of the market’s shipments in Q1 2021, down from 49.6 percent in Q1 2020.

The low-end price band (USD 100 to USD 200) saw its share increase from 35.2 percent to 43.3 percent over the same period. The increased specifications and attributes in smartphones are driving prices upwards, as shown by the growth of the low-end price band, IDC said.

Main vendors such as Transsion, Samsung, Oppo and Xiaomi all launched new feature-rich models in this price band. These models were well received by channels and customers alike.

Looking ahead, IDC expects Africa’s smartphone market to grow 5.6 percent YoY in unit terms for 2021 as a whole

SOURCE:https://brandspurng.com/2021/06/11/african-mobile-phone-market-grows-14-to-53-3-million-units-in-q1/

ExxonMobil says it made a discovery at Longtail-3 in the Stabroek Block offshore Guyana. Drilling at Longtail-3 encountered 230 feet (70 meters) of net pay, including newly identified, high-quality hydrocarbon-bearing reservoirs below the original Longtail-1 discovery intervals.

The well is located approximately two miles (3.5 kilometers) south of the Longtail-1 well. It was drilled in more than 6,100 feet (1860 meters) of water by the Stena DrillMAX.

Two drillships added in first quarter 2021; six drillships now operating offshore Guyana
Additional drilling activity to support Stabroek development
More than 2,600 Guyanese supporting overall activities
“Longtail-3, combined with our recent discovery at Uaru-2, has the potential to increase our resource estimate within the Stabroek block, demonstrating further growth of this world-class resource and our high-potential development opportunities offshore Guyana,” said Mike Cousins, senior vice president of exploration and new ventures at ExxonMobil. “We will continue to leverage our core competitive advantages in our ongoing exploration campaign, delivering substantial value to the Guyanese people, our partners, and shareholders.”



The Longtail-1 discovery in the Stabroek Block was drilled in 2018, encountering approximately 256 feet (78 meters) of high-quality, oil-bearing sandstone reservoirs

ExxonMobil has deployed two additional drillships in the first quarter of 2021; the Stena DrillMAX and the Noble Sam Croft to enable further exploration and evaluation while continuing development drilling activities offshore Guyana. As the company advances its 15-well campaign in the Stabroek block, DrillMAX will move to Whiptail-1, while the Noble Sam Croft supports development drilling for Liza Phase 2

In other drilling activity in the Stabroek Block, the Mako-2 evaluation well confirmed the quality, thickness, and areal extent of the reservoir. When integrated with the previously announced discovery at Uaru-2, the data support a potential fifth floating production storage and offloading vessel in the area east of the Liza complex. The Koebi-1 exploration well in the Stabroek block has shown evidence of non-commercial hydrocarbons.

By the first quarter of this year, more than 2,600 Guyanese and 600 local suppliers were supporting ExxonMobil’s activities in-country. Guyanese staff has completed more than 40,000 hours of training in Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United States.

The Stabroek Block is 6.6 million acres (26,800 square kilometers). ExxonMobil affiliate Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited is the operator and holds 45 percent interest in the Stabroek Block. Hess Guyana Exploration Ltd. holds 30 percent interest and CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CNOOC Limited, holds 25 percent interest.

SOURCE:https://brandspurng.com/2021/06/11/exxonmobil-announces-new-discovery-at-longtail-3-offshore-guyana/

On August 18, Harvard Business School Professor Tony Mayo, will present his research findings on what it takes for African-American women to reach the top spot in American corporations
June 10, 2021 – Africa.com undertook a rigorous research project to identify not just high profile personalities, but the women who actually run the largest, most complex businesses on the African continent. The result is called The Africa.com Definitive List of Women CEOs.

On August 18, Harvard Business School Professor Tony Mayo, will present his research findings on what it takes for African-American women to reach the top spot in American corporations. A panel of women CEOs from the Africa.com list will react to that research, noting similarities and differences for corporate women in Africa. The names of those who made the List will be revealed that day, as well.

The Africa.com Definitive List of Women CEOs is the product of a data-driven research project that began by identifying all publicly listed companies on all of the twenty-one stock exchanges in Africa – , a list of over 1400 companies. From there, the researchers screened the companies to focus on the largest companies – those with a market capitalization of $150 million USD or larger, resulting in a list of 355 corporations.

Once the researchers had identified these 355 companies, the largest in Africa, they then searched the public information available on the management teams of these companies. In order to qualify for the List, women had to have a CEO or managing director title at the head of one of these companies.

The titles were then vetted further by examining where the women fit within the company’s overall organizational structure to ensure that the women truly hold authority that is consistent with their title. Based on this effort, a handful of women were eliminated – while they had an impressive sounding title, the company’s organizational chart demonstrated that someone else actually holds bottom line profit and loss responsibility for the company.

In addition to the women selected through the process above, the analysis went on to identify two additional groups of women running Corporate Africa. One additional group of women are those who run divisions of very large African corporate entities, such that their division, if it were a standalone company, would qualify for the list with its own divisional market cap of $150 million USD or more.

The roles of the women running these divisions were vetted within the context of the company’s organizational structure – the title alone was not sufficient to make the list. The women in this group have profit and loss responsibility for a revenue generating division that would be valued at $150 million or more, on its own.

Lastly, women who run the entire African region, a region within Africa, or an African country for global corporations listed on international exchanges were then identified. To qualify for this group, only international companies with a market cap of $50 billion or more are included. The women running these businesses range from those who run a country, such as Kenya or Nigeria, to those who run all of sub-Saharan Africa for these global behemoths.

On August 18, 2021, in addition to revealing the 50 names on The Africa.com Definitive List of Women CEOs, Africa.com will provide observations and trends that emerged from the research project, including which regions and which sectors lead in appointing women to the number one spot in Corporate Africa.

“We think it is important to dig beyond the media hype, and reveal those women who have bottom line authority for Africa’s biggest corporations – many of whom have gone unnoticed. We look forward to presenting this information on August 18 alongside Harvard Business School Professor to elevate the conversation about women in Corporate Africa.”

SOURCE:https://brandspurng.com/2021/06/10/the-women-that-run-big-business-africa/

Each beginner trader dreams of taking their trading on a professional level (i.e., making trading the main source of their income). And this is understandable.
Who would not want to make good money doing what they love? And you can trade from almost anywhere in the world, from Nigeria or any other country (the choice of location is limited only by the availability of the Internet) and at any convenient time.



In general, the dream of being your own boss is so close to many (and not only to novice traders, by the way). But to achieve this dream, a trader must, first of all, achieve stable results in trading.

From Beginner To Professional
Whatever one may say, but without gaining your own experience, sometimes through difficult mistakes, you will not be able to become a professional trader. Several crucial recommendations help mitigate as much as possible the consequences of failures on the path of becoming a trader so that these mistakes do not throw you out of the rut. After all, it is no secret that many novice traders, after a series of failures (hitting hard on their pocket), simply leave, later remembering Forex trading as a bad dream.

1. Get ready to work hard
After all, many start trading precisely because of the deceptive feeling of easy money, it would seem, what is complicated about it: bought at a cheaper price, sold at a higher price, made a profit. Technically it is, of course, true. Buy cheaper, sell higher, make a profit. But do not forget that money does not come out of thin air, and for it to appear in your pocket, you must first find the pocket from which it will disappear. In other words, you have to beat other market participants, and given the fact that real professionals are playing against you, it is hard to do.

To consistently gain profit from foreign currency trading, you must always be head and shoulders above the majority of other players. And for this, you need to constantly be in the process of continuous improvement (both in terms of sharpening your trading system by reading the Forex time blog and self-improvement in a psychological sense).

2. Experience is the son of difficult mistakes
Secondly, do not immediately rush into the stormy and sometimes muddy waters of the market — learn to swim first! For these purposes, all more or less serious traders have demo accounts. Such accounts are no different from real ones, except that you trade (play) for virtual money. The demo receives the same quotes in real-time (as if you were working with real money). Practice, thought out your strategies, achieve stability first on a demo, and then switch to real accounts.

At the same time, always remember that no success on the demo will guarantee you the same in real life. There are many reasons for this. Among them, for example, there may be such as:

● Requotes and slippages that prevent a trader from opening and closing their positions normally. They can be associated with both the dealer’s dishonesty and objective circumstances (liquidity shortage due to the emergence of new unexpected information, etc.).

● Floating spread. On demo accounts, the spread is usually fixed, while on real accounts, it can swell significantly.

● Psychological discomfort associated with the fear of losing your money.

3. Do not try to jump over your head
Set realistic goals for yourself and do not chase super-profits. In other words, you should not expect to start making millions with a couple of hundred dollars in start-up capital to implement this grandiose plan.

Forex attracts many since it allows you to start real trading with a deposit of not only $100, but sometimes even $10 (or even less) on the so-called mini- and micro-accounts.

It is necessary to clearly understand the direct dependence of potential earnings on the degree of risk assumed. The higher you take on the risk, the more money you can end up making (or losing). And vice versa, the less the risk, the less the percentage of the profit will be, but the likelihood of its gaining will increase to the same extent.

4. Discipline
It would seem that Forex trading is not an army, but on the contrary — free flight as a trader independent of anyone. What is the discipline here? But trading at a professional level requires no less, but on the contrary, sometimes even much more stringent control. The only difference here is that you need to obey not your boss but yourself.

As trite as it may sound to some — adhere to your trading system and follow the rules of money management. Everyone talks about it, but few people actually do it. Meanwhile, this is one of the pillars on which stability in trading is built.

SOURCE:https://brandspurng.com/2021/06/10/what-budget-you-investor/

When global economy pundits describe Africa as the next frontier, they are merely reacting to strong stimulus coming from the continent, especially in the areas of improving agro-economy, commerce, internet penetration and increasing capacity to harness the abundance of raw materials within the continent.
Among these stimuli is e-commerce.

Africa is witnessing a quantum leap in internet penetration and increased deployment of internet-enabled handheld mobile devices. This is the fuel driving up e-commerce on the continent once considered a clear outsider in the tech-driven e-commerce ecosystem.

At the cusp of the growing e-commerce market in Africa is Konga, trading under the name konga.com. Since its acquisition in 2018 by Zinox Group, in one of the most discretely executed corporate ‘coups’ and seamless acquisitions on the continent, Konga has continued to beat the odds and confound book-makers.

