The Nation Newspaper

Tag: improved

  • Boko Haram: Air and ground operations have improved, says GOC

    •10, 000 soldiers promoted in Yobe

    The General Officer Commanding 3 Division Nigerian Army Brig. General Mohammed Adbullahi Aliyu has said that the bureaucracy once associated with air operations and ground troops in the fight against Boko Haram has long been removed and the operations are quicker, more effective and responsive at the moment.

    The GOC while briefing journalists in Damaturu, the Yobe State capital, as part of his working tour, noted that all Brigade Commanders in the Northeast could make direct calls for air assistance in any part of the region in the event of any Boko Haram attack unlike in the past where long protocols must be observed before a pilot flew to a troubled area.

    Brig. Gen. Aliyu also spoke on the effort the military is putting in place to ensure that displaced people are returned to their liberated communities without recurrent attacks from the insurgents.

    He noted that about 400 soldiers had been deployed to Yobe State to ensure that commercial activities return to the liberated areas, especially the Damaturu/Buni Yadi/Biu road which had been closed from public travel for more than year.

    After assumption of office, Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, declared the road open to motorists but many refused to ply the road except security agencies that relocated to Buni Yadi.

    Speaking on the recent pockets of attack in Yobe, the GOC who is in charge of the Tactical Command, Damaturu explained that his troops have been generally on top of the situation, adding that the insurgents failed to wreak greater havoc because of the flow of useful information from the general public which he maintains is key to the success of the fight.

    He disclosed that the Boko Haram terrorists that attacked 120 Batalion at Goniri on January 15 this year were pursued to the villages of Ajgin, Talala and Kafa, while about 14 Boko Haram terrorists were killed on the same day in Churokusko in Tarmuwa Local Government of Yobe State with different kinds of ammunitions recovered, including six AK-47 riffles, three IEDs, four 36 handheld grenades, one GPMG, four magazines and 382 Rams of 7.62 mm (NATO).

    In another attack in Babangida village on Sunday morning, the GOC said that the terrorists attacked a police station and took off with two Hilux vehicles belonging to the police. They also burnt down the Airtel telecommunication mast in the DPO’s compound.

    The GOC regretted that the attack on Babangida must have been aided by collaborators in the village, noting that the “Headquarters of 3 Division Civil Military Coordination Cell (CIMIC) is working hand-in-hand with the state government to sensitise the locals in order to discourage the collaborators aiding BHTs in achieving their aims”.

    Speaking on the morale of soldiers in the theater of operation, Brig. Gen. Aliyu disclosed that about 10, 000 soldiers have been given special promotion for exemplary fight against the insurgents in the state, with 1, 500 awaiting promotion.

  • ‘Improved power key to business growth’

    ‘Improved power key to business growth’

    Stakeholders  have agreed that improved power supply is vital to business growth in Nigeria.

    They gathered at a seminar organised by Mantrac Nigeria Limited to inform its customers about Caterpillar products, facilities, product support services, and new product options.

    The event, held in Lagos emphasised the growing need for improved power supply in the country. Speaking on “Power to grow your business,” the stakeholders applauded the country’s quest for improved capacity to generate power, maintaining that in the interim, private power solutions remained the most viable option open to business to augment the shortfall in power supply.

    The Managing Director of Mantrac Nigeria Limited, Caterpillar’s sole representative in Nigeria, Mr. Edmund Martin-Lawson, said: “The focus of the seminar is to enlighten the business community on the power to do business. Without power we won’t have energy; without energy we can’t produce. We need power everywhere and what we are saying today is that we have the power systems to grow business and move forward.”

    He noted that the world was now moving forward so rapidly and hybrid power systems that utilize solar energy and battery are now available to support the power needs of businesses. “Nigeria needs over 20,000 megawatts (Mw) of power but unfortunately what is being generated now is far too low. That is why there is need to bridge the gap between what is available and the power goals the country wants to realize in future,” he said, noting that the available products which meet customer needs ranged from hybrid, fuel to heavy diesel sets.

    “Definitely it is important for Nigeria to have power. The country has been growing steadily for some time. If we have increased power supply capacity, the growth rate which is currently in single digits will definitely be in double digit. What that means is that this country and economy definitely need extra power to move industries and businesses forward.

