The Nation Newspaper

Author: The Nation

  • Ejedegba enhances operational efficiency in Nigeria’s fast-moving consumer goods sector

    Ejedegba enhances operational efficiency in Nigeria’s fast-moving consumer goods sector

    By Larry Anwansedo

    The fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector plays a crucial role in Nigeria’s economy, driving manufacturing growth and providing essential products to millions daily. 

    Efficiency and innovation in this sector are vital to meeting increasing consumer demands and sustaining competitive advantage.

    Within this dynamic environment, Emmanuel Ejedegba is making valuable contributions through his role as a Process Engineer at Spring Knowledge and Data Management International. 

    Drawing on his expertise in chemical engineering, he has identified key production bottlenecks and implemented process optimization strategies that improve quality control and operational efficiency.

    Emmanuel has also supported the integration of energy-efficient technologies and the upgrading of outdated equipment, promoting sustainability alongside enhanced production performance. 

    Committed to knowledge transfer, he has developed and delivered training programs designed to equip staff with the skills necessary to effectively operate and maintain these advancements.

    Reflecting on his approach, Emmanuel notes, “Effective and lasting improvements come from combining technological innovation with the empowerment of the people who use it. Building capacity is essential for sustaining progress.”

    His work continues to support Nigeria’s industrial growth by fostering both technical and human skills development in manufacturing operations.

  • How corruption fuels insecurity, by Magu

    The Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr Ibrahim Magu, has said there is a strong link between corruption and the growing insecurity across the country.

    The EFCC chief said the need for concerted efforts in fighting the scourge is non-negotiable, if the country’s peace must be restored.

    Magu spoke in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, while featuring on the University of Ibadan (UI) Diamond 101.1 FM during the agency’s weekly programme of the agency, “Eagle Alert”.

    The EFCC chief, who was represented by the Ibadan Zonal Head, Mr. Friday Ebelo, noted that the deprivation occasioned by high-level of corruption had created fertile grounds for all forms of criminality which in turn threaten the country’s peace and security.

    He said: “You can’t separate the growing insecurity from corruption. The surest path to peace in our country is to take care of the menace of corruption.

    Read Also: EFCC nabs 15 suspected Yahoo boys

    “If we succeed in stemming corruption, we will berth a working system in which the problem of infrastructural deficit will be addressed. Ignorance will be kept at bay, and there will be more jobs for the people. All that will effectively address the problem of insecurity.”

    Calling for cooperation from the public in the campaign against graft, Magu noted that despite the powers granted it by the law, the EFCC cannot alone win the battle.

    The acting chairman advised parents to show genuine interest in the development of their wards.

    He said rather than encourage unmerited flamboyancy, parents must ask sincere questions when they notice that their children or wards start living questionable life styles.

    The “Eagle Alert” is a weekly sensitisation programme on UI radio station.

    It is designed to propagate the activities of the EFCC and avail the public the opportunity to take advantage of its mandates.

  • Nigerian students shine at CFO Global Competition 2019

    By Alao Abiodun

    4 Nigerian students of the University of Ibadan, Ibadan have emerged as one of the top six teams at the 2019 CFO Global Case Study Competition (fourth edition), organised by the Charterquest Institute, South Africa.

    The Nigerian students competed with over 500 teams from 87 Universities representing 45 countries across the world to emerge as one of the top six teams at the competition.

    The team known as ‘Team Renaissance Consulting’ from University of Ibadan comprises; Ayobami Marcus Olasupo (Team Leader), Oluwaseun Sunmola, Mercy Ndubueze and Jackson Ogbonna.

    The CFO (Chief Financial Officer) is an international, annual multi-round business management and leadership-focused case study competition organised by CharterQuest Institute.

    Read Also: Facts about Imam who saved 262 Christians during attack

    The Competition is aimed at challenging university students around the world to prove they can compete at the highest level: by solving a set of complex finance, operational, strategic and ethical problems that beset a real-world global business in the emerging markets.

