He distinguished himself as governor of Midwest, says Tinubu (Read full details)

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Bola Tinubu

Former Lagos State governor, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has described the late Brig-Gen. Samuel Osaigbovo Ogbemudia, who died on Thursday night at the age of 84, as a very professional and disciplined military officer.

He praised Ogbemudia’s record of infrastructural development as governor of old Mid-western region, saying it was still being appreciated and talked about till today.

In his condolence message over the passing of the retired general issued by his media office yesterday in Lagos, the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Leader said: “Though we never wish that our elders leave us even at an advanced age, Ogbemudia lived to the age of 84. We are not to mourn his death, but celebrate his life and times.

“Ogbemudia was a very professional and disciplined military officer. “We have lost an uncommon patriot and nationalist who fought with former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, to keep our dear nation one.

“As governor, Ogbemudia’s record of infrastructural development in old Midwest region is still being talked about till this day. He showed his love for education as a catalyst for human capacity development by creating the Midwest Institute of Technology, now University of Benin.

Vía Uzomedia http://ift.tt/2maijSg

‘The most exploited, neglected Nigerians are our talents’

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Founder and CEO, Mr. Idris Olorunnimbe (right) and Director of Communication, Mr. Terfa Tilley-Gyado at the briefing last week… in Lagos

In all spheres of life, Nigeria is a vast pool of talents. From the traditional professions through the arts, and latter-day technology, Nigerians are proving their mettle. In fact, they set the trail in most cases and are shoulders above their counterparts elsewhere.

But two problems easily beset them. Their talent is either not discovered and harnessed or when it is recognised, it is under-valued and exploited without the required or even adequate reward. Largely, it is unrecognised genius and potential left to waste.
 
But there are some Nigerians, who believe things should be done otherwise. They have taken it upon themselves to rewrite this sad narrative for a happier one. This is the turf Temple Management Company (TMC), set up almost a year ago, will be plying its trade in talent discovery and management. Nigerian talents, at least those signed on by TMC, will not only be properly managed and nurtured, they will also receive the support necessary to succeed and compete at the global arena.

 
Interestingly, the company’s portfolio for talent development cuts across entertainment, arts and sports in that seamless manner that is often lacking. These three areas, according to the Founder and CEO of TMC, Mr. Idris Olorunnimb, deliver high-end entertainment to millions of people the world over just as they are the pillars of some economies of major countries in the world.

In entertainment, there is Mavin Records, Iyanya, Jeff Akoh, 9ice, DJ Jimmy Jatt, Fela’s drummer and two-time Grammy award winner, Lekan Babalola and writer and filmmaker, Biyi Bandele. The sports talents include a 12-year old tennis prodigy, Marylove Edwards, Seye Ogunlewe and Ebi Onome (Super Falcons star). In the arts, there is eclectic painter and printmaker, Victor Ehikhamenor, Mode Aderinokun, Fola David and Logor. In media, Funmi Iyanda is sole signee.
 
In a recent conversation last week at TMC office on Victoria Island, Lagos, Olorunnimbe set out the vision of TMC to include “forging a deep, enduring relationship with these talents and being the backbone to these artists; the individual prosperity of people who sign up to us is just as critical. We manage talent across entertainment sectors – sports, music, movie, arts, and fashion. Music is moving faster than others, but movie is trying to catch up with it. But there is music in movies. As movie is developing, it is helping music (in terms of sound tracks).
 
“We pride ourselves like pioneers; nobody is set up like us; none is strategic as us. We are the first in the market; people are not willing and ready to sacrifice or suffer. The most exploited and neglected Nigerians are our talents. It’s not just about people singing. Writers and artists have vibrant, marketable skills.”
 
Olorunnimbe sees his company as a “collection of young and not-so young people, who see the need to protect talents from themselves and a third party. The job of a talent manager is to ensure that that the talents live up to his or her potentials. Those who fall victim to contractual obligations isn’t because they are daft or uneducated, but because they are desperate.”
 