Within the first two years after its acquisition, Konga had re-invented itself, growing its turnover by over 800 percent, cut inherited serial losses and re-focused its corporate values by being more customer-centric, while deploying superior technology to achieve more. Leveraging light-years-ahead technology, Konga has been able to run lean and mean, delivering last mile in real time ahead of the competition and offering a new threshold of value-for-money in a manner never before witnessed in Nigerian e-commerce bourse.

E-commerce business all over the world comes bundled with several complications. It’s expensive usually with initial huge losses. It’s technology-demanding and requires conscious long-term investment and patience. To ride the tide, operators must work round these treacherous complexities which include heavy investment in back-end technology, innovativeness to adapt to fast-changing consumer tastes and technical paradigm shifts. All of these would require seamless and steady retooling of strategies.

In Africa, e-Commerce is largely the playground of the youths. A huge chunk of the patronage comes from the youths, the nouveau riche, the upwardly mobile, dashing generation of purpose-driven, career-minded men and women who have little time to spare on making physical, in-shop purchases. Konga appeals to this group because its leadership is driven by young men and women who understand the tapestries and nuances of multi-tasking and time-management in the modern era.

Konga’s ownership is truly Africa. This gives it a head-start in the continent’s e-Commerce space. It has been able to combine indigenous manpower with a network of quality foreign technical service providers. An e-Commerce house is as good as its back-end. Top e-Commerce outposts in the world who have remained at the cutting edge of competition despite the inevitable turbulence share a common denominator.

They are the ones that spend big on infrastructure. Back-end infrastructure and manpower capacity drive the process. Konga understands this and has spared nothing in upscaling its infrastructure and upskilling its staff to global standard. Within the first two years of its acquisition, the investors quietly and deliberately built top-notch nationwide facilities and restructured the firm’s technologies to fit into the new vision and ambition of emerging as a global brand.

On May 1, 2018, barely three months after its acquisition, Zinox merged Konga.com with its omni-channel retail outfit, Yudala. The product of that mega-merger was a swifter, bigger company which retained the brand name, Konga. This was how arguably the biggest e-Commerce and retail company in Africa was born. But beyond that, Konga has continued to astound market watchers with its innovativeness in payment services, delivery to last mile and a steady decline in inherited market churn.

Statistics clearly show that soon after the acquisition, Konga customer churn dropped considerably. Customer churn is the rate at which customers stop doing business with an organisation. It’s the percentage of subscribers who discontinue their subscriptions to a service within a given period. In the e-Commerce market, customer churn has been a big issue as some customers after experiencing unsavoury transaction with an e-Commerce house, not only discontinue patronage but enlist to share their ugly experience with friends and people in their network (professionals, business associates and partners etc.) and, in the process win them over to also discontinue patronage of that organisation. This has been one of the downsides of some e-Commerce companies: their inability to retain existing customers, let alone grow their customer base.

A couple of factors are responsible for this. Lack of customer satisfaction, late and untimely delivery of goods to clients, foisting substandard products on customers and poor customer care service are among the reasons for customer-hesitancy and eventual withdrawal of patronage. This is at the root of the poor marketplace performance of many e-Commerce outposts. The new owners of Konga have overcome these drawbacks, using high-end technologies, leveraging on their affiliations with global original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and clear understanding of the Nigerian environment.

A handy advantage of the new Konga is the combination of the online e-commerce strength of Konga.com and the nationwide branch network of Yudala. This has helped them to deliver truely omnichannel retail for the first time in Africa.

The heavy behind-the-scene investment in infrastructure within the first 18 months of acquisition coupled with the reliance on physical Experience Centres (neighbourhood well-stocked physical Konga stores) largely ignited the fire of sustainability and profitability. This explains the miracle of Konga breaking even barely three years after the acquisition.

A combination of these factors plus the company’s ability to disrupt the market form the basis for the new push by Konga to list at the London Stock Exchange (LSE). Analysts believe that with its strong showing in Africa, Konga listing on the LSE would raise the bar for African investors hunting fortunes in the global market. It’s considered the game-changer for African investors.

Konga, as an African brand, has shown capacity to adapt, innovate and create value for both customers and investors. Going global will only help its team of young outliers rack up return on investment as well as improve the continent’s business profile on the global investment index.

Data from Statista, a renowned statistics portal, reported that the total value of e-Commerce in Africa grossed $16.5 billion in 2017 and is expected to hit $29 billion by 2022. It’s no surprise that Konga has become the fastest-growing e-Commerce house in Africa. This further underscores the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) e-Commerce Index Report 2018 which placed Nigeria, South Africa and Kenya as accounting for more than half of the online shoppers in Africa.

Nigeria is reputed as Africa’s largest business to consumer e-commerce market in terms of both number of shoppers and revenue and Konga is at the core of this market volume. This is what it’s taking to the global market: an ingrained ability to re-invent itself at all times, innovate through the contours of competition and grow its customer base. When tomorrow comes and Konga, the e-commerce heartbeat of Africa, lists at the LSE, Africa would have made a bold statement: We are not the continent ruined, we are the continent ready to roll.

Author: Ray Umukoro, pan-Africa ICT blogger, writes from Lagos

SOURCE:https://brandspurng.com/2021/06/08/konga-as-e-commerce-global-game-changer/

Prior to the shortlist announcement due Tuesday, June 15 and following the Nigerian judging session, the Gerety Awards, the only creative prize to reward the best in advertising from the female vision, announces that Insight Publicis is the Nigerian agency of the year.
Agency of the year by country is chosen by the local juries from the portfolio cut and requires a single film no longer than 5 minutes in length and includes up to three pieces of work from the past 12 months.

Insight Publicis were awarded for their portfolio cut entry that included work with the Make it Happen Campaign – “Mom-in-Law” and “Junior” for their client Keystone Bank.

X3M Ideas were second place with their portfolio cut entry that included work with, Mani Mother’s Day Hotline, La Casera Super Heroes and the board game Escape 2020.

Dr. Ken Onyeali Ikpe, Group CEO of Insight Redefini said “It is an honour for one of our operating companies – Insight Publicis – to be recognized by the jury as The Nigerian Agency of the Year. This award is for the incredible team at Insight Publicis who continue to put in the hard work. They made this possible. It is very exciting indeed.”

Watch some of the Nigerian juries discuss their favourite entries on Wednesday, June 9 here.

SOURCE:https://brandspurng.com/2021/06/09/gerety-awards-insight-publicis-is-the-2021-nigerian-agency-of-the-year/

A new report from Juniper Research has found that sales of iPhones will bring in over $200 billion in 2022; nearly 40% of the total smartphone hardware market, despite representing less than 20% of devices sold that year.
The new research, Smartphone Market: Device Innovation, Regional Analysis & Market Share Forecasts 2021-2026, notes that although smartphone purchase cycles are lengthening, Apple has managed to consistently convince users to purchase higher-priced models through curation of a strong hardware and software ecosystem, which other vendors have only limited opportunities to do in the current market.

As a result, Apple’s average selling price will rise in the coming years, while Android devices will decline, unless they can leverage new technologies like 5G or bring new design features, such as foldable phones, into the market.

Differentiation Needs More than Features, as Newer Vendors Gain Ground
Juniper Research believes that Android vendors will struggle to compete on the basis of a feature in future. The research shows how vendors that focus on a particular segment and investing in premium features, such as high-end audio and advances in camera technology, will not appeal widely enough to compete at scale in the smartphone market.

‘Feature diversification alone is not enough for lasting success in the crowded smartphone market,’ remarked research co-author Nick Hunt. ‘Apple and Samsung have succeeded in fostering brand loyalty, which smaller vendors have struggled with, despite many introducing new capabilities. These players need to pair strong features with strong branding to have sustained success.’

The research also notes that the decline in Huawei’s fortunes, thanks to the US trade ban, will not restore older brands to prominence, but allow other Chinese brands to expand. We expect BBK, the manufacturer of Oppo, Vivo, Realme, iQOO and OnePlus smartphones, will have over 200 million smartphones shipped in 2022; making it the third-largest player that year.


In the meantime, Huawei’s market share will decline to just over 9% in 2022, from 11% in 2019.

Juniper Research provides research and analytical services to the global hi-tech communications sector; providing consultancy, analyst reports and industry commentary.

SOURCE:https://brandspurng.com/2021/06/08/iphones-to-capture-40-of-smartphone-market-value-in-2022/

Sanofi has launched Action 2021, its global employee share ownership plan, open to 92,000 employees in 73 countries.
The program, similar to programs carried out since 2013, clearly demonstrates the ongoing commitment of Sanofi and its Board of Directors to involve all employees, across all its territories, in the future development and results of the company.

“The record level of employee participation in last year’s share plan demonstrated our employee’s commitment to the company and our long-term strategy and growth. With the continued support of the Board of Directors, we want our employees to have these opportunities to be increasingly involved in Sanofi’s success by sharing in its performance,” said Paul Hudson, Chief Executive Officer of Sanofi.

As of today, the shares will be offered at a subscription price of 69,38€, which is equal to a 20% discount off the average of the 20 opening prices of Sanofi shares from May 6 to June 2, 2021. In addition, for every five shares subscribed, employees will be able to receive one free share (up to a maximum of four free shares per employee).

And finally, each employee will be able to purchase up to 1,500 Sanofi shares within the legal limit of a maximum payment amount that does not exceed 25% of their gross annual salary, minus any voluntary deductions already made under employee savings schemes (Group Savings Plan and/or Group Retirement Savings Plan) during the year 2021.

In 2020, the employee share ownership plan, open to around 90,000 employees in 72 countries, saw its overall uptake rate exceed 36%. More than 33,000 Sanofi employees chose to invest in the company.

Today, nearly 90,000 current or former employees of the company are direct or indirect shareholders of Sanofi, and hold approximately 2.8% of its capital.


SOURCE:https://brandspurng.com/2021/06/08/sanofi-launches-its-new-global-employee-share-ownership-plan/

Education is an enlightening experience that involves acquiring knowledge or skills from an institution or place of study and why it can be formal or informal, in Nigeria there is much emphasis on the formal structure and this has generated the need for parents to send their ward or children to school.
However, there are situations that may make paying tuition fees difficult and the education loan scheme by Zenith bank is designed to provide short-term funding to enable parents or guardians pay tuition fees for their children or wards.