    The top six teams which are currently set for the semi-finals are expected to arrive in Johannesburg, South Africa on 14th to 18th October, 2019 to deliver their 10 minutes presentation and to take questions for a further 15 minutes from a Mock Board, comprising of a highly esteemed international panel of judges.

    The international panel of judges will then select the ‘Top 3 Teams’ to compete at the finals.

    Prior to this current stage, all entrants were given a case study to analyze for 60 days and then submit a board report. The best 20 board reports were selected. The top 20 were asked to present their reports in video and PowerPoint slides to pick the best 6 in which the Nigerian students were among the best teams.

  • Alawe is Ekiti Council of Obas Chairman

    The Alawe of Ilawe Ekiti, Oba Adebanji Ajibade Alabi, Afuntade 1, has been appointed as the new Chairman of Ekiti State Council of Traditional Rulers.

    Oba Alabi succeeds the Oloye of Oye Ekiti, Oba Michael Oluwole Ademolaju, who has completed his two-year tenure.

    The new Ekiti Council of Obas chair is to spend two years in office.

    The Alawe is also the Chairman of Ekiti Southwest Local Government Council of Traditional Rulers.

    Oba Alabi, a retired diplomat who had worked in Nigerian Embassies and High Commissions in many parts of the world, ascended the Alawe throne in 2012 after the late Alawe, Oba Adeyemi Ademileka, joined his ancestors.

    Read Also: Ekiti State University graduates first set of medical doctors

    The first class monarch confirmed his appointment  by Ekiti State Governor  Kayode Fayemi,  in a chat with The Nation. He said he visited the Governor’s Office to receive the letter of his appointment at about 4.30 pm.

    Oba Alabi described the chairmanship of the Ekiti Council of Obas as a “huge responsibility” which he promised to discharge to the best of his ability.

    He said his experience as a diplomat would assist him on the job to ensure peace, progress and development of Ekiti State.

    Oba Alabi also expressed gratitude to Governor Fayemi for finding him worthy of the office, promising not to let his brother monarchs and the people of the state down.

    He sought the cooperation of fellow traditional rulers, the state government and other stakeholders.

  • Education is continuous, says Babalakin    

    University of Lagos (UNILAG) Pro-Chancellor and Resort Group Chairman Wale Babalakin (SAN), on Wednesday said education was continuous and pointed out the need for all Nigerians to be “more equipped and more educated”.

    Speaking at the ground breaking ceremony for the Lagos Bar Center in Lekki Phase I, Dr. Babalakin, who is the Project Committee Chairman, said: “Everybody in Nigeria needs to be more equipped and more educated. We have to improve the education of lawyers as well. That is the bedrock.

    “When you have good education, you’ll be able to decipher what is good and what is bad and you’ll be able to make your demands. So, fundamentally, legal education is continuous. It doesn’t end with your becoming a lawyer or a SAN.”

    On the project, he said that for a long time, the Lagos chapter had wanted to provide for its members a comfortable Bar Centre that would be a center “for ideas, meetings and coordinating the activities of the bar”.

    The senior advocate said he was proud that the project was taking off, adding that the project cost had been significantly “brought down without compromising integrity”.

    His words: “The selection of the consultants was done in a competitive way. We have brought cost down significantly without compromising quality. It is to the glory of God that we are able to lay this foundation on the last day in office of the Lagos NBA Chairman, Mr Chukwuka Ikuazom, and I think it is only fair for what he has done. We intend to finish this project ahead of schedule.

    Read Also: UNILAG student-activist demands reinstatement after seven semesters ‘suspension’

    “We have put the two contractors, who emerged, through a serious test and have insisted that all committee members should visit their projects and take a decision on who should emerge.

    “We have kept to the very high standards of the bar and there is nobody in the committee that has any interest in any consultant or contractor. The selection process was done with total openness, with capacity, diligence and integrity as the yardstick for choosing the consultants. We made it clear at every stage that we were expending the association’s money and it must be accounted for to the last Kobo. “

    Babalakin thanked lawyers who made out time to attend meetings, interview consultants and review projects, among other things. He urged members to pay their dues and donate to the project.

