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Tag: OFR

  • St. Aquinas College, Akure receives boost from MTN Foundation

    St. Aquinas College, Akure receives boost from MTN Foundation

    On Wednesday, February 8th, 2023, St. Aquinas College, Akure, received a major boost following the handover and commissioning of three fully furnished science and technology laboratories from the MTN Foundation. In attendance were the Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Olufemi Agagu who represented the state Governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN; Deji of Akure, Oba Aladetoyinbo Ogunlade Aladelusi, Special Adviser on Education to the Ondo State Governor, Dr. Wunmi Ilawole, amongst other notable dignitaries.

    Representing the Governor of Ondo State, the Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Olufemi Agagu thanked the MTN Foundation for being a pacesetter with the upgraded laboratories, which are critical to the growth of science and engineering. “The import of the ceremony today is about the future of the students here and future generations of Aquinas College and all our students in general and its impact on science, technology, engineering and mathematics,” Agagu said.

    In his remarks at the commissioning, Chairman, MTN Foundation, Prince Julius Adelusi-Adeluyi, OFR, mni said: “The importance of education and technology in the development of our nation cannot be overstated.  Science and Technology play an important role in promoting economies of advanced countries hence the decision by the Foundation to commit huge resources in projects that advance science and technology in the country.’’

    Commenting on MTN Foundation’s support, the  worldwide President, Aquinas College, Akure Old Students Association (ACAOSA), Emeritus Justice Adesuyi Olateru-Olagbegi, thanked MTN for the intervention because the capacity of the school’s laboratories has been stretched enormously due to the increasing number of students, which has necessitated minimal refurbishments in the past. “However, no refurbishment in equipment, materials, specimens or aesthetics has come anywhere near the wholesale upgrading that been generously affected by the MTN Foundation multimillion naira exercise… and no other school deserves the favour of the upgrade more than ACA whether from the point of view of its historic academic excellence in the sciences and arts or from the point of view of the huge number of ultimate beneficiaries – 2,800, which makes the investment exceedingly valuable as they will serve a high number of students.”

    The intervention by the MTN Foundation include renovation of existing laboratory rooms; installation of laboratory furniture; supply of laboratory equipment & consumables, and installation of solar-powered borehole and alternative power solution.

    Earlier in the year, Government Secondary School Owerri also received a full renovation of their chemistry, physics and biology science laboratories. Following a set criterion for the nomination, two other public secondary schools are set to benefit from this project: St Augustine College, Igbuzor, Delta state and Queens College, Lagos. In addition, the MTN Foundation is also undertaking the training of science teachers and laboratory attendants in all selected schools.

    MTNF Science & Technology Laboratory Project, an initiative of the MTN Foundation, was conceived to strengthen science and technology education through the remodelling of science laboratories in public secondary schools. Currently in its second phase, the Foundation through the initiative has successfully implemented various projects across over seven public schools across Nigeria.

  • NDLEA made no request to buy sniffer dogs in 2023 budget

    NDLEA made no request to buy sniffer dogs in 2023 budget

    The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, says it has no request to buy sniffer dogs in its 2023 budget proposal as insinuated in some reports, adding that its position on the cost of specialized dogs was in response to a question by the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Drugs and Narcotics, Hon. Francis Ottah Agbo, on the need for sniffer dogs at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.


    The anti-narcotics agency in a statement on Saturday said its Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), CON, OFR had on Thursday 3rd November while defending its 2023 budget before the House of Representatives Committee on Drugs and Narcotics explained in response to Hon. Agbo’s comment, that the total package of getting a specialized dog including its training costs an average of $15,000 – $20,000. These are dogs that are able to detect up to 70 different types of drugs and substances. This is indeed open source information that can be verified online by anyone interested in knowing the facts about this kind of dogs.

    Indeed, the full package of some specialized dogs especially those used for special protection, detection and law enforcement in other jurisdictions cost as much as $30,000; $50,000; $80,000 and more depending on the type of skills and duties such would be trained to perform. In fact, Harrison K-9, an Aiken, South Carolina, US-based company sells for as much as $230,000. This is because acquiring specialized dogs goes beyond the cost of purchase but a total package that includes both the training of the dogs and their handlers as in a team over a period of months.

    It is on record that Gen. Marwa however stated in his response to Hon. Agbo’s comment that in addition to the fact that the Agency has and uses sniffer dogs provided by the German government, it has acquired new scanners for use at the nation’s airports. All of these have been largely responsible for the daily arrests and seizures made by officers and men of the Agency.

    “We remain grateful to the German government, which has not only provided the sniffer dogs currently being used by the Agency and has even added more this year but is also building a sniffer dog academy for the use of NDLEA and others in the sub-region. This is why the Agency has not and did not make any request for the specialized dogs in its current budget proposal before the National Assembly”

    This explanation is therefore provided to contextualize the statement credited to Gen. Marwa and clear all insinuations on the possibility of such a request for sniffer dogs in the Agency’s 2023 budget proposal.

