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Tag: MAN

  • Economy must be diversified, says MAN

    Economy must be diversified, says MAN

    The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has said there is no better time to diversify the economy than now. MAN President Dr. Frank Udemba Jacobs said it has become imperative to encourage the development and growth of the manufacturing sector, which is the surest way to diversify the economy.

    Speaking with the Nation,  Jacobs said the manufacturing sector is essential to job creation, sustained growth and development of other key sectors such as agriculture, solid minerals and others. “For the economy to remain the largest economy in Africa, as we claim, and assume the position of one of the leading 20 global economies in the year 2020, its structure must be diversified,” he said.

    He, therefore, called on the government to urgently address the challenges militating against the growth of the manufacturing sector. He identified some of the challenges as acute infrastructure deficiency, general insecurity, smuggling and unbridled importation and dumping of cheap and substandard finished products. Others are high cost of funds, inadequate long term loan windows to support long gestation investments and multiple taxation.

    The MAN president also identified non-availability of functional core industries such as iron and steel and petro-chemical industries as serious threats to the survival and growth of businesses. He also said irregular supply of industrial fuels arising from epileptic operation of local refineries constitutes an impediment to businesses.

    Jacobs urged government to ensure that refineries are privatised and the petroleum sector completely de-regulated. He also complained of policy inconsistency, high level of corruption both in the public and private sectors, as well as tardy implementation of policies. He said these sometimes arose from lack of political will to follow through on good policies.

    The MAN chief criticised what he called the lopsided government fiscal expenditure in favour of recurrent allocation; lack of patronage of made-in-Nigeria products. He noted, for instance, that government expenditure dictates the direction of general demand in the economy.

    He canvassed a policy on buy made-in-Nigeria and asked that it should be strictly enforced at all tires of government including Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

  • Man in court over alleged unlawful conduct

    Man in court over alleged unlawful conduct

    A 37-year-old man, Opeyemi Ogunrinde, was on Thursday arraigned in a Surulere Chief Magistrates’ Court, Abuja, over alleged unlawful conduct.

    He is standing trial for compelling one Friday Oronsaye, a staff of EKO Electricity Distribution Company, to descend from an electric pole.

    The accused who lives at No. 2 Oladipo Labinjo Crescent, off Akinsemoyin St., Surulere Lagos is facing a two-count charge of unlawful conduct and unlawful obstruction.

    Ogunrinde pleaded not guilty to the charges.

    The prosecutor, Insp. Gabriel Ekundayo told the court that the accused committed the offences at his resident around 12.00 p.m. on Dec.9.

    He said Oransaye and some workers of EKO Electricity Distribution were on official duty to read the meter installed at the resident of the accused.

    “Oransaye and his colleagues while reading the meter of the accused saw that on the bill the sum of N142, 836. 96 was owed.

    “The directive from the office was that he should disconnect the light of any bill above N50, 000.

    “When he climbed the pole to disconnect their light, the accused started shaking the ladder and unlawfully disallowed him from performing his lawful duty,’’ he said.

    Ekundayo said that the offences contravened Sections 166(D) and 117(2) of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State 2011.

    The Chief Magistrate, Mrs M.I. Dan-Oni, granted the accused bail in the sum of N50, 000 with one surety in like sum.

    The magistrate adjourned the case till Jan. 20, 2016.

     

  • ‘Manufacturers spend N500b yearly on power’

    ‘Manufacturers spend N500b yearly on power’

    Manufacturers spend about N500billion yearly for maintaining their power plants, the Chairman, Economic Policy Committee (EPC), Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Reginald Ike Odiah, has said.

    He lamented that irregular electricity supply was taking a huge toll on manufacturers despite the handover of the 18 successor companies of the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) to new core investors under the privatisation about two years ago.

    Oduah told The Nation  on  the sideline of the Annual General Meeting of the MAN, in Ikeja that a situation where manufacturers spend a whopping N500billion yearly for fuelling, running and maintaining their power plants, along with other additional costs of providing infrastructural deficiencies,  was not good for business.

    Odiah, who is also the Managing Director/CEO, Bennett Industries Limited, said the huge cost of providing alternative electricity is largely responsible for the high production cost for local manufacturing. “Manufacturing cost in Nigeria is twice that of Ghana, four times that of South Africa and Europe, and nine times that of China and Malaysia,” the industrialist said.

