FACTS have begun to emerged how the poor electricity supply in the country has led and contributed to factory closures and declining manufacturing sector in Nigeria, leading millions of job loses.
In fact, in the Textile/garment as well as Chemical/Leather sectors of the economy, constant power failure in the country has either led to and was a major factor to closure of not less than one hundred factories scattered across the country.
According to vanguard investigations, while twelve manufactory companies in both Textile/Garment and Chemical/Leather sectors, three had their workers reduced from five thousand (5000) to seven hundred (700).
Confirming this unfortunate development and the steady de-industrialisation in the country, General Secretary of the National Union of Textile, Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUTGTWN) and a Vice President of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Issa Aremu, declared that among the factories that closed down as a result of electricity failure included “Tarneries, Hufawa, Intertan, Multitan, Nakudu, Kano Textile Limited, Afrimpex and Harmatan (all based in Kano state) as well as most of leather industries in the state . In lagos, are Dunlop Industries, Leanard Shoes and Batta Shoes and Michelin Nigeria Limited, in Port-Harcourt, Rivers state.
Also poor power supply was attributed to have contributed majorly to the closure of the under-listed factories included Enpee, Nelco, NSF, Weaving and Processing, Swantex, Textile Specialities, ASSAN Industries, Jaybee, K-Issardas, Bhojaraj, Teev-Gold Star, Amarito-Umbrella, AD Gulas (all textile factories based in Ilupeju, in Lagos). Others are Five star, Afprint, Daltex,
Varaman, Royal Spinners, GDM, Aswani, Arcee, Rekha, King Carpet, Emar, President, Elite, Moon Diamond, Pacific, Eurosport, Barclays Clothing, ITI, Wabterry, Nigeria Fishing Net, Shiram, Monarch, Aflon (all based in Isolo), Texlon, Diamond Spinners, United Spinners, Top star, Tarpaulin, Steep, Coats West Africa, Panache, Pyramid, Central Bag Subaco, Globe Spinning (based in Amuwo Odofin). Abel Abu, First Spinners, Century and Platinum (based in Ikorodu), Kay Industries, NTM, Specomill, Reliance, Oriental, Madhu and Encee (based in Ikeka.)
Vanguard investigation confirmed because of unstable and failing power supply, Gombe based Ashaka Cement shed its work force from 2000 to 200, Lafarge, Ewekoro, ogun state, 1500 to 250 and its plant in Shagamu, 1500 to 250.
Investigation has also revealed that companies like Cadbury, Nestle foods have for the past 15 years not used public supply to power their plants because of the sensitivity of their equipment that must not be exposed to even a minute power failure.
At the kick-starting of a national mass protest in Lagos against steady de-industrialization of Nigeria as a result of increasing factory closures and the urgent need to re-industrialize Nigeria, Private Sector Union (PSU), shouted it loudly that lack of steady power supply had remained the greatest threat to the manufacturing sector in Nigeria and called on government to urgently address the issue.
Speaking to Vanguard, General Secretary of the National Union of Textile and Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUTGTWN), Comrade Issa Aremu, lamented that in spite of huge money allegedly expended on the power sector, Nigeria is still walloping in darkness.
He argued no country has even industrialised without stable power supply and advised government to wake up to its responsibility and guarantee the citizens stable power supply to kick-start economy to meet the challenges of the day.
Again, in a pre-May Day Statement jointly issued by Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), the two labour centres echoed the need for efficient power supply.
The labour leaders used the opportunity to once again kicked against government full deregulation of the downstream oil sector of the economy in the midst of the global economic recession which serious economies in the world are bailing out companies and intervening in their economies to fight the recession.
Addressing journalists on behalf of the two labour centres, Deputy President of NLC, Comrade Peters Adeymi, said: “We also note with grave concerns the decision of government to move for the removal of subsidies on petroleum and full deregulation of the down stream sector of the oil industry as part of the neo-liberal orthodoxies of the World Bank. This decision is contrary to approaches adopted by developed economies that champion the capitalism and the ‘market logic’.
These countries like the U.S, Britain, Germany, France, Spam and others have been using state funds in billion of dollars lo bail out industries in virtually all sectors as ways to preserve jobs, income and welfare of their people and their national economies. The point is that they recognize that the people and their citizens come first and so government must be responsive and responsible to the people. For our government, its strategy of solving the problem is high on promises and low on implementation.”