  • Zoho Technologies, African Data Centres, Itel, Others Shine at Titans of Technology Awards

    Zoho Technologies, African Data Centres, Itel, Others Shine at Titans of Technology Awards

    Leading digital technology solutions providers, innovative users and digital savvy states have been honoured at the 18th Annual Titans of Tech Awards which held in Lagos weekend. Zoho Technologies emerged as the Most Innovative Business Productivity Solutions Provider Of The Year, African Data Centre was crowned as the Most Innovative Data Centre Service Provider Of The Year and Itel was voted Most Innovative Tech Brand Of The Year.

    Declaring the award ceremony open, Engr Ernest Ndukwe, OFR, Chairman, MTN Nigeria and former Executive Vice Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), praised the organiser of the Titans of Tech Award for its consistency over the years. He noted that in recognising excellence, celebrating commitment and rewarding winners, the Titans of Tech Awards is contributing to efforts at building the nation’s telecommunications industry. 

    Don Pedro Aganbi, Convener of the Titans of Tech Awards in his welcome address noted that The Titans of Tech Awards is a platform dedicated to recognizing the achievements, successes, and triumphs of key stakeholders across the entire digital technology spectrum and telling the stories. He insisted that awards are a great way to encourage good behaviour, inculcate competitive spirit and spur the industry to greater heights.

    Other winners at the high-octane event include IHS towers, Most Innovative Telecom Connectivity Provider Of The Year; ICSL, Digital Transformation Company Of The Year; IpNX, Best ICT Solutions Provider Of The Year; Ethnos IT Solutions, Information Security Compliance Organisation Of The Year and EcoExcel, Most Innovative Digital Learning Platform Of The Year. 

    In addition, iSON Xperiences, was crowned Best Business Process Outsourcing Company Of The Year; ONEDATA, Most Innovative Internet Service Provider Of The Year; Technology Mirror, Best Startups Supportive Online Media; Alpha Technologies, Most Innovative Indigenous ICT Company of the Year; CloudFlex, Cloud Infrastructure provider of the year and TeleAfrica, Most Innovative Clearinghouse Service Provider Of The Year. 

    Furthermore, Dr. Krishnan Raganath, CTO of African Data Centre was voted Data Centre Industry Influencer Of The Year and Engr. Ikechukwu Nnamani, President, ATCON, emerged Telecom Advocacy Man Of The Year.

    States were not left, particularly those actively pushing the implementation of the digital economy. Nasarawa State was voted as the Most Innovative Digital State Of The Year, Edo state, Digital compliance State of the Year and Nasarawa State, Most Innovative Digital State Of The Year.

    Nasarawa State Governor, Engr. Abdullahi Sule emerged as the Digital Innovation Governor Of The Year while Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State was crowned Digital compliance governor of the Year.

    This year’s Titans of Tech Awards Special Achievement honourees included Chief Dr. Victoria Ekomu, Private Security ICON of the Year, Prince Olubayo Abiodun, Tech Media ICON of the Year; Hon Sani Haruna Sani, Excellence in Innovative Service Delivery Award while Hon. Yahaya Mohammed Tanbura and Shehu Ibrahim bagged the Outstanding promoter of Digital economy Award.

    Titans of Technology Awards popularly called Nigeria’s Tech Industry Grammy is designed to celebrate Hi-tech most important movers and shakers; pioneers, Innovators, men, women, organisations and institutions who blazed the trail and used ICT to improve the way of life in our society.

    It is the recognition of overall excellence, unflinching commitment and a lifetime of efforts in the service of ICT, humanity and Nigeria.

    The Titans of Tech Hall of Fame Awards is the authoritative yardstick to measure performance in the West African ICT sector. It is also an avenue to influence policy, network and connect with key industry players.

  • Dairy Leader FrieslandCampina WAMCO Announces 1-for-1 bonus at 49th AGM

    Dairy Leader FrieslandCampina WAMCO Announces 1-for-1 bonus at 49th AGM

    Dairy leader and maker of Peak, Three Crowns, Coast, Olympic and Nunu brands of milk, FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria PLC has announced 35% revenue growth and 1-for-1 bonus at its 49th Annual General Meeting held recently at the Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos.

    Operating Results and Performance:
    The Company achieved strong volume and value growth compared with the previous year despite the difficult operating environment characterised by increased competition and influx of substitute propositions. As a result, Turnover increased by 35% from N199.5 billion in 2020 to N268.4 billion in 2021. Operating Profit increased by 13% from N19.4 Billion in 2020 to N22 Billion in 2021. High Finance costs due to Naira devaluation led to a decline in Profit Before Tax (PBT) by 15% from N14.9 billion in 2020 to N12.7 billion in 2021.

    Ben Langat, Managing Director, FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria PLC and Sub-Sahara Africa Cluster, explained: “In the year under review, we made excellent progress in strengthening our business strategies. We scaled up investments in brands and optimized physical availability. The combination of solid brands, operational excellence and expanded route-to-market (RTM) distribution strategy sustained our leadership position and delivered significant top-line growth. Likewise, our sustainable Dairy Development received a boost through significant initiatives including collaboration on the Value4Dairy Consortium, investment in a new mobile yoghurt factory to scale up fresh milk processing, expansion to new states; all modelled towards delivering and accelerating backward integration of the dairy sector in Nigeria.”

