The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Company

  • Company boosts professional membership 

    Company boosts professional membership 

    Global network of premier real estate firms, LeadingRE, has announced 33 new members to its professional community. This  brings the firm’s worldwide membership to 550, representing a network of more than 138,000 sales associates in over 70 countries worldwide.  

    The new firms in LeadingRE’s network include property businesses in United States, Canada, Latin America, Caribbean, Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East, and Africa.  

     As an invitation-only business-to-business real estate community, LeadingRE interconnects top local and regional real estate firms worldwide and supports their success with best-of-industry assets, such as referrals, exclusive events, elite training and education, marketing and technology resources, and support.  

    Chris Dietz, president of Global Operations, said: “We are delighted to see our global network expand. We help members to be more successful by providing connections to market leaders, opportunities to foster business leads through referrals and knowledge sharing, as well as access to innovative, performance projects.”   

    Read Also: UBA okays $6b for SMEs across Africa

    LeadingRE supports its members with powerful connections to other market leaders and access to innovative, performance-driven programmes.

      It is  active in commercial real estate, with over 200 firms in 20 countries specializing in the commercial arena.

       Below is the list of new LeadingRE member firms:

      Asia Pacific Region: 

    Arcadia Consulting Vietnam – Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

    Cambridge Real Estate – Cambridge, New Zealand

    Lodge Real Estate Ltd. – Hamilton, New Zealand

    Richmont’s – Bangkok, Thailand 

      Canada:

    Boldt Realty Inc. – St. Catharine’s, Ontario

    Mackay Real Estate – Wolfville, Nova Scotia

    Real Estate Centre – Taber, Alberta

    Team Powerhouse Realty – Prince George, British Columbia

       Europe, the Middle East, and Africa: 

    BOULEVARD GROUP – Nice, France

    Castelhana Real Estate – Lisbon, Portugal

    Ismail and Partners – Lagos, Nigeria

    Maior Capital – Sardinia, Italy

    Oria Advisors – Lisbon, Portugal

    Philip & Frank – Prague, Czech Republic

    San Patrik Real Estate – Zabreb, Croatia

    Savoir Prive Properties – Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    Strand Properties – Marbella, Spain

      Latin America and the Caribbean:

    Dominican Properties – Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

    Panama Sovereign Realty – Pedasi, Panama

    Peters & Romero Real Estate – Mexico City, Mexico

    Propiedades Cancun – Cancun, Mexico

      United States: 

    Chisum Realty Group – Lewisburg, Pennsylvania

    Christie’s International Real Estate Bluegrass – Lexington, Kentucky

    ClearView Realty, LLC – El Paso, Texas

    DiPietro Group Real Estate – Windham, New Hampshire 

    DJ & Lindsey Real Estate – St. Augustine, Florida

    Galles Properties – Pagosa Springs, Colorado  

    Hogan Associates Christie’s International Real Estate – Middletown, Rhode Island 

    Homepage Realty – Louisville, Kentucky 

    Huntington & Ellis, A Real Estate Agency – Las Vegas, Nevada

    Liz Moore & Associates – Williamsburg, Virginia

    Meservier & Associates – Auburn, Maine

    Wallace Real Estate – Knoxville, Tennessee

  • Osun partners Bovas to tackle fuel scarcity

    The Osun State government has expressed its readiness to partner Bovas Petroleum Nigeria Limited, an independent petroleum marketing company, to tackle fuel scarcity across the state.

    The government said the partnership would avert scarcity of fuel by increasing the daily volume of petroleum products supplied and distributed across the state.

    Governor Rauf Aregbesola announced the partnership after meeting with the leadership of Bovas Petroleum, led by its Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Mrs. Victoria Adunola Samson, at the Government House in Osogbo, the state capital.

    The governor said he convened the meeting as part of his administration’s effort to relieve the pains the residents experienced in getting the petroleum products, being an important commodity to the people.

    Aregbesola said: “As a government, we want to do everything possible to end the protracted fuel scarcity in our state and we are ready to work with Bovas Petroleum to achieve this.

    “I know that Bovas Petroleum has a direct link with NNPC, and I am particularly thrilled that the company sells its products even below the official pump price, which is highly commendable.

    “We want to work with this company to improve the daily supply of petroleum products to our state and guarantee the product in every nook and cranny of our state.

