The Nation Newspaper

Category: Sunday magazine

  • Doctor canvasses six month maternity leave for nursing mothers

    THE federal government has been urged to ensure that public and private organisations extend maternity leave of nursing mothers from three to six months to allow them breast feed their babies exclusively

    Project Director, Colostrum International, Dr Bunmi Ogundimu, said this will be beneficial to babies and ensure their optimum growth.

    Ogundimu spoke during a symposium organised for health writers in Lagos, entitled Meeting International Standards in our Health care Delivery System.

    Mrs Ogundimu, who spoke on Breast milk: exclusive breast-feeding by 21st century woman, said colostrum, which is the milk produced at the end of pregnancy, was the perfect food for newborns.

    “Six months exclusive breast feeding would make a child survive childhood killer diseases such as diarrhoea and respiratory infections, the two primary causes of child mortality worldwide. Breast milk contains antibodies that protect infants from bacteria and viruses,” she added.

    Mrs Ogundimu said: “The infant mortality rate in Nigeria is high. It is 88.4 in every 1000 births.

    “Six months exclusive breast feeding can help bring this figure down.”

    Taking colostrum, she said, was nature’s way of ensuring the survival of a baby and ensures it grows into healthy adulthood. It is what builds the manpower of any country, she added.

    A bill, calling for the extension of maternity leave, she noted has been sent to the National Assembly.

    She called for the speedy passage of the bill.

    A physician, Dr Emanuel Enabulele, who chaired the occasion, said the importance of breast milk could not be over-emphasised in ensuring a healthy population.

    “Breast feeding promotes bonding between infant and mother. It is affordable and readily available at the right temperature, which helps to ensure that infants get adequate sustenance.

    “Studies have also shown that adults who were breast fed as babies often have lower blood pressure and lower cholesterol, as well as lower rates of obesity and type-2 diabetes, “he said.

  • DJ Cuppy hooks Asa Asika

    DJ Cuppy hooks Asa Asika

    BILLIONAIRE Femi Otedola’s daughter, Florence, aka Cuppy, a UK-based celebrity DJ and song writer currently making waves with her debut video, I love my country, may have found love. Cuppy is said to be romancing the CEO of Stargaze and popular artist manager, Asa Asika.

    The superstar DJ and producer recently turned 21, and she and the 23-year-old former Davido’s manager are now an item.

    The celebrity DJ and songwriter’s debut single has over 15,000 downloads on iTunes and Amazon as well as over 25,000 views on YouTube within the first 72 hours of release. Asa used to carry a 1975 afro hair-do that made him look unique. He has been round entertainment all his life, thanks to his Uncle Obi Asika and older cousin, Naeto C.

  • ‘Stick and carrot approach outdated’

    ‘Stick and carrot approach outdated’

    Mr. Folaranmi Babatunde Odunayo, a 1975 B.Sc., Agricultural Economics graduate of the University of Ife, has served as the Managing Director/Chief Executive, Honeywell Flour Mills Plc since April 1997 and has led the growth of the company from inception in the last 22 years ago. Odunayo, who has several years of business management experience, served as the Finance Director of Hagemeyer Nigeria Plc. (now known as D.N.Meyer Plc), Coopers & Lybrand both as an Accountant and a Management Consultant for nearly 10 years before he joined the Honeywell Group in 1992. A multi-disciplinarian, Odunayo also serves in several boards both in the academia, professional bodies, among others. He shares his experience in business vis-à-vis his management style in this interview with Ibrahim Apekhade Yusuf

    TELL us about your management style. At Honeywell, we work as a team that means we ensure that every department is carried along and understands the role of that department in the attainment of that objective and along the line every member of staff is able to come to the appreciation of his or her own role in the achievement of both the departmental objectives in order to achieve the corporate goal. Beyond that, everybody is made to understand that he is only providing some service. That way, we all strive to get things done the way they should because we believe the ultimate goal of the company, which includes but not limited to profit-making and better returns on investment to our numerous shareholders, is achieved.

    As the boss who calls the shots, you must take decisions. Talking about decision, what’s the toughest decision you have had to take in recent times?

    That certainly is a tough one. As you said, the buck stops at my desk as the CEO. We take decisions as to who to hire and fire, and what have you. But the board is usually at the centre of any far-reaching decision we have to take at the management level. So, in our case, I don’t take unilateral decisions as such. We run a democratic government, so to speak at Honeywell. (laughs).

    Have you ever wielded the big stick at one time or the other?

    To me, the stick and carrot approach is an old method of what you need to do to get people to do what they have to do. So, I’ll not use the expression, “the stick and carrot” because it sounds “Sergeant Major…ish” in nature. (Laughs). I think people also need to be respected for their personality, for their being, for their ego, which you must nurture.

    Having said that, I can tell you there are many ways you can adopt if you need to make people do what they need to do in an organisational setting without necessarily wielding the big stick as you have said.

    In conclusion, let me also say here that the company has in place its codes of conduct which every staff complies with, in terms of safety standards and procedures among others. As such, no one tries to run afoul of these rules because we all appreciate their usefulness to the smooth running of the company’s operations as a whole. This boils down to what I said earlier about every member of staff sharing in our shared vision of improving the business ultimately for the good of the staff, shareholders and of course, our customers.

    As the CEO, what’s your driving force?

    I think it’s when we’re achieving results, when my team are happy and we are both achieving our targets through our customers who take our products. That makes us happy. You know our brands are household names in Nigeria, people love them and if you work in a company you cannot be happier if you can physically access the strength of your company through what customers say about you. So, no one can ask for more than that.

    How do you get out of the maze of busy schedules, among others?

    Well, if a man is not working, I think he should be with his family and that’s what I try to do most of the times because my family likes to see more of me.

    What stands out Honeywell among its competitors?

    It’s a whole lot of things we do. Good quality products, good customer service and committed team and what have you.

    Is your company involved in export?

    It’s good to export, especially to get your products into the world market. But right now, we’re concentrating on the local market and you know the market here is pretty huge.

    But having said that, I know some of our products are already outside the shores of this country, thanks to some of our customers, who without the prompting of the company have helped to market our products outside the country. If you go to London, Dallas in USA, and what have you, you’ll find our products there, which have been taken out by Nigerians who have consumed these products here in Nigeria and finding that other Nigerians who live abroad, who are in the Diaspora, these compatriots take these products to them. So, they are already enjoying our products out there. That much we can confirm.

    From your experience, what’s the installed capacity of all the mills in Nigeria?

    Well, I can tell you that the installed capacity of all the mills are just over 23, 000 tonnes, which is not very encouraging because of a number of factors such as epileptic power supply, cost of doing business and what have you.

    Any plans for the future after leaving Honeywell?

    Well, I’ll wait and see what the future will bring but I think the future should be bright. As I said, the future out there promises to be bright and better so I look forward to it. (Laughs).

  • ‘We are a window to the outside world’

    ‘We are a window to the outside world’

    Martin Mabutho is General Manager, Sales and Marketing, MultiChoice Nigeria and General Manager, DStv Nigeria. He is a man of vast experience, having worked in various capacities for MultiChoice, starting with his appointment as customer service supervisor in Botswana 15 years ago. He spoke to Gboyega Alaka on how he has been working quietly to consolidate the organisation’s 20-year achievement in Nigeria.

    YOU are coming to Nigeria at a time the competition for pay-TV is on the rise, how do you hope to ensure that the brand remains in its premium position?

    If you are referring to the rise in terms of intensity, I’d say it was much stronger when there was Hitv because they took the English premiership rights from us. In as much as I would like to acknowledge the other players in the market, one must also turn around and look at the benefits of having competition. Think of a consumer in a world where there is only one product. You can never be sure if you are getting your money’s worth because there is nothing for you to compare with. If you are living in a country like Nigeria today, where there are many players in the pay-TV space, you are able to tell who is just taking your money and who is giving you value for your money. In the end, we are happy because it is the consumer that benefits. In terms of our survival, I believe we’re solid enough to protect our turf, having been relatively stable in the Nigerian market for the past 20 years.

    Would you say that you have succeeded in selling the payTV culture to the people as much as you set out to in these 20 years?

    Yes, we have. What makes it even more interesting is the fact that we are now touching customers not only on the traditional ‘give me money; I’ll open up a card for you to watch.’ Over the past 20 years, we have noticed that the communities that we invest in are obviously made up of the elderly and the children, and are opportunities to connect with them on a more emotive level. To that effect, we have built 274 MultiChoice Resource Centers in 27 states in the country. And you need to see the change and the impact this has had on the students of beneficiary schools; you probably will be forced to shed a tear. These are kids that would otherwise not have known what the outside world looks like without the imagery of sights and sound which the MultiChoice Resource Centres provide. Apart from showing high quality live matches from the best leagues in the world, I think it is important to acknowledge that DStv is a window to the outside world.

    Tell us about the activities that are in place to mark your 20th anniversary?

    The 20th anniversary is a great milestone for us and we have marked it in different ways. The most important is the Sickle Cell Foundation, Nigeria. Twentieth anniversary or not, we support them and we are in talks to come up with a walk that will not only be for the sole purpose of walking from point A to point B, but to take a step further and impart knowledge and create the level of awareness on what sickle cell is and how it comes about, and what can be done. We also have renewed support for Nigerian football. In the North we haven’t covered as many games as we wanted to because of security reasons which are beyond our control, but we are not going to back off. Next year the situation might be better. We want to show Nigerians and the rest of the world what upcoming football stars are capable of. We also have renewed our support for basketball in Nigeria. We’re coming up with a couple of changes to address the issue of empty stands. You know basketball looks bad on TV, when it is shown against empty stands because it’s as if the players are watching themselves; so we’ve decided to fix that by taking the game to the people. We have invested in a movable court which we will take to different locations starting with Lagos; get our sister channels to advertise the league fixture etc; and get a lot more people to attend games. We have also roped in some of our sister channels like channel O to say, listen, basketball is a lifestyle thing and has got its own clique along with this rap thing and music. And we have partnered with radio stations to hype it and maybe bring celebrities to come and play some matches before the main league matches are played.

    Tell us about the new DStv Explora.

    From an innovation perspective, we rightfully launched our DStv Explora, but in launching the Explora around the continent, we decided to come up with a limited edition box, which is green white green. What we have done is to salute Nigeria by coming up with a limited edition of this special decoder with the inscription, “MultiChoice 20th Anniversary Edition.” We have also signed a deal with the Super Eagles through our sister company SuperSport that gives us the right to broadcast all Super Eagles home matches. We have first right of refusal for all the international away games. We believe that through our platform and expertise over the years, SuperSport will package the games into a sellable property. We could have had one big party in the stadium and called it a one-day celebration, but we have also spent three months rewarding our subscribers through draws. So you could go and watch Formula 1 or go and watch an NBA game, go to the Grammy Awards, to Sun City or to go and watch live Wimbledon games. We have also launched our Samba promo tagged, Let’s Go To Brazil, through which 60 lucky Nigerians get a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to visit iconic places of interest in Brazil in 2014. You’ll also recall the Chairman’s Ball, which capped our celebration, where we gave out free DStv Explora devices to over one thousand guests.

    What differentiates the Explora from the regular decoder?

    There is no decoder like this one in the world. It is another first from MultiChoice and it has two terabytes of memory. You can record up to 1,000 movies without needing to delete to make space. It also allows you, from early next year, to rent movies from the comfort of your lounge. It’s a function called Box Office. You click, pay and watch. It also has the Catch Up function which enables you go to the Catch Up menu and watch programmes you’ve missed, including all the sports highlights. And this happens even if there is no electricity in the house.

    Coming from an entirely different background, how do you relate with your staff and get them to perform optimally?

    I am very hands on. I operate an open door policy style of leadership and hope that upon every project embarked on with my team, somebody becomes a better resource to the company. I would like to inspire my team. I am fortunate to have worked for MultiChoice for this long in several parts of the continent. I graduated 15 years back and I have never worked for anyone else. I have worked for about four MultiChoice companies, group companies and have learnt a lot, starting as a customer service supervisor. So I’ll like to see guys from my team being sent to other group companies in other countries to lend a hand.

    You also seem to have become a man about town, especially with the way you talk and relate with people; tell us about your social life.

    When I first came to Nigeria, I was working on a project to launch AfricaMagic, which we launched on December 01 2003. I made friends with Kate Henshaw, she was also a guest presenter on MNet. I also made friends with Ramsey Noah, Olisa Adibua, Kenny from Kennis Music and a lot of other guys. These Nollywood guys took me to one place called Ojez in Surulere and I fell in love with the place because it gave me a different perspective of Nigeria. Prior to that, I would come and just stay in my hotel and thought I knew Nigeria. But you don’t know Nigeria until you have been to Surulere, Ajegunle and other places. I was also fortunate to work on Big Brother Nigeria, where I met a lot more people. I met a lot of the music stars like Dbanj, Dare Art-Alade and Idris Abdul-Kareem during the eviction after-parties.

  • Former Togo Prime Minister commends NAFDAC’s anti-counterfeiting fight

    Former Togo Prime Minister commends NAFDAC’s anti-counterfeiting fight

    FORMER Prime Minister of Togo, Mr, Edem Kodjo, has commended the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) on its anti-counterfeiting drug success in the West African sub-region.

    Kodjo, who is the President of PAX Africana, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) on drug trafficking, said the agency has gained international recognition in its war against fake drugs.

    He said the agency’s effort will increase access to safe and quality medicine.

    Kodjo, an exSecretaryGeneral of Organisation of African Unity (OAU), said Dr Paul Orhii’s appointment as the chairman of the World Health Organisation’s newly established 193 Member State Mechanism (MSM) on suspicious, substandard, falsely-labelled, falsified and counterfeit medical products will help Africa in food and drug regulation.

    This, he added, attested to his hard work and dedication.

    He said: “We led a mission here in Nigeria on the problem of drug trafficking and we were told that there is an institution here in Nigeria doing a very good job. We heard a lot of beautiful things on what NAFDAC is doing and we are pleased to be with you today.”

    He said his NGO was prepared to work with NAFDAC on the hydra-headed problem of cross border drug trafficking, stressing that the agency should play the ‘big brother’ role by assisting and sharing with other African countries her success tips.

    Responding, Dr. Orhii thanked the Kodjo-led delegation for their support.

    He said NAFDAC’s success was made possible through the support of the federal government.

    Orhii assured the group that NAFDAC would not relent on its effort to totally eliminate counterfeit drugs from the African continent.

  • Travelling this Xmas?

    Travelling this Xmas?

    Associate Editor, Sam Egburonu, offers tips on how to travel safe and with ease this Christmas.

    ARE are scared of the stress of traveling long distances to your villages and choice tourists centres in the country this Christmas? Are you scared of the bad and lonely roads and of security, amidst stories of incredible highway robberies and kidnappings?

    Do not be worried for increased awareness of the fears entertained by Nigerians at home and abroad seems to have geared up security operatives and private transport owners to prepare specially for this Christmas travelings.

    Our investigation during the week confirmed that most would-be travelers this Christmas are expressing concern not only about alleged state of insecurity and the bad state of the roads but most particularly about slow pace of development in the transport sector, which, according to Miss Bridget Uzoma has left long distance transportation in the country still very stressful.

    Miss Uzoma said on Thursday that she dare not contemplate traveling to her village in the eastern part of the country by road this Christmas. “I would have preferred traveling by road since I know it would be cheaper, especially because my luggage would be a little huge, but I am not sure of the security. So, I have already booked my flight,” she said.

    She is not alone. Mr. Nkem Udochukwu, who lives in the United States of America, told The Nation on telephone this week that he almost changed his initial plans of traveling home to Nigeria this Christmas because of stories he heard and read and because he was not sure of getting “safe transportation from Lagos to Mbaise.”

    “Yes, I want to travel home to Nigeria this Christmas, but I am just scared because of the reports we hear about kidnappings. I am from Mbaise in Imo State and is anxious to attend my cousin’s wedding this December. I was too scared until a week ago, when I learnt from a friend here in Texas that the rate of kidnapping at home is no longer as we have been made to believe. So, I will come. I have made arrangements to arrive Lagos on the 22nd December. But I am still lost on how to get a safe and convenient transportation from Lagos to Mbaise at the heat of Christmas festivities,” Udochukwu said.

     

    Tips on safe and comfortable land transportation this Christmas

    The fears expressed by most would-be travelers notwistanding, it is common knowledge that road transportation in Nigeria has come a long way since independence in 1960.

    In fact, since the early 1970s, when pioneers in luxury long distance transportation in Nigeria, like Augustine Ilodibe of Ekene Dili Chukwu fame, Ben Ubajiaka of Izu Chukwu fame and others blazed the trail to make long distance land transportation more luxurious and convenient, operators have continued to seek new ways of ensuring the safety and comfort of travelers. It is on record that by 1974, when Ekene Dili Chukwu was formally incorporated, it had about 50 buses. It grew very rapidly, especially when it introduced modern facilities like passenger terminals. So at its peak, the company reportedly had over 1000 vehicles in about 60 stations across Nigeria.

    This achievement, according to some observers, has been matched or surpassed by newer and more aggressive transport companies in the country, including older ones like Chisco Transport Limited founded by Chidi Anyaegbu, P. N. Emerah, whose company, P. N. Emerah Transport Limited, has for long dominated northern routes and ofcourse, Frank Nneji’s Associated Bus Company (ABC) Transport Company Limited, whose modern approach to transport management across the West African coast seems to be leading the way for younger entrants exploring ways of easing land transportation in Nigeria.

    Today, even with smaller buses and luxury vehicles, like space wagons, new operators are employing innovative management strategies to make road transportation more attractive.

    To take advantage of the growing trends and enjoy safe and comfortable land travel this Christmas, would-be travelers should among other precautions take note of these tips:

     

    * Book for seats ahead of time:

    As is applicable in air travel in Nigeria, major transport companies in Nigeria today offer services that allow a would-be traveler to book for his seat days before the traveling date. During Christmas, one of the major problems to expect is crowd management, especially in the eastern route as most Igbos and their neighbours in the old Eastern Nigeria use Christmas period as the time of annual family and community reunion. As a result, community festivities and most family festivities, including weddings, are scheduled to hold during Christmas when everybody is expected to visit home. To avoid the rush, book for your seat and for that of the other members of the family you will be traveling with.

     

    *Hire a very comfortable vehicle for your family alone:

    If you have a large family and would like to travel exclusively and make use of the rented vehicle at home all through Christmas, this service could be provided by most of the established companies at a very considerate price. Do you know that comfortable family vehicles like Toyota Sienna and even SUV vehicles are currently being offered for rent. You can take advantage of these.

     

    * If your luggage is more than average, and if they are fragile items, you can save yourself the stress and the risk by making use of the haulage and courier services now being provided by most of the established companies. So, you can travel light and allow the transport companies to bring home your luggages.

     

    *You can get a good lodging accommodation in the city very close to your village. If you are one of the would- be travelers afraid of arriving your village late in the night after the long distance journey, you can book for comfortable and safe accommodation at your destination terminal. Most of the established transport companies now have good and safe lodging facilities at their passenger terminals. The prices, we learnt, are far cheaper than conventional hotels.

    * If you are traveling with your vehicle, ensure you did full service. Ensure your tyres are good, if possible brand new! Also, maintain 100 km or at most 120 km. At that speed, espeially if you set out early, you can conveniently travel from Abuja, Kaduna or Lagos to Aba, Owerri, and any other part of eastern Nigeria.

     

    * Travel cash light: Banking facilities like ATM can be relied upon to travel cash light. This will reduce fear of high way robberies.

    As you take these tips, it would certainly be fun to travel by road this Christmas.

  • Bola Awosika makes waves in Abuja

    Bola Awosika makes waves in Abuja

    BOLA Awosika is one of the leading event planners in town. She is the brain behind B’Event, an outfit that has handled a lot of high profile events within and outside Lagos. She is also well known with her Laviva hair range, which has become one of the most sought-after hair pieces in the country. Fun-loving Bola moved her event management operation from Lagos to Abuja a few months ago. The Abuja outlet, located at Hannan Plaza along Aminu Kano Crescent, is meant to cater for clients in the northern part of the country while the Lagos end caters for the south. The new office, we gathered, has been a beehive of activities since it was opened.

  • Elohor’s top picks

    Elohor’s top picks

    I love Elohor Aisien’s of Berth Modelling style. Always polished and she knows what works for her and sticks with it.

    For her outfit at a fashion gathering recently, she wore a navy-blue trousers pant, light blue long sleeve shirt, with draping silk neck scarf.

    Want her outfit? You might check out the different clothes of the same style below

    You can opt for a three-quarter sleeve shirt if you like or if you want to look more romantic, knock-off the look with a tiny belt! Compliment it with light-red bow- pumps and handbag.

    Elohor has a great eye for mixing and matching effectively. Pair it with a simple wrist watch and off you go!

  • About Femi Hamzat’s humility

    About Femi Hamzat’s humility

    [checklist]MANY have been saying so many good things about Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, Lagos State Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure. [/checklist]Many have spoken of his intelligence; many have equally spoken of his remarkable humane nature; while many have also been extolling his religious tolerance attitude.

    Last Tuesday, we discovered another quality of the suave commissioner at the handing over of 16 rehabilitated roads to Mushin community by the Lagos State Government.

    Recognising Hamzat among the crowd became difficult as the commissioner was really ‘lost’ in the crowd. He spoke with lots of respect and, throughout the ceremony, he never lost his smile.

  • Nike Oshinowo’s love for Tuface Idibia

    Nike Oshinowo’s love for Tuface Idibia

    FOR many who do not know, we can reveal to you that one-time beauty queen, Nike Oshinowo, who just delivered twins, is one of the fans of hip-hop sensation, Tuface Idibia.

    One of the hit songs of the award-winning music act that got the former beauty queen’s attention is the African Queen.

    Just like music lovers have applauded the musician over the song, Nike believes Idibia must have had her in mind while composing the song.

    So if you really want Nike Oshinowo to let her air down, rock her with Tuface’s African Queen.