    In accordance with the company’s dividend policy, the Board of Directors proposed a total dividend of N5.83 per N0.50 ordinary share. An interim dividend of N1.10 was paid in 2021, and a final cash dividend of N4.23per N0.50 share was approved by the shareholders at the Annual General Meeting plus a bonus share to be issued to existing shareholders on a one-for-one basis i.e., one ordinary share with a nominal value of N0.50 for each share owned.

    According to Mr. Moyo Ajekigbe, OFR, Chairman, Board of Directors, “Our achievements in 2021 were the result of concerted efforts by various stakeholders, and I would like to express my appreciation to them for their valued contributions. The Board recognises the formidable leadership, resilience and professionalism of the Management Team, which delivered the strong performance recorded in 2021; and our greatly valued employees at all levels for their hard work, dedication and continued commitment. Despite the severe headwinds in our business environment, our Company was able to sustainably grow the business across the board.”

    2022 Company Outlook
    The country’s GDP is expected to grow by 3-4%; however, the outlook remains clouded by uncertainty surrounding oil price trajectory, scarcity of FX, rising inflation, high unemployment, security challenges and social tensions across the country. Both the supply and demand sides of our business would be under immense pressure. The expected volatility and uncertainty in the business environment not withstanding, the Board and Management remain confident about the future of the Company and are committed to its success and sustainability. We are confident that the Company’s brands, which are leaders in the dairy sector, will continue to leverage our optimised route-to-market. We will continue to aggressively pursue our backward integration and product diversification strategies with vigour to ensure the long-term sustainability of our business.

  • FrieslandCampina WAMCO reports N199.5 billion turnover at 48th AGM

    FrieslandCampina WAMCO reports N199.5 billion turnover at 48th AGM

    Top dairy company, FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria PLC, makers of premium milk brands – Peak, Three Crowns, Coast, Nunu and Olympic has reported a turnover of N199.5 billion. This was announced at its 48th Annual General Meeting held Thursday, 6 May 2021, in Lagos.

    Speaking at the AGM, the Chairman, Mr. Moyo Ajekigbe, OFR said, “the challenging operating environment in 2020 notwithstanding, the Company’s commercial and financial performance for the year showed considerable improvement compared to the previous year. Turnover increased by 23% in 2020 to N199.5billion from N161.8billion in 2019. This was due to a combined effect of organic and inorganic growth following the acquisition of Nutricima’s dairy business. Profit Before Tax, however decreased by 20.3% from N18.8 billion in 2019 to N14.9 billion in 2020 as a result of high input costs and naira devaluation impact.”

    The meeting was held in compliance with COVID-19 pandemic protocols, ensuring the health and safety of all stakeholders involved. The meeting was broadcast live for shareholders and other relevant stakeholders to participate in the proceedings in line with the “Guidelines on Holding of Annual General Meetings (AGM) of Public Companies Using Proxies” as established by the Corporate Affairs Commission.

    All the resolutions submitted for shareholder approval were adopted, including the approval of a total dividend payout of N6.74 per N0.50 share.

    As underlined by the Managing Director, Mr. Ben Langat, during his presentation on the financial results, “2020 was shaped by the Company’s continued focus on sustainable business processes. We leveraged our brands and superior commercial expertise to deliver impressive volumes during the year. FrieslandCampina WAMCO continues to be committed to nourishing Nigerians with quality dairy nutrition. Our Board and Management will continue to take necessary steps to ensure that the growth momentum is sustained.”

    Explaining the Company’s response to COVID, Mr. Langat said, “From the very first signs of the Covid-19 pandemic, our Company defined three absolute priorities; protecting the health and safety of our employees; doing all that is necessary to ensure business continuity; and supporting Nigeria to manage through the crisis, therefore, a donation of N500 million was made to the COVID Relief Fund while over N100 million worth of products were donated to low-income communities during the lockdown.”

    Following its expansion drive, FrieslandCampina WAMCO acquired Nutricima factory in Ikorodu during the year under review. The acquisition underlines FrieslandCampina WAMCO’s continued commitment to contribute to the development of the Nigerian dairy sector and satisfies the need for additional production capacity for FrieslandCampina WAMCO to meet the growing consumer demand for locally produced dairy.

    Under its backward integration strategy, the business aggressively expanded its activities to strengthen the dairy value chain in Nigeria. Significant to this was the establishment of the Center for Nigerian Dutch Dairy Development,  Nigeria’s first national expertise Center for dairy, committed to unlocking and developing homegrown dairy expertise across the value chain. The business also established the Value4Dairy Consortium, a formidable partnership of FrieslandCampina WAMCO, URUS, Barenbrug and Agrifirm, committed to accelerating self-sufficiency in Nigeria’s dairy sector.

    A look at Q1 2021 activities indicates continued economic headwinds in a volatile and uncertain business environment. However, FrieslandCampina WAMCO remains positive about the future of its business in Nigeria. The business is confident that our brands, which are well known, will continue to grow on the back of our strong business fundamentals and unique route-to-market strategy to achieve our business ambition.