₦airaland Forum

A son of the late former governor of old Anambra State, Chief C.C. Onoh, and a former member of Enugu State House of Assembly, Dr. Joseph Umunnakwe Onoh, an antagonist of the Sullivan Chime– led government, speaks on topical issues in Enugu State polity such as the ceding of the gubernatorial seat to Enugu North senatorial zone, the emergence of Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi as the consensus candidate, opposition by Ayogu Eze, among other issues in the 2015 election. Sit back and enjoy it.

If your father, the late Chief C. C. Onoh, were to be alive today, what do you think would be his opinion on the political issues in Enugu State… like the zoning of the governorship to Enugu North and on who goes to the Senate for Enugu East senatorial district?

If he were alive, I think he would be happy. Not long after Enugu State was created on August 27, 1991 than the issue of governance came in and an emergency meeting was called on September 3, 1991 in Igwe Charles Abangwu’s house. All the elders of Enugu State were there and the issue of who becomes the governor came up. Igwe Nara Onataeze stood up and said ‘Jim Nwobodo, you were governor’ and Jim said ‘yes, but that it was in Anambra State’ and he said no difference, that he came from Enugu-East zone. He said again: ‘C C Onoh, you were governor and you came from Enugu-West, now we have a new state, how do we move forward?’ In that same meeting, it was agreed that Enugu North senatorial zone goes and that was why even when Dr. Joe Nwodo was disqualified, they still went and brought Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo to keep that accord that has guided Enugu State till date.

After Nwodo left, the elections came again in 1999 and they said that the first governor came from Enugu-East, the second from the West and the third from North. And they decided to go back again from where it started and that was how it went to Enugu-East again and picked Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani. As at that time, Chief Hyde Onuaguluchi from the West was also running and gave a stiff resistance, yet because of the same accord, most of those elders supported Nnamani and he became governor. No matter how erratic they say Nnamani was, he kept to the same accord and brought Sullivan Chime from the West and the time to move again has come and the greatest fairness is that we have to get it back to Nsukka. Nsukka has not had enough dividends of democracy in Enugu State. There is so much to be done and Nsukka has a lot of potentials such as Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.

Why is it that despite the emergence of a PDP consensus candidate in Enugu State, one or two other persons are kicking against it?
It is political and if we don’t have people to fill in the vacuum, even when there is none, it will seem as if we are not playing politics. There are individual opinions and rights to pursue what they want but the question is, are you going in the right direction? We have people that are card carrying members of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, but the issue is; are they sincerely PDP members or are they PDP members as contractors? Yes, we have a consensus candidate, but not really a PDP affair, but rather the people’s candidate, the people’s choice. PDP did not go around making that choice for the people, the people came up with their choice and so PDP had no other choice but to accept, because as the slogan of the party goes: Power belongs to the people; the people have the power, they brought the candidate they preferred, he emerged consensus and the PDP had no other choice but to accept. For those who do not want to follow the wish of the people of Enugu State, they have the ample opportunity to test the will of the people on February 14.

Why it is that majority of you people in the PDP are well disposed to Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi as a consensus candidate?
I have known Hon. Ugwuanyi for over 15 years. We served in the same government, he was in the National Assembly, and I was in the state Assembly. For my personal opinion about him, I like him and I am sure a lot of other people like him and I can tell you one thing that if you could do your research, go out to the people of Enugu State and show me an enemy of Ugwuanyi and I will show you a saint, just to tell you how acceptable he is. In Enugu State PDP, he is an imperative candidate, we can’t bring a candidate that people don’t accept, otherwise it becomes a clear case of imposition. So the endorsement of Ugwuanyi is not a PDP affair as I have said, rather it was done by the people of Enugu State, not just of the Enugu-North extraction but also of Enugu-East as well as Enugu-West senatorial zones. Therefore, for the three senatorial districts to come up with one acceptable person, shows his wide acceptability among the people of Enugu State. They made their choice and PDP only followed their will.

If Ugwuanyi is actually the choice of the people, why is somebody like Senator Ayogu Eze protesting?
Senator Eze is not protesting because no matter what you do, so long as it is not him (Eze) that was made the choice, he will still protest. I heard he has been writing all sorts of petition against Ugwuanyi, I learnt he has even accused Governor Chime of ambushing him and I am surprised as well. He is only shocked at how democracy is playing out because for the first time, he has tried to follow democratic trend from the one we were used to which is the selection of a candidate. When Senator Eze emerged commissioner in Enugu State, he only took a bow during the screening on the floor of the state Assembly and left. Nobody drilled him. In 2007, the state government then had issues with Senator Fidelis Okoro, then representing Enugu North senatorial zone and Ayogu as Commissioner for Information was the only person who determined who said what and he made sure that Okoro was put in confrontation with the state government and in compensation, Eze was given the Senate seat. I am pretty sure Okoro did not say most of those things that Eze said Okoro did or said. Eze did not bring one penny, did not go for any campaign, Nnamani did it for him and he was single- handedly ushered to the throne as a senator. Then come 2011, there were issues again on Chime’s second term and he keyed in again as usual and he was ushered back again into the Senate. So he has gotten every single political position free of charge and now he decided to come and contest to test his popularity and he found out he had none.

There is insinuation that the Presidency is placing Ugwuanyi under watch for being among the Aminu Tambuwal group that resisted Mulikat Akande-Adeola from becoming Speaker of the House of Representatives, don’t you think it would rub off on the consensus you have in Enugu?
Both Akande-Adeola and Tambuwal were members of the PDP as at then and this unsubstantiated rumour about Ugwuanyi is not true. Come to think about it, Ugwuanyi is not the only member in the entire National Assembly. He may have cordial relationship with the Speaker Tambuwal, but Ugwuanyi did not commit any anti-party activity as he is being accused. Ugwuanyi by his nature cannot jeopardise the interest of the PDP if at that time Akande-Adeola was favoured to be the speaker. Governor Chime is a member of the PDP if such was the case, he would have instructed the members of the National Assembly from Enugu state to queue up and Ugwuanyi cannot go contrary to such directive. That should tell you that they are unsubstantiated rumours. Why didn’t all these things come out all these while? This is a very sophisticated brand of propaganda targeted to discredit him. Again they said the Presidency, but know it that Jonathan’s personality and achievement is too large to be punctured by inconsequential issues. He is the Commander-in-Chief and has other things to worry about that mere rumour and name dropping. It’s all propaganda without any element of truth.