So What Does This Loan Entail, The Features Of This Education Loan Includes:
Minimum Facility amount N100,000
Maximum Facility amount N5,000,000
School fees will be paid directly to child or ward’s school in order to ensure that it is being used for that sole purpose.
Maximum tenor of 3 months (Junior School) , Maximum tenor of 9 months (Tertiary Institution)
If Interested In Taking This Loan Then Her Are The Basic Requirements:
Completed Application Form
Parent or guardian must have salary account domiciled with the bank.
Child or ward must have an account with the bank.
Invoice of school /tuition fees

For more information on the loan or how to gain access to the application form, you can send an email to zenithdirect@zenithbank.comor call 234-1-2787000, or visit the Zenith Bank branch closest to you.

Do not put your child’s education in jeopardy by refusing to explore options that includes applying for this loan today.

SOURCE:https://brandspurng.com/2021/06/07/how-to-apply-for-education-loan-by-zenith-bank/

Last night’s episode of the Nigerian Idol took us back to our roots. Contestants channeled their inner Fela as they paid tribute to the Afrobeat legend.
The contestants opened the show with a joint performance of “Water No Get Enemy”.

In preparation for the live show, the contestants paid a visit to the Kalakuta Museum and had the opportunity to meet Seun Kuti. The Big Bird helped the contestants interpret their songs and provided guidelines that helped with their performances.

Comfort opened the single performances with her rendition of “Observation No Be Crime”. Her presentation was fantastic and was hailed by the judges. A testament to how much she has grown. Faith Jason followed up with a performance of “Palava”. The judges were impressed and gave him a standing ovation at the end of his performance. According to Seyi Shay, “I’m always happy when I see you. Every week you kill it. You haven’t failed me yet.”

Francis Atela also received a standing ovation after he sang “Yellow Fever”. Obi Asika praised his synergy with the band.

Another performance that wowed the judges was Kingdom’s version of “Gentleman”. The judges were all thrilled with his performance and were left speechless. He received bounteous praise from all of them, and Seyi Shay exclaimed, “You are incredible.” Obi Asika agreed, stating that Kingdom had finally arrived at the competition. DJ Sose, still speechless, just added, “well done.”

Emmanuel also gave an exceptional performance. Seun Kuti already mentioned that he had star power, and he went on to prove him right on stage.

In one of the most nerve-wracking elimination nights, fan favourite, Beyonce Ajomiwe, was eliminated from the competition. Akunna went on to close the show with her rendition of “Lady”. Her performance was great, and Seyi Shay compared her to Yemi Alade and Omawumi.

Don’t forget to vote for your favourite contestants if you want to see them among the top five. The power to determine who stays and who leaves is solely in the hands of the viewers. Voting on Nigerian Idol is via the website, mobile site, MyDStv, and MyGOtv apps and via SMS, which is available only in Nigeria.

SOURCE:https://brandspurng.com/2021/06/07/nigerian-idol-top-6-contestants-pay-tributes-to-fela-as-race-to-finale-begins/

First Bank of Nigeria, one of Nigeria’s oldest and leading banks has been working on satisfying the needs of customers for decades with different schemes and initiatives created to address the needs and challenges of those who bank with them.
The First Bank of Nigeria has loan products that account holders of the bank can benefit from and one of such is the personal loan for salary account. The Personal Loan against salary structure is designed to help you cover pressing financial obligations and needs before pay-day arrives.

It helps solves money issues that salary earners might be facing due to lack of money at hand for both major and minor issues and expenses.

Here Is What You Need To Know About First Bank Loan:
You get up to 36 months repayment option, subject to a retirement age of 60 years and the Repayment Structure is Flexible.

A guarantor is not required
The processing time is quick
Equity contribution is not required.
Minimum documentation is required
Your Salary account must be domiciled with First Bank for the period the facility is in place and the loan offers flexible repayment structure

You may be thinking about what it takes to apply to become a beneficiary of this program. The good news is here are the documents you need to have in order to apply:

Application letter
Personal Loan Application form. You can get this by visiting this link: https://www.firstbanknigeria.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Personal-Loan-Form.pdf
Payslip
Statement of accounts
Applicant’s letter of total emolument
Confirmation of applicant’s employer on FBN approved list
Letter of irrevocable domiciliation of salary for the duration of the facility.
After all, these documents have been gathered and you have completed the form, you submit them at the nearest First Bank branch for processing.

These are all that is required of you in order to access the First Bank Personal loan and good luck on your application for funds to cater to your needs.

SOURCE:https://brandspurng.com/2021/06/07/how-to-apply-for-first-bank-personal-loan/

The Association of Licensed Telecommunication Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), an industry group, says it had received directives from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the industry regulator, to suspend access to Twitter.

The President of ALTON, Mr. Gbenga Adebayo stated this in Lagos on Saturday hours after the social media giant deleted a tweet from President Buhari’s account and the Buhari-led administration announced the suspension of Twitter.

Adebayo noted that the association wished to confirm that its members had received formal instructions from NCC, the industry regulator, to suspend access to Twitter.

“ALTON has also conducted a robust assessment of the request in accordance with internationally accepted principles.

“Based on national interest provisions in the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003, and within the licence terms under which the industry operates; our members have acted in compliance with the directives of NCC.

“We will continue to engage all relevant authorities and stakeholders and will act as may be further directed by the NCC, ” Adebayo said.

He said the association remained committed to supporting the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and upholding the rights of citizens.

As an industry, ALTON endorsed the position of the United Nations that the rights held by people offline must also be protected online, Adebayo’s statement said.

He noted that this included respecting and protecting the rights of all people to communicate, to share information freely and responsibly, and to enjoy privacy and security regarding their data and their use of digital communications.

SOURCE:https://brandspurng.com/2021/06/05/telecoms-operators-receive-orders-to-suspend-twitter-alton/

The COVID-19 had a devastating impact on the global cruise industry, with cruise lines practically disappearing after the pandemic hit and all operators witnessing double-digit sales drop.

However, it seems that 2021 might bring a new hit to the sector, which is already on its knees. According to data presented by Stock Apps, the entire cruise industry is expected to generate $6.6bn in revenue in 2021, almost five times less than in 2019.

Confidence in the Cruise Lines Plummeted Amid Pandemic, The Number of Users Down by 76% in Two Years
When the COVID-19 hit, cruise ships immediately suffered high infection rates among passengers and crew. Thousands of people were stranded on board, spending months in quarantine. By the end of April 2020, more than 50 cruise ships confirmed hundreds of COVID-19 cases. It didn’t take long for cruises to be depicted as places of danger and infection.

In 2019, the entire cruise industry generated $27.4bn in revenue, revealed the Statista data. After the pandemic struck, revenues plummeted by 88% in a year to $3.3bn in 2020. Although this figure is expected to almost double and hit $6.6bn in 2021, it still represents a massive 77% drop compared to pre-COVID-19 levels.

Statista data indicate it will take years for the cruise industry to recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. By 2023, revenues are projected to reach $25.1bn, still $2.3bn less than in 2019. In 2024, cruise line revenues are expected to rise to over $30bn.

As people lost confidence in the entire cruise industry amid the pandemic, the number of cruise line users plunged to the deepest level in years. In 2019, almost 29 million people worldwide had chosen cruise lines for their vacation. Last year, this figure dipped to 3.4 million. Although the number of cruise line users is forecast to recover to 6.7 million in 2021, it still represents a massive 76% drop in two years.

Combined Revenues of Top Five Cruise Markets Still $16B Under Pre-COVID-19 Levels
The Statista survey revealed that, despite a $10.24bn revenue drop in 2020, the global cruise giant Carnival Corporation remained the largest player in the market with a 45% market share in 2021. Royal Caribbean Cruises ranked second with a 25% share. Norwegian Cruise Line and MSC Cruises follow, with 15% and 5% share, respectively.

Analyzed by geography, the United States represents the world’s largest cruise industry, expected to generate around $2.8bn in revenue this year, 78% less than in 2019.

Revenues of the German cruise line market, the second-largest globally, are expected to hit $830 million in 2021, compared to $2.8bn before the pandemic struck. The UK’s cruise companies are forecast to generate $650 million in revenue, down from $2.4bn two years ago. Chinese and Italian markets follow, with $570 million and $218 million in revenue, respectively.

Statistics show that combined revenues of the world’s five largest cruise markets are expected to amount to over $5bn in 2021 or $16bn less than in 2019.

SOURCE:https://brandspurng.com/2021/06/04/cruise-industry-to-generate-6-6b-in-revenue-in-2021-almost-five-times-less-than-in-2019/

The challenges experienced by residents of Abeokuta and its environs in their quest for potable water will soon be over, as the completion of the Arakanga dam has been achieved.
Special Adviser to the Governor on Water Resources and Special Duties, Engr. Adekunle Otun made the disclosure while featuring on a Television personality programme, noting that the distribution would be done gradually until the three Senatorial Districts have been covered.

Otun said the rehabilitation of the Arakanga dam which commenced in 2020 was to enable it abstract enough water for treatment and replacement of pipes, adding that rehabilitation of the dam also necessitated the deliberate shutdown of other sub-stations, which would soon be restored as the dam gates have been successfully installed.

“We are confident that the completion of Arakanga Water Works will make every home enjoy water supply, and this will be done bit by bit until we ensure that all parts of the State have access to potable water supply”, he said.

While mentioning the State government’s effort at improving water supply, the Special Adviser said a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was recently signed with the Federal Ministry of Water Resources (FMWR), towards rehabilitating Ota Water Scheme in Ado-Odo Local Government Area.

Otun added that the Ogun State Water Corporation had also fixed some boreholes and rehabilitated Yemoji Water Scheme at Ijebu-Ode, saying power support was being done at Papalanto, as well as the ongoing laying of pipes in Ilaro, to ensure no area was left out.

SOURCE:https://brandspurng.com/2021/06/04/ogun-completes-arakanga-dam-rehabilitation-set-to-distribute-potable-water/

Cadbury Nigeria Plc (‘the Company’ or ’Cadbury’), recorded a 4% YoY uptick in revenue from N8.92bn in Q1 2021 from N8.55bn in Q1 2020 on account of higher domestic sales.