    NBA National President Mr. Paul Usoro (SAN) said he was proud to be at the event, adding that as a member of Lagos branch, he had been involved in the plan to build a Lagos Bar Center.

    He said prudence was critical in project management and delivery, adding that at the national level, they were in the process of amending the constitution to make sure that corporate governance principles were put in place.

    Ikuazom, who had earlier promised to deliver a Lagos NBA Bar Center during his electioneering campaign, thanked all members for their support towards the project.

    “He said his committee had set aside a substantial sum of money for the project and urged his successor to ensure that the center becomes a reality soon.

    The land was donated to the NBA by the Lagos State government.”

  • Activists protest alleged molestation of women by Imo govt

    Fresh round of protest on Wednesday rocked Owerri, the Imo State capital, as women activists protested the alleged “molestation of women” by agents of the Imo State government.

    The protesters, under the aegis of the Coalition of Women Rights Defenders (CWRD), sent a Save our Soul (SOS) message to the president’s wife, Mrs. Aisha Buhari, over what they described as calculated harassment and intimidation of the women by the state government, especially those with different political opinions.

    A coalition of Igbo women and other groups had tackled the government over the alleged assault of Mrs. Uloma Nwosu, daughter of former Governor Rochas Okorocha, by members of the Committee on the Recovery of Government Property.

    Read Also: Imo tackles polio, infant mortality

    The group insisted that the assault has forced women with different political views to live in fear. It appealed to Mrs. Buhari to reign in the Imo State government to respect the rights and liberties of women.

    The women carried placards with inscriptions like “First lady Aisha Buhari, please rescue Imo women”; “Imo women deserve peace and protection”; “We say no to harassment of women”; “Women in opposition parties are no longer safe in Imo”.

    A communiqué read by Lilian Enyi said: “In the last five weeks or thereabouts, virtually all female opposition politicians in Imo State and our little children have lived in perpetual fear, agony and trepidation because of the unholy and unprecedented molestation, harassment and intimidation of our people, especially women.

    “The government has shown disheartening disregard for women in Imo State especially and the nation in general. Besides, the attack on Okorocha’s daughter, the Recovery Committee has physically attacked appointees of the last government, as well as business interests of prominent women.”

    The group appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to protect Imo women from further attacks and embarrassment.

  • Okorocha’s varsity becomes IMSU annex

    The Imo State government has converted the Eastern Palm University, Ogboko, established and owned by former Governor Rochas Okorocha, to a campus of the state-owned university.

    The House of Assembly had passed a law allotting a 90 per cent equity shares to trustees of the Rochas Foundation and 10 per cent to the government.

    Chairman of the Committee on the Review of Newly-established Tertiary Institutions Prof. Jude Njoku, at a news conference on Wednesday, said the committee established a primacie case that the institution was established with state funds.

    Read Also: Ihedioha vows to make Imo cleanest

    The committee also recommended that the Imo State University of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Aboh/Okpala, and the University of Science and Technology, Umuna, should remain campuses of the Imo State University. While Aboh/Okpala will be the campus for agriculture and veterinary medicine, Umuna will be for engineering as earlier conceived.

    The committee also scrapped all polytechnics established towards the end of the Rochas Okorocha administration, and recommended that two of the newly established polytechnics become campuses of the Imo State Polytechnic, Umuagwo, while the other two be converted to model technical schools.

    The College of Education (Technical), Egbema, was recommended for reversion to its former status of secondary school. The committee also recommended that the appointments of all Vice Chancellors and Provosts be terminated while the Governing Councils of Colleges of Education, Ihitte Uboma and Umuagwo, be dissolved and reconstituted.

  • Why we shunned peace meeting, by Ohanaeze

    Ohanaeze Ndigbo said it shunned the Gen. Abdusalami Abubakar roundtable on insecurity because the group and other socio-cultural organisations like PANDEF, Afenifere and Middle Belt Forum, were lumped together with Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association (MACBAN) and killer herdsmen.