He also noted that across Africa, where it is establishing a strong presence (with another office in Kenya to cater for the East African market), entertainment (in terms of sports, arts and music/movie) were yet to take their pride of place, saying, “If you remove entertainment and sports components of the U.S. and the U.K, can you imagine what those economies will become?
 
“We will unlock your opportunities. Whatever is hindering their talent from blossoming we will ensure we remove it and let them make their due. Our aim is for the artist to focus on his talent and we focus on its business.”

TMC’s Director of Finance, Mr. Hamza Idris Kutugi, gave indication on the need for insuring artists on its stable and preparing them for when their active years are over, adding, “We will prepare artists also for when they can’t sing, dance, paint or write any more.”

Also, Director, Legal, Mr. Ayodeji Olomojobi, said TMC is a composite talent hunting firm with “different departments infused into the team. We have different people doing different things. Our model is a commissioned-based model.”

Olorunnimbe gave insight into TMC’s work, particularly on the prodigious 12-year tennis talent, Marylove Edwards. A tennis coach in South Africa begged her parents to relocate from Nigeria with her so he could coach, mentor and expose her to the world stage. Now, however, TMC has secured support for her by getting Zenith Bank Plc and TY Danjuma Foundation as her sponsors. Olorunnimbe stressed the need for Nigeria’s corporate organisations to link talents with their brands’ equity, saying it has been the missing ingredient to talent development on the African continent as against elsewhere.

Also, TMC’s Arts Manager, Wunika Mukan, noted that the company was designed to provide local and international opportunities and platforms for artists to bloom in their respective fields. For instance, the company has secured an art gallery contract for Ehikhamenor in the U.K., where he would showcase his works alongside other artists. He would be in Venice, Italy, for the next biennale, courtesy TMC.

“We are looking for opportunities for our artists,” she said, “we want them to just focus on the creative side while we look at the business side. We want to plug a lot of things that just slipped through the cracks, like helping with exhibitions, providing media support, like sending them to residencies to keep them sharp. We will just connect them to where they need to be at any point in time.”

 

Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2mqFkVM

Lagos clamps down on illegal abattoirs, cattle markets (Read full details)

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In a renewed effort to stem the tide of illegal operations, prevent the sale of unwholesome meat and improve hygiene conditions in abattoirs in Lagos State, no fewer than 24 butchers and cattle marketers have been arrested for offences bordering on illegal operations in a weekend clampdown carried out against illegal abattoirs, slaughter slabs and cattle markets by the state government.

The Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr. Oluwatoyin Suarau, told journalists that the exercise was carried out in Ikorodu and Badagry by the State Monitoring, Enforcement and Compliance Unit on Abattoirs and Slaughter Slabs, Stray Animals, Meat and Live Cattle Transportation and Regulation of Veterinary Premises.

He added that beside the 24 butchers and cattle marketers who were arrested for illegal operations, large chunk of unwholesome meat being processed with dirty stagnant water alongside live cattle were impounded during the raid.

According to a statement by the Assistant Director, Public Affairs, Ministry of Agriculture, Tunbosun Ogunbanwo, 10 butchers were arrested from illegal abattoirs by the enforcement team in Owutu Ikorodu while 14 butchers and marketers were arrested in the Badagry axis.

He said: “The operation in the Badagry axis affected illegal slaughter slabs at Seme J5 Zongo, Iya Afin and Ajara; and illegal animal markets at Iberekodo, Limka and Toll Gate.”

The Commissioner, while stressing the need for monitoring, enforcement and compliance in the red meat value chain business, added that the effort will help prevent spread of diseases, promote data collection for planning, promote good animal welfare and make Lagos a safe place for all inhabitants by discouraging environmental pollution and health hazards.

Vía Uzomedia http://ift.tt/2l90gjb

Fast food packaging contains potentially harmful chemicals

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The greaseproof packaging holding your burger and fries may contain potentially harmful fluorinated chemicals that can leach into food, according to a new peer-reviewed study.