However, owing to the higher cost of sales (+19% to N7.42bn in Q1 2021 from N6.26bn in Q1 2020) attributed to the impact of FX challenges, gross profit dipped by 35% YoY to N1.49bn in Q1 2021 from N2.37bn in Q1 2020.

Operating profit significantly dropped by 63% YoY to N323mn in Q1 2021 from N882mn in Q1 2020 despite a 21% YoY decline in operating expenses. Cadbury’s profitability was negatively affected by a higher cost margin, which resulted to a 62% fall in profit before tax to N345mn in Q1 2021 from N913mn in Q1 2020. Similarly, profit after tax fell by 62%
to N242mn in Q1 2021 from N639mn in Q1 2020.

Resurging Pandemic Hampers Export Sales
The breakdown of revenue according to geography showed that domestic sales rose 16% to N8.55bn in Q1 2021 from N7.34bn in Q1 2020. Conversely, export sales fell to N375mn in Q1 2021 from N1.21bn in Q1 2020. Given that Cadbury exports to countries mainly in Africa and Europe, we attribute the weak export sales to the restrictions imposed due to the resurgence of new variants of the COVID-19 virus,
especially in Europe.

The further breakdown according to segments revealed a 26% YoY growth in Refreshment Beverage to N5.68bn in Q1 2021 from N4.49bn in Q1 2020 while Confectionary grew by 4% to N2.94bn in Q1 2021 from N2.83bn in Q1 2020. However, intermediate products dipped markedly by 75% to N306mn in Q1 2021 from N1.24bn in Q1 2020. Overall, the sharp decline in intermediate products and the weak export sales partially contributed to weak growth in total revenue in Q1 2021.

Higher Cost of Sales Effaces Gross Margin
Cadbury’s gross margin contracted in Q1 2021 to 17% from 27% owing to an increase in cost of sales.

In Q1 2021, cost of sales rose to N7.43bn from N6.26bn in Q1 2020. The rise in cost of sales translated to a higher cost margin of 83% in Q1 2021 from 73% in Q1 2020. In our view, the higher cost margin could be attributed to higher input costs induced by the difficulty in sourcing for FX to import raw materials. Given the high level of competition in the industry and macroeconomic challenges as it relates to households’ income and purchasing power, we posit that the ability of the Company to raise
price was limited.

Lower Operating Expense Insufficient to Boost Earnings
Operating expense declined by 21% YoY to N1.17bn in Q1 2021 from N1.48bn in Q1 2020. Specifically, a 22% YoY decline in selling and distribution expense to N893mn in Q1 2021 from N1.14bn in Q1 2020, combined with a 19% YoY decline in administrative expense to N274mn in Q1 2021 from N340mn in Q1 2020 led to the overall decline in operating expense. However, due to weak revenue sales, the reduced operating expense had a relatively insignificant impact, as operating profit plunged markedly.

Similarly, net finance cost declined to N23mn in Q1 2021 from N30mn in Q1 2020. Regardless of the decline in net finance cost, profit before, and after-tax declined.

Outlook
We expect the Company to raise the prices of its products in the near term, in response to the rising input costs in a bid to protect its margins. However, owing to the intense competition in the industry, we do believe that the Company would be cautious in passing the entire cost burden to consumers.

In its exports market, we expect to see a recovery in some of its key export market, on the back of the flattening of the Covid curve.

We revised our FY 2021 revenue projection to N38.64bn (previous: N41.73bn). However, we forecasted a higher net income of N 1.11bn for FY 2021 (previous: N678mn). Our higher net income adjustment stemmed from our expectations of sustained cost optimization and overall operating efficiency.

Our revised fair value estimate for the Company is N5.61 (previous: N5.72). The relatively unchanged fair value, despite our higher earnings forecast was due to a lower justified P/E for the stock. In arriving at our fair value estimate, we used a blend for Discounted Cash Flow (DCF), Discounted Dividend Model (DDM), Residual Income Model (RIM), and Enterprise Value (EV/EBITDA) methodologies.

We used a higher discount rate – induced by the rising trend of benchmark rates in the fixed income market to discount our projected earnings and cash flows. At the stock’s current market price, we believe that the stock is trading above its fair value by 26%. Hence, we recommend a SELL.

SOURCE:https://brandspurng.com/2021/06/03/cadbury-nigerias-margins-deteriorate-amid-rising-cost-pressure/

Nigerian Breweries Plc has commissioned its 663.6 KWP solar power plant at its Ibadan brewery.
With an installed capacity to generate 800MWh of solar electricity per year (enough to power the production of 13.3 million bottles of beer), the new 663.6kilowatts per peak solar plant represents a major achievement in its quest to be more energy-efficient, while meeting the needs of millions of our consumers.

Speaking at the occasion, the company’s Chairman, Chief Kolawole Jamodu disclosed that the project marks an important milestone in the company’s history and development. Jamodu said Ibadan brewery which is the company’s third-largest plant was used as the pilot project because of the importance NBL attaches to the Oyo people.

The former Minister of Industry said,
“From a humble beginning in 1946, the company now has nine fully operational Breweries from which its high-quality products are produced and distributed to all parts of Nigeria, in addition, the two malting plants in Aba and Kaduna.”

In his remarks, the company Managing Director, Mr Jordi Borrut Bel said,
“We are not only interested in being No.1 in Sales and Profitability. We also want to be No.1 in Environmental Sustainability – ensuring that the communities where our breweries are located benefit from our operations in the best possible way”.

Bel also hinted that the company was in the process of commissioning similar projects in its Ama, Aba, Enugu, Lagos plants soon. The top manufacturer further disclosed that his company has donated $10, 000 to help develop Asejire dam closed to the Ibadan plant.

“We are looking forward to the partnership with other partners to deliver more renewable projects in Nigeria,” he promised.

Also, speaking, the Governor of Oyo State Seyi Makinde commended the company for its support to his state, even as he called on other private firms to follow suit.

Makinde said with the commissioning of this project, his administration is challenged to do more for the businesses in the state, adding that he looks forward to providing more amenities to the businesses of the state.

SOURCE:https://brandspurng.com/2021/06/02/nigerian-breweries-663-6-solar-power/

Prominent Development Investment Bank, DLM Capital Group through its digital banking subsidiary “SOFRI” has announced the inaugural edition of its Fintech pitch competition – Pegasus Fintech Challenge.
The Pegasus Fintech Challenge will be executed in partnership with the top tech accelerator, African Fintech Foundry. This is as part of its commitment to accelerate seeding funding and investments in Nigeria’s fintech environment.

The Pegasus Fintech Challenge is open to all Fintechs operating in Nigeria. Interested participants are invited to submit applications by sending details of their product as well as a demo to https://mypitch.dlm.group/ before June 18, 2021. Selected nominations will participate in a pitch event wherein the top 3 challengers will be selected and awarded.

The Head of Corporate Communications and Marketing at DLM Capital Group, Chinwendu Ohakpougwu, commented that the challenge was an opportunity for the Group to showcase its readiness to supporting the expansion of Nigeria’s fintech ecosystem.

“As Nigeria’s fintech ecosystem rapidly expands and transforms, DLM Capital Group and Sofri are well-positioned to make impactful footprints in the industry. We encourage Nigerian fintech start-ups to apply to the Pegasus Fintech Challenge”, she said.
VC and Incubation Head at Africa Fintech Foundry, Oluwaseyi Balogun commenting on the partnership stated that
‘Africa FinTech Foundry entrenches its lead in the FinTech ecosystem as it partners with Pegasus to serve as a silver lining for start-up funding amidst local fundraising setback prevalent in the start-up ecosystem’’

DLM Capital Group is a Developmental Investment Bank that provides innovative solutions to economic and social developmental challenges that impact the everyday lives of people.
Since its inception, the bank has concentrated on creating markets, products, and long-term financing solutions to key sectors of the Nigerian economy that would benefit end customers to improve their well-being.

The investment bank comprises subsidiaries in bespoke corporate finance advisory, trustee, asset management, and securities trading arms, to sovereign/sub-sovereign entities as well as private & non-private corporations.

The bank thrives on funding sectors of the Nigerian economy using innovative financing techniques, in particular, securitization and other structured finance techniques.

SOURCE:https://brandspurng.com/2021/06/02/dlm-pegasus-fintech-tech-innovators/

Today marks the start of the rollout of the new BMW Remote Software Upgrade for 1.3 million vehicles with BMW Operating System 7.
This activates Amazon Alexa integration in four more markets. The upgrade also includes improvements, such as the integration of the traditional destination entry in BMW Maps.

Amazon Alexa Integration For Four More Countries
The upcoming BMW Remote Software Upgrade will update the BMW Operating System 7 to Version 21-03. The rollout in Germany will start on June 1st 2021, gradually covering more BMW Connected Drive markets worldwide. In total, more than 1.3 million BMW vehicles (and more than 20 models) will be given the upgrade.

Customers can now also use many of the Alexa features in their car they know and love at home: add items to shopping lists, check the news, play music, or control compatible smart home devices from the car. So far, Alexa has been available for BMW Operating System 7 vehicles in Germany, Austria, Great Britain, Spain, and Italy. This upgrade adds four more countries to the list – France, the USA, Canada, and Brazil.

BMW Maps Developers Also Bring Back Traditional Search Mask

The BMW Maps navigation system was rolled out in mid-2020 for vehicles with BMW Operating System 7. The system, cloud-based for the first time, make route calculation significantly faster and more dynamic by combining real-time information with predictive models. The cloud also contains additional context-related information on now over 120 million points of interest, such as ratings, opening hours, and images.

The POI database is updated and kept up-to-date several times a week at short and regular intervals.

The easiest way to enter the destination is in natural language in dialogue with the BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant. With BMW Maps, additional improvements in terms of ease of use via touch or BMW controller have been implemented.

The One-Box Search was used for the first time, for example. This allows customers to search for the addresses and names of places, as they are used to when entering text in web search engines. Algorithms are used to filter the applicable database to display the probable suggestions already during input (auto-completion).

Many BMW customers also want the familiar screen mask for destination entry (country, place, street, house number) back. BMW always has the aim of offering its customers the best possible customer experience.

