The Nation Newspaper

Tag: partnership

  • Partnership with UNAIDS touching lives, says Airtel’s CEO

    Partnership with UNAIDS touching lives, says Airtel’s CEO

    The  partnership betwwen the telco and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) will further open new vista of opportunities to deepen its commitment to touching the lives of Nigerians positively, especially in the area of quality healthcare services delivery, the Chief Executive Officer,  Airtel Nigeria, Segun Ogunsanya, has said.

    He spoke in Lagos during the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between UNAIDS and Airtel to eliminate Mother-to-Child transmission of HIV in Nigeria.

    He said Airtel has a track record of supporting and empowering young people, who are the future leaders of our country.

    He said Airtel has adopted and built schools for children; provided several interventions in the area of healthcare for hundreds of kids, adding that the  Touching Lives programme has even offered the company a more elaborate platform to reach and connect with underprivileged children.

    “Indeed, Airtel is intensely interested in impacting society positively as this underscores our corporate philosophy of becoming the most loved brand in the daily lives of Nigerians.”

    UNAIDS Country Director for Nigeria and the UNAIDS Focal Point for the Economic Community for West Africa (ECOWAS), Dr. Bilali Camara, said: “Eliminating mother to child transmission of HIV and keeping their mother alive do not only improve the wellbeing of children and their mothers. They impact positively on the general maternal and child survival.”

    Director-General, National Agency for Control of Aids (NACA), Prof John Idoko, praised telco for its leading role in providing practical, relevant and continuous assistance in the fight against the dreaded HIV/AIDS.

    Idoko described Airtel as a trusted, reliable and committed partner that has stood behind NACA since 2005 when the agency first launched a call centre to assist people living with HIV/AIDS.

    Explaining why Airtel was supporting NACA, Idoko who was represented by the Director, Resource Mobilisation, NACA, Dr. Emmanuel Alhassan, said: “It was in 2005 when we first partnered with Airtel to activate hotlines (interactive telecommunications platform) with the sole intention of providing both guidance and counseling to Nigerians vis-à-vis HIV/AIDS and other related health issues.

    “Back then, we rolled out what could be termed a pilot National Call Contact Centre. And the experiment was extremely successful: the public literally went agog as feedback/responses poured in on the pilot project.

    “In 2012, Airtel also provided the network backbone for our ultra-modern call centre, which was inaugurated by the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan. The facility, which is fitted with toll free lines and has capacity, to process calls from about 30 callers simultaneously is offering Nigerians irrespective of their location access to accurate information and benefit from public enlightenment on HIV&AIDS and other diseases such as Tuberculosis and Malaria.”

    Idoko recalled how Airtel ‘painted the town red’ during the 2005 edition of the International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA), saying that the telco did not just add immense value to the international conference but made it colourful and classy.

    The NACA boss noted that it wasn’t a surprise when Airtel indicated its interest to partner with UNAIDS to eliminate Mother-to-Child transmission of HIV.

    The deal will allow the telco’s subscribers to benefit from information on prevention of HIV services. This shall be disseminated through text messages

  • HOS urges partnership with CBN on capacity building

    HOS urges partnership with CBN on capacity building

    Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HOS), Mr Danladi Kifasi has called for partnership with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in capacity building and skills development for public servants in the country.

    Kifasi, who paid a courtesy call on the CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele in his office in Abuja, said collaboration between relevant stakeholders and development institutions has become necessary in order to help build a modern public service that would provide world class service for sustainable national development.

    He observed that most civil servants lack the requisite skills to compete favourably with their counterparts in developed countries, which necessitated the need to leverage on CBN as one of the key institutions that provides effective and efficient service delivery to Nigerians and the entire African continent.

    Responding, Emefiele said part of the mandate of the apex bank is to impact positively on the lives of Nigerians in terms of job creation and capacity building. He said the call for collaboration was timely as the bank had put in place a world class international training institute with state-of-the-art facilities for capacity building for all Nigerians.

