The Nation Newspaper

Category: Brand week

  • Why I don’t believe in management theories – Fidson MD

    Why I don’t believe in management theories – Fidson MD

    He practically strayed into the business. When you first meet him, your impression would be that you are in the presence of a pharmaceutical giant. But Ayebae surprises you when, in response to the first question you fire at him, he states matter-of-factly that he is not a qualified pharmacist.

    By training, I’m an engineer, he says. “I read engineering and then strayed into banking. I was at Nigerian International Bank, now known as Citibank, for about eight years. And when I left the banking industry in 1991 to 1994, I was an importer of chemical and all kinds of industrial appliances. These, I supplied to bottling companies, textile mills and chemical manufacturers. But when I didn’t find fulfillment in all these, I decided to look for new adventures. So, late 1994, I came across a couple of friends to whom I mentioned my frustrations.

    “Then we began to brainstorm. The result of our brainstorming session is what we have today Fidson. They advised me to go into pharmaceutical products and that’s what I’ve been doing since 1995, trying to make a living from the pharmaceutical industry.”

    Although drug manufacturing is a highly technical venture, which requires a high degree of expertise to manage, Ayebae revealed that his transition from banking to manufacturing was smooth.

    “Initially, I was considering real estate, food processing and transportation. But ultimately, pharmaceuticals turned out to be the winner. It won because it is a service industry. Secondly, I chose pharmaceuticals because it would eventually lead one into manufacturing, which has always been my dream. So, when the opportunity came, I quickly grabbed it. In fact, in the beginning, it did not cross my mind that we were heading for something this big. But I’m happy we started manufacturing. And this is good for our country because manufacturing is the bedrock of any economy. Sooner or later, a country that does not manufacture but is import- dependent will run into problems”.

    Like an excited salesman with a fast-selling product, Ayebae says the secret of his success when he stared Fidson is that he assembled a team of capable and experienced managers.

    “I’ve always believed in the philosophy of using the right people,” he adds. “For you to make a head way in the pharmaceutical industry, you have to hire experienced professionals. Rather than bring in every Dick, Jack and Harry, we went for the highly rated processionals. In the first month of operation, we employed three pharmacists. That was way back in 1995. So, the input of professional can neither be discounted nor de-emphasised in this business. We allowed them to do their own thing, giving them freedom to perform. And that I can tell you, is essentially the secret of the success we have recorded so far.”

    To most pioneering chief executives, starting off is always difficult, especially raising the initial capital, importing the right machinery and a litany of other problems. But to Ayebae, all these are not obstacles. As a go-getting chief executive burning with the spirit of enterprise, these were challenges which must be confronted and surmounted if success was to be recorded.

    “Incidentally, raising the needed capital wasn’t a headache because I had been in business for some four years after I left banking before Fidson started. So I had the funds. But my greatest headache was not knowing what to do with it. It was also easier because we started as marketers, we didn’t go into manufacturing straight away. Between 1995 and 2001, we were marketing other people’s products. For us then, marketing other people’s products. For us then, marketing was just a means to an end. But like every aspect of trading, the pharmaceutical sector has its own problems.

    “One of the greatest challenges we faced as a pharmaceutical trading company then was competing with unscrupulous players in the sector. But an ethical company, we did things ethically and today, it is paying off, moreso when we started manufacturing. But then, it was an uphill task competing with these unscrupulous importers who were bringing fake or sub-standard drugs and who had devised different unorthodox ways of marketing the products. The other challenge was that of registration. People do all sort of things to get registered. But in our own case, we went through the pains of registration. This means that we had to wait for between six and nine months or even 12 months in order to get a product registered before introducing it into the market.”

    As a successful marketer, you ask Ayebae to give his definition of marketing and he says, “To me, marketing in the pharmaceutical industry means selling pharmaceutical products in an ethical manner using professionals. Marketing in our industry means selling to doctors, hospitals, government, health institutions, government and other allied health related organisations. Marketing is more strategic than regular trading in this industry. We don’t sell to everybody. Selling our product in the manner approved by the regulatory body is what marketing means to me.”

    With a lean staff of about 10 when it commenced operation as a marketing firm in 1995, today, Fidson has transisted into a big manufacturing firm. Since the company commenced manufacturing, Ayebae has been facing new challenges, but he has remained undaunted. According to him, “running an industry in Nigeria is like life itself because life is full of challenges. As human beings, I’m sure daily, we face a lot of challenges, yet that has not made us lose hope. Rather than give up, we often raise up our hands and pray to God.