“A quick example is Government planned disbursement of N70 Billion textile industry bailout that is yet to see the light of the day 3 years after such promise, but it took the Obama administration well under 90 days to get over $700 billion released and pumped into the I’.S economy. We in the labour movement call on Government to show similar commitment and patriotism exhibited by the Nigerian people through demonstration of concrete political will in tackling these economic crises. We are quick to reiterate that we reject government renewed bid to remove subsidy and the implementation of full deregulation of the down stream sector of the oil industry. The multiplier effects will exacerbate hardship and poverty amongst our people, just as the timing is wrong, the logic of the policy is also skewed in favour of the few elites in society and anti-people.”
De-Industrialization of Nigerian economy
Chavez launches $15 mobile phone with a name to make his mother blush
It is perhaps the world’s cheapest mobile phone. It is the latest offering from Hugo Chavez’s socialist revolution. And its name is derived from a slang word for penis. Behold the Vergatorio.
Venezuela’s president launched the handset on his TV show with a Mother’s Day call to his mum and predicted it would conquer all rivals. “This telephone will be the biggest seller not only in Venezuela but the world,” he said. “Whoever doesn’t have a Vergatario is nothing,” he joked.
Priced just $15 (nearly £10), the phone has a camera, WAP internet access, FM radio and MP3 and MP4 players for music and videos. And it has that name.
Why the president chose it remains unclear, but he enunciates each syllable with a grin. Some laugh, others are affronted.
Verga is slang for penis and vergatario is a newly minted word which signifies excellent but retains connotations from its root.
The word verga, and variations of it, are associated with Venezuela’s second city, Maracaibo. Residents are famous for swearing and using Spanish verbal constructions uncommon in the rest of Venezuela.
“It’s gross. I can’t believe they named it something so vulgar,” said Leonor Diaz, 52, a cleaner. Others however consider the name playful and harmless.
The newspaper El Universal issued readers a challenge. “Say Vergatario in front of a mirror. Pronounce this obscenity syllable by syllable, slowly, and note the expression on your face.”
Chavez, a decade in power, is a shrewd communicator who often uses salty expressions to mark himself out as a man of the people. He called George Bush a “pendejo”, a term derived from pubic hair which can be translated as asshole or jerk.
A government subsidy which cut the retail price to a quarter of the manufacturing cost is likely to make the Vergatario an immediate hit. There is a waiting list for the first 10,000 units expected to be released this week.
Production this year has been set at 600,000, rising to 2m in 2011, when the government hopes to export the model to the Caribbean and then further afield.
Parts are imported from China and assembled in a factory in western Venezuela run by a new company, Vetelca, 85% owned by the Venezuelan state and 15% by the Chinese company ZTE.
The government, facing a financial crunch and labour unrest over tumbling oil revenues, said the investment would boost the country’s “technological independence”.
Chavez turned a segment of his weekly TV show into a promotion. “Has your Vergatorio arrived?” he asked his mother. “This is the first call I’ve made with my Vergatorio.”
Shoes made for talking … to your phone
A startup is working on a product that can tell you exactly what it’s like to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes — because the insoles record every touch of pressure.
ESoles Inc., which makes custom insoles for athletic shoes, has created prototype insoles with pressure sensors that relay their information wirelessly to a nearby cell phone. Then an application on the phone can tell the wearer how much pressure he or she is applying in 11 different zones of each sole.
The system has been used to analyze the technique of the U.S. Olympic BMX team, helping them figure out how to apply maximum power to the bicycle pedals out of the gate, said Glen Hinshaw, founder of in Scottsdale, Ariz.-based eSoles and a former professional cyclist.
The system can also analyze a golf swing or skiing posture, Hinshaw said.
Sports aren’t the only application — the insoles can work in games. ESoles is trying a jump rope game, in which the phone screen shows a swinging rope, and users have to time their jumps to it.
“If you leave one leg on the ground and you’re only lifting the other foot, the jump rope stops, because it’s not clearing your foot,” Hinshaw said.
Nintendo Co. makes a balance board accessory for its Wii game console that senses the force from the user’s feet. ESoles’ sensing insoles would essentially do the same thing, but without tying the user to an immobile board.