In the most comprehensive analysis to date on the prevalence of highly fluorinated chemicals in fast food packaging in the United States, researchers tested more than 400 samples from 27 fast food chains throughout the country.

The samples, consisting of paper wrappers, paperboard, and drink containers, were analyzed for a class of chemicals called PFASs (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), also known as PFCs. These highly fluorinated chemicals are widely used in an array of nonstick, stain-resistant, and waterproof products, including carpeting, cookware, outdoor apparel, as well as food packaging.

Reporting February 1 in the journal Environmental Science & Technology Letters, the researchers applied a novel technique using particle-induced gamma-ray emission (PIGE) spectroscopy to analyze the samples for fluorine — a marker of PFASs. The team found that almost half of paper wrappers (example, burger wrappers and pastry bags) and 20 percent of paperboard samples (example, boxes for fries and pizza) contained fluorine. Tex-Mex food packaging and dessert and bread wrappers, in particular, were most likely to contain fluorine compared with other categories of packaging.

Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2ldD9AQ

Civil Defence, NCC move to protect ICT infrastructure

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NSCDC

The Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has promised to intensify surveillance to protect facilities in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector.

The Acting Deputy Commandant-General (Protection of Critical Infrastructure), Amos Andekein, made the pledge at the weekend when a delegation of NSCDC officials visited the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC)’s office.

NCC’s Executive Commissioner (Stakeholders Management), Sunday Dare, presided over the meeting on behalf of the Executive Vice Chairman, Prof. Umar Danbatta.

The meeting was a follow-up to the one earlier hosted by the National Security Adviser, Maj.-Gen. Babagana Monguno, in December 2016.A statement by NCC’s Director of Public Affairs, Tony Ojobo, said the meeting was called to deliberate on ways to protect critical national infrastructure.

Andekein said that the protection of these structures were part of the NSCDC’s core mandate as enshrined in its Act.“We are willing to do just that for the telecommunications sector like we have been doing for the oil and gas sector, oil pipelines and maritime operations,” he said.

Also, NCC’s Head, Legal and Regulatory Services (NCC), Mrs. Yetunde Akinloye, said laws were being fine-tuned with a view to having a successful prosecution of defaulters.She said: “A private member bill was in the offing, which when passed, would make prosecution a lot easier.”

The Guardian had exclusively reported on December 23, 2016, that telecommunications operators lost about 10, 000 generating sets, diesel and other valuables to theft.

The report showed that operators had also suffered some losses through fibre cuts, a situation, the report claimed, had negatively affected NCC’s quality of service.

According to the report, the destruction in the sector was also responsible for the high rate of drop calls, higher calls terminations, undelivered text messages and poorer networks connectivity.

He listed the structures to be protected to include base stations, optic fibre, masts and nip-in-the bud activities of those trading on pre-registered Subscribers Identification Module (SIM) cards.

Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2l90J57

Youths should obtain lifeline from World Bank for agribusiness, says Rep (Read full details)

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Farming

To bolster agribusiness in Nigeria, the nation may need the support of World Bank to give soft loans to qualified youths, willing to go into mechanized agriculture, a House of Representatives member representing Ijero, Ekiti-West and Efon Federal constituency of Ekiti state, Oni Olamide Johnson has said.

Presenting certificates to 45 graduates he sponsored on mechanized agriculture training at National Centre for Agricultural Mechanization (NCAM), Ilorin, he said he would assist the trainees to secure the much needed funds from the World Bank towards making them self employed.

Disclosing the propensity for his choice of empowerment programme for the youths, he said without adequate knowledge of mechanized agriculture it would be harder for them to break through.

According to him, his attempt at starting large scale farming some years back failed due to his ignorance of the elementary knowledge of the required skills.