    “There is no doubting the fact that Osun needs about 55 trucks laden with 33,000 litres of petrol everyday to meet its needs, but it is unfortunate that we get less than 10 trucks.

    “We are setting in motion the machinery that will facilitate the realisation of our objectives to guarantee a steady supply of petrol to our people.”

    Mrs Samson hailed Aregbesola for striving to rescue the state and the residents from the hardship of accessing and buying petroleum products.

    She said: “I am really touched to find out that the governor cares for the people of the state by striving very hard to ensure that Osun gets enough supply of petroleum products to ease the sufferings of motorists and commuters.

    “Though we have had a comprehensive discussion on this, but all I discovered is that he (Aregbesola) simply loves his people and he doesn’t want them to lack anything. That is why he wants us to bring enough supply to Osun to halt the current scarcity.

    “…We are ready to partner the state to increase on the supply capacity as we are promising to do our best to improve on the supply of petroleum to Osun to alleviate the suffering.”

     

  • Fuel scarcity: Consumers hail company for stable pricing

    Motorists and other consumers of petroleum products in the Warri axis of Delta State have hailed Matrix Energy Limited for selling the products at government-approved prices.

    Many of the consumers, who spoke with The Nation during a survey conducted last week, noted that since fuel scarcity started late last year, Matrix Energy had consistently made products available at the official pump prices.

    A resident Kingsley Ebikeme, who said he had been buying the Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), popularly called petrol, since the scarcity started, noted that the company had enabled him to save a lot of money.

    “Although the queues are always very long – because they are about the only filling stations that always has ready fuel and selling at N145 per litre – you can only imagine how much they save in a month for a middle-class person, especially when you have to buy at the average of N190 to N200 from the few other filling stations that also have fuel,” Ebikeme said.

    A transportation businessman Okeoghene Joseph said: “These people (Matrix Energy) deserve an award and whatever other thing that government can do to make them deliver better.

    “If not for Matrix, tell me how people like us could still been in business, because commuters are not always ready to pay extra in the name of fuel scarcity.”

    It was learnt that Matrix Energy’s steadfastness had started to yield positive results for consumers as the pump price is expected to crash in the market.

  • MAN seeks company income tax reduction

    MAN seeks company income tax reduction

    •’Morocco’s admission into ECOWAS will further de-industrialise Nigeria’

    Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) President Dr. Frank Jacob Udemba has called on the Federal Government to review downwards company income tax (CIT) from 30 to about 20 per cent or less.

    This, the association said, will technically reflect on the prevailing operating environment and economic situation of the country.

    Udemba, who disclosed this in a chat with The Nation, said it would  assist in reducing poverty and stimulating the economy, especially in the manufacturing sector.

    The government, he advised, should expedite action on the resource-based industrialisation programme adopted by it through deliberate funding and creation of an enabling environment. HE stressed that it would fast-track the development of selected mineral resources through backward integration, especially those with high inter-industry linkages.

    Udemba urged the government to release some of the money dociled in the TSA to deposit money banks, explaining that the money could be re-invested or ploughed back into the economy to generate more income.

    Udemba re-echoed that Morocco is a member of the European Union (EU), stressing that the Federal Government should strongly resist its admission into ECOWAS as it would be a deliberate effort to de-industrialise the manufacturing sector in the region.

    He said: “The implication is that admitting Morocco, who is a member of the EU, will result in signing EPA through the back door. So, our members cannot compete favorably with them. This means that products from Europe would find their way easily into the regional market. If there is no ulterior motive, I see no reason why Morocco that is in North Africa would want to join ECOWAS.”

    According to Udemba, MAN and other members of the Organised Private Sector of Nigeria (OPSN) had unanimously rejected Morocco’s admission into ECOWAS as it would not help the region to develop.

    He pointed out that MAN, as the OPSN leading voice on trade-related matters, maintains that signing the EPA in its present form would adversely affect the manufacturing sector, dispel the industrialisation headways already made, and worsen the unemployment and poverty levels in Nigeria.

  • CAC designs portal for company registration

    CAC designs portal for company registration

    The Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) has introduced an online registration method aimed at curbing the menace of fraudsters and middlemen. Its Acting Registrar-General, Lady Azuka Azinge, who spoke at a sensitisation programme in Kano, said the online registration method would go a long way in curbing hiccups and ambiguities hitherto associated with registration of companies in the country.

