Director General of Kwara State Signage and Advertising Agency, KWASAA Alhaji Hammed Olufadi speaks to Dare Akogun on the agency’s challenge to regulate the deployment and erection of bill boards in Kwara State, and ensure the environment is beautified using signage structures as a platform. Excerpts…

As the DG of KWASAA would you say the creation of the agency has justifi ed its existence as the advert police in the state?

Yes the creation of the agency came in at the right time, initially we have chaos in the signage structure regulations in the state. Every Local Government in Kwara state was doing one thing or the other differently from the centralised thing we are doing now. As at then it brought in some unpleasant scenario because of the non uniformity of the regulatory process, but now that everything has been centralised with the input of the local government, the state and other stakeholders, we have been able to really monitor and properly regulate the deployment of signage structures. We have been able to attract investment into the state via the agency in the process of regulating signage structures; we have been able to improve on the revenue generation base of the state.

Also we have been able to beautify and bring sanity into the environment, because in those days, if you come to Ilorin you can’t walk through the road medians without having one accidents or the other involving both vehicular and human elements. But now we have been able to clear the road medians, if you want to make a u-turn on the road it will be easier for you to see on coming vehicles same with a pedestrian who wants to cross the road.

The agency in its short years of existence has been able to ensure that architectural design of each area, be it low, medium or high is preserved so we can say the setting up of the agency is a welcome development.

The mandate of the agency entails working with different stakeholders in the industry, how would you describe the relationship of the agency with advertising agents both locally and globally?

If you must know in the middle of last year the agency organised a stakeholders forum in which members of the outdoors advertising practitioners all over the country, sisters agencies from other states all came here to fraternise and share ideas with the agency and also see how we can synergise to ensure that the interest of the business community ,advertising agencies and outdoor practitioners, are well protected and the state government get value for money from people who came to advertise especially the third party structures owners, which we have been able to give approval for more to operate in the state.

So one way or the other we have been able to exist mutually in a benefi cial relationship with the advertisers, the regulatory agencies, the state government and the people of the state.

One serious issue the agency has had to contend with in time past is curtailing the influx of adverts dotting the metropolis without passing through the agency, what are the economic implications of these action for the revenue generation of the state and how successful would you say is the fi ght against such has been?

The State Governor Abdul Fatai Ahmed has been very magnanimous, because when we started out to enforce the strict regulations of bill boards in the state especially the political and the religious aspect, we had very serious issues. We held different security meetings with the police, DSS, Army and all other interested stakeholders.

Beside the governing party in the state, you will be shocked that no other political party came to the agency despite series of meetings with them to do the needful before erecting their bill boards or fl ying banners and pasting of posters. The same applies to religious bodies and some business owners in the state who believed that they have the right to erect bill boards or paste posters anywhere in the metropolis without the recourse to the agency.

What we did was to forward our bills to them, but as that they didn’t turn up with their dues. When it becomes problematic I had to approach the governor explaining the situation to him by paying for erecting of their structure and take permission for future deployment so that they won’t constitute nuisance in the metropolis.

But he said I know your job is diffi cult and I know you are capable of doing the job that’s why I gave you the job and if you enforce those laws, the state government will be accused of witch hunting the opposition parties in enforcing these signage law and also the agency of being partial in carrying out its duties. It will interest you to know that the state government and the All Progressive Congress, APC, is the only entity that replied and came to settle the bills sent to it, but as at that these people still went ahead with campaign of calumny saying that it’s the government money that he is using.

So we just keep forwarding reminders to them on the need for them to see reason and pay up their dues. Then another factor is that all these bill boards and structures illegally erected by all these politicians had hoodlums guarding them to prevent the agency in making any attempt to effect its removal. So prevent unpleasant happenstances to the staffs of the agency we decided to condone them till after the elections.

But the provision of the law guiding the activities of the agencies stated that ten days after the election all bill boards should be cleared, by the tension would have died down, the losers and winners would have emerged and the agency will be able to clear all these illegally mounted billboards and posters.

Is the agency thinking of collaborating with the security agencies to serve as cover for the staff when on enforcement duties?

Normally when we go out for enforcement depending on its nature we are accompanied by armed mobile police team to serve as warning to would be mischief makers, but if it is light enforcement we have Civil defence offi cers attached to the agency that goes out with us. But no matter what we go out with law enforcement agents to ensure we do not go out of line in the carrying out our duties and the people too cooperate with us as they should, so there is no how we will go out without being accompanied by law enforcement agents.

I must say that Kwara State Command of the Nigerian Police are have been cooperative with the agencies in ensuring that they carry out their statutory functions and also crave their indulgence to cooperate with us more because the job will become tougher after the elections.

Where do you see the agency in ten years time judging by its success in the few years it has been in existence?

The agency is just about four years and some months old, within this short time starting from the previous administration in the state which laid the foundational groundwork till the present government in the state. I must say the agency has received tremendous support and backing from the state government who has ensured that what the entire agency needs to succeed are adequately provided and catered for.

We have been able to put a structure in place because an institution should not be run based on a certain personality and sees that whoever is in charge will be able to build on the existing structures. So in the next ten years I see this agency attaining the height of being one of the best advertising regulatory agencies in the country which model will be used as a reference point

Mr Kassim Tyler Babatunde, very early in life had desired to be a business owner instead of an employee. Perhaps, the desire to actualise his dream made him engage in one business or the other even while in secondary school. During his university days, he was into buying fashion stuffs which he sold to fellow students and making profit. He says he was making some cool money on campus.

Aside buying and selling, he was engaged with on campus, he took up tailoring and was making clothes for fellow students.

Even after his graduation, he continued his tailoring business until few years ago when he met a friend that would eventually lead him to shoe making.

The urge and determination to have his own business led him into setting up Pitchersville Bespoke Shoes, a local shoe making fi rm after under studying a friend and owner of St. David’s Shoes, one of the country’s fi nest shoe makers.

The creative Director of Pitchersville Bespoke Shoe Company, Babatunde, who runs the business alongside his partner and co owner Diane Joseph, says that in spite the challenging business environment in the country, he enjoys what he is doing- making shoes.

Few years after he started his shoe line he is fast becoming an authority of the dress shoe world. There are many shoe designers that follow his blog; Pitchersville Bespoke Shoes, and some of the changes they make from season to season are most likely infl uenced by Babatunde’s creativity. Many who have seen or used his shoes would quickly say that he has the eye for a great looking shoe as Michelangelo’ would have for the art.

“His creations are amazing. I have a profound admiration for the shoes he creates. The colours, the styles, the shape, everything about these shoes make them nothing short of awesome. His shoes are Goodyear welted, made of very high quality leather, and are without question on the top of my wish list”, one of his clients said.

Babatunde says he was drawn into fashion because of his admiration for elegance. According to him elegance is being comfortable and confi – dent in your own skin and physique and with who you are as a person.

“It is only after the above things are realised that the clothing comes to play. I have seen elegant men wearing shabby clothing and very sharp men who were far from elegant. It’s about how you carry yourself and how you treat others. My infl uences come from watching other men do elegant things, like being a gentleman, helping others. Like I said, for me, elegance goes far beyond what one wears but rather is all a part of how one is.

For Babatunde his favourite Shoe-Maker, in the local scene is St. David’s Shoes.

“I remember vividly the fi rst day I saw a St David’s shoe. I was a University of Lagos undergraduate then, the shoes actually left me in complete awe. It was something so amazingly different yet still so classically elegant, I found it totally hard to believe they were Nigerian made products. It fused so many styles into one and it just showed me what great shoemaking could be”, he said.

Perhaps the indelible impression St. David’s Shoes made on young Babatunde was later to draw him close to David and they became friends.

After having modelled for him for few years and actually became his photography model, David taught him a lot about shoe-making “and after having spent some time with him. I actually confi rmed how great his talents as an artist are. He taught me that the beauty in a shoe comes from the way in which the pattern is laid onto the last.

“Even though the process was diffi cult but David makes it look easy and his shoes are simply superb. Simply put, his shoes for me defi ne elegance in footwear through his ability to perfectly match a pattern to a last. He is just the epitome of everything shoes in Nigeria”, he said.

Like many men Babatunde agrees a good pair of shoes is necessary for every man.

“Shoes are the foundation of one’s outfi t and if men intend to be taken seriously then they need a pair of serious shoes. Shoes speak wonders about the person that they are on. They are often the focal point to everyone’s eyes and there is just nothing more unattractive than a horrible looking pair of shoes.

“For me, it is simply a part of being an adult: wearing good shoes.

“Not only all of that, but a pair of good shoes make you feel good about yourself and that confi dence exuberates in your being and projects outwards, which ultimately makes you more desirable, not only sexually but professionally too. And having a pair of good shoes is one step in the right direction to being elegant”, Babatunde told Business Courage.

Babatunde said his favourite shoe style is the monk for shoes and balmoral for boots. “When I say monk shoe though, I do not mean the old Americana ones from the 40s- 50s. I mean the modern day dress version whereby you have a nice piece of leather that separates the vamp and the counter. It thus allows for great two tone shoes.

“My favourite colour is blue but for shoes I really love the combination of black and red or blue and grey”, he said.

Naturally, some clients are very hard to please, but Babatunde said that pleasing your clients is one of the easy ways to success in business. “I make sure my clients are happy with what they are getting from me. I make room for them complain about what we are giving them. When it comes to running a business, you will have instances when clients may raise issues. I have learned to be patient. I have also learned to always think ahead of my clients and be creative.

“Humility is important for success. Everybody working with me knows that if something has to do with my clients, I don’t joke with it. If my client wants to get his job in three day, he will get it .I will not do anything less. I have learned to be faithful and my employees have been taught same.

For those that want to become entrepreneurs he advised them not to worry about making mistakes. “Just focus on achieving your goals with patience and persistence. Again always invest part of the money you make from your jobs, no matter how small it is.

“You don’t necessarily need a huge amount of money before you start your own business. The problem however is that many young people who want to go into business do not want to start small”.

Babatunde said apt from the issue of power generation which is very poor in the country another major problem an entrepreneur must face is that of competition. So for you to survive in any business you must be on top of your game.

When asked what the immediate future hold for Pitchersville Bespoke shoes, the Creative Director was quick to say that the future holds much for the shoe making fi rm.

“Our world class Studio should be operational in the next few months so people can actually walk in and purchase our readymade shoes.

“We would also have been able to affi liate with our shoe sole production partner in Italy thus importing our own soles with Pitchersville brand labelled on it.

“E commerce site should be on too before June which will hopefully be a big milestone for the brand. We will then be able to start easily reaching the men of the world with only a few clicks on the keyboard.

“I know very soon Pitchersville Bespoke Shoe Blog” became an integral part of the goal of having the Pitchersville brand because I intend for the blog to serve as a voice which educates the men of the world on shoes and secrets of the shoe industry”, Babatunde said.

