Despite the lingering economic recession, Nigerians deserve value for their money, the Managing Director/CEO of Cozy Choice Concept Limited, Sam Bader has said.
Bader made this appeal while speaking at the official launch of Cozy branded furniture in Lagos. Cozy Concept furniture recently made in-roads into the market with a promise to ease the purchase of affordable and international standard quality designed furniture in Nigeria.
According to him, Cozy Concept Furniture was set up to boost employment, transfer skills and technology and save foreign exchange by solely producing in Nigeria.
While expressing confidence that most of the items under his company’s products line are not only meet the required standard but are very pocket-friendly as well, the Cozy Concept boss said the idea evolved from the absence of affordable and international standard quality designed furniture in Nigeria.
“Moreover, for the ease of purchase, assembly and transportation, the furniture is packaged as flat-packed (Do It Yourself DIY) making it more cost effective for our users. The concept will further reduce the need for imported furniture by solely producing in Nigeria,” he revealed.
Pressed further, he said: “From the moment you purchase one of our affordable pieces, you know that you are buying authentic items as each one, from start to finish.”
Cozy Concept, Bader emphasised, was established to satisfy every stage of the purchase including transportation, assembling, and installation. “By so doing, we create more jobs for the labour market, transfer skills, and technology and also save foreign exchange by sorely producing in Nigeria. The prices of the furniture are also expected to be within. All our furniture is flat-packed, making it more cost effective for users. Cozy Concept will also increase employment, transfer skills and technology and save foreign exchange by solely producing in Nigeria.”
The home furniture, according to Mr Ade Omole, one of the buyers, at the launch, said: “The prices of the furniture are affordable and flat-packed, making it more cost effective for us as users. No more struggling to get that large piece through a narrow door or staircase! No more excessive van/ truck rental charges and for me it’s really worth it coupled with the fact that you can assemble the furniture yourself.”
As to how the company hopes to compete with its peers, Bader said apart from sourcing raw materials locally, it has close ties with partners both in Europe and other parts of the world. “We are not going to be in one area our products will be everywhere this will give us a vantage position over other competitors, we also source for raw materials which are imported from Europe, Asia, Spain, U.S, China it depends on your choice. Design assemblage, set up, connection also gives us an edge over others.”
Tag: Nigerians
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‘Nigerians deserve quality products despite recession’
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United Kingdom deports 23 Nigerians
The government of the United Kingdom has deported 23 Nigerians for committing immigration-related offences in the country.
The deportees arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMlA), Lagos about 6am yesterday.
The deportees, all males, were brought back in a chartered aircraft.
DSP Joseph Alabi, the spokesman of the Lagos Airport Police Command, confirmed the development .
The deportees were received by officers of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) , the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and the Police.
Also on ground to receive them were officials of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).
The deportees were profiled by immigration authorities before they were allowed to leave for their respective destinations.
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128 Nigerians, other migrants drown in Mediterranean Sea
International Organisation on Migration (IOM), said 128 migrants, comprising Nigerians and other West Africans, died while crossing Mediterranean Sea to Europe between March 6 and 26, 2017.
The UN agency in a statement by its spokesman Flavio Di Giacomo, stated that the number made it 649 deaths recorded in the first 86 days of 2017.
The IOM spokesperson said other nationals included Gambians, Ivorians, Ghanaians, Malians, Senegalese and Guineans (both Guinea-Bissau and Conakry).
Di Giacomo explained that 521 deaths were recorded in the first 65 days of 2017.
He said the number of deaths recorded in the first 86 days of 2017 was higher compared with 566 deaths recorded in the same period on March 26, 2016.
He said 26,589 migrants and refugees entered Europe by sea in 2017 through March 26, with over 80 per cent arriving in Italy and the rest in Spain and Greece.
Di Giacomo said the number was, however, lower compared with 163,895 recorded through the first 86 days of 2016.
The spokesperson explained that 2,320 migrants were brought to land between March 23 and 24 in 2017.
He added that another set of 1,160 migrants which did not include the number above were brought to land on March 25 and 26.
He stated that one corpse was found on a dinghy, which was carrying 138 migrants.
Di Giacomo said Proactiva OpenArms, an NGO, retrieved the remains of five migrants from a capsized dinghy in addition to a sixth victim it retrieved near the original site of the shipwreck.
According to him IOM believes the dinghy found by OpenArms is the same one that IOM Libya reported was rescued by Libyan fishermen who saved 54 people on 21 March.
He said that the 54 survivors brought to Libya said that approximately 120 migrants were on board including six dead.
Di Giacomo said 66 victims remained unaccounted for in that tragedy.
