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Tag: taste

  • Ekiti: A taste of history

    Ekiti: A taste of history

    Of course, the path of honour doesn’t lie down in flat miles. It’s in the imagination with which you perceive this world and the gestures with which you raise your banner that the honour finds its domicile”.

     

    Preamble

    Saturday, November 21, 2015 was a day of honour in Ekiti State. For two days before that Saturday, Ado Ekiti, the capital of the state, had come alive with a memorable history. The people of the state trooped out in their thousands to take a glimpse of a rare guest on a rare occasion. The guest was no other personality than His Eminence, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, CFR, mni, the Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for (NSCIA). He was there as the first Sultan ever to visit Ekiti State.

    The occasion was for the installation of an indigene of the state and a gentleman of honour as the President of the League of Imams and Alfas of Yoruba Land.  He is Sheikh Jamiu Kewulere Bello who incidentally is also the Grand Imam of Ekiti State. It was a special day of joy on the part of Ekiti people as it was on the part of the Sultan.

    Two days earlier (Thursday, November 19, 2015, His Eminence had travelled down to Ado-Ekiti from Ibadan where he had been installed as the new Chancellor of the University of Ibadan on Tuesday, November 17, 2015. The day of Imam’s installation in Ado Ekiti was his sixth day in Southwest Nigeria. Shortly after his arrival in Ado Ekiti, penultimate Thursday, His Eminence paid a courtesy visit to His Royal Majesty, Oba (Dr.) Rufus Adeyemo Adejugbe Aladesanmi 111, CON, JP, the Ewi of Ado-Ekiti (at his palace) who hosted him and his entourage including yours sincerely with the grandeur of royalty.

     

    Observance of Jum’at Prayer

    On Friday, November 20, 2015, His Eminence commissioned the newly renovated city’s Central Mosque after paying a courtesy visit to the State Governor in his office. The Jum’at prayer observed in that Mosque was led by the Rector of the Centre for Arabic and Islamic Culture, (Markaz) Agege, Sheikh Habibullah Adam Abdllah Al-Ilory. In his sermon, Sheikh Al-Ilory laid emphasis on the duties of an Imam and the importance of Mosques in Islam. He counseled the new President-General of the League of Imams and Alfas on the challenges ahead of him and how he could surmount those challenges. While admonishing the Muslim Ummah against hearsay and tutored them on the need for cooperation with their leaders for the purpose of   unity.

     

    Dignitaries

    Among the dignitaries that observed the Jum’at prayers were His Eminence, the Sultan, His Royal Majesty, the Ewi of Ado Ekiti (though a Christian) who regarded joining His Eminence in the Mosque as part of hospitality. Others were His Royal Majesty, Oba Akadiri Momoh the Olukare of Ikare; His Excellency, Chief (Dr.) Sakariyau Olayiwola (S. O.) Babalola, OON, DSC, President of the Muslim Ummah of Southwest Nigeria (MUSWEN) who made the highest single monetary donation to the installation day; the Secretary-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Professor Is-haq Olanrewaju Oloyede, OFR, FNAL,  the Head of Department of Arabic and Islamic Studies, University of Ibadan, Dr. Kamil Koyejo Oloso and all the chiefs and senior Imams of the six states of the Southwest as well as those of Edo and Delta states.

    Some of those dignitaries included Chief S. O. Babalola; the Magajin Rafi and Galadima of Sokoto; Professor T. G. Gbadamosi; Dr. Abdullah Jibril Oyekan; members of MUSWEN’s Secretariat Task Force as well as a retinue of other Muslim dignitaries from various states had been parts of the entourage of His Eminence since his arrival in the Southwest the previous Monday. The Vice Chairman of the Task Force, Alhaji Murziq Bidemi Siyanbade’s role in this was particularly distinct as he virtually relocated to Oyo State Government House, Ibadan, where His Eminence was officially hosted and was shuttling between that place and the University of Ibadan to ensure that the protocol was properly maintained.

     

    Grand Finale

    At the grand finale held at the Ado-Ekiti pavilion, a galaxy of traditional rulers, Imams and Alfas as well as representatives of various Islamic Organisations were present in their joyful mood, an indication that the long awaited unity of the Southwest Ummah had come at last.  Governor Ayodele Fayose was represented by his wife, Feyisara; Delegates of Hausa communities from various states and representatives of some emirs who came from the North were also there to grace the occasion.