    As a people who hope to one day achieve our dream, we have to remain focused, to remain on track and pursue our goal. Yes, it has not been easy, but life itself is not easy. If you look at the developed countries, they also went through what we are currently experiencing before they have their breakthrough. All we need in this country is the political will to do what we ought to do. So, that ,the few industries that are operating would not pack up.”

    With a tinge of homour, Ayebae likened the problems affecting industries in Nigeria to common malaria. “Every industry in this country is having malaria fever. The infrastructures are just not there. It is either there’s no electricity or water to manufacture. As an industrialist, you need to be self-sufficient before you can operate. You’ll even tar government roads that lead to your factory. But then, that’s the part of the price we have to pay in this part of the world. The people I pity most when it comes to the state of industries in this country are the masses. They’re the ones bearing the brunt of this mismanagement and lack of focus.”

    But with the advent of democracy, Ayebae believes that things would begin to take shape. He says: “Industries are beginning to find their feet. Funds and other scarce resources are beginning to come in. Grants are now being made available through the SMEs and the Bank of Industries. The government is also assisting through the Nigeria Investment Promotion Commission. A lot of foundational things are taking place now. I hope the impact would be felt in the text 10 years.”

    As a novel drugs manufacturer, you’ll think Ayebae would be intimidated by the larger than life image of the giant multinationals operating in the sector. But he says no. He compares Fidson Healthcare to David while the multinationals are just Goliath, alluding to the test of brawn by the two gladiators in the Bible. “We’re not competing with anybody. When we came into this industry we met a very virgin land. We saw an open field ahead of us. Yes, there are old players, mainly multinationals and a few indigenous firms that were waiting to pay the price for building a future for the pharmaceutical industries. Yes, we began operation when there’s recession in the country. But what we did was to have a clear plan of how to approach the market. So, competition didn’t pose any problem to us”.

    As CEO, Ayebae, unlike most corporate chieftains, reveals that he does not run his organisation in conformity with any of the known management theories because most times, management theories don’t answer daily experiences. “I’m a hands-on kind of person,” he says: “I run this company by allotting responsibilities to specific individuals who must be professional in their spheres of operation. And they must be able to deliver. I tell you what my dreams are and you tell me your own terms. Then we sit down and work it out.”

    Perhaps, the biggest headache in the pharmaceutical sector today is fake drugs that are either imported or produced in the country and sold to unsuspecting consumers. Has Ayebae ever imagined a situation when his products would be faked? He said: “We know that some of the products are being faked, but we’re addressing the matter head on. This is a problem every responsible organisation must address. Apart from the fact that it’s a disservice to their products, fake drugs also pose a danger to life. So the only way we’ve thought of assisting NAFDAC is by making it difficult for people to fake our products. We’ve introduced a system of packaging that would be very expensive for the fakers to copy”.

    Probably to allow him to concentrate fully on the building of his organisation, Ayebae ensure that all members of his immediate family are based abroad. But he communicates with them on a daily basis.

    And after a hectic working day, how does Ayebae relax? “I don’t have any hobby. I don’t go to parties. I don’t socialise and I don’t belong to any social club. I’m an introvert. The only time I relax is when I’m in the church. I like singing and dancing to good gospel music. I do these three times a week. Apart from that, I’m too busy building Fidson Healthcare.”

     

  • Samsung celebrates Mothers’ Day with Ecobubble

    Samsung Electronics West Africa, celebrated Mothers’ Day by hosting its customers to a home appliances giveaway at its Ikeja City Mall store in Lagos, with two customers carting away grand prizes of two Samsung Ecobubble washing machines at the event.

    Highlighting the features and benefits of Samsung’s Ecobubble to customers at the event, Samsung Electronics’ West Africa’s Managing Director, Mr Brovo Kim, reiterated the importance of family and mothers in particular to the organisation.

    “At Samsung, family is extremely important to us. We organised this event this year so that families can have the opportunity to honour their mothers, and also have a chance to win exciting prizes, including our unique and innovative Ecobubble washing machine, making washing easier. Ecobubble derived inspiration from historical washing practices. In previous generations of hand-washing, people used to create large quantities of rich and soapy foam for their laundry, helping the detergent to penetrate and get absorbed deeply. We have applied this traditional wisdom in our bubble based washing system, to make the tiresome chore of cleaning clothes much easier and more convenient for our customers, without wasting energy,” he said.

  • CAP Plc unveils colour of the year

    Chemical and Allied Products (CAP) Plc, a subsidiary of UACN Plc and the technological licensee of AkzoNobel, world’s largest paints and coatings company and manufacturers of Dulux premium brand of paint has unveiled the 2013 Colour of the Year tagged ‘Indigo Night’.

