The Nation Newspaper

Tag: MANAGEMENT

  • Probe TCN management, union urges govt

    Probe TCN management, union urges govt

    The Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies (SSAEAC), has asked the Federal Government to probe the poor management and under-performance of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) under Manitoba Hydro International Nigeria Limited (MHINL).

    SSAEAC President,  Chris Okonkwo, who spoke at a briefing in Lagos, said there has not been any significant improvement in power, since MHINL took charge four years ago, stating that corruption and politicisation of the power sector  have compounded the operational processes of TCN.

    “A look at the calibre and number of staff of MHINL evokes crass disdain for the quality of Nigerian professionals in TCN, who are subjected under men and women who are mediocres in the core business of TCN, and who use the Nigerians to do the little that is recorded as success of the contract, with outrageously high fees paid to the MHINL for little or no work done,” he said.

    Describing the contract as political, Okonkwo alleged that from inception till date, Manitoba exploited the weakness in the system.

    “They (Manitoba) are morally and ethically bankrupt and should be investigated if the current war against corruption will have a meaning,” he alleged.

    He warned the Federal Government against another extension being pushed for by MHINL, saying it will lead to industrial action from workers. He said it was neccessary for the government to look inwards by sourcing local contractors and professionals in the sector.

    Okonkwo also lamented that most of the firms who bid for stakes in the sector were insincere about their ability to inject funds into the sector. “When will government open its eyes to see that the investors today are not real investors?” he asked.

    He argued that the investors, who should have brought in investment and engaged technical partners, turned out to be hiring them temporarily for the bidding purpose. This, he said, was why the so-called investors are left to do a business they knew nothing about.

  • ‘Why money management skill is crucial’

    Renowned author and publisher of the daily devotional, Our Daily Manna (ODM) Bishop (Dr.) Chris Kwakpovwe, has called on  the Federal Government to find ways of creating incentives to stimulate the informal sector so as to reduce the hardship that Nigerians are exposed to in the face of a tottering economy.

    Speaking last Sunday at a Roundtable with the theme: ‘Financial Intelligence: Basic Money Management Skills to Create Wealth’ he  said the informal sector should be positioned as the engine of economic growth in the face of dwindling oil earnings and low capacity utilisation by the manufacturing sector; factors that have literally crippled the economy.

    Kwakpovwe said there was urgent need for government to address the twin issues of basic infrastructure such as electricity and funding for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) so as to encourage more Nigerians to embark on self-employment rather than continue to search for non-existent jobs in an economy where the otherwise vibrant sector such as banking, is already throwing thousands of Nigerians into the streets.

    The bishop urged Nigerians to rise to the challenge of contemporary economic realities and acquire basic financial intelligence and management skills that would enable them set up and manage small businesses successfully, which he insists, holds the key to earning a decent living in the face of a shrinking economy.

  • Kachikwu: Of style and crisis management

    “You can’t control the fact that people will annoy you, what you can control is your reaction” – Buddha

    These are trying times for Nigeria and Nigerians. The times are even more trying for the government of President Muhammadu Buhari. Juxtaposed against the swagger that characterized the boisterous presidential campaign of the President’s All Progressive Congress party (APC), many will be wondering at the turn of events. The swagger is gone. All is now sober. For once, the arrogant posturing of some of his close allies has started to give way to sombre reality. If the contrary had been the case, one would have lost hope in the Nigeria project. As of today, his government is missing out miserably on some of the most fundamental metrics of his campaign notably, the price of fuel and the value of the naira.

    There is a consolation though. The fact is that these performance deficits do not necessarily stem from palpable inaction by the government.  Falling oil prices, poor revenues, sabotage of oil installations and renewed insurgency in various parts of the country have contrived to pressure the government far beyond what had been anticipated.