    The Chairman of the occasion was Alhaji Khamis Tunde Badmus of Osun State who was ably represented by Senator Adebayo Salami and made a very handsome monetary donation.

    The President-General designate was presented to His Eminence, the Sultan and the public for turbanning by the Secretary-General of the League, Sheikh Ahmad Aladesawe who also gave the welcome address. And the installation lecture was delivered by Sheikh Habibullah Adam Abdullah Al-Ilory, the Rector of MARKAZ, Agege, who is well renowned for apt oration and electrifying delivery power. In the lecture, he spelt out duties and responsibilities of an Imam globally and locally. He emphasised the fact that the President-General of the League of Imams and Alfas would now have more time for his office than for his office. The President of MUSWEN, Chief (Dr.) Babalola also gave a goodwill message.

     

    Profile

    The 63-year-old  President-General of the League of Imams and Alfas of the South West, Edo and Delta, Sheikh Muhammad Jamiu Kewulere Bello, was born on January 2, 1952. After his primary education at Ansar-ud-Deen, Ajilosun, Ekiti, he attended the famous Arabic/Islamic Institute (Zumratu Diyau Salihin) and later became a student at Aabic Training Centre, established by Sheikh Mahally Badrudeen, Ami of Iwo in Osun State. He was also a student of Sheikh Agbarigidoma of Ilorin in Kwara State and a number of other renowned scholars were his teachers.

    Sheikh Jamiu Kewulere Bello briefly dabbled into transportation business before he was persuaded to become the Chief Imam of Ado Ekiti in 1985. He was turbaned by the then Chief Imam Yusuf Olatunji Ogunlayi of Ikole Ekiti. When Ekiti State was created from the old Ondo State in 1996, the Muslim leadership in Ekiti State unanimously appointed him as the Grand Imam of Ekiti State.

     

    Appointment

    On June 4, 2015, Sheikh Jamiu Kewulere Bello was unanimously appointed as President-General of the League of Imams and Alfas of the South West, Edo and Delta at a meeting of the League thereby becoming the 5th Imam to occupy that post. After his installation by His Eminence, the Sultan of Sokoto, the new President-General thanked everybody who played a role in his emergence and in making the occasion a success. He then promised to strengthen the Unity of the South West Muslim Ummah on the one hand and that of the latter and the Northern Muslim Ummah on the other.

     

    Acceptance Speech

    In his word Sheikh J. K. Bello said: “At this juncture, I wish to say with humblest humility and spirit of devotion to Allah (SWT) that I accept this responsibility that you have all placed on my shoulders via my appointment as President-General, League of Imams and Alfas, South Western, Edo and Delta states. As you are all aware, the responsibility of the office is enormous. However, with the special grace and assistance of Allah (SWT) coupled with the cooperation of all and sundry, I hope to contribute my quota to move forward the entire Muslim Ummah in all states of my jurisdiction in particular and the nation in general……”

    The new President-General also said: “Essentially, I would be ready to work with all Islamic organisations, groups, sects and associations to further the frontiers of Islamic religion towards achieving greater peace, progress, unity and development in our midst and in the nation at large. Good initiatives towards achieving peaceful co-existence and societal peace among various other faiths shall be supported…….”

     

    Chronology

    Among his predecessors in that office were the late Chief Imam Muili Basunu of Ibadan, Oyo State; the late Chief Imam Armiyau Parakoyi of Ijebu Ode, Ogunm State; Chief Imam Yayi Akorede of Akure, Ondo State and Chief Imam Mustapha Olayiwola Ajisafe of Osogbo, Osun State.

     

    History

    The League of Imam and Alfas was established in 1967 at the instance of Sheikh Adam Abdullah Al-Ilory of the great Institute of Arabic and Islamic Culture (MARKAZ) Agege who served as its first Secretary-General. Other Secretaries-General who served after him include Sheikh Sadrudin Biobaku of Gbagura, Abeokuta, Ogun State and the current Chief Imam Ahmad Aladesawe of Owo, Ondo State.

     

    Comment

    The establishment of the League of Imams and Alfas of Southwest, Edo and Delta was a turning point in the unity of the Southwest Muslim Ummah especially in speaking with one voice on matters of common interest and in fighting for the rights of the Muslims in the region. With the establishment of the Muslim Ummah of South West Nigeria, that unity became formidably strengthened as both bodies began to work together like a pair of scissors. Today, Yoruba Muslims and their Edo and Delta brothers and sisters are one and the same. Their spiritual union has created a strong synergy between the Northern and Southern Muslim Ummah in Nigeria.