He further explained that a vessel “Iuventa” of the German CSO “Jugend Rettet” claimed it spotted another ship sinking six miles off the position of the “Golfo Azzurro.”
The spokesperson stated that IOM had no further information about sinking vessel, adding that The Jugend Rettet was the vessel that retrieved the remains of the sixth victim.
“We are trying to understand whether the ship found by OpenArms is the same one that was rescued earlier this month by Libyan fishermen.
“This may considerably change the number of missing migrants. For the moment, it is only possible to confirm that there are 66 victims,” Di Giacomo quoted Federico Soda, Director for IOM’s Mediterranean operations as saying.
According to him, this tragic event reminds us all of the massive loss of lives in the tragedies occurring on the central Mediterranean route where over 590 migrants died in 2017 alone.
“That is 418 more than last year on this route during the same period.
“In this context, the presence of many rescue ships at sea is crucial; without them, the number of fatalities would be inevitably higher”, he said.
Di Giacomo said IOM had received information about the remains of a 15-year old African girl retrieved from the shores of Sabratah by the Libyan Red Crescent.
He said that puts the total confirmed dead found on Libyan beaches in 2017 at 164, of which 20 were retrieved in March.
He added that the number rescued in 2017 by the Libyan Coast Guard and others were 3,457. (NAN)
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‘Why some Nigerians face extreme vetting at U.S. airports’
Different reasons are responsible for the extreme vetting some Nigerians face at the entry points into the United States, Chargé d’affaires of the Embassy of Nigeria in Washington, Mr. Hakeem Balogun, said at the weekend.
In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Washington, Balogun said President Donald Trump’s travel ban did not affect Nigerians.
He said the relationship between Nigeria and the United States prior to the election of President Muhammadu Buhari was lukewarm adding that it is now “very warm.”
He said: “The executive ban on immigration does not affect Nigerians. Whatever must have taken place regarding visa issuance, vetting at the airports, it’s all normal.
“All these things have been on even before President Trump. Let’s get one thing well. That you are issued visa is not a guarantee that you will end up wherever you’re going.
Balogun also said Nigerians are restricted from entering the US because they failed to meet other required procedures.
“Then there are other things. What manner of visa did you collect to come to the United States?
“For instance, a pregnant woman who comes to the United States on visiting visa will probably be turned back at the point of entry because she does not have a medical visa.
“You are coming in on a visiting visa and the immigration man sees you pregnant. Naturally, he will turn you back.
“Even if you have the medical visa, they want to know if you have medical insurance; do you have you medical documents for you to be able to come and use their medical facilities here.
“So these are issues. Nigeria is not being singled out. We are not one of those countries that have been mentioned. We are definitely not one of them.
He has described the relationship between Nigeria and the U.S. as “very warm”.
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Provide better service to Nigerians, Kwara Dep. Gov. urges NRC
Kwara Deputy Governor, Peter Kisira, has called on the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) to improve its quality of service in order to meet the transport needs of Nigerians.
Kisira made the call when he received the Managing Director of the Railway Property Management Company Limited, Alhaji Abubakar Labaran, in Ilorin on Sunday.
The Deputy Governor recalled how effective rail transport was in the sixties and seventies and called on the NRC to provide better service for the people.
He described railway as a reliable means of public transportation that should be readily available to the people.
Earlier, Labaran said the team was in Kwara on routine inspection of land and landed property of the NRC in the state.
He said that some foreign investors had indicated interest to invest in the development of the country’s railways to standard gauge system.
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Why Nigerians face extreme vetting at U.S. airports – envoy
Amb. Hakeem Balogun, the Chargé d’affaires of the Embassy of Nigeria in Washington, says different reasons are responsible for the extreme vetting Nigerians face during entry into the US.
Balogun, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Washington, added that the President Donald Trump’s travel ban did not affect Nigerians.
“The executive ban on immigration does not affect Nigerians. Whatever must have taken place regarding visa issuance, vetting at the airports, it’s all normal.
“All these things have been on even before President Trump. Let’s get one thing well. That you are issued visa is not a guarantee that you will end up wherever you’re going.
“It’s a global thing; it’s not just United States. Even with us in Nigeria, we issue a visa to you here in the Nigerian Embassy.
“There is no guarantee that you will get in when you get to Murtala Muhammed Airport or when you get to Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport.
“The final authority is the man at the point of entry – immigration officers there. For instance, you can come to the Embassy here, we ask for all the things you need to get the visa.
“How much do you have that we feel will be enough for you to stay in Nigeria for the period you’re going.
“May be as at that time, you were able to show us evidence that you have a thousand dollars which we feel will be enough for you to stay in Nigeria.