He belongs to the retailing cadre of the entrepreneurial divide where he operates under the brand name Polo, a company which started some two decades ago selling watches, jewelleries and assorted bags. Today, Polo has become the leader in the luxurywatch and jewellery market as the exclusive agency in Nigeria for some of the finest Swiss watch and jewellery brands. This is the story of John Obayuwana, the Rolex man, who is also making significant inroads in the construction sector in Nigeria

The story of John Obayuwana, the brain behind Polo Limited, Nigeria’s foremost luxury item collection fi rm, is indeed, an interesting one to behold. Ordinarily, by Nigeria’s standard, wrist watch retailing, the type of business he had decided to venture into could be said not to be a money-spinning business. This is because; the watch market in Nigeria is an unstructured and an-all-comers affair, estimated at about over 55 million units. It is a market that is dominated by inferior low-end watches imported daily mainly from Asia.

But not one to be daunted by this palpable trepidation, Obayuwana went into the business of selling watches with style. Twenty six years after he established Polo, the result of his business adventure has been glaring and he has been able to show that he is an example of a dogged businessman who thrives where others dread. His company, Polo, has been able to maintain a reputation that has soared over the years through a painstaking artistry.

When he chose to venture into the business of selling watches, Obayuwana certainly knew he had to do it with a difference to stand out from the crowd. From the word go, Obayuwana positioned himself at the high to middle segment of Nigeria’s luxury goods market. With the mindset that there are always the precious few in every society who are driven by some inner force to excel in all they do, and for the fact that they need materials that could show their class in the society, Obayuwana targeted top governments offi – cials as well as wealthy and infl uential individuals.

At a time when many people would look down on the business as a degrading enterprise, Obayuwana approached his business with the mindset of a man set to conquer his world.

For Obayuwana, the idea behind Polo is beauty; a devotion to beauty with focus on bringing excitement to people’s lives. His work style speaks of excellence, a quality which has earned him the franchise as a Rolex agent in Nigeria.

Obayuwana started Polo in 1987, as a watch retailing business to serve the crop of highly successful, articulate, sophisticated individuals with eyes for some of the best things of life. The world of Polo began as a devotion to beauty and a refi ned way of doing things that seek perfection at all times. The name Polo has come to mean beauty to its highly placed clients, a four-letter stamp of good quality products and services on watches, jewellery and other exceptional products. Its quest to satisfy the needs of its discerning and affl uent clientele, led the company through the portals of the makers.

However, just like it is for every other business, the road to success for Obayuwana’s Polo did not come on a platter of gold. What stands him out in this line of business, he admits, is being able to stay true to the core values of intimacy with its customer service, as well as to its core beliefs in integrity. Polo, Obayuwana noted, has over the years been able to keep to honesty as it stays true to values that bring nobility, honesty and enablement to individuals. “We have fi rmly resisted the short cut, because the short cut can bring you big success in the short term but in the long term, you will be out of business and you are nothing without a name. We have resisted this even when it is not the fashionable thing to do because out there, everybody is in a hurry; we are not very fashionable. If you like, you can call us traditional. We believe that there are some core values that shouldn’t shift with fashion; we have passed through phases and here we are,” he said in a recent interview.

Obayuwana’s journey into the luxury goods business did not come by accident. Having studied in the United Kingdom, he was able to have established connections with makers of luxury goods, particularly in Switzerland.

He couldn’t recall how much he started the business with, but Obayuwana admitted that though he started the business with very little or no capital, sheer hard work, integrity and determination to succeed remained the major plank upon which the Polo business was built.

Today, Polo is the exclusive agent in Nigeria for world-class luxury brands for wrist-watches, jewellery, leather goods and other fi ne accessories. “It’s been good. We started small and we have grown. We have been growing steadily over the years. There have been challenges along the way but overall, it’s been good,” he said.

Though Polo is a fully independent business built with a set of governing principles, but just like most luxury brands around the world, the business is strongly rooted in the Obayuwana family, with John and Jennifer in charge of the day-today running of the business.

Jennifer, the eldest child is the Executive Director at Polo. A 2004 graduate of Business Administration from the American University of Paris, France and International Relations from Franklin College Switzerland in 2006, Jennifer joined her father in the running of the business after completing her studies and has contributed to the expansion of the business. She has a keen eye for luxury and an undeniable sense of style, which she has used to further advance the course of her father’s business.

No doubt, Polo seems to have been built on a solid foundation of hard work and loyalty, the attributes which have kept it ahead of its competitors. Polo also draws on its wealth of strong connections with the major luxury brands of the world. Creativity is also a core part of the business and Polo believes that in its quest for excellence, its employees need to think out of the box. The company gives priority to the personal and professional growth of its employees to enable constant improvement in retail processes and customer service and satisfaction.

In its 26 years of doing retail business in West Africa, Polo has achieved signifi cant milestones, one of which is winning the exclusivity to a number of world class luxury goods – wrist watches, fi ne jewellery, leather products, ball pens and accessories from brands such as Vacheron Constantin, Rolex, Piaget, Hublot, Roger Dubuis, Chopard, Cartier, Frank Muller, Longines, Rado, Balmain, Baume & Mercier and Mont Blanc and many more

In a rare feat of maintaining standard as renowned retailers of some of the world’s most luxurious goods, the company launched the fi rst functional Rolex approved workshop in West Africa last year. This is a major milestone in the history of luxury retailing in the region which came after Polo announced in 2010 that it had acquired the exclusive franchise and sole distributorship rights of Rolex in Nigeria.

Obayuwana said that Rolex occupies a very unique position at the top of wrist watch making industry. “Everybody wants Rolex because not only is it a only recognized brand, it is also probably the most exclusive brand in the world,” he said. He further spoke on the strength of the Polo brand saying “in Polo we do not cut corners, we have a name and our name speaks for us. We spent over 20 years building the Polo brand and we are happy and proud of the business we do”.

On why he decided to collaborate with Rolex, Obayuwana said that Rolex connotes prestige, luxury, durability and store of value. Rolex is the most renowned watch brand in the world. It is truly a special piece. “When you talk of watches generally, there are watches and there are watches. If you are talking of watches at the highest level of performance, at the highest level of technical excellence, that is one level. There is another level that has to do with watches in the mid-range. Then you have watches that just barely tell you the time which you pick up in any street corner for peanuts. But they are also watches. So, it’s diffi cult to group watches generally. But when you speak about Rolex, you speak of watches at the highest peak of excellence, perfection and performance. And you think of watches that are made with details, high tech that modern technology can provide; a product of the ingenuity of human technical know-how. That is what we mean when we talk of Rolex.”

Obayuwana is so passionate about the Rolex brand. “Everybody knows Rolex. It occupies a very unique position at the top of the wristwatch making industry and has a special pride of place. It is the core. If you have a watch collection and there is no Rolex in it, it is not complete, because not only is it recognized, not only is it sought after by kings, royalty, leaders in government and politics, from arts, name them, it is also the most inspirational brand in the world,” he said.

“You just must have a Rolex. When you have bought one, then you must want to buy another because it has a range of collection from everyday wear, knock about in stainless steel to the dress watch to the gala evening, special dinners, big business meetings, and they have activity watches – sports watches; watches that you can take under the sea at a depth of 4,000 feet. These are marvellous watches. And then, there is what they call the pilot watch,” he said.

According to Obayuwana, what is unique about all of this is that Rolex holds its value. “This is the strongest thing about Rolex. It absolutely retains its value. It is not a fashion object that is simply fl ashy in your face and after one or two years it ceases to be hot and you discard it. Rolex is an iconic brand that started at the turn of the last century and some of those pieces today still exist in private collections.

“The most actively traded watch at auctions is Rolex .You can always be sure that the value of your Rolex will keep increasing and you lose very little. We are happy to introduce Rolex to the Nigerian people and we recommend it to all connoisseurs, to all taste makers. We recommend it to all successful people because they call it a crown for every achievement. In fact, that is how they describe Rolex in addition to what they say: that Rolex is the king of watches and also the watch for kings,” he states of the brand that was won by one of Britain’s most popular fi ctional heroes – Special Agent 007, James Bond, for decades.

Obviously, Rolex is not the only luxury brand stocked by Obayuwana’s Polo stores. From the world’s oldest brand name in watch manufacturing Vacheron Constantin to Chopard and Piaget, Polo is the go-to place for these and other luxury brands. “We have managed to secure the exclusive agency in Nigeria for some of the world’s most exclusive wristwatches and jewellery brands. Vacheron Constantin is over 200 years old. We are talking about Chopard which styles and dresses the stars, celebrities, all the moguls, the big names in the arts. We are also talking about Piaget. In the world, there are three brands that are considered over all brands and Polo is privileged to represent these three. These are the Rolls Royce of the watch and beauty industry,” Obayuwana states with his trademark broad grin.

Obayuwana attributed Polo’s phenomenal rise to the fact the company has never deviated from its values. “By staying true to our core value of intimacy with our customers, of staying true to our core belief in integrity that we are true to our word and we remain true to the values that bring nobility and honesty that brings ennoblement to the individual.

“We have fi rmly resisted the short cut. Because the short cut can bring you big success in the short term but in the long term, you are out of business and you have no name. We have done this even when it is not the fashionable thing to do because we believe that there are core values that shouldn’t shift with the winds, with fashion.”

That philosophy has helped Polo record an impressive growth from a modest presence on Allen Avenue, Ikeja where the company started from about two decades ago to the exclusive zones such as Transcorp Hilton in Abuja and The Palms in Lagos where its shops are today.

Obayuwana noted that the relationship between Rolex and Polo goes beyond franchise as it won Rolex’s sole and exclusive distribution and retail right of Rolex watches in West Africa. “Franchise is a typical market. I will give you an instance. You have a global Radisson Hotel and you own Radisson Hotel in Nigeria. All you need to do is pay them a fee for using that name. With a similar arrangement, you can also have Hoss Electronics. The parent Hoss organisation will do the interior, they will furnish it, they will train your people and they will give you every other support. You can write your invoice with Hoss logo. But you own it and every year you pay royalty to Hoss. Now that is franchise. We are retailers and that is already more than prestigious alone. The relationship also entitles us to all the necessary back-up support,” he said in an interview.

But how did the exclusive distribution came about? According to Obayuwana, the exclusive distribution came through the company’s commitment to the highest value of watch making, commitment to the best brands which it believes are the most trusted watches as well as its commitment to the core values of service excellence. “They came and investigated our business, they looked at our structures, they have seen our capability, suffi – ciently enough for them to say okay, we trust you to represent us in Nigeria,” he said.