The issue of Ifeoma Nwobodo going to the Senate is dominating discussions in Enugu-East senatorial zone. Do you think she will succeed?
Yes, I am from Enugu-East senatorial zone and I know that so many people are running for the Senate in the zone and I have had interactions with these people and the issue they have is that she is a woman and I ask, is Enugu State so backward for us to produce a female senator? I may have had issues with Ifeoma Nwobodo in the past, but this time around we are not just talking about her as a person. Those against her are implicitly saying that there is no democracy, but if they are threatened by her emergence, why don’t they come out on the Election Day to test their popularity. If she comes out on the Election Day and wins, it means she is accepted by the people. The greatest criticism they have against her is that she is from Enugu-West and married from Enugu-East but we are all products of different women that came from different places to give birth to us. So the question is what is their fear about Ifeoma Nwobodo? If they are sure to go to election without rigging, then why should they be afraid of Ifeoma Nwobodo? If she wins in the PDP primary, there are still other political parties for them to resort to. If Ifeoma Nwobodo is the one to take us to the land flowing with milk and honey, why not? Otherwise you can ask for what other senators from the zone have contributed in the Senate.

How do you think PDP will withstand the strategy of other political parties that will equally run for elections in Enugu State?
The truth is that PDP may have its differences, but that has not altered membership and dedication to PDP in the state. In Enugu State, we have only one practical party which is the PDP. It is not as if there are no other parties, but I am talking about PDP that has shown more physical presence in the state and there is no restriction for other parties not to show their presence but they have decided not to show that. I only hear about All Progressives Congress, APC, in the news but no physical presence in Enugu State. The nearest I know about All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, in Enugu State is that the National Chairman, Victor Umeh resides in Enugu State but in Anambra, I see their billboards and posters.
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Naijaking1, could you please explain how and why I am wrong?

ENUGU 2015: UNGRATEFUL SPEAKER DISOBEYS CONSENSUS AGREEMENT, BUYS PDP GOVERNORSHIP NOMINATION FORM
Tectono Business Review has gathered that the speaker of the Enugu State House of Assembly, Hon. Eugene Odo, on Thursday disobeyed the consensus arrangement put in place by Governor Sullivan Chime by declaring his intention to contest the 2015 governorship election in the state. It is obvious that this ungrateful speaker wants to die a political death.

Hon. Odo told journalists at a news conference in the Assembly complex that he had purchased the 11 million naira form for the Peoples Democratic Party governorship primary election. He just wasted 11 million naira that is capable of changing the lives of many people in his constituency.

The speaker was among a number of governorship hopefuls from Enugu North Senatorial District, to which the governorship position had been zoned. Odo had attended a stakeholders meeting called by Chime on September 26, where the governor presented the member representing Igbo Eze North /Udenu Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, as his anointed successor.

The stakeholders at the meeting thereafter adopted Ugwuanyi as the consensus candidate, but Odo’s was said to be among the dissenting voices that kicked against the development. The Enugu State PDP Caucus and the State Executive Committee had also adopted Hon. Ugwuanyi as the consensus candidate.

The speaker said that his experience as the head of the state legislature, which he said maintained a harmonious working relationship with the executive, would help him to serve the people of Enugu State if elected in 2015. He identified the economy, agriculture, poverty alleviation and healthcare as the issues that he would focus on. Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amechi was equally a speaker of River State House of Assembly for eight years. He blackmailed his way into winning PDP governorship primary election and eventually became the governor of River State. What has his experience as the speaker helped him to achieve as a governor?

Hear what Hon. Odo said: “I believe that if we find ourselves on the other side of the divide (executive arm of government), having led the legislature and also helped the executive, we are going to do better.” This is arrant nonsense. Which level of exposure and contact does he have? He is only a local champion. He urged delegates of the PDP in Enugu State to vote for him during the governorship primaries on November 29. He said he rejected the consensus arrangement that threw up Hon. Ugwuanyi. This is the same Hon. Ugwuanyi that saved Hon. Odo from impeachment some years back. Some people can be ungrateful.

Noting that the laws of the PDP did not welcome the adoption of consensus candidates by state chapters, he said the process adopted in arriving at the consensus arrangement was not proper. He said, “Of course we were in the meeting and we had our reservations; there is nothing wrong with consensus but the process through which it was arrived at was the problem. Our party frowns at consensus; the consensus that will make more sense to all of us is the consensus that will be arrived at on November 29 during the primaries. We hope that on November 29 the delegates will vote for the candidate of their choice.”

Wait a minute, what makes Hon. Eugene Odo think that Enugu people want a governor of Igboetiti extraction again? Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, from Igboetiti, has governed Enugu State before and achieved nothing. Hon. Odo is not electable. He is not capable of winning governorship election. So, it is risky for Enugu PDP to nominate him. He is a nobody when compared to Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi. Does he know what it means to be the chairman of house of representative committee on marine transport for many years? Consider the international exposure and contacts that Hon. Ugwuanyi has that he can deploy to attract infrastructural development when he become the governor.
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AGRICULTURE REMAINS GOLDMINE FOR SME OPERATORS ~ EDOBONG AKPABIO
Edobong Akpabio is a woman that Tectono Group of Companies likes to associate with owing to her brilliance and entrepreneurial sagacity. She is the Chief Executive of Visionage Agro Tech Ltd. She is woman of many parts whose post-career experience cuts across banking, construction, logistics and consulting. After putting over two decades in paid employment, she decided to set up a mechanised farming company. She spoke on her passion for agriculture, challenges and prospects of start-ups, among others. This is very motivational. Sit back and enjoy it.

What spurred you into agriculture?
The company was incorporated on May 4th 2006. I can never forget the date because it was the anniversary of my mother’s death. I had so many personal goals. For instance, I had a personal goal that I should get married before I am 25 and I did this after my 24th birthday. I also had a personal goal that I would have all my children before I am 30 years old. I had my youngest a few months before my 30th birthday. I also had this personal vision that I should stop paid employment before I am forty. When it was closing in, I started to ask myself what I would do to make that goal.

What were you doing just before this?
I worked since I was 23 years. I worked at Flour Mills and when I got married we were living in Kaduna, then we left for Lagos to work in a construction company and from there I worked in a bank and later a logistics company. I was also with the National Sports Lottery before moving to a consulting firm. It was when I was in the logistics company that forty almost met me. Then I needed to ask myself what I could do. I did not have any commercial skill and my parents were salary earners. I did not have anyone to encourage me in that direction. My mother-in-law was the only one in business and she would always say that you won’t be able to do the business that we are doing. So just go and wear that skirt suit and do your hair.

I started attending programmes and seminars and I devoted a lot of time and money to it. Then God was on my side because my employers supported me, not because they knew what I was doing but if I told my boss that I had meetings to attend they would just allow me to go. It was at that time that President Obasanjo introduced the cassava revolution. Then I attended some seminars with International Institute Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and that was how I got fired up by agriculture. It was cassava that they were actually talking about. So I decided that I was going to get land and do cassava. That was what I had in mind but when we got the land, the same IITA people who came to do the soil test told us that cassava was good but there were so many other things that could be done on the land.