     

    Central Planning Committee

    Members of the planning committee for the installation were selected from the states that constitute the League. They included the following: Imam Ahmad Aladesawe (Secretary-General), Owo, Ondo State; Alhaji Morufu Olawale Isola and Imam Rabiu Salahudeen, Osun State; Dr. M. T. A. Alayinde, Imam Wasiu Nuru, (markaz) and Alhaji Saadullah Bello, Lagos State. Others were Imam S. S. Bamgbola, Ogun State, Grand Mufti Batuta, Ondo State; Alhaji Fatai Muili Alaga, Oyo State; Alhaji Abdul Fattah Enabulele, Edo State and Chief Imam of Delta State.

     

    Local Organising Committee

    Some of the Local Organising Committee members included the following: Alhaji Barrister Yakubu O. Sanni (Chairman); His Excellency, Dr. Sikiru Tae Lawal, former Deputy Governor and Chairman, Finance Committee; Aare Sulaiman Afolabi Ogunlayi, Chairman Programme and Publicity Committee;Alhaji Jimoh Dayo Ajayi, Chairman, Security Committee; Alhaja Maryam Ogunlade, Chairman, Welfare and Entertainment Committee; Dr. Ibraheem Azees, Chairman, Medical Committee; Alhaji Ganiyu Ibrahim, Secretary, LOC and Alhaji Jamiu Babalola, Assistant Secretary, LOC and a host of others. Some members of the LOC were also members of the Central Planning Committee.

     

    The Role of MUSWEN

    Since its inception in 2008, the Muslim Ummah of South West Nigeria (MUSWEN), being one of the two main pair organs of Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) in partnership with Jam’atu Nasril Islam (JNI) of the North has been playing a very vital role in solidifying the unity of the Muslim Ummah in the South West Nigeria. For instance, the former Secretary-General of the League of Imams and Alfas, the late Sheikh Sadrudeen Biobaku was a member of the Board of Trustees of MUSWEN until his demise. Also, the late President-General of the League of Imams and Alfas, Imam Mustapha Olayiwola Ajisafe was Vice-President of MUSWEN. And in furtherance of of that unity, the newly installed President-General of the League Sheikh J. K. Bello as well as the current Secretary-General of the League, Sheikh Ahmad Aladesawe have been officially invited to be members of the Central Working Committee of MUSWEN.

    Besides, a special team from MUSWEN, led by its President, Chief (Dr.) S. O. Babalola paid a courtesy visit to Ekiti Muslim Community in the residence of the President-General designate of the League last August in the spirit of unity and cooperation. These and many other gestures are pointers to the fact that MUSWEN’s hand of fellowship is always out for the League to grab with love. Also, last month, another MUSWEN team led by its Executive Secretary, Prof. D. O. S. Noibi paid a courtesy visit to Ondo Muslim community and even observed the monthly meeting of that Community. If all these efforts by MUSWEN are adequately reciprocated and complimented by other stake holders in the Southwest, any tendency for fanaticism and consequent terrorism may be easy to nip in the bud.

     

    Observation

    This is an era of religious uncertainty. What we call religion these days is nothing more than a fraudulent cloak for fraudulent activists. The more we claim to be religious the deeper we sink into the quagmire of iniquities. Some people who claim to be men of God are nothing more than men of evil. There is hardly any crime in the world today that is not aided or even generated by people who masquerade day and night in the cloak of religion. The modern day generation has turned religion into a capitalist mercantile. It is the duty of and responsibility of both MUSWEN and the League of Imams and Alfas to stem any spate of such ugly trend and return sanity to Islam in the region. Meanwhile, ‘The Message’ hereby joins MUSWEN in congratulating both the League of Imams and Alfas and its newly installed President-General. CONGRATULATION!

  • All set for taste of Lagos food festival

    All set for taste of Lagos food festival

    The maiden edition of Taste of Lagos ‘the original’, a national template for bringing stakeholders in the food industry together to celebrate indigenous foods, will make its debut at the  National Stadium, Lagos from December 2 to 5 .