Today, Obayuwana believes that Polo doesn’t have any close competitor in the watch market. Rather, competition comes more from London, Paris and Dubai. “Of course, there are many vendors out there who are also trying to take a piece of the action. They must be quite a lot, but I don’t know of any who has the set up that we have, who has the organization that we have, who has the family of brands that we have. I don’t really know,” he boasted.

However, aside Polo which Obayuwana is largely known for, he is also the Chairman/ Chief Executive Offi cer of CAT Oil & Gas Limited as well as CAT Construction Group Limited.

CAT Construction’s fi elds and scope of activities include infrastructural development of new townships, settlements and industrial areas which include infrastructural highway development and construction of bridges, fl yovers and tunnels, construction of runways, airplane shelter and other aviation infrastructures. CAT construction group also deals in construction of administrative buildings, hospitals, healthcare centres and schools as well as construction of shops and market buildings, construction of residential, condominiums and apartment buildings.

Since its incorporation years ago, the company has been able to execute many projects like the Erosion Control Works, Pinnock Beach Estate Infrastructure Project, Five Star International Hotel, Abakaliki, Aruma House, Port-Harcourt, New Secretariat Complex at Yenagoa, Protea Cattle Ranch Conference- Obudu, New Airport Road, Novotel Hotel Festac, Administrative Offi ce Complex PH and Tinapa Business Resort. Others are Nigerian Security Printing and Minting, 1004 Estate Limited, Peace garden city project as well as many private residential buildings.

But behind the veneer of luxury lies a heartache seldom seen by the public. The global economic slump has dealt a severe blow to customers’ capacity to patronize luxury brands. For luxury goods, the picture was a lot dimmer as that sector tends to feel the squeeze in the event of an economic downturn. But the Polo boss has a less pessimistic view. “Everybody went through it. You go up, you go down, and you go up again. It is normal. We lost money, everybody lost money, the banks are not lending. We go through it because if you are prepared for the good times, you also must prepare for the bad times and we are not complaining all the time. We are moving forward,” he said.

With over 85 million adults without a microfi nance bank account in the country, the Enhancing Financial Innovation & Access, EFInA, has urged Microfi nance Institutions,MfIs, to be innovative in the designing of their products and services.

EFInA, in its recent survey titled ‘the Landscape of Financial Inclusion and Micro fi nance In Nigeria’, added that new ways of thinking and innovation in product and service offerings are needed to attract the fi nancially excluded population.

According to EFInA, “MfBs need to develop products/services that are uniquely tailored to meet the needs of the low income population and ensure that they fully understand the benefi ts of these products. MfBs need to tailor loan products to suit the specifi c needs of consumers. Factors to consider when designing loan products include quick access, repayment period, low interest rates and fl exible collateral requirements.”

MfBs, it added, should develop innovative savings products to encourage the 25.5 million adults currently saving at home to save in a microfi nance bank.

Microfi nance, the survey agency stressed, should be extended beyond branches by using technology such as mobile phones and POS devices.

“Take micro fi nance services closer to the customer through agent banking by leveraging non-bank channels such as retail stores, restaurants, petrol stations,” EFInA said

During my university period, I lived in Ijebu ode town, South West, Nigeria and I sometimes visited professional fabric weavers who specialised in “Aso-Oke. Aso Oke is that popular brand of cloth for special occasion and events among Yorubas in South Western Nigeria. The Aso-oke fabric weavers usually spread hundreds of strings of wools that could be mistaken for mere tiny ropes. The separated strings do not have values until they are woven together by the fabric weavers.

In the same manner, hiring ‘strings’ of right people is very crucial for propelling services improvement, but it is not enough. The unfortunate aspect of this is the common belief of entrepreneurs and business leaders that once they hired very skilled and highly motivated employees, service improvement will, sure, follow.

My experience as entrepreneur and with many startup and businesses in Nigeria is that team effectiveness for quality services delivery requires weaving together people with diverse background, tradition, knowledge, religious belief, and skills. An entrepreneur cannot just gather many talented workers hoping they could fi gure out working together effectively.

One of my most interesting scenes was at the production factory of Charis Flavour. It was with the production executives who were fantastic young people and with energy to work as individuals and who had different background. While some could communicate in English language effectively, others could only speak in vernacular. They were all expected to work as team of woven talents in order to achieve production target. Interestingly, during my period of executive coach services with the CEO, Maureen, I was privileged seeing her fi red some of the production executives because she felt they could not be woven into the production team.

Dear entrepreneur, trying to improve services by hiring many workers who probably have experiences and have done well in the previous enterprise does not guarantee the expected result because not often does talent performance is consistent.

What does it mean to weave the workers together for services improvement in enterprise?

Weaving workers simply means bonding them into fi ne relationship- workers who feel and act as if they own the business and it owns them. It also means a team of workers with strong and resilient bond like Aso-oke (Yoruba hand woven fabric). It is a team of people accountable to one another in service delivery.

How can an entrepreneur weave his team for service improvement?

The fi rst responsibility is for the entrepreneur to model love Love is a verb! For the purpose of our discussion, this would mean to care deeply about, to be dedicated to (someone or something).

Love expresses respect and honour to people within a community and in this case, it is in organisation. A Jewish once wrote a poem on love thus:

“So no matter what I say, what I do, I’m bankrupt without love.

Love never gives up. Love cares more for others than for self. Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have.

Love doesn’t strut, Doesn’t have a swelled head,.. Isn’t always “me fi rst,”…Always look for the best, Never looks back…Love never dies.”

The relevant of the love value in organisation is that it encourages mutual respect and bonding among the team members, which encourages people to put in their best effort in service delivery.

The second responsibility is to suppress free riding

Robbert and Huggy made it known in one of their titles that when people feel accountable to their colleagues and customers, they feel obliged to put in extra effort and make sacrifi ce for the greater good. Sure, it is a challenging task and sustainability requires strong leadership whose obligation is to provide enabling environment for such habit to thrive.

Let me give a perspective of free ridding using Nigeria’s Presidential election won by General Muhammadu Buhari of the APC. The election was between people who wanted change in governance and those who wanted forward agenda of the incumbent president. In all of these electoral processes, over 54 million people who registered were to vote among the population of over 170 million people but only about 25 million people voted. This will mean, whatever the decision of the voters produce for the nation, the non-voters will benefi ts. Those who decided not to vote due to either personal choice or technical reasons are “free riders” because they will sure enjoy along the voters whatever benefi ts of electoral promises of the elected President.

In business, you cannot afford to tolerate free riders attitude as it discourages others from giving the best efforts towards services improvement. It kills sense of ownership among the team members.

The third is to let team members know that someone is watching

A study shows that when people are given subtle reminders that others might be watching, they are prone to do the right thing.

When driving in the city of Lagos, the tendency to fl out traffi c rule is lower since the introduction of LASTMA (State traffi c agents) who enforce traffi c rules. Not every time is an agent visible but the subconscious mind of Lagos drivers feel a LASTMA agent might hide and watching.

People would often do the right thing, improve services, and shows sense of accountability when they feel that someone is watching their input and activities.

My encouragement is that when you bring in new workers because you needed them to improve services as they did in previous work place it may not be automatic without strategy to weave them into the system. It will require effort from the business leader to weave them, help them bond with people, and effectively contribute to business function. Be courageous to do it right. Cheers!

Former President, National institute of Marketing of Nigeria, NIMN, Lugard Aimiuwu is dead. He died on Thursday after a brief illness. Until his untimely exit, he was the immediate Past President and Chairman Governing Council of National Institute of Marketing between September 2008 and August 2013.

He was also President and Chairman of Nigeria Institute of Management between 2003 and 2005.

A source at the institute headquarters in Lagos who was not authorised to speak on the unfortunate development told our correspondent that the council members were saddened by the sudden exit of the renowned marketer but consoled by his indelible contribution towards the growth of the profession while he held sway. Edike

Aimiuwu, earned a degree in Business Administration at University of Lagos where he won the university prize for his academic performance.

At a time, he was President of the university of Lagos Alumni association and also chaired the UNILAG Development/ Endowment Board between a period of 5 years. He was also a council Member, University Governing Council between 2001 and 2005

FBN Holdings posted an increase in profi t for the fi nancial year ended December 31, 2014 on commercial banking business, which is built on an extensive retail network and a robust information technology platform.

Despite the tough operating environment, particularly the regulatory headwinds that saw most of the lenders reporting negative profi ts, the group showed commendable growth across all the key performance indicators buoyed by the complementary performance of non-bank subsidiaries with gross earnings growing by 21.3 per cent to N480.6billion and profi t before tax at N92.9billion.

Profitability

The holding company announced a profi t after tax of N82.8billion for the 2014 fi nancial year, an increase of 17.3 per cent when compared to N70.6billion recorded in the same period of 2013. The group gross earnings stood at N480.6billion, up 21.3 per cent when compared to N396.2billion recorded in the corresponding period of 2013.

The group declared a non-interest income of N111.8billion, up 66.1 per cent from N67.3billion recorded in 2013, while net interest income added 6.0 per cent to N243.9billion in the review period from N230.1billion in 2013. Further analysis showed that other key indices appreciated in value, as impairment charge for credit losses and operating expenses rose 27.7 per cent and 27.5 per cent to N25.9bn and N236.8bn respectively.

The bank however surprised many by proposing a meager dividend per share of 10 kobo and bonus issue of one for every 10. By paying 10 kobo, the bank is essentially paying out just 3.9 per cent of its earnings per share of 255 kobo. In trying to assuage shareholders, the bank claimed the cash dividend and script (bonus issue) represents a N1.05 dividend and a 10 per cent dividend yield.

Speaking on the result, the Group Chief Executive Officer, Alhaji Bello Maccido, said that the group recorded a strong fi nancial performance in 2014, in spite of the highly challenging operating environment.

“We remain focused on diversifying our revenue streams through the extraction of value from our recent bank acquisitions, consolidating our position in the investment banking space, especially with the acquisition of Kakawa, and expanding our insurance business scope.

“Our investment in technology, human capital and portfolio expansion are beginning to shape the longterm fundamentals of the group and will deliver a positive return on investment over the longer term. However, in the short to medium term we continue to ensure our business remains as resilient as can be to the shifts in the regulatory and macro-economic environment; shore up our risk management processes; and, drive effi ciencies across the group,” he said.

Liquidity

The group total assets hit N4.3 trillion, up 12.2 per cent year-on-year from N3.9trillion recorded in the same period of 2013, while customer deposits rose 4.2 per cent to N3.1 trillion, from N2.9trillion recorded in the corresponding period of 2013. Customer loans and advances (net) stood at N2.2trillion, up 23.2 per cent from N8 trillion recorded in 2013 fi nancial year.