Speaking, the Acting Director of NCAM Dr Yomi Kasali insisted that Olamide’s gesture would reduce poverty among members of his constituency just as he challenged other lawmakers to emulate him.

Kasali while viewing Nigeria’s unemployment ratio as a stumbling block to harnessing the potentials of the nation’s youth, added that Nigeria’s hope of industrialization would be hindered unless agriculture is allowed to take its rightful place in the area of production of raw materials for the moribund industries in the country.

Vía Uzomedia http://ift.tt/2kr8no7

Greed and the elected public officers

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<img src="http://ift.tt/2kvwsg4&quot; alt="" width="1280" height="719" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-93928" srcset="http://ift.tt/2kvwsg4 1280w,http://ift.tt/2jJ2FvR 640w,http://ift.tt/2kvw4Ou 1062w,http://ift.tt/2jJ4Hw1 320w,http://ift.tt/2kvBVU9 531w,http://ift.tt/2jJ3BAs 600w" sizes="(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px"http://cdn.gdn.ng/, who have had the best of time as leaders, are, again, being stupendously paid pensions, even when some are still active in their careers or in other public offices, it can only be deemed a blatant assault on the sensibilities of Nigerians. It is, indeed, immoral. As a famished citizenry suffers, the system has been bastardized to suit the sumptuous lifestyles of a few.

Since curbing corruption is a major preoccupation of the Muhammadu Buhari administration, something should be done to stop this nonsense before it engenders violent reactions from the people.

The solution is to enact appropriate laws against this fraudulent and insensitive scheme. Unfortunately, those who should make such laws are also seeking to be beneficiaries, thus making it difficult to legislate against a burgeoning culture of greed.

In the first place, pension is paid to someone in retirement after a certain number of service years with the operative words being ‘retirement’ and ‘service years.’

Pension, therefore, serves as a reward for years of service and the retirement age in Nigeria is 65 years or 35 years of active service. With this, what ex-governors and other elected public officials who have legislated these sumptuous out-of-office benefits for themselves are doing is not only unacceptable, it is criminal. Indeed, nothing underscores a culture of insensitivity and impunity in Nigeria’s public service than the phenomenon.

Unfortunately, the tragedy is that the people who are being so cheated are lethargic. This criminal greed has been sustained by the docility of the Nigerian people who know how wrong this is but have refused to act against it.

To its credit, a coalition of civil society groups once challenged the constitutionality of the decision by different state houses of assembly to fix scandalously generous and very corrupt pensions as well as out-of-office allowances for sundry elected state officials.

The suit, to annul state pension laws, joined the 36 state governors, their houses of assembly, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) as the defendants. The contention was that the houses of assembly do not have the legislative competence to make law with respect to remuneration, including the pension of governors. The plaintiffs sought a declaration annulling such exercises with specific regard to “the governors and deputy governors pension law 2014 of Akwa Ibom State; Lagos State Governor and Deputy Governor Law 2012; Oyo State pension (Governor and Deputy Governor) Law 2004; Governor and Deputy Governor (Payment of Pension) Law No 12 of Kwara State 2010, or any state stipulating the remuneration including pension of any of the 36 state governors.”

According to the prayer, those acts contravene sections 1 [3] and 4[2] of the 1999 Constitution and for that reason are ultra vires, null and void. Other important points adduced are that under item 34, part 1 of the second schedule of the 1999 Constitution, the National Assembly has exclusive powers to enact laws with respect to the condition and welfare of public officials or any other employee in any part of the federation. Besides, the RMAFC Act already covered the field of pensions for public office holders and had, therefore, deprived the state houses of assembly the legislative competence to legislate on such matters. While the case is yet to be fully determined, it is important for Nigerians to keep the pressure on their leaders to be responsible.

It must also be remembered that when the then Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State caused such a law to be passed to the effect that he should be entitled, among other things, to N100 million every year as healthcare allowance for his person and family once out of office, as part of a pension to be enjoyed by elected former governors and deputy governors in the state, the public uproar against it prompted the governor to ask the state legislature to review that law. Certainly, an outright abolition of any such indulgences is the ideal that all Nigerians must work for today.