    The Chief Consultant of Iconic Events Ltd, Mr Abiodun Fagbohun, organisers of the event, described Taste of Lagos ‘the Original’ as a concept modelled after popular annual global taste festivals, stressing that the essence of the festival is to bring together the indigenous foods that reflect the cosmopolitan nature of Lagos.

    “We conceptualised Taste of Lagos as the first of our pan-Nigerian initiative to popularise the rich food and beverage culture of our nation as well as help to reinforce the visibility of every state of the federation on the world tourism map,” he said, adding: “It is when we embrace programmes like this to appreciate our foods that our farmers will be encouraged to produce more and the economy will be the better for it.”

    Fagbohun said the week-long Taste of Lagos will avail food producers and manufacturers the opportunity to showcase their products and give Nigerians enough reasons to patronise them.

    “Special features of the event include ‘celebrity kitchen’ where popular entertainment personalities would test their culinary prowess. About 200 secondary school pupils would also be hosted as special guests every day to enable them appreciate the richness of Nigerian foods. Nutrition experts will also be on hand to share knowledge on the nutritional values of indigenous foods,” he said.

    He said the concept of Taste of Lagos was introduced to the Lagos State government in 2005, following which Iconic Events Ltd registered the rights nationwide in keeping with global standards of the event.

    “We have the original rights to stage this event in Nigeria because the taste concept has a universal template that must be followed,” Fagbohun said

    He further explained that Taste of Lagos and others that would go  across the country in 2016, will be targeted at reviving the indigenous food culture in Nigeria as well as avoiding potential loss of huge domestic and foreign earning from tourism.

    “The more we move away from our food culture, the more we move away from what nature has endowed us with and in the next 20 years, we stand the danger of not finding local delicacies on family food menus,” he said.

    Statutory bodies in charge of foods and standards are expected at the Taste of Lagos food fair, which will be livened up with music and dance performances from across Lagos and Nigeria.

     

  • Four emerge best in Knorr Taste Quest Season 3

    Four emerge best in Knorr Taste Quest Season 3

    • One evicted

    The quest to become a Master Chef took a new turn last week as the assessment of contestants in the Knorr Taste Quest was based on their culinary prowess, organisation of their works, tidiness as well as their presentation.

    With the aim of deepening market penetration and create observatory consumer experience of the Knorr cude, the contestants in that episode were tasked with preparing a three-course meal within one hour with compulsory ingredients: Lasagna sheets, Kidney and Lettuce for the Starter; Tomatoes, Plantain, Potatoes and Eggs for the Main Course while Couscous, Blueband Margarine and Knorr Chicken were essential for the Dessert.

    After the contestants were done, the judges were surprised at the outcome of the task: Balogun and Dapo who were on probation last week, impressed the judges with delicious dishes which triggered comments.

    The guest judge, Ozoz Sokoh, who is a food blogger, expressed satisfaction with what she experienced while tasting Dapo’s dishes.

    Following the judges’verdicts, Victor, Tunji, Dapo and Balogun emerged the best four while Aina, Hauwa and Davies were at the bottom three. Davies’ dishes was said to be over seasoned, while that of Hauwa and Aina didn’t meet the judge’s expectation.

    In a competition monitored by The Nation, Dapo emerged the winner of this week and was rewarded with N20,000 while Aina bid the show farewell as she was evicted.

    “As we approach the grand finale with six contestants standing, watch out for more thrills to discover who will wear the crown in Knorr Taste Quest Season 3 and earn the bragging right as Nigeria’s culinary best. The winner will be going home with a whooping N5million prize; kitchen equipment and loads of Knorr bouillon cubes. Also, prizes of N1million and N500, 000 will be given to the first and second runner,” the organisers said in a statement.

    “The show is proudly supported by TOTAL GAZ, reputed for affordable and safe-cooking gas as well as Shoprite, Nigeria’s leading one stop shop for food and household items at the lowest possible prices,” the statement added.

  • Final 14 emerge in Knorr Taste quest

    The final 14 “Masters”, who will compete to be the champion of the Knorr Taste Quest season 3 TV cooking show, have emerged.

    Last week, 22 contestants were tested on their knife skills. The task was to gut, fillet and dress a fish replicating this Season’s Key Visual, using ingredients such as cucumber, carrots, tomatoes and onions.

    At the end of the keenly-contested episode, the best 14 were selected.