On the key ratio, pre-tax return on average equity stood at 18.7 per cent from 20.0 per cent in 2013, while post-tax return on average equity stood at 16.7 per cent, from 15.5 per cent in the corresponding period of 2013. The group net interest margin dropped to 7.6 per cent, from 8.0 per cent in 2013, while cost to income ratio rose to 66.7 per cent, from 62.7 per cent the preceding year.

However, the level of non-performing loan ratio dropped marginally to 2.9 per cent, from 3.0 per cent in 2013, while the banking group liquidity ratio stood at 44.0 per cent, from 44.2 per cent as at December 2013. Adequate provisions have been made on the impaired assets with coverage ratio being 137.9 per cent, from 97.7 per cent in December 2013. “We will continue to reinforce loan growth within our preferred sectors and defi ned risk appetite as well as proactively manage and drive effi ciency within our portfolio,” the holding company said.

The group capital adequacy ratio stood at 16.7 per cent (Basel 2), just 1.67 per cent higher than 15 per cent minimum requirement by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN. This puts the bank at risk at defaulting and as such paying further cash dividends could just see them fall below the 15 per cent band.

Business Strategy

The holding company is a shell companies with no signifi cant operations and income streams. FBN Holdings completed the acquisition of 100 per cent equity of Kakawa Discount House Limited (Kakawa) which is now a direct subsidiary of FBNH.

FBN Insurance Limited completed the acquisition of 100 per cent equity interest in Oasis Insurance Plc, while First Bank acquired International Commercial Bank, ICB Senegal to complete the acquisition of the ICB West African operations. First Bank concluded a $450 million subordinated Tier 2 debt issuance in the international markets for general banking purposes.

FBN Holdings Plc, owner of First Bank Nigeria, said it expects to benefi t from a surge in sales of bonds by state governments to replace dwindling oil revenue and after peaceful elections bolstered investor confi dence.

“We expect a lot of the state governments to go to the market to issue bonds to be able to fund their projects,” Chief Executive Offi cer Bello Maccido said in an interview. “It presents an opportunity for the investment- banking business.”

Also, the group said it expects loan growth at its banking unit to slow to four per cent this year, down from 23 per cent last year, as it shifts focus to shortterm trade finance transactions. The top tier lender, with over N2.2 trillion on its loan book, will be conservative on loans in 2015 after financing power and oil sectors last year but income will rise from short-term lending.

Maccido said that the holdings company should generate a tenth of its revenues from its investment banking and insurance units combined by 2016, up from around seven per cent now, after it acquired Kakawa Discount House and Oasis Insurance last year.

Company Background

FBN Holdings Plc is the Nigerian-based (non-operating) fi nancial holding company for the banking and non-banking operations of the First Bank Group. FBN Holdings Plc was incorporated in Nigeria, as a limited liability company, on October 14, 2010, to act as the ultimate holding company for the FBN group in compliance with CBN guidelines. The company was converted to a public liability company on August 13, 2012.

Analyst opinion

For shareholders of the bank, one can begin to prepare for a capital raising exercise by the bank. The bank will surely want to raise equity or quasi equity to help shore up their capital adequacy ratio. Not doing that will mean the bank has to rely on profi ts this quarter and the next to push it further away from the default line of 15 per cent

With great new features like two video cameras, a faster processor and a Retina display, the new iPad is the world’s best tablet device. Here are some of the useful iPad tips that cover everything from customising your Home screen through to getting more from built-in apps like Mail and Safari.

*Create folders

iOS now supports folders. To create a folder all you need to do is tap and hold on an app until they all start to jiggle, then drag the app over another icon and release. Your iPad will create a folder with both the apps in. The folder will be named according to the category of the apps it contains, but you can rename it as you like.

*Access all running apps

Double-clicking the Home button shows you all the apps that are running on your iPad in a bar along the bottom of the screen. To switch to a running app just tap on it here in this bar. Just swipe the screen downwards to remove this bar.

*Orientation Lock or Mute

The internet got mightily upset when Orientation Lock was replaced with Mute on the iPad during the last iOS update. Apple listened, and now you can head to Settings > General to choose between Lock Rotation and Mute.

*Passcode Denied… DELETE ALL!

If you’re carrying around sensitive data, you can now enable a feature that’ll erase all the data on the device if someone inputs the incorrect passcode 10 times. Navigate to Settings > General > Passcode Lock > Erase Data.

*Home Sharing

First, turn on Home Sharing in iTunes (Advanced menu) and on your iPad (Settings > Music/Video and enter your Apple ID). Next, launch the Music or Video app on your iPad. In the Music app, tap the “More” button at the bottom; fi nd the little house with “Shared” next to it. Tap on that and then on one of the Shared Libraries. It might take a few seconds to update, but then you can listen to all of that Library’s media on your iPad. For video, tap the Shared tab at the top of the screen.

*Control iPad notifications

By going to Settings > Notifi cations, you can decide which apps can pop up alerts, which have notifi cations at the top of the screen, and which appear in Notifi cation Center. This means you can make sure that noisy apps don’t clog things up for you, and you notice the important things.

*Go VPN

The iPad supports a VPN connection. To confi gure it, go to Settings, then General > Network. Select the VPN and move the slider to On, then add a VPN confi guration with your server and account details.

*Stop asking to join Wi-Fi networks

If you’re fed up of getting bugged by messages asking if you’d like to join this or that Wi- Fi network all the time then head to Settings, Wi-Fi and turn off Ask to Join Networks. You can still join any network that will have you from this same screen, it just won’t bug you constantly when the opportunity arises.

In a country where sexual issues are seen as morally anathemic as even discussing problems associated with it largely regarded as taboo, obviously, going into such a business, for a young man, could be said to be daring and obviously suicidal. But not minding its conservative nature, exuding rare courage, passion and determination to help educate people on sexuality and by so doing, help them make smart sexual choices that can be lifesaving, Uche Edochie, about a decade ago decided to choose a career in sexual solutions and adult products business.

Today, Zee Virtual Media Ltd, where he calls the shots as the Managing Director, has blossomed into flourishing enterprise with so much for the owners’ efforts in terms of investment returns, efficient services to customers.

Uche Edochie is someone many would describe as a man who walks where even angels fear to tread. Born about 39 years ago in Lagos, against all odds, he has built a thriving career as a sexual solution expert fi rmly establishing his feet in the ever dynamic fi eld of business and entrepreneurship.

For Uche, the third child of the popular veteran actor, Pete Edochie, while his educational background is in the art, he is a man of many parts. He is a painter, interior designer, photographer, writer, relationship counsellor and a dynamic business man.

At a very tender of 19 years old, he entered into the world of entrepreneurship as an artist and interior designer. However, his line of business took a dramatic change about ten years ago, as he became a sex education columnist and adult business owner.

How did he come to the idea of going into the sex business? Like most successful business owners would admit that identifying needs of people of and the ability to provide prompt solutions go a long way in determining the success of the business, as a result of pains taking researches, Uche also found a vacuum and decided to fi ll it with live saving solutions. He believes that basically, rather than engage in immoral acts in seeking for sexual satisfaction with multi-partners, which could lead to sexual diseases, a man or woman could safely engage in the use of adult toys.

According to him, for many years, having watched how black Africa was portrayed on main stream news as the face of HIV and AIDS, he discovered that while he felt so bad about the situation, the very fi rst person that we all know that died of AIDS was a homosexual American Actor named Rock Hudson. He wondered why the mainstream news managed to turn the whole thing around and pinned the origin of AIDS to Africa. “I always wished that I could do something about it but I wasn’t sure how.” Uche told Business Courage in an interview.

However, while he was still worried about the AIDS misconception about Africans issue, one day, he was brainstorming with a friend who needed a business idea and the adult business popped into his head.

“At that very moment, I knew that I had fi nally found a voice to help make the kind of contribution I desired. I started researching the idea and decided on an online business model for privacy and greater access to the public. Like I said, rather than sit on the chair and complain about how the West always portrays us negatively, I was determined to help rewrite our history by starting a business that helps educate people about human sexuality to help them make smart sexual choices that can be life-saving.” He explained.

While Uche was feeling fulfi lled with the idea of going into what he called the adult business, expectedly, family members as well as friends tried all they could to discourage him because they saw the business as a no go area. “I remember friends telling me in the beginning that the business will not succeed because Nigerians ‘weren’t into that sort of thing’.”

However, due to his exuding rare courage, passion and determination to help educate people about human sexuality that would help them make smart sexual choices that can be life-saving, Uche went ahead with the business and today, his Zee Virtual Media Ltd, where he calls the shot as the MD/CEO, has blossomed into multi-million naira enterprise. “Yes, it has been rewarding. Whatever it is you do, if it is done well, you will succeed.” He told Business Courage.

Basically, Zee Virtual Media’s clients cut across the strata. “Everybody buys from us. People who have more money spend more but everybody buys from us.” He said. Uche said he believes basically, human beings are the same everywhere and Nigerians are just as interested in sex as people from other countries.

According to him, “Most adults are sexually active and want to have better sex and gain sexual knowledge even if they don’t admit it publicly. So I always knew that the interest was there, but fi rst, I had to earn the trust of the people at all levels.

Admitting the challenges he has had to cope with over the years, Uche noted, “What scares people most when it comes to businesses like mine is the issue of boundaries. Overseas for instance, big adult shops don’t just retail novelties only. A lot of them also own strip clubs, organize sex parties and have call girl services. So people in Nigeria weren’t quite sure of my intentions at fi rst. But by the time they started reading my column, they gradually understood that Zee Virtual Media is about sex education and giving adults access to products that can solve their sex and romance problems. That’s all. We don’t own strip clubs, we don’t throw sex parties and we don’t run call girl services. I have no interest in those things. So gradually, we earned the people’s trust and now everybody writes and calls us for help with their numerous problems.”

To the Zee Virtual Media boss, “Nigeria is a conservative country. Amongst other things, this just means that a lot of the acceptance we get both people and the government is unoffi cial. My clients will never publicly endorse our business as such because it is sex related. I understand it. Sex embarrasses people but it shouldn’t. The same goes for the authorities. But privately, people (both citizens and government offi cials) call us to thank us and ask for help and advice with all manner of problems. Now, this is fi ne with me because when you have everybody patronizing you and recommending you to their friends, it means that you are doing something right.”

However, Uche is of the opinion that despite the numerous advantages of having more adult business, until Nigerians publicly recognize the adult industry, it might not be able to grow beyond a certain level. “What we hope for (stakeholders in the industry) is that the Nigerian government can come out publicly to recognize our efforts, embrace our industry and even make common sense laws that can help guide the industry better.” He said.

According to him, “For instance, in South Africa and different countries around the world, the adult industry is well recognized and approved by their different governments. Absolutely, these governments benefi t too through the taxes they collect and the job creation that the adult businesses help provide amongst other things.

