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Tag: John Momoh

  • Momoh seeks collaboration between varsity, private sector

    Momoh seeks collaboration between varsity, private sector

    Chairman of Channels Media Group, John Momoh, has called for collaboration, between institutions offering postgraduate education and the private sector.

    He said that for sustainable growth, the collaboration is one that could be more relevant to the challenges and opportunities facing the nation.

    Speaking at the 2023/2024 annual lecture of the School of Postgraduate Studies (SPGS), University of Lagos (UNILAG), with the theme:Innovative Synergy: Harnessing the Power of Collaboration Between Postgraduate Education and the Private Sector for Sustainable Economic Growth, Momoh said the role of education, particularly postgraduate education, cannot be underestimated.

    “The private sector as the engine of economic growth, innovation and job creation is a critical partner in this endeavour. However, for businesses in Nigeria to thrive and remain competitive in a rapidly changing global market, they must continuously innovate and adapt. And this is where the collaboration with our universities and other research institutions becomes invaluable. In Nigeria, a great country, the challenges we face are unique,” he said.

    Read Also: Momoh seeks sustainability development for Niger Delta

    He explained that the collaboration between postgraduate education and the private sector must be intentional and strategic.

    He said: “The partnership between postgraduate education and the private sector isn’t just an option. It is a necessity for the sustainable development of Nigeria. I am confident that the discussions we’ll have today will spark new ideas. They will forge new partnerships and set us on a path towards a more prosperous and sustainable future for Nigeria.”

    Vice Chancellor of UNILAG, Prof. Folashade Ogunshola, said higher institutions have to be more intentional in meeting the developmental needs of the country and the postgraduate school is central to this mission.

  • Family, friends honour IYAYI at 70

    It was an evening of great fun for the Iyayi family as they celebrated their son, Macaulay Iyayi who clocked 70 last week. The event which was held recently at Glover Court, Ikoyi, Lagos attracted  dignitaries  that include; the Publisher of The Guardian newspaper, Mrs. Maiden Ibru, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Channels Television,  John Momoh ,the Chairman, Biscon Communications, Bisi Olatilo, among others.

    Iyayi, a son of a civil servant, Chief Francis Iyayi schooled at the University of Ife now Obafemi Awolowo University. He is a talented sportsman and consummate banker. He was the chairman of the defunct Pinnacle Commercial Bank Limited.

  • How entrepreneurs can tap into $50b opportunities in media, by John Momoh

    How entrepreneurs can tap into $50b opportunities in media, by John Momoh

    Nigeria provides one of the largest and fastest growing markets for entrepreneurs, according to Channels Media Group Chairman John Momoh. He was the keynote speaker at the Second Fate Annual Alumni Conference held in Lagos. The event had as theme: “Unlocking the growth potential of MSMEs through partnerships and innovation’’. DANIEL ESSIET reports.

    For the Chairman, Channels Media Group, Mr. John Momoh, the strategy to  remain afloat in the broadcast business and be   ahead of others is simple: Transform digitally.

    He believes every broadcast business needs to be digital to thrive in the economy.

    Momoh spoke at the Second Fate Annual Alumni Conference in Lagos.

    The event had as theme: “Unlocking the growth potential of MSMEs through partnerships and innovation.”

    Beyond enhancing content and driving transformation, he said there was the need to be Information Communication Technology (ICT) minded.

    He urged Nigerians to tap into about $50 billion worth of opportunities in the broadcast and media industry.

    According to him, there are opportunities for small amd medium scale enterprises (SMEs) to provide services to broadcast businesses through the use of digital technologies.

    “As we know, Nollywood is rising with more talents coming on board; moreso, we need more channels that are dedicated to carving a niche for themselves in different areas,’’ Momoh said.

    The sector, he said, has huge opportunities to generate employment and revenues for the economy, if the potential could be properly harnessed.

    He said digitisation would soon open the window for more investments and for channels of programming that would be dedicated to various niches.

    According to him, the market presents tremendous opportunities for small businesses to grow and create more jobs.

    He recounted  how he started Channels Television 22 years ago and the challenges he faced.

    Momoh said he applied for a licence to launch a free-to-air news television station in 1993.