    A statement by its Deputy Publicity Secretary, Chuks Ibegbu, reads: “We are not against Gen. Abdusalami’s move to end insecurity in Nigeria, but proper things should be done properly. Apex socio-cultural groups in the country should not be on the same pedestal with an association of cattle breeders. Miyetti Allah should have a roundtable with fishers, farmers, goat breeders, poultry farmers and artisans who are in same category with them.”

    Read Also: Drones, CCTVs to fight insecurity in Southwest

    The group warned countries trying to destabilise Nigeria with religion to desist in their own interest, even as it warned against religious conflict and extremism in Nigeria.

    “Whether Arabic, European, Asian or even traditional religionists, we cannot compromise the secularity of Nigeria. Where one man’s rights end, another man’s own begins, and nobody knows it all in matters of religion,” the statement added.

  • NAHCON: no intending pilgrim will be left behind

    The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has reassured intending pilgrims and the public that conveying Nigerian pilgrims will be concluded before closure of Saudi Arabian airspace.

    The commission also said no pilgrim will be left behind.

    The assurance is coming on the heels of pressures from intending pilgrims who fear that they might not make the journey in fulfilment of the religious injunction.

    This followed the deadline issued by Saudi authorities that the kingdom will shut its airspace on August 4.

    Read Also: Hajj 2019: Five Nigerian pilgrims die in Saudi Arabia

    But in a statement by its Head Media and Public Affairs, Fatima Sanda Usara, the commission said: “It is worthy to note that Osun, Oyo, Lagos, Nasarawa, Kogi, Kwara, Ondo, Ekiti states have concluded conveying pilgrims to the holy land.

    “…While Edo has 40 pilgrims left, Ogun has 141 left, Yobe has 145, Kano has 292 to go, Gombe with less than a flight; Katsina with 83 per cent completion; each of them has one flight remaining. This will have to be merged. The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) will hopefully hold its final flight on August 1.

    “Therefore, though certain drawbacks were experienced some days back, the obstacles have been addressed and operations will continue unhindered until all intending pilgrims are moved to Saudi Arabia.

    “The commission hopes to conclude movement of pilgrims by August 5.”

  • TESCOM staff verification will give authentic data, says chair

    The current comprehensive verification by the Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM) is a unique and reliable method to ascertain the correct data of secondary school staff in the state, its Chairman in Ekiti State, Babatunde Abegunde, has said.

    Abegunde stated this while addressing secondary school workers from Efon and Ekiti West local government areas when they met at Aramoko District Commercial Grammar School (ADICO), Aramoko-Ekiti, for the verification.

    The TESCOM chairman explained that the verification was cost-effective as it could detect what biometrics pay system may not capture, particularly workers who might abscond from their duty posts.

    He lauded the commitment of the state government for paying salary arrears, saying this confirmed Dr Kayode Fayemi as the most worker-friendly governor in the history of the state.

    Abegunde assured the workers that the government was making arrangements to recruit more teaching and non-teaching staff to fill vacancies.

    Read Also: Teachers teaching nonsense, other problems in Nigerian secondary schools

    He added that the team was out to reconfirm the number of vacancies and update data.

    The chairman, who said there had been lop-sidedness in the distribution of workers, added that teachers would henceforth be deployed, irrespective of their location to areas of their services.

    TESCOM’s Permanent Secretary Ayodele Ajimati urged the teachers to cooperate with the officers in charge of the verification.

    He said the verification was meant to gather current data and not the alleged rumours being peddled by those he called dissidents.

    The head teacher of Aramoko District Commercial Grammar School, Mr. Tayo Omirin, lauded the efforts of the government on the verification.

    He described it as a welcome development.

    The head teacher explained that the verification, which was meant to ascertain the number of teachers in the state, should be repeated every two years.

    He advised the teachers to cooperate, comport themselves, tender necessary documents and supply correct information and avoid any form of falsification.