    Expectedly, Nigerians are angry, very angry indeed. That anger rose to flammable levels last Monday when Minister of State, Dr. Ibe Emmanuel kachikwu heeded the summons by the House of Representatives. His mission was to answer questions on the recent deregulation of fuel prices, an action that ought to have been taken a long time ago, if successive administrations had mustered the political will to do the needful.

    Like labour that had flown into a rage over the deregulation, some members of the House of Representatives came dangerously close to throwing decorum to the winds when they insisted that the minister, who was there specifically to answer their summons, literally stood him up, insisting that he should not be allowed in. The National Assembly does not have a reputation for showing such disrespect to ministers though one cannot forget in a hurry how the same House of Representatives had once shown utter disrespect to former minister of finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

    As we ponder the events of the past few weeks, it makes sense not to lose sight of some, or at least one, of the positive revelations of the fuel conundrum. It has to with the crisis management dexterity of Ibe Kachikwu. Not everyone, no matter how endowed, can absorb the barrage of criticisms from and, at times, outright sabotage by the various interest groups that sought to score political points by the crisis. But Kachikwu who until his appointment, first as Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) before being elevated to Minister of State, Petroleum, had not been known to operate within the public sector, rose to the challenge with resolute calmness and remarkable wisdom. That is why the astute handling of the fuel saga by the minister and his team will stand out as a case study in crisis management and social responsibility.

    It will be recalled that in the wake of the crisis, the minister had cleverly deflected the barrage of criticisms, some from unexpected quarters, most especially, his All Progressive Congress (APC) party. In time past, we have seen ministers in similar situations fly into a rage, some fingering all manner of detractors and adversaries. Kachikwu would have none of those. In the face of these provocations, he maintained a dignified silence; where he thought there was need to talk, he politely offered very candid replies steeped in knowledge and disarming elocution. Thus, he was able to take the wind from the sails of his critics.

    We can only speculate on the likely turn of events if, had he, on that fateful Monday, descended to the level of the lawmakers who disrespectfully stonewalled him as he arrived the National Assembly to defend the actions of the government. So many scenarios could have played out. In anger, he could have walked away. He could also have refused to co-operate with the lawmakers by hedging and ducking. He did none of these. Rather, he demonstrated extreme self control and methodically disarmed the Reps.

    Watching Kachikwu’s demeanour throughout the fuel saga, one will not be wrong to conclude that he is an exponent of Buddha’s maxim that, “You can’t control the fact that people will annoy you, what you can control is your reaction”. In the face of provocation, Kachikwu refused to be angry; he remained calm, respectful, methodical and focused. Reeling out empirical information to support the government’s decision, he struck at the patriotic instinct of the lawmakers. To him, the issues at stake were too fundamental to warrant any distractions. In the end, the government’s case was made.

    So persuasive and compelling was the government’s position, as presented by the minister, that the House promptly directed labour to sheath its sword and suspend its strike. Here, again, he proved the masters right. It was James Allen who asserted that: “Self control is strength. Right thought is mastery. Calmness is power”. Throughout this crisis, the minister of state, petroleum has exhibited a large dose of each of these virtues and for the first time, majority of Nigerians are beginning to jump into the deregulation bandwagon.

     

    • Bature, a policy analyst and business strategist wrote in from Abuja

  • AAUA students to management: N25,000 reparation fee too high

    The Adekunle Ajasin University in Akungba-Akoko (AAUA), Ondo State, has ordered students to pay N25,000 each as “reparation fee” for the destruction of properties during their protest last month. The school management has linked payment of the fee to the school’s reopening.

    The university was shut after the  protest that trailed the death of Ojo Afolabi Daniel, a 200-Level Economics Education student, after being knocked down by a commercial motorcyclist.

    In a text message to students last Thursday, management said the decision was reached after a Senate meeting, where the report of the committee that investigated the  protest was discussed. The committee, CAMPUSLIFE gathered, recommended the payment for the destroyed properties.