     

  • Chi Limited signs partnership with Man Utd

    Chi Limited signs partnership with Man Utd

    At a colourful ceremony, held at the prestigious Old Trafford Stadium in Manchester UK, the management of Chi Limited recently signed a multi year sponsorship deal with Manchester United at an event attended by leading players of the club like Angel Di Maria, Robin Van Persie, Valencia, Anders Lindegaard to name a few.

    The deal will allow Nigeria’s market leader in fruit juices, Chi Ltd to use the legendary Manchester United crest, club imagery, players and other intellectual property on a range of products throughout Nigeria. Founded over 30 years ago, Chi prides itself as being Nigeria’s premier producer of healthy, high quality, fruit and dairy based drinks which are enjoyed by millions of customers every year.

    With mega brands like Chivita 100%, Chivita Active, Chi Exotic, Chi Happy Hour, Chi Ice Tea, Capri-Sonne, Hollandia Yoghurt and Hollandia Evaporated Milk occupying leading positions in their respective segments, Chi Limited has successfully ensured market dominance in Nigeria over the years through its successful marketing and brand building strategies. Its great emphasis on innovation and community welfare has ensured investment in modern facilities across Africa, in-turn creating employment and giving skills to help improve lives.

    With this partnership Chi Ltd’s flagship brand, Chivita 100% fruit juice becomes the preferred soft drink of Manchester United in Nigeria. Manufactured from 100% pure fruits, Chivita 100% contains no added sugar, no preservative and no added colours. It is a rare blend of the best of Nigerian and imported fruit juices. Thus what the consumer gets is the same benefits of natural nutrients found in real fruit. In addition, 100% fruit juices are naturally  fortified with nutrients such as vitamin C, calcium and vitamin D. Chivita 100% is the first choice of consumers when they look for pure natural fruit juice with no added sugar or preservatives.

    While signing the agreement at Old Trafford, Chi Limited’s Head of Marketing, Probal Bhattacharya said: “As the flagship brand of Chi Ltd, Chivita 100% will feature as the fruit juice of choice for the Manchester United team”. Describing the partnership as between two of the most cherished brands in Nigeria, he said“as a company, we are proud to partner with such a reputed and successful club like Manchester United whose tradition of excellence is in tandem with ours.”

  • Danjuma chairs Law Partnership board

    Danjuma chairs Law Partnership board

    The vice Chairman of South  Atlantic Petroleum (SAPETRO), Senator Daisy Danjuma has been appointed the chairman of the newly inaugurated board of trustees of the Lagos Public Interest Law Partnership (LPILP).

    The board of trustees will oversee  the management of the LPIPLP trust fund.

    Other members of the seven-man board inaugurated last week are the Lagos Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice,  Mr Ade Ipaye; Managing Partner, Olaniwun Ajayi and Company, Professor Konyinsola Ajayi; Deputy Director-General, Nigerian Law School, Lagos Campus, Mrs Toun Adebiyi; Chairman Nigerian Bar Association(NBA), Lagos Branch, Mr Alex Muoka; Director, Prisoners’ Rights Advocacy Initiative (PRAI),  Mr. Ahmed Adetola-Kazeem while  Miss Funmilayo Owuye, the LPIPL coordinator is to serve as the Executive Secretary.

    Ipaye said the constitution of the board was made possible with the seed fund provided by the state government for the establishment of the Pro Bono Trust Fund during the first Annual Lagos State Pro Bono Week, which held in April.

    He pointed out that the board would reinforce the administration’s commitment to build strong and dependable institutions managed by people with character, experience and integrity.

    Ipaye remarked that as part of the objectives of the board, it would be expected to review and recommend funding for qualifying pro bono projects; provision of funds for the training and retraining of the LPILP staff; assist pro bono lawyers, as may be necessary, to secure the attendance of witnesses and offset exceptional and unexpected costs of litigation.