    In the episode, the contestants were taught by the judges, Dr. Robert and Chef Fregz, how to sharpen knives, fillet fish, slice and dice ingredients, make muffins and flip eggs while frying. They also stressed the need for a good chef to pay attention to taste, smell and feel of their dishes. This was to prepare the contestants for greater tasks which they will be assigned to as the competition progresses.

    Davies, Lindsay and Yemisi were asked to fillet fish while Jeremy was tasked to slice onions, cucumber, tomatoes and carrots, using the appropriate knives for each ingredient as Chef Fregz had demonstrated. Dr. Roberts also put Aina and Yemisi to the test of baking banana muffins without having a measured recipe; a skill which professional cooks must possess. At the end of the tasks, all “students” were scored high by their tutors – the Judges.

    The final task for the day was to fry meat and Dr. Robert recommended cuts of “fillet mignon” be dipped into the frying pan without boiling as this will make it fluffy, juicy and tastier. It was apparent that   Hauwa, Chirinma and Lindsay delivered a scrumptious snack as other contestants who tasted it kept asking for more.

    Having excelled in all tasks for the day, the contestants were formally “admitted” into the master class.

    Knorr Taste Quest provides a unique platform where contestants showcase their culinary skills, as well as acquire new skills.

    The event will be viewed in many television stations.

     

  • Taste of Edo culture

    Taste of Edo culture

    Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH), Lagos, was agog last weekend, as students of Edo State marked their cultural day. EVERISTUS ONWUZURIKE (Mass Communication, Lagos State University) reports.

    They adorned colourful wrappers, with brown beads on their necks and heads. They entertained members of the audience with their choreographed dance steps, which were in tune with beats from the traditional talking drum. The audience cheered excitedly.

    This was the scene at the Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH) last weekend when students from Edo State held their cultural day. According to the students, who gathered under the aegis of the National Association of Edo Students (NAES), the event was to redefine their culture and connect them to their roots.

    The students moved round the campus to create awareness for the event. Their elegant traditional attires attracted attention. They invited their colleagues to feel the touch of Edo culture at an open ground near the Bursary Unit – the venue for the event.

    The event was graced by the association’s Grand Patron, Mr Osunde Ogieriakhi, NAES past president Samuel Igiebor and Oghenerume Opni, a member of the South South Students’ Forum.

    Declaring the event open,  NAES president, Ohenhen Osayamen presented nut to Ogieriakhi, who  chaired the occasion. Ogieriakhi’s breaking of the kolanut signalled the beginning of the ceremony.

    Ogieriakhi hailed the students for coming together to promote their culture. He said such event would make Edo youths living outside the state to be conscious of their roots and heritage.

    He said: “It is interesting that you are holding this event annually to celebrate our culture, even as many forget because of the many challenges we face in the nation. This will rekindle the enthusiasm of many youths to identify with their origin and learn the culture.”

    Ohenhen said the event unified all ethnic nationalities in Edo State. “Whether you are Bini, Esan or Afemai, we can come together to achieve one goal. We want to be united by our culture and tell people that unity can be achieved through respect for one another’s culture and belief,” he said.

    He urged members to identify with their culture, noting that the Edo heritage would be preserved if the students showed interest in their culture. He pleaded with the government to support the association’s drive to keep the Edo culture alive.

    The Vice President, Moses Edosa, said the ceremony was celebrated with “Ema” in line with the tradition of using pounded yam to promote culture. He highlighted the group’s achievements, which he said, included education and website design training.

    The highlight of the event was the performance of traditional dances of some ethnic groups in Edo State by the association’s troupe. This excited the audience, with guests showering the dancers with money. Members of the association’s executive were also presented with certificates of service by the patron.

    A student, Oni Osazeme, praised the association for keeping the event going, saying he felt a sense of belonging during the event. He said: “I feel as if I am in my village being in the midst of my people I share heritage with. It connects me to my root and makes me feel a sense of belonging.”

  • In bad taste

    No wonder many decent people are  running  away from politics; it is not that they are not  interested in the game, what they are afraid of is the mudslinging. Some politicians are crude; so crude that  they are not better than motor park touts, to borrow the words of President Goodluck Jonathan.  They use intemperate language unmindful of the damage they may cause. These ill-mannered politicians believe that all is fair and foul in politics. But should it be so?