What would you describe as the turning point for you?
Soon after my husband travelled to Israel for a conference and exhibition, he met someone who introduced some seeds for sale. He told them that our people were not used to the seeds and he gave my husband some to test. My husband came back and we tested the seeds that included cabbage, carrot, seedless watermelon, spring onions, tomatoes and pepper in all kinds of colours. They did very well. We had many packs but just opened a pack for testing and before we knew it, 10 acres of land were occupied. It was when they started growing, that we knew we were in trouble. We were giving it to friends, relatives and neighbours and it was so much. I went to a friend who was a General Manager with UAC in charge of UAC Restaurants and discussed with her. She took me to the Managing Director of NANDO’s which was a South African subsidiary of UAC. The South African man was very interested and he came to my farm and saw what I had there. He gave me a bill to supply them with vegetables. That was how I offloaded the vegetables. Someone also introduced me to Jades Restaurant, a Chinese restaurant that had outlets in Ikeja GRA and Victoria Island. I started supplying to them and that was how I knew that this was serious business.

The people who gave us the seeds were also using us to test the markets and the vegetables did very well. The seedless watermelon did very well, it grew very big but just before it gets ripe it would rotten. So we discovered that the planting season was different. It does not like water and when it grows and it is getting ripe, it would start having worm activity because it is still raining and the water remains under it. It was better for us to plant it in October but we didn’t know. We gave them the report and they gave us some instruments. Now, we have to buy the seeds and those seeds are expensive. We did a serious cost analysis and discovered that we could not afford the seeds. We were encouraged because we discovered that these things are possible and that we had very good soil.

How did this experience affect your production?
At that time, we had only 30 acres and we bought an additional 100 acres. We did palm oil and palm kernel. In fact, one of the Israelis we worked with said we could use the chaff from this as rickets for suya barbecue. There is also someone from South Africa and they are still asking us when we are going to start. This is to show you that there are lots of potentials in farming. I think that from that moment, I was fired up to remain in agriculture. I began to learn a lot more; I began to get more exposure and not so long after my son said he wanted to study Agriculture. He had always had a flair for that even in secondary school and so he studied what he wanted. We do not put pressure on our children to do anything. They are the ones that tell us what they want and our own is to support. The additional responsibility is that in order to support him I must know what he wants to do.

So, I had to open myself to so many opportunities and in doing that they started inviting me for speaking engagements at the Covenant University, Babcock, LASU and College of Education, some of which were in schools. I spoke with the Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina and he was really excited. It was through him that I got the speaking engagement at the Covenant University. It was in one of such speaking engagements that I discovered that the young ones do not want 10 or 50 acres of land to plant cassava. They are interested in processing and production to provide you with support. While we are rearing table size fish, one of the young ones is interested in only fingerlings. The largest capacity of the catfish for this pond cannot be more than 600 but you can have 50,000 fingerlings and you rear them every eight weeks. So you can imagine how much he can make in a year. He would make more money and that is what they want. So they would concentrate and develop it.

Did anyone also influence you in this direction?
I read English for first degree and also did a Diploma in Logistics and Supply Chain Management. I have nothing to do with Agriculture except the garden that my mother had at the back of the house and any Ibibio woman had this while I was growing up. My mother actually raised piggery and poultry. We were many in the family, all seven children. I recalled my mum told my father that it was going to provide eggs for the house. That was how my father agreed but if she had said it was commercial, he would not have accepted it. His wife was a nurse. I believe very strongly that if he had supported her, she would have done better. It was that piggery and poultry that bought our socks, provisions and other needs when we were going back to school.

My husband is not a farmer but he is interested in farming. He is ready to support me all the way. When he went to Israel it was for something else, only for him to discover that there was a conference on agriculture and he went there. He goes to the farm with me and that has made the difference in where I am today. When I tell people that I did not read Agriculture, they find it difficult to believe. I had to develop myself consciously because there are a lot of people who are dependent on what I know.

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FG RESOLVES TO ESTABLISH COCOA DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
Owing to the fact that every country has a private organisation that caters for the interest of the farmers, the Federal Government has announced its resolve to establish a Cocoa Development Corporation of Nigeria. This has boosted the cocoa value chain of the Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA)

Tectono Business Review gathered that the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Adewumi Adesina made this development known at the National Cocoa Summit organised by stakeholders in the cocoa industry in Abuja. He also proposed a N100 billion Cocoa Sector Development Fund to boost the sector.

While responding to the demand by the Chairman of Nigeria Cocoa Processors Association of Nigeria, Mr. Dimeji Owofemi for urgent need to reposition the sector through setting up of an independent body as being practised in Ghana and Ivory Coast, Adesina restated his commitment to the farmers.

He said that the corporation would be private sector driven and public sector financed and that the Nigeria Cocoa Research Institute (NCRI) had unveiled eight new hybrid of cocoa, with ability to mature within two and half years rather than the usual five years harvest period. He said with the new yield, cocoa production grew from 250, 000 metric tons to 370, 000 metric tons per annum and to attain 600, 000 within the next two years.

Earlier, Minister of Trade and Development, Dr. Olusegun Aganga stressed the need to develop the cocoa value chain. He said Ivory Coast produced about five-times of the 300, 000 metric tons of what the nation was producing. He said despite the local production and global rate as fourth largest producer of the commodity, Nigeria lacked global attention.

Earlier, Owofemi lauded the NCRI for developing new breeds of the commodity. He said research played a vital role to repositioning the cocoa sector. He decried high cost of operation and strict competition against the commodity.
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WIMBIZ PLANS TO HOLD ITS 13TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE IN LAGOS
Tectono Business Review has gathered that a body of Women in Management, Business and Public Service, otherwise known as WIMBIZ, is set to hold its 13th annual conference next week in Lagos with the theme: ‘Nigeria Rising … Accelerating Transformation’.

The two-day conference is aimed at examining the possibilities and opportunities in Nigeria while providing insights on the roles of citizens, particularly women, in achieving the identified prospects.

According to the WIMBIZ whose objectives among other things are to educate and challenge women to maximize their potential, is also tilted towards elevating the attraction and retention of women in workplace, the two-day conference, is expected to attract over 800 women.

According to the Chairperson, WIMBIZ, Mrs Osayi Alile, the conference, which will touch on education and agriculture, would seek new ways of creating jobs and wealth for women and young people and fast-forward their thinking to grow the nation.

The keynote speaker at the conference will be the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, while the chairperson will be Mrs. Leila Fowler, founder, Top Grade Secondary School and Proprietress, Vivian Fowler Memorial College for Girls.

Other speakers include Mrs. Alero Otobo, CEO, Incubator Africa Ltd; Ms Yewande Sadiku, Executive Producer, Half of a Yellow Sun; Mr. Mezuo Nwuneli, MD, Sahel Capital; and Mr. Rasheed Olaoluwa, MD, Bank of Industry.
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NCRIB DECLARES ITS INTENTION TO ELIMINATE FRAUDULENT INSURANCE BROKERS


If the information reaching Tectono Business Review, from Abuja, is anything to go by, the Nigerian Council of Registered Insurance Brokers (NCRIB) has declared its intention to expose and eliminate fraudulent stock brokers.