    Senator Danjuma thanked government for the opportunity given them to serve the people of Lagos.

    She said with the LPILP, “the State Government is building a functional platform that aims to ensure that justice and access to justice are within the reach of every resident of the State irrespective of his/her geographical location and financial means.”

  • Collapsed buildings: Ahmed urges sanctions for engineer, others

    The Kwara state Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, has recommended stiffer punishment for contractors, engineers and others in the construction of any building that collapses.

    The governor also wants a law that will criminalise those found culpable of collapsed buildings.

    Ahmed spoke at the 44th Builders’ conference/Annual General Meeting of the Nigerian Institute of Building (NIOB).

    He said such punitive measures, if adopted, would reduce the menace of collapsed building.

    The conference has as theme: “Construction industry development: Collaborations, innovations and capacity building.”

    Ahmed, who was represented by the state Housing and Urban Development Commissioner, Olabode Olayemi, said for safety, economics and aesthetic reasons, a  policy, which includes a building code that will be binding on builders and others in the sector, be put in place.

    “I therefore recommend that a law be put in place to ensure that only trained professionals and artisans are allowed to construct buildings in the country, based on the proposed building construction code. This will ensure minimum construction standards across the country so that no matter where you are in the country you can be assured of the quality of your buildings,” Ahmed said.

    He said the sector is one of the most visible indices of measuring development, and a means to know the quality of life from the quality of houses that people live in.

    The governor emphasised the importance of developing the industry, saying it is a catalyst to improving the economy as well as enhance the welfare of the people, adding that the industry will be the first to suffer when an economy goes into recession.

    He said the spate of collapsed buildings is enough to stimulate the agitation for a robust construction policy, which should aim at reversing the trend. He charged the NIOB and other stakeholders to sensitise the public on the need to avoid engaging quacks for their building projects, ading that this will help them avoid wastage and tragic loss of lives.

    “I am convinced that these incidents are caused by untrained builders and unscrupulous developers, who jeopardise lives and properties while trying to cut corners,” he said.

    He lamented the poor quality of work being done at some construction sites.

    Ahmed said as part of his administration’s shared prosperity programme, the government was partnering with the private sector and the body to provide low cost housing to the citizens through a public-private partnership (PPP) initiative backed by cheap mortgage services.

    Already, a committee has been put in place to work out the modalities on mass housing in Kwara State.

  • Hinduja Group, Stallion announce partnership

    A global business company, Hinduja Group, is to partner the multi-billion regional conglomerate, Stallion Group, for a wide range of activities in Nigeria and sub Saharan Africa.

    The Hinduja Group is owned by India’s richest family, the Hinduja family. It is engaged in diversified activities, including automotive, oil and gas, power and health care.

    The Stallion Group is an international conglomerate with presence in 18 countries, engaging in agriculture, commodities, vehicle assembly, steel manufacturing, plastics, packaging, food products, real estate and other large scale industries.

    Stallion is assembling Hinduja’s Ashok Leyland range of buses in Nigeria. The partners intend to expand their model range from two to 12.

    Notable additions include Ashok Leyland’s new models, such as Captain, Dost, Boss. These models will be assembled at Stallion’s factory in Lagos.

    The factory will also assemble military and defence products, including Ashok Leyland’s established models in this segment.

    The partnership was finalised in Davos, on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum by Hinduja Group’s co-Chairman G.P Hinduja and Stallion Group’s Chairman Sunil Vaswani.

    Present with his delegation at the World Economic Forum, President Goodluck Jonathan reiterated his determination to push ahead with the new automotive policy.

    The President said he was hopeful that significant investments would flow into the industry, pursuant to the progressive policy initiatives.

  • ‘Partnership with church successful’

    •Obi gives N130m cheque

    Anambra State Governor Peter Obi has said he regretted not entering into a collaboration with the church immediately he became governor.