    The text message by the Registrar reads: “All students are to proceed to any of the branches of the following banks to make payment for reparation fees of N25,000 only. Students are to log on to the school portal and click on ‘reparation fee’ with their registration/matriculation number and the confirmation order number obtained from the bank…”

    Reacting, the students are begging management to temper justice with mercy. They urged management to reduce the fee, which they described as “too high”.

    Wale Fayemiro, a 400-Level student, begged management to reduce the fee, because of what he called the “unfavourable” economic situation.

    He said: “The reparation fee came to most of us as a surprise. It should not have been high. We plead with the management to review the fee in line with the current economy reality in the country.”

    Another student, Damilola George, said the reparation fee was too high. He urged management to reduce it to what students could afford.

    Some students expressed their views on social media. A student wrote: “I think this is the right and most important time we need the intervention of the SUG. They must rise up and kick against this huge payment.”

    Another student wrote: “This is very unfair. Government has not paid our parents’ salaries for about five months; the economy of the state is nothing to write home about, yet the management is not considering this before asking us to pay N25,0000.”

    Members of Students’ Union Government (SUG) urged students to be law-abiding and calm, saying the union was doing everything to engage the management on the need to reduce the reparation fee.

    In a statement by the union president, Adegbola Odunyemi, and the Speaker, Olakunle Balogun, the union said: “While we are not against the decision of the management, we are constrained to make plea to the management to temper justice with mercy and consider the downward review of the fee.”

  • Lagos partners CIPM on human resource management

    The Lagos State Government has entered into a training collaboration with the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria (CIPM)  to improve professionalism and certification of administrative and human resource officers in public service.

    Speaking at the Public Service Staff Development Centre (PSSDC) office in Magodo, Lagos, last week, CIPM Registrar Sunday Adeyemi said the focus on human resource management and CIPM’s decision to enter into the partnership were informed by the desire to deepen the competencies of the workforce.

    He said the institute was determined to collaborate with PSSDC, the training arm of the government, to deepen competencies and create the needed ambience for the full professionalisation of human resource management training across all tiers of the state public service.

    Adeyemi charged participants to remain focused because they had “taken a decision that would enhance their career and self-esteem,” adding that their participation would facilitate their membership of the Institute and thus create a pool of CIPM certified human resource management professionals in the Lagos State public service.

    The PSSDC Director-General, Mrs. Olubunmi Fabamwo, earlier said the Centre is going into the collaboration as part of the resolve of the state government to inculcate professionalism in the people management function of the public service.

    Taking participants down memory lane, Fabamwo noted that the state’s effort to professionalise human resources and administration was part of a holistic public sector reforms programme embarked upon by the State Government in collaboration the State Partnership for Accountability, Responsiveness and Capability (SPARC).

    She added that the approval of the governor for the implementation of professional human resource practice in the public service was a culmination of the people management agenda of the public service reforms in Lagos State.

    Office of Transformation, Creativity and Innovation (OTCI)  Director General, Mr. Toba Otusanya, whose office organised the programme on behalf of the state government, noted that the Department for International Development (DFID) of the United Kingdom Government has provided support for policy strengthening in the state public service.

     

     

     

  • LASTMA sensitises residents on traffic management

    LASTMA sensitises residents on traffic management

    The campaign and advocacy unit of the Lagos State Transportation Management Authority (LASTMA) has held a sensitisation programme for residents of Oduwaye and neighbouring communities in Gbagada area of Lagos State ahead of the construction of a multi-million naira flyover being built by the Deeper Life Bible Church in that area.

    The programme, which took place at the premises of Deeper Life Cathedral, Oduwaye Street, adjacent to the flyover site, was meant to prepare the residents and intimate them of measures that had already being put in place to reduce traffic congestion during the construction.

    LASTMA Deputy Controller of Operation, Mr. Philip Femi Ogunwale said the construction  is massive and would likely lead to traffic build-up in Gbagada area, saying that during the construction, LASTMA would deploy men and materials to reduce the hardship.