    The EPC Chairman added that other consequences of high production cost include low Gross Domestic Product (GDP) contribution by the real sector, especially manufacturing to the economy, lack of interest in investing in Nigeria by both local and foreign investors, closure of factories and migration of surviving ones to greener pastures, and others.

    Odiah, who spoke on ‘Serious constraints to sustainability of the real sector (from a manufacturer’s perspective)’ said, for instance, Nigeria’s real sector contribution to GDP currently stands at 9.5 per cent, while those of U.S and China stand at 35.6 per cent and 49.5 per cent, respectively.

    Continuing, he said Japan, India and Germany boast 38.2 per cent, 38.4 per cent and 35.9 per cent real sector contribution to GDP, respectively. He added that the sector’s low GDP contribution to the local economy caused by lack of basic infrastructure especially electricity is also responsible for the huge losses in tax revenue for the government as well as the high unemployment rate.

    He said the nation’s rising unemployment problem was responsible for the prevailing high crime rate and other  vices in the country. These issues arise because of “abject neglect, and lack of attention to the development of our basic infrastructure-roads, railways, electricity supply which has resulted in great difficulties in doing business in Nigeria.”

  • MAN to producers: Source raw materials locally

    President, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Dr. Frank Jacobs, has urged manufacturers to see the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN’s) policy barring a list of 41 items from getting foreign exchange (forex) as an opportunity to look inwards for raw materials.

    He spoke at the 48th Annual General Meeting (AGM), Ikeja chapter of MAN.

    He said though the policy had inimical effect on capacity of members to source foreign input, the group was engaging the government for a review.

    Jacobs said: “Given the challenges manufacturers are experiencing, I believe it is important to highlight the need for manufacturers to pay greater attention to local sourcing of our raw materials and to tune-up to the government’s agenda of backward integration.

    “Although we have objected to this superfluous restriction, this action is indicative of the policy orientation of the government and its aversion to the importation of otherwise locally available input/items. MAN is in support of this proposition as, going forward; local sourcing of raw materials should be our first consideration.”

    He lamented that dearth of infrastructure, multiple taxation and others continue to inhibit business growth in the country.

  • Experts commend CBN for reducing MPR, CRR

    Experts commend CBN for reducing MPR, CRR

    Some financial experts on Wednesday commended the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for its decision to adjust downwards its monetary policy rates.

    The experts, who spoke in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ota, Ogun, said that banks would now be more comfortable to lend to the real sector.

    Dr. Wale Adegbite, the President, Ogun Chapter of Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), commended the downward adjustment of the Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) and Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR).

    Adegbite said the reduction in MPR was commendable because it would enable banks to lend at lower rates to the real sector.

    The CBN announced the adjustment of the rates after a two-day meeting of its Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) in Abuja on Tuesday.

    The Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) was adjusted from 13 per cent to 11 per cent, while the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) was adjusted from 25 per cent to 20 per cent.

    The CBN said that the measures were to check inflation in the country.

    MAN president said that the adjustment of the monetary policy rates would make more funds available to manufacturers to do business.

    He, however, expressed regret that Nigerian banks preferred to invest in treasury bills rather than lend to manufacturers.

    Adegbite said this preference by bankers was due to the high risk of doing business in the country.

    “Commercial banks in Nigeria believe that the real sector finds it difficult to make profit due to infrastructure challenges like poor power supply and inadequate transportation system,’’ he said.

    The MAN chief said that the Federal Government needed to address the nation’s infrastructural problems to enable banks to lend effectively to the real sector.

    Dr. Titus Okunronmu, a former CBN Director, said lowering the interest rates was a welcome development, saying that there had been lots of complaints about the high interest rates in the financial sector.

    He said the reduction in MPR and CRR would encourage banks to grant credit facilities to the real sector at lower rates.

    “If banks can play their roles by targeting the real sector and people that need the loans, it will help the economy to grow and bring down inflation rate in the country,’’ he said.
    Dr. Samuel Nzekwe, a former President, Association of National Accountants of Nigeria (ANAN), agreed with the other experts that the decisions of the CBN would increase productivity in the real sector.

    Nzekwe said that since public funds had been withdrawn from the financial sector, banks were left with private sector funds.