    He spoke at the weekend when he presented a N100 million cheque to the Catholic Bishop of Awka, Paulinus Ezeokafor, for the government St. Joseph Hospital, Adazi-Nnukwu, project.

    The governor also gave N30 million cheque to the Anglican Bishop of Ihiala, Raphael Okafor, at St. Luke Diocesan Hospital, Isseke, for the state maternity complex.

    Obi said the partnership with the church, informed by the need to support it and other institutions, which worked for the progress of the people, had been successful.

    “The projects we do through the church can be done by us in the usual manner government does business. But I can tell you that with the church, we achieve more because they are honest and understand the meaning of service to the people. They do not speak about variation and are unlikely to ‘settle’ those who see government as a bazaar,” he added.

    The governor, who stressed the determination of his administration to upgrade St. Joseph Hospital, Adazi-Nnukwu, to international standard, said the fund would ensure that the projects would be completed in time to promote efficient healthcare delivery and training of manpower.

    Rev Ezeokafor, said Obi had changed the face of the state, adding that the hospital was one of the beneficiaries of his governance.

    He said the governor was setting the pace for others and extolled him for sustaining the tempo of work, even at the end of his tenure.

    The governor said the 10 ultra-modern maternity and child health centres would promote mothers’ and children’s health.

    He said the project was in collaboration with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

    On his visit to hospitals and schools, Obi said it enabled him to identify their problems, assuring that the government would provide support to turn around the facility.

    Rev. Okafor thanking the governor for the project, described it as an important facility for the service of humanity to reduce infant and maternal mortalities.

    He noted that God was using the governor to change governance, recalling his achievements, which had earned recognition, awards and appointments.

  • Govt seeks partnership to revitalise Ajaokuta

    Govt seeks partnership to revitalise Ajaokuta

    The Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Mr Musa Sada, as called for collaboration between investors and the Federal Government to develop the Ajaokuta Steel Mill.

    A statement from the ministry in Abuja  said the collaboration would boost the country’s economic development.The minister, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mr John Jegede, made the appeal when he visited the company.It said the government planned alternative ways to fund the completion of the company so that it could begin operation.

    It said the plant was crucial to the realisation of the transformation agenda of the government as it would contribute to industrial growth and job creation.

    “The Federal Government and the ministry are looking for alternative ways of funding the completion of the steel plant as it is the bedrock of the nation’s industrialisation.“We have signed a memorandum of understanding to complete some segments of the project and those that were not working before are now functioning,’’ the statement quoted the minister as saying.

    It said he commended the company’s workers for their efforts in making the plant viable in spite of its long abandonment.It said the minister also urged the management of the company to come up with concepts that could encourage the signing of more memoranda to revitalise the plant.The statement said Sada also visited the National Iron Ore Mining Company, Itakpe, one of the corporations under the ministry where he said the government was determined to utilise the company to its full capacity.

    It quoted the Sole Administrator of the Ajaokuta Steel Mill, Mr Joseph Onobere, as saying that the plant would put the country on the path of industrialisation if completed.

  • Don calls for increased partnership

    A  researcher on security and policing from University of Ibadan, Oyesoji Aremu, has canvassed for increased partnership between the public and the police.

    Aremu made the call yesterday while speaking on police community relationship during the inauguration of some police public partnership projects at the Sango Police Division, Ibadan.

    Among the projects were borehole donated by Aerodrome Home Owners and Residents Association, Samonda; a guard quarter and parking pavilion by the Divisional stakeholders and friends as well as donation of two motorcycles to the Division.

    The varsity don, who is the Deputy Director, Distance Learning Centre, UI, recalled that community policing started in America but was introduced to the country by former President Olusegun Obasanjo during his eight-year rule.

    He said, “Members of the public should ensure that they alert the police whenever they notice crime in their areas. With this, crime would be reduced to the barest.

  • Oditah seeks partnership in legal education funding

    A SENIOR Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Prof Fidelis Oditah, has advocated public and private sector funding to bring legal education to the desired standard in Nigeria and Africa.