Hinshaw also envisions medical uses — perhaps for warning diabetes patients who have lost feeling in their feet that they risk injury from too much pressure.
Hinshaw said the company plans to make the insoles available in a limited trial version in July, then take them fully commercial late this year. The initial price for the sensors would be about $300, but he hopes to bring the price under $50.
How rail will solve problem of mass transit
Perhaps in no other African city is efficient rail system most desirable than Nigeria, the continent’s most populous country, and Lagos, its economic nerve centre. With the near total collapse of the rail system built by the colonial administration, and consolidated upon by the early nationalists of the first republic, there has been a growing gap in Nigeria’s transportation system even as the population keeps increasing, leaving millions of the citizens to grapple with road as singular most dependable mode of transportation.
As this is happening, the roads, due to poor maintenance are fast becoming death traps, with ditches and gullies getting deeper resulting to accidents and untimely death of thousands. While government agencies, including the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) will point to dangerous overtaking, over speeding, drunken drivers, overloading, poor maintenance of vehicles as some of the factors responsible for the spate of accidents on Nigerian roads, they have however never disputed the role bad road plays in the carnages being experienced on the roads.
Besides lives and properties being lost, another consequence of the country’s dependence on road to move people and goods is heavy congestion in most of the urban cities, where people sometime spend hours in traffic.
Although air transportation in recent years, following the deregulation of the aviation industry, has come close to bridging the widening gap, its impact on the nation’s overall transportation system has not been felt. This is to be expected.
Apart from the fact that the industry in Nigeria is yet to develop to the level where skepticism about safety is completely removed, the vast majority of the citizens are cut off by cost. With a domestic flight of about an hour costing as much as N22, 000, only an insignificant percentage of the population can fly.
In the face of this, many have argued in favour of the rail system as the best alternative. This is not only because efficient rail moves thousands of passengers and goods with relative cheaper cost compared with aircraft and others, but also because it does not require much space like road.
Since its early introduction several years ago, rail has had the luxury of being one of the most efficient modes of transportation. Indeed, the amount of power needed for a given train can be matched more closely with adding or removing a locomotive. With trucks, there is one tractor to one trailer limit (with triples allowed in certain locations).
In terms of manpower, a typical train has a few crew members to move the people and commodities on board. With this comes the added benefit of concentrated service and repair. With trucks, rescue/repair crews may have to travel all over to repair and rescue vehicles with issues. With trains, you know where they are and where they are going. This means you can concentrate your rescue vehicles and crews in strategic locations and keep your trains moving.
In terms of safety, the mass of the trains ensures an excellent chance that the commodity will arrive undamaged unlike road where highway collisions can cause damage to goods. Indeed, with more goods being shipped by rail, the number of trucks on the road goes down and with it the chances for crashes.
These benefits may have informed the decision of the Lagos State government to consider the re-introduction of the rail system, which according to Governor Babatunde Fashola, will commence this year.
The unfolding rail project, according to Fashola, who has embarked on a number of trips outside the country to woo investors for the multi-billion naira project, is being designed to improve and sustain an efficient public transportation system in a city which population is estimated at close to 18 million.
Providing details, Lagos Metroplitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), the agency that pioneered the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) scheme in the state, and a major stakeholder in the rail project, says the initial first line to be developed as part of the Lagos Urban Rail Network will be the Blue Line, which will run from Lagos Island west to Okokomaiko, a total distance of 27 kilometres. The western 21 kilometres of the line will be positioned in the centre of the Lagos-Badagry expressway, which is to be expanded by the state from its present 4 lanes to 10 lanes. The rail line is to run on the median of the road.
Thirteen passenger stations will serve the line; some of which will interface with Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) service. The stations at Iddo, Ebute Ero and Marina will also serve the Red Line, another arm of the project, which will run north from Marina to Agbado.
When completed, the Blue Line according to LAMATA boss Mobereola, will be lifting 300,000 – 400,000 passengers per day while the Red line will lift 1.3 million simultaneously.
Mobereola says the Blue Line will start with an initial eight coaches, to be extended later to 12 while the red Line will start with 12 coaches which will be extended to 16.
Both lines apart from creating 2500 direct employment each will create thousands of jobs indirectly with other exponential effects. According to Mobereola, 70 per cent of the materials to be used will be sourced locally with imports limited to expertise for technical services.
