The Nation Newspaper

Category: Jobs

  • Brighter future for the physically challenged

    Brighter future for the physically challenged

    For the physically challenged, there is hope of a better tomorrow. Shell has introduced a programme through which they are being empowered, writes AKINOLA AJIBADE.

    In line with United Nations (UN) charter which identifies the rights of the physically challenged, such as the blind, dumb, deaf and lame, to live, develop their skills and work, corporate organisations, government and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have gone into training them.

    One such organisations is Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC). The oil major is training the physically challenged to make them employers. It has so far trained 30 who were selected from the Niger Delta, especially Rivers, Bayelsa, Delta, Akwa-Ibom, Imo and Abia.

    The initiative, part of Shell Live Wire empowerment programmes, is meant to make the physically challenged productive.

    Outgoing  Shell Managing Director Mutiu Sunmonu said the training was introduced to enable the less-privileged achieve their goals. He said the scheme has a lot of jobs’ prospect, adding that the 30 beneficiaries are going to provide thousands of jobs. Those expected to benefit from the scheme are skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled workers, such as shoe makers, bead makers, tailors, hair dressers, phone repairers, and poultry managers. Others are those into dying.

    Sunmonu explained that 54 per cent of Nigerians are youths between 15 and 35, arguing that the only way Shell could bring about the desired change is to empower them. He said 54 per cent of youths were unemployed, going by the 2012 Baseline Youth Survey Report provided by the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

    “Through training, we believe we can help reduce unemployment in Nigeria. The country was ranked as the largest economy in Africa. However, unemployment rate is rising in Nigeria. The figures are alarming when profiling youths between 15 and 35 years. The 2012 National Baseline Youth Survey Report issued by NBS in December 2013 attested to this. It said 54 per cent of Nigerian youths were unemployed,” Sunmonu said.

    Sunmonu, said the physically challenged are sensually impaired and unable to do what others are doing, arguing that the only way to make them relevant is to empower them.

    This, he said, informed Shell’s decision to train 30 people, and give them N300,000 each to start  business, adding that through the initiatives the Anglo-Dutch firm, Shell is ploughing back to the countries where it operates.

    Managing Director, Shell Nigeria Exploration Petroleum Companies (SNEPCOs) Tony Attah said the organisation gave N750,000 each to 20 youths trained under the Shell LiveWire programme last year.

    Youth Development Adviser, Shell Monica Umah said the beneficiaries were picked across board, adding that those trained were 10 with visual impairment, 10 deafs and dumb, and 10 that are physically challenged.  She said six consultants were hired to handle the training.

    Umah said: “We had a-27-day programme where people were put in a class, trained on how to repair shoes, phones, make beads, keep poultry among others. During the training, we made people to understand that they would get a shop, buy materials with which they would render services to their customers, expand their businesses to create more jobs and grow the economy. At the end of the programme, beneficiaries were given start-up funds of N300,000 to enable them commence operations.”

    She said Shell signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation in the six states to enable it achieve its goals.

    On the method of recruitment, she said people applied, were shortlisted, interviewed and selected for the training, stressing that each of the states was represented in the programme. Umah said the training is on-going because Shell is committed to the society’s growth.

    According to her, Shell wants to see that more people are empowered in order to help drive socio-economic activities in its countries of operation. She said every aspect of the social empowerment programmes organised by Shell, comes with something unique and attractive.

    Umah said the physically challenged have been exhibiting their skills in sports and other aspects of human endeavours. She said members of the Nigerian contingent to Paralympic Olympics in London in 2012 won 13 medals, including six gold, five silver and two bronze. Many who are physically challenged can make success of their entrepreneurial skills, if giving the opportunity to do so.

    “Shell is creating opportunities for the physically challenged to develop their skills, create jobs and help grow the economy. Shell Live Wire programme has succeeded in developing skills, hitherto inactive in the country,” she added.

    A beneficiary,Mbuotidem Okorie, said the training has not only exposed him to business ideas and ways of actualising his dream of becoming rich. He said he would be repairing phones and render ancillary services, noting that the growth in Information Communication Technology (ICT) has provided a vista of opportunities for people.

    Another beneficiary, Agnes Udo, said she benefited from the training, adding that her  childhood dreams of becoming an employer has come true.

    The Chief Executive Officer, First Books Limited, Dr Emmanuel Obidiegwu, said every human being is blessed with one talent or the other, arguing that anybody that fails to discover and use his talent would not grow.

    He urged the physically challenged not to lose hope. He said Nigeria is a signatory to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), arguing that the physically challenged would occupy vantage positions soon.

    “The disabled should see hope, instead of hopelessness; success instead of failure, and goodness and not sorrow. They should sit down, discover their talents or skills, put them into practise and forge ahead.  By doing these, they would succeed in their chosen endeavours and make impact on the economy the same way people who are not impaired in any form are doing,” Obidiegwu advised.

    Joblessness, UNO said, is a scourge that must be fought to enable the physically challenged realise their potentials and feel a sense of belonging in the society. It said through this, the physically challengedwould be able to live a normal life.

    The global body said the physically challenged, like other human beings, are unique and should be assisted emotionally, mentally and physically. The International Day of Persons with Disabilities marked across the world in December 3 last year underscored this assertion. It had the theme: “Sustainable Development: The Promise of Technology.”

  • Putting more energy behind your job hunting

    Putting more energy behind your job hunting

    My job hunt is stuck in the mud. I know I need to fix it, but I’m feeling overwhelmed and I’ve got no energy left. I’ve tried everything, and nothing seems to work.” Does this sound like you or what you feel now?

     

    The simple truth is:

    Hunting for a job can be tiring, demoralising, and frustrating for people who have internalised their inability to find work as a sign of personal failure. Confidence and self-image suffer. Not to mention the economic embarrassment. As that happens, it becomes increasingly difficult to present the optimistic, energetic “can do” persona that employers seek.

    We all hear the longer you are out of work, the harder it is to get work. One of the reasons for this is that employers are looking for you, Mr/Ms. Jobhunter not to be jaded, tired, and “down.” And, they fear that the longer you are out of work, the more likely it is you won’t have the vim and vigour they seek.