    He spoke at the Second African Regional Conference of International Association of Law Schools with the theme: Legal education in Africa in the 21st Century and the challenge of globalisation.

    He said: “Strengthening our legal education obviously requires putting more money into our legal education. Increased funding requires a partnership between the governments, other stakeholders and donors.

    “Law firms and lawyers have a big role to play. What is needed is a public-private partnership where the government provides the lion’s share of funding supplemented by private money.

    He challenged lawyers to rise to the defence of democracy in their countries, saying that it was the responsibility of African lawyers to promote democratic ideas in their countries, provide basic structure for economic growth of their nations and position themselves as instruments of social engineering in their societies.

    “The extent to which Africa can attract business and foreign direct investment depends in part upon investor perception of the quality of our civil and criminal justice system. Like many other developing countries, Africa needs a strong, independent and effective legal profession and judiciary to trade itself out of poverty and into prosperity.”

    Oditah, a professor of Law at the University of Oxford, United Kingdom bemoaned the insignificant involvement of African lawyers in top legal services involving businesses and governments, saying that even when African lawyers are involved, their roles were often limited to offering advice on local regulations and licensing requirements that have to be complied with while African governments sought advice on the substance of transactions and investments from foreign lawyers.

    He insisted that the prevailing practice denied African lawyers the opportunity to enrich their knowledge and experience as well as the financial benefit accruing from playing a significant role in high profile investments.

    He regretted that African lawyers, who had practised law in Africa, often find it difficult to find their feet in English and American legal practice, a development he blamed on the low quality legal education in Africa.

    Oditah, therefore, suggested an improved content in the teaching of Law as a panacea for deficiencies of legal education in the African continent. He suggested that legal education in Africa should be students-centred, as opposed to the prevailing lecturer-dominated approach. He urged teachers of law in Africa to pattern their lectures in form of vocational training by ensuring that their students “learn by doing rather than being told what to do”.

    Explaining the essence of the conference, the President of the International Association of Law Schools, Prof Francis S.L. Wang, said that the forum was instituted to provide a platform for law teachers to exchange ideas and proffer solutions to problems affecting the practice of legal profession in their region.

    The Dean Emeritus of Law of Soochow University in China, added that the choice of the University of Nigeria (UNN) for the conference was based on the tall reputation of the university and the active involvement of its Faculty of Law in advancing legal studies and practice. He stated that the conference would help strengthen the tie between his university and the University of Nigeria, as well as help participating faculties to make friends.

    Earlier in his opening remarks, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Nigeria (UNN), Prof Bartho Okolo, thanked the association for choosing the conference at the UNN. He explained that the university had performed creditably in its mandate of providing future leaders for Nigeria and Africa, especially in the legal profession where the institution had produced many judges and senior advocates.

    Okolo, who spoke through the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration), Prof Malachy Okwueze, said the varsity administration was working hard to reclaim the pride of the university and establish new benchmarks of excellence.

    According to him, the strategy included collaborations with other renowned universities to enhance exchange of scholarly ideas.

    Okolo believed that the conference would open doors for further collaboration that would be of mutual benefit to UNN and the partnering institutions.

    The Deputy Vice-Chancellor, (Enugu Campus) and the Dean of Faculty of Law, (UNN) Prof. Ifeoma Enemo, said the Law Faculty would continue to uphold its culture of excellence that had enabled it to produce leading lights in legal profession.

    The Director-General, Nigerian Law School, Dr Mamman Tahir, said the conference was important because it would help boost the opportunity for Nigeria and Africa to be relevant players in global legal practice. He commended the Faculty of Law of UNN for its contributions to the legal profession, adding that his record showed that products of the faculty are doing well.

    The UNN Law Faculty hosted deans of over 35 Law Schools from Africa and other parts of the world.

    The UNN Law Faculty, which took off in 1960, is the oldest law faculty in West Africa.