    With limited capital and a resolute determination to succeed, the commitment of his family, a N3-million loan from a local retail bank, and the eventual support of a few friends, and a committed core staff of 15, the Channels boss said the station began test transmission two years later within Ikeja, Lagos.

    At the beginning, he recalled that mainstream advertisers were reluctant to embrace his firm.

    He had to battle both the political and financial landscapes to survive. It was during one of the most challenging times ever in Nigeria’s political history flickered with military dictatorships.

    Most times during the Sanni Abacha years, he narrated that the station faced the risk of  collapse with military attacks making the dedicated news channel  a non-attractive bet for investors that they approached to invest in the project.

    Despite the early pitfalls and near collapses, the Channels Television  chief said the project  survived.

    His words:  “We bootstrapped our way to financial stability.’’

    He said a dogged spirit of faith and the commitment of his wife, helped the resolve to continue in the pursuit of what was going to disintegrate into an unlikely dream with declining returns.

    According to him,  the television’s bias for news  placed it well above other competitors in the industry.

    The station, he added, bagged the ‘Best Television Station of The Year’, an award endowed by the Nigerian Media Merit Award Trust – 10 times in the last 14 years: 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, thereby making Channels Television “the Station of the decade.”

    Fate Foundation founder, Mr Fola Adeola, urged entrepreneurs to be diligent and resilient in the pursuit of their vision and growth of the economy.

    Adeola said the mission of the foundation is to foster wealth creation by promoting business and entrepreneurship among Nigerians.

    Fate Foundation  Executive Director Adenike Adeyemi, said participants would benefit from experienced entrepreneurs and experts at its conferences.

    This year’s sessions, according to her, focused on access to markets, brand management, agribusiness and sustainability.

    Fate Foundation was founded in 2000 by Mr Adeola, the pioneer of GTBank PLC. Since its inception, it has graduated over 5,200 entrepreneurs from its Aspiring, Emerging and Special Entrepreneurs’ Programmes and trained over 40,000 Nigerians in its short entrepreneurship certificate courses.

     

     

  • Nigeria needs repackaging not restructuring – Okorocha

    Nigeria needs repackaging not restructuring – Okorocha

    Gov. Rochas Okorocha said Nigeria does not need restructuring as being demanded by some Nigerians, but said the nation only needed to be repackaged.

    Okorocha said this on Monday while declaring open the 67th annual conference of Broadcasting Organizations of Nigeria (BON).

    He said BON as critical stakeholders must be in the forefront of the campaign against restructuring, but rather sell the massage of repackaging.

    He said only repackaging could attract huge investors to Nigeria and help boost its economy.

    “Many people have defined restructuring just to benefit their geo-political zones.

    “To the South Easterners, restructuring means creation of an additional state, While it may mean resource control to other geo-political zones”, he said.

    The governor said Nigeria has been presented in the bad light to other nations of the world which made it non marketable to the international communities.

    “We are not the worst nation in the world in terms of corruption but we have been presented as the worst nation.

    “I urged BON to see Nigeria as its project and repackage it so that we can regain our lost glories”, he said.

    Okorocha however appealed to BON to also give the less privileged  the opportunity to be heard considering high cost of electronics media subscription.

    In his address, the BON Chairman Mr. John Momoh said the main aim of the meeting was to brainstorm on how to proffer solutions to Nigerian problems.

    He also said part of the group’s agenda was to suggest ways  to strengthen BON for it to continue to serve as watch dog to political office holders.

    According to him, it is the responsibility of BON to bring the feelings of the people to government and also let the people know their civic responsibilities.

    He commended the governor for his huge developmental projects which he said have changed the face of Imo state.

  • Awosika, Momoh, others advocate trust culture for national development

    Awosika, Momoh, others advocate trust culture for national development

    Eminent stakeholders across four critical institutions: government, business, media and non-governmental organisations have advocated the re-awakening of the culture of integrity, goodwill and trust in all spheres of our national life as a panacea to overcoming the myriad social, political and economic challenges facing Nigeria currently.