    “In the interim, that shortfall will come from power systems providers who have the capacity to provide the needed power equipment that will add more power through the country’s IPP project,” he said.

    Caterpillar’s Territory Manager, Stefan Laszenwski who is based in Geneva, Switzerland, assured of his company’s readiness to assist the country with power solution equipment to help in realizing her ever growing power needs. He said the in-thing in the world at the moment was progress, emphasizing that Nigeria needed to move forward and availability of power was key to such forward move.

    Laszenwski praised the country’s determined drive towards improved power generation, and noted that the country’s Independent Power Project (IPP) initiative could be enhanced with the latest range of equipment in his company’s stable. He said businesses and local communities could be boosted with products that could power several thousands of homes, islands, marine installations and Central Business Districts (CBDs). The products he said could run on gas, and with improved gas supply in the country, the era of poor power generation might be over soon.

    “I believe that what we at Mantrac are bringing in will improve the capacity of most Nigerian companies to do business,” he said. The option of gas-powered generators gives industrial customers up to 70 per cent savings on running cost.

  • Don seeks improved welfare for journalists

    Don seeks improved welfare for journalists

    The welfare of journalists should be prioritised by publishers and media owners to encourage best practice and professionalism. These were the words of Dr Andrew Ate, the guest lecturer at a programme organised by the Department of Mass Communication of the Adekunle Ajasin University at Akungba-Akoko (AAUA) in Ondo State.

    The lecture with the theme: Mass Communication: Past, present and future, marked the 10th anniversary of public lecture in the department.

    While noting that there was need to strengthen professionalism in journalism, the guest lecturer said the media’s future would be driven more by digital technology that is beneficial to the practitioners, academics and the society.

    He said:  “The future of Mass Communication is very bright. It is a profession for the future that would be practised more by sophisticated digital tools and creativity. New functions, trends and paradigms would continue to emerge for the benefit of mass media practitioners, scholars and the society in general. This is why we need to prepare ourselves for tomorrow.”

    Ate said entrepreneurial journalism should be given prominence in higher institution to encourage creative students make lawful money through blogging and information sharing. He said the new media had expanded the scope of journalism and made graduates of Mass Communication to be self-employed through activities on social media.

    Speaking earlier, the Vice-Chancellor (VC), Prof Igbekele Ajibefun, represented by his deputy, Prof Oluyemisi Adebowale, praised the staff and students of the department for sustaining the public lecture, which he said had exposed students to trends of Mass Communication.

    The VC said: “I celebrate the department for being a progressive entity of the university. I am elated to know that the public lecture has been sustained for 10 years. I commend staff and students for keeping the tradition of excellence for which the school is known. I encourage the department to continue to expose students to new aspect of Mass Communication.”

    The Acting Head of Mass Communication Department, Dr Babtunde Oyinade, pointed out that there was need to turn the department into a School of Communication to accommodate similar programmes. He revealed that the department would soon establish its graduate programmes to ensure students get adequate training in journalism.

    The event featured presentation of award to people whose efforts led to the development of the department. The immediate past VC, Prof Femi Mimiko, received award of excellence for leadership and media education development. Also honoured were Dr Rotimi Oladele, award of excellence for leadership and professionalism, Chief Dayo Duyile, award of excellence of media training and mentoring, and Mr Tokunbo Jegede, award of excellence for leadership and media partnership.

    The department also recognised its alumni with ambassador awards. They are Shola Ilesanmi, Felix Ochuko, Oladipupo Akinwunmi, Toyosi Olola and Mrs Sade Seye-Ojo.

    Making a speech on behalf of the awardees, Shola Ilesanmi, an ex-CAMPUSLIFE correspondent, praised the department for rewarding them. He said the awards would be a motivation for them to do more excellent works.

     

  • Why power supply improved under Buhari, by Nebo

    Why power supply improved under Buhari, by Nebo

    Former Power Minister Prof. Chinedu Nebo has attributed the nation’s improved power supply to efforts of former President Goodluck Jonathan.

    He argued that it would be wrong for Nigerians to attribute the improvement in power supply to President Muhammadu Buhari’s body language and his anti-corruption stance.

    The former minister, who served as the pioneer vice chancellor of the Federal University, Oye Ekiti (FUOYE) before he was appointed minister, said Jonathan did his best to transform the power sector, but was frustrated by saboteurs.