“By the time you get to Murtala Muhammed Airport, the man at that end there asked you, all you have to show to him is 100 dollars, definitely, he might turn you back, and that’s normal.
Balogun also said Nigerians are restricted from entering the US because they failed to meet other required procedures.
“Then there are other things. What manner of visa did you collect to come to the United States?
“For instance, a pregnant woman who comes to the United States on visiting visa will probably be turned back at the point of entry because she does not have a medical visa.
“You are coming in on a visiting visa and the immigration man sees you pregnant. Naturally, he will turn you back.
“Even if you have the medical visa, they want to know if you have medical insurance; do you have you medical documents for you to be able to come and use their medical facilities here.
“So these are issues. Nigeria is not being singled out. We are not one of those countries that have been mentioned. We are definitely not one of them. (NAN)
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Seek God during Lenten, Nigerians told
Vicar of St. Timothy’s Anglican Church, Sango-Ota, Ogun State, Venerable Emmanuel Adekoya, has called on Nigerians to put Jesus Christ at the centre of all their daily endeavours.
Adekoya spoke during a sermon at the special Lenten service.
He appealed to every Nigerian to allow Jesus Christ have a place at the centre of the nation’s activities.
He noted that for a greater nation, Nigerians should make judicious use of the ongoing Lenten period to move closer to God, thereby building a strong and sustainable spiritual life through fasting, praying and giving.
The cleric, who bemoaned the increasing spate of kidnapping, assassinations, devastation and widespread corruption in the country, explained the only solution was for Nigerians to turn to God in prayers and fasting for His intercession.
Adekoya described the ongoing 40 days of fasting and prayer as a period of sober reflection and the appropriate time for Nigerians to seek the face of God.
He pleaded with Christians all over the world to use the Lenten period to pray more for one another, for the Church of God and the family.
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Eminent Nigerians for Tinubu Colloquium Tuesday
Eminent Nigerians from all walks of life are expected to converge on Lagos on Tuesday for the ninth Bola Tinubu Colloquium.
The event will be used to mark All Progressives Congress (APC) national stalwart Asiwaju Bola Tinubu’s birthday. The former Lagos State governor will turn 65 on Wednesday.
A statement by Mr. Tunde Rahman from the Tinubu Media Office said this year’s colloquium has as its theme: “Use What We Make, Make What We Use”.
It will hold at the Eko Hotel and Suites on Victoria Island, Lagos.
The colloquium will focus on the entrepreneurial and innovative spirit in Nigeria.
“The goal is to create a space where ideas and people relevant to creating innovative but everyday solutions in Nigeria can share knowledge, experiences and proffer solutions to the challenges facing the sector,’’ the statement said.
The organisers said the idea was conceived in 1999 by Tinubu’s close friends and associates.
“The friends and associates thought it important that the rich debates and intellectual discussions that often marked cabinet and other meetings with Tinubu be translated to a platform, which would expand the conversations and lead to tangible outcomes.’’
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155 Nigerians back from Libya
About 155 Nigerians yesterday arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, from Libya after failing to transit through the war-torn North African country to Europe.
The returnees, mainly in their 20s and 30s, were picked after negotiation from various prisons and detention camps in Libya by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).
Deputy Director (Search and Rescue) of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Dr. Bandele Onimode said one of the returnees had paralysis, the other a psychiatric case and the third is nursing a minor ailment.
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Boko Haram: 2,600 Nigerian refugees forced to return from Cameroun
The UN has expressed concern over the forced return of Nigerian refugees from Cameroon in spite of recent tripartite agreement aimed at ensuring voluntary returns of nationals.
According to a statement from the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Tuesday, Cameroon has forcefully returned more than 2,600 refugees back to Nigerian border villages “against their will”.
UNHCR Spokesperson, Babar Balogh, said in the statement that the organisation was particularly concerned “as these forced returns have continued unabated”.
Balogh recalled that the governments of Nigeria and Cameroon signed a tripartite agreement with UNHCR in Yaoundé on March 2, 2017.
He said that the forced return of asylum-seekers and refugees was a “serious violation” of the 1951 Refugee Convention and the 1969 OAU Convention, which he said, Cameroon had ratified.
He, however, commended Cameroon for its generosity in hosting more than 85,000 Nigerian refugees but urged it to honour its obligations under international and regional refugee protection instruments.
The spokesman said that refugees had fled violent attacks from Boko Haram and urged that “their access to asylum and protection must be ensured”.
“Insecurity persists in parts of north-eastern Nigeria and access to basic services remains limited.
“Most returning refugees find themselves in situations of internal displacement upon return and are unable to return to their places of origin,” he stated.
He also said that UNHCR recognised the legitimate national security concerns of the Cameroon Government. (NAN)