    The 2013 colour of the year was unveiled at an elaborate ceremony which was held at the Golden Tulip Hotel, Festac Town, Lagos on March 19. The event was attended by the company’s stakeholders including distributors and dealers, top echelon of the UACN group as well as members of the press.

    Speaking at the event, the Group Managing Director, UACN Plc, Mr Larry Ettah disclosed that the celebration of the Dulux colour of the year has become a global trend which is adding colours and values to lives. He noted that the Colour of the Year is a concept that reinforces Dulux as a global authority in colour.

    Ettah stressed further that with over 12,000 colours, Dulux is established as the custodian of knowledge in the area of colours with the objective of helping customers realise their wellbeing; it has consistently and innovatively introduced different colours to its customers worldwide over the years.

    Also speaking at the occasion, the Managing Director, Chemical and Allied Products (CAP) Plc Mrs. Omolara Elemide revealed that ‘Indigo Night’ emerged the Dulux 2013 Colour of the Year after the annual meeting of the Aesthetic Centre of AkzoNobel with an international group of creative experts from the fields of colour, design, architecture and fashion, who deliberated and decided that the colour shade will be dominantly used globally during the year based on trends in colour.

    Elemide explained that ‘Indigo Night’ has a purplish edge, giving it a soothing, honest and relaxing feel which is easier to live with than more green based hues, making it feel warmer in our cool northern light. As a paint colour, Indigo adds a surprising, elegant strength and shows you are quietly confident with colour.

    “The 2013 Dulux Colour of the Year has an intriguing connection with the past, the present and the future. The colour shade has always been part of our lives and will continue to play a major role in our existence: It is indeed, a colour of our heritage and the future,” she noted.

  • Playing the water game

    Playing the water game

    Today is World Water Day. The day is set aside by the United Nations to address the water needs of many people worldwide. As the ancient mariner observed many years ago ,“water water everywhere, but none to drink”. WALE ALABI highlights the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) efforts of Guinness  in providing water to the needy.

    Years ago, Albert Szent-Gyorgyi, described water as “…life’s matter and matrix, mother and medium. There is no life without water.”

    Way back then little did Gyorgyi know that one day, the United Nations’ General Assembly would designate March 22 as International World Water Day as a way of focusing on the importance of freshwater and advocating sustainable management of freshwater resources. Undoubtedly, the UN General Assembly task into consideration water’s inportance in coming up with.

    The UN’s initiative has not solved the problems that accessing potable water still pose to people. Many rural communities across the globe still suffer untold hardship in their search for water. The problem is worse in third world countries, especially Africa, including Nigeria and remote communities in Asia.

    The prevalence of water borne diseases is a fallout of the lack of fresh water in several communities in the world. It is ironic that such diseases have become history in developed worlds, but they remain an issue in many African countries. More worrisome is that it has continued to cause avoidable deaths and in some cases deformities in some countries.

    It continues to generate discourse among concerned stakeholders. Some blame the problem on lack of visionary leadership and sometimes too, poor urban planning and other factors. This has caused many communities to be without pipeborne water, despited being hugely populated areas where governments generate huge revenues. Since water is indispensable, those affected have devised ways of meeting their water need.

    One of such devices is the borehole. Often initiated by individuals for commercial purposes, the quality of such water has over and over again fallen short of being described as fresh. Even at that, people go for it to meet their washing need while they depend on sachet and bottle water for their drinking needs. This has led to the prevalence of all forms of ‘pure’ water products and brands. In other settlements, well water suffices.

    Given this scenario, some corporate organisations have adopted water provision as their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). It became the trend at a time as multinational and local companies latched on to it. The motley crowd of brands and companies trying to leverage on the platform that the concept provides as their CSR initiative at a time made brand differentiation difficult.

    Adopting the strategy makes good sense. For one, it helps to address the problem of rapid and urban water systems. In part, it also addresses the theme of the year 2011 celebration of the World Water Day – ‘Water for cities: responding to the urban challenge, aimed to spotlight and encourage governments, organisations, communities, and individuals to actively engage in addressing the challenges of urban water management.

    As stated by the Department of Trade and Industry in the United Kingdom, CSR represents “the integrity with which a company governs itself, fulfills its mission, lives by its values, engages with its stakeholders, measure its impact and reports on its activities”. Although most people appreciate the recent advancement of CSR, some argue that corporations are still not doing enough or are only acting in self interest.