    Nebo spoke in Ikole Ekiti on Saturday, where he was conferred with an honorary chieftaincy title of the Atayese of Egbeoba kingdom by the Elekole, Oba Ajibade Adewumi Fasiku.

    The traditional ruler also honoured the ex-minister’s wife, Felicia, with the title of Yeye Atayese of Egbeoba kingdom.

    They were honoured for their contributions to the establishment of the FUOYE’s Faculty of Engineering in Ikole town during Nebo’s tenure.

    Nebo said:  “Some said it was Buhari’s body language that brought the improvement, but I didn’t know what they meant. You can see that these saboteurs have stopped regular bursting of the gas pipes that powered the electricity since President Buhari came on board. Some people did not want Jonathan to succeed.

    “Some of these people were doing this great disservice because they did not like President Jonathan. The regular supply is Jonathan’s

    labour. The present administration has not added any value to the sector and Nigerians must appreciate this.

    “President Buhari will do wonders if he strengthens embedded generation and built more infrastructure for transmission of power.

    “He should also change the threshold for licensing from one megawatt to five megawatts because the former has no incentive for investors and I believe Nigeria will leapfrog from 4,000 megawatts to something more appreciable, if this is done.”

    On the perceived marginalisation of the Southeast from key appointments made so far, Nebo appealed to the people of the zone to be patient with the President.

    He noted that the lopsidedness would be corrected in the next appointments.

    The Elekole said the conferment of the titles on Nebo and his wife was in acknowledgement of their contributions to the university and the town’s development.

  • Aregbesola: pupils’ performances have improved

    Aregbesola: pupils’ performances have improved

    Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola  yesterday reeled out statistics showing that pupils’ performances in public examinations have confirmed remarkable improvements in the quality of education in the state.

    The governor described as unfounded the allegation of detractors that the performance of pupils had gone down under his watch.

    Speaking at the World Teachers Day in Osogbo, the governor said a remarkable 61 per cent improvement was recorded.

    He said: “In 2007, government put forward 36,171 for WAEC examination, of which 2,483 representing 6.86 per cent had credit passes in five subjects, including English and Mathematics.  In 2008, it was 37,715 candidates with 3,813 passes, representing 10.11 per cent, in 2009 it was 39,676 candidates, with 5,545 passes, representing 13.98 per cent. In 2010 it was 43,216 candidates, with 6,777 passes, representing 15.68 per cent. These four years gave us an average of 15.68 per cent.

    However, our administration started sponsoring candidates in 2011, we fielded 53,293 candidates, had 11672 passes, representing 21.98 per cent. In 2012, we fielded 51,463 of which 11,431 passed, representing 22.21 per cent. In 2013, we also fielded 47,013 candidates, recorded 9,301 passes, representing 19.78 per cent. The average performance for our first three years was 21.32 per cent.

    “Compared with the average performance (13.26 per cent) of the three years that preceded us, the percentage improvement in performance during our tenure is 61 per cent. You can’t fight with figures.”

     

  • 1,200 farmers trained on improved cassava yield

    No fewer than 1200 cassava farmers have been trained on new farming methods and given 4440 bundles of high yielding cassava cuttings by the Cassava: Adding Value for Africa Project, Nigeria (CAVA II).

    The programme, which started in April, was facilitated by service providers working for CAVA II-Nigeria in some states.

    Four geo-political zones – South-South, Northcentral, Southsouth and Southwest – were covered during the training.  Thereafter, the farmers were linked to markets close to them.

    The Country Manager, Cassava: Adding Value for Africa-Nigeria, Prof Lateef Sanni, said the programme was aimed at mentoring smallholder farmers to cultivate cassava, thereby increasing their incomes.

    He said: “Our aim is to mentor and coach the smallholder farmers to cultivate high-yielding cassava varieties, and expose them to good agronomic practices, which will increase their yield per hectare.

    ‘’In the next 12 months, when they harvest the varieties, if they are able to get about 25 per hectare, it can be said we have been able to improve their yield from the current 11 tons per hectare to 20- 25 tons per hectare.”

    Sanni said the training was in line with the objective of the CAVA II Project aimed at improving the incomes of smallholder farmers.