    He urged the CBN to bring down interest rates further, saying this would be good for the financial sector.

    “The ability of the productive sector to borrow at lower interest rates from the financial institutions will lead to employment generation for youths and reduce poverty in the country,’’ Nzekwe said.

     

  • MAN bemoans lack of inspection facilities in Apapa ports

    •Customs’ inspection target drops from 200 to 60 containers per day 

    Lack of inspection tools and equipment in Apapa ports has led to a reduction in the inspection target  of   the   Nigeria   Customs Service (NCS)  from 200 containers per day to about 60 containers per day.

    This has resulted in the payment of avoidable demurrage and unnecessary delay  in manufacturing  operations,  the  Manufacturers Association of  Nigeria (MAN) has said.

    The Chairman of MAN, Apapa branch, Mr. Babatunde Odunayo, in his address at its  44th Annual General Meeting (AGM)  held in Lagos on  November 12, spoke on the theme. At the AGM: ‘The Nigerian Manufacturing Sector:  What   Future   for   Capacity   Utilization   and   Growth   under   a   New   Economic   Situation?

    Odunayo said because of lack of inspection facilities at the ports, raw materials, plant and machinery, and spare parts are not released efficiently by Customs.

    “Presently, trailers also queue up on port roads leading to loss of man-hours and contribute to the cost of doing business in Nigeria,” Odunayo lamented, adding that already the deplorable state of roads within Lagos metropolis and the consequent traffic gridlock at the Tin-Can Island   and   Apapa   Ports   have   led   to   closure   of   and   relocation   of   some   manufacturing companies from Apapa to other neighbouring states.

    While noting that the Lagos State Government’s rail transportation project appears to have stalled,   Odunayo   calling   on   the   State   Government   to   fast-track   the   completion   of   the proposed Trailer Pack at Tin Can Inland, which, when completed, would promote an orderly and traffic-free conduct of business in that area.

    The Man chief also expressed hope that the NCS will improve on the facilities and processes at the ports in order to achieve the 48-hour clearing mandate, while also improving on the Pre-Arrival Assessment  Report (PAAR) procedures  in   order   to ensure  that   PAAR-related challenges such as complaints arising from Free on Board (FOB) values are minimized.

    This year’s AGM,  according to   Odunayo,  was  aimed  at engaging  with some  established economists and  technocrats in  further  understanding the  strategies  required   to  rescue  the manufacturing sector from imminent danger in the prevailing macro-economic and currency controls environment.

    He noted, for instance, that the controversial exclusion of 41 items from the official foreign exchange (forex), and the shortage of forex to finance imports is threatening operators in the manufacturer sector. “This unfavourable business environment poses serious threats to the survival of the manufacturing sector,” he said.

    According to Odunayo, “The Central Bank of Nigeria may have stampeded itself into the removal of the 41 items from the official forex window if you consider that the list includes essential raw material inputs for manufacturing, which do not have local substitutes.”

  • Man kills own children in Kaduna

    Man kills own children in Kaduna

    A middle aged man, on Wednesday in Kaduna slaughtered four of his children and attempted to kill himself after an alleged quarrel with his wife.

    Neighbours said that the man had quarreled with his wife throughout the night, forcing her to leave the house located on Ahmadu Bello Street in Kawo area of Kaduna metropolis.

    Thereafter, the man allegedly locked the entrance to the house and used a knife to slaughter the four children aged between one to six years.

    One of his children who was not in the house at the time, alerted the ward head of the area, when he found the door to the residence locked from inside on Wednesday afternoon.

    When the neighbours and some policemen forced the door to the house open, the children were already dead while their father was still alive but in serious condition.

    Police spokesman in the state, Zubairu Abubakar, said that the man and the children had been conveyed to St Gerards General Hospital in Kakuri, Kaduna.

    He said that the police had commenced full investigation into the matter.

  • I WANT A MAN THAT CAN CURB MY EXCESSES –NOLLYWOOD ACTRESS ROSE ODIKA

    I WANT A MAN THAT CAN CURB MY EXCESSES –NOLLYWOOD ACTRESS ROSE ODIKA

    With over a decade experience in the Nigeria movie industry, Rose Odika, a Nollywood crossover actress, can be described as one of the best. The thespian who has carved her niche in the Yoruba movie industry, in this interview with DUPE AYINLA-OLASUNKANMI, speaks on her career, project, and rumoured marriage.