    She said the sensitisation visit was organised in collaboration with the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), adding that the intention was to bring together the management of the Commission, stakeholders and members of the public to interact on issues pertaining to the current reform initiatives of the Commission in providing an enabling business environment in the country.

    “The Kano sensitisation programme, which is the second in the series, is in pursuant to the 60 days Action Plan of the Federal Government on Ease of Doing Business in  Nigeria,” she said, adding that the first visit was held in Lagos on the October 19.

    In her goodwill message, Senior Special Assistant to Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, on Trade and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, represented by Ms. Rebecca Dokun,  hailed the CAC reform initiatives and urged stakeholders and members of the public to take advantage of the company registration portal to register their business directly without hitches.

  • Chi wins ‘Most Innovative FMCG Company’ Award

    Chi Limited has been given the ”Most Innovative Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) Company” Award at the Businessday Top 25 Most Innovative companies and Institutions in Nigeria Awards 2017.

    Chi Limited came out tops in a competitive category that included other major FMCG companies like AJE, makers of BIG Cola and Dufil foods, makers of Indomie Instant Noodles.

    According to the Businessday award committee, ‘Chi Limited’s visionary stride in innovating and launching a portfolio of new and existing brands into the consumer market including Chivita 100%, Chivita Active Vegetable & Fruit Nectar, Happy Hour by Chivita Fruit Drink, Hollandia Evaporated Milk, Hollandia Yoghurt and others provide ground-breaking innovations that have resulted, in no small measure, in making commercial and socio-economic impact, as well as value creation for clients and consumers’

    Offering high quality products, Chi Limited is the first company to launch major Mass market Ready to Drink products in aseptic sachet packaging in West Africa. Its flagship brand Chivita 100% is the only locally produced 100% fruit Juice made from real natural fruits with no added sugar, no artificial colours and no preservatives. Chivita Active Vegetable and Fruit is an innovative product that offers consumers in Nigeria for the first time choices in fruit juices made from the goodness of vegetable with the lip smacking goodness of fruit. While Chi Exotic Nectar is the definitive standard in its category in terms of its unique fruit mixes and taste offerings.

    Happy Hour by Chivita is rated the fastest growing juice brand with innovative variants that keeps consumers refreshed. Hollandia Yoghurt’s constant innovation, a peculiar rich mouth feel, variety of flavours and healthy goodness, has seen it rise to become the generic name for drinking Yoghurts amongst consumers, while Hollandia Evaporated Milk is the first Nigerian Milk brand to be packaged in aseptic packaging, which is renowned globally as a benchmark for quality. It is one of the most admired and innovative offerings in its category. These brands have also built enduring consumer loyalty through their impressive array of variants and market promotions.

    Chi Limited’s Managing Director, Deepanjan Roy stated that ‘We have received this Industry recognition as the most innovative FCMG company award by consistently delivering innovative products that have become household names in Nigeria. It also validates our commitment to ensuring that our range of products continue to be admired for its highest quality, nutrition & health standards’

    The Businessday Top 25 Most Innovative companies and Institutions in Nigeria Awards 2017 seeks to acknowledge, celebrate and promote extensively the Organisations and Institutions that have developed the most inventive and ground-breaking products, ideas and services in 2016 and thus, contributed immensely to the sustainability of its customer-base, bottom-line, overall organisational growth, as well as the socio-economic development of our country.

  • NNPC to transform into integrated energy company

    NNPC to transform into integrated energy company

    • Raises alarm over fake recruitment

    The  Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) said its ongoing reform is geared towards transforming the state-run oil firm into an integrated energy outfit with interest in power generation and transmission.

    Its Group Managing Director (GMD), Dr Maikanti Baru, who spoke at the 53rd International Conference and Exhibition of the Nigerian Mining and Geosciences Society (NMGS) in Abuja, said the oilf firm has identified opportunities in the power sector.

    In a paper titled: Challenges and Prospects for the Diversification of the Upstream, Downstream and Frontier Basin Exploration in the Oil and Gas Sector, Dr Baru said NNPC  was ready to take advantage of the power sector opportuniies. He said the firm will transform from being a gas supplier to the power sector into a major player.

    He said the Corporation was already working on a project to generate four Megawatts (4Mw) of electricity while also exploring the possibility of investing in the transmission segment of the  sector.