According to our source, a statement from the council on Friday quoted the President of NCRIB, Mr. Ayodapo Shoderu, as saying this during its annual general meeting in Abuja.

The president made it clear that NCRIB’s intention to sack errant insurance brokers was part of its realisation of the need to promote professionalism and high ethical standards among insurance brokers.

Shoderu said apart from stringent registration procedure and robust induction programme for new members under its membership committee, disciplinary and investigation committees had been strengthened to ensure unbiased decisions on cases brought before them.

The NCRIB boss said the council was engaging the National Insurance Commission on a very silent but robust and result-oriented discourse over the recent deregistration of some of the council’s members by NAICOM, stressing that hopefully, within a very short period, the issue would be fully resolved. He added that through the council’s intervention, NAICOM had invited some of the deregistered brokers to update their registration and commence operation.

According to the statement, the capacity building initiative had been up scaled to underscore the imperative not only for continuous learning but also to create and sustain a learning organisation.
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STAKEHOLDERS PLAN TO HOST COCOA SUMMIT IN ABUJA
If the information reaching Tectono Business Review is anything to go by, stakeholders in the non-oil sector are collaborating to hold the first summit on cocoa next Monday at the Abuja Sheraton Hotel. Tectono Business Review is ready to partner with the stakeholders in galvanizing the summit.

According to our source, the chairman of the Cocoa Processors Association of Nigeria (COPAN), Mr. Dimeji Owofemi, said the association planned the summit because it observed that the government had begun to listen to the calls for the revival of the non-oil sector.

According to him, COPAN moved to revive the industry by organising the first summit with the theme: Cocoa Value-Addition in Nigeria, in collaboration with three other major cocoa associations in Nigeria – Cocoa Farmers Association of Nigeria (CFAN), Cocoa Exporters Associations of Nigeria (CEAN) and Cocoa Association of Nigeria (CAN).

The co-ordinating consultant for the conference Mr. Femi Boyede said it is a strategic design to position Nigeria to regain its lost glory in the non-oil export, starting with cocoa.

Boyede, who is Koinonia Ventures Managing Director, said: “With the cocoa summit, we can be sure that the issues confronting the cocoa business in Nigeria will be a thing of the past.”
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NON-INDIGENOUS GROUPS IN LAGOS ENDORSE AKINWUNMI AMBODE’S GOVERNORSHIP AMBITION

Tectono Business Review has gathered that two ethnic groups, the Lagos Coalition of Northern Indigenes and the Niger Delta United Front have thrown their weights behind the governorship ambition of Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, the erstwhile Accountant-General of Lagos State, as he formally declares his governorship aspiration today under the platform of All Progressive Congress (APC).

This was expressed in separate press statements by the Lagos Coalition of Northern Indigenes and the Niger Delta United Front, both pledging to rally support for Ambode to enable him triumph in next month’s APC governorship primaries and the eventual election in February 2015.

In its statement, the Lagos Coalition of Northern Indigenes explained that its endorsement of Ambode’s governorship aspiration was due to his leadership qualities and previous achievements. The statement said the coalition endorsed the aspirant because of his broad national outlook, which gives him the advantage over others to rule a cosmopolitan state like Lagos.

The statement noted the governorship aspirant’s social welfare programmes for the needy, especially indigent residents of Lagos, aspiring entrepreneurs, youths and vulnerable wemen.

Let’s watch if the godfather of Lagos politics, Ashiwaju Bola Tinubu, will also throw his weight behind Mr. Ambode because any aspirant he supports will eventually emerge the governor come 2015. Another question is will Tinubu trust Ambode to open the state treasury for him if he (Ambode) becomes the governor?
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Information reaching Tectono Business Review has it that an Enugu and Lagos based socio-political organization known as the Enugu Regeneration Group (ERG) has described Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi as a loyal member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and has also condemned what it described as 'desperate attempts by frustrated PDP vote losers from Ayogu Eze’ camp' to malign the character of the party's consensus candidate for the state governorship election in 2015.

The group also described such efforts as futile attempts to diminish the standing of Ugwuanyi in the eyes of party's elders and other reasonable members of the public.
Reacting to reports in two national dailies on Monday that the Presidency was going after Ugwuanyi and others because of their alleged anti-party roles in the enthronement of the current House leadership, the ERG in a statement signed by the group's national coordinator, Mr. Hilary Ogili, stated that the allegation that Ugwuanyi was anti-Jonathan by reason of his being a loyal member of the House of Representatives under the House's current leadership, was 'only an immature and sadistic attempt to turn politics on its head and present Ugwuanyi as an untrustworthy character.

'Nothing could be farther from the truth. The truth is that Ugwuanyi is a loyal party member to the core, otherwise the entire party caucus in Enugu constituted by diehard Jonathan men, including the Governor, Sullivan Chime, would never have voted overwhelmingly to choose him as the party's consensus candidate for the governorship election next year. The truth is that Ugwuanyi's antecedents as a party man are clear and transparent and have never in any way, included antagonism to Jonathan's presidency or his ambitions,' the ERG stated.

The group added: 'Let's, for the sake of argument, accept that Ugwuanyi was among the spearheads of Aminu Tambuwal's election. Out of 360 members, an overwhelming 280 voted to enthrone the current House leadership. Would the PDP then go after every one of them? Four years after that election, the issue is no longer how the election was won and lost but what role individual members of the House have played in making the Jonathan Presidency realized its objectives or not. It's wicked for any member or group within the PDP to make the Presidency embark on needless vengeance mission when all hands must be on deck to help the Presidency win a re-election. Anyway, the Presidency is discerning enough to see through the shenanigans of a few disgruntled politicians and work with mainstream party leaders in the states to ensure that the president wins overwhelmingly in all PDP states.'

Recall that former Attorney General of Enugu State, Dr. Mike Ajogwu (SAN), had condemned Enugu State politicians for trying to diminish the integrity of Ugwuanyi.
Ajogwu had stated that he was embarrassed by the attitude of some politicians in the state, who, according to him, were hell bent on truncating the decision of PDP.

He said he had been a member of the PDP alongside Ugwuanyi and had never observed him engage in anti-party activities, adding that when the party moved to support President Jonathan in the January 12, 2011 primary election that eventually brought up Jonathan, Ugwuanyi was a staunch supporter of the president.

The former attorney general said the campaign that Ugwuanyi worked to produce Tambuwal as speaker of the House of Representatives, against the preferred candidate of the party, amounted to calling a dog a bad name in order to hang it.
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Information reaching Tectono Business Review has it that the biggest new generation bank in Nigeria, Zenith Bank Plc, has taken steps to divest from its stockbrokerage arm, Zenith Securities Limited. This is in compliance with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) order to banks not operating the holding company (HoldCo) structure to divest from non-core banking services.