    He said: “If the project is able to double the yield of the farmers without expanding the area of their cultivation, the farmers will make more money. The improved varieties distributed to the farmers will also have a diffusion effect on other farmers, because after harvest, the farmers with high-yielding varieties can circulate their cuttings to other farmers in their vicinity; and gradually the low yielding varieties cultivated by most farmers will be replaced with high yielding varieties.”

    The Country’s  Technical Expert on Cassava Production for CAVA II-Nigeria, Mr Stephen Olonade, explained: “ The project distributed improved cassava stems which include: TME 419, TMS 96/1632, TMS 98/0581, TMS 30555, TMS 92/0326, and TMS 98/0505. These varieties where chosen because they have high starch content which is highly sought after by these large industries and SMEs.”

    He, however, added that having adopted the best agronomic practices and  improved cassava varieties, the farmers yields were expected to increase by at least 25 per cent in the next 12 months.

  • ‘Buhari’s directive led to improved power supply’

    ‘Buhari’s directive led to improved power supply’

    The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Power, Dr. Godknows Igali, has said the steady increase in power supply in the  country was due to  President Muhammadu Buhari’s directive to actors in the power sector to redouble their efforts.

    He said the president charged them to leave no stone unturned in ensuring uninterrupted power supply to Nigerians during his tenure.

    Igali spoke in Abuja during the signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with two indigenous investors in the power sector – Messrs. New Horizons Energy Resources and Quaint Global Energy Solutions.

    The two firms are  interested in renewable projects, especially solar, biomass and thermal plants respectively.

    Igali said the recent increase in power supply is not as a result of rain, as being speculated in some quarters, as marginal improvement from our hydro cannot be responsible for this fact, but it is as a result of increase in gas supply to the thermal plants, adding that our Anti-Vandalism Campaign is also yielding positive results.

    In a statement endorsed by the  Ministry’s Deputy Director (Press), Timothy Oyedeji yesterday, Igali said to sustain this trend, the present administration is determined to look in the direction of renewables, hence more emphasis will be placed on solar energy source.

    He reasoned that with clusters of solar plants built across the country, technical losses occasioned by hauling of energy over long distances will be reduced because the renewable source can be deplored effectively.  Captive power in embedded manner will also be available to distribution companies (DISCOs) at the distribution levels.

    He commended the companies for working with the  Federal Government in the development of mini power generation and micro grid, stressing that these efforts will translate to power stability and reliability.

    Igali said the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) is working on the critical corridors that would enhance the nation’s transmission capacity, enough to evacuate all energy to be produced that more gas will be available to the thermal plants.

    An official of  Quaint Global Energy Solutions, Seun Solesi, told the Permanent Secretary that his company is to enjoy a grant of $1.3 million from the Obama Power Africa Initiative’s United States Trade Development Agency to carry out feasibility studies for its 50megawatts (Mw) solar-powered plant in Machiok, Kaura Local Government Area of Kaduna State.  He said with  foreign partners, the project will start in earnest on 150 hectares of land approved by Governor Nasir el-Rufai.

    The representative of New Horizons said when the project come upstream, Nigerians will be recruited and trained in the U.S, while materials for building the plant would be sourced locally.

    He said the plan of the company is to build 100Mw solar power plant in Nasarawa State, 300 – 400Mw of biomass in Cross River and 300Mw of thermal in Rivers State.

  • Manufacturers, others laud Buhari on improved power supply

    Manufacturers, others laud Buhari on improved power supply

    •Seek privatisation of Transmission Company

    Manufacturers acting under the aegis of Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), commercial and residential consumers of electricity, have praised President Muhammadu Buhari  over  current improvement in power supply in the country. They urged the government to sustain the tempo and improve on it.

    Major consumers of electricity in the country including the industrial, commercial and residential customers that spoke with The Nation lauded the improvment, saying it will lead to job creation.

    The manufacturers that fall under the industrial or maximum demand customers consume the greatest volume of electricity. At the time of very low generation and supply that category of consumers depended solely on generators.

    President of MAN, Dr Frank Jacobs confirmed that power supply has really improved. He told The Nation that his members are excited over the development, and urged President Buhari to sustain and improve the supply.

    He said: “Most of our members that I spoke to on this issue confirmed that there has been significant improvement in electricity supply unlike in the past when we may not have electricity for some days.