    But while the serious ones get it right and go about it professionally, evidence of having thought through the whole idea; others go about it haphazardly. It is easy to know those who thought through the concept. Those who did, among other considerations, followed and addressed the key decision points: Needs Assessment, Selecting Alternatives, Project preparation, Project Implementation and Project Operation. Besides, while some companies and brands only focus on provision of water within their host communities, the more committed ones spread it across the country and, in places far away from their host communities.

    And this is where the debate that borders on maintenance and sustenance comes up. The sustaina-bility and maintenance question has further called into question the role or otherwise of the beneficiary community. Put differently, does a beneficiary community have any role to play in the sustainability of a corporate social responsibility project? Especially water projects since it is agreed that water is essential to human survival.

    With businesses having to focus on generating profits, CSR was not a popular concern among companies until recently. So, the question does become, should the companies be saddled with the monitoring and running of such projects? Should Guinness then be saddled like the Water of Life Projects instituted in Agbor, Delta State, Lantoro, Abeokuta, Ogun,; Ijora-Badia, Ajegunle and Mafoloku all in Lagos State by Guinness Nigeria?

    A school of thought feels otherwise and canvasses that the communities should take ownership of such projects. This school argues that managing social responsibility is like any other aspect of managing the business. Well managed CSR supports the business objectives of the company, builds relationships with key stakeholders whose opinion will be most valuable when times are hard, and should reduce business costs and maximise its effectiveness.

    Part of a successful CSR initiative is to empower and allow the communities take ownership of the project after it is instituted. By doing so, the beneficiary communities monitor and operate it in the best way possible. This ensures the projects are not vandalised and serve the community for a long time.

    The Ijora-Badia and Mafoluku Water of Life projects lend credence to this school.

    David Hampshire, then Managing Director of Diageo Africa inaugurated it in 2004. Before then, sourcing water was problematic and residents sometime go as far as Marine Beach, about three kilometres away to fetch water. Those who could not go the distance were forced to pay through their nose to buy water from local water merchants. All that changed when Guinness Nigeria Plc built and inaugurated the water project.

    The project serves about 10 streets in the neighbourhood. They include Ireti Owoseni, Giwa, Akorede, Church and Amusu streets as well as some residents of nearby Sari Iganmu community. When our correspondent visited the community, residents spoke of how much the project has ameliorated their water needs. Despite their joy over the development, the ingenious way they queue for water tells the story.

    To queue, they place sundry items including old plastic buckets, old cooking pots and interlocking blocks from the construction site of Ireti and Badia Primary School before each fetching points to represent their positions on the line.

    Those that spoke insisted that that way everybody falls in line and knows his or her place before any of the 20 taps that dispense water from the 50,000 gallon over head tanker.

    Sikiru Aweda, who runs the project on behalf of the community, said a lot goes into making the water fresh. He showed our correspondent alum, chlorine and soda with which he treats the water. He was full of praise for the donor organisation adding that “This school, Ireti/Badia Primary School was built with water from here. Initially, the contractors tried to construct a borehole but it didn’t work and they had to resort to our water.”

    Another resident, Mrs. Fatimota Olaniyi corroborated Aweda and thanked the donors of the project. For her, the donors are God sent. She reiterated the suffering that they used to go through to get water and added that since the water was inaugurated in 2004, it has been serving the community and residents have been guarding it jealously because allowing it spoil or vandalised means a return to the hardships of the past.

    “We used to suffer to get water before Guinness came and built this water project for us. The water that we fetch from the Guinness water project is fresh and drinkable, unlike what we used to fetch from Marine Beach,” said Mrs. Fatimoh Olaniyi, a resident of Ireti Owoseni Street and added that “our representatives have been keeping it in good shape because we feel it would be asking for too much if we expect Guinness do the dat-to-day running.”

    The story is the same at Mafoluku before Guinness extended the gesture to the community in 2009.

    “Before this water project was built there was always scarcity of water in the community but as soon as it was built it became a thing of the past,” Chairman, Mafoluku Community Development Association, Alhaji Adegemi said.

    Ahead of this year’s edition of World Water Day, Guinness Nigeria Plc has thus come under the klieg lights as a corporate citizen that identifies with the UN General Assembly that set March 22 as the World Water Day. However, it is hoped that the project is further spread to other remote communities in dire need of fresh water.

  • Firms in strategic partnership

    Viral Impressions, the world’s most comprehensive social media marketing and management platform, has entered into partnership with Cihan, a leading indigenous brand marketing agency.

    With the partnership, Cihan will be marketing and distributing Viral Impressions’ social media marketing suite to brands in Nigeria and the West African sub-region.

    Commenting on the partnership, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Celestine Achi, said: “Working with Viral Impressions will help us achieve our brand promise of scaled human engagement.”

    He further said the partnership allows Cihan Group the opportunity to provide best-in-class service to leading brands and have a competitive advantage in the Nigerian and West Africa market.

    “We’re excited to be selected by Viral Impressions for Nigerian and the West African markets.

    “This partnership will enable Cihan Group to expand its offerings and provide brands with more comprehensive solutions to meet their social media marketing needs. As a Viral Impressions partner, Cihan is now integrated with Viral Impressions’s socal media marketing suite.

    The social media marketing suite provides a complete set of integrated applications that enable brands of any size to manage their social presence across multiple social networks. The suite’s easy-to-use tools are built using leading edge technologies on robust and scalable social media marketing platform.”

  • Why Amstel Malta endorsed AMVCA

    As the lights beamed on the stage, the effect of the varying contrasts of colours was simply magical. The ambience was resplendent, as were the attires adorned by the carefully assembled A-list guests; specially invited to attend the awards ceremony. Many attendees compared the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards to the Oscars staged annually in the United States of America. The reason for the comparison could not be far-fetched.

    Africa Magic – in collaboration with M-Net Africa – left no stones in organising one of the best TV and movie awards ceremony, witnessed in this part of the country. The organisation had an able ally in Amstel Malta, Nigeria’s low sugar malt drink, from the stable of Nigerian Breweries Plc, which was the headline sponsor for the event.

    So why does Saturday, March 9, deserve a special position in the annals of the African movie industry? White flags, bearing the Amstel Malta and AMVCA insignia, lined up the surroundings of the Eko Hotel venue.

    Attendees were treated like royalty, as they passed through a specially created walkway where they were taken through a breath-taking red carpet experience. From there, they were taken to an Amstel Malta stand which served as the holding area.

    By 7pm, the event went live on national television. On hand to thrill the musical audience were established acts like Femi Kuti, Tiwa Savage and Iyanya.

    Also in attendance were Mr Edem Duke, Minister of Culture and Tourism and Mr. Olusegun Aganga, Minister of Trade and Investment. Speaking at the event, Duke thanked African movie practitioners for creating imaginations that were turned into film.

    He said: “I’m proud to be part of the first Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards. Tonight, I salute men and women who have made this industry truly a great one. Part of the greatest treasures of Nigeria is in the creative minds of our young men and young women. Nollywood has become the greatest contributor to creativity. It has catapulted our continent from being ill perceived to projecting the good of our people. Our film industry will continue to redefine creativity.”

    Aganga also expressed his delight at being part of the ceremony. He declared: “This is our own Oscars. I congratulate the sponsors. Today it’s about entertainment. It’s about celebrating the best in Africa. It’s about celebrating quality, it’s about celebrating Africa.

    “I’m delighted to be part of the first ever Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards as Minister. The entertainment industry is close to my heart. President Jonathan has been an advocate of Nollywood since he was a governor. It’s an industry we want to nurture and grow. I thank all the guests that came from over 20 African countries represented. You are playing in a market that has almost one billion people. You are playing in the continent that has the 10 fastest growing economies in the world. There’s no industry that does it better than your industry. The Bank Of Industry is working to find out how to solve funding of Nollywood. This award will contribute to improving the film sector. Multichoice and Africa Magic are making history. You and I are part of this history.”

    However, Okechukwu Chukwudi Ukeje and Ivie Okujaye shone brightly among the galaxy of movie and TV stars that converged at the Expo Hall of Eko Hotel for the first edition of the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards. While Okeje carted home the highly coveted ‘Best Actor In a Drama’ plaque for his role in the movie Two Brides And A Baby, Okujaye was bestowed the ‘Industry Trial Blazer’ award.

    Incidentally the two fledging thespians were past winners of the now rested Amstel Malta Box Office (AMBO) reality TV show. Okeje attained national prominence when he emerged winner of the 2007 edition of AMBO. This earned him a lead role in the movie, White Waters, for which he won the highly coveted ‘Best Upcoming Actor’ award at the 2008 edition of the African Movie Academy Awards.

    Okujaye emerged the AMBO winner in 2009. As part of her prize, she played the lead role in the movie, Alero’s Symphony.

    Ukeje edged out Fabian Adeoye Lojede (Jacob’s Cross), Kenneth Uphopho (Down & Out), Edward Kagutuzi (Mirror Boy) and Jafta Mamabolo (Otelo Burning) to emerge the best actor in drama.

    A highly elated Ukeje showered encomiums on the Amstel Malta brand in his acceptance speech. “I’d like to thank Amstel Malta for giving me the platform to be on this stage accepting this prestigious award today. It means a lot to me because the fans actually voted for the winners in this category. I won Amstel Malta Box Office in 2007; and I am grateful for that platform.”

    Okujaye was also short of words when she was announced as the winner of the ‘Industry Trial Blazer’ of the inaugural AMVCA. The category is a special recognition category. She commented that she did not realise her efforts in film making were being noticed. According to her, two of her films have been directed by popular actor, Desmond Elliot, while she was currently working on a short film.

    Amstel Malta, the premium low sugar malt drink from the stable of Nigerian Breweries Plc, is the headline sponsor of the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards. Speaking at the post-event press conference, Mr Walter Drenth, Marketing Director, Nigerian Breweries Plc, described the inaugural edition of the AMVCA as one of a kind. He lauded the efforts of the African television and movie practitioners for the immense growth and development witnessed in the sector.

    On Amstel Malta’s decision to sponsor the AMVCA, Drenth said: “The industry is developing; you can say that it is the time to celebrate the efforts of the practitioners. We are deeply pleased to be at the forefront of this spectacular event that celebrates truly talented individuals whose valuable contribution to the African film and television landscape is immeasurable. When we heard about AMVCA at Nigerian Breweries Plc, we said this is something that we want to associate with and this is something we would like to support. And we chose Amstel Malta as the brand to support the AMVCA because a lot of the values which have been reflected tonight are also the values shared by the Amstel Malta brand.”

    Drenth added: “The Amstel Malta brand’s pay-off is Be The Best You Can Be. Over the years, Amstel Malta has provided a platform for budding talents to leverage on for growth in key areas of entertainment. So as a brand, it is very important that we celebrate, recognise and give support to talented individuals because we believe they deserve the platform. What we’ve seen tonight is a fantastic show and we are very happy just to be a part of it.”

    Mr. Drenth added that the Nigerian Breweries would also support the 2nd edition of the AMVCA. Other winners of the AMVCA were Nigeria’s Mercy Johnson, who emerged Best Actress In A Comedy for her role in Dumebi – The Dirty Girl; Ghana’s Jackie Appiah who won Best Actress In A Drama for the movie Perfect Picture and Nigeria’s Hafiz Oyetoro who carted the Best Actor In A Comedy for his part in House Apart.

    Olu Jacobs was also recognised for his contributions to the African movie industry and was presented with the Industry Merit award.

  • Panabiz, NEC collaborate

    Panabiz International Limited, leading provider in office automation solutions has entered into partnership with NEC Unified Solutions – a division of NEC, the world’s leading provider of telecom, video conferencing, PABX, IP telephony, call centre & enterprise business solutions. Together, they will deliver integrated communications solutions to medium and large organisations in Nigeria.

    NEC Unified Solutions specialises in providing communications solutions to small, medium and large enterprises in the private and public sectors. These solutions incorporate the latest voice, data and video technologies, using both desktop and mobile endpoints, and enable real-time, collaborative working, increased productivity and significantly improved customer satisfaction.

    According to Diwakar Yadavalli, General Manager, Panabiz International Limited, the partnership with NEC is a logical step towards their ambitious growth strategy and would give further credence to the company’s vision of being the best Office Automation Solutions provider in Nigeria.

    Yadavalli explained that the partnership affords Panabiz the opportunity to grow and expand its business in Nigeria especially in the large enterprise market segment where NEC also plays a significant position. He stated that the telecom portfolio of NEC provides an exceptionally strong offering in the area of Unified Communications and mobility.

    “This partnership is a convergence of two leaders for a strong and revolutionary business relationship. It is a strategic partnership that would provide great business opportunities for both companies as Panabiz would introduce a major global player ‘NEC’ into Nigeria and would be its sole representative in the country; and NEC can bank upon the brand equity that Panabiz has established for being the No. 1 Office Automation Solutions provider in Nigeria for over two decades,” he said.

  • Airtel confirms speed to market with launch of Blackberry Z10

    Leading telecommunications services provider Airtel Nigeria on confirmed its standing as a customer-centric organisation with speed to market and fastest ability to respond to the needs of customers.

    High-end customers in the Nigerian telecoms market had waited alongside others in the global community for release of the latest offering from RIM Corporation’s Blackberry. RIM as well as analysts and the telecoms firms publicized the launch of the BBZ10 across the world. The launch attracted rave reviews.

    Thus began a race in Nigeria to provide the smartest of smart phones of the day to Nigerian customers. Telcos asked customers to pre-order, an indication they were either testing the capacity of the market or that they had no stock.

    Airtel then pulled a joker, using the elite Ikoyi Club 1938 platform to be the first provider to make the highly desired phone available to customers.

    The BBZ10 launch continues an Airtel tradition of fast response to the needs of the market since its entry three years ago. Chief Marketing Officer Olu Akanmu underlined this point in his remarks at the high profile event featuring officials of the Lagos State Government and executives of Nigeria’s foremost social club.

    Akanmu stated, “Airtel would continuously increase its efforts in consolidation of its position as a pioneer of innovation in the telecoms landscape, in line with its vision of being the most loved brand in the daily lives of Nigerians. Our superior and widest 3.75G capacity is up to 42 megabytes per second coverage across the country would further complement the distinctive computing features of the smartphone to provide customers with a delightful internet experience round-the-clock, irrespective of their location”.

  • Etisalat partners Total Nigeria

    Etisalat Nigeria has unveiled its state-of-the-art mini experience centres at Total Nigeria’s Sura Service Station on Lagos Island.

    The centre, which is one of 45 launched is the result of a partnership deal between Etisalat Nigeria and Total Nigeria Plc. The two companies had in June 2012 formally signed a Master Lease Agreement to establish retail sales outlets in select Total service stations nationwide.

    The agreement was signed in Lagos between the Chairman of Etisalat Nigeria, Mr Hakeem Bello-Osagie and a team of Total Nigeria staff, led by its Managing Director, Mr Francois Boussagol.

    Speaking at the unveiling ceremony, Chief Executive Officer, Etisalat Nigeria, Mr Steven Evans said the mini experience centre concept has further reinforced that the customer is at the heart of everything the company does. “For us at Etisalat, customer focus simply means putting customers at the centre of all business decisions, ensuring that our customers can access our products easily and can easily deal with any issue that they have experienced with our service.

    “It has always been our strategic objective to deliver world class telecommunications services that are relevant and aligned to the needs and lifestyles of our respective customers. It is for this reason that Etisalat has decided to partner with a global and reputable organisation like Total with the relevant expertise and experience in delivering world class products and services. Choosing the right partner is important, and we feel that both brands represent quality and will reinforce each other’s values,” he said.

    The Managing Director, Total Petroleum Nigeria, Mr Francois Boussagol, who was represented at the occasion by the company’s General Manager, Marketing, Mr Yahaya Yunusa, said his company couldn’t have chosen a better telecom partner for such an initiative. According to him, apart from being the fastest growing telecom operator in Nigeria, Etisalat has so far displayed dynamism, ambition and customer focus in the course of its relatively short time in the country.

    Boussagol said: “Our partnership with Etisalat is to further enhance our customers’ experience. We strive to build and sustain trust, so our passion for quality is unyielding, and we could not resist the chance to partner with Nigeria’s fastest growing and most innovative telecommunications network to further enhance our customers’ experience.”

  • What technology minister should do

    Jean is in the lab. He wears his lab coat and surgeon’s gloves. He is preparing for the task ahead. Instead of a stethoscope, he has diagnostic tools. Instead of sermonising about what to do and how to do it, he has rolled-up his sleeves. Instead of pushing out seminar papers, he is gunning for the real deal in practical terms. Instead of talking about building ICT incubators, he is incubating something quite interesting. What is Jean doing and what can we learn from him?

    Jean Philbert Nsengimana is Rwanda’s Minister of Youth and ICT. He is the equivalent of our Minster of communication technology, Mobolaji Johnson. What Jean is incubating is a huge-fund campaign to raise ICT awareness in government. The campaign aims to boost productivity, social media use, IT security and e-Government in Rwanda. He believes using ICT would help Rwanda to speed up its work and deliver quick and better service to the citizens and within government circle. The thrust of the campaign is a series of training sessions for the Ministry of Internal Security, its attached institutions, Rwanda National Police and Rwanda Correctional Services. They would be trained on how to use ICT tools effectively.

    It is quite certain that the sessions would focus on how to send email, SMS, MMS and how to use Wireless Area Network (WAN), Local Area Network (LAN) and search engines. Surely, it would include how to send and download attachment and make presentation using Power Point presentation as well as chat tools. How to communicate with the citizen through Twitter handle and how to open a Facebook account and regularly updated it would be part of the training; I am sure.

    Jean strongly believes that the drive would help civil servants in Rwanda to be more competitive, as “ICT is a key driver of national development”. He says the Rwandan ICT literacy campaign aims to see over 50 per cent of people become IT literate and to achieve mobile penetration of over 80 per cent by 2015. He aims to use the ICT literacy campaign in government to increase efficiency and effectiveness of civil servants in “service delivery, increase public performance and productivity”. To achieve this, he would use social media to create awareness on existing cyber threats and risks.

    The campaign would spread to other government entities. Nice one, Jean. Fast forward. Let us focus on what is happening in Nigeria. Forget the numerous governments’ website that has remained un-updated. Let us go to the Mobolaji Johnson’s ministry. Encomium and plaudits were showered on her for achieving so much since she hit the ground one over a year ago. However, there is still so much work to be done and so much ground to cover. She acknowledged this recently at the Social Media Week in Lagos. She was one of the guest speakers, and several industry stakeholders were present when she presented her paper on, ‘Technology in Governance’.

    She revealed so much. Part of her revelation is that her ministry had created about 65,000 email addresses for public officers in federal government establishments so that they can use dot ng emails for their official engagements. As if she is winking in the dark, the civil servants do not know what she is doing. Why? Of the 65,000 email addresses, there is only 4 per cent usage. Math is not my strength. However, 4 per cent of 65,000 comes to 2,600 email addresses. What is happening to the remaining 62,400? Are they dormant, inactive or what? What has Johnson done with these email addresses?

    Of the 2,600 active email addresses, does Mr. President have one? On the other hand, is Mr. President using yahoo email? Are the ministers, senators, senior special advisers, and retinue of special advisers part of the 2,600 people using dot ng email addresses? Or are they sticking with Yahoo mail and Gmail? It would be good to know. However, it is because Johnson has not perceived it as a personal battle to ensure civil servants embrace dot ng email addresses that is why we are experiencing this logjam.

    By extension, that is why several civil servants, senior special assistants, senior special advisers and director generals and others still use generic email addresses such as Gmail.com and Yahoo.com to conduct government businesses. Don’t they have dot ng email addresses? Search me! Perhaps they do. Perhaps they do not. Perhaps they have ignorantly refused to use it. Perhaps, they do not know how to use it? Perhaps, they do not appreciate the negative implications of promoting Yahoo and Gmail, instead of dot ng.

    If they do, it is quite certain they would drop these generic emails, as continued usage would definitely create huge avenue for dubious characters to perpetrate fraudulent acts, you know. Johnson seemingly has challenges in convincing the civil servants to adopt dot ng email addresses. When I asked her what effort she had made in the past to ensure that the 65,000 created email addresses are used. Her answer was simply not convincing. Yes, government is big. Yes, she does not have a hand in what all of them do. Yes, internet strength coming from Galaxy Backbone is poor most of the time. Yes, you cannot punish a civil servant for not using dot ng email. Yes, you are right. No, you are wrong. Do you not think that because the civil servants do not understand the difference between an email emanating from yahoo.com and the one from dot ng is the reason they have jettisoned dot ng? Do you not think it is a mindset issue?

    Like everything that has to do with the mind, circular does not work. Awareness does not work. However, persuasion works. Education works. Therefore, the onus lies on Johnson to educate the civil servants on the big difference. She needs to show them the advantages over the disadvantages. With her experience and background, she should not find it difficult to achieve this single-minded proposition. On the other hand, would it be cumbersome for her to educate the civil servants in her ministry or the ones under her direct guidance?

    However, she has not educated them. She has not educated because that is not her brief. She has not educated them because she does not believe the civil servants can embrace technology. If she cannot do it while she in the driver’s seat when would she do it? She does not have to take on the entire civil servants. She could narrow it down to the ministers, commissioners and the senior personal advisers and assistants. That way, it would be a manageable affair.

    That is what she should do. However, she has not done it. Granted, changing mind-set is a challenge. Granted, getting civil servants to adopt electronic platform for government services is a Herculean task. Dot ng is Nigeria’s domain registration on the internet. Using dot com cannot and will never represent Nigeria. Johnson understands this. She can work with Nigeria Internet Registration Agency (NIRA) to achieve her objectives. If Jean can do it in Rwanda, Mobolaji can do it in Nigeria.

    This is what he should do: She should take civil servants back to ICT school. She should entrenching sound ICT literacy within the service. This would be a major step towards bringing governance closer to the people as civil servants would have the capability and opportunity to communicate seamlessly with citizens. There would be efficiency and effectiveness in government business. That way everybody, Johnson, civil servants and citizens, would be reading the same script.

    The opportunity this would attract to MDAs and other government parastatal would be limitless. Ministers, commissioners, most senior special advisers would cease to advertise @yahoo.com or @gmail.com on their call cards or communicate through such generic mailers again. Dot ng domain name would have become a household name. To get to that level, civil servants, and other people in the government payroll should embrace dot ng domain. If this is not done now, when will it be done? If the civil servants do not embrace it, who will? If Johnson does not do it, who will?