    The flyover upon completion, according to him, would ease traffic gridlock in the area as residents will no longer need to access the underground, but move via the flyover bridge.

    “The traffic gridlock that they normally experience, especially when they have programmes in the Cathedral will no longer be there. Those who have no business in the church will just pass through the bridge and go their way,” he said.

    The LASTMA’s Deputy Controller of Operation said the agency has put measures in place to ease traffic congestion in the area during the period. He enjoined residents to co-operate with LASTMA and the contractors handling the project until the construction is over.

    Community Development Association (CDA) Chairman, Araromi/Sawmill, Gbagada Chief Olukayode Onasanya hailed the project, lamenting the poor state of inner routes in the neighbourhood, saying many residents will suffer untold hardship should the construction commence without making the inner route accessible.

    Onasanya said: “We are happy about the project because it’s for the development of the area. But, if they want to do it, they have to take care of the access roads too. When it starts and everything is blocked, all motorists going to Araromi, Sawmill, Shoniyi Kiniun-Ifa to Ifako will find it difficult to connect their streets.

    “If there are access roads like Bakare Dauda Street through to Ope Odu, those coming from the express will just pass through that route and will not bother coming here at all. For Shoniyi, there is a route at Yetunde Brown, they will take that place and go to Shoniyi. They will not need passing here at all.”

    The Flyover Project Architect, Pastor Kayode Dada, said the contract had already been awarded to Julius Berger Construction Company, with the project expected to take off immediately.

    He said the flyover would be constructed alongside a four-level Motor Park for worshippers in the cathedral to be able to park their vehicles.

  • Ecobank downsizes key management staff

    Ecobank downsizes key management staff

    Ecobank Nigeria Limited has sacked close to 50 top officials and promoted 300 others, The Nation learnt yesterday. The  restructuring is a result of the rising cost of operations and reduced profitability following tough regulatory policies affecting profitability.

    Pressure from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and other regulators has affected banks’ profitability, cutting down their Return on Investments (ROI) as they gradually lose their traditional areas of income. This has led to massive staff disengagement in many lenders.

    For instance, the ongoing implementation of the zero Commission on Turnover (CoT) fees, increase in contribution to the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) and Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) levies and high Cash Reserve Ratios (CRRs) are key policies depleting banks’ bottom lines.

    In a statement, the management of Ecobank Nigeria Limited said the promotion  affected about 10 per cent of the employees and is in line with the bank’s commitment to recognising and rewarding excellence and exceptional performance. The promoted staff cut across all cadres of the workforce.  It admitted that a few staff that performed below expectation had been exited.

    Deputy Managing Director  Anthony Okpanachi said the bank was committed to rewarding excellence and will continue to take positive action in line with international best practice to sustain excellence in its workforce. His words: “Our people are our precious assets who enable us maintain service quality standards, uphold customer satisfaction and enhance our brand experience”.

    The affected staff were selected through an appraisal  conducted using an in-house developed performance management system which uses both financial and non-financial metrics to categorise staff.

  • Rethinking Airport Management Format in Nigeria

    The prospects of building and maintaining a thriving, secure and sustainable airport business in Nigeria looks much brighter today than at any time in the history of airport development in the country. This might appear to be a very ostentatious assertion and may even be considered by observers of the airport business as stretching the imagination beyond the realms of reality.

    However, the assertion is not a product of a fertile imagination but a result of the juxtaposition of existing human and material resources available in airport management and to airport managers within the country. The airport sub-sector of the aviation industry is so richly endowed and can possible be a key driver of economic development for Nigeria especially for the current administration. A little mix of creativity and innovation will produce astounding outcomes with the facilities available to the airport authority.

    The Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has an impressive collection of choice real estates and vast amount of landed properties in almost every state across the country. These properties, many of which are at various stages of development provides handsome returns on investment to the authority and will continue to improve in value as more of the development and expansion projects are duly implemented. The runways are a veritable source of income for the airport. The runways provide services that have positioned the airport as the market place of the aviation industry.