On whether the project has the blessing of the federal authorities, LAMATA says Lagos State, federal ministry of transport and the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) are working together on the project.It is also gear towards poverty reduction as it is expected to provide economic opportunities and promote viable communities. For many people in agricultural sector, this will be a relief considering the bad state of the road networks which have largely hampered effective transportation of manufactured goods and agricultural produce from points of production to points of consumption. Lagos is indeed set to work again.
NCC to set up Cyber Security Centre – Ndukwe
Ernest Ndukwe, Executive Vice Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) assures that the Commission is in the process of establishing a Cyber Security Centre to look at the gains the country can harness from Cyberspace as well look at Cyber security which is very important in modern business transactions.
Giving this assurance at the Cyber Security Conference and Exhibition in Abuja, put together by Anti-Money Laundering and Cyber Security Coalition of the National Assembly, Ndukwe however urged participants not to be negative about the technology but instead encourage the teeming Nigerian youths to think of new ways to use Cyber Space.
“It is important that we tackle the issue on a positive note because there is more to gain from Cyber Space instead of throwing away the baby with the bath water”.
While explaining that the Federal Government has taken a number of measures to combat Cyber Crime in Nigeria, he pointed out that the aspect of legislation was very import, encouraging the National Assembly to quickly put the relevant laws in place.
Ndukwe meanwhile made the gathering sober when he informed that in Nigeria, electronic transactions and evidence are not recognised.
“We need to work on the law to recognise electronic transactions and evidence. We should work at that very fast. Laws are the very steps critical in the
On the Cyber Security Centre which the NCC plans to set up, he explained that it would among others help to train manpower for the sector. “Who says a new way of protecting the Internet cannot come from Nigeria,” he asked, adding that the NCC had the manpower to set up such a Centre.
The universal nature of Cyber Crimes committed locally makes it “a global headache,” prompting various nations to seek national and transnational ways to proffer solutions with most experts advising that countries build multilateral channels to solving Cyber problems.
This perhaps explains why Hamadoun Toure, the Secretary General of the International Telecoms Union (ITU)U to take as one of his cardinal programmes Cyber Security and the fight against Cyber Crimes. Ndukwe said that the NCC was working very closely with him to achieve results.
A number of speakers at the event asked the Nigerian government to work with her neighbours and other African countries since no Nigerian solution would endure without the support of neighbouring countries.
At the conference, Ndukwe appealed to Legislators to appropriate adequate funding to the various agencies fighting against Cyber Crime to enable them embark on what he described as a collective fight.
“The Legislators have a major role to play in appropriating funds to the agencies involved in the fight against Cyber Crimes,” he noted.
Non-autonomy for NCAA denies Nigeria direct flights to US
Nigerian airlines are still very far from direct flight operations on the Nigeria-United States route in spite of resources and energy expended by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and repeated visits by American aviation officials on inspections to Lagos, BusinessDay can now reveal.
Reason: The Federal Government is yet to meet the vital requirements demanded by Washington before Nigerian airlines and Nigerian registered aircraft can operate direct flights to the United States.
One requirement the Americans are not willing to waive is the granting of autonomy to the NCAA by the ministry of aviation. Though a Civil Aviation Act was enacted in March 2006 where autonomy for the apex aviation regulatory agency was robustly provided, diplomatic sources told BussinessDay that successive aviation ministers have refused to let go the NCAA to perform its duties.
“The US has very strong view that the NCAA as it is now cannot be trusted with credible oversight functions as it is too tied to the aviation ministry, headed by a politician who knows next to nothing about aviation”, a diplomatic source told BusinessDay in Lagos. The Federal Government had earlier granted Virgin Nigeria Airways, Arik Airlines and Bellview Airlines approval to operate direct flights into the US with the hope that Washington will grant the American Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) category I to Nigeria.
In the approval, Arik Airline is to operate Lagos – New York, Virgin Nigeria Airways Lagos – Houston and Bellview Airlines Lagos – Newark.
Category I is achieved when a country’s civil aviation authority has been assessed by FAA inspectors and found to license and oversee air carriers in accordance with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) aviation safety standards.
The FAA assessment is a very detailed audit process that spans several visits by FAA teams to the country being assessed, according to a document seen by BusinessDay at the ministry aviation, Abuja. Though Nigeria is scheduled to achieved Category I by the fourth quarter of this year, “having completed at least 75 percent of the requirement for category”, interference in the affairs of the authority is putting spanners in the works, BusinessDay learnt.