“So everybody wins and nothing is done in hiding. I have been to adult shops in Cape Town, Paris and America. All I needed was an ID that showed I am of legal age. In these countries, if you are eighteen years and above, you can buy an adult product, sell an adult product and participate in the making of adult products. But here, because everything is unoffi cial, we cannot grow beyond a certain level.

“Adult shop owners here are reluctant to open shops publicly and do more for fear of being harassed by the police even though they all buy and use what we sell. Do you get my point? We are not children. We need to rise above this level. This country cannot survive on oil alone. Trade is vital too. When you recognize businesses like ours and issue licenses and guidelines to practitioners, the industry can function better and grow.

“There is tax money to be made, jobs to be created, people to be guided to make better sexual choices and lives to be saved. In other countries, stakeholders in the adult industry are able to have huge expos and debut new products and ideas from manufacturers. And they get visitors from all over the world, which facilitates tourism. That is how development happens.

“But we pretend a lot in this country and try to hide behind religion even though everybody has sex and uses these products. Sex is not a crime. We shouldn’t be ashamed of our sexuality. So I hope that one day, we can be invited by the government to be part of a panel that can work towards establishing guidelines for recognizing and guiding the adult industry. We all want the same thing. “I want safe sex for everyone.

I want our children protected from sex related matters until they are of legal age. I am a parent. Of course, we all want a better Nigeria but we must have the courage to discuss these things publicly not in secret.”

To the Zee Virtual Media boss, “I want the world to respect black people and not portray us as the face of AIDs, Ebola, fraud and terrorism. These problems are everywhere. I want the world to look at countries like Nigeria and concede that we are decent people who practice safe sex and make smart sexual choices. For this to happen, sex education is vital because when people know better, they do better.”

Zee Virtual Media is virtually a one stop shop for all adult novelties. It sells lingerie, costumes, books, magazines, props, adult toys, games, fi lms, lubricants, pheromones, cushions and supplements.

Aside selling adult products, Uche also counsels many people with common complaints of erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation, vaginal dryness, low libido, lack of romance, lack of sexual enjoyment and sexual knowledge through his sex educational columns in fi ve newspapers including the National Mirror every week.

“There are many problems that people have that cannot be solved with products. So often, we fi nd ourselves dishing out advice rather than recommending products but we are happy to help either way.” Uche, who is also running the business along with his wife, Nkechi, stated.

The Zee Virtual’s advice to young aspiring entrepreneurs is that; “Business is hard especially in today’s economy. Life is in cycles. Sometimes you make big money and sometimes the profi t is small. At other times, you run at a loss. But you must not give up and always aim to please your clients.”

Sustained efforts to re-establish a national carrier for Nigeria by successive governments have not achieved the desired result due to a combination of extenuating factors. Even then, Olusegun Koiki writes that stakeholders and professionals believe that Nigeria can brace the odds through innovative strategies and re-enact her old glorious days in the global aviation industry.

The need to have a national carrier befi tting Nigeria’s status as the largest economy in Sub-Saharan Africa and one of the biggest markets for businesses globally has been a recurring issue in aviation industry’s discourses without abating intensity since the liquidation of the former carrier, Nigeria Airways in 2004 by President Olusegun Obasanjo’s government.

Successive governments since then and supervising ministers in the sector had tried vigorously to re-establish a national airline for Nigeria with nothing to show for such.

Analysts identified some of the hurdles to the national dream as lack of interested technical and airline partners, inadequate equipment, improper framework and the inability of the government to reveal the identities of the investors, amongst other constraints.

Just recently too, the incumbent Minister, Chief Osita Chidoka, disclosed that the government was currently in talks with private investors on the possibility of re-establishing a national carrier for the country.

Chidoka said that reestablishing a national carrier for Nigeria became necessary in order to ensure growth of technical personnel in the sector, adding that the new national carrier would be commercially operated and handled by proven professionals.

He said, “Conversations are on across many possible private sector organisations, both local airlines in Nigeria and then some international airlines. We are totally changing the face of four key airports. Nigeria is studying the possibility of attracting private capital to do that.”

He decried that while countries like Ethiopia and Kenya have emerged as global players in aviation industry, Nigeria was yet to have a national carrier after the death of Nigeria Airways about a decade ago.

Chidoka admitted that the absence of a national carrier for the nation had allowed fast-expanding Gulf operators such as Dubai-based Emirates to join older European players in grabbing the most lucrative long-haul traffi c in Nigeria.

Expectedly too, majority of stakeholders and professionals in the sector agreed that Nigeria indeed required a national carrier for its potentials to be maximised and to curb the high volume of capital fl ights out of the country through the operations of more than 22 foreign airlines.

Indeed, most of them also argued that absence of a national carrier in a country of 170 million people with over 14 million passengers yearly had encouraged the charging of high fares by foreign airlines to the detriment of Nigerians travelling outside the country and the nation’s economy in particular.

The recent expose by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, on malpractices by British Airways, Lufthansa Airlines and Virgin Atlantic speak volume on this yearning for a national carrier.

The regulatory agency had accused most of the foreign carriers of “ripping off Nigerian passengers through fake promotions” and some other sharp practices.

NCAA had accused the airlines of embarking on promotions that did not exist and advertising fares that could never be secured by passengers.

It clarified: “These surcharges have absolutely no basis or justifi able reasons to be imposed, maintained or increased. Surcharges are also a way of cheating the Federal Government and local businesses in Nigeria, since they are nontaxable, but are being used to load up the cost of travel outside the basic fares.”

The former Director- General of the regulatory agency, Dr. Harold Demuren had said that the Nigerian market remained open for exploration, but would be permanently closed to exploitation, adding that “in exchange for the continuing profi table business environment and hospitality it provides for the airlines ,Nigeria demands that, its citizens must be treated fairly and equitably, according to international best practices.”

But then, in spite of these accusations and counter-accusations, the maltreatment of Nigerian air travellers by the foreign carriers has not abated but rather has assumed a more worrisome dimension in recent years.

However, for Nigerian travellers to be treated according to international best practices and for unemployed, but qualifi ed youths to be fully engaged, analysts in the sector said in unison that re-establishment of a national carrier for the country was necessary, but the model it would follow had been a case of discord among many.

Analysts pointed out that establishing a national carrier would among other things; create jobs for qualifi ed Nigerians, enhance Nigeria’s technological capacity in aeronautical industry based on the projected booming activities from the avionic workshop and the hangar, check capital fl ight and by implication, translate to huge socio-economic gains for the country.

Also, they said that making of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, MMIA, Lagos a hub could only be possible with a national carrier while its livery in national colours would be of national pride to Nigerians outside the country, adding that through a national carrier, the price mechanism could be self-regulated.

Aviation analyst, Mr. Chris Okupe told Business Courage that new national carrier if properly established would be a money spinning venture for the country.

Okupe said even though the FG may not totally from the ownership the composition of the ownership could be in form of technical partner with a world class foreign airline with a strong brand appeal and maintenance base, 27 per cent; Nigerian Corporate Partners, 35 per cent, Federal Government; 18 per cent, staff of the proposed airlines; 15 per cent, Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation, NTDC, with 5 per cent input.

Further he said the private carriers could be designated on some routes as fl ag carriers. For instance, he noted that British Airways, though a public quoted company is the national carrier of United Kingdom while Virgin Atlantic Airways is a fl ag carrier from same country.

He insisted that it would be very diffi cult for a privately owned company in Nigeria to compete with the mega carriers from Europe and Middle East, adding that the carriers could be advised to get technical partners to operate effectively and get a global brand.

Okupe recalled that Kenya Airways with Nigeria Airways’ experience of failures was privatised by the government of that country with KLM being the technical partner with 27 per cent share among other partners including the workers, stressing that today, Kenya Airways is one of the most profi table carriers in Africa operating with modern fl eet of aircraft.

He added, “Nigerian market has been widely opened to these foreign airlines and the government can take a cue from National carriers like, South African Airways, Kenya Airways, Emirates, Etihad, Air Namibia, Air Royal Morroc, Egypt Air, Air Tanzania and Ethiopian Airlines that are solely owned by their respective governments and they are posting profi ts.

“From Far East comes Emirates Airlines, Nigeria Airways opened the Dubai route in 1998, but after its liquidation, Emirates came in with twice weekly fl ights and now because of lucrative Nigerian market, the airline operates three daily fl ights; Lagos and Abuja in addition to Cargo fl ights.

The Managing Director, Med- View Airline, Alhaji Muneer Bankole said that for the Nigerian aviation industry to attain its desired goals, the Federal Government should re-create a national carrier for the country.

Bankole insisted that the liquidation of the former national carrier, Nigeria Airways was a wrong decision by the government and stressed that for a country as large as Nigeria to reach its potentials, it was necessary for it to have a national carrier that would project its image in the international community.

He mentioned some of the countries with national airlines to include South Africa Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, Kenya Airways, Air Maroc, Etihad and Emirates among many others, maintaining that Nigeria required a national carrier with strong management.

Besides, the former image maker of Nigeria Airways, Oba Femi Ogunleye insisted the country needed a new national carrier.

He explained that a national carrier is of a great value to a country as it manages the nation’s image outside the country and wondered why the former national carrier was liquidated.

“How can you wake up one day and say you killed that kind of an airline? Some technical people now say in this current world, they no longer talk of a national carrier. Personally, I know we need a national carrier in this country to manage our image.

“Why people will say they don’t need a national carrier is because the foreign airlines are benefi ting from the shortcoming of Nigeria for not having a national airline. Ideally, under a Bilateral Air Services Agreement, BASA, a national airline of a country should be the equal benefi ciary of the interest on that service.

“If British Airways for instance, comes to Nigeria fi ve times, Nigeria Airways should equally go to London the same number of times. If British airways lands in two places in Nigeria, Nigeria Airways should also land in two places in England. So, those are the values of a bilateral agreement, but now that we don’t have a national airline any longer, there is nothing to bargain with. You can imagine the capital fl ight in Nigeria now; the routes that the Nigeria Airways spent money and time to build; Lagos-Middle East, Lagos- Europe, Lagos-America and others, foreign carriers now come overnight and are enjoying those routes. Our fl ight twice to America per week, we knew how much we were making from it.”

For the proposed carrier to operate profi tably and professionally, Ogunleye suggested that the Federal Government should have no interest in the airline. Rather, he said government should provide the infrastructure for an effective airline business for private investors to invest and manage it.

Besides, the past Director of Engineering and Managing Director, Amecon Maintenance Organisation, Engr. Godwin Jibodu for the government to be successful in the formation of a new national carrier, it should embrace the specialists within the country, organise a forum and allow them to input their ideas on how the carrier would function.

Without this, he predicted the effort would be in futility just like in the past.

Also, the Deputy General Secretary, National Union of Air Transport Employees, NUATE, Comrade Olayinka Abioye insisted that the former national carrier was “irregularly and illegally” liquidated by the government in 2003.