In its notice to the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Zenith bank stated that it had reached an agreement with some investors in respect of the sale and divestment of its investment/equity interest in the company.

It explained that it is currently processing necessary approvals with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for the divestments which will be completed shortly after which the company’s particulars of directors at the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) will be updated accordingly.

The CBN, in 2012, ordered banks that maintained related enterprises other than what was permitted under the new banking structure to take steps to divest their interest completely before May 13, 2012. The policy clearly asks banks to divest from non-core banking service such as insurance, pension funds management, brokerage firms, mortgages banks and other interest. But any bank that intended to keep such interests was given an option to evolve a holding company (Holdco) structure that would hold all the companies, including the bank.
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A Federal High Court in Abuja, on Monday refused a proposed amendment by the Goddess of Federal Government and Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, to her suit challenging the National Assembly’s power to probe her spending of N10bn on chartered jet.

Tectono Business Review gathered that the minister, the Ministry of Petroleum Resources and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) are the plaintiffs in the suit.

Their proposed amendments are seeking additional prayers to their suit. The fresh prayers are to seek the court’s pronouncement on whether by the virtue of provisions of section 88 of the constitution, the National Assembly has the power to conduct oversight functions of probing government’s Ministries Departments and Agencies after receiving a petition to that effect.

Justice Ahmed Mohammed in his ruling on Monday held that granting such an amendment would change the character of the claims contained in the original suit before the court but granted the proposed amendment to include a prayer seeking the court to determine whether or not the proposed investigative public hearing by the House of Representatives was not illegal, null and void for failure to comply with the requirement of section 88 of the 1999 constitution.

The court had on June 19 made an order restraining the House of Representatives from going ahead with the public hearing on the allegation that Alison-Madueke spent N10bn on a chartered aircraft. The order of the court is to subsist pending the hearing of the substantive suit. Justice Mohammed had given the order ahead of the plan by the House Committee on Public Accounts to carry out the probe on June 25, 26 and 27, 2014.
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Our own blog is Tectono Business Review. It is a platform where political, business and financial news are reviewed and reported. Our site is http://tectono..com

You can comment on some of the hot topics there. Thereafter, send me a link to your own blog for me to comment.

ENUGU WEST SENATORIAL BATTLE: EKWEREMADU PLOTS IMPEACHMENT OF ALL COUNCIL CHAIRMEN LOYAL TO GOV CHIME
Tectono Business Review has authoritatively gathered that the deputy senate president, Ike Ekweremadu, has perfected plans to use local government councilors to impeach all local government chairmen loyal to the governor, Sullivan Chime.

Yesterday, three councilors in Awgu LGA, said to be Ekweremadu’s loyalists, circulated a statement said to be a notice of impeachment to the council chairman, Mathanus Nnanna Nze, who is reportedly an apostle of Chime. From a very reliable source, we learnt that in a few days time, other council chairmen would be served notices of impeachment.

Ike Ekweremadu has always seen Sullivan Chime as his political junior. This is because, when Ike Ekweremadu was the Secretary to Enugu State Government, Sullivan Chime was just a special adviser to Gov Chimaroke Nnamani on legal matters. When Ekweremadu was contesting senatorial election, Chime was contesting for a seat in the Enugu State House of Assembly. The two political gladiators eventually won elections. Ekweremadu was sworn in as a senator while Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani prevailed on Sullivan Chime to relinquish his seat at the state house of assembly to become the Enugu State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice. Chime had no option but to obey his master. Many political analysts referred to his decision as being stupid because a commissioner could be sacked any moment. If he had disobeyed Dr. Nnamani, he would not have become a governor in his entire life.

Ekweremadu has always seen Chime as a person who has always taken what is due for him. When the tenure of Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani, from Enugu East Senatorial District, was coming to an end, it was the turn of Enugu West Senatorial District to produce a governor. Ike Ekweremadu thought that Dr. Nnamani would anoint him as his successor owing to the rapport they had when Ekweremadu was the secretary to state government. In fact, everybody’s calculation was that Ekweremadu would succeed Nnamani. Much to our chagrin and consternation, Sullivan Chime, who was virtually unknown as a politician, was anointed. What really happened was that Nnamani could not trust Ekweremadu.

Ike Ekweremadu is not a baby politician. Experience and common sense should have taught him that the governor of a state is the leader of his political party in his state and he determines who gets what and how in the party. Before Ekweremadu got to the senate, Chief Ben Collins Ndu was the senator representing his senatorial district. Chief Ndu could not be re-elected because the then governor, Nnamani, did not anoint him. It is politically unintelligent for Ekweremadu to think that he can defeat Gov Chime.
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About six months ago, we got a letter from some Abuja politicians accusing us of brand theft. They told us to remove ‘Nigeria’ from our name. Yesterday, they wrote us again threatening to effect permanent deletion of our blog if we fail to remove ‘Nigeria’ from our name within 72 hours.

For this reason, we have decided to rebrand to reflect our parent company, Tectono Group. Our name right now is Tectono Business Review. Our site still remains: http://tectono..com

We will continue to give you up-to-date news on politics, business, finance and entertainment. Thanks a billion for bearing with us.

Nigeria Business Review has gathered that there was uncertainty on Wednesday night over whether or not Heritage Bank, the preferred bidder for Enterprise Bank, had fully paid the bid price for the acquisition.

According to the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), Heritage Bank was yet to credit its account few hours to the expiration of the October 15 deadline for the payment to be effected.

We equally gathered that a top official of Heritage Bank, said that the bank had paid the 80 per cent balance of the bid price into AMCON’s account with First Bank.

Heritage Bank had about three weeks ago paid 20 per cent of the 56.1billion naira bid price. Should Heritage Bank fail to meet up with the payment of the balance of the bid price, Fidelity Bank Plc, which emerged as the reserve bidder, will become the preferred bidder.
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As it is always done in Harvard Business School and other high-brow business schools across the globe, Lagos Business School (LBS) has restructured its Master of Business Administration (MBA) programme to prepare its students for the increasingly complex business environment and global competitiveness. The new curriculum will improve its competitive edge among regional business institutions. Nigeria Business Review has always been an advocate of self improvement and business peak performance enthusiast.

Commenting on the restructuring, LBS Dean, Dr. Enase Okonedo, said that the demand for management education in Africa would increase astronomically in the next two decades and that LBS was poised to tap into this upsurge. Even though their graduates regularly receive favourable reviews, they strive for continuous improvement in providing the quality management education expected from our institution.

According to the dean, the updated MBA curriculum, effective from September 2015, would improve LBS’ competitive edge among global and regional business schools and would prepare Africa’s best minds for promising careers with local and multinational companies expanding their operations in emerging markets such as Nigeria, and equip them with an entrepreneurial mindset to make an impact in industry.

He went further to say that the business environment was more complex now and managers required new skill sets for agile and nimble thinking, not just in Nigeria but throughout Africa and around the world.