It, afterall, is a shame, that members of Nigeria’s ruling elite are now totally unmindful of the fact that any public position is a privilege and a call to service and to exploit the inherent powers in such positions for self-indulgence to the detriment of the people is to undermine the spirit of public service.

It is a monumental tragedy that the state houses of assembly have been complicit in this greed to the extent that they have become the platform for the debasement of democracy and primitive accumulation of state resources. It needs to be emphasized that the people are actually the employers of all their political leaders.

The only way to engender a sense of responsibility in public office holders and to entrench a culture of service to country is to put an end to this impunity. When the people sleep on their rights, the result is the greed that rules now.

Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2k6GVxg

Records and information management play a critical role in fighting corruption

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According to the Oxford Advanced Learners’ Dictionary (2010), ‘‘corruption is dishonest or illegal behaviour, especially of people in authority. It is the act or effect of making somebody change from moral to immoral standards of behaviour’’. Corruption generally has changed from being largely caused by low income and is now caused by greed. Society’s values have degenerated to institutionalizing corruption as a way of life, most especial in developing countries where the honest are derided. Some of the reasons why corruption is so prevalent are greed, weak accounting information system, lack of effective monitoring and functioning institutions, lack of human capacity, low remuneration and poverty.

The fight against corruption
Corruption can be said to be a symptom of failed governance and failed governance is a symptom of failed records and information management in any institution. Corruption can be curbed if government institutions or organizations are effectively functioning. However, government institutions cannot effectively function without efficient and effective records and information management, as corruption, fraud and maladministration have the tendency of eating up budgets at all levels of governments. Occasionally, lack of human capacity is compounded with the employment of lack of qualified staff to manage records and information, which gives a leeway to corruption and fraud to thrive.

Solution
The easiest ways to identify serious minded individual, organization or government with genuine interest in fighting against corruption is in their resolve to institutionalize and prioritize information management within their organisation or institution as well as their ability to see information as a fundamental resource which should be maintained and enhanced through appropriate information management systems. Organizations and institutions use records to support accountability when they want to prove that they have met their obligations or complied with best practices according to the established policies and standards. Without reliable and authentic documentary evidence underpinning all essential accountability processes, government, civil society and the private sector cannot ensure transparency, guarantee accountability or allow for the exercising of good governance.

Records are an indispensible tool in both internal and external organizational accountability. In other words, records and information can be regarded as the lifeblood of business operations in any organisation. Records and information can assist to show whether an individual, institution or government have met defined legal, enterprise, social or moral obligations in specific situations. Good records and information management specifically plays a significant role in combating corruption in the following ways:

Prevention of corrupt tendencies or fraud
As the saying goes, ‘‘prevention is better than cure’’, resources can actually be saved if corruption is prevented. There is a direct link between lack of proper records and information management practices and corruption; among other root causes of corruption is the failure of government and organizations to institute measures that will ensure that records and information are well managed for the efficient capturing of the day-to-day business operations.

Effective records management practices are essential to ensure that there are no loopholes in the system. Having well managed policies and regulations for transactions and popularizing them within the organization through an organized access system is a good preventive measure against corruption and fraud. The World Bank supports this by asserting that “well managed records and information provide a cost-effective deterrent to fraud and corruption”. To minimize corruption, government and organizations should redirect their focus towards promoting good information management practices as one of the corruption prevention strategies, instead of directing a lot of resources towards investigating and detecting corruption. This would make a significant difference, as there would be fewer corruption and fraud cases to investigate when proper records and information management systems are entrenched within the system. The money that would have gone into investigation, prosecution, recovery of stolen funds and imprisonment would be saved.