According to a decision by-product management and the developers, the traditional search was redeveloped in BMW Maps and is now available to customers in addition to the one-box search.

The adaptation for BMW Maps is activated after installing the current BMW Remote Software Upgrade.

Further Improvements Of Functions
One of the improvements provided by this upgrade is that the Lane Departure Warning settings can now be saved permanently. If customers do not wish to benefit from the lane departure warning, they can disable the function in the settings. From now on, the deactivation remains stored in the corresponding, activated BMW ID. The function is only reactivated if the customer makes the corresponding change in the settings.

Another improvement that comes with this update of the BMW Operating System corrects a display error when playing media with Android smartphones paired via Bluetooth (with Android 11). After the upgrade, the cover art is processed correctly when music tracks are changed.

In some vehicle models with BMW Operating System 7 the Surround View on the control display was not positioned correctly. This has also been corrected as part of the quality improvements.

General Notes On The BMW Remote Software Upgrade And On The Rollout.
With BMW Operating System 7 and BMW Remote Software Upgrade, it has been possible since 2018 for BMW drivers to keep their vehicles up-to-date with the latest software easily and quickly. The new functions can be conveniently installed in the car over the air. The installation files are prepared in the vehicle in the background. After that, even the installation of extensive upgrades will rarely take more than 20 minutes.

Due to the Corona situation – with its impact on support capacities – the rollout of the current upgrade may be delayed in individual markets.

Vehicles with BMW Operating System 7 not produced before March 2021 already have the latest software version.

Customers are informed about available Remote Software Upgrade via the My BMW App or on the controlled display in the vehicle. In addition, the software status can be viewed in the vehicle settings under Remote Software Upgrade and a search for available upgrades can be carried out. Remote Software Upgrade is now available for more than 20 BMW models and thus almost for the entire BMW fleet.

Vehicles with software versions older than 20-07 can only install the latest version after downloading and installing the intermediate versions. Only the next possible upgrade is offered for installation in the vehicle. The customer can never install the wrong version.

SOURCE:https://brandspurng.com/2021/06/02/new-bmw-remote-software-upgrade-for-1-3-million-bmw-vehicles/

A new Juniper Research study has found that global operator-led mobile messaging revenue will increase from $87 billion in 2020 to $88 billion in 2025.
However, the report found that SMS messaging, a long-established revenue source for operators, will fall from $66 billion in 2020 to $61 billion by 2025; owing to declining P2P traffic.

In response, the new research, Mobile Messaging: Future Outlook, Strategic Recommendations & Market Forecasts 2021-2025, predicts that operators will need to accelerate investment into rich media technologies to offset the loss of SMS revenue over the next 5 years.

It urges operators to capitalize on premium pricing and advanced anti-fraud standards over these messaging channels to accomplish this. The report assessed operator messaging services, including MMS, RCS, and SMS.

The report predicts that operators will take advantage of the growing interest in omnichannel strategies to foster increased investment in rich media messaging standards, including RCS and MMS.

The report urges messaging platforms to emulate the market in the US, where the country is anticipated to account for 54% of global MMS and RCS traffic globally by 2025. It highlighted the ability to message platforms in the US to offer a comprehensive portfolio of messaging products; enabling enterprises to leverage rich media messaging for high-value marketing use cases.

Conversely, low-cost services, such as SMS, can still be used for simple use cases, such as one-time passwords.

Additionally, the ability of RCS to authenticate enterprises directly will provide more efficient anti-fraud detection and mitigation of mobile business messaging traffic over established SMS traffic analysis.

Research author Scarlett Woodford remarked: ‘Authenticating the source of messaging traffic via RCS is far more efficient at eliminating fraudulent traffic routes than traditional firewalls, however, RCS traffic must still be monitored for malicious and unwanted content. A failure to do so will diminish the value of rich media messaging services in the future.’

SOURCE:https://brandspurng.com/2021/06/01/operator-messaging-revenue-88-by-2025/

The Governor of Sokoto State, Rt. Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal has described Governor Udom Emmanuel as a visionary, resourceful and purpose-driven leader whose pragmatic leadership style in the state has been felt through his people-oriented projects.

He said the Governor’s performance has earned him respect even among other governors in the country.

Governor Tambuwal who is also the Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, spoke during the inauguration of a Medical Gas and Vacuum Plant, at the Infectious Diseases Control Center, General Hospital, Ituk Mbang in Uruan Local Government Area.
“I can tell you that all of us, the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) Governors are very proud of your government, as Deputy Chairman of Nigeria Governors’ Forum(NGF) I can tell you that 35 of us, have clear evidence and respect for Governor Udom Emmanuel, that respect is on.
“He has provided leadership, he is very resourceful to the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and indeed the Federal Government of Nigeria”, he stated.

Governor Tambuwal described the Medical Gas and Vacuum Plant as a significant project in the State, adding that it as an investment that Akwa Ibom people will ever live to cherish.

“I congratulate you on your 6th anniversary and for choosing to commission this plant as described by the Commissioner for Health that is very key to the lives of the people, just look at it Medical Gas and Vacuum Plant which is for saving of lives, is there any other project?

“No investment can be better than investing in health, no investment can be better than investment in human capital development, no investment can be better than investment in the future of youths in their employment and that of our women, and all of these are what Governor Udom Emmanuel is doing in Akwa Ibom State, how can we not be proud of him”, Tambuwalsaid.

Governor Emmanuel in his speech restated that his vision in the health sector was driven by his passion to ensure that the people had access to quality health care delivery facilities.
He announced that with the installation of the Medical Gas and Vacuum Plant, the Isolation Center could be converted to a Critical Care Center in a Post- Covid era.

“With the plant, we are commissioning today, this Isolation Center can be converted into what we call Critical Care Center in a Post- Covid era, and as the need arises we’ll keep doing more. So why are we doing it.

“I remember a same time last year during this period, when we came here to commission this facility I promised that this will be one of the best general hospitals in this state and probably in this country that you need a secondary healthcare system”, he noted.

Governor Emmanuel promised to build more facilities that will train Akwa Ibom people to become experts in specialized fields.

“We need to look at training a lot of people here because we can’t be going to bring consultants from other places we must train our people, that is the essence of all these equipment here, so we are going to look at how to setup facilities here for training”, he assured.

Presenting an overview of the project, the Commissioner for Health Prof. Augustine Umoh, said the Medical Gas and Vacuum Plant has a capacity of producing 100,000 cubic metric tonnes of oxygen per hour.

“The plant you see here has the capacity to produce 100,000 metric tonnes of oxygen per hour and it’s the largest in the country, it has two compressors which allows for another to function in case of a fault”, Mr Emmanuel explained.

The Governor later led the Sokoto state Governor to commission a new Palace constructed by his administration for the Chairman, State Council along Wellington Bassey Way, Uyo.

SOURCE:https://brandspurng.com/2021/05/30/gov-aminu-tambuwal-inaugurates-medical-gas-and-vacuum-plant-in-aibom/

The Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON) has entered into an agreement with the Oyo State Government to promote revenue generation in the State.
Mr Fadeyibi Ademola, the Zonal Head of APCON South West made this known during a courtesy visit the council paid to the State Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Dr. Wasiu Olatubosun Wednesday.

Ademola said that APCON will work with Oyo State Signage and Advertisement Agency (OYSAA) to control the placement of billboards and thereby generate revenue for the Government through payment of dues into Government accounts.

He said “there is need to sanitize the environment in order to generate revenue, we need to start by identifying who practise advertising and who is legally permitted to practise, the job should be given to the right persons, those that have the right skills for it, APCON is set to control advertising in all its ramifications.

‘’You must register with OYSAA, pay necessary permits and fees, the content of your message must be submitted to APCON before it gets to the public, these are the areas we are partnering with the Government.”

APCON zonal head commended Governor Seyi Makinde’s administration on the rehabilitation of Bashorun-Akobo road and the employment of five thousand teachers, nurses, environmental officers among others in the State.

While welcoming the council members, the Honourable Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Dr. Wasiu Olatunbosun raised his concern about the clustering of billboards along major roads in the State, which he said should be controlled.

He promised that the State Government will cooperate and work with the APCON to sanitize the advertising space and improve State revenue.

SOURCE:https://brandspurng.com/2021/05/30/apcon-oyo-state-revenue-generation/

Fish, especially small fish, is an important animal food source among vulnerable populations and increases the nutritional quality of their diets. Dried small fish has been found to significantly enhance nutrient deficiencies in the diets of pregnant or lactating women and young children.
A recent study carried out by a group of researchers, including IITA’s Senior Scientist and gender focal point, Steven Cole, assessed the nutrient content of two locally developed fish‐based recipes, fish powder and fish chutney, and calculated the contribution of calcium, zinc, iron, and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) to the diets of pregnant and lactating women and children between 6 and 24 months.

The study found that processing small fish into powder achieved the optimum nutrient density of iron, zinc, and calcium for the diets of children between 6 and 11 months old, a stage when adequate nutrient intake is highly critical.

The fish powder is primarily essential fatty acids; one serving contains 50 mg of omega‐6 fatty acids and 121 mg of omega‐3 fatty acids.

The diet of infants and young children can be improved by adding small amounts of fish powder, which provides additional iron, zinc, calcium, and DHA to a meal. A single 10 g serving of fish powder provides 12% of the iron recommendation for infants 6–11 months and 19% for children 12–24 months.

Furthermore, micronutrient deficiencies (also known as ‘hidden hunger’) can be combatted by consuming small dried fish as part of a daily meal in the first critical 1000 days of life.

The study also showed that the diets of pregnant and lactating women could be improved by the addition of fish chutney, which provides calcium and some iron and zinc. The fish chutney contains 1.9 mg of iron, 2.2 mg of zinc, and 510 mg of calcium per 30 g serving.

Fish chutney also boosts women’s calcium intake and provides almost 2 g of fat. Adequate nutrients help pregnant and lactating women increase their energy and support the development of a healthy fetus, and compensate for the increased demand for milk production.

In line with IITA’s missions to enhance food security and reduce hidden hunger, small fish, which are culturally acceptable, can be considered as one of the foods to eradicate malnutrition when designing programs in low- and middle-income countries for nutritionally vulnerable populations.