    Beside the bountiful financial harvest and the large accruals from the properties through available shops, offices and space rentals, revenue are also derived from advertisements within the airport as well as a host of other creative income channels like sponsorship or partnership from large corporations using airport facilities for promotion, commercials and campaigns. This array of income stream from the airport complements what is earned from owners and operators of aircraft as they fly into or out and especially when the aircraft is at rest.

    There is also the added volume of business transacted by passengers using the airports across Nigeria. It is a never ending traffic that continues throughout the day, the night and all year round except for issues of extreme weather conditions, accidents or other forces of nature that may interfere with flight schedules. The passenger is central to the activities of the airport. The passenger makes an airport one of the most unique meeting points in the world. Passengers’ movement is likely to spike in at least the five new major international airports that are expected to open this year in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Kano and Enugu.

    The Authority is aspiring to be counted among the best in Africa and to provide services that are measurable with internationally acceptable standards. This ambitious project which has a completion time of the last quarter of 2016 will see the Authority process about sixty two million passengers annually through the five airports. The Lagos international airport fondly referred to as the MMA will see an increase in passengers from seven million to twenty five million. The Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, will take care of eleven million more passengers than the current capacity of five million while Kano, Enugu and Port Harcourt will process seven million passengers each every year. In monetary terms that would be a lot of money flowing into the coffers of the authority to further consolidate development in airports, meet obligations to the staff and contribute to national development programmes.

    An airport anywhere in the world is a complex network of relationships not just among a diverse group of staff of different tongues but also of a varied background of professionals. It is a mix of different temperaments, characters, attributes, responses and reactions under different situations. Throw into the mix the usual delays in outbound or incoming flights the atmosphere is charged enough to explode. The airport including those in Nigeria is usually a blend of business and leisure. The bottom line for both engagements is money for providing the facilities to make both happen at different time or together.

    The airport is also a melting pot of some sort because on a daily basis people from different social and cultural backgrounds interact more often on this platform than in other places. Sometimes, these cultures meet on very friendly and calm circumstances while at other times they may clash explosively and requiring resolutions that might just be pacification or the extreme of arbitration. The airport is a venue that acts as leveler for a lot of people. From the suave and urbane to the roughnecks and from dignitaries to the not too dignifying in the crowd.

    It is instructive to note that of the entire nation’s means of transportation including road, rail and waterways that derives some form of financial allocation from the Federal government and into which it is still investing, it is only the airport that is worth the pains of investment. All others are in the cusp of transition or are in their twilight. The national carrier has gone in the way of the railway which is moving in fits and starts while the waterway transport system drowned in its own inefficiency. It is only the airport that is still viable and can guarantee holding its ground and even guarantee employment to so many Nigerians.

    Clearly, from the above, it is certain that a well managed airport can contribute immensely toward the nation’s development drive. Airport development is linked to national development. Economic development is facilitated both in short and long term by having a quick gateway in and out of a country or a state. This enhances the movement of human, good and services and give rise to a chain of other economic activities. Movement of goods becomes very easy, commerce is stimulated and wastages which is a recurring decimal especially in the movement of produce and raw materials in Nigeria will drastically be reduced.

    Airports are critical contributors to economic growth and revenue generation around the world especially for low income countries with huge land and rail infrastructure deficits like Nigeria. The airport is a strategic point for our domestic revenue mobilization. The airport has a way of encouraging related services like hotels, restaurants, courier companies, and security, fuel and transportation companies. The aggregate financial and social benefit of the airport to the place where it is located is sufficient to ensure that this administration should rethink the management format that has been used in this country to manage infrastructure that are of potentially beneficial to the entire country.