    In a statement yesterday, the GMD explained that the Corporation’s decision to diversify into the power sector was hinged on the need to bridge the huge energy gap in the market.

    He said contrary to the impression that the poor power situation was caused by inadequate gas supply, the real problem was inadequate transmission capacity. He added that there was enough gas to generate eight gigawatts (8Gw) of electricity but the transmission grid cannot support such volume of power without complications.

    Baru also defended the Federal Government’s plan to transform illegal refineries in the Niger Delta into legal entities for proper integration of the youth in the region.

    He argued that getting the youth to form consortia to set up 1000 barrels per day (bpd) modular refineries would get them off criminality and create jobs.

    In the upstream, he said his goal was to accelerate frontier exploration and grow crude oil reserve to 40 billion barrels from the current 37 billion.

    He also challenged the geoscientists on the need to deploy more sophisticated technology and drill deeper than the current 13,000 to 15,000 feet in the Niger Delta to produce more oil.

    “We have to look deeper with intensive 3D and 4D seismic surveys over the so-called matured Niger Delta. The older, the better”, he declared.

    The NNPC also raised the alarm on the existence of some dubious syndicates with specialty in extorting money from unsuspecting members of the public under the pretext of a purported recruitment exercise and promise of phantom job placements in the Corporation.

  • Dangote Tomato Company to resume production on Sunday

    Dangote Tomato Company to resume production on Sunday

    The Managing Director, Dangote Tomato Processing Company, Alhaji Abdulkarim Kaita, has said the factory will resume production on Sunday.

    In an interview, he said the company, located in Kadawa, Kano State, was expecting a team of engineers from Italy.

    “As part of preparations to resume production on Sunday, we are expecting a team of engineers from Italy today. The machines are under guarantee and we are not able to operate last year due to the scarcity of fresh tomato in Kano and other neighboring states,” he said.

    Kaita said the engineers would assess the quality parameters as well as the installed capacity of the machines before they could finally hand them over to the company. “Our engineers are ready to begin work and as soon as the other team of engineers arrive, we hope to resume operation on Sunday,” he said.

    He said the company had decided to resume production following availability of the commodity and the recent crash of its prices in the market.

    “The price of the commodity has come down as a big basket, which was selling at N4,000, now cost between N1,200 and N1,400,” Kaita said.

    The company last year stopped production due to scarcity of fresh tomato as a result of pest that ravaged farms in Kano and other tomato producing states.

    However, to ensure sufficient supply of the commodity, the company  signed an agreement with farmers in Gombe and Sokoto states.

  • How Akwa Ibom water company pipes are used for illegal sand dredging

    How Akwa Ibom water company pipes are used for illegal sand dredging

    Kazeem Ibrahym writes on how sand dredging is posing serious environmental degradation to many communities in the Akwa Ibom State.

    I am giving a one-week grace for owners of barges to remove all the dredgers they brought to destroy our environment. As we sit today, we cannot build a bridge at Ekpene Ukpa, we cannot build a bridge at Mkpok; because the entire surface that should hold the bridge has been taken out. Now if you remove the clay, you remove the entire sand that is supposed to hold the column. When you put the column, it floats. Some of these things are damaging our environment. If those things are allowed to continue, our generations, our children will not have where to call their own.”

    These were the words from Ephraim Inyang-Eyen, the Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Works while lamenting his frustration following the devastation done to the environment from the activities of those involved in illegal sand dredging.

    The activities of illegal sand mining otherwise known as sand dredging came under the attention of the Akwa Ibom State Government following public outcry over the devastating effects posed on the ecosystem.

    Many communities in the state have suffered untold hardship following the activities of the sand dredgers. Their economic livelihood, farming and fishing is no more. Many have also left the communities for fear of environmental degradation as many of the dredging sites have been abandoned by the dredgers and left with mighty gully.

    Worried by the unpleasant stories emanating from some of these communities, the State Governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, dispatched his foot soldiers to the sites of these sand dredging. Commissioners in three different ministries went on a surveillance tour. Works Commissioner – Ephraim Inyang-Eyen, his counterpart in the Environment Ministry, Dr. Iniobong Essien and Commissioner for Information, Aniekan Umanah.

    The three commissioners saw that there was high level connivance between officials of the Akwa Ibom Water Company Limited and those involved in the business of illegal dredging of sand. The commissioners didn’t visit the site alone, they went with heavy armed security agents where some arrest were made.

    At the dredging site, there were hallowed pipes of Akwa Ibom Water Company Limited used by the dredgers to dredge sand.

    A visibly angry Umanah vowed that the State Governor would get to the root of the matter. Umanah, who expressed shock over the development, said there was high network of people sabotaging the interest of Akwa Ibom state and the government of the state.

    He said: “I want to say that this revelation is shocking. We are shocked to our marrows because what this revealed is high level connivance. It has revealed a network of people sabotaging the interest of Akwa Ibom State and the government of the state.

    “The sincerity of investment of government in providing public water is sabotaged by a group of people who moved hallowed pipes for public water to dredge sand for their private interest. I know that Governor Udom Emmanuel will get to the root of this to safe this state from this level of abuse and rape of public interest against private interest.

    “What we have seen here through this exercise today is as devastating as the devastation we have seen here. We can see that this is only one or two communities in one local government. We understand this is going on in the totality of Akwa Ibom state. Some people have designed the destruction of this state and its ecosystem. We need to rise up against this.

    “We have to urgently arrest this situation. Community leaders and village heads must rise up. We cannot mortgage our future for peanut for people who come to connive from different parts of Nigeria because they want to dredge sand and make money. Our people must understand the depth of this destruction so that we can keep the state safe.”

    The Works Commissioner also said if urgent steps are not taken by the state government to ameliorate the situation, in another three months of heavy downpour, the state would have lost communities of Afaha Ikot Ossom and Ebieretu in Ibesikpo Asutan Local Government Area.

    Hear him: “At the rate of what we are seeing here, we guarantee that in another three months of heavy downpour, we would have lost this community. It is not make-believe, it is a practical thing. So I think at this point in time the entire Akwa Ibom people will have to rise up together in unison, no division in order to arrest this devastation. We will lose our environment and generation after us will not forgive us for this.

    “There is something I find very interesting here. In Lagos state or in other states of the federation, I understand the Nigerian Water ways are saying they are the ones to give mining licences. These licences are not given in other states because you can’t dredge sand in Lagos state, why is it dredged in Akwa Ibom?

    “We are sounding it loud and clear that whoever goes outside to get a licence even from the Presidency, Akwa Ibom people will resist it because this is our land and nobody will destroy it for us because after this destruction they will go somewhere else but we have nowhere to go to. Akwa Ibom people will resist this because we cannot surrender our environment to anybody.”

    The Commissioner for Environment said the activities of sand dredgers should be properly regulated in the state.

    He said: “Our clarion call to all and sundry in the state is that whoever wants to mine sand should follow clear cut procedures. We have set up a body which even includes the association of miners or dredgers in the state.

    “We have called on all of them to come forward because for whatever mining that is taking place in the state should be regulated. What you have seen here is total degradation of our environment and it is not sustainable because farming and fishing cannot take place in some of this areas. The source of livelihood for the people is totally gone. It is a call to all to come together and condemn this illegal act because that is the only way we can have sustainable development.”

    Akwa Ibom people await the next line of action from the state government.

  • Company to commence $11m catering facilities

    Catering facilities worth $11m is to be constructed by an in flight catering out fit in the country to take care of foreign airlines coming into the country.

    The Chief Executive Officer, Things Remembered Mrs Adeola Omikunle, who disclosed this at the launch of Hennessey bar at the Murtala Muhammed Airport Ikeja, said 60 to 70 percent of foreign airlines operating into the country will be adequately taken care of when it begin operations.

    Mrs. Omikunle noted that Things Remembered partnering Hennessey by opening the Hennessey bar at the MMIA was as a result of the high consumption of the product by Nigerians.

    According to her, it was part of Things Remembered’s contribution in adding value to the facilities at the airport.

    Mrs. Omikunle who has eateries at the General Aviation Terminal, MMA2, Abuja terminals and MMIA also supply domestic airlines with in flight catering services.

    “Our motivation is to add a value the airport, Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos. We are trying to rebrand Nigeria and this is the way that I’m contributing my own quota in rebranding Nigeria.

    “We are in Abuja airport, GAT, MMA2, and then the MMIA. And for your information, we are also doing air flight schedules.