Also, the MBA Director, Uchenna Uzo, said the new set of participants of the programme would have a strong foundation based on their real-life experiences. According to him, the restructuring would give them a firm basis upon which to apply sophisticated lessons and challenge their classmates and professors in the process, for the mutual benefit of all involved.

With the restructuring, applicants will now have a minimum of three years’ post-qualification work experience, just as the programme duration has been reduced to 18 months. Hitherto, the programme lasted for 21 months.
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Nigeria Business Review learnt that a respected fiery and charismatic catholic priest in Enugu, Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka, has endorsed the current deputy senate president, Ike Ekweremadu, for reelection to the senate. This is highly incredible. That’s why we did not publish this news until we got proper confirmation.

The priest, who declared the support during the weekly prayer vigil at the Adoration Ministry ground in Enugu, said the Deputy President of the Senate had done so well and deserved to be reelected. According to him, Enugu had produced a senate president and high ranking senators, but it was Ike Ekweremadu that had given the people of Enugu and the South East the feel of governance.

Rev. Fr. Mbaka went further to say that many of the roads and development projects around Awgu, Oji-River, Ezeagu, Aninri, and many parts of Enugu and the South East came courtesy of the quality representation by Ike Ekweremadu. He equally mentioned that Ekweremadu was present at the adoration ground with his wife and praised him for demonstrating the ability to keep his family which according to him is the first test of leadership. In innuendo, he implied that the current governor of Enugu State, Sullivan Chime who is interested in replacing Ekweremadu in the senate cannot keep his family.

He went as far as describing Ekweremadu as a man with a good heart and compassionate feelings and said that the Adoration Ministry would stand by the Senator to ensure that he is returned to continue his good work for Enugu and the South East. According to him, what is at stake is Ibo interest in particular and Nigerian interest in general and the Ibos cannot sacrifice what they have because of the selfish ambition of anybody. Here, he referred to Sullivan Chime’s ambition to replace Ekweremadu in the senate as selfish.

Thereafter, the deputy senate president, Ike Ekweremadu spoke. According to him, he was at the adoration ground to seek the face of God towards his senatorial ambition and a peaceful 2015 election. He thanked the congregation, and the people of Enugu State and the South East for their support and prayers.

He said that he had a covenant with God as a youth to use him as an instrument to change the circumstances of poverty and underdevelopment among his people, noting that he would continue to be faithful because God too had been gracious and faithful unto him. He said he would partner with the Adoration Ministry towards the completion of the Adoration ground and ensure that the road leading to the Ministry was constructed.

What is the church turning into? I wonder why a respected catholic priest like Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka should use his adoration ministry as a platform for political campaign. When Ike Ekweremadu was the Secretary to Enugu State Government, the same Rev. Fr. Mbaka accused him of masterminding the killing of seven worshipers at the same adoration ground. Other people that Mbaka mentioned were Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani, Prince Sam Ejiofor, Hon. USA Igwesi, Hon. Frank Anioma, Hon. Afam Nnaji and Hon. Chidi Nwatu.

Even when Ike Ekweremadu was newly sworn in as a senator along side with Chief Ken Nnamani and Chief Fidelis Okoro, the position of senate president was zoned to Enugu State. Ekweremadu, Nnamani and Okoro contested for the position and Chief Ken Nnamani later won. Then, Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka attributed Ekweremadu’s inability to become the senate president to his involvement in the death of the seven worshipers at the adoration ground.
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The joy of leadership and entrepreneurship is not in the success of the founder alone or the company that was set up. Rather, it is much in the success of everyone involved, particularly staff members that have shown loyalty to the enterprise over the years. They have proven that the enterprise is worthy of their commitment; they have proven loyalty at all times. It has always been the case that when there is the assurance of staff loyalty, the enterprise has no reason to fail, all things being equal.

Loyalty itself is the hallmark of leadership. It is a priceless endurance towards achieving some set of goals. The reward for such commitment must be seen in both the short and long terms.
What is more when the commitment has led to positive result in little more than a decade of running the enterprise? In a chosen career of private sector engagements, the contribution is positive to social and economic development in the areas of capacity building, employment generation and transfer of knowledge capital as our companies begin to make Nigeria proud in other countries like Sao Tome, Ghana, United Arab Emirate and the United Kingdom.

In what is now referred to as one of the most diversified conglomerates in Africa, Energy Group has significant interest in oil and gas, banking, insurance, reinsurance, hotels, print media, education, and industries. Nigeria, through her president, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, has demonstrated gratitude. The big thank you came with the conferment of the national honours on the founder of Energy Group in the category of THE COMMANDER OF THE ORDER OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC (CFR).

The need to transfer leadership to those next to us is the immediate benefit of loyalty. It is a further commitment of these officials, while it is appropriate for us to have another term of engagement in the public sector, as we did in the private sector, for the rest of our lives. When we contemplated, as a matter of policy, to send management staffers to the University of Oxford at the group interactive session, everyone was very happy and we were all looking forward to how it will happen. Of course, the burden was on me as the Group Managing Director. It was surprising that I was not exempted, I needed to provide leadership. The officer in charge of training in my office wrote to Oxford in respect of our decision and collected the application forms. And since I was the one making the recommendations for all the sixteen MDs applying, I was very hopeful that my application would be automatic and if that is not so, then I would have to subject myself to one hour interview on phone with Professor Lalit Johri of the University of Oxford!

Again, it was a test case for me. If I failed the interview and any of my MDs passed, I would be in trouble! I had also been informed that the class would admit only thirty five people at the maximum and most likely from 35 countries. So I was at a loss as to what the interview result would look like for me and the rest of the MDs. I had no doubt that I would pass the interview, so the university set the appointment time for me at 1pm on that eventful day.

I took a room at the hotel at 11am and asked the reception to wake me up by 12:30 pm. At 1pm, the phone rang with the professor on the line. So we began the interview. The first question was: ‘What is it that puts your company in competitive disadvantage?’

My answer: Information technology! And I explained. The next question: ‘How do you find solution to compelling problems in management?’ The answer: I find solution through management books. The next question: ‘Which of the management books are you reading now?’ I answered: Professor Kaplan and Norton on Alignment.

What followed? “I have the privilege of admitting you to the 2014 class of the Oxford Advanced Management and Leadership Programme here at the University of Oxford!” I was very happy as I accepted the Oxford admission with pride. I told my colleagues of my success at the interview and looked forward to their own success, as well. I was confident that since they were all appointed on merit, they would succeed. Two weeks later, they all succeeded but to attend Oxford at different times. Some will attend in 2014 while others will attend in 2015 and 2016, respectively.

My joy was full because if any of them was rejected, it will raise doubts about my judgment capacity in elevating people to MD positions. The reaffirmation from Oxford gave me good assurances that these gentlemen and ladies were indeed qualified for the position they were occupying, like their colleagues in the global world that were admitted to the University of Oxford.