    WHAT projects are you currently involved in?

    Presently, I’m in the process of putting together a television programme titled Ewa Asa which aims to showcase the beauty of African Culture. The intention is to appreciate the diverse cultures in the African setting, especially promoting the values of the Yoruba culture. It’s a competitive programme where people pick up forms. It is not a beauty Pageant, but an event which is in two phases.

    First, you pick a topic and speak undiluted Yoruba for 10minutes without interference or break. The second phase is about picking from aspects of incantations in Nigeria, for instance, Ekun Iyawo, Ifa Kiki. The winner of the first prize goes home with N50,000. The 2nd place winner goes home with N30, 000 while the 3rd prize is N20, 000. That is my little way of giving back to the society.

    You are one of the few actors who have been able to remain scandal free. How have you been able to keep your private life outside your career?

    First of all, it is to God’s glory. Secondly, my father taught me well; may his soul rest-in-peace. My father will always tell me, ‘remember whose child you are’. I always remember where I’m coming from, so I don’t take the wrong steps. My father has helped himself by building up the family and I won’t destroy the name. Also, I don’t bite more than I can chew and I take things the way they come.

    You still look beautiful; do you have a secret formula?

    I think I am enjoying His grace; I take care of my social life and my health. If you don’t have any aliment, you will look good. If your social life is not too rough, you will look good. So apart from God giving me good health, I have been able to maintain my social life. I don’t smoke, and I don’t drink alcohol. I am into skin care but I don’t mix harsh creams. I know what will be good for my skin and what will not be good; so that has helped me in taking care of my skin. Also, genetically from my family, we have youthful looks. So that is what it’s all about.

    You were reported to have re-married after 10 years, and you are yet to say anything. What is the true situation?

    It is a rumour please. I drove down to a journalist’s office to showcase my new programme. They started interviewing me and one of the questions they asked me was why I have not been married for 10 years. I only jokingly said of course I will be married soon. It was just a joke. I like talking positively to myself. Before I knew it, instead of them to promote my program and say something like Ewa Asa in the making, or Rose Odika hosts Ewa Asa, they started airing it that ‘Rose Odika is about to wed’. I still insist, and saying it here that I am about to wed.

    What are the qualities you look out for before you put your trust in a man?

    First of all, a man that can attract me must be calm in nature. The man must be very patient because I am very short tempered. He must be patient with me. Another important factor is that the man must be more mature and he must have the tendency to overlook things. The man must fear God and be truthful; he must be at least 90% truthful. I want a man that will not lie but tell me the way it is. So those are the qualities I look for in a man that I would want to settle down with.

    What do you think the Nigerian film industry needs to do to improve on the quality of movies produced?

    That’s a good question. In the next few years, I would want to see a situation where the government sets aside some fund, a sort of film fund which actors and actresses can access.

    But there is a fund already on ground given to Nollywood by the Federal Government…

    Yes, but it didn’t go round. Let’s thank our former President, Goodluck Jonathan for the initiative, but we want more of it. That one didn’t circulate and for us, putting down collateral to get it is not what we are talking about. Some money has been set aside for the less privilege, some money has been set aside for the security, some money has been set aside for the entertainment industry. Just set the money aside. It shouldn’t be something that we should return.

    We have worked for this country by building its image, so if you say “producer we are giving you this to support what you are producing,” it is better. If you can put down money for security, you can also put down money in image making for Nigeria. Also, they should help us get a good film village so that we won’t go about disturbing people in their respective homes. If we can build shopping malls, a film village should be built because the entertainment industry is one of the largest employers of labour and we don’t need a certificate to be there. We only need talents, so why can’t they just assist us?

    There’s a certain disparity between English Nollywood and Yoruba Nollywood. Where do you stand on that?

    The press is not helping out by giving us the term English actors or Yoruba actors. An actor is an actor. The Yoruba film industry started before the English came up; so if some people want to claim superiority, the Yoruba industry should be the one taking the lead. However, there shouldn’t be any clash among us. Why don’t we have one body like we have the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE).