    “I will like to advise the government not to relax as much is needed to be done. Government should ensure that there is adequate supply of gas, and at very affordable price. This will go a long way to help stabilise the improvement we are witnessing now.

    “The Federal Government should also privatise the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN). This will not only help to fully achieve the goals of privatisation but also help the private firms to invest in that segment of power supply value chain. With the investment from the private sector, the transmission network will be expanded speedily and the problem of system collapses will be drastically reduced.

    “The control of the transmission arm of the power sector by the government is slowing down the attainment of the privatisation goals because of the bureaucratic bottlenecks associated with running public owned and controlled organisations.”

    The Director-General, Nigeria Textile Manufacturers Association (NTMA), Mr. Jaiyeola Olarewaju said power supply has improved but added that much is still required to make the desired impact.

    He said: “Power has improved but not up to 30-40 per cent of our requirement. About 70-80 per cent of the power we use ought to come from the national grid, so we still heavily depend on generators.

    “Even though supply has improved in some places but we still cannot give them pas mark. The Federal Government shouldn’t relent on its efforts to supply adequate supply to the industrial sector. Government should also look at the private companies that bought the successor companies of the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN). The investors whose companies are not doing the right thing should forefeit their licences.”

    Some artisans including welders, hair dressers, barbing salon operators at Berger and Ikeja in Lagos who spoke to The Nation also confirmed that supply has improved and has boosted their business. Operators  of cold rooms at Ijora and Oshodi said the hours of supply has improved but they still complement with their personal generators.

    The increase in generation at Egbin Power plant is responsible for the huge improvement witnessed in Lagos State and its environs. The power plant a few months ago, was generating below 500 megawatts (Mw) but currently it generates over 1050Mw.

    The Chairman, Egbin Power Plc, Mr. Kola Adesina said the improvement being witnessed is part of the benefits and success of the privatisation process and power sector reform in Nigeria. He attributed the achievement partly to the direct intervention of the Federal Government in its determination to resolve the power crisis, which has resulted in recent improvement in gas supply.

    “This is driving the increase in power supply in the nation, boosting socio-economic development. Prior to this, we had invested heavily and had the plant ready to generate power at full capacity but there was no gas to do so. This is indeed a good development for the power sector in Nigeria,” he said. He commended the government for the intervention in the gas situation that has impacted on power generation positively, and called for more dynamic policies and incentives for sustainable gas supply across the nation.

    Its Chief Executive Officer, Dallas Peavey said the transformation in Egbin commenced following its acquisition by Kepco Energy Resource Limited (KERL), in collaboration with its technical partners, Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO).

  • ‘Improved power supply likely to be sustained’

    ‘Improved power supply likely to be sustained’

    Nigerians seemed to have witnessed improvement in power supply in the last few weeks. The said increase in available generation from 4,517 megawatts (mw) to 4,545mw within two weeks as announced by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), may have further confirmed that the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) is developing.

    The reason for the noticeable relative stability in supply is attributable to improvements across the electricity supply value chain, which include gas supply, reduced vandalism and upgrade of generation facilities by the new investors.

    Pipeline vandalism, which has been a major challenge to increased  output from the power plants, it was gathered, has reduced drastically since President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration came on board about one and half months ago. The frequency of pipelines vandalisation has reduced significantly, The Nation learnt.

    The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Joint Venture companies also confirmed that there have not been any incidents of vandalisation of pipelines in the past one month. This has resulted in increased and sustainable gas supply to the power sector.

    Besides, the result of investments made by the privatised successor companies, which unbundled the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), has started to manifest after one and half years the companies were handed over to them.

    For instance, Egbin Power Plc and Transcorp Ughelli Power Limited have added more than 1000 megawatts (mw) to the capacities they inherited at the time of handover.

    As at the beginning of this week, generation from Egbin power plant rose from 1000mw two weeks ago to 1016MW as against a maximum output of 500MW at handover. Sahara Power Group and Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), owners of Egbin power plant and Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company confirmed that gas supply to the plant increased considerably. They said the improvement in generation was also due to continued investment and upgrade activities on the plant. They assured that the improvement in supply will not only be sustained, but improved upon adding of the six turbines of the power plant that are currently operational. “This is the first time the plant with installed capacity 1320mw is generating above 1000mw,” the firm said. Egbin’s Chief Executive Officer, Dallas Peavey said about N50 billion has been invested in the power company post-privatisation with continuing investment in new technology, innovativeness, professionalism and human capital development.