Aviation minister, Babatunde Omotoba, declined to speak with BusinessDay on the fears being expressed in diplomatic circles.
The NCAA, as expected, is mute on it. An official of the authority told BusinessDay: “A child does not demand freedom from his father. At the appropriate time, things will fall in shape”
Beside the issue of autonomy for the NCAA, there is the twin problem of insecurity and infrastructure decay at the airports. Some of the infrastructure at the airport have been in commission for over 30 years.
The terminal building of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMA), Lagos has suffered so much decay that it has become a national disgrace.
Passengers’ complaints have fallen on deaf ears, while foreigners are at a loss as to why simple things like air conditioners and conveyor belts do not function.
Passengers have to manually fan themselves at the departure and arrival halls of the terminal, just as they wait endlessly for luggage because the conveyor belts are always malfunctioning. The minimum time a passenger spends on arrival at Lagos airport from other parts of the world is two hours to pick his luggage off-peak hours.
“On a bad day, with epileptic power supply, you can spend between three to four hours on arrival at this airport”, a frequent flier who does not want his name in print told BusinessDay.
Aside the Lagos airport, Port Harcourt, Kano and Abuja airports are in dire need of repairs as they all have suffered different degrees of decay. The perimeter fencing of the Port Harcourt airport is still a mirage.
Only last week, a disappointed Rivers State government made a passionate plea to the Federal Government to allow it to take over the airport, apparently for proper facelift befitting an international airport of its size and class.
On the airspace management, air traffic controllers working with the old radars have always complained as the radars frequently break down. Earlier in the year, it was reported that as a result of the poor state of the radars and other navigational equipment in the nation’s airports, pilots resorted to the use of GSM phones to communicate with air traffic controllers, a charge no one has denied till date.
However, there is a faint ray of hope on the horizon as the Total Rader Coverage of Nigeria (TRACON) project is said to be nearing-completion and should be commissioned this month.
Supo Atobatele, general manager, public affairs, Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, confirmed this to BusinessDay. It had been reported severally before now that the TRACON project was ready but never got off the ground.
According to Atobatele, “TRACON has gone far in Lagos and Abuja. In fact it is now 100 percent completed and the two will be commissioned anytime from now. The calibration of the Lagos arm has been done and it was a success and it passed, making it serviceable for operation”.
Sam Akerele, member of the Paul Dike Taskforce on Aviation Reform, told BusinessDay that the full implementation of its report would have taken care of the infrastructural decay and ensure adequate safety in the nation’s skies and security at airports, particularly perimeter fencing, water hydrants and scanners, among others.
There are currently only five African countries that have attained category I status on the US route – Egypt, Cape Verde, Ethiopia, Morocco and Southrica.
culled from Businessday Nigeria
U.S. High-Speed Train Projects Get a Push
It may be old hat in Europe and Asia to rocket through the landscape on a 200-plus-mile-an-hour train. But in America, all that promoters of high-speed passenger rail service have to show for three decades of effort are dusty feasibility studies stretching from Florida to California.
Yet by committing $13 billion in stimulus and budget funds to high-speed train travel to reduce traffic congestion and cut pollution, the Obama Administration is giving these projects a critical boost. A priority is a line that would whiz passengers 520 miles from Anaheim to San Francisco in less than three hours and upgrades of Amtrak service in New England and the Midwest to reach speeds of up to 150 mph. “This is the first time a U.S. Administration has put this high on the agenda and is putting serious money behind it,” says G. Lindsay Simmons, a Washington attorney representing the French National Railway, which aspires to manage U.S. transit systems.
Dozens of potential investors, most of them foreign, are interested but wary. They remember all the previous setbacks that undid once-promising projects in places such as Texas and Florida. They’re also keenly aware that U.S. government analysts concede that it’s impossible to run these hugely expensive networks profitably. That means an eternity of subsidies—and the unending wrath of Republican budget hawks who have repeatedly attacked Amtrak’s budget. “We believe deeply that high-speed rail will come to the U.S.,” says Yannick Legay, high-speed project policy manager for Alstom, creator of France’s fabled TGV, or train à grande vitesse. “But we’re still at the beginning of the story.”