He emphasised that the improper liquidation of the carrier had left a big gap in aviation developments in the country while the government was still indebted to the former staff of the carrier to the tune of N52bn as parts of their gratuities and severance benefi ts.

He assured that with the correction of the anomalies, the government would successfully bestow on the nation a viable national carrier that would operate profi tably. He said national carrier was a must for Nigeria if the country was to compete with her counterparts in the continent and beyond.

“It will sound funny that Ethiopia with a small population runs a very functional national airline and it is adjudged the best in Africa and it is a shame that we can’t do anything or get near where Ethiopia is. The Ethiopia Civil Authority is 100 per cent owned by the government of Ethiopia. What then is the problem with Nigeria that we cannot sit down together and put something down for once?” he queried.

The former Chairman, Airline operators of Nigeria, AON Dr. Steve Mahonwu wanted the government to re-establish a national carrier for the country in a bid to improve job generation, professionalism among Nigerians and the economy.

Mahonwu told our correspondent that whatever model to be adopted by the country should be government oriented, stressing that multiple oppositions, criticisms and formulations have severally killed the dream of reestablishing a national carrier for the country after the demise of the former, Nigeria Airways.

He recalled that international carriers like KLM, American Airlines and Lufthansa once showed interest in helping to privatise Nigeria Airways, but lamented that they had to abandon the plan due to criticism and protocol overture from the National Assembly.

However, the Director, Zenith Travels, Mr. Olumide Ohunayo severely kicked against the re-establishment of a national carrier for the country, but expressed support for fl ag carriers, which he said should develop from regulatory consolidated process.

He argued that airlines are the weakest link in the transformation agenda, saying a national carrier with accompanying exclusivity and protection would increase the present malaise in the sector.

He said, “We need an airline that is owned by Nigeria even in management. What we have in the country now are weak airlines owned by a dominant individual and cosmetic board for passing regulatory process.”

Stakeholders in Nigeria’s supply chain have said that the prevailing high freight rates to and from seaports in Africa when compared to those in Europe and America were due to the high level of ineffi ciency in the ports and the attendant high vessel turnaround time.

The ship turnaround time in Nigeria is estimated at fi ve days, which is however an improvement when compared to the former 14 days and above during the pre-port reform era, which also attracted special freight charges to make up for the days wasted at the berths.

Multinational shipping lines operating in Nigeria had over the years imposed high freight tariffs on cargoes meant for the Nigerian seaports in addition to their refusal to berth at some ports such as the Calabar Ports due to alleged insecurity, shallow channels and high port ineffi ciency, which makes them stay longer on the berths more than necessary.

The stakeholder, who spoke in a communiqué issued after a one day roundtable held in Lagos, observed that the high level of ineffi ciency at most seaports in the African continent was responsible for the high freight rates to and from the seaports in the continent compared to those in Europe, America and Asia.

The stakeholders observed that the only panacea to this is for all concerned service providers to take urgent steps to reduce these delays and deliver quality services in order to engender effi ciency in the continent’s port system.

According to the stakeholders, the various port authorities should improve on the provision of more tug boats with a view to saving time by reducing ship turnaround time, which would lead to eventual reduction of costs at the ports.

They also believe that one other way of reducing cost of operation at the ports by making them user-friendly is by introducing an effi cient Single Window System, which will provide a harmonized platform for categories of operators, to make for effi ciency and save cost.

They also called on the governments of states in the continent to encourage the development of regional investment strategy in the maritime industry with a view to attracting more private investments into the industry that would enhance their growth and development.

On the worsening cases of cargo loss, the stakeholders called for improvement in cargo stowage in the best interest of all parties in the supply chain.

The stakeholders had also observed that the increasing cases of cargo loss was inimical to the growth and development of the Nigerian economy and therefore called on the Marine Cargo Surveyors and insurance companies to assist shippers to mitigate the rate of losses.

The Chairman of Nigeria Electricity Regulation Commission, NERC, Dr. Sam Amadi, has called for the separation of gas supply to power generation plants from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, to guarantee regular power supply.

Amadi, told journalists through an email last week that the poor power supply being experienced at the moment could be attributed to shortage of gas supply the most vital feedstock from the NNPC.

Other problems identifi ed by the NERC boss as being responsible for the poor electricity supply apart from gas are vandalism, commercialisation, policy intervention by the government and lack of proper enforcement of domestic supply obligations.

He said that placing the responsibility of gas supply on the shoulder of NNPC did not allow for enforceable contracts making the power sector less competitive

“In other jurisdictions like in the United Kingdom and the United States, where we borrowed our model, the regulator of electricity regulates gas transportation and supply to power plants. This makes for coordination and effi ciency in the various pricing points. The new government has to review that situation,” he said.

Amadi called for more incentives for gas suppliers to dedicate more of the product to power plants or build gas infrastructure to cope with the growth in electricity demand.

But with the commencement of the Transitional Electricity Market, he said the value chain of electricity supply would be based on bankable contracts, adding that gas suppliers would now enter into gas supply contracts that would expose them to liability if they did not provide the contracted quantities of gas to the power plants..

The NERC boss noted that ordinarily, Nigeria should not have a problem of gas supply for power generation because it was a gas country.

Amadi said, “But the truth is that having abundance of gas does not translate to gas supply to power plants. The fi rst fact is that gas supply to power is outside the direct control of the regulator of electricity. So, we can’t predict accurately how much gas will be available.

He said that the power generation target was being missed due to non completion of the National Integrated Power Project which he blamed on problem of project management

One of the core values of most companies is “test everything; assume nothing!” That’s because you can’t just fi gure out what strategy or angle is going to work best for you until you test it. This applies even to your star-performing strategies because there’s always room for improvement.

The bottom line is, testing is the only way to discover what works and what doesn’t on your website, and it’s the best way to start increasing your sales exponentially. However here are few tips to help increase online sales:

1: Feature different benefi ts in your headline.

Your headline has a huge impact on your sales. It’s often the fi rst thing visitors to your site see so it must grab their attention and compel them to read your sales letter.

A successful headline should highlight a problem your target audience faces and stress the main benefi t of your product or service in solving this problem

2: Establish a problem in your copy and show how you can solve it.

In the fi rst few paragraphs that appear on your home page, you need to go into more detail about the problem you introduced in your headline showing your audience that you relate to them. (Only when your audience feels you understand their problem will they feel confi dent that you can solve it.)

Once the problem is established, you can then begin introducing your product or service as the solution to this problem by emphasizing exactly how your product or service will solve your reader’s problem, you’re guaranteed to see a boost in sales.

3: Add credibility to your copy and enhance your visitors’ trust in you.

It’s vital that your sales copy establishes your credibility: It’s through this process that your visitors come to trust you and feel comfortable enough to buy from you. You can build credibility by including customer testimonials in your sales letter and by adding a section to your copy that outlines your credentials, experience and any background information that makes you qualifi ed to solve your target audience’s problem. Your aim should be to effectively convince readers that you are the best person to offer them a solution to their problem.

4: Focus on your site visitors not yourself.

The most successful sales copy focuses on the reader. Too often, business owners neglect this simple golden rule. Look carefully at your sales copy. Is it fi lled with references to “I,” “me” and “we”? Instead of using sentences like “I designed my time-management software with the busy homeowner in mind,” try “Your new timemanagement software will free up hours of time for you to spend with your family.” So try searching for “I,” “me” and “our” in your sales copy and replace them with “you” and “your.”

5: Instill urgency in your copy and convince readers they need to buy now!

It’s very important that your sales copy instill a sense of urgency in your visitors, compelling them to buy now. The best place to do this is toward the end of your sales letter, near the call to action (when you ask for the sale). You can achieve this by offering a limited-time price discount where visitors must buy before a certain date in order to qualify for the discount and offer additional bonuses for free if visitors buy within a certain time frame.

Finally, following up with existing customers is very important because it helps you develop profi table, longterm relationships with them and allows you to offer “backend” products relating to their original purchase.

Transnational Corporation of Nigeria has announced that agribusiness subsidiary, Teragro Commodities Limited, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding, MOU, with the Benue State government to lease land to establish citrus farms in Ushongo, Benue.

The Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Mr. Donald Gbugho signed on behalf of the government alongside Permanent Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture Dr. Neeyum Tsavnum.

A statement on Friday said the MOU represents an expansion of Teragro’s current operations in Benue State, which have previously been focused in Makurdi.

It explained that Teragro has been functioning as an industrial operation processing oranges and mangoes into concentrates for local consumption.

Over time, it added, Teragro has grown and expanded its footprint and now produces concentrate that meets the most rigorous global standards for purchase by multinational corporations, including a leading international beverage manufacturer.

The statement quoted Gbugho, as saying that Teragro has contributed immensely to growth in Benue State.

“They fi rst addressed community and youth unemployment by creating jobs and now, the company is taking a step forward by beginning proper farming, through expert agricultural investors who are standing by with improved varieties of oranges, which the Ushongo people and Benue State at-large can benefi t from.

“This is truly a signifi cant step in the development of agriculture in Benue and in Nigeria,” he said.

The Managing Director, Teragro, Mrs. Dupe Olusola thanked the commissioner for his support, which has enabled the company to contribute to the growth of a diversifi ed economy.

She said, “The untapped opportunities in agriculture are huge and we are committed to ensuring that Nigeria can once again generate high revenues from agriculture as it did before the discovery of oil. The new farming land will ensure we can do our part to bring those untapped opportunities to fruition.”

The Group President of Transcorp, Mr. Emmanuel N. Nnorom said, “We are grateful to the Governor, Dr. Gabriel Suswam, for his assistance in ensuring synergy between Teragro and the local community within which we operate and we hope this will continue.”

He added that the company is committed to the work it’s doing in Benue and look forward to a continually harmonious working relationship.

Guinness Nigeria has recorded another poor fi nancial performance for the half year ended December 31, 2014. The brewing company posted growth in top line but decline of 32 per cent in bottom line, due to high operating expenses and financial charges.

Specifically, the company recorded revenue of N55.3bn in 2014, up from N52.7bn recorded in the corresponding period of 2013. Its cost of sale rose from N27.5bn to N29.5bn, leading to a margin increase in gross profi t which grew from N25.3bn to N25.8bn.

Marketing and distribution expenses also grew from N12.5bn to N13.2bn, while administrative expenses similarly jumped from N4.9bn to N6bn. Operating profi t fell 15 per cent, from N8.22bn to N6.97bn. However, fi nance charges increased 35 per cent to N2.71bn, from N1.95bn, which led to the company ending with a profi t after tax of N3.39bn, compared to N4.99bn in 2013.

