Category: Business

Succour came the way of displaced flood victims last week in Kogi State as a team of volunteers from Dangote Group visited four camps established for the victims within the state.

The team drawn from Dangote Volunteers, a quick response humanitarian team in the Group embarked on the visit to distribute several relief items they raised from the staff in Dangote Group. Dangote Volunteers sourced for funds and materials from fellow staff to help alleviate the sufferings of the flood victims.

The flood which devastated many states is adjudged to be by far one of the worst to have ravaged the country in decades. The Volunteers chose Kogi State as the first point of their intervention and visited four relief camps located in Idah Community.

The camps are located at St Boniface Primary School, Qua Iboe Primary School, St Michael’s Primary School and St Peter’s College. At these camps where the Ibaji people are camped, the Volunteers shared several hundred cartons of bottled water and clothes donated by the staff of the group. Distribution of the materials among the four camps was based on the number of victims sheltered in each camp.

Receiving the gift items, the secretary of Camp 2 located Qua Iboe Egwuenu Abuma commended Dangote Volunteers for the gesture of coming to Idah Local Government. He explained that the local government is far from the State capital Lokoja thereby reducing the volume of aids coming to the camp. According to him, Dangote Volunteers’ team visit is an expression of love and affection for the flood victims who are in pain and anguish.

At Camp 1 located at St Boniface Primary School, the camp leader Pius Oyiko said the donation of bottled water will help in stopping residents in the camp from contacting water borne diseases.

Dangote Volunteers is borne of the desire of staff of Dangote Industries Limited to have a quick response team devoted to humanitarian efforts. The team which is on voluntary basis raises funds and materials from fellow staff for intervention Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) projects.

Its intervention in Kogi State is the first outing with more lined up to come. The intervention came on the heels of the donation of N430million ($2.6million) by Alhaji Aliko Dangote to victims of the flood disaster, and for women empowerment in Kogi State.

Kogi is home to Dangote’s Obajana Cement Plant, which is reckoned to be one of world’s largest. It also hosts Dangote Academy of Learning and Development where young local talents are trained to boost the manpower needs of the nation’s industries.

Dangote said the contribution which is given through his Dangote Foundation is meant to complement the efforts of the government in providing relief materials to the victims and in resettling them as soon as possible.

Dangote, who gave out N50million ($312,500) worth of foodstuff and relief materials, and N150million ($937,000) in cash, also said N230million ($1.4million) would be distributed to 1,000 women in each of the 21 local government areas of the state to boost economic activities.

Dangote said he was touched by the pain the victims are passing through, noting that the flood has led to loss of lives, property and may cause outbreak of epidemic.

“Obviously, the government alone cannot shoulder this onerous responsibility of bringing relief to the victims,” he said. “The private sector and public-spirited individuals should join hands with the government to assist the victims of this national disaster that has ravaged about 21 states of the federation.”

In his response, the state governor, Captain Idris Wada, described both the flood disaster, and the donation by the Dangote Foundation, as unprecedented in the history of the state. He said 73 resettlement centres have been opened for the victims from the affected nine local government areas, adding that one of the local governments was completely submerged.

While thanking Dangote for his philanthropic gestures, he said the $1.4million meant for women empowerment scheme would help in reviving the economy of the state, and creating stability in families. The Kogi flood disaster is said to be one of the worst in Nigeria’s history as over a million persons are affected.

PRESEIDENT Goodluck Jonathan has signed performance contract for civil servants.

The scheme is to replace the obsolete examination for promotion, which had hitherto been in existence.

Making this known over the weekend was chairman, Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC), Deaconess Joan Ayo.

Ayo who disclosed this during a press briefing in Abuja said the new scheme takes effect from next year.

Justifying the need for the scheme, she said: “President Jonathan endorsed the proposal that this process of management and progression in the service should take precedence over and above the previous assessment practice of conducting examination for promotion of civil servants.”

She said the Federal Civil Service Commission in partnership with the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF) are expected to work out the modalities for the implementation of the new scheme.

“It is believed that this will provide the nation with more accurate form of assessment of its working civil servants, their competence and the level of service delivered to the public by their given activities. The objective is to create before the next budget year a template for the overall assessment of service productivity so as to justify discontinuation of the previously know, practice,” she stressed.

Managing people, i.e. achieving objectives through others, has to be one of the toughest challenges an individual can face in any organization. I used to think (or should I say secretly hope) that I would naturally be a great manager, until I actually managed a team and realized that I had been overly optimistic about my leadership capabilities. Give me figures, words and tasks and I am in paradise, but throw in people and emotions and sometimes it feels like I am chewing glass or walking on nails.

Human beings, I have come to discover are such complex creatures, who sometimes masquerade themselves and play complex organizational games. It often takes significant time and effort to peel away the layers and get to the genuine and authentic core of who an individual is and what they really want. Add to that, the fact that people have different preferences and you will quickly realize that a one-size fits all approach is simply not the way to successfully lead others. I was definitely a little green and rough around the edges, and there was much that I needed to learn about leadership and people management.