    In this age, we should be playing politics without bitterness as espoused by the late Ibrahim Waziri of the defunct Great Nigerian Peoples Party (GNPP), who despite defecting from the Nigerian Peoples Party (NPP) in 1979 remained friends with his former party members and used no curse words against them.

    Decent people will continue to shun politics if our politicians continue to behave the way they do. What is in politics or the contest for power that a politician will wish another dead? There is no way any same person can defend the advertorial placed by Ekiti State Governor Peter Ayodele Fasyose in The Punch and the Daily Sun last Monday, on the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Alhaji Muhaamadu Buhari.

    The advert does not show that we have grown politically as a nation. The essence of any campaign is for the contestants to show who is the best among them. It is not a forum for abuse or mudslinging; neither is it one for twisting biblical passages in order to satisfy inordinate desires. Election is not a do or die. You contest and lose to contest again.

    You do not contest to die; you contest to live and see where you missed it so as to become a better candidate in future. None should know this better than  Fayose, the harbinger of the hate advert. And what is Buhari’s offence? He is contesting the February 14 presidential election against Fayose’s political leader, President Goodluck Jonathan. Fayose wants to remain in Jonathan’s  good books and as such he is ready to do anything to satisfy his master.

    But the president should know people like Fayose for what they are – they will support you today because it pays them to be on your side and abandon you when the tide turns against you. Fayose knows that his bread will remain buttered as long as he is on the president’s side. Perhaps, he is acting with the benefit of hindsight. A president got him out of office in 2006 because he was found to be cantankerous. Fayose does not want history to repeat itself  almost nine years after. To avoid that bitter experience, he has thrown all what he has into supporting Jonathan against Buhari to protect his political future

    There is nothing bad in his support for Jonathan, but  everything  about his hate advert against Buhari is bad. His advert, which I find nauseating  to reproduce here was uncalled for. That is not how to campaign for your candidate. Fayose went too far in that advert and it calls to question the sanity of some of those we call our leaders. Is it not a shame that such a figure is a governor in Nigeria? Fayose could have found better ways of campaigning for Jonathan instead of descending so low with such a cheap advert.

    It cost money to place that advert but its message was too cheap for such a price. So, has money not been put to shame? What is the point in spending a fortune on an advert only to come up with a message that rankles? Since Monday, Fayose has been under fire for carrying his sacrifice beyond the house of worship. The good he wanted to do Goodluck Jonathan through that advert has turned to bad for him. He is the one to make a choice now – does he want bad luck – as he has brought upon himself with his advert – to remain his portion or will he mend his ways for good luck to locate him?

    Fayose went overboard in that advert; no wonder Nigerians have been cutting him to size over it. But then he who the gods want to destroy they first make mad. This is what we are seeing in this case. To the leadership of the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON), the advert was a killjoy. It said : ”You know, sometimes it looks as if life plays a cruel game. The Punch of today has an advert reportedly sponsored by Ayo Fayose. Now going by Facebook (FB) responses alone, the advert has attracted many negative responses…

    “From a professional standpoint, it’s not an issue of whether the advert is good or bad. It is simply unconventional, shocking, controversial, and perhaps even embarrassing, and has certainly annoyed a few people. And by the way, the reference to portions of the Bible introduces a curious twist…

    “Now I am sure that wherever he is, the president must be wondering about his Ekiti enfant terrible. These are really interesting times!” Indeed, they are. If they were not, Fayose will not be putting his name on such a despicable advert when we are talking of the Abuja Peace Accord.

    How can we  ensure a hitch free election with such hate spewed forth from the Fayose advert? It is the worst worded advert I have ever read. It was too provocative  and did not do the Abuja Peace Accord any good and  I daresay the papers should have erred on the side of caution in carrying it. The media should not be too conscious of money; yes we are in business to make money but we must be wary of the antics of politicians who do not mean well for the country.  Otherwise we will allow them to blow up the country with their hate mongering under the guise of electioneering. There is no better word to describe Fayose than that of APCON – an effant terrible. What an effant terrible!!

    Will the president and PDP call him to order? I doubt if they will  because it pays them to pretend as if they did not see this evil which their beloved son has committed. A free, fair and peaceful election as agreed to under the Abuja Accord  starts with those close to the corridor of power not doing anything  to breach that pact.

