The Nation Newspaper

Tag: industry

  • ‘Construction industry not regulated’

    The construction industry needs better regulation to prevent building collapse, an expert, Mr. Shola Sunny, has said.

    People who have no knowledge of civil engineering, he said, claimed to be building contractors and handle projects that could be structurally defective.

    Sunny, a partner at SOP and Co Consultants, a construction company, spoke when the firm was given the ISSO certification.

    He said: “People go into construction because of the money they want to make; they forget what they need to do.  A lot of people who are not qualified are doing construction in the country; the industry is not properly regulated, anybody can decide to be a building contractor.

    “Clients are also not helping matters because they want to achieve much with so little. They try to find ways to cut corners, but building is not something that you cut corners, particularly in the structure because the structure is what carries the building and if not properly done, it would cause disaster in future.

    “You may not enjoy the building for the life span which if properly done should be between 30-50 years. In the United Kingdom and other countries, we have building standing up to 100 years because they were well built,” he said.

    Sunny said the certification would spur the organisation to higher goals.

    “The certification puts more demand on you. You have to continue what you have been doing, do more and ensure that you continue to excel and get better for the company and for every individual that is involved.”

    He assured that his organisation would keep the standard since it entered the business voluntarily.

    “There is nothing good that comes easy. You need a lot of effort, dedication and commitment to continue to strive to be better and I believe that we would be able to do it.

    “ISSO certification makes sure that you keep the quality of your service and do things consistently and with that, you are sure of getting consistent good result. ISSO helps you to ensure that you keep the quality going and to ensure that you keep improving because the certificate can be withdrawn, if the quality drops,” he said.

  • Saving the creative industry

    Saving the creative industry

    Members of BrandiQ Club in three higher institutions have visited Synthesis Communication to learn from the masters. GILBERT ALASA reports.

    To hone their skills in marketing communication, executive members of BrandiQ Campus Club visited the corporate headquarters of Synthesis Communications last Thursday.

    The visit turned out to be an intellectual exercise. The representatives of the club in the University of Lagos (UNILAG) and the Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo joined their counterparts in Redeemers’ University (RUN) to chart a new course for marketing communications across campuses.

    The students were led by a lecturer, Dr Omowale Adelabu. The President of the club in RUN, Opeyemi Adebiyi, a 400-Level Mass Communication student, said the visit was a familiarisation tour.

    “We are here to learn about system of working of the Synthesis Communications as the franchise owner of BrandiQ magazine and also to familiarise ourselves with the management of the firm. We will share our activities so far with the management and our future plans for the club especially for our forthcoming Mass Communication Week,” Opeyemi said.

    Receiving the students, the firm’s Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief of BrandiQ, Mr Desmond Ekeh, praised the students for the visit, hailing them for making good use of the opportunity provided by the platform to improve their studies and enhance their knowledge base.

    Ekeh said: “BrandiQ is committed to excellence and leadership through knowledge transfer. We are proud of what the club has achieved in Redeemer’s University with the support of the school lecturers and management. We respect the foresight and responsiveness of the university towards the platform, what is to build mind and soul. We trust they will record more progress to complement their achievements so far. We will encourage the other universities to emulate the club for the benefit of students and the society at large.”

    Ekeh informed the students how the company started, stressing that the firm’s management was committed to its vision and that of the magazine. He emphasised the need for training of quality graduates and skilled manpower for marketing communication, adding that it would serve as a basis for sustaining the creative industry.

    He said the firm would continue to train responsible and enterprising youths to contribute their quota to the nation building. This, he said, is the reason forregular workshops and seminars held by the magazine to support students in their academic pursuits and provide a platform to expand the national conversation and build a virile nation.

    In his remarks, Dr Adelabu commended the magazine in growing the knowledge base of students through its activities. He said: “Over the years, the Department of Mass Communication in Redeemer’s University has benefitted immensely from the club’s initiatives and the free copies of magazine. The Marcomm Academy segment of the magazine has become an official toolbox of the department. This explains why the department was able to convince the school management to promptly provide all the support that the BrandiQ Club needed take flourish.”

    He also revealed that the club executives had lined up programmes they would embark on in partnership with the firm’s management.

    Opeyemi presented the club’s agenda for the 2015 BrandiQ Week with the theme: Building a world class university: The role of brand management. She explained that the theme was chosen as a demonstration of the club’s commitment to the goal of the university.

    Opeyemi said the programme, which has been scheduled for next month, would feature a public lecture, award presentations, a get-together and hand-over ceremony to a new executive.

    The firm’s Deputy Managing Director and Deputy Editor-in-Chief of BrandiQ, Mr Agbo Agbo, hailed the initiative, pledging the firm management’s support to the event to be held at the Redeemer’s University. He also commended the plans initiated by the BrandiQ clubs in UNILAG and LASU to inaugurate their local chapters to enable them hold major events on their campuses.

  • Asians have taken over our industry

    Asians have taken over our industry

    Mr. Michael Ale is the National President of the Association of Water-well Drilling Rig Owners and Practitioners (AWDROP). He spoke with Tayo Johnson on the  danger of illegal drilling by Asians in Nigeria and the need for the government to formulate a favourable policy for drilling activity.

    How old is the association, why did you establish it and how have you been safeguarding the interest of your members?

    The association started less than two years ago; by June 4, it will be two years. Within the last two years, we have moved very far. This was made possible by the concerted efforts of every member and the fact they are all tired with the current water policy, which is not of good importance economically to their growth.

    The industry has been bastardised and it has affected our business, such that there is no regulation, no laws, no policy. Things are just been done anyhow and people are not happy. Guarding the interests of our members requires the effort of the government; we cannot make laws ourselves. We cannot enforce laws ourselves. But we have tried all we could locally and that is why our campaign now is international.

    And that is why I had to travel to make sure that lessons are learnt and we understood what it takes to form an association, safeguard the interest of the members, what it takes to make government work, even if  it will not be the same thing like other countries that are developed. And we  have learnt our lessons, we have understood how it worked and we are going to apply it.

    As a development practitioner, I do not expect what is practised in the United Kingdom and the United States to be applied directly in Nigeria. I am going to study the Nigerian situation and apply it. Safeguarding the interest of our members is not a day job. We are not violent, we are professionals, at least 80 per cent of us are professionals. Though quite a number of us are not supposed to be in business, we are all working together, we are human beings. You are not necessarily supposed to be a professional before delving into any business, but you must employ professionals.

    Safeguarding the industry and safeguarding the profession are two things. First, the professionals  manage the industry. It  is in two ways, it is either we safeguard the industry and every Tom, Dick and Harry to enjoy the business or look at the professionals and see how they are supposed to be in the business. But, it may spell a doom to the government if appropriate measures are not taken to support the industry.

    I take a cue from one aspect; that is the education aspect. For instance, many of our students apply for courses such as geology, geo-physics, hydrology, hydrogeology, mechanical engineering and even civil engineering and all of these people are practitioners in the field of water well drillings. Now, if you have invaders, the masons, bricklayers, non-professionals, carpenters that have had their line of professions affected by the invaders, few turn into our business just for casuals and the rest because the Asians, Koreans, Europeans and so on are bringing in their equipment. They are not only bringing in their equipment, they are still bringing in their people and you keep sending your children to the university to go and learn that same business, where do they end up when they are done with the learning.

    How long have the purported invaders been wreaking the havoc in the country and what do you expect the government to do towards checking the incursion?

    I am a geologist and I decided to go into water well activities. I have been in this business for about 15 years and for like two years, some invaders moved into the business. So, it is going to spell doom for our children unborn on the long run. Before, people were looking into oil and gas; if you study geology you will want to go into oil and gas. It happened to me. Before, I wanted to go to Port Harcourt and work with Shell. I tried it and nothing happened. Later, I was able to find my feet in water. The same can happen to anybody.

    Geology is a wide field-mineral exploration, water extraction, oil and gas, hydrology and so on. The problem is if that environment is already disturbed, where will our students come and practice. We only have few admissions in other areas in which they can practice. We have more institutions offering that course, and they bring everyone together, offering the best.

    During my time in school, I think Shell came and conducted examinations for about 2,000 students at the final year and only admitted three of them. And the three were the best, comprising two Mechanical Engineering students and one geologist, who happened to be my colleague. In my class, we were about 50. So, what will be the fate of the others?

    We were trained to be in this special field and now the Asians have invaded the same. Before, we were saying that the politicians have invaded the borehole drilling industry. Of course, they will get a juicy price and give it to us at a price you cannot be proud to say. Now, it is the case of the Asians now constructing boreholes at a worst price because there are no standard for anything.

    If care is not taken, by the time a standard will be set, these people constructing boreholes indiscriminately will not be there. They would have dug half of the underground water, and done havoc to the environment, and the last high grade havoc to the consumers. How many of us treat our water?  They believe borehole is a clean water, not knowing that the over-burden has been affected.

    You see them go with screen and lie down, then they screen from top to bottom, align weak water or water that has been polluted to run off to the clean water, to the aquifer. By the time people drink it, it is white, and clear. You think it is white and safe. If it is  white water and add a drop of acid, is it safe for drinking? No, but it is white. If I add bacteria into clean water, or I dip my hand, which is bacteria infected, how will you know it is unclean water?

    This is why many people do not know the cause of their health problems. Apart from the economy aspect, a lot of people will go for the cheap things, and mind you the cheap at the long run are expensive. People do not mind, as long as it is cheap, they settle for cheap things, but it does affect the future. The combined effect the economic, social and environmental, must be looked into.

    That means they are not meeting the sustainable development aspect. Without these three points, bore hole is an havoc for sustainable development in Nigeria. And everyone is moving towards sustainable development goals. MDGs are rounding off. We are moving to SDGs in 2016.  And discussions are ongoing. Now, if all these things are not put to check, our policy are not strengthened, our laws are not implemented, laws binding people from doing these are not done, then we are doomed.

    As an association, we are doing our best. We have gone to the US, to have a look at what is happening. Most of our colleague will be going to Germany soon to really study how they have been able to do their things and we are collaborating with the Ministry of Water Resources to see how we can strengthen ourselves. Apart from that, the Indians have really taken over our deals; we ask the government to strengthen us by buying one or more things for us.

    Do you have any plan in form of advocacy for those that desire to come into water drilling business in the nearest future?

    First, institutions train students, where do you expect them to work? Second, under water resources, we have National Training Institute where we can train drillers. If you successfully have them trained, where will they practice, when the Chinese are bringing their set of technicians to come into Nigeria and start operating? Nobody has equipment for them.

    So, what is the essence of having training institutes? You can see the multiplying effect of not having a set policy. As an association, there is little we can do except we want to go violent. If we go violent, they will hear our voice; that is not the best thing to do. I think the media can support and make it known to the public, the impending danger ahead.

    Is important, if you are hungry, need to cook, use the toilet, you need water. If God should make it scarce like oil, we will take it important. There is connectivity between air and water. God gave us air for a reason, and water for a reason.

    But you can bastardise the air and use some harmful chemicals. You remember what happened in Syria, the air was polluted, and a lot of people died. The same thing can happen if you bastardise water, people can die.  It is high time the media reported things like this. That was why we gave a journalist an award, it was a water documentary. If the journalist speaks, the government will listen. Look at what happen in the pharmaceutical sector; the pharmacists and the journalists worked together. The pharmacists stood their ground.

    So whatever we want to do, or whatever decision we want to take, we need the media to help publicise it so that the government can take notice and act on it. Now you cannot have a chemist without a pharmacist. Now, they have created jobs for those young boys and girls. What are the Nigeria Mining and Geology Society (NMGS) doing? What is their responsibility when you have so many people graduating and they are not having jobs? What about the Council of Registered Geologists (COREG)?

    They have the power to regulate the activities of professionals. Now, just anybody is drilling. The ideal things is that before you can drill, you must have a geologist who has the stamp of COREG, the geologist must have the documents before you can drill. It is government institutions that are supposed to strengthen it. So, if you do not make noise about it, they will not even come to life to know their responsibility and what they are supposed to do.

    Do you think the legislation you are pushing for in the national assembly will regulate the water well drilling profession and correct the alleged bastardisation from foreign drillers?

    Yes, at the moment there is a water bill with the National Assembly. It is under the Federal Ministry of Water Resources. It is at the National Assembly, but it has not gone further.

    Within this water bill, there is still another bill, the Integrated Water Resources Bill towards setting up a commission like NAFDAC, that oversees the practitioners and even the people affecting water, both the buyer and the seller.

    We want a body that regulates like NAFDAC, you must obtain licence. The license gives you the opportunity to manage resources and put some checks on the activities of quacks. These are the two bills.

    Whatever might be the power of Minister for Water Resources to operate, I do not know; but it is clearly stated that the minister still has certain power to do things. The minister can still override that for a while and work. All the commissions that have been set up cannot work because they have an issue; their bill is still waiting for the consent of Mr. President.

  • Artistes thrill at Industry Nite

    Artistes thrill at Industry Nite

    It was a groovy night at the Spice Route Nightclub, as it hosted the ‘German Juice Girl’ on Wednesday night. It is the headliner for the Smirnoff sponsored Industry Nite.

    The dancehall godmother, as she’s fondly called, had the whole night in honour of her success in the Nigerian music industry which she claimed to be part of right from childhood.

    Speaking with The Nation before the commencement of the event proper, she promised to have a fun-filled night with everybody present at the show, and bring wonderful vibes as she couldn’t wait to mount the stage.

    Morgan quips, “Getting here is amazing because I found love here….yeah you know what I’m saying. And as for me, I can’t wait to mount the stage, and trust me we are bringing it down here tonight. So turn-up for good and turn-up for real.”

    The reggae artiste who is currently known for her popular hit, ‘German Juice’ has never clarified  what she meant by German Juice.

    Mr. 2kay who has worked, and performed with the artiste on several occasions, described the working experience they both had as a quality one. “Cynthia Morgan is just out of the world, I mean she’s amazing. She has what it takes to get you to where you aimed at in music.”

    When asked if he had anything to disclaim as regard anything about her, the BGS crooner said “I’ve got nothing much to say in this prospect you know but what I will say is that people are scared of her because she’s fired….(sic) ”

    In attendance were numerous colleagues and fans. Celebrities present at the event include General Pype and her BGS Mr. 2Kay, 2Face Idibia, Lil Kesh, Banky W, Chidinma, Harrisong, May D, Timaya, amongst others; and they all were all out to show their support for the artiste.

    The Northside Inc. first lady discovered her love for music from childhood, and has been in the news lately with her latest music video, ‘Come and do’.

    Cynthia is currently on The Trek music concert with several other Nigerian acts.

  • Kenya’s tourism industry under threat

    Kenya’s tourism industry under threat

    Hoteliers from Kenya’s Indian Ocean coast region and sprawling game park reserves said tourists have started cancelling trips to the east African nation after Islamist gunmen last week killed 148 people at a university campus.

    Chilling survivor testimonies recounting how gunmen from Somalia’s al-Shabaab militant group hunted down and killed students has shocked Kenya and dealt a fresh blow to President Uhuru Kenyatta’s plans to boost the tourism sector.

    Meanwhile, Al Shebaab’s terror campaign is starting to have a deleterious economy-wide consequence. “The sell-off that’s driven the Kenyan shilling to the lowest against the dollar in more than three years is poised to extend after the country’s deadliest attack by Islamist militants in more than 16 years. The currency weakened to its lowest since Nov.16, 2011 after militants attacked a university on April 2, killing 147 people. With Somalia’s al-Shabaab militants threatening more violence, tourism, which has been in decline since the start of 2013, may shrink further, impacting the East African nation’s second-largest source of foreign exchange, according to Rich Management Ltd. The shilling has declined for four consecutive weeks.”

    A vital part of east Africa’s biggest economy, Kenya’s tourism industry has been in decline since 2013 when al-Shabaab stormed an upscale shopping mall in the capital Nairobi, killing 67 people during a bloody four-day siege.

    Since then, repeat al-Shabaab attacks and travel warnings issued by the likes of Britain, US and Australia emptied Kenya’s palm-fringed beaches and forced hotels to lay off staff.

    Hoteliers say the pre-dawn attack on a campus in Garissa, a remote town 200km from the Somalia border, far off the tourist trail, is likely to spark another wave of redundancies in the hospitality sector.

    “We were expecting tourists from UK, Germany, France, Australia and Asia continent but they cancelled their bookings when they learnt of the terror attack,” said Peter Kipeno, the owner of a luxury tented camp in Kenya’s Maasai Mara game park, nearly 600km from Garissa.

     

     

  • How to revive Aso-Oke industry, by dealer

    How to revive Aso-Oke industry, by dealer

    A dealer in Aso-oke fabric has suggested how the dying industry can be revived. Alhaji AbdulKareem Okolo, renowned in the trade, regretted that the once-thriving industry has plummeted, but he added that government can save the situation by supporting it.

    Aso-oke weaving is synonymous with Ilorin, the Kwara State capital. In fact, it used to be a trade for the influential in the society. The June 12, 1993 election impasse changed the tenor of the once  flourishing business in the metropolis.

    Till now many residents of Ilorin earn a living from weaving and selling Aso-Oke clothes. This age-long industry is more common among the people of Idi-Ape, Okelele, some parts of Agbaji, Okekere, Oke-Apomu, Isale-Aluko areas both in Ilorin East and Ilorin West local government areas of the state.

    Aso-Oke fabric is a hand-woven fabric popular among the Yoruba people especially in Ilorin and Iseyin in Oyo Otate. The popular Aso-Oke fabric comes in various colours, designs and qualities.

    Yorubas wear Aso-Oke fabric for every conceivable occasion such as wedding, funeral and chieftaincy title ceremonies.

    Aso-Oke, which is woven with elaborate unique patterns made from dyed strands of fabric that are woven into strips of cloth, are of three kinds namely Alaari, Sanyan and Etu. It takes some time to make Aso-Oke fabric as it is made very delicately. It can also be made with a silk fabric which enhances the colours and the material.

    Speaking on the local industry, a one-time Aso-Oke magnate in the state, Alhaji AbdulKareem Okolo said, “I inherited the business from my father but had to quit when things were not moving on fine.

    “Some of those [who] have become the who-is-who in the society today are trained children of weavers; when you talk of beautiful houses then, they were owned by weavers. But the story changed during the June 12, 1993 crisis.

    “You know the business involves travelling; we exported it for sale in Ibadan precisely, Oja Oje where people from different parts of the country like Ijebu, Abeokuta, Lagos, Onitsha, Benin and so on come to purchase it for retail. So when there was the crisis of June 12, weavers encountered series of attacks, they were robbed and injured. This really affected the business which made many people to abandon the trade for alternative means of livelihood.

    On the quality of modern-day Aso-Oke, he explained that modern technology has made the craft easier.

    “It is made by first washing the thread and then using starch. It is then left out to dry in the hot African sun. It then needs to be rolled before you start to weave it. It can take up to 3 hours to finish weaving one piece and can take up to two weeks to finish a complete customised Aso-Oke cloth. This process can be much longer during the rainy season,” he explained.

    For the survival of the industry, he appealed to Nigerian government to support the trade in all ramifications.

    “People in this local industry are contributing to the development of the economy. It is manufactured good that can be proudly pointed to as Nigeria made product, For instance, countries like China and India do not depend on other countries, they are manufacturing countries because they  supported creativity and this has given them upper hand in this area.”

    Okolo added that the trade is one that effectively engages youth and discourages hooliganism and other social vices among youths.

    He then urged the federal government to find lasting solution to the violence in the northern part, noting that it is already affecting the economy of the country just like the June 12 crisis which hindered inter-state trading activities.

    Another practitioner, Alfa Laaro Lamule Omo-Oba who hails from Idi-Ape area of the metropolis told THE NATION that weaving of Aso-Oke is a trade that may go into extinction if care is not taken.

    The clothe weaver who said he has been in the business for 25years, said that there are several challenges threatening the survival of the industry.

    He said “I have been in the business for about 25yrs but it is now gradually fading out because there are several problems hindering the growth of the local industry. But I decided to continue in the business because I don’t want to be idle.”

    Omo-Oba also attributed downturn in the trade according to the June 12, 1993 crisis when they could not move their products to the south western states where demand for the product is very high.

    Another problem, he noted is the change in fashion trend which has taken shine off the Aso-Oke.

    “People now use Ankara and head gear called Tapanpa instead of Ofi and this has greatly affected our business.  People prefer to use what is in vogue rather than what is good.

    “There are few hands in the business as people are not ready to learn the craft again, their target is western education and afterward, they go for white collar job. And let me tell you, this business is now profitable, the number of pieces that we weave in a month then will be produced within two weeks now because of modern techniques adopted.

    “People are not ready to weave again and the demand is more than what we can produce. Imagine a situation whereby there is demand for 40 pieces and we are able to produce just 15 pieces, apparently demand is more than supply, it is a great challenge, despite the fact that it is now more profitable than ever.”

    Omo-Oba however stated that he has no regret being in the business because of the passion he has for it.

    “More so, I have been able to use proceeds from this business to meet most of my financial responsibilities from time to time.

    The 30year-old, who became an orphan at an early age, said he had the craft to fall back on to make ends meet after the demise of his parents.

    “I lost my parents while I was still young, one must not see that as an excuse to join bad gang or become liability to others. I had to move on with life and thank God my parents had enrolled me in the trade. With the help of my boss, Alhaji Abdulkareem Okolo, I was able to save money to sponsor myself in Arabic school.

    “No knowledge is a waste; thank God the two are of good use to me now because I have been able to establish an Arabic school. After I am through with weaving for the day, I retire to the school to train my students.”

    He said that the trade is one that could be conveniently combined with other jobs be it government or private.

    On the importance of the fabric, Madam Deborah Ogunbaiyeje, a resident of Ilorin stated that the outfit is one that cannot be under-estimated in the world of fashion because of its grandeur.

     

  • Buhari, APC chart course for entertainment industry

    Buhari, APC chart course for entertainment industry

    Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), General Muhammadu Buhari, has assured practitioners of the creative industry of a new dawn, saying they will reap from their sweat once he becomes president.

    Fielding questions from an interactive session with women in Lagos, Buhari was asked by popular Nollywood actress, Foluke Daramola, how his government, if and when elected, would approach the issue of providing the appropriate structure for the entertainment industry to thrive, considering the activities of pirates.

    Buhari, however, deferred to Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola, the honour of addressing the question as, according to him, Lagos is the home base of the nation’s entertainment industry, purported hub of piracy, while Fashola himself is a SAN.

    Responding, Fashola said: “My honest view about the profession of the intellectual and creative rights of artistes is that government needs to enforce laws that affect us, the copyrights act and the copyrights commission. I think that if we all recall, this industry came really out of nothing. There was no government then. It was creativity. But they were losing what they were producing to pirates, people who were taking benefits of their God-given talents and reproducing them without rewards. So, the gap that government needs to fill really is law enforcement. Fight the pirates and protect the creative industry.”

    Adding his voice to the discussion, the former governor of Lagos State and National Leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu said it is important to have people with creativity in the economy but warned that “not every talent would be rewarded.”

    He, however, advised that the artistes should form co-operatives which would be stronger in ensuring collective agitations. In addition, Tinubu said a law to promote capital formation will help the creative industry grow.

    Tinubu also advocated for the entertainment industry, “a creative financing mechanism that will defer your profit, improve on it and give you tax holidays to the extent that you will be able to re-invest and re-invest those until you become profitable and contribute to the society’s development.”

    A similar question was asked President Goodluck Jonathan on Sunday by comedian Ali Baba when he hosted an interactive session with a section of practitioners in the entertainment industry, also in Lagos.

  • Vitafoam eyes auto industry

    Vitafoam eyes auto industry

    Mattresses and pillows, maker Vitafoam is gearing up to become a key player in the auto industry by tapping into the newly- introduced auto policy, its Group Managing Director (GMD), Mr. Joel Ajiga, has said.

    Ajiga, an engineer, told The Nation that the company plans to play in the low injection part of the auto industry through its subsidiary, Vita Visco, to manufacture vehicle parts, such seats, dash boards and others.

    The GMD, who spoke in his office in Lagos, however, said his company was faced with myriad of challenges, such as infrastructural deficit, especially epileptic electricity supply and bad roads, which affect the company’s manufacturing and supply chain and eats into its bottom line.

    He said bad condition of the roads means bad business for the company as goods are transported across the country by road. He therefore, called on government to work on the road infrastructure to reduce the cost of transportation of finished products and repairs of damaged vehicles.

    Ajiga also said over 60 per cent of the energy utilisation in the company’s factory is self-sourced at huge cost, urging the Federal Government to ensure that Nigerians and the industrial sector get the full benefits of the unbundling of the power sector.

    According to him, manufacturers can only key into the government’s Transformation Agenda if the policies are beneficial to their operations.

    He further stated that because of the dwindling disposable income of most Nigerians, there is a limit to how much cost manufacturers can transfer to consumers as part of inward-looking, cost-cutting strategy to stay afloat.

    The company’s Finance Director, Mr. Bras Ogun, said that for the company to play effectively in the auto sector there was need to revive the nation’s petrochemical industry. He regretted that the devaluation of the local currency increased the price of base materials from the petrochemical industry, which are unfortunately imported into the country despite the fact that Nigeria is an oil exporting country.

    “The devaluation has caused a price differential of about N35 in our base material. It will affect the bottom line for this year. Our plan is to start producing some of the chemicals locally and also look at other cost cutting measures. This singular policy has made negative impact, but we are trying to keep the cost of operation as low as possible.

    “We want to cushion our pricing model through our reserves, which acts as shock absolvers. In that scenario, we will not need to pass the cost to our consumers because our creativity and innovativeness will always put us on the leading edge of the nation’s economic growth and development,” Ogun added.

    Corporate Service Director, Vono Products Plc, one of the company’s subsidiaries, Mr. Tunde Anjorin, said the firm has since transformed into a vibrant company manufacturing hard furnishing, conventional and security doors for schools, hotels for basic and luxurious comfort, satisfying all segments of the society.

    The company’s Head of Sales, Shola Owoade, said the firm is exploiting polymer to produce most of its products such as prefabricated buildings and insulated structures, which conserves energy and reduces cost.

    He said the company is also building pre-fabricated structures for mass housing already in use in Osun State to build classrooms using polymer as base material.

    On the export arm of the business, the Vitafoam boss said that the company has built a-state-of–the-art production complex in Sierra Leone, which will soon start operation. The company also has a trading outfit in Ghana.

  • The Nigerian movie industry is still sleeping –Olatubosun

    The Nigerian movie industry is still sleeping –Olatubosun

    Olaegbe Olatubosun is the CEO of Genesis Studios, producers of highly-rated sitcoms, Tales of Eve and So Wrong So Wright. With over 17 years of experience in the business of moviemaking, he says that the Nigerian movie industry is yet to find its feet. In this interview with OVWE MEDEME, he talks about the activities of his studio, the state of the motion picture industry in Nigeria and the need for a stronger distribution network among other issues.

    FOR how long have you been producing movies?

    I have been in the industry for over 17 years. It has been a very challenging walk. For me, it was about the vision that I had. I wanted to do something that would impact people and that has moral values. I want to be the best at what I do, not just in the entertainment industry alone. I enjoy watching TV.

    I watched the likes of Behind the Cloud, Ripplesand Checkmate and any time I am watching it, I don’t just watch the acts.I also imagined what those behind the cameras are doing. I felt amazed at what they did and knew I would like to be a part of that, even if it means not getting paid. So I think the love goes on for the industry and after some time, I got the vision and I told God that this thing that he has revealed to me is too big for me, if we are to go by the financial involvement.I didn’t have any penny.

    Like they say, the journey of a thousand miles begins with a step. So I decided to start with one step. I didn’t need to have all the money to start. So for me, the first step was to get the training. So I came into the industry and I learnt on the job. I came in as an intern and over the course of two years, I became a post-production person.

    Who did you learn under?

    I don’t think the studio is still in existence but it was one of the best in Yoruba movies then. From there, I moved to Surulere. I was with Studio One Creation for about four years. There, we did a lot. We did commercial and corporate works and even English movies. So I would say I am a person who is into so many things in terms of entertainment. I do musicals, I do documentaries. I had my fingers in all these areas before I finally joined Wale Adenuga Productions.

    I was there for over four years. I was there when they started doing Super Story. After that, I started Genesis Studios. So I worked for about 11 years before starting Genesis Studios. That is why I say I have 18 years of experience. We started with a youth-oriented programme. From there, we started So Wrong So Wright and today, we have Tales of Eve.

    Aside those productions, what else do you do?

    This year, we will be doing a lot because other things have come in. We are not just running the studios alone now. We have a company called Cross Roads Entertainment Network(CREN) Africa. What we do is acquisition and distribution of content. We have an Indian movie on our platform now that werecently acquired. We will be doing a lot.

    We are going to other deals this year. We have acquired children content for like six hours everyday and we have a contract for three years. We also have BeTV, our own channel coming up this year. We are producing two contents now but from the second half of the year, we will be doing up to 20. It is a full-scale entertainment channel, so we will be showing different genre of programmes, fromchildren shows to adult programmes. It is a DTT channel so we will be on Startimes.

    Are you into producing feature films?

    Genesis Studio is a TV and Film Production Company. We have not been doing feature films because the distribution network has always been a thing of concern. Why do you have to produce something when there is no market?That is why we came up with CREN. We have been complaining about the structure on ground.

    Our target is; if we are to produce a movie, we want to sell a minimum of million copies. If we are not selling a million copies, why don’t we just wait till the time is right and I think we have started working towards that. For every season ofTales of Eve we produce, we always release a collectible item. So we have started building our distribution network. Right now, we have close to 2000 distributors in Lagos and Ibadan and they have been spreading gradually. We have the data to back it up.

    As regards producing TV series, how stiff has the competition been?

    Some people tell us that we have too many contents in Nigeria but I keep telling them that I have not seen those contents. People say there is competition because a lot of people are doing TV programmingand movies but I can tell you that we are just starting.

    The good ones are very few so for me, when you talk about motion picture industry, I will tell you that we are just starting. In fact, I will tell you that we are still snoring. We have not even started the journey. That is just to give you an idea of where we are and where we are going. I can tell you that there are still lots of opportunities in the industry.

    In other parts of the world, TV stars are better paid compared to movie stars but the reverse is the case in Nigeria.  What should be put in place to take TV production to where it is supposed to be?

    Maybe I will look at it from a different perspective. If you say that our movie industry is doing well, I will tell you that it is not based on what people earn. A lot of them come on screen in other to get the popularity and make some money aside, interms of endorsements and all that. That is where the money is coming from, not really the acting.

    The truth is that, if you talk about Hollywood, the distance is far. That is why I gave the illustration that we are still sleeping. The last time I was in Universal Studios, we toured the studio for nine hours and we were still not through. It was massive. At that point, I knew we had not started. For the artistes in the movie industry, I always tell everyone that everybody who is a part of creating content should be given credit because what our colleagues earn abroad can’tbe compared to what we earn here. I can’t blame anyone because the truth is that you can’t live beyond your market.

    It is not just our sector alone. Don’t ask me to do a Hollywood movie when I am in Nigeria. We are all affected, it is about our environment. I think the private sector needs to come in and invest properly. There is money to be made. Even the government does not need to put down money. It is just to create policies to make sure we are safe.

    Did you at any point give a thought to being an actor?

    We all have talents and I want to believe that everybody has a potential in them. What God has deposited in you is different from what He has deposited in the next person. The way I see it is that we are like products in the hands of God. He created some people to be books, He created some to be computers and He created some people to be remote control.

    The reason is for us to enjoy life. You can imagine if we were all doctors, how would it be?Who will be the patient? For me, I know my kind of person. I know what I enjoy doing. I am an introvert. I like being behind the scene. I don’t enjoy being in a place and everybody is paying attention to me. I won’tdo well as an actor. That was the question I asked myself when I discovered that I enjoy watching TV and I asked myself where I can function.

    We all start somewhere and end up in a different place. I discovered that what I enjoy is being behind the scene. There was also the fact that I sketch very well. So I discovered that I loved that aspect of post-production. I can be in a place for a month without going out. When I was coming in, I came in as a post-production person. But I had the vision that I will end up being a producer someday which is what I am now.

    Aside running Genesis Studios, what else are you into?

    For me, it is all about media. I don’t know how to do any other thing. And if I am to come back to this world, I would want to come as a media person. I enjoy entertaining people and addingvalue to people’s lives.

  • Reviving a distressed film industry

    THE Nigeria’s movie industry ails seriously; lying prostate and haemorrhaging! This means that it is at present, inactive, as a result of the profuse bleeding from its internal injuries. When a patient suffers from internal bleeding, the ailment is usually not known or visible to the outsiders. That precisely is the situation with the industry. To the unwary onlookers, the industry appears to be riding the crest of stupendous success, but that, in the technical term of the trade, is no more than a photo trick.

    Next to agriculture, the industry today is the largest employer of labour but given that it is largely unregulated and invariably taken as another platform for constitutionally-guaranteed freedom of expression, it has over time attracted the influx of those that saw it as an avenue of escape from their grinding poverty. They had in due course learnt the rudiments of the trade and now have nowhere else to go because their acquired skills can only make them relevant and functional only within the industry. The professionals, old and new, formally and informally trained, that constitute the upper echelon are equally stuck because their identities, basis of relevance and livelihoods are inextricably tied to the industry.

    All over the world, Nigerians are the only people, who when pushed to the wall, do not surge forward. Rather they make the wall gives way for them! This axiom attests to the legendary capacity of Nigerians to find their ways out of a corner no matter how tight! The ingenuity; hallmark of an average Nigerian, shaped the resolve of the various practitioners to have worked out different strategies to survive and because they continue to keep their heads above water, outsiders believe that all is still well with the industry.

    Reality on the ground differs significantly. The professionals in the upper echelon, now contending with dwindling incomes from their works have gathered resourceful group of youngsters around them and a thriving industry has been created, packaging glamorous events around their biographies, birthdays and longevity in the industry. To augment their earnings are the formal and informal public relations jobs they occasionally get to handle for their luckier friends in the private sector and governments. They are also into productions of documentaries, advertisements jingles and TV contents. The middle and lower levels cadres have perfected sycophancy into an art, eagerly serving as the lackeys of the elite, controlling productions and distribution to guarantee them the crumbs from the masters’ table as they are now regularly included in their productions, the pittance they receive notwithstanding!  The glitz and glamour of the industry continue to ensure constant fresh inflows of ladies aiming for their share of the industry’s stardom. They provide the new source of funding for almost all the new productions outside the traditional marketing elite investments.

    In passing, let it be quickly noted that this is not limited to Nigeria but the peculiarity of our situation embodies the tragedy of our case as distinct from what obtains in other climes. Whereas, the systems in both the Hollywood and Bollywood incorporate and require all such stardom-seeking entrants to adhere to certain modicum of professional ethics, Nigeria has no system at all, which is why we are daily confronted with storylines so banal and pedestrian; they offend all sensibilities since they are all about ego-pumping of the financiers. And finally, the sudden realisation of the corporate world to the crowd-pulling power of the stars have created a new source of employment for the top actors as solo comic acts and or corporate events’ anchors. All these taken together, give the impression of a flourishing industry, contrary to the sad reality on the ground.

    Having written reams of papers on the situation, I am minded to keep my counsels but two new developments have now forced my hands to intervene again. First is the continuous downward spiral of the oil prices; the mainstay of the economy which dictates that government urgently seeks alternative revenue earner for the country. The other is the submission of Dr. Joseph OkwuNnanna, the Deputy Central Bank Governor at his clearance session at the Senate. As an alternative revenue earner to oil, the choice of the entertainment industry is automatic since the recent expanded economic revaluation of the country was largely attributed to it. Therefore it is not so much to pamper the stakeholders but rather the need to commence the salvaging of the threatened future of the country that government now needs to immediately put in place policy to arrest the drift of the industry, revitalize and strengthen it. The major problem is the lack of auditable distribution structure which besides aligning the industry with the global best practices will also link it up with the local organised private sector as the most effective way to secure structured access to working capital for the practitioners to practice their trade. Of the three development banks owned by the federal government; Bank of Industry(BOI), Nigeria Export Import bank(NEXIM) and Bank of Agriculture, I will focus on NEXIM for the job of assisting the entertainment industry out of its present morass on account of the bank’s exclusive mandate to develop the Nigerian entertainment and creative products as exportable goods. Right now, the products cannot be gainfully exported because they don’t have requisite industry quality, real protection and they cannot have the needed protection unless and until there is an internal and manifestly auditable distribution structure. What is at stake now is not another intervention fund or grants but a decisive policy that will see the bank directly working with the stakeholders to implant and entrench the structure.

    Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country is not a small nation with 36 states and 774 constitutionally-listed local governments. The size of the country and the huge capital required to have and maintain presence in all the states, local governments and communities which going by INEC data is over 120, 000 is the reason why brave attempts by some individuals to evolve the structure is yet to bear fruits. The internal distribution system here canvassed is strictly for the physical public video distribution. Cinema houses, although essential, are not part of it because the focus is on the 99% of our producers whose output is Direct-To-Homes (DTH). The present intervention fund with BOI and NEXIM Bank are no more than special focus commercial loans which only those with acceptable collateral can access, while the Presidential grants, though laudable is no more than a block of ice in a cauldron; it is generating ripples but hardly enough to bring about any major impact!

    What is recommended is for NEXIM to be appropriately empowered to take the evolution of the internal distribution structure for our entertainment products as a deliberate medium range strategic policy that will end in the products eventually becoming regular exportable products as Nigeria’s immediate answer to the volatility of global oil prices and politics. But to appropriately empower NEXIM, we have to reckon with the submission of Dr.Nnanna at the Senate. Hear him; ”we just have to make up our minds as a nation on what we really need, bearing in mind that we cannot have the three things together. We cannot have a low interest rate, low inflation and strong currency at the same time. It is when we make up our mind that the CBN will pursue the policy for us. Since we have development banks like the Bank of Industry, NEXIM Bank, Bank of Agriculture, and so on, we can recapitalise all of them and mandate them to lend at a fixed interest rate for the entrepreneurs and other investors willing to invest in the Nigerian economy which for the purpose of this article should read exportable entertainment goods. “Government cannot force a private bank to lend at a fixed rate because it will take into consideration, the risk premium especially when most people have been borrowing without the intention of repayment.”  Now even government-owned banks too are operating under strict policy guidelines, and they cannot also go outside their respective mandates no matter how much their managers may privately identify with the yearnings of their environments.

    I am now saying that the government should as the CBN Deputy Governor has canvassed, appropriately empower NEXIM then give it a marching order to help the entertainment and creative industry implant a visible and auditable distribution structure. It is a sure way to salvage and secure our economic future; now heavily dependent on the depleting asset we call crude oil.

    –’Yinka Ogundaisi is a movie marketer and film policy consultant