    As a professional body, we should look for a name, an umbrella body to cover us up where we can be having a yearly conference. So whatever your association is, let’s still have a body that controls all these associations and we will have a better industry. I don’t believe in superiority in Nollywood. What is Nollywood by the way? This industry started over 20 years ago, so these are the things we should correct and put all this egoism and face the industry.

  • Man docked over alleged theft of generator

    Man docked over alleged theft of generator

    A 65-year-old man, Adeyemi Abu, who allegedly stole a generating set valued at N48, 000 was on Wednesday charged before an Ota Magistrates’ Court in Ota, Ogun.

    Abu, of No. 11 Shittu St., Iyana Ilogbo, Ota, is facing a one-count charge of stealing.

    The Prosecutor, Sgt. Rosemary Samson, told the court that the accused committed the offence on Sept. 19 at about noon at No. 59, Mashalasi St., Baba Konkola Area, Ota.

    Samson said that the accused stole a generating set valued at N48, 000 belonging to one Shola Daramola.

    She said that the offence contravened Section 390(9) of the Criminal Code, Vol. 1, Revised Law of Ogun, 2006.

    The accused, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.

    The Magistrate, Miss Temitope Adebutu, granted the accused bail in the sum of N50, 000 with one surety in like sum.

    Adebutu ordered that the surety must reside within the court’s jurisdiction and swear to an affidavit of means.

    She directed that the surety should produce a one-year tax clearance and submit a recent passport photograph to the court.

    The magistrate also said that the address of the surety should be verified by the police.

    The case was adjourned till November 20, for trial

     

     

  • MAN chides Shippers Council over tracking note

    The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has chided the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) over the proposed re-introduction of Advanced Cargo Tracking Note (ACTN).

    Its Director-General, Mr. Remi Ogunmefun, said NSC’s decision was a shock to MAN because there was no indication to go ahead with the plan at previous meetings.

    He noted that MAN at a special meeting with the management and Governing Board of NSC in August, expressed dissatisfaction with the proposed re-introduction of ACTN.  He said the OPS took the position based on observed limitations, negative trickle-down effect on businesses and cost-driven implications on cargo clearance. “These observations and other yet to be addressed lapses that motivated the call for its cancellation few years ago is still relevant and we are at a loss as to the sudden detour by Shippers Council. The rationale for dissatisfaction was expressed at several meetings which was formally communicated in writing to the Executive Secretary of the NSC on September 15, 2015, “ he said.

    He urged NSC to convene a broader stakeholders forum that will afford operators along the maritime value chain, especially those that would carry the cost burden of ACTN to technically x-ray its proposed re-introduction.

    He said: “The NSC is yet to address the concerns of manufacturers or those raised by other stakeholders, amend observed lapses, provide alternative remedies or convene a maritime stakeholder’s forum but has resorted to the pages of the newspaper expressing the plans to go ahead with the re-introduction.

    “ln view of the above, necessity is laid on MAN as the voice of manufacturers in Nigeria to publicly express our dissatisfaction and objection to the re-introduction of ACTN in any form as well as place balanced information in the public domain in the interest of thereal sector and the Nigerian economy.”

    He maintained that for the  avoidance of doubt, it is expedient to restate the position of MAN National Council which he said is against the  re-introduction of the ACTN discarded by the Federal Government on the request of the operators within the manufacturing sector in 2013. Furthermore, he said the limitations and technical lapses that rendered the CTN unacceptable to stakeholders and real sector operators that led to its previous rejection are present in the ACTN.

    He also stated that the information required and data that the proposed ACTN intends to collate, as the basis for its re-introduction, are currently available in the domain of government, especially the Nigeria Customs Service Single Window Platform, Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Nigeria Port Authority (NPA), National Agency for Food and Drug, Administration and Control  (NAFDAC) and Nigeria Maritime Management and Safety Agency (NIMASA).

    That the re-introduction of ACTN for the purpose of providing information/data already available with other Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies would amount to mere duplication and at an enormous cost to the manufacturers, importers and other port users, he added.

    He also argued that ACTN implementation comes with associated cost that will further increase the burden of exorbitant cost of doing business for manufacturers who rely on imports for raw materials and machines. According to him this will automatically add to the already suffocating cost structure and render locally made goods uncompetitive.