    The owners of Transcorp Ughelli Power Limited just announced that it has increased output from the asset from 160MW on takeover on November 1, 2013 to 635MW and plans to expand it to 2,200MW in the next three years.

    The Group Executive Director, Gas and Power, NNPC, Dr David Ige said the Corporation is making a lot of progress in the East-West gas pipelines. According to him,  as at the end of May, the Corporation was   supplying over one billion standard cubic feet per day (I bscf/d) of gas to the power sector, adding that by now the production could have risen significantly.

    Ige, however, noted that the Corporation’s expectations is that  it will make significant increase in supply by the end of the year, adding that cumulative production for domestic use is about  two bscf/d.

    He also said some of the available gas is stranded because some power plants are not ready and where possible, the stranded gas will be redirected to operational plants.

    “Over the next couple of months, Nigerians will see increase in gas supply and power. For example, we have gas at Gbarain-Ubie power plant; we have gas at Omoku, which is awaiting the power plant and we have gas at Egbema power plant. When you bring all these gas volumes together, we have close to 2bcf/d, but not all of these are in active generation today. It is either the power plant is not ready or the power evacuation is not ready.

    “On the western side of Nigeria, the Lagos pipeline is almost completed. We have completed and commissioned Lagos to Oben; completed Emure to Itoki and the line from the Benin end to Emure is progressing very well. The expectation is that before the end of August, the Escravos-Lagos Pipeline would have been completed. With all these on stream power supply will improve considerably,” he said.

  • ‘How our profit margin improved’

    The Finance Director, Nigeria Breweries Plc (NBL) Mr. Mark Rutten has said most of the revenue gained by the brewer came as a result of low foreign exchange (forex) exposure based on the   local raw material content of their products.

    “Combined portfolio makes it possible to have a stable price as we have products at  every segment of the beer, stout and  malt market. Interestingly some people are moving from high priced brand to low priced ones and the variety of our products as a result of the combined portfolio gives all segment accommodation,” he said.

    Rutten said though competition is stiff, the consolidation undertaken by NBL with a brewer and preference for local raw materials, strategic support for research and development gave the firm an edge in the face of turbulent operating environment and occasioned by lack of parity in the forex market.

    NBL Managing Director, Mr. Nicolaas Vervelde, said the company increased its portfolio of brands last year with the addition of Ace Passion in addition to two-line extension of the Star brand that comprise  Star Lite and Star Radler.

    “Also in 2014 as a result of merger with Consolidated Breweries, 33 Export lager beer, William Dark Ale, Turbo King Dark Ale, more larger beer and two malt drinks, Maltex and Hi Malt together with Breezer, a blend of rum and fruits became part of the company’s products,” he said.

    Though the company recorded low growth in the 2014 financial year, it gained overall market share in Extra Larger Stout and Malt.

    He said: “We were successful in the year due to our large portfolio of  stout and malt. We removed unnecessary costs, reduced logistics cost and achieved cost leadership.”

    Vervelde, who attributed the marginal decline in profit to the socio economic impacts, explained that for decades, the company has been sourcing its raw materials locally.

    He said there are over 250,000 Nigerian farmers that are developing sorghum varieties, which indirectly and directly generates employments with local purchase supporting 85,000 jobs.

    According to him, the company, in conjunction with Heineken supply chain B.V. of Netherlands and other Heineken companies, is involved in activities aimed at development of new hybrid sorghum varieties with the potential of increasing the yield/output for sorghum farmers and improving the quality of sorghum malt, which is a major raw material input.

    He noted that two yielding hybrid sorghum varieties have been developed and registered by the company and the process of commercialising their production is on-going.

    He also added that the company has a subsisting consultancy agreement with a Nigerian professor on the development of sorghum seeds.

    “The company has entered into supply agreements with local cassava starch processors whose activities have impacted positively in the communities where they operate.

    “We have off-take arrangements with a  multinational company that has huge investment in sugarcane value chain. This is aimed at replacing imported sugar in our recipe with a local substitute,” he said.

    For the year under review, the company declared a profit after tax of N42.5 billion, a drop of 1.3 per  cent when compared to N43.08 billion recorded in the same period of 2013.