First to attend Oxford after me was our MD/CEO, Nicon Luxury Hotel, Abuja, Abimbola Ogunsusi, (nee Busari), a graduate of the Obafemi Awolowo University with second class upper degree and holding a masters in Business Administration from the same university. She is currently running the pioneer programme of Oxford Transition to Leadership. Bimbo was appointed MD/CEO about a year ago, after joining the group eleven years ago. She served in various capacities in the Group, including as petrol station manager, administrative officer, Head, Department of People Management and Head, Procurement Department, Air Nigeria. A strategic driver, she is a clear introvert, positively dangerous with the pen, compelling and a result oriented leader. I can only wish her the very best in Oxford as she joins the other eighteen leaders across the world in her class, hoping to complete it in January next year. This is wishing her the joy of headship as she completely transits to leadership.

Attending the same class with me in June was Okehie Queenette. She is a graduate of the University of Port Harcourt with a second class upper degree in Economics. Easy going, Queenette first worked in Global Fleet at the earlier stages of the company as Head, Treasury, after she rose to the position of a general manager in Zenith Bank and United Bank for Africa. She later became General Manager at First Bank Plc, from where she was engaged as the Senior Special Assistant to the Executive Governor of Imo state. She later returned to base (Global Fleet) and was appointed as the MD, Energy Investment Ltd, a subsidiary of Energy Bank, Ghana. She has since returned as the Executive Director of Energy Bank. An interactive leader, the silent moving force of our 2014 class, very intelligent and result oriented person. It is left for me to wish Queenette the very best as she settles down after the class to reflect on the problems that are gigantic in nature. Very soon, we all expect from her the very first seat role in leadership.

Attending the October class of the Oxford Advanced Management and Leadership Programme are Emmanuel Jegede and Mrs. Ajayi Adetutu.
Jegede, as we fondly call him, is a complex introvert, a gentleman in every right and a moral leader with a sound sense of judgment. He is a graduate of Insurance from the University of Lagos some twenty years ago. He joined our group ten years ago and he is currently the Chief Executive Officer of West Africa’s biggest insurance company, The Nicon Insurance. It was previously owned by the government of The Federal Republic of Nigeria. The Oxford class will be very useful to Jegede in the area of strategic thinking, particularly on issues of competitive advantage and the market ends. Of more interest to him will be the challenges of leadership in the twenty-first century and interlocking strategy to move Nicon beyond the privatisation level. As I look forward to see a change in leadership, I do hope that the reflections will add up to the gains of Nicon while wishing Jegede a successful stay in Oxford.

Adetutu Ajayi, a fellow of the institute of charted accountants of Nigeria, is an executive director of the Nigeria Reinsurance Institute. She made the list of the Oxford Class of Advanced Management and Leadership programme. A completely humble leader, she is almost 100 percent introvert like her sister Abimbola. A very honest leader with creative leadership mind, Ajayi will enjoy the class on the leading change at Simmons. She will be excited with the corporate finance of Professor Marc Bertoneche’s class. As I look forward to how she advises on the American credit card case studies, I also can say she perhaps must have developed and provided some strategic thinking in relation to developing corporate social responsibility for Nigeria Re. It is my joy to wish Ajayi a pleasant stay at Oxford. We are looking forward not only to new innovations in strategies, but also accelerated innovation, the Oxford approach.

There is no doubt that these officers have demonstrated those key principles of loyalty that include love for your job, developing courage to do the job and never running away from the challenges of perception. Ajayi will never give up on an assignment until there is good result. Jegede believes there is life only in what he is doing at all times. Queenette never gives up in the face of a terrible storm. To her, a smile will do. Abimbola thinks loyalty will do it all. Her level of commitment to honesty is a precedent to many of the upcoming staffers.

In June 2015, Bridget, Kafilat, Moses, Ayelemi and Jolaiya will be joining the class as their colleagues will be graduating next month. Let me also wish the Bridget class a happy preparation. And as we prepare more leaders for the Oxford class, it is only left for me to remind the future class of Uchenna, Aminat, Yinka, Victor, Ikolo, the editors, and others in the group that they will make us proud by passing the interview. And if they do, things will be said about them when it is time to write their tributes.
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Nigeria Business Review learnt that Skye Bank Plc has signed the agreement for the acquisition of 100 per cent equity of Mainstreet Bank from the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON).

The bank’s management team, led by its GMD/CEO, Mr. Timothy Oguntayo, signed the agreement on behalf of the bank, while AMCON was represented by its executive management. The bank also paid the mandatory deposit of 20 per cent for the acquisition.

The fact that the payment was made well ahead of the deadline confirmed the bank’s commitment and ability to consummate the transaction. The bank has also confirmed its ability to meet the remaining financial obligation on the acquisition within the specified time frame.

According the management team of Skye Bank, the acquisition will avail them many benefits, including cost leadership, business optimisation and greater ability to offer business convenience to its teeming retail and commercial customers, with a combined branch network of over 450, across all the states of the federation.
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The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), yesterday, raised an alarm over the circulation of fake letters of authorisation purportedly from the NNPC to buy or sell Nigerian crude oil by fraudsters.

Nigeria Business Review gathered that the Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division of NNPC, Mr. Ohi Alegbe, in a statement, called on members of the public to be wary of persons with fraudulent intentions circulating letters authorising the lifting of Bonny Light crude oil from Nigeria.

Alegbe pointed out that a paragraph in one of the fake letters of authorisation in circulation, which is from Lavi International Corp, claimed that NNPC had entered into contractual arrangements directly with the company “to supply Bonny Light Crude Oil to the Lavi International Corp Associated Refineries and or Global Traders, and that the Lavi International Corp, has the power and authority to sell or otherwise deal with the Bonny Light Crude Oil, the subject of those contractual agreements.”

While refuting such claims, the NNPC’s Group General Manager for Group Public Affairs stated that Messrs Lavi International Corp was not one of its crude oil off-takers for the 2014-2015 Term Contract Period and, therefore, had not been allocated any crude oil volume as speculated in the fake letter of authorization.

He further noted that the list of local and international companies duly approved as NNPC’s crude oil off-takers for the 2014-2015 Term Contract Period had been widely publicized and called on member of the public to avail themselves of such information to avoid being defrauded by unscrupulous elements.

According to him, NNPC is working closely with relevant security agencies to track and bring to book all those behind these nefarious activities.
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The governor of Akwa Ibom State, Chief Godswill Akpabio publicly declared, during the 27th anniversary of the state, that the elders were not useful, adding that if the youths followed them, they would be misdirected.

Nigeria Business Review gathered that owing to that assertion, some People’s Democratic Party (PDP) elders and leaders in Akwa Ibom State, on Monday, drew the battle line against the state governor for inciting the youths against them.