    Speaking in Lagos at the public presentation of the 2017 Edelman Trust Barometer, which was the 17th edition of the annual global trust and credibility survey launched by Edelman, and the first to be launched in Nigeria, they lamented that lack of public trust in institutions of authority such as government, business, media and non-governmental organisations needed to be reversed in order to bring the country back on the path of sustainable development.

    The speakers included Chairman, First Bank of Nigeria, Mrs. Ibukun Awosika, who gave a keynote speech; Chairman/CEO, Channels Television, Mr. John Momoh; Managing Director, Edelman, South Africa, Mr. Jordan Rittenberry; Founder/Chief Executive Officer, Proshare Nigeria Limited, Mr. Olufemi Awoyemi; President, Public Relations Consultants’ Association of Nigeria (PRCAN), Mr. John Ehiguese; President, Africa Public Relations Association (APRA), Mr. Yomi Badejo-Okusanya, and former President, Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Maxi Mike Okereke.

    Others were Vice President, Nigeria Guild of Editors/Deputy Managing Director, The Sun Publishing Limited, Mr. Steve Nwosu; Founder, Consumer Advocacy Forum of Nigeria (CAFON), Ms. Sola Salako; Publisher, Encomium, Mr. Kunle Bakare, and Chief Operating Officer, Soulcomms Publicis, Moji Saka. Some spoke as members of the two panels that discussed trust as a subject matter with the immediate Past President, PRCAN, Chido Nwakanma as the moderator. Others delivered goodwill messages.

    Mrs. Awosika, who stated that integrity, goodwill and trust were the same side of a coin that could not be outspent, commended Chain Reactions Nigeria for the launch of the study, noting that the insights contained in the survey would foster the recovery of loss of confidence in our key institutions if well applied.

    “I consider the issue discussed very critical, and it is important going forward for any organisation especially for the nation. When trust is broken, when we can no longer trust institutions, there is a major problem because it becomes very difficult to communicate. People generally have low trust level; they tend to believe the accusation first before they find out what is true. You can see it play out in our polity, people no longer trust institutions”, she said.

    Awosika added that it was imperative for players across the fours spotlighted critical sectors to embrace professionalism by being trustworthy in all they do, maintaining that while it was possible to outspend financial currency, institutions cannot outspend integrity, goodwill and trust.

    Managing Director/Chief Strategist, Chain Reactions Nigeria, Israel Jaiye Opayemi, said there is a global implosion of trust as people are losing faith in institutions such as government, the media and NGO’s. “According to the Edelman 2017 Trust Barometer, public trust in institutions of authority is decreasing while trust in business, SMEs are on the rise and people are believing more in their ability to make the difference in life rather than wait on the institutions like government”, he said.

    He added: “Institutions should communicate more and do exactly what they say. People now listen more to their peers and less to their bosses or constituted institutions as they network and exchange ideas. Business organisations who want to reach these people must identify peer group leaders and influencers. CSR intervention is crucial as corporate organisations need to touch the lives and build trust beyond profit as people tend to buy the stocks of companies they trust.

    “The media, NGOs, business organisations and those who run government should take key learnings from this. What Chain Reactions is positioned to do is to develop a Trust Barometer for the society: trust for government, trust for media, trust for businesses and trust for non-governmental organisations.”

    Managing Director of Edelman, South Africa, Jordan Rittenberry said: “The growth of populism has seen the mass population reject established authorities. The informed public consists of people who are educated and economically better while the mass population is made up of people who are illiterate or semi-literate and fall under the low-income earners strata. Currently greater influence lies with the growing mass population.”

    “In the case of Brexit and the last American election, we saw the media combating fake news and this was witnessed all over the world with businesses being rocked by scandal after scandal. All these factors combine to show that trust is in crisis in 2017. What we used to see as the pyramid of influence is gone; no longer are the days when the better source of information is presumed to be held by the elite as there is a democratisation of information and communication. What we are seeing is an emerging new model that is populist. Edelman is working with Chain Reactions to ensure Nigeria is covered in the next Edelman Trust Barometer statistics.”

    Momoh on his part said, “The media around the world has lost credibility due especially to the emergence of social media and the traditional media has its own blame as interference like politicians, editorial policy are really weighing on media responsibility. Channels TV, for instance, is a network built on trust which is why the station is where it is today.”