Analyst at FBN Capital, said the second quarter profit after tax fell 41 per cent to N1.9bn. Although sales grew 13 per cent to N34.2bn, a combination of factors including a gross margin contraction of 442 basis points to 44.4 per cent, a 20 per cent rise in operating expenses and a 34 per cent growth in interest expense resulted in profi t before tax declining by 41 per cent year-on-year to N2.7bn.

“On a sequential basis, while sales increased by 63 per cent quarter-on-quarter, similar factors responsible for the year-on-year decline in earnings (mainly a gross margin contraction of 567 basis points quarter by quarter, a 45 per cent quarter by quarter rise in operating expenses and a 28 per cent quarter by quarter rise in interest expense) resulted in profi t before tax and profi t after tax growing slower by 37 per cent q/q and 29 per cent q/q respectively. Compared with our estimates, sales beat by seven per cent,” they said.

Business Strategy

The company has been reaping the benefi ts of new products such as Origin Bitters and Origin Ready to Drink, introduced into the market recently with the improvement in revenue.

On a quarterly basis, the company’s revenue of N34.2bn in the second quarter to December 2014 is higher than N21.05bn and N30.35bn posted in the fi rst quarter of the review period and second quarter of the previous year respectively by 62.6 per cent and 12.8 per cent.

Similarly, the latest quarter’s revenue is higher than the eight quarter average of N28.3bn by 21.1 per cent. “It also exceeded our estimate of N32.1bn by 6.6 per cent. If the improvement in revenue can be replicated in the quarters ahead, there will be positive impact on the full year numbers,” analysts at DLM Securities, an investment fi rm, said.

Operating expenses

The company cost of sales increased despite decline in the prices of major inputs. For the review period, the company posted an increase of 7.4 per cent in cost of sales yearon- year to N29.5bn, compared to N27.5bn recorded in the corresponding period of 2013. The higher increase in cost of sales relative to revenue led to an increase in cost of sale/ revenue ratio to 53 per cent relative to 52.1 per cent recorded the preceding year. Contrary to expectation, cost of sales was up in spite of decline in the prices of grains in the global commodity market which are major inputs in brewing both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. For example, barley and corn traded at average prices of $127/ tonne and $174/tonne in the review period. Also, the average prices of wheat and sorghum declined 15 per cent year-on-year and nine per cent year-on-year respectively.

Operating profi t declined due to increase in running costs. For the review period, the company’s operating expenses of N19.2bn was up 9.8 per cent year-on-year, compared to N17.5bn recorded the preceding year. The higher increase in operating expenses relative to revenue led to a higher operating expenses/ revenue ratio of 34.7 per cent to 33.1 per cent recorded the preceding period. On the whole, total cost rose to N48.7bn, up 8.3 per cent from N44.9bn recorded in the corresponding period of 2013, while total cost/revenue ratio stood at 88.1 per cent relative to 85.2 per cent in the half year of 2013. Therefore, operating profi t was down 15.1 per cent to N6.98bn, compared to N8.22bn posted in the same period of 2013. The operating margin dipped to 12.6 per cent relative to 15.6 per cent recorded in the same period of 2013.

First quarter performance

The company recorded N1.96bn in profi t before tax for its fi rst quarter ended September 30, 2014, an increase of six per cent, from N1.87bn posted in the same period of 2013.

Also, the gross profi t for the period rose to N10.6bn, from N10.5bn recorded in equivalent period of 2013, while total assets stood at N133.8bn, from N132.3bn it stood in 2013. There was also a slight reduction in the cost of sales with the fi gure falling to N10.5bn, from N11.9bn recorded in fi rst quarter of 2013.

The results also showed a marginal increase in administrative expenses to N2.53bn, from N2.39bn, largely due to the company’s recent investment in transforming its route to consumer infrastructure.

Commenting on the results, Babatunde Savage, Chairman, Guinness Nigeria Plc, said the board is optimistic of sustaining the trend for the remainder of the fi nancial year.

He said, “We are pleased to report a year on year increase of six percent in our profi t before tax fi gure.

The board is confi dent that this heralds a return to growth for the company as we begin to reap the dividends from the investments that we have made in areas like our capacity expansion and route to consumer infrastructure.”

The Managing Director, Seni Adetu, “We are pleased to announce this turnaround in our fi nancial results. In the period under review, we have remained focused on our strategic imperatives and this has translated into the increase in our profi t before tax.

“Our cost of sales declined by 12 per cent year-on-year, with gross profi t remaining fl at in the quarter. We are also reporting a signifi cantly higher tax number as a result of the tax incentives which was refl ected in the numbers for the fi rst quarter of the previous year following approval from the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission, NIPC.

“This will not recur going forward. Overall, we feel positive that with our core brands and great innovation backed by our strategic investments, we will continue to drive both top and bottom line growth.”

Company background

Guinness Nigeria was established in 1962 and was the fi rst country to have a Guinness brewery built outside of the British Isles. Nigeria now represents the largest market for Guinness by Net Sales Value in the world. Products from the brewer’s stables include Guinness Foreign Extra Stout, Malta Guinness, Harp Lager beer, SNAPP, Orijin Bitters and ready-to-drink amongst others.

Shareholders of United Bank for Africa has approved the bank’s recommendation of 10 kobo dividend per share, which allows the bank to retain much of its earnings for the benefi t of growing its business in the years ahead.

Speaking at the bank’s Annual General Meeting in Lagos on Friday, they expressed optimism over the ability of the bank to deliver sustainably high returns to them over the medium to long term.

A shareholder, Alhaji Kabiru Tambari commended the management for focusing on both the short and long term growth of the bank, saying that shareholders are not only interested in the profi t the bank makes this year but also in the ability of the bank to sustain its leadership position over the long term.

Another shareholder, Mukhtar Mukhtar, said, “I commend the appointment of Tony Elumelu as the Chairman. He has proven business leader. I am also happy with the bank’s performance, I have no doubt that it will continue to improve with Elumelu as Chairman.

Elumelu expressed his appreciation for the support of all shareholders and reiterated the commitment of the bank in sustaining the leadership and dominant position on the continent.

While affi rming the bank’s commitment to strict adherence to the best practice in corporate governance, he explained the bank’s dividend policy in the current fi nancial year was guided by the need to be prudent.

“Though UBA is adequately capitalized with capital adequacy ratios in excess of regulatory requirement, we proactively raised additional capital during the year to further boost our capital base and it would not have been prudent to pay so much dividend after raising capital from the market. Shareholders should however expect higher dividend in future” he said.

Speaking on the bank’s fi nancial performance, Elumelu said, “We recorded gross earnings of N290 billion in the year, an appreciable growth of 10 per cent over our performance in 2013. This improved performance was buoyed by the increased volume of transaction across all our service channels and growing share of our customers’ wallet.

As latest report by Roll Back Malaria ,RBM, ahead of the commemoration of the 2015 World Malaria Day revealed that Africa loses about N2.4trn in productivity to malaria annually, Reckitt Benckiser,RB, through its leading anti-malaria power brand, Mortein insecticide has joined forces with the Lagos State Government and other stakeholders to upscale action for the elimination of malaria in Nigeria through community engagement.

As part of activities marking the year’s World Malaria Day, specifi cally, the community engagement, which held at Palm Avenue, Lagos, saw offi cials from the state Ministry of Health and Reckitt Benckiser carrying out the clearing of wastes and drainages in the area.

They also went round the community to sensitise and educate residents on the immense benefi ts of maintaining clean environment as one of the most cost effective ways to reduce mosquitoes, which are the major carriers of malaria parasite.

Speaking at the event, Category Manager, Pest care, Health care, Air care, RB West Africa, Qaiser Rashid, said the community engagement was part of numerous corporate social responsibility initiatives by Reckitt Benckiser to stem the prevalence of malaria scourge in Nigeria and Africa as a whole. She said the partnership with the Lagos State Government, which has been on-going for years, also demonstrates the company’s commitment to the anti-malaria fi ght in the state.

“We have come out again today on the occasion of the 2015 World Malaria Day to demonstrate our commitment to making Nigerians live healthier and happier life. The community engagement is another innovative ways we have chosen to educate residents of Mushin on the importance of hygiene, and how simple habit of maintaining clean surroundings and drainages can signifi cantly help to reduce malaria.

‘‘Mosquitoes are carriers of malaria parasite and they breed in dirty environment. Keeping the environment clean means that mosquitoes have no breeding place, if we can stop the life circle of the insect through constant cleaning of our environment and application of the insecticide that have the ability to kill mosquitoes 100 percent, that means we have succeeded in killing the disease,” he said

The rave by social media channels to increase the volume of their users has taken a different dimension following the launch of Premier League follower map by Twitter.

Realising the huge followership foreign league by football loving fans across the world, and particularly for Nigeria where the foreign leagues have more followers than those of the Nigeria leagues, Twitter may have fi nally warmed its way into the heart of its users in the country.

This is the fi rst time that football fans will be able to see a detailed global breakdown of the Twitter followers of all 20 clubs, all over the world.

The map was created by looking at the offi cial Twitter accounts for each team, using their followers as an indicator of allegiance so that with a glance, one can discover which teams dominate each country around the world.

According to graphic details of the new product, which was made available to Business Courage by a Twitter representative in Lagos, fans can toggle the map to view specifi cally their own club’s support worldwide.

The map allows the user to see the most popular clubs overall; and even compare their club with a rival, and simply by using the ‘Zoom to’ function you can pinpoint any country around the world instantly. If you think you know where fans are located, you may be.

The new Premier League Twitter fan map, which shows a detailed global breakdown of the followers of all 20 clubs offering richer details than just knowing the where to fi nd @ PremierLeague.

The map, which was built by the data visualisation scientist team of Twitter, is an interactive map that enables soccer lovers in across the strength of their team.

For instance, it will enable football lovers to discover which teams dominate each country, and where loyalties lay at a district- level in Nigeria.

The map was created by looking at the offi cial Twitter accounts for each team, using their followers as an indicator of allegiance (as opposed to, say, instances in which people mention a team while watching an interesting matchup or talking about a team’s rival).

According to Twitter, although the primary view shows at a glance which teams dominate each country around the world, but there are other interesting ways within this to explore the map in greater depth.

The Twitter document revealed that one of such is the function that allows the user to discover its own club adding that it helps to discover how your club fares in each country using the ‘Zoom to’ function in the right-hand corner of the map to instantly explore your club’s presence in any given country.

Soccer fans can also do comparing of the clubs to fi nd out where they have the biggest density of followers such as comparing local rivals such as @Arsenal and@ChelseaFC.

Using the dropdown menu function, of the Premier League follower map it is also possible to determine who the most popular clubs are in an area of your choice.

The Premier League follower map is the only view where you can zoom right in, region-byregion, to discover a breakdown of where loyalties lie at a local UK level.