Facilitating investigations by anti-corruption agencies
Anti-corruption agencies assigned the responsibility of investigating, detecting and fighting corruption can also benefit greatly from proper records and information management. Unfortunately, despite Government’s efforts directed towards strengthening these institutions, little attention is being paid to the fact that the success of these institutions depends largely on the accessibility to complete, reliable and accurate records / information. Without proper records and information, meaningful audits cannot be executed as the records serve as the source of the information required by the auditors and investigators.

Providing evidence of transactions
When someone is under scrutiny for breaches of systems or regulations, or for fraud, much of the evidence will be provided by the available records and information. Authentic and reliable records can serve as evidence to identify abuse, misuse and non-compliance with financial institutions and other laws and regulations. Records and information provide verifiable evidence of fraud that can lead investigators to the root cause of fraud.

Corruption cannot be wiped out without good records management as a point of reference for evidence of transactions.

Conclusion
Corruption, with its adverse effects, is on the increase in both public and private sectors. Despite the position that without proper records and information management, corruption and fraud cannot be proved, records and information management continues to have limited consideration in most public and private organizations, without which the ongoing war on corruption can never be won. Records and information, helps to prevent corruption and fraud, and as a result must begin to operate with internal and external audits. Good records and information management plays a significant role in deterring the corruption effect and it is a preventive, cost-effective alternative to the prosecution of corrupt and fraudulent individuals.

Finally, records and information management should form an integral part of any country’s economic recovery process. We should note that ‘‘records and information play a critical role in fighting corruption; protecting citizens’ rights; in ensuring transparency; accountability and good governance’’. Governments, organisations and individuals, should recognize the fact that sound and effective information management is the basis for effectively preventing and fighting corruption in any society. Dr. Oyedokun Ayodeji Oyewole is the President/Chairman – Governing Council, Institute of Information Management (IIM) – Africa and President – Records and Information Management Awareness (RIMA) Foundation. He can be contacted at: chairman@iim-africa.org

Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2k1vPHI

The game changing effect of one client

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There is a principle of life which states that, “what you look for, you’ll find”. A lot of times our beliefs about what is possible is where our limitations are. Another principle is, “whatever you’ve come to believe and accept as possible will be your reality”. One client can turn around your business; one client might be the missing link between where you are and where you want to be. The question is, will you recognize this client when you see him or her? Big things can come in small packages.

I was at a seminar a few months ago where a real estate business mogul said his business turned around because of one client. He walked up to her at the airport and introduced himself. He said he admired what she was doing for our nation and gave her his business card. A few months later she called him asking to purchase four luxury properties that day. Within a few years several of such transactions came from this client and many referrals. Any client you see may be that ‘one client’. Just be watchful so you don’t miss them.

It happened to Ralph Lauren
Ralph Lauren (formerly Ralph Lifshitz) is today worth $5.7billion by Forbes Magazine. As a young entrepreneur he started his business selling ties to retail stores, these ties were the first of their kind due to their unique cut and was branded in his name. Everything turned around when he was able to persuade Bloomingdale’s (an American chain of luxury department stores) to buy his ties. They refused at first because they wanted him to remove his name from the labels, of which Ralph Lauren refused. They later called him a few months later and gave him a space in their store to sell his ties. This they had done for no one before then. After this, his sales took a quantum leap and he even moved from selling ties to other clothing. This single client was a game changer for Ralph Lauren and his business.

A few years ago while in banking, a colleague of mine was leaving the bank and handed over two of her clients to me. Trust me, I wasn’t excited, it just seemed to be more work. Besides, they seemed demanding and preferred to work with ladies. Nevertheless, I gave my best to serve them. A day came when they had a ‘stubborn’ transaction. I had to get approvals from several bosses to get the transaction through. It was eventually successful. We were expecting some money to hit their accounts from Lebanon. Guess how much came in? Two Million Dollars!!! This client was a game changer for me because I met my target for the year. Watch out for that client who may be a game changer for you so you don’t miss them because big things sometimes come in small packages.
Iyore Ogbuigwe is a sales coach.

Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2k6FajU