SOURCE:https://brandspurng.com/2021/05/29/nutritional-deficiencies-dried-fish/

BET announces the“BET AWARDS” 2021 nominees with African heavyweights Wizkid, Burnaboy (Nigeria), and Diamond Platinumz (Tanzania) scoring three nominations in the Best International Act category.

Bet Awards 2021 nominees reflect an abundance of creative expression and Black excellence across music, television, film, and sports. The “BET AWARDS” 2021 will air LIVE, Monday, June 28on BET Africa, DStv channel 122, at1am WAT / 2 am CAT. You can also catch the repeat at 7pm WAT / 8pm CAT on Monday, June 28.

Culture’s biggest night, the “BET AWARDS,” continues its reign in its twenty-first year as the ultimate platform to showcase the best, brightest, and most beautiful aspects of the Black experience – celebrating Black music’s present and future, while elevating the culture and being a driving force for social change.

“It’s been a thrilling year in music entertainment and we are proud to have this opportunity to showcase a diverse and cultural rich list of international nominees that includes African artists and including Brazil talent for the first time in the Best International Act Category,“ said Monde Twala, Senior Vice President & GM ViacomCBS and BET International Peer Lead.

“Over the years, the BET Awards have honoured some of the most talented musicians in the International arena. It’s a powerful platform to spotlight and celebrate black excellence on the global stage. Congratulations to all the nominees.”

American rappers Megan Thee Stallion and DaBaby are also leading the pack with seven nominations respectively. Megan Thee Stallion, who left her mark in last year’s telecast with her Mad Max inspired performance for “Girls in The Hood” and “Savage,” claims one of the top spots securing seven nominations for ‘Best Female Hip Hop Artist,’ ‘Video of the Year,’ for WAP, ‘Album of the Year,’ for Good News, ‘Viewer’s Choice Award (x2),’ and ‘Best Collaboration,’ for her features with DaBaby (Cry Baby) and Cardi B (WAP). After his searing and powerful ‘Rockstar’ performance at last year’s “BET Awards,”.

DaBaby claims the other top spot securing seven nods, including ‘Best Male Hip Hop Artist,’ ‘Album of the Year,’ for Blame it on Baby, ‘Viewer’s Choice Award,’ and four nods for ‘Best Collaboration’ for his features alongside Roddy Ricch (Rockstar), Megan Thee Stallion (Cry Baby), Pop Smoke & Lil Baby (For The Night), and Jack Harlow Tory Lanez & Lil Wayne (Whats Poppin- Remix).

Cardi B and Drake garnered the second most nods with five nominations each. Cardi B’s nodsinclude‘Best Female Hip Hop Artist,’‘Best Collaboration,’ ‘Video of the Year,’ twice for WAPand UP. Drake’s nods include ‘Best Collaboration,’ ‘Best Male Hip Hop Artist,’ ‘Video of the Year,’ for Laugh Now Cry Later featuring Lil Durk and ‘Viewer’s Choice Award’. Anderson.Paak, Bruno Mars, Chloe X Halle, and Chris Brown are the third-highest with four nominations each and are all up for the coveted ‘Video of the Year’ award.

Following last year’s groundbreaking virtual awards show, the “BET AWARDS” returns this year with a live show audience. Beginning today, vaccinated individuals can register here for consideration to be part of the “BET AWARDS” 2021 live show audience. BET will work closely with Los Angeles County to support community vaccination efforts and ensure adherence to COVID-19 protocols.

Due to these safety parameters, press access to the show will be limited and “BET AWARDS” will not be issuing a credential form. Media will be invited directly to cover any in-person opportunities, including the red carpet, with additional remote/virtual press opportunities to be announced at a later date.

BET recognizes artists, entertainers, and athletes across 21categories with The “BET Awards” 2021 nominations(‘Viewer’s Choice Award: Best New International Act’ will be released at a later date). The nominations are selected by BET’s Voting Academy, which is composed of fans and an esteemed group of entertainment professionals in the fields of television, film, music, social media, digital marketing, sports journalism, public relations, and creative arts.

See Complete List Of “BET AWARDS” Nominee 2021

BEST INTERNATIONAL ACT
AYA NAKAMURA (FRANCE)
BURNA BOY (NIGERIA)
DIAMOND PLATNUMZ (TANZANIA)
EMICIDE (BRAZIL)
HEADIE ONE (UK)
WIZKID (NIGERIA)
YOUNG T & BUGSEY (UK)
YOUSSOUPHA (FRANCE)

ALBUM OF THE YEAR
AFTER HOURS – THE WEEKND
BLAME IT ON BABY – DABABY
GOOD NEWS – MEGAN THEE STALLION
HEAUX TALES – JAZMINE SULLIVAN
KING’S DISEASE – NAS
UNGODLY HOUR – CHLOE X HALLE

BEST COLLABORATION
CARDI B FT. MEGAN THEE STALLION – WAP
DABABY FT. RODDY RICCH – ROCKSTAR
DJ KHALED FT. DRAKE – POPSTAR
JACK HARLOW FT. DABABY, TORY LANEZ & LIL WAYNE – WHATS POPPIN (REMIX)
MEGAN THEE STALLION FT. DABABY – CRY BABY
POP SMOKE FT. LIL BABY & DABABY – FOR THE NIGHT

BEST FEMALE R&B / POP ARTIST
BEYONCÉ
H.E.R.
JAZMINE SULLIVAN
JHENÉ AIKO
SUMMER WALKER
UPS

BEST MALE R&B / POP ARTIST
6LACK
ANDERSON.PAAK
CHRIS BROWN
GIVEON
TANK
THE WEEKND

BEST NEW ARTIST
COI LERAY
FLO MILLI
GIVEON
JACK HARLOW
MILK
POOH SHIESTY

BEST GROUP
21 SAVAGE & METRO BOOMIN
CHLOE X HALLE
CHRIS BROWN & YOUNG THUG
CITY GIRLS
MIGOS
SILK SONIC

BEST FEMALE HIP HOP ARTIST
CARDI B
COI LERAY
DOJA CAT
MEGAN THEE STALLION
MILK
SAWEETIE

BEST MALE HIP HOP ARTIST
DABABY
DRAKE
J. COLE
JACK HARLOW
LIL BABY
POP SMOKE

DR. BOBBY JONES BEST GOSPEL/INSPIRATIONAL AWARD
BEBE WINANS – IN JESUS NAME
CECE WINANS – NEVER LOST
H.E.R. – HOLD US TOGETHER
KIRK FRANKLIN – STRONG GOD
MARVIN SAPP – THANK YOU FOR IT ALL
TAMELA MANN – TOUCH FROM YOU
BET HER AWARD
ALICIA KEYS FT. KHALID – SO DONE
BRANDY FT. CHANCE THE RAPPER – BABY MAMA
BRI STEVES – ANTI QUEEN
CHLOE X HALLE – BABY GIRL
CIARA FT. ESTER DEAN – ROOTED
SZA – GOOD DAYS

VIEWER’S CHOICE AWARD
CARDI B FT. MEGAN THEE STALLION – WAP
CHRIS BROWN & YOUNG THUG – GO CRAZY
DABABY FT. RODDY RICCH – ROCKSTAR
DJ KHALED FT. DRAKE – POPSTAR
DRAKE FT. LIL DURK – LAUGH NOW CRY LATER
LIL BABY – THE BIGGER PICTURE
MEGAN THEE STALLION FT. BEYONCÉ – SAVAGE (REMIX)
SILK SONIC – LEAVE THE DOOR OPEN

VIDEO OF THE YEAR
CARDI B – UP
CARDI B FT. MEGAN THEE STALLION – WAP
CHLOE X HALLE – DO IT
CHRIS BROWN & YOUNG THUG – GO CRAZY
DRAKE FT. LIL DURK – LAUGH NOW CRY LATER
SILK SONIC – LEAVE THE DOOR OPEN

VIDEO DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR
BENNY BOOM
BRUNO MARS AND FLORENT DECHARD
COLE BENNETT
COLIN TILLEY
DAVE MEYERS
HYPE WILLIAMS

BEST MOVIE
COMING 2 AMERICA
JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH
MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM
ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI…
SOUL
THE UNITED STATES VS. BILLIE HOLIDAY

BEST ACTRESS
ANDRA DAY
ANGELA BASSETT
ISSA RAE
JURNEE SMOLLETT
VIOLA DAVIS
ZENDAYA

BEST ACTOR
ALDIS HODGE
CHADWICK BOSEMAN
DAMSON IDRIS
DANIEL KALUUYA
EDDIE MURPHY
LAKEITH STANFIELD

YOUNGSTARS AWARD
ALEX R. HIBBERT
ETHAN HUTCHISON
LONNIE CHAVIS
MARSAI MARTIN
MICHAEL EPPS
STORM REID

SPORTSWOMAN OF THE YEAR AWARD
A’JA WILSON
CANDACE PARKER
CLARESSA SHIELDS
NAOMI OSAKA
SERENA WILLIAMS
SKYLAR DIGGINS-SMITH

SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR AWARD
KYRIE IRVING
LEBRON JAMES
PATRICK MAHOMES
RUSSELL WESTBROOK
RUSSELL WILSON
STEPHEN CURRY

Connie Orlando, EVP of Specials, Music Programming & Music Strategy at BET and Jesse Collins, CEO of Jesse Collins Entertainment serve as Executive Producers for the “BET Awards” 2021 broadcast special.

Voting for the “BET AWARDS” 2021 ‘Viewer’s Choice Award’begins on June 7th. For the latest “BET AWARDS” 2021 news and updates, including details on audience selection and eligibility, please visit BET.com/Awards.

SOURCE:https://brandspurng.com/2021/05/28/bet-awards-2021-wizkid-burnaboy-and-diamond-platnumz-lead-african-nomination/

Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc (Flour Mills), Nigeria’s leading integrated food business and agro-allied Group, and owners of the iconic brand, ‘Golden Penny,’ today announced a further expansion to its sugar backward integration program (BIP) with the acquisition of 20,450 hectares of land in Nasarawa State.
The move is part of FMN’s commitment to the backward integration programme of the Nigeria Sugar Master Plan, and the overall growth strategy of the Sugar industry in the country.