    Corroborating, Awoyemi affirmed that trust is sacrosanct in all aspects of life be it private or public. “In God we trust, every other thing is data. If you are not a professional you cannot do TV like Channels TV because the only currency Channels has is trust.”

    On her part, consumer rights advocate, Sola Solako said consumer education is very crucial and should be seen as a tool to regain trust. “Businesses need to emphasise quality, pay tax as good corporate organisations and government needs to religiously implement what they promise the electorate”, she insisted

    Edelman, the world’s largest global communications marketing firm with a presence in 65 countries across the globe, launched Trust Barometer has a global measurement to indicate performances by countries in the following sectors: Government, Business, Media and NGO.

    The launch of the survey was facilitated by Chain Reactions Nigeria, a leading vibrant Public Relations and Integrated Communications consulting firm, and the exclusive affiliate of Edelman in Nigeria.

     

  • Leadership: NLI inducts 27 associate fellows

    Leadership: NLI inducts 27 associate fellows

    The Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Leadership Initiatives (NLI), Mr. Yinka Oyinlola, has called on emerging young leaders in the country to be value-based.

    Oyinlola, who made this call on Saturday during the induction of 27 Associate Fellows of the NLI in Lagos, said that poor leadership is capable of destroying strong systems and institutions as evidenced around the world where poor countries were turned around by good leaders.

    “It is our mission at NLI to ensure that Nigeria is governed by character-driven, value-based and purposeful leaders.

    “As a result of that, we believe that if we go with the youths, we will deepen their leadership planning, hopefully at some point they will form a critical mass that will drive positive change in Nigeria,” the NLI boss noted.

    According to him, the NLI selected ‘a cohort of 27 very accomplished young Nigerians’ out of 1088 from all over the world who competed for the future leaders’ seminar and took them through 4 days of intensive sessions values, efficiency, community and equality to mention a few.

    “Discussing with them convinced me that we chose the best of the bests,” Oyinlola said.

    Considering the multiple problems facing the country, the NLI associate fellows have different areas of interests to address if opportune to.

    For Adanna Chukwuma it is power and agriculture because according to her, “when there is power, businesses can work and agriculture because the country needs to take advantage of the multiple hectares of arable land, uncultivated.”

    In his part, Eyitayo Ogunmola, who observed that the country needs to be reunited said: “If I were the president, I will find ways of reuniting the nation because that is our ultimate goal, to live together as one. I will reunite the country, give a presidential posture and strengthen institutions above individuals.”

    “One major challenge with the country is that we strengthen individuals above institutions. That is why ICPC, EFCC, ICC cannot really go after some individuals,” he said.

    Speaking at the induction, John Momoh, Chairman and CEO of Channels Television urged the fresh associates to ensure they maintain network with colleagues stressing that it could be tough but it is necessary.

    The broadcast communication guru, who is also the Co-President of the 2015 Associate Fellows, advised the inductees to take risk, saying “It is important to take risk. If you do not take risk you will remain where you are” he said.

    According to the Channels’ boss: “risk is an important ingredient needed to make a better person.”

    In his vote of thanks, Oyinlola reminded inductees of what to expect as they returned to the world saying: “You are returning to the cage but remember the discussions and initiatives of good leadership.

  • MO Abudu, Momoh, Akiotu for lecture

    MO Abudu, Momoh, Akiotu for lecture

    Renowned broadcasters will today gather at the Trenchard Hall of the University of Ibadan (UI) in Oyo State to discuss the content and future of broadcasting in Nigeria.

    The theme of the biennial lecture, organised by the Yemi Sonde Entertainment in partnership with the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC), is “Balancing Professionalism and Commercialisation in a Digital Era”.

    Discussants at the lecture include CEO, EbonyLife TV, MO Abudu; Managing Director and CEO, Channels Television, John Momoh; Group Managing Director, Daar Communications Plc, Tony Akiotu; broadcast equipment marketer Ayodeji Osibogun; General Manager, Faaji FM, Dr. Ambrose Somide; Mr. Yanju Adegbite and ace broadcaster and actor Mr. Yemi Sodimu.