The leader of the group and former Minister of Petroleum, Chief Don Etiebet, described the comments as an incitement of the youths against the elders of the state. He asked the youths not to listen to the governor’s call but to look up to the elders for inspiration, training, counseling, blessing and preparation to take-over from them in the future.

The ex-minister criticised Akpabio for lying against them and telling people that the elders had distanced themselves from his administration because he refused to share the resources and allocation of the state with them.

Chief Etiebet, also challenged Akpabio to substantiate his allegation and emphasised that he (Akpabio) decided to cook up such lies against them just because they advised him against extravagant expenditure.
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Information at the kitty of Nigeria Business Review has it that the elders’ forum of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, from Benue South West Senatorial Districts known as Zone ‘C’ has endorsed current senate president, David Mark, for another tenure in office.

This one will make it the fourth consecutive times that David Mark will be representing his senatorial district in the senate. Does it imply that there is no other capable person that can give that district effective and efficient representation? David Mark should give way for younger politicians to rise.
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I operate a blog: http://tectono..com I applied for google adsense by filling a form online. I was informed that I would be sent a mail in a week's time. After three days, I started seeing google adsense on my blog. They have not told me how I will be paid for the adverts.

The crew of Nigeria Business Review came in contact with the Igwe twins on the 2nd of October, 2014 at the main auditorium of University of Lagos during a business seminar. They were invited to share how they rose from grass to grace. Their story is really motivating. If the Igwe brothers could succeed in entrepreneurship against all odds, nobody has any reason to fail.

It’s amazing to discover two individuals, though in their twenties, already making meaningful impact through their foray into entrepreneurship. As a matter of fact they were nominees of the last future awards in Nigeria. Future Awards is a fast-rising platform that gives recognition to outstanding youths in all area of endeavour.

The young lads are Tobias Igwe and Titus Igwe popularly referred to as the Igwe Twins. The Igwe brothers, together, run the affairs at Speed Meals, a fast-rising mobile food business, in Apapa, Lagos. Their services include; cakes, small chops, cooked food delivery and catering services. Today, they have had the opportunity of providing services to high net worth individuals in Nigeria. Amazingly, the two young CEOs were able to make a turnover of two million naira within the first year they opened shop. The business was officially registered in June 2010.

Brief Background of Igwe Twins
The passion for anything culinary came natural to the Igwe twins who said they came from an average family where cooking was done mainly by the boys. Growing up for Tobias and Titus was really a tough one, especially at the demise of their father. This tragic event occurred while they were both undergraduate students of the University of Lagos. With younger siblings to cater for, bills and school fees to pay; it was pretty rough and tough.

They both tried their hands on quite a few petty businesses like phone call centre, business centre and what have you. But none did survive for too long due to one reason or the other. One of them had to stop school while the other continued. They also found themselves at one occasion working as office assistants just to make a living. It was during this tough time that they struck gold.

How the Business Idea was birthed
Idea is said to rule the world. One good idea that meets a demand in the market is sufficient to change one’s fortune. The idea to turn the art of cake making to business came about in 2008. Back then, one of the twins had the privilege of meeting one-on-one with a young cake expert who opened their eyes to the business side of cake. The two brothers were fascinated about the creativity and how it can pull in cash for them. And without wasting time, they learnt the skill and the rest as they say, is history.

The Igwe twins said they discovered that Lagos is a very busy city especially with the huge traffic. Many people complain of being busy at work to the extent that they don’t have time to eat. More so, they found themselves residing in an area densely populated by businesses. Based on these facts, the twins decided to come up with a food concept that delivers food to offices.
One way to derive maximum pleasure from a business is to build it around one’s personality trait. The Igwe twins explained that they enjoyed being on the go. They detest just sitting down doing the same thing repeatedly but prefer to explore. So, when they had to make a decision about the kind of business they would do, they both agreed it would be a mobile one.

How They Honed Their Skills
Talent they say is not enough. Perhaps, this was the driving force that propelled the young entrepreneurs to further hone their skills. Titus said: “Tobias and I did not rely on just our raw culinary skills, we were smart enough to learn the art of cake making and other culinary dishes from the best hands here in Lagos. We also enrolled in the Fate Foundation School to learn more about what entrepreneurship is all about. Here, we learnt about business plan, management, record-keeping and so on. All these further gave us exposure and has impacted greatly in the way we run Speed Meals Mobile Food Business today” he enthused.

The Business Model
Successful businesses are known to run on models. Model simply means pattern, system or the approach which you want to operate or drive your business. The Igwe Twins decided to raise the bar by expanding from doing just cakes to making real meals. Now, there are various ways of positioning the one’s business depending on the type of client or market you want to attract. For the Igwe twins, they resolved that rather than have a full fledge restaurant, they would focus on busy executives, who as a result of the nature of their jobs would prefer a food vendor who delivers to their offices. Today, Speed Meals run a mobile food delivery business model which entails preparing real meals for corporate clients.

How they got their Start up capital
Capital is one hurdle that has stalled the dream of many youths who want to go into business today. For the twins, they were able to adopt the strategy of giving out free samples of their cakes to several potential clients to taste. After which the two became expectant that they would land a deal. And not too long afterwards a cake deal worth about N90,000 came from one of those who tasted their free samples. This was enough to jump-start their business. With that, they were able to purchase a few of their equipment.

How they attracted their clients
The survival of any business is the ability to pull-in clients to buy from you. When the twins started the business with cakes, they knew they could not afford the cost of advertising and so they came up with a strategy. The church was their first contact. They knew that kids would always be attracted to cakes. So, the twins would make very good cakes, take it to church and share it with kids. This was done freely for a while. And the children would announce it to their parents that they were given cakes by the twins. This was one strategy that began to announce the arrival of the twin cooks to the public. The twins also adopted another strategy which was to visit churches within their neighborhood that had marriage course classes for intending couples. They would seek the consent of the official in-charge and offer free cakes to the class. These two major strategies brought in jobs for them as well as referrals even till date.

How they branded their business
Branding is about creating an identity in the market place. It is bringing to bear the unique value your business has to the market place such that every of your target market identifies you with it. Without it, there’s every possibility that you may not last for long amidst fierce competition.
For Tobias and Titus, they were quick to embrace the importance of branding. No wonder they went the extra-mile to engage the services of a brand agency to help come up with their brand profile. “We are gradually positioning our business as a global brand.” Titus explained. Speed Meals, pioneered by the twins have been able to position itself as a brand that provides quality, quick and professional mobile food service.

How they keep their customers
Your customers are your greatest asset. According to the Igwe twins, attracting customers can really be challenging but more challenging is even retaining them. “But overtime, we’ve been able to crack the code. One of the ways to keep your customers is to make them your friend. People like to keep tab of their friends. So, we make a conscious effort to call our customers and find out about their well-being. We have records of their special days like birthdays, wedding anniversaries and other occasions as the case may be and we call them to congratulate them on such occasions.”

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