Twitter revealed that it employed a technique called hexagonal binning, which divides the map into equally-sized hexagons, like a honeycomb, so the user can see random by region instead of treating each country as one big region saying that that was possible because each country divides municipalities differently.

There are according to Twitter, Gunners for Life need to have a glance at the Nigeria map to see that Arsenal (@Arsenal) in yellow dominates. There are pockets of blue (Chelsea – @ ChelseaFC) and red (Manchester United – @ManUtd), but Arsenal’s reach is by far the most widespread, with fans all over the country.

And in the UK, Gunners take London where there are six Premier League teams in London, but one stands apart from the rest in terms of Twitter followers: @Arsenal. Not only do the Gunners have more followers in their own locale of Highbury and Islington, but they also edge out arch-rivals Tottenham (@SpursOffi cial) and @ChelseaFC in their backyards. Crystal Palace (@CPFC) also see their home turned Arsenal yellow, while West Ham (@WHUFC_offi cial) and Queens Park Rangers (@ QPRFC) are shaded out by Liverpool green.

The Premier League follower map is one of the latest tools from Twitter, which has attracted social media savvy to it.

For instance, the Followerwonk is a free Twitter analytics tool that helps you fi nd, analyse and optimise your account for social growth. The tool has fi ve features: search Twitter bios, compare users, analyse followers, track followers and sort followers.

The Tweriod is a Twitter tool that determines the best time of day to tweet. After signing in with your Twitter account, the toll will sample up to 1,000 of your followers and generate a report.

When your report is ready, Tweriod notifi es you via email or direct message. The more followers you have, the longer it may take to generate the report.

Revenue from the Nation’s oil and gas will drop by as much as $10bn in 2015 if crude price continue to average $53 per barrel, the Managing Director Total Upstream, Elizabeth Proust has warned.

Proust told audience at a lecture last Thursday in Abuja that the low oil price witnessed globally was having adverse effect on the revenue of both producers and host government including Nigeria.

“We estimated that that if crude oil price average $53 per barrel compared to $77.5 in 2014, Nigeria’s oil and Gas revenue will decline by $10bn this year” She said

The Managing Director said that the dwindling revenue was already showing in the amount of allocation due to states from d Federation account dropping by 15percent to N620bn compared to 2013.

“This is resulting in the slowing or cancelling of many infrastructure projects that Nigeria desperately needs,” Proust said.

She, however, said that in response to this challenge, businesses were adding more rigor to cost optimization programmed to boost the bottom line.

She said most of the cost drivers in the industry were relatively inelastic in the short term of one to two years due to existing commitments.

“This means that there is a time lag between movements in crude oil prices and costs. Thus, we cannot expect near-term costs relief. “

Additionally in Nigeria, long contract approval times and other bureaucracy further slow any gains from cost adjustments to low crude oil prices,” she said.

Proust said low crude oil prices had signifi cantly reduced the level of investable funds, at a time when competition for investments is sharpening.

In a country where sexual issues are seen as morally anathemic as even discussing problems associated with it largely regarded as taboo, obviously, going into such a business, for a young man, could be said to be daring and obviously suicidal. But not minding its conservative nature, exuding rare courage, passion and determination to help educate people on sexuality and by so doing, help them make smart sexual choices that can be lifesaving, Uche Edochie, about a decade ago decided to choose a career in sexual solutions and adult products business.

Today, Zee Virtual Media Ltd, where he calls the shots as the Managing Director, has blossomed into flourishing enterprise with so much for the owners’ efforts in terms of investment returns, efficient services to customers.

Uche Edochie is someone many would describe as a man who walks where even angels fear to tread. Born about 39 years ago in Lagos, against all odds, he has built a thriving career as a sexual solution expert fi rmly establishing his feet in the ever dynamic fi eld of business and entrepreneurship.

For Uche, the third child of the popular veteran actor, Pete Edochie, while his educational background is in the art, he is a man of many parts. He is a painter, interior designer, photographer, writer, relationship counsellor and a dynamic business man.

At a very tender of 19 years old, he entered into the world of entrepreneurship as an artist and interior designer. However, his line of business took a dramatic change about ten years ago, as he became a sex education columnist and adult business owner.

How did he come to the idea of going into the sex business? Like most successful business owners would admit that identifying needs of people of and the ability to provide prompt solutions go a long way in determining the success of the business, as a result of pains taking researches, Uche also found a vacuum and decided to fi ll it with live saving solutions. He believes that basically, rather than engage in immoral acts in seeking for sexual satisfaction with multi-partners, which could lead to sexual diseases, a man or woman could safely engage in the use of adult toys.

According to him, for many years, having watched how black Africa was portrayed on main stream news as the face of HIV and AIDS, he discovered that while he felt so bad about the situation, the very fi rst person that we all know that died of AIDS was a homosexual American Actor named Rock Hudson. He wondered why the mainstream news managed to turn the whole thing around and pinned the origin of AIDS to Africa. “I always wished that I could do something about it but I wasn’t sure how.” Uche told Business Courage in an interview.

However, while he was still worried about the AIDS misconception about Africans issue, one day, he was brainstorming with a friend who needed a business idea and the adult business popped into his head.

“At that very moment, I knew that I had fi nally found a voice to help make the kind of contribution I desired. I started researching the idea and decided on an online business model for privacy and greater access to the public. Like I said, rather than sit on the chair and complain about how the West always portrays us negatively, I was determined to help rewrite our history by starting a business that helps educate people about human sexuality to help them make smart sexual choices that can be life-saving.” He explained.

While Uche was feeling fulfi lled with the idea of going into what he called the adult business, expectedly, family members as well as friends tried all they could to discourage him because they saw the business as a no go area. “I remember friends telling me in the beginning that the business will not succeed because Nigerians ‘weren’t into that sort of thing’.”

However, due to his exuding rare courage, passion and determination to help educate people about human sexuality that would help them make smart sexual choices that can be life-saving, Uche went ahead with the business and today, his Zee Virtual Media Ltd, where he calls the shot as the MD/CEO, has blossomed into multi-million naira enterprise. “Yes, it has been rewarding. Whatever it is you do, if it is done well, you will succeed.” He told Business Courage.

Basically, Zee Virtual Media’s clients cut across the strata. “Everybody buys from us. People who have more money spend more but everybody buys from us.” He said. Uche said he believes basically, human beings are the same everywhere and Nigerians are just as interested in sex as people from other countries.

According to him, “Most adults are sexually active and want to have better sex and gain sexual knowledge even if they don’t admit it publicly. So I always knew that the interest was there, but fi rst, I had to earn the trust of the people at all levels.

Admitting the challenges he has had to cope with over the years, Uche noted, “What scares people most when it comes to businesses like mine is the issue of boundaries. Overseas for instance, big adult shops don’t just retail novelties only. A lot of them also own strip clubs, organize sex parties and have call girl services. So people in Nigeria weren’t quite sure of my intentions at fi rst. But by the time they started reading my column, they gradually understood that Zee Virtual Media is about sex education and giving adults access to products that can solve their sex and romance problems. That’s all. We don’t own strip clubs, we don’t throw sex parties and we don’t run call girl services. I have no interest in those things. So gradually, we earned the people’s trust and now everybody writes and calls us for help with their numerous problems.”

To the Zee Virtual Media boss, “Nigeria is a conservative country. Amongst other things, this just means that a lot of the acceptance we get both people and the government is unoffi cial. My clients will never publicly endorse our business as such because it is sex related. I understand it. Sex embarrasses people but it shouldn’t. The same goes for the authorities. But privately, people (both citizens and government offi cials) call us to thank us and ask for help and advice with all manner of problems. Now, this is fi ne with me because when you have everybody patronizing you and recommending you to their friends, it means that you are doing something right.”

However, Uche is of the opinion that despite the numerous advantages of having more adult business, until Nigerians publicly recognize the adult industry, it might not be able to grow beyond a certain level. “What we hope for (stakeholders in the industry) is that the Nigerian government can come out publicly to recognize our efforts, embrace our industry and even make common sense laws that can help guide the industry better.” He said.

According to him, “For instance, in South Africa and different countries around the world, the adult industry is well recognized and approved by their different governments. Absolutely, these governments benefi t too through the taxes they collect and the job creation that the adult businesses help provide amongst other things.

“So everybody wins and nothing is done in hiding. I have been to adult shops in Cape Town, Paris and America. All I needed was an ID that showed I am of legal age. In these countries, if you are eighteen years and above, you can buy an adult product, sell an adult product and participate in the making of adult products. But here, because everything is unoffi cial, we cannot grow beyond a certain level.

“Adult shop owners here are reluctant to open shops publicly and do more for fear of being harassed by the police even though they all buy and use what we sell. Do you get my point? We are not children. We need to rise above this level. This country cannot survive on oil alone. Trade is vital too. When you recognize businesses like ours and issue licenses and guidelines to practitioners, the industry can function better and grow.

“There is tax money to be made, jobs to be created, people to be guided to make better sexual choices and lives to be saved. In other countries, stakeholders in the adult industry are able to have huge expos and debut new products and ideas from manufacturers. And they get visitors from all over the world, which facilitates tourism. That is how development happens.

“But we pretend a lot in this country and try to hide behind religion even though everybody has sex and uses these products. Sex is not a crime. We shouldn’t be ashamed of our sexuality. So I hope that one day, we can be invited by the government to be part of a panel that can work towards establishing guidelines for recognizing and guiding the adult industry. We all want the same thing. “I want safe sex for everyone.

I want our children protected from sex related matters until they are of legal age. I am a parent. Of course, we all want a better Nigeria but we must have the courage to discuss these things publicly not in secret.”

To the Zee Virtual Media boss, “I want the world to respect black people and not portray us as the face of AIDs, Ebola, fraud and terrorism. These problems are everywhere. I want the world to look at countries like Nigeria and concede that we are decent people who practice safe sex and make smart sexual choices. For this to happen, sex education is vital because when people know better, they do better.”

Zee Virtual Media is virtually a one stop shop for all adult novelties. It sells lingerie, costumes, books, magazines, props, adult toys, games, fi lms, lubricants, pheromones, cushions and supplements.

Aside selling adult products, Uche also counsels many people with common complaints of erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation, vaginal dryness, low libido, lack of romance, lack of sexual enjoyment and sexual knowledge through his sex educational columns in fi ve newspapers including the National Mirror every week.

“There are many problems that people have that cannot be solved with products. So often, we fi nd ourselves dishing out advice rather than recommending products but we are happy to help either way.” Uche, who is also running the business along with his wife, Nkechi, stated.

The Zee Virtual’s advice to young aspiring entrepreneurs is that; “Business is hard especially in today’s economy. Life is in cycles. Sometimes you make big money and sometimes the profi t is small. At other times, you run at a loss. But you must not give up and always aim to please your clients.”