Despite their caution, executives from Alstom have made three marketing trips to California in recent months to showcase the company’s latest technology, which can hit 357 mph in tests. Bullet-train operator Central Japan Railway has formed a 10-person division to develop strategies to bid on U.S. contracts. Foreign manufacturers such as Bombardier, Kawasaki, and Siemens, which now assemble transit cars in the U.S., would gladly do the same with high-speed trains to land business.
California is the big test. Voters in November authorized the state to float $9.9 billion in bonds to start construction of the first $33 billion phase. Billions more are expected from Washington. “You can never have 100% certainty that a deal will happen, but this is as good as it gets,” says David Crane, economic adviser to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
If, however, projects like California’s don’t begin before the next shift in poltical power, federal funding could again be in jeopardy. Support also must be maintained for the long haul. U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood notes that the interstate highway system, launched in the 1950s, wasn’t finished until the early ’90s. “We are talking another three decades,” he says, “before a national high-speed network becomes a reality.”
With Andy Reinhardt in London, Kenji Hall in Tokyo, and bureau reports.
Engardio is an international senior writer for BusinessWeek, where this story originally appeared
Climate-Change Bill Will Become Law This Year, Waxman Predicts
U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman predicted that a plan to limit greenhouse gas emissions will become law by the end of the year.
President Barack Obama urged lawmakers to reach agreement on a bill during a meeting today with committee Democrats, Waxman said outside the White House.
“The president says he wants legislation, he wants us to move as quickly as possible,” Waxman told reporters after the meeting. “We said we’re moving it this year and he didn’t object.”
He said panel members also agreed to push forward with legislation to give consumers an incentive to trade in old cars for newer, more fuel-efficient models. The “cash for clunkers” program seeks to reduce pollution from old cars.
Democrats remain divided over cap-and-trade legislation to use pollution permits to limit greenhouse gas emissions, particularly over how to distribute the permits. Lawmakers from states that heavily rely on coal and other polluting industries want free permits to aid the transition to a cap-and-trade system.
“We are trying to be mindful of the regional concerns and the ratepayers,” Waxman said. “We’re setting out the allocations to accomplish the goals of protecting the ratepayers and ameliorate the harm that may come to any region of the country.”
Some lawmakers said before the meeting that they would ask the administration to help them sell a cap-and-trade plan to the public. The matter is contentious because any scenario for limiting pollution likely will raise energy costs in the short term. Republican leaders who oppose the proposal have labeled it a “cap-and-taxâ€
Sell to the Public
“We have to get out and explain and sell this to the American people,” said Mike Doyle, a Pennsylvania Democrat who said he is concerned about the costs to steelmakers and other energy-intensive industries. “There’s no better person in the Democratic Party to do that than the president.”
Obama wants pollution permits to be auctioned under a program that would cut greenhouse gas emissions from their 2005 levels by 20 percent by 2020 and 83 percent by 2050.
Polluting industries, including coal-fired utilities and chemical companies, want to have free permits while they develop technology to limit emissions and to protect against competitors in developing countries that don’t have such restrictions.
Waxman, Markey Plan
Waxman and Representative Ed Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat, in March released a draft cap-and-trade system. The plan didn’t specify how pollution allowances would be distributed, and energy committee lawmakers so far can’t agree on that fundamental provision.
Today, about 3,000 members of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, an Arlington, Virginia-based coalition with utilities in 47 states, will visit the Capitol to lobby lawmakers against an auction system.
Association Chief Executive Officer Glenn English said auctioning pollution permits would put small local utilities at a disadvantage against wealthier global interests such as oil companies and could enrich market speculators at the expense of consumers.
“You can side with Wall Street and the speculators, or you can side with Main Street and your constituents,” English told several thousand cooperative directors at a Washington rally yesterday.
White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and Obama climate- change adviser Carol Browner have been lobbying committee members to reach a deal.
Representative G.K. Butterfield, a North Carolina Democrat, said “very strong” differences remain on auctioning pollution permits. “Hopefully the White House can weigh in and reconcile some of our differences,” he said.
Lorraine Woellert and Julianna Goldman Lorraine Woellert And Julianna Goldman
Dangote partners Huawei for National Fibre Optic Network in Nigeria
Dancom Technologies (“Dancom”), a subsidiary company of Dangote Group and Huawei Technologