A group of firms specializing in products for children came together recently to give parents and school owners opportunity to meet educational and personal needs during a three-day exhibition held at the Lagos Preparatory School, Ikoyi.
The exhibition tagged; Exclusively Children, also featured fun programmes and services for the children like storytelling with Ajapa and Grandma Wura, free pediatrics and dental checks, and they got to play with outdoor toys provided by Fun Factory.
The programme was organised by 10 companies, namely: Lanternabooks, Schoolkits, MeadowHall Group, The Baby Lounge, Froggles, Oakwookd Travels and Tours Ltd, Fun Factory, Standard Mandate International, Storyteller, and Educational Consulting Associates.
Convener of the exhibition, Mr Remi Morgan of Lanterna books, said the aim of the fair was to provide a platform for parents and school owners to access resources that can help improve learning outcomes in children.
“The goal of the exhibition is to showcase a wide range of products and services available for children, including educational toys, learning resources, books, clothing, school uniforms, children’s furniture, schools and other products and services that are entirely focused on meeting the various needs of our children,” he said.
Mrs Temilolu Adepetun, CEO of School Kits Ltd, also spoke of plans to provide a directory of children’s goods and services online.
“We want to get reputable companies who produce children goods and services and we want to have a directory of them; we want to put that online. We have a lot; our vision is quite wide. It is going to be unfolding as time goes on,” she said.
Imani Media International, the organisers of the Lagos International Food and Beverage Fair (LIFBF), has announced this year’s edition.
The 5th edition of the fair will hold between June 2 and 5 at the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.
A statement by the organizers reads: “The LIFBF is a four-day trade event designed to promote the food and beverage industry, establish business networks and close the gap between the producers and the final consumer while improving the economy. The annual event is geared to become the ‘Largest Food and Beverage Fair in Africa.’
“Strategically, the LIFBF is always scheduled to hold few days to the Ramadan season and it has run consistently for the last four years. This is the 5th edition and we are getting closer to our vision of becoming an international fair opening up for international participation.
“Coincidentally, the shift of focus from an oil dependent economy to other sectors such as agriculture has brought in a lot of events into the industry. Hence our theme for this year is ‘Food Security’. In addition to that, for the first time in Nigeria, the Lagos State government established the Office of the Special Adviser to the Governor on Food Security.
The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola (SAN), will discuss how the government‘s infrastructure development plan will help Nigerians make the best of agricultural opportunities.
The event is Agritech Fair, an international exhibition designed to support the changing operational needs and growth objectives of Nigeria’s dynamic agribusiness. It is scheduled for between June 15 and 16 at The Old Parade Ground, Garki, Area 10, Abuja.
Fashola is one of the key resource persons.
According to the Executive Director, Remick Promotions, organisers of the fair, Mrs Remi Agbowu, the event is designed to help Nigerians secure a more prosperous future by increasing household incomes and employment, nurturing competitive small and medium enterprises and promoting a vibrant agricultural sector.
She said the fair would attract Nigerian and international professionals from the agricultural food production, fishing and aquacul-ture and food processing industries.
Attendees, according to her, will have the opportunity to source and buy the latest products, equipment and services to enhance their production productivity from the field to the processing plant.She said: “They will have the chance to interact with both domestic and international investors, understand the market appetite for their products and understand the best channels for delivery to market.”
According to her, delegates at the conference will benefit from a mix of seminars and interactive workshops providing unparalleled, highly valuable face-to-face learning opportunities.
A premium line-up of national speakers will present their knowledge, experiences and solutions on all aspects of farm management – productivity, food quality, nutrition and R&D, strategy, animal care, livestock management and agricultural investment. She listed them to include the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh; Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal; Kebbi State Governor, Atiku Bagudu; Vice-Chancellor, Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Prof. Biyi Daramola; Director–General West African Institute for Financial and Economic Management (WAIFEM), Prof Akpan Ekpo, the Harvest Plus Nigeria Country Manager, Paul Ilona, among others.
She said: “The launch of Agritech fair follows extensive industry research and consultation, which clearly demonstrated the market need for a premium quality, comprehensive agribusiness event for the full ‘farm to fork’ agricultural/agri-food value chain.”
She added: “Remick Promotions is delighted to be working with Nigeria’s dynamic agribusi-ness industry and offering a platform to support its growth. We will be working closely with our strategic partners and other industry stakeholders to ensure that the content and direction of Agritech fair stays firmly aligned with the industry’s needs, objectives and culture. We urge companies and individuals interested in participation at the programme, whether as an event partner, exhibitor, sponsor, trade visitor, conference delegate or speaker, to contact us as soon as possible to get on board and help us to help you support the future growth of your industry.”
The fair is supported by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the peak industry body, Nigeria Agribusiness Group (NABG).
Meanwhile, Agritech Fair Beauty pageant will take place at Milverton Hotel Lokoja on June 11, 2016.
The 15th Lagos Housing Fair (LHF) begins on April 25.
The Vice Chairman of the LHF Committee, Mr. Moses Ogunleye, told reporters that attention would to be paid to the values and benefits in the production, application and promotion of indigenous materials of all types. He observed that at this stage of the country’s development, Nigeria should be a global leader in the export of various types of building materials.
His reasoning is hinged on the provisions of the National Housing Policy of 2011, which has as its core goal the hastening of the development of appropriate capacities to achieve sufficiency in the production of basic building materials and components of acceptable qualities from local sources.
“There is a need to focus attention on local content in the provision of housing, particularly now that the emphasis of the government is on the diversification of the economy,” Ogunleye said, adding that specific attention needed to be paid to the values and benefits in the production, application and promotion of indigenous materials of all types.
The LHF will focus on the encumbrances in the channels of turning locally-made items into other products for construction purposes and wealth creation.
Already, 85 exhibitors have signed up to participate in the fair, which will be declared open by the country’s former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. “Organisations that will exhibit their products are those that are already manufacturing local building products,” The Chairman, Planning Committee, LHF, Mrs. Abiola Williams, said.
In its 15 years of existence, the fair has been a veritable avenue to create awareness on designs and indigenous materials in construction.
No fewer than 500 firms from West Africa have shown interest in the First Southsouth International Trade Fair being organised by the Forum of Southsouth Chamber of Industry, Mines and Agriculture (FOSSCCIMA).
The fair, slated for Isaac Boro Park, Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, from April 10 to 30, is expected to attract businesses across all sectors of the economy, according to the organisers.
FOSSCCIMA President, Prince Billy Harry, who spoke to reporters in Port Harcourt, said the association would strive to create strategic partnership with the government to attract investment and grow the region’s economy.
He noted that the fair would create opportunities for unemployed youths, stressing that the organisation’s focus is to reduce youth restiveness in the Niger Delta.
According to Harry, the group will strive to create strategic partnership, sound coordination and cooperation with both the federal and state governments in the region.
This, he said would attract investment, encourage more companies to make investment in the region, engage youths and provide platform for continued dialogue towards reduction of youth restiveness.
He said: “We believe that the chains of poverty, environmental degradation, neglect, economic abuse, injustice and absence of visible economic investment in the Southsouth needs to be severed and not just symbolically but radically through investment in infrastructure, improved youth empowerment and engagement, sustained growth of SMEs and new opportunities.”
At the fair, he noted that a project termed Registration of Unemployed South-South Youths (RUMSSY) would be launched and it is going to run throughout the duration of the fair.
The project, he added would provide an avenue for unemployed skilled and unskilled youths in the Southsouth region will be registered.
He said the registration of all the unemployed south-south youths (RUMSSY) is one of the most critical and significant socio- economic change requirements in our region. “What we need in the entire country today is youth empowerment, youth engagement and youth unemployment. This is reported to be as high as 35per cent especially among the 18-24 year range,” he said.
He further stated that the past administration established the Graduate Internship scheme (GIS) as part of the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE P) which was claimed to be capable of creating jobs for 50,000 youths across the country to develop their skills and empower them for employment in the short/medium/long. However, he lamented that the effectiveness of that programme and its real/positive impact on youths in the South-south is yet to be realised.
The Shiite Islamic movement has kicked against the inauguration by Governor Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai of Kaduna State yesterday of a Judicial Commission of Inquiry to probe the December clash between members of the group and soldiers.
The group accused El-Rufai of inaugurating a ‘commission of Indictment’ against them, concluding that the commission of inquiry would not be fair to the Shi’ites group.
The Islamic Movement in Nigeria, in a swift reaction issued after the inauguration of the commission yesterday, said it had earlier written a petition against the commission and its composition, which was not addressed by the state government.
According to the movement’s spokesman, Ibraheem Musa, “The Islamic Movement believes the commission looks more like a commission of indictment than a “commission of inquiry because of the following indisputable facts:
“Some identified members of the commission have vested interests against the Movement in particular and the Shi’a in general. Thus, by law, they are automatically disqualified from participating or serving in the commission.
“Kaduna State Government has demonstrated bias and made pre-matured conclusions against the Movement even before setting up the Commission.
“The Nigerian Army, ably represented in the Commission too, has vested interests with the level of serious and grievous allegations of massacre, illegal detention, rape, arson and willful destruction of properties against it.
“The Movement is not represented in the membership of the Commission.
“The composition of the Commission has no local or international human and humanitarian rights groups.
“In view of the above, the fairness, independence and impartiality of the Commission as required by Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the provisions of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights Cap A9, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights are in doubt.
“The rules of natural justice require, inter alia, that where likelihood of bias can reasonably be inferred or discovered whether directly or indirectly from the surrounding circumstances, then fair hearing is not observed. This is because justice should not only be done but it must be manifestly and undoubtedly be seen to have been done.
“Based on the above, we still insist that: The Commission as constituted lacks both legal and moral standing to inquire into the “clashes” that happened between the Nigerian Army and members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria on 12th -14th December, 2014 at Zaria for lack of fairness, independence and impartiality.
“An independent judicial commission of inquiry with the supervision and observation of international community be set up instead to inquire into the Zaria incident of December 12-14, 2015.
“The leader of the Islamic Movement, Sheikh Ibraheem Yaqoub Zakzaky, should be released from custody. Even at the time of writing this statement, neither his family nor lawyers have met him wherever he is being detained.”
Tropical Naturals Limited, manufacturers of Dudu-Osun Black Soap and other range of personal/skin care products, has taken its range of products to ongoing Lagos International Trade Fair with a promise to offer customers/visitors lots of fun and excitement during the ten-day event.
Its Brand Manager, Mr. Lamidi Kazeem, said all hands are already on deck to make the experience memorable to all guests that will be visiting the company’s stand during the fair. He said lots of give-away items await both traders and direct users. “We enjoin everyone to be our guest during the fair,” he said.
He stated that the company’s range of brands is specially formulated and ideal for the entire family by providing all-time protection and nourishment for their skin. He said the company, which also manufactures Dudu-Osun moisturising lotion and tropical natural shea butter, carefully selects the natural ingredients for the well-being of the family.
“We harness the power of nature to satisfy the skin’s need. The products keep the entire family disease-free for generations to come,” he explained.
Doregos Private Academy, Ipaja, does not take the implementation of the Trade Subjects component of the Senior Secondary School Curriculum lightly.
Saturdays are used to learn practical skills in the six trade subjects (Fashion Design; Photography; Aluminium fabrication; Grooming; bead making; and event and decoration) that the school has chosen to focus on.
The results of the practical sessions were displayed during the school’s first ever Young Entrepreneur Fair (YEF) penultimate week.
The pupils showcased what they had learnt with an array of products that impressed parents including beads, jewelries, garments sewn by them; aluminum windows which they fabricated and photographs, among others. The programme also featured a competition in the six trade areas in which the top three winners were rewarded with tools for each of the trade.
Success Oke, who sewed the best dress, got a sewing machine; Samuel Abba got a camera for coming first in Photography; Blessing Akakpo got decoration tools for winning the Event and Decoration category; Azeem Arowosaye was given a set of barbing tools for coming first in Grooming; Ibukun Olanipekun won bead making tools for the category; while Group One, made up of four pupils got welding tools for winning Aluminum Fabrication category.
Expressing her delight on the initiative, Rita Obiele, Success Oke’s cousin, said the programme has helped to enhance the teenager’s creativity.
“I noticed creativity in her. She can draw and she is always staying with one of my nieces who is a fashion designer. This initiative is very good. In our country today there is no white collar job. It only takes the creativity in you to succeed,” she said.
The programme also featured talks from two alumni of the school, who are now successful entrepreneurs.
One of them, Gbenga Ayo-Dada praised the initiative and the school for preparing the pupils well for the future. The graduate of Philosophy, who runs a business designing beaded jewelry, counseled parents to allow their wards express themselves in whatever careers they are comfortable with and not box them to a corner.
“Most of my siblings came to Doregos. They were all award winners. I was not; but the teachers did not discriminate. Parents, not all your children will excel in academics; we are all different. When you discover something in your child, cultivate it. I can stand here today because my parents and teachers cultivated me. If they treated me like I was useless, I won’t be here today. My late father was the best thing that happened to me. When he heard I was doing beads, he didn’t talk down on me. He showed me different styles in magazines,” he said.
Like Gbenga, chairman of the occasion, Mrs Josephine Onwuegbuzie, also counseled parents to encourage their wards to follow their dreams and embrace entrepreneurship.
On his part, Executive Director of the school, Mr Bernardino Doregos, praised the trainers engaged by the school to teach the Trade Subjects for doing their jobs well. He also praised the pupils for the talents they displayed.
In an interview, the school’s founder, Mrs Clementina Doregos, said it was difficult getting parents’ cooperation in getting their wards to school on Saturdays for the training.
“We have had problems with parents. Some refused to pay the token fee we charged for the training; others say they don’t have time to drop the children in school on Saturdays. We have had to house some Day students in the boarding house to enable them participate if their parents complain. After they leave this school, we expect them to continue with these skills,” she said.
Thirty institutions are expected at the Education UK Postgraduate Exhibition 2015 organised by the British Council in Abuja and Lagos next month.
The Abuja fair would hold November 4, while the Lagos version holds on 6 and 7.
The exhibition, in its third year, is designed for prospective students interested in an international education at the postgraduate level.
They would be able to meet with representatives of the institutions and get direct advice on the opportunities available to them for study in the UK.
Each year, students from Nigeria study in the UK, joining close to two million local students from England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, plus around 500,000 other international students from 200 countries.
Sephora Imomoh, Project Manager at the British Council said the UK is a popular destination for international students because of its education system is reputed to lead “to internationally recognised qualifications,” which offer good career prospects in Nigeria.
“With a strong reputation for research, innovation and creativity, UK universities and colleges attract some of the world’s leading academics and industry professionals. Students are encouraged to express their ideas and think for themselves,” she said.
Students can register online to attend the fair free of charge.
The exhibitors are few, patronage insignificant, items too costly. This year’s Abuja International Trade Fair is leaving a sour taste in the mouth, reports GRACE OBIKE
It hurts to admit, but the 10th Abuja International Trade Fair is falling short in several respects. There is none of the trademark hustle and bustle. Nor that feast atmosphere. The sellers are few, and those who display their articles are grumbling about low patronage. Even the few buyers are just as frustrated, lamenting prices they consider out of reach.
People believe that new and uncommon products can be bought at cheaper rates at trade fairs. Indeed, that used to be the case in Abuja when patrons trooped to trade fairs especially those held at the old parade ground right in the middle of town.
Things seem to be changing.
Some residents of Abuja who visited this year’s fair at the J. T. Useni International Trade Fair complex along Airport Road with the hopes of a fair that can be compared to others left disappointed.
•Scanty crowd at the fair
The reason for this poor outing at the fair is not quite clear. Is it the poor economic situation in the country? Is it because the fair is being held during the Sallah celebrations or that the distance to the venue is far? What is beyond doubt is that fewer people visited the fair last week even though it was public holiday marking the Eid el-Kabir celebrations.
Guests familiar with other trade fairs were mostly disappointed after they were forced to pay the compulsory N100 gate fee to enter the complex, with few stalls and even fewer buyers showing up.
Although the few participants at the fair actually came from a few different countries like Egypt, Ghana, Cameroon, etc, others came from Lagos and other states.
The fair, which was opened on Friday September 18 and ends on October 2, has given many participants reason to worry as most of them complained of low patronage and poor turnout of buyers.
Ghanaian jewel seller who gave his name as Mensah complained of lack of sales.
He said, “This was not what I expected, to be honest. Last year’s fair was better that this one. I have barely recovered my transport to Abuja, talk more of other things. The few people that come price the products so low and complain that they are expensive but it is not our fault.” ?
For some visitors, the fair was some sort of family excursion, with their active children turning the place into a playground, while the parents went from one shop to the other trying to bargain their way through the market.
“I am honestly not impressed,” said a man who came with his wife and three children. “Will you believe they counted all of us in the car and made us pay for each person? It is crazy; usually, when you drive into trade fair grounds with your car, you are just required to pay for the car and not everyone else in it.”?
Complaining further, he said, “We are in an electronic age and you will expect that there will be an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) mounted in the complex to make it easier to shop but none; the traders do not even have a Point of Sales (POS) machine to make shopping easier. One will have to leave the complex and go all the way to Area 1 to withdraw more money since Lugbe Federal Housing that happens to be the? area around here with a bank can only boast of one bank and there is no money in it with the Sallah break.”
The theme of the fair is “Entrepreneurship as a panacea for economic growth”.
Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Trade and Investment, Mr Abdulkadir Musa said that the trade fair seeks to lay a foundation for inclusive growth, wealth creation, food security and reduction of the cost of doing business in Nigeria.
He added that the fair was one of the best platforms for international and domestic exhibitors to create new product lines, access new markets, build new business relationships and showcase new products.?