I am older and wiser now, and I cannot say that I blame those individuals who make the conscious choice to follow the path of technical leadership rather than subject themselves to the “drama” that naturally ensues when individuals are brought together to work in teams. People management requires the effective balance of both results and relationships. It requires a focus on the tasks that need to be done to achieve maximum output, as well as consideration for the preferences of the individuals who are required to carry out such tasks. It sounds very easy and simple in theory, but try combining your own individual idiosyncrasies and preferences to the mix and you might just have a recipe for a dysfunctional team.

I remember once hiring an associatewho, in my opinion, was inexperienced but showed potential. I knew there would be an upfront investment in handholding the associate and I thought I was up to the task as a new manager fresh off the press. I later found out that handholding was not my preferred leadership style and this relationship became a stretch assignment for me because of the high standards I set for myself and others. I had to constantly dial down my drive for results and dial up my relational and coaching skills so that I could help this associate succeed. Additionally, this individual demonstrated a preference for extraversion whilst mine is introversion, and so I had to learn to occasionally engage in conversation that was about anything but the task at hand. I eventually came to the conclusion that if I could make a success of that relationship, I could survive anything. And I did. There is nothing more rewarding than a direct report coming to you to say, “I know now that you were on my side and everything you did was to help me be successful. I get it now”.

Many people see the opportunity to lead teams as a status symbol or a rewardbut if they truly understood its ramifications, they would know that leadership is a responsibility and a burden; a burden that comes from serving others, rather than being served. It is the leader’s responsibility to ensure that a team performs to its highest potential and this is no easy fete. The climate in a team and its performance is a reflection of the leader and can ultimately be traced back to a decision or action that was taken by the leader, or lack thereof. Consequently, I am of the opinion that a “winning” or “high performing” team is the most important leadership output.

What is the quality of your leadership output? If your team played in the championship, would they bring the trophy home? Outlined below are 14 attributes of a winning team. Rate your team on a scale of 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest) and then reflect on what changes you can make as a leader to take your team to a higher level.

My team:

•Has the right mix of skills and knowledge required to achieve set goals

•Assigns the right people to the right tasks

•Has access to the right resources such as Funds, People, Knowledge , Process

•Clearly understands team/organizational goals and priorities

•Produces desired team/organizational results

•Works well together

•Willingly and regularly shares information, knowledge and performance feedback

•Sharescommon values, goals and vision

•Embraces change and continuous improvement

•Resolves conflict quickly and effectively

•Has clearly defined team norms and ethics

•Values and rewards members for their contributions

•Has a say in decisions that affect them

•Invests in the success of team members

CANADA’S Minister of International Cooperation, Julian Fantino, announced that the Government of Canada, through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), is providing assistance to help those affected by the flooding in Nigeria.

“Canadians are caring people, and this support is a continuing demonstration of Canadian generosity to provide humanitarian assistance to those affected by the floods in Nigeria,” said Minister Fantino. “Through CIDA’s partnership with the Red Cross Movement, we are able to ensure that immediate and concrete action is taken to alleviate suffering and provide relief to those who need it most.”

Canada is providing $50,000 to the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies through the Canadian Red Cross Society to help those impacted by the disaster. This funding will help provide housing and other immediate needs to those most affected.

Heavy rains that began last August and continued in September have led to the worst flooding in Nigeria in more than 40 years. Nigerian authorities report that as many as 623,900 people have been displaced by flooding in 30 of the 36 states in the country.

CIDA, through its International Humanitarian Assistance programme, aims to save lives, alleviate suffering, and maintain the dignity of those affected by conflicts and natural disasters by providing appropriate, timely, and effective responses.

Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway, Ed Fast, has hinted of plans to lead a trade mission to Ghana and Nigeria in early 2013.

“With Africa as one of the fastest-growing economic regions in the world, our government is committed to opening new markets and creating new opportunities for Canadian workers and businesses throughout the continent,” said Minister Fast.

“Canadian companies that succeed in international markets also create good jobs and greater prosperity here at home,” he added at a ceremony marking the 10th anniversary of Canadian Council on Africa.

Fast who will be accompanied by Canadian companies in the extractive and infrastructure sectors since being appointed to the international trade portfolio has led a number of trade missions, including to fast-growing Brazil, Russia, India and China, also known as the “BRIC” economies.

Canada’s numerous trade and investment initiatives in Africa include negotiations toward a free trade agreement with Morocco and multiple foreign investment promotion and protection agreements (FIPAs) with African countries, such as Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Tunisia and Zambia. A FIPA has just been concluded with Senegal.

“More and more African economies are embracing trade and investment as an engine for growth and poverty reduction,” said Minister Fast. “I am pleased to be leading a trade mission to a region where world-class Canadian companies are creating jobs and prosperity and proving the win-win benefits of closer economic ties.”