    It is a well documented fact that revenue elasticity and labor elasticity can be developed from commercial airport activities. Both values of elasticity will indicate how the direct economic impact of an airport, using data such as passenger numbers and local economic conditions will show how well the airport has impacted not just the community but the country’s finances. There is a linkage between the increase in passenger traffic to direct employment and direct income. The ongoing developments of new airports are contributing to the labour forces of those five cities and whatever increase in passengers may result in future will also have a direct impact on not just the local economy but that of the nation.

    What can be derived from the above is that to successfully manage an airport with all of the complexities of the forces of nature, human egos and sensibilities requires the depth of the knowledge of men and the facilities that is needed to carry out assignments at the airport with as little errors as possible. The tempo of work needs a man or woman with the presence of mind that can be calm when everyone around is heating up and ready to explode. It demands a man or a woman with great attention to details, sense of integrity and a love for excellence. He must have the attitude to take on the pressure that comes with working with the kind of precision that makes airport all over the world run almost like clock-work. At the moment, the only man who fits that description is Engr. Saleh Dunomah, M.D of FAAN.

    The suggestion is that for the airports to maximize their social and economic contribution and even assist to drive the Gross Domestic Product of Nigeria at a time when all sources for income generation should tapped, it will require tested manager to direct the affairs of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria. There is already a well orchestrated, well oiled and properly serviced campaign designed to shake the current Managing Director of FAAN, Engr. Saleh Dunomah out of office. In a sector where human factor is consider very highly as making the difference between safety and a catastrophic outcome, it is important to consider leaving the job of running FAAN in the few years to come in the hands of the current helmsman.

  • Airtel restructures senior management

    Airtel restructures senior management

    Airtel has announced a major restructuring of its senior management team and reorganisation of the entire business in Nigeria and the other parts of the African continent into what it tagged ‘clusters.’

    With operations in 20 countries across Asia and Africa, the telco explained in a statement yesterday that the move was to further enhance the level of empowerment and enable faster decision making as well as speed to market.

    Under the new structure, MD & CEO, Airtel Africa, Christian de Faria, has been elevated to the position of Executive Chairman, Airtel Africa. In his new role, he will continue to support the vision of Airtel Africa and lead all matters relating to legal, regulatory affairs, shareholders as well as mergers & acquisitions.

  • Nigerians in Diaspora to bring in waste management experts

    Nigerians in the Diaspora have promised to get investors to harness the potential in waste deposits in Lagos State.

    The United Kingdom All Progressives Congress (UK APC) Chairman, Mr. Abiodun Ali, made this known at a meeting with the Commissioner for Environment, Dr. Babatunde Adejare.

    According to Ali, the project, when fully on stream, will earn huge revenue for the state, adding that it will also create several job opportunities.

    He said: “We are here because we are very concerned about the Nigerian environment and, particularly, Lagos State environment. We have met the Lagos State Commissioner for Environment to discuss partnership on how to invest in the Lagos environment.

    “We, in the diaspora, can help in this area. There is no much awareness on how to  keep a better environment by our people. The government is sending a lot of money to maintain a healthy environment.  We have suggested that effort should be redoubled create awareness on how the people can inculcate a better environment.

    “Those who drop waste into the drainage should be sanctioned. This is because anytime there is rain the whole place will be flooded. This can lead to a situation where the people will abandon their houses if they are submerged by water,” he said.

    “There is lot of money to be made in environmental development. We are looking at the area of waste water management, waste disposal and the turning of waste to wealth.

    “This will create conducive environment and generate job opportunities for our teeming unemployed youth. There are lots of thing in the areas that refuse are dump which can be turned to money.

    “That can also help the state to generate fund to finance some of its projects. The state cannot fund everything that is why we are talking of partnership with the government to assist the state. Government is going to make lots of money we cannot quantify because we are talking in terms of billions of dollars. Government is going make lots of money from the investors when they come.”

    Adejare  said the state was willing to partner organisations and individuals to make the state better.

    He said the government was working on proposals and projects that would make the state safe, clean and friendly, noting that it was high time people made cleanliness a way of life in view of the spread of diseases, such as Lassa Fever and others.