The signing ceremony would hold in Abuja on Friday 28th May 2021, to commemorate the official handover of the land by the Governor, His Excellency, Engineer Abdullahi Sule, to FMN. The Group Managing Director /CEO of FMN, Mr. Omoboyede Olusanya, in the company of other Senior Executives of FMN, shall accept the handover of the site on behalf of FMN.

The 20,450 hectares is situated at Umaisha Development Area of Toto Local Government Area of Nasarawa State on the north bank of the Benue river, about 70 kilometres upstream from Lokoja.

It is expected that land preparation, including, surveys and the initial designs will start immediately in anticipation of the commencement of operations during the course of this year, The plan is to develop up to 15,000 hectares under cane and to construct a state-of-the-art sugar mill in line with our BIP commitments and Nigeria’s drive for self-sufficiency in sugar production.

Similar to our investments at Sunti, Niger State, the development plan of the Nasarawa BIP will significantly benefit neighbouring communities who will be impacted by numerous community improvement projects that have already been earmarked to begin soon, including access roads, electrification projects, primary healthcare and educational facilities and expanded youth job opportunities – including the extension of our out-grower scheme that will empower farmers, and ultimately improve lives.

The total projected cost to achieve this bold new plan is at least USD$300million.

SOURCE:https://brandspurng.com/2021/05/28/flour-mills-nigeria-sugar-bip-nasarawa/

According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) report for the month of April 2021 on transport watch, the average fare paid by commuters for journey by motorcycle per drop increased by 1.79% month-on-month and by 86.41% year-on-year to N276.30 in April 2021 from N271.44 in March 2021.
Further analysis by Brand Spur revealed that states with the highest journey fare by motorcycle per drop were:
Yobe – N455.02
Lagos – N435.21
Taraba – N430.55
While states with the lowest journey fare by motorcycle per drop were:
Adamawa – N95.10
Katsina – N155.04
Niger – N160.20
Bus transport fare within the city
The average fare paid by commuters for bus journey within the city increased by 2.34% month-on-month and by 72.59% year-on-year to N386.10 in April 2021 from N377.27 in March 2021.

States with the highest bus journey fare within the city were Zamfara (N620.35), Bauchi (N600.35) and Nasarawa (N500.23).
States with the lowest bus journey fare within the city were Oyo (N200.07), Abia (N215.04) and Borno (N263.45).
Bus transport fare journey intercity
The average fare paid by commuters for bus journey intercity increased by 1.48% month-on-month and by 37.50% year-on-year to N2,446.86 in April 2021 from N2,411.29 in March 2021.

States with the highest bus journey fare intercity were Abuja FCT (N4,594.21), Lagos (N3,500.20) and Sokoto (N3,340.30).
States with the lowest bus journey fare within the city were Bayelsa (N1,764.55), Bauchi (N1,782.12) and Enugu (N1,800.40).

Air Transport Fare
The average fare paid by air passengers for specified routes single journey decreased by -0.24% month-on-month and increased by 18.43% year-on-year to N36,409.46 in April 2021 from N36,495.41 in March 2021.

States with the highest airfare were Anambra (N38,650.00), Bauchi (N38,550.00), Lagos (N38,400.00).
States with the lowest airfare were Akwa-Ibom (N32,750.00), Sokoto (N33,500.00), and Enugu (N35,200.00).

WaterWay Transport Fare
The average fare paid by passengers for waterway passenger transport increased by 1.47% month-on-month and by 35.22% year-on-year to N820.23 in April 2021 from N808.38 in March 2021.
States with the highest fare by waterway passenger transport were Delta (N2,400.00), Bayelsa (N2,358.60) and Rivers (N2,300.00).
States with the lowest fare by waterway passenger transport were Borno (N260.14), Gombe (N315.60) and Kebbi (N350.65).

SOURCE:https://brandspurng.com/2021/05/27/motorcycle-okada-april-2021-nbs/

Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, has restated that his administration would continue to consult the residents of the state to determine infrastructural projects they want the government to undertake.
Abiodun, who said no infrastructural project would be embarked upon without adequate inputs from the people, emphasised that his administration would not be a sectional one, but equitable administration.

The governor stated this on Wednesday, at the official inauguration of 4.92KM AIT/Raypower and Ikola-Osi Ota-Navy Roads, in Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State.
Abiodun noted that the two roads received his administration’s attention and were prioritised due to their importance to the residents of Lagos and Ogun States.
According to him, the roads serve as a bypass to the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, noting they would create access to commuters between Lagos and Ogun.

While describing Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government as the “industrial LG” in Nigeria, Abiodun said the newly inaugurated roads will create enabling environment, enhance economic growth and improve individual prosperity along the corridor.
He added that the construction of the roads was in tandem with the decision of his administration to construct all the connecting and access roads between Ogun and Lagos.

The governor, who disclosed that roads in the state would be constructed and rehabilitated to improve the lives of residents, stressed the roads fitted with street lights and walkway, would further open up Ota and Agbado borderline to investors.
While commending the people of the local government for their support, Abiodun stressed that reconstruction of the Agbara-Lusada-Atan industrial road will be completed in 14 months, appealing to the people to be patient with his administration on other roads noted for rehabilitation.
In his welcome remarks, Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Ade Akinsanya, said the two roads are community-based projects, adding the roads were commenced and completed within the first one year of Governor Abiodun in office.
In their respective goodwill messages, the Olota of Ota, Oba Abdul-Kabir Adeyemi Obalanlege, former Commissioner for Cooperatives and Community Development, Durojaiye Aiyedogbon and former deputy governor in the state, Salmot Badru, lauded the governor for undertaking the construction of roads in the Ogun West senatorial district, despite the limited resources of the state government.

SOURCE:https://brandspurng.com/2021/05/26/ogun-state-4-92km-roads-ado-odo-ota-lg/

As the World marks the 2021 children’s day celebration, which is celebrated globally on the 27th of May, it presents another opportunity to reflect on childhood.
Brand Spur Nigeria brings you a compilation of beautiful and adorable children’s day messages, quotes, and prayers that can be sent to loved ones.

1. Childhood is about innocence and playfulness. It is about joy and freedom. Happy Children’s Day!

2. There are only two lasting gifts we should give our children, One is roots and second is wings. Happy Children’s Day

3. We worry about what a child will become tomorrow, Yet we forget that he is someone today. Happy Children Day!

4. Such a treasure your precious child is, Who will thrive on every hug and kiss. Hold them close and sing them songs; they will only be a child for so long. Happy Children’s Day…

5. Children are the best creation of God, they spread joy in every season. Happy Children’s Day.

6. Do not educate children to be rich, educate them to be happy, so that when they grow up, they will know the value of things and not just the price.

7. A child can always teach an adult three things: to be happy for no reason, to be always busy with something and know how to demand with all his might what you want. – Paulo Coelho.

8. The greatest gifts you can give your children are the roots of responsibility and the wings of independence.

9. The first happiness of a child is to know that he is loved. – Don Bosco

10. Treat your kid like a darling for the first five years. For the next five years, scold them. By the time they turn sixteen, treat them like a friend. Your grown-up children are your best friends. – Chanakya

11. Kids go where there is excitement, they stay where there is love.

12. Hugs can do great amounts of good — especially for children. – Princess Diana

13. Our children can achieve great things when we set high expectations for them. – Jeb Bush

14. Children are the living messages we send to a time we will not see. – John W. Whitehead

15. Every child is a different kind of flower, and all together, make this world a beautiful garden.

16. You have made us proud parents, the envy of all others. You are an amazing child, one in a million and we love you ever so dearly. Happy children’s day.

17. No matter what happens dear child, always remember you have everything it takes to get to the top. You are not mediocre, you were born for greatness. Happy children’s day.
You can always count on the values we have instilled in you to help you make the right decisions at critical moments. Happy children’s day.

18. Dear child, you are a treasure, a precious gift. May you thrive all the days of your life. Happy children’s day.

19. I will always love you unconditionally my child. You can always count on me. Happy children’s day.

20. Always do yourself, proud child. Always aim for the best. One day I will be gone and you will be left alone with your choices. So it’s important to choose wisely. I love you dearly. Happy children’s day.

21. Dear child, may you always hold your head high. May you never bring disgrace to my name. May each new day find you better than the previous one. Happy children’s day.

22. Enjoy the pleasures of childhood, enjoy the freedom, enjoy the thrills. May laughter never depart from your mouth. Happy children’s day.

23. They may not always smell pure and sweet, A dirty diaper or a dampened sheet.
But with a loving cuddle and a beautiful smile, The joys of parenthood are all worthwhile.
Happy Children’s Day!

24. There are some things that we can’t buy, one of such things is our childhood. Enjoy the spirit of Children’s Day!

25. Every child is a gift of nature, give them their today, give them time to play, and make way for their future. Happy Children’s Day!

26. Today is Children’s Day, a special day for the kiddies, happy Children’s Day!

27. Sending your way a bunch of flowers that blossom your life with love, happiness and cherishable moments! Have a beautiful Children’s Day!

28. My best childhood memory was falling asleep on the couch and waking up in the bed thinking… Wow! I can teleport! Wish you a Happy Children’s Day!

29. When we are old and failing, it is the memories of childhood that can be summoned most clearly. Wish you all a Happy Children’s Day!

30. If we want to see our future filled with happiness and harmony, we must teach our kids to be good human being more than anything else. happy children’s day!

31. A child can always teach an adult three things: to be happy for no reason, to be always busy with something, and know-how to demand with all his might what you want.

32. Every child is a gift of nature, give them their today, give them time to play and make way for their future. Happy Children’s Day!

33.Never stop giggling, playing, and dancing, it’s part of your childhood that will always be with you. Happy Children’s Day!

34. We may be your teachers but we also have a lot more things to learn from you, especially, how to laugh with all your hearts. Happy children’s day!

35. You never become old, if you carry your childhood with you, Wish you all a Happy Children’s Day!

36. Happy Children’s Day, Make a promise to bring joy to their life.

37. Let’s join hands-on to make this world a safer place for the little ones. Happy Children’s Day!

38. Children are sensitive and innocent, they are the little angels of God and the future of mankind. Wishing children the very best on this Children’s Day.

39. Childhood is about innocence and playfulness. It is about joy and freedom. Happy Children’s Day..!

40. Whatever they grow up to be, they are still our children, and the one most important of all the things we can give to them is unconditional love.