    Mbu the ‘lion’

    MANY are agitated over Assistant Inspector-General (AIG) Joseph Mbu’s deployment to the Zone 2 Police Command comprising Lagos and Ogun states. And they are rightly so. Mbu, the self-styled lion,  parades an unenviable record as a police officer. The atrocities he committed  as Rivers State Police Commissioner and AIG Zone 7 Abuja are still fresh in the people’s memory. Was he deployed to Zone 2 to intimidate the highly vociferous people in his command as we get set for next month’s elections? Time will tell. Let him have these words of wisdom at the back of his mind : ”If you are sent on a servant’s errand, you deliver it as a freeborn”.

     

  • Scot Tommey’s high taste comes to fore again

    Scot Tommey’s high taste comes to fore again

    Abuja big boy and Chairman of Osmoserve, Scott Tommey, is in the news again. That the influential socialite is doing well for himself is stating the obvious. And his success has no doubt rubbed off on a good number of people, including his immediate family. A few days ago, his wife, Sefiya, opened a multi-million naira spa in Abuja. Named Suenno, the beauty centre is fast redefining beauty and relaxation business in the capital city. The classy spot has since become the convergence spot for the rich and the famous in the nation’s capital city. The outlook of the spa, some say, is a reflection of Scott’s high taste. It will be recalled that a few years ago, he bought himself a private jet as his birthday gift.

  • The changing taste of shoppers

    The changing taste of shoppers

    As much as Nigerians would go for products with low prices, good quality and new innovations have become their main considerations these days. This trend, it appears, is attributable to convincing sales/promotions, well-stocked shelves and high-quality fresh products available. Therefore, to boost sales as well as encourage shoppers, some retail shops launch attractive sales promos frequently.

    Such actions, it was learnt, have worked for many shops over the years. Mrs Modupe Shopeju, owner of Gbagada, Lagos-based Delightsome Gifts Concepts which has all kinds of home and office gadgets said: “Promotional offers are aimed at attracting more customers and enhance sales. There are misconceptions that when discounts are offered by shops, such shops stock inferior products, that is why they sell at cheap rates just to do away with the so called inferior products. It is not true.”

    While factors relating to good quality, innovations and low prices are important determinants of where to shop and what to buy, retailers and manufacturers who offer good value, either through sales and promotions or via larger-economy packaging, stand to gain the most from hard-income-earning consumers in a tough economy like Nigeria. That is why discount offers from some shops mean a lot to an average shopper.

    Mr Todd Hale of Consumer & Shopper Insights, in a television interview, recently, said: “For the economically challenged, low prices are a must, but convenience may trump low prices for some, while travelling and from discount retailers, it is a challenge.

    “For some shoppers, the value obtained from one-stop shopping can save them time and money. Therefore, manufacturers and retailers need to place a greater focus on shoppers’ benefits to achieve the differences that go beyond prices.”

    Though price is a differentiator in any economy, store brand products, he said, must deliver a level of quality proportionate to their price points.

    “Quality, at an affordable price, is what gets consumers to buy and repeat. If quality and value are lacking, then consumers will buy fewer store brands.”

    People no longer fancy cheap products, they prefer to buy products based on their quality and the benefits such products have to offer. In the market today, there seems to be more new products than the old ones, especially for consumables like canned foods which also comes in sachet leaving the shopper with choices to make.

    When The Nation Shopping went round some of the malls in Ikeja and Surulere, a large number of shoppers indicated they prefer quality and innovation over low price. Some others said they prefer innovation at low prices, and only a few number of them said they prefer very low price not minding the value of the product.

    Majority believe quality is not to be compromised; therefore while manufacturers are producing slightly low quality products, they should not forget to keep prices low as it is the least favoured option among consumers because raising prices is a strategy that consumers do not embrace. Consumers typically maintain reference prices for products based on prices they have seen or paid in the past.

    A shopper, Mr Samuel Emenike prefers quality over low price. “Low price could be deceptive; I am usually not deceived when I want to purchase an item. I make up my mind to go for quality so I can be sure of having value for my money.”

    Another shopper, Mr Chijioke Nwabueze was of the view that good quality and innovation is better than low price if a person wants the best from a product. “The life span of a quality product is longer than a cheap inferior product. You will only be buying what you need at once instead of buying the same thing twice because it is cheap.”

    Some people think the newly introduced products are either not trusted or they simply do not allow for patronage of the existing ones. May be because some people who will prefer to buy the newly introduced ones will want to explore them.