    How can you put more energy to your flagging job hunting campaign?

    There are things you can do to energise your job hunt. Below are my suggestions. This list is hardly exhaustive, but it’s a good start:

     

    Remember getting a

    job is a job

    Treat it with the same sense of professionalism that you would bring to any employment. Show up on time every day. And, at the end of the day, don’t feel guilty about packing the work up, and transitioning to “personal” or “family” mode. As with any job, it’s important to maintain a healthy work/life balance.

     

    Confront your self-imposed roadblocks

    Are you frozen in place by fear of possible future failure? Many people have experienced so much rejection that they are afraid to have any more piled on. Such feelings are real, and they need to be acknowledged.

    Sometimes inaction can be psychological defence mechanism. It’s important, however, to understand that inaction is a certain road to the status quo. Try to move forward every day – even if you only do one or two small “baby step” things that can help to build up your self-confidence.

     

    Break out of your

    isolation

    Figure out who are the members of your support system – your family, friends, other job hunters you meet at networking groups, members of your church or synagogue and so on. Talk to them regularly. Tell them what you’ve been up to, what seems to be working, and what seems to be frustrating you.

    Make them part of your team. Ask for their feedback and advice. Help them to help you by creating a context of “us” instead of “me.” And of course: seek a good job hunting coach who can understand and relate to you, and provide both guidance and the occasional “kick in the pants” when it’s called for.

     

    Balance your job hunting activities

    You can’t be everywhere, all the time. Strive to create a balance over the course of a week or two in a cycle. If you think of your search for work as a job hunt, then imagine each tool or tactic as one arrow in your quiver. You need a variety of arrows including: informational interviewing; attending professional meetings and seminars; social networking utilising LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter; writing your blog, and so on.

    However, important online activity has become, remember that social networks are but the means to the end of building personal relationships. Nurture your relationships both in the real and virtual worlds.

     

    Stay focused and use

    your time wisely

    People who work out of their homes often say that one of the biggest challenges they face is managing their time. It’s easy to be distracted by kids, pets, housework, TV, internet, computer games, and so much else! Organise your day and week in advance. Create an hourly schedule and stick to it by setting alarms on your computer calendar or wherever they will best be seen and heard.

     

    Practise, practise, and practise some more

    Rehearse your elevator speech out loud and prepare answers to interview questions that you can anticipate. For example, don’t allow yourself to be flummoxed by opening queries like, ”Tell me about yourself.” Did you know Larry Bird, one of the greatest basketball players of all time, shot 1,000 baskets every day! He was great because he understood the need for constant repetition and skill building.

     

    Maintain your mental and physical health

    Eat healthy. Exercise at least three times each week. If it’s been a while since you exercised with any regularity, start slow and gradually build yourself back up. Get those endorphins flowing and you will look better, have more energy, and feel better about yourself.

  • Job of the day

    VACANCY AT LOGISTICS AND DISTRIBUTION COMPANY

    POSITION: ASSISTANT MANAGER, (HUMAN RESOURCES AND ADMIN)

    Educational Qualification and Experience:

    – A Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent in Human Resource Management or Social Sciences.

    – A minimum of 3 years experience in Human Resources Management.

    – Possession o a Professional Certificate of C.I.P.M. or evidence of progression in the exams.

    Submission of CVs to soalagbe@gmail.com

    Deadline of submission: Friday, 30th January, 2015.

     

    2. POSITION: SENIOR MEDICAL OFFICER AT A MEDICAL OUTFIT

    REQUIREMENTS

    – Must have 7 years working experience and must be computer literate

    – Must be able to perform some minor surgical procedures

    Send CV to hr@kupamedical.com

    Deadline: Within two weeks of the publication.

  • Election: Job creation tops agenda

    Election: Job creation tops agenda

    Youth unemployment has been on the increase in the country. This is a development that should give every responsible government serious concern. Politicians seeking elective offices in next month’s general elections have, however, promised to commit billions of naira to job creation, writes ADEDEJI ADEMIGBUJI.

    IT is  electioneering season  and candidates seeking political offices have been unveiling their agenda and job creation seemed to have topped their list.

    One of them, Lagos State All Progressive Congress (APC) governorship candidate Akinwunmi Ambode,  said he would set up a Lagos Employment Trust Fund (LETF) with N25 billion over the next four years. This, according to him, will enhance access to a minimum of N1billion yearly finance across the five divisions in the state.

    He said: “That will allow our youths and unemployed people have access to adequate finance for entrepreneurial ventures. We will protect the growth of our small and medium scale enterprises by providing tax incentives. We will implement government policies that will encourage the private sector to employ more citizens and foster economic development.”

    Ambode also promised to seek collaboration with the private sector to ensure the sustainability of the state bursary and scholarship initiatives for tertiary institutions, capacity development for the informal sector as well as skill acquisition through technical and vocational training for residents of the state.

    “We will encourage the private sector to partner with government in this regard as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). We will also deepen skills,” he said.

    He also plans to increase employment through investment in Agriculture. “We will provide incentives for agricultural processing companies, thereby providing employment for our bulging youth population,” he added.

    In addition, he said part of his agenda is to create a secondary market for job creation by engaging youths in sports, tourism and entertainment. “To make our state a tourism destination in Africa, we will also develop our waterfront by providing recreational facilities and encourage investors to invest more in tourism infrastructure. Our unique cultural heritage will be promoted and enhanced to attract tourists globally. This will also create a secondary market for job creation. We will create community sport centers to encourage our youth development. We will partner with the entertainment industry to develop sustainable structures and frameworks to support interested and upcoming youths,” he said.

    For his re-election bid, Ogun State governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun is planning to further boost employment after employing no fewer than 50,000 youths in the state through direct and indirect employment in 43 months of his administration. Considering his  mission to rebuild the state, he promised to create more jobs if re-elected. According to him, the feat he achieved earlier was made possible by his administration’s holistic approach to unemployment, which include creating an enabling environment for business and industries to thrive.

    Before he was elected in 2011, he disclosed that close to one million youths were unemployed in the state. He, however, said the trend was gradually reducing on a daily as about 46 industries with at least $100 million investments had sprang up under his administration. He added that some of them engaged about 4,500 staff in a day through job-shifts.

    In Oyo State, Governor Abiola Ajimobi has also put job creation on the front burners of his agenda. The Oyo North Senatorial District youth leader of the APC, Hon. Salihi Dauda Ajana said Ajumobi has done more than enough to deserve a second time. He said in the history of the state, he is the first to appoint the highest number of youth. “I’ve found out that 90 per cent of those employed were teachers while other sectors were neglected. The employment created by this administration cuts across all ministries and professions. It is the highest in the history of this state,” he said.

    Ajimobi also employed 20, 000 people into the Youth Empowerment Scheme of Oyo State (YES-O).

    Ajimobi said he deserved a second term because his achievements during the first term are impeccable. The governor said he had put smiles on the faces of traders evacuated from the streets by building a befitting shopping complex and empowering them with N20 million to trade.

    According to the governor, the government had also given N300 million to 6,000 traders and artisans at N50,000 each, noting that his ‘stomach infrastructure’ policy had been in practical terms and not just about propaganda. The sum of N300 million was offered at no-interest as loans among 6,000 traders across the 33 Local Government Areas of Oyo State. Special Adviser to the Governor on Trade and Investment, Mr Isiaka Kolawole, said that the scheme is aimed at boosting Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and grant small businesses access to funds.

    He stressed that Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) as government agency responsible for the creation and development of micro, small and medium enterprises in the country, has a crucial role to play in translating the government’s agenda of drastic reduction of unemployment and poverty among Nigerians.

    Ajimobi regretted that in the past, Oyo State did not take advantage of partnering with SMEDAN to translate some of its programmes that are geared towards fighting youth unemployment and poverty alleviation in the state.

    “Oyo State will be in active partnership and collaboration with SMEDAN to derive maximum benefits of your laudable programmes that could positively change the lives of our people. Henceforth, Oyo State government will participate fully in all SMEDAN programmes so that the state could benefit from the good gesture of empowering the people through creation and developing of small businesses,” he promised.

    Apart from these states, political office seekers for the position of governorship are making efforts to ensure that job creation remain a top agenda of their manifestoes while those seeking re-election are not waving off their past efforts in the areas of job creation.

    At the federal level, the presidential candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP) and APC have also promised to create an environment where millions of youth would be employed directly and indirectly.  APC presidential candidate, Major-General Muhammedu Buhari (rtd) said he would build a country that provides jobs for its young people, reduce unemployment to the lowest of single digits and provide safety nets so that no one is left behind. He also added that if elected, entrepreneurship will thrive, enterprise flourishes and the government will gets out of the way so that people can create value, build the economy and aggressively expand wealth.

    Buhari, promised to create job opportunities through agriculture and mining, if elected. “My administration will focus on agriculture and mining as a way to secure jobs for able Nigerians. There is a circle of insecurity, unemployment and corruption in the country, which I will break when elected next month.

    “I have faith that 2015 is the year we shall begin to write a new story – a story of our youth creating jobs and expanding the frontiers of innovation and creativity everywhere from Mavin Records to the Co-Creation Hub; a story of genuine investment in our children and students be they in the University of Nigeria, Nsukka or in the Delta State University, Abraka; a country that finally makes a permanent shift from our debilitating dependence on the free-falling price of crude oil,” he said.

    PDP presidential flag-bearer, President Goodluck Jonathan has promised to create eight million jobs for Nigerian youth in the next four years if re-elected as president. He made this promise at the MKO Abiola International Stadium, Abeokuta while addressing a PDP  rally.

    The president said he was already collaborating with influential persons in the private sector to bring this promise to fruition. He further said job creation would engender poverty alleviation and wealth creation.

    However, economic experts believe this commitment if well implemented will solve unemployment problem in the country most especially as the electorate appear ready to follow the wind of change blowing across the country as a result of dismal performance of the economy.

  • Elections ‘ll have negative impact on economy

    Elections ‘ll have negative impact on economy

    This is election year in Nigeria. Oil prices have gone down while the naira has been devalued. Experts say these developments would worsen the woes of the economy. The Chief Executive Officer, X3M Ideas, Mr. Steve Babaeko, says the economy will be negatively affected by the coming general elections because, according to him, politicians will hold back the cash which would have been used to oil the engine of the economy. He says the advertising industry is operating at “subsistence” level when compared to what obtains in other countries. Babaeko laments the dearth of trained manpower in the industry and how to reposition it. Senior Correspondent ADEDEJI ADEMIGBUJI met him.

    How will you describe 2014 for the advertising industry. What were its high points both for the industry and its practitioners?

    The advertising industry in 2014 was neither black nor white; it’s somewhere in between. To that extent, you can clearly say that so many positive things happened, while some things also happened at the macroeconomic level that were not so positive which affected the integrated marketing communication industry. Some of the positives for the industry last year include the emergence of young and new agencies. There has not been any time in our history, until last year, that  we witnessed a couple of younger agencies coming up strong and competing with the more established players. The new generation agencies came out strong last year and I find this commendable unlike in the past when it’s always same old players calling the shots all over the industry. At the macro level, with the drop in oil price, especially in the last quarter of the year, and its negative effects on the economy, it was an indication of tougher times for the industry and the economy in general. This will definitely affect the whole business climate and of course the advertising segment is not insulated from what happens at the macro level. Again, politics seems to gain the loudest share of voice especially in the last quarter; so this translates to the fact  that if money is not being spent at the centre, more money is going into politics and political activities.  Therefore, the economy will slow down because everybody is holding unto the cash at hand. These are the two indices I saw both on the negative and positive sides.

    What are these new generation agencies bringing to the table that is creating the shift?

    It is a normal shift; the kind of shift you are seeing in Nigeria and it is normal everywhere. If you look at the American, United Kingdom or European markets, there is always a cycle that a new agency emerges – Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Droga 5 and the likes. There is always the rise of some new agencies that is giving everybody sleepless night. This business is about regeneration. What the new agencies are doing in my own opinion is their approach to business that is different.

    Though, I cannot speak for the other agencies, in 3XM Ideas, for instance, the way we look at this business is totally different from  what most of these other agencies have done in the past. Let us now isolate advertising from the business landscape. We dismantled the business model of advertising in Nigeria and we put it together again. How did we do this? Well, we looked at the big picture. Then we asked ourselves: In creating communication and not just advertising, what are the things you need?  We found the answers very simple: You need the brain power for strategy, and creative fire power to turn the strategy into workable ideas. You need music and production.

    We took this business approach and we set up business units, usually with normal advertising agencies, they only control the strategy and the creative development.  We own a record label and production company and some other collaterals that go into developing communication. It is,therefore, easy for us to be in control of some of the other allied elements in creating communication. From that basic point of view, we have revolutionised this market.

    How easy is it to come in and shake the industry?  Does this presupposes that agencies have a life circle?

    The truth is that every brand has a life circle. But what happens is that you need to infuse an element of regeneration in building the brand. If you are a brand and the bulls-eye of your consumers is 30 years and above, it would be wrong of such brand not to create a pipeline that leads to people who are 18 years old or thereabout to begin to build the next wave of consumers for the brand. When you create the pipeline, you have corrected what would have been an ageing crisis for your brand down the line that supplies your main demography. It is the same thing with agencies. Agencies are not about buildings or structures, they are about people. Believe me, this business is not for old people, it is for young people. As an agency, if you want to live long, keep regenerating your people, keep the pipelines of young people coming into your agency fluid and open. An old man can have an agency, yes, that is why we have agencies that are 100 years old and the likes out there but they keep regenerating their people. If one fails to do this, the agency will die. There are no two ways to this.

    This year is an election year. What are its likely effects on the economy and advertising? How will this impact on the industry?

    In the Western world, election time is always a boom time for the advertising industry. Saatchi & Saatchi handles the Labour Party’s multi-million pound campaign in Britain. In Nigeria, it may not be so. This is because the bulk of campaigns here are run and executed by Association of Advertsisng Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN). That is why we see horrible campaigns and terrible posters and election materials. At the macroeconomic level, the issue of holding money for elections will impact on the larger economy. Whether the economy captures the money in the hands of politicians or not, it means that there are certain money that would have otherwise been injected into the system that would have made the economy more buoyant that is missing. If it affects the economy, it will affect the advertising industry. This is because advertising is not living in a silo insulated from the larger society.  Like they say in show business, the show must go on no matter what the economy brings. Advertising is here and people need advertising and it is actually when the economy is down that clients need to advertise the more because people need to be aware of their products and services.  This is what has kept the industry going.

    Do you see any shake up in the advertising industry this year?

    It probably would happen. Right now, there is a paradigm shift happening, especially with younger agencies emerging. The people who were in the fore front are no longer on the driver’s seat. A new power block is emerging. I will not be surprised if there is more shake up this year. Now, for the first time in a long time, we are seeing mergers and people buying into an existing company in the industry.  We are likely to see more of these this year. What we have had were big fishes in small ponds for a long time. People don’t want to be smaller fishes in a bigger ponds and that is the kind of arrangement that pays. People such as Sir Steve Omojafor have talked about merger but no one was taking him serious. It is happening now and I think we are going to see more mergers this year.

    Why is the advertising industry is not going public? What are the fears of practioners?

    In Kenya, there is advertising group that is quoted but it has not happened here yet. I will tell you why? What we have done here is what is happening in the agric sector where farmers are practising subsistence farming. What we are doing is subsistence advertising instead of mechanised advertising. People create business for themselves and their family unlike the WPPsof this world, which are quoted companies. However, it takes time to grow above the mentality of remaining a small agency just for subsistent living. So, if you really want to play in the big league, you can open it up for others to take up shares in the market.  Some don’t even want to give their staff who has worked for them up to 15 years any share not to talk of listing. It is about mind-shift and this needs to happen to the advertising entrepreneurs in Nigeria to get the industry to that place we are talking about.

    What is likely to trigger the mind-shift you just mentioned?

    At some point, the economy will open up more. Nigeria is the biggest economy in Africa. Power generation is very abysmal compared to most other African countries.  If we are able to get electricity right and the level of output goes up, the economy will open up more, then more people will come to Nigeria to do business. Already, we have vehicle assembly plants and then we will have no choice but to run this business as it should be run. Now with Advertising Practitioner Council of Nigeria (APCON) reform, there is a limit to which foreigners will buy shares in advertising industry. May be that law will change when the economy opens up. For this to happen, we need massive amount of capital. How much is the capital base of most agencies in Nigeria? Very negligible, that is why we gave the example of subsistence and mechanised farming.

    Does this mean the new APCON law is defective?

    I respect APCON, and there is need to protect the local industry. However, water will find its level. The industry needs to be protected. I know what the law is trying to say because the outsiders have heavier war chest to run riot over the entire industry- buy up any and kick out the ones they desire to and bring in foreigners to work here. Then we might have killed the baby before it has the chance to grow up. But at some point, the baby needs to grow up and stand on its own, then it won’t need too much protection. I look forward to that time when we will be able to say “may be we have out grown this law and we need to upgrade it.”

    Talking about regeneration to keep the industry growing, where are the schools to close this gap?

    Unfortunately, we have not been able to kick-start the advertising academy. The AAAN had this vision many years ago, but in fairness to the new administration, it is working so hard to ensure the school gets off the ground. But what I have done in the past six or seven years ago is to go to the University of Ibadan (UI) and give lectures and do workshops. There is a young man who now runs a small digital agency, he was part of a workshop I did at UI many years ago. I understand the need to create the pipeline that will create talents. The talents pool is drying up. As an agency today, if you are looking for copy writers, you are going to look for months.  There are no copy writers anywhere and it’s just about the short sightedness of not creating that pipeline that brings young talents into the industry. What we do is to use the small clout that some of us have to tell young people that there is an industry called advertising in Nigeria that provides employment where you can catch so much fun building brand and you can also earn a decent living.  Young ones need see us, look up to us and get excited wanting to join the business.

    3XM is not affiliated. Do you see anything wrong with affiliation?

    Affiliation is like marriage. Nobody will just walk into my agency and take it without showing me what you can offer. I can’t talk to you if you cannot offer me something different that we are not doing. I have decided that I will take some of the best practices of old agencies to run my business and learn from their mistakes.

    Last year, what did you do right or wrong?

    What we did wrong was that we did not join the bandwagon to do anything for any business. For instance I cannot join anyone to defraud the citizens. For me to support your business I must believe in what you stand for. If we had jumped on the bandwagon we probably had made more money but its all about value and principles. We must share values. We have dropped accounts either because the value was not just right or the client is not willing to partner. We want to be partners; we don’t want to be anybody’s donkey. If you look at the brands we work with now, it is like equal seat at the table, we are partners. That is why you see the progress on those businesses. An agency dictated to is like sending a soldier to war with his hands tied behind him. We have been fortunate enough to have found valuable partners to work with. But the ones who would not allow us do what are trained to do and what we believe in we gladly resigned such businesses instead of roasting in there and saying we’ll manage.

  • Jobs of the day

    A reputable company located in Lekki requires immediate employment for the following:

    1. A very experience driver for its M.D and other top management staff with at least five(5) years experience in similar position
    2. Plumber with at least five years experiences in resident estate plumbing facility maintenance.
    3. Lift technician with at least five experience in repair and maintenance of lift.

    Qualified candidate should send handwriting application along with a detailed CV and one passport photograph to : THE PROPERTY MANAGER, OLUWANISOLA ESTATE, KM 20, LEKKI EXPRESSWAY NEAR CHEVRON HEAD OFFICE, LEKKI, LAGOS.

     

    VACANCY

    A leading newspaper publishing organization requires the services of contact sales representation to work in the following state: Abia, Ademawa, Akure, Benue, Cross-River, Delta, Edo, Ebonyi, Taraba, Ekiti, Katsira, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Ondo, Oyo,Plateau, Bauchi.

     

    QUALIFICATION

    Each candidate should have a minimum of the national diploma in any discipline. Business enterprise with trace record may also apply.

    EXPERIENCE

    Cognate experience of a minimum of two years in sales and marketing as preferred.

    All applications with attached relevant document should be forwarded within two (2) weeks of this publication, to the advertiser at: No. 2063, Guardian Newspaper limited, Rutam Hones, Isolo, PMB 1217, Oshodi, Lagos or sales@ngrguardiannews.com.

     

    VACANCY

    A publishing company with branches all over Nigeria and head office at Ibadan, Oyo state, seeks applications for:

    1. Editor (English)

    QUALIFICATION

    First degree (upper class level) in English language or communication art from any recognized university. Masters degree is an addition advantage. Applicants must be computer literate.

    1. Editor (French)

    QUALIFICATION

    First degree (upper class level) in French language from any recognized university. Masters degree is an addition advantage. Applicants must be computer literate.

    1. Sales representatives for various states of Nigeria

    QUALIFICATION

    B.SC or HND in marketing or good degree in any of the basic or social science. Applicants must have good communication skills with proficiency in local language especially Igbo and Hausa.

    4.   Secretary

    B.A, B.SC or HND in secretarial studies plus other professional qualifications.

    METHOD OF APPLICATION.

         Interested candidates should forward applications with CV incorporating telephone number and e-mail address within two weeks of this publication to: The advertiser PMB 5595 Dugbe, Ibandan.

     

    VACANCY

    A reputable 3 star hotel situated within the south-east geopolitical zone to recruit very ambitious and passionate person in its operation into the post of

    1. Front officer
    2. Food and beverage
    3. House keeping.

    QUALIFICATIONS

    1. H.N.D /O.N.D with or without experience
    2. .SSCE with 1-2 years practical experience.

    Interested applicants should apply within two weeks from the date of advert to: recruitandtrain2015@gmail.com or hospitalitytraining2015@yahoo.com.

     

    1. Accountants wanted for immediate employment.

    QUALIFICATION

    Minimum of HND or B.SC in accounting and related courses.

    Minimum of OND or related diploma qualification.

    The candidate must be someone with security experience.

    Interested persons should send CV within two weeks to C.duru@sureplatform.com.

  • A floating yard of jobs

    A floating yard of jobs

    The construction of an oil and gas/maritime fabricated yard in Lagos is expected to boost economic activities and create jobs, reports AKINOLA AJIBADE.

    It is a joint venture between the Lagos Deep Offshore Logistics (LADOL) and  Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI), Korea with a lot of potential. Under the venture, 50,000 jobs are expected to be created in five years, starting from this year.

    The firms will pool resources to build a fabricated yard that would serve as floating, production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) vessels in Lagos.

    The yard, expected to be completed this year, will be bigger than LADOL’s at the Lagos Free Trade Zone (LFZ) within Apapa Pilotage District. It will produce thousands of metric tonnes of materials needed to keep the FPSO vessels operational.

    The FPSO vessels are located near where oil is processed and stored until it is transferred to a tanker that would take it to where needed. Such vessels require constant repairs and maintenance, which can only be done by certified technicians and engineers working in the fabrication yard.

    The project, which being is built for Total Upstream Nigeria Limited, and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), will enable Nigeria maximise its potential in the Free Trade Zones and join nations, which grew through that means. The United States (US), Britain and Canada, among others, are leveraging on such zones to create jobs and build their economies.

    Those to be employed in the yard include welders, fabricators, drivers and loaders. Others are engineers, accountants, geologists, project officers and office assistants.  Those who require specialised skills will be trained abroad.

    LADOL Managing Director Dr Army Jadesinmi said the yard would serve maritime, oil and gas operators, and create 50,000 jobs.

    Jadesinmi said the yard is being constructed to make Nigeria the preferred destination for oil and gas/maritime activities in West Africa.

    She said: “LADOL and Samsung Heavy Industries of Korea had in 2013 entered into partnership to boost human capacity and Nigerian content development in the oil and gas industry through the establishment of Samsung Nigeria Technology Academy (SaNTA). The FPSO‘s facility will create job opportunities for the skilled and unskilled workforce. It is a big project, which will translate into economic growth by attracting foreign operators to Nigeria.

    “For us to be the hub, we must show the outside world that we can do it. So, this business of Nigeria becoming the hub of maritime and off-shore oil and gas operation in the region, via providing jobs for people in the two sectors, means the country becoming the first port of call when it comes to maritime and oil and gas, shipping, investment technology and upstream oil and gas engineering. They would not be sustainable if it goes to small countries with less than 10 million population. Nigeria has a huge population and volume of business activities and its best suited for this project. You can see the multiplier effects through jobs creation.”

    SHI Chairman K.S Lee said the project would create avenues for skills and technology transfer. He advised operators to prepare for the opportunities in the nation’s oil and gas industry.

    Many people, Lee said, are going to be taken from the labour market, when the facility is completed, saying that technically-proficient workers, such as engineers, craftsmen, geologists, among others, would get jobs through the facility.  The idea, according to him, will revolutionise oil and gas business by making people to learn, adopt and practise new things that would lead to job’s creation.

    Nigerian Content Development Monitoring Board (NCDMB) Chief Executive Officer Ernest Nwapa said job creation is one of the major goals of the local content programmes spearheaded by the Board.

    Nwapa, during a stakeholders’ forum in Lagos, said the government has started the implementation of oil and gas parks in nine oil producing states, adding that the partnership between LADOL and Samsung is  good, capable of improving local content initiatives in Nigeria.

    “Oil and Gas sector is the barometer used in gauging or assessing the growth of the Nigerian economy. We decided on the domestication of contents/personnel in the sector to move the economy forward. What the government is saying is that an appreciable percentage of local content programmes must be injected into activities or programmes in the oil and gas sector. The journey into that giant stride has started with the launch and implementation of oil and gas parks that would create 50,000 jobs. Now another 50,000 jobs are coming through the Floating, Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) fabricated yards in the country,” Nwapa said.

    He said the FPSO project would create direct and indirect jobs for people, urging Nigerians to prepare themselves for the opportunities. Nwapa said both graduate and non-graduate workers would get opportunities to show their skills as long as there are openings in the petroleum sector.

    The Minister of Industry, Dr Olusegun Aganga, said Free Trade Zones attract investments creats jobs, arguing that Nigeria’s FTZ cannot be an exception considering the volume of activities in the economy.

    He said the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) is not leaving any stone unturned in its efforts to maximise opportunities that will lead to socio-economic growth. He added that the conception and implementation of FPSO project are one way of growing the economy, by generating employment opportunities for people.

    ‘’The Council is making efforts to promote export activities by encouraging manufacturers to package their goods to appeal to buyers outside Nigeria. When this happens, more money would come to the country and activities would be galvanised,” he said.

    He said the country boasts of 30 Free Trade Zones, urging Nigerians to take advantage of opportunities in the zones to establish industries and create jobs.

  • ‘Banks without innovation will die’

    The banking sector thrives on loans. But lending without adequate information means lenders will be losing money. In this interview with COLLINS NWEZE, the Managing Director/CEO, CRC Credit Bureau Limited, ‘Tunde Popoola says credit bureaux are critical to banks’ survival. He says the sector provides full lending information that makes banks’ operations successful.  Popoola says banks will now have to be more innovative, competitive and learn to begin to look at banking not as a brick and mortar kind of thing, but as services that have to be rendered. 

    What is your view on banks’ poor performance in recent times?

    In the last few years, there have been policies on the way banks charge customers, and the way they acquire customers. You see that part of the challenge has been that there has to be value creation before a customer can be charged.

    There are no longer free funds from customers. Banks also need to find ways to address their costs. The issue of cost has been part of banks’ fall in profits.

    What are the roles of credit bureaux in the economy?

    We enable financial institutions doing consumer lending to be able to take informed decisions. Ours is to ensure that nobody lends to anyone in the dark. We are to ensure that lenders are able to lend with full information at their disposal. So, without credit bureau, consumer lending cannot be successful.

    Credit bureau infrastructure is a way of giving access to a mass of people to have access to loans. The same thing goes with mortgage loans. These are the kind of loans that go to individuals. You need to make sure that you are lending to the right people and that you are lending to the right segment of the population. You need to know about their pedigree as far as financial issues are concerned.

    These are the roles that credit bureaux have come to play. So, we represent that link between the lender for consumer loan, and the borrower for consumer loans. We are at the middle. We provide necessary information to enable lenders give funds to the consumer.

    The kind of information we provide include identification, current exposure-to know whether that person is already leveraged. We ant to know what has been happening to that person in the past one to three years relating to obligations, among others. These are critical information we bring to the table as credit bureaux. We remain the enabler.

    That is why, the stage we are now, we will begin to see other non-bank financial institutions which are already approaching the credit bureau. That’s where the future is. People need information to be able to take decisions. We provide the information, without which, people will be lending in the dark and loosing money. Even as we speak, a lot of non-bank financial institutions are approaching credit bureaux to get data on borrowers because they are also lending.

    The CBN has been advising banks on the need to use two credit bureaux in loan restructuring. Has that policy impacted on the level of businesses you do?

    Yes, I think the CBN has done very well in the support they have given credit bureaux in Nigeria. I think they see the support from the perspective of value we bring to the table to enhance the management of risk management in the Nigerian banking industry.

    Successive Central Bank of Nigeria Governors, have seen how important we are to the lending industry and they really have come out clearly in giving specific direction on what the banks should do.

    Recently, there was another circular from the CBN that mandated that effective July 1, this year.  It is an offence for any bank to grant any credit without consulting at least two credit bureaux. That is, without checking for credit information of that particular applicant or prospective borrower from the credit bureaux. It also warned that any bank that fails to submit credit information from at least two borrowers, will be treated as if that bank is making concealment of the information, and will be penalized under the banking and other financial institutions act.

    There has also been some brainstorming sessions on how to enhance quality, get the banks to submit complete information, and what kind of information and comprehensive that information should be. The CBN has been able to organize meetings between credit bureaux and the banks.

    These are the kind of supports we get from the CBN, and the implication is that it has deepened the relationship we have with commercial banks and the lending industry. They are taking us more seriously. This has created an upsurge in the request for our products and services on daily basis from the banking institutions.

    Has there been any case of default from the banks and does the policy apply to all categories of loans?

    The policy covers every transaction and amount. Even that circular said they should not give loans to those with delinquent facilities. They actually gave threshold of N500 million for commercial banks and N250 million for specialised banks. The policy was very clear in making cases for commercial banks.

    Since that time, top management of banks have demonstrated their interest on what is going on between the banks and credit bureaux. That also has shown how committed the Central Bank is to making sure that there is success for credit bureaux.

    What has been the percentage of increase in your transactions?

    It has been very significant, I must tell you. We have got to daily threshold of usage that we have not had for a long time. That showed us that banks are taking us very seriously. So, that has led to significant improvement in relationship between us. We now have banks showing interest in collecting data, updating data. Even the ease with which they submit data now has increased.

    Every bank should submit data not later than five days after month-end. The numbers of institutions that are submitting data now have increased tremendously.

    What percentage of increase have you recorded?

    It cannot be less than 25 per cent increase in the number of institutions and volume of transactions.

    What is the competition in the credit bureaux  market like?

    The competition is very healthy. As you know, lenders are known. It is a market that everyone knows. What we are trying to do is focus on the formal market. They are the regulated segment of the market, which are commercial banks, merchant banks, the leasing companies, microfinance banks, primary mortgage institutions. So, the competition has been very keen around that area. So, we are competing for all these institutions.

    But the issue has been how innovative have you been as a credit bureau. Can these people be able to access your platform? How long does it take them to be able to download information from your platform. What is the level of your relationship management? How easy is it for them to reach you, or for you to reach them? And again, the quality of your report and depth of information they get from your platform, which have to do with the quantum of information you have and the number of institutions that are submitting information to you. These are what constitute competitive edge for us at CRC Credit Bureau. For us, we have a much more robust credit information report that is rounded and comprehensive.

    What else has distinguished you from the competition?

    We have produced significant products to support our customers. It has made us stay ahead of the competition. We have prided ourselves as the market leader, and we are focusing on thoughtful leadership. We want to be in the mind of everybody. We have moved from just collecting information from regulated entities to non-formal sectors. So, you se some level of patronage from corporative societies, pharmaceutical companies, among others.

    We also focus on institutions that are large in size, because they will have customers with multiple transactions. There is no key institution in Nigeria today that is doing lending, and is not in our platform.

    We have seen high level of acceptance from these institutions. We now see people seeing value from what we are doing. We also get request from individuals wanting to know their positions. We also have level of lodgment of complaints for correct information that can tell you the volume of people making enquiries.

    We have, because of high level of patronage seen less number of litigations. There is also more awareness. Before now, any small thing, people threaten us with litigation, but because of awareness they now know that there are processes to go through. You can now make formal complaints, if not addressed, you can report to the CBN, and if the CBN does not do anything, you can now go to court.

    We have now seen an increase in number of enquiries, request for change from what they got from our platform. This has made our relation with lending institutions much more robust. Those are the kind of things we have seen in the industry.

    The financial sector is now getting much more enlarged. We have seen technology companies like Paga, PayPal, doing businesses that were hitherto done primarily by banks. How do you see these impacting on the conventional bankers and their profits?

    You know, we are in a very interesting phase in the Nigeria financial landscape. We came up few years ago, pursuing aggressively, what we called financial inclusion, where people will have access to formal financial services.

    When that was done, the intent was not that everyone will go to formal commercial banks. Financial inclusion can come in different forms. Some through mortgage, some through, microfinance banks and some through the traditional commercial banks.

    When you have deepened the financial market, every segment of the market will grow. Operators, new parctioners and new segments will come in. Part of them are those licenced to do telephone banking. There is now a non-bank credit card company, giving credit cards to customers, still they are not commercial banks. So, it is easy for us to conclude that will be taken from a segment of the commercial banks. No, it will rather deepen the financial system.

    What I am saying is that all those efforts you are seeing are deepening the financial system. When the financial system is deepened, the banking industry will be the ultimate gainers. All transactions at the end of the day still go to the banking system. It is about money coming into the pockets of people.

    It can come though different ways, credit cards, transfer, all manner of ways. People now have more choices to make. Before, access to financial services were said to be around 30 per cent. And we wanted to target 70 per cent, and it has moved to about 50 per cent.

    This, current number is not just about those who lodged money in commercial banks. It also has to do with the people in Paga, PayPal among others. At the end of the day, what is important is that you want to send money to people, and you are able to do that, through whatever platform you will do that.  Whether through your bank account, or telephone or whatever it is. If you able to do that, it may eventually translate to access to credit for you.

    What does access to credit imply?

    Access to credit does not mean that you have to get to your bank before you have access to credit. It also means that through all manner of devices, you can have access to credit. So, it is a beautiful thing, which should continue this way. And it will continue because Nigeria is at a threshold, we have interesting statistics to show. The rebasing of our economy has propelled us to be number one in Africa.

    International investors now want to be part of what is happening in Nigeria. And so, you will see more of these initiatives from various part of the world coming to Nigeria. You also see more of these initiatives coming to Nigeria. Even telcos will now be performing mini banking services.

    Banks will now have to be more innovative, competitive, and learn to begin to look at banking not as a brick and mortar kind of things, but as services they have to render.

    So, all of these products, they have to find a way to introduce them, and get to the consumer and get to the market and get to their customers. So, if they are unable to get to their customers through some of these forms and processes, those banks will have to lose the market.  But if banks are able to innovate, and device ways of seeing their customers not necessarily coming to the banking halls, but getting the services they need, wherever they are, then, they will be the gainer at the end of the day.

    As we speak today, you may do a lot of banking transactions without going to the banking hall. You may even not visit your bank for a whole year based on the kinds of products you are seeing coming up from the banking system. If you want to send money to your children, or your parents, you may not need to visit a bank to do that.

    And those means of transferring financial services will keep on expanding. Before now, when I wanted to send money to my children for their school abroad, I had to go to the bank to fill Form ‘M’ and all that. But it was through my laptop we did it last year. I did not leave my office. So, that’s the kind of things we are beginning to see. When you say you want to make a place, a financial hub, these are the kind of things you see.

    Are we likely to see more of these firms in the financial sector?

    Organisations like Paga, are all part of what we are expecting. More of them will come. We have those who are in the telephone territory. There are those in the credit card territory and they are not formal banks. They are being licenced by the CBN to be able to give credit to people using plastics even without having bank accounts. These are the things that will become the formal feature of our economy.

    The banks now have to gain, not by charging customers more, but by having volumes of transaction from everyone. They have focus on volume and innovation for them to remain competitive.

    Any bank that cannot innovate, and cannot move with the tide, will be washed away by the tide. So, as we move on, we see innovation, the banks of the future, are those that are innovative. They leverage on technology and highly skilled human resource. Those will be the differentiating factor, as we move into the future. Not even in early 2000, if you rely and brick and mortar kind of banking, you will be washed away. The vey innovative ones will take all your customers away.

    If you are a bank that still wants to be sitting face to face with your customers, then you have already lost the business because everyone is moving into depersonalizing loan process in banks.

    What roles for credit bureaux in the entire scenario?

    Part of what you have been seeing is attributed to the fact that you now have credit bureaux in the economy. Six to seven years ago, no one will come to Nigeria, to do non-bank credit card operators. Because, how will you know the people you are lending to?

    Our job is to enhance information sharing, so that credible people will have access to credit. So, in all of these, we produce access to information, be it banks, or non-banking institutions. Banks now have very credible means of getting information

  • Nigerian-German Business Association elects Esan as President

    The Board of Directors of Nigerian-German Business Association (NGBA) has elected an entrepreneur and investor, Mr. Folabi Esan, as the President of the association.

    He takes over from Mr. Peter Sengpiel, who served the association for two years before stepping down at the association’s Annual General Meeting (AGM), which held in Lagos.

    Esan became a partner at Adlevo Capital, an expansion stage private equity firm investing in African businesses that provide technology driven services or infrastructure, in 2008.

    Before then, he served as the Chief Executive Officer at Catalyst TDC – a venture incubator. Prior to that, he was the Regional Manager for SAP West Africa (ERP software and solution provider) and Heureka Consulting (technology marketing services).

    He has over 20 years’ experience, establishing new businesses in Nigeria. He has worked in various industries and for some global companies.

    The Nigerian-German Business Association was founded by representatives of the German business community in Nigeria, representatives of the Nigerian business community, delegation of German Industry and Commerce (AHK) and the Nigerian and German Embassies.

    Germany and Nigeria signed a bilateral cultural agreement in 1999, placing cultural relations between the two countries on a sound footing in international law.

  • Job search when you have to be discreet

    Job search when you have to be discreet

    When you don’t want your employer to find out that  you are job hunting, there are steps you can take to keep your job search confidential. The last thing you need to have happen when job searching is for your employer to accidentally find out that you’re looking for a new job. It could jeopardise both your current position and future references from your employer.

    Here are some suggestions on how to effectively job hunt on the sly, so that the wrong person doesn’t find out that you are looking to make a move.

     

    Stealth job hunting do’s and don’ts

     

    E-mail address

    Do not use your work email address for job hunting. Use your personal account or set up a free web-based email account specifically for job searching.

     

    Office equipment

    Don’t use your employer’s computers or phone system. Many employers monitor Internet usage and review phone call logs. Keep your resume, your email correspondence, anything and everything related to your job search on your home computer.

     

    Your resume

    Be careful where you post your resume. If you don’t want your current employer to accidently find your resume when searching for candidates, post on job sites where you can keep your employer and contact information confidential. For example, if you post your resume on Monster, you can make it confidential and your contact information and references won’t be displayed. You can block your present company’s name by entering an end date of present for your current position.

     

    Additional resume options

    Other options for protecting your privacy (aside from blocking) include listing a generic company name and job title, rather than a specific one. You can also leave off company contact information. Do the same with your contact information and phone numbers. List your job searching email address and cell phone number.

     

    Telephone tips

    Do not use your work phone number for job hunting. Instead, put your cell phone number and/or home phone number on your resume. Be sure to have voice mail or an answering machine in place so you get the messages in a timely fashion.

     

    How and when

    If you can’t job hunt from work, what other options are there besides evenings and weekends? Visit a bookstore, cafe or library with internet access on your lunch hour and bring your laptop if you can find a wireless connection to use.

    Use your phone to job search – there are lots of job search apps available. Lunch time also a good time to return prospective employer phone calls, especially if you can take an early or late lunch to catch them in the office.

    Interviewing

    Try to schedule interviews for either the beginning or the end of the day or on your lunch hour. If you have vacation time you can use, schedule multiple interviews for the same day.

     

    Dress the part

    If you typically wear jeans to work, don’t wear a suit when you have an interview scheduled. Someone will start wondering what the occasion is for dressing up.

     

    Be discreet

    Be careful who you tell that you’re looking for a new job. If you tell co-workers, you can be sure that it will get back to your boss, one way or the other. Do tell your family, so they can take messages for you and so they don’t inadvertently spill the beans to your work colleagues and leave you a message that someone is calling about an interview.

     

    Social networking sites

    Be really careful what you post on social networking sites. Don’t tell your Facebook friends or your LinkedIn connections that you’re job searching. Don’t tweet about your job search activities either. Even if your boss doesn’t follow your updates, someone else may and the word that you’re job hunting could get back.

     

    EkiniConsult & Associates is organising three free and open workshops, “Knocking on the Right Doors- Strategies for Uncovering the Hidden Job Market” for The Nation readers in Lagos. A free eBook of the same title will be given to those who may not be able to. If you are interested, send-in your name, location, email address and GSM no to 080-8384-3230. Precede with the word ‘ATTEND’ for those who want to come and ‘FREE EBOOK’ for those who want the free e-Book only.