SOURCE:https://brandspurng.com/2021/05/27/50-happy-2021-childrens-day-messages-quotes-sms-and-prayers/

Nobody wants to get into an accident with a truck, but life may take an awful turn at any point. Truck accidents are very rare because trucks are huge, and it’s very unlikely to get into a collision with one.
However, that does not rule out the possibility of a truck accident happening. Truck accidents can happen at any time due to poor road conditions, bad weather conditions, drunk truck drivers, or drivers that are not focused on the road. The results of a truck accident can be devastating and horrific. They may result in severe casualties, injuries, and destruction of property.

In order to recover from such a traumatic accident, you need to seek proper medical treatment and rehabilitation aid which may cost you a lot of money. This is why you should fight for your claim and compensation money in court. In order to win your claim, you need the help of a truck accident attorney. Here are the top 5 reasons why you need a truck accident attorney if you get into a truck accident.

1) Trucking companies and truck insurance companies are more powerful than you
A truck is 5 times larger than a car and weighs 20 times more. The chances of sustaining severe injuries in an accident involving a car and a truck are much greater than the chances of sustaining severe injuries in a collision between two cars. If you get into an accident with a truck and want to sue the trucking company involved, you should contact an experienced, skilled, and knowledgeable attorney to represent you. Trucking companies are powerful and wealthy. They have enough money to compensate for your injuries and provide you with a settlement.

However, they also have enough money to go to court so that they will not have to pay you. With the help of a truck accident attorney, you can claim your compensation money and win the case. After a truck accident, the truck companies will probably try to contact you and offer you a settlement. However, that settlement may be too less and may not cover your medical costs and other accident costs. So before agreeing to anything, you should contact a truck accident attorney so that you can get the amount of compensation you deserve.

2) The truck insurance company may not offer you the compensation you deserve
After a truck accident, the truck driver’s insurance company starts to collect information from the parties involved, other sources of information, and police reports. They then decide who was at fault for the accident and how much they will pay to the other party involved as compensation. They then contact the other party and offer them the compensation amount they deem to be appropriate.

If you accept the settlement and sign their letter, then you will lose all rights to file a lawsuit against them in court. Even if the amount they offer to you as settlement seems like a large amount, contact your attorney first before making any decision. Some injuries are not visible at the time of the accident but may become a source of problem and pain for you in the following years. This is why you should never settle for a claim till you are fully aware of the extend of your injuries.

3) The truck accident attorney will be your representative
If the truck accident is severe and has caused costly damage, then you will receive multiple calls pressing for details of the incident. This can very stress full because whatever you say can be sued against you in court. The insurance companies will try to make it look like it was your fault even when you are not the one to blame. You constantly have to worry about not saying the wrong thing.

This can become more stressful when you are badly injured and are in need of medical assistance. If you hire a truck accident attorney, then you will not have to answer any calls or talk about the accident to anyone as you can simply refer them to your lawyer. The lawyer will handle all the communication and dealings with the other party.

Hiring a truck accident attorney will allow you to pay attention to your injuri4es instead of worrying about what to say and attend to calls. The truck accidents attorney at https://bdlawteam.com/services/truck-accidents/ understands how stressful and chaotic it is to get into a truck accident.

At a time when you are submerged in financial and medical losses, you want someone to extend a helping hand and take care of your problems. This is why your problems become ours, and we make sure we solve each one of them without you having to worry.

4) The accident might be more than just a mistake
According to the law, you have the absolute right to claim compensation from a party who is at fault for the accident that resulted in you getting injured. You must present evidence that proves that the other party breached their duty to make sure no one due to their own negligence and ignorance.

There might be many different ways to prove the other party’s negligence, such as failure of the truck company to provide proper training to its staff and drivers, letting the truck driver work longer and frequent shifts as opposed by the federal and state law, which resulted in him being sleepy or incapable of driving, failure to conduct a background check of the driver which would otherwise deem him incapable of driving due to recent substance abuse.

The truck company, the truck insurance company, the truck manufacture are all accountable for the accident if proven guilty. The truck manufacturer may be held accountable if a part of the truck was not working properly or if there was a defect. The truck company may be held accountable if the truck malfunctioned due to the lack of maintenance.

The loading company may also be questioned if the truck was overloaded or loaded unevenly. The city police might be liable for the poor road conditions, which is knows as premises liability. So you can file a lawsuit against multiple defendants for the same truck accident and get the compensation you deserve.

In a nutshell
Getting into a truck accident can be a traumatic incident that leaves you completely broken, and your spirit shattered. In an hour of need, a truck accident attorney can be a guiding light to help you recover from such as loss. As mentioned above, hiring a truck accident attorney has many major benefits. So if you ever get into a truck accident, do not wait for the situation to worsen and contact a skilled and experienced truck accident attorney right away.

SOURCE:https://brandspurng.com/2021/05/26/top-5-reasons-truck-accident-attorney/

In the first quarter of 2021, Xiaomi’s smartphone business continued to grow significantly. Revenue from smartphone sales grew by 69.8% to RMB51.5 billion year-over-year. Global smartphone shipments in the period reached 49.4 million units and the gross profit margin for the smartphone business was 12.9%.
According to Canalys, the Group maintained 3rd position in terms of smartphone shipments globally during the quarter, registering a market share of 14.1%

Xiaomi’s smartphone business in mainland China has also maintained its rapid growth trajectory. According to Canalys, in the first quarter of 2021, Xiaomi rose to the 4th position winning a market share of 14.6%.

Meanwhile, Xiaomi attained the No. 4 spots in Africa as smartphone shipments increased 191.0% year-over-year.

The Group further strengthened its market position across online channels. According to third-party data, Xiaomi’s online smartphone market share in mainland China jumped to 38.0% in the first quarter of 2021 from 18.5% in the first quarter of 2020.

Meanwhile, it also expanded its offline retail presence in mainland China. As of April 30, 2021, the number of our retail stores surpassed 5,500, an increase of over 2,300 stores from December 31, 2020.

Overseas markets maintain growth momentum achieving explosive growth across Europe
In the first quarter of 2021, Xiaomi’s revenue from overseas markets increased 50.6% year-over-year to RMB37.4 billion. According to Canalys, Xiaomi’s market share in the first quarter ranked among the top five smartphone companies in terms of shipments in 62 countries and regions globally and No.1 in 12 countries and regions.

Xiaomi further improved its competitive positioning in key markets. According to Canalys, in the first quarter of 2021, the Group was ranked among the top two for the first time in Europe following an 85.1% year-over-year increase in smartphone shipments allowing us to retain a market share of 22.7%.

Notably, Xiaomi was ranked No. 1 in Eastern Europe for the 2nd consecutive quarter as smartphone shipments increased 81.8% year-over-year to reach a 32.5% market share. Xiaomi was also ranked No. 1 for the first time in Russia with a market share of 32.1%.

The Group retained its top 3 positions in Western Europe as market share rising to 16.6% following an 89.3% year-over-year increase in smartphone shipments. The Group was ranked No. 1 in Spain for the 5th consecutive quarter after achieving a 35.1% market share.

Additionally, Xiaomi’s market position rose to No. 2 in Italy and it retained the No. 3 spots in Germany and France and entering the top 5 in the U.K. for the first time, all with a growth rate in shipments exceeding 90% year-over-year. Moreover, Xiaomi was ranked No. 1 for the 14th consecutive quarter in India in terms of smartphone shipments where it has a market share of 28.3%.

The Group continued its strong growth momentum in new markets. According to Canalys, its position in Latin America rose to No. 3 as smartphone shipments increased 161.7% year-over-year to reach an 11.5% market share. Additionally, Xiaomi ranked No. 3 in the Middle East as smartphone shipments increased 87.8% year-over-year.

As of March 31, 2021, Xiaomi has also established cooperation with over 150 carrier channels (including carrier subsidiaries) worldwide.

SOURCE:https://brandspurng.com/2021/05/26/xiaomi-position-3rd-largest-smartphone/

WhatsApp has become the source of many online conversations and is used to communicate with family, colleagues friends, and new acquittance and just like in physical meetings and discussions where conflicts and argument takes place, conflicts and argument takes place here and can lead to an unhealthy disagreement.



Blocking a contact on WhatsApp is a means to limit communication with someone who you don’t want to have conversations anymore. People get blocked on WhatsApp for different reasons best known to those who block other people.

Here are ways to know if you become a victim of the action that stops an interaction with someone who blocks you:

1. Visit their user’s profile
You should visit the WhatsApp user’s profile, where you can see the person’s name, profile photo, and when they were last seen online.

The trick here is that you cannot see any of that information, other than the name if the person blocked you from chatting or calling them.

An easy way to check whether you have been blocked by the user is to tap on their profile. If you have been blocked, you won’t be able to see when the person was online for the last time. Instead of their profile photo, you will see a standard grey and white icon that is given to ever user without a profile photo by default.

2. Send A Message Or Make A Call
WhatsApp functions as a messaging and calling app, so when you want to know whether someone has blocked you, you should try texting them and if you send a message to a contact who has blocked you, you will see one checkmark, meaning it was sent from your phone. However, the one checkmark will never turn into two checkmarks, so the message never gets delivered to the person

Another method is placing a call and this can be an effective method of checking whether you are blocked by someone. When you try calling someone who blocked you, WhatsApp will allow you to do it just to conceal the fact that you had been blocked. However, the person will never pick up.

There are other reasons why your calls may be unanswered but if it happens continually then blocked.

3. Add The User To A Group
This method is the most effective method or approach to knowing if you have been blocked. While the other methods described above don’t provide an actual assurance of giving you the result you need because they can happen as a result of network problems or the person’s lack of desire to update their profile, this last method is the most effective one.

When you have a feeling that someone blocked you on WhatsApp, what you can do is create a group and try adding the person to your group.

If you haven’t been blocked, you will have no problem doing that but If it happens that you were blocked, you will see a message saying that you are not authorized to add that contact. This is the assurance needed to know that someone blocked you from having conversations on WhatsApp with them.

These are three major ways to discover if you have been blocked by someone and it is was written with the hope you find it useful as you interact with people.

SOURCE:https://brandspurng.com/2021/05/25/how-to-know-you-have-been-blocked-on-whatsapp-by-a-fellow-user/