    According to Mrs. Funke Bamgbose, a shop owner at Adeniran Ogunsanya Shopping mall, “Bringing new innovation into the market sometimes does not allow the sale of old products. But if the newly introduced product is of a higher price than the already existing ones, then I am sure of selling my existing products. Therefore, new innovations should be accompanied by low price, as it is generally known that low price is the driver of any shopper,” she said

    Mrs Nsofor Chinwe prefers existing products. To her, existing products are better trusted “I have come to trust existing products over the years. I can only be lured to buying newly introduced products if I can get a testimony from someone else about that product. Most times when I go shopping, I don’t check out new products, I simply pick the old names I am used to.

    Some shoppers are of the view that new innovations of products should be given a discount instead of adding price. So that people can be used to it or that they can be used to create a platform of introducing it to people.

    According to a shopper Mr Stanley Omokaro, discount offers should be attached to innovations so that shoppers can easily accept them when they are newly introduced into the market. “ It is only common with shoppers to want to buy new products at cheap rates. Some people would refuse to pay more or same amount as for an existing product for a newly introduced product.”

    Mr Odundayo Agboola is an economist; he prefers innovation to low price stating that the country’s poor economic condition is a major challenge to innovations. “My question is, will these innovations stay? Is our economy encouraging such? Modernism has been brought into production and now we get newly introduced good items. I am of the belief that the newer a product, the better it is. Sometimes I get tired of the old product because some of them have reduced in quality and quantity. Therefore, I look forward to new products from time to time,” he said.

  • Sambo’s expensive taste

    Sambo’s expensive taste

    • Nigeria cannot afford to splash N16bn on VP’s residence

    Nigerians are conversant with the idea of contract variations because hardly is there any contract worth the piece of paper on which its agreement is written that does not suffer the plague. And they know what in our parlance that means! But the case of the vice president’s residence that has generated brouhaha is one variation too many. There is bound to be problem. That is exactly what is happening in this instance.

    Here was a contract that was awarded in 2009 at a cost of N7billion. Three years down the line, we were suddenly told that it would cost N9billion more! This must be a record variation even by the standards of our many sickening public contracts. The additional N9billion is needed to provide furniture, fencing, two additional protocol guest houses, a banquet hall and other security gadgets.

    According to Adamu Ismail, executive secretary of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), who had earlier defended the new estimate before the Senate Committee on Federal Capital Territory (FCT), these items were not captured in the original scope of the work.

    This is hard to believe. How, for instance, could a vice president’s residence be contemplated without basic things like fencing and furniture, not to talk of security gadgets, banquet hall and protocol guest houses? If all of these were omitted originally as we are now being told, then this calls to question the professional competence of those who awarded the initial contract. Or, could it be a reflection of the relatively moderate taste of the then occupant of the office? This is where the news report that the contract had to be reviewed to meet the taste of Vice President Namadi Sambo would seem to be more credible.

    The original contract was awarded when the incumbent president, Goodluck Jonathan, was vice president. At that time, the incumbent vice president was governor of Kaduna State. But, according to the report, Vice President Sambo is uncomfortable with the structure because of what it calls his ‘culture and religion’. And that is why Nigeria must part with more than N9billion more for the residence? We were even told that the amount was reviewed down to N6billion by the Bureau for Public Procurement (BPP). This would bring the project cost to N13billion. Even Senator Smart Adeyemi, the committee’s chairman, was said to have favoured N10billion for the project. None of these costs reflects the current economic situation in the country.

    We are not opposed to our vice president having a befitting residence. But we detest everything that would make public office an excessive cost centre and a burden to the taxpayer. We already have too much of such overheads and there is no point aggravating the situation. What we should be thinking of now is how to reduce them. If we must redesign a house now simply to reflect the religion of the incumbent, what happens in the future when someone of another religious faith occupies the office? So, we have to start knocking down walls and awarding fresh contracts to accommodate the taste of that person. While this may be good for public officials who award the contracts, it is bad for the nation’s economy. Vice President Sambo or any incumbent of that office should live in a decent residence; but that should not tear the pockets of Nigerians who are to bear the brunt of the costs.

    The fact is that our leaders are too detached from the citizenry, that is why they oftentimes cannot draw the line between what is decent and what is not. All the figures being bandied for the vice president’s residence are too obscene for the kind of picture that the government is painting of our economy. They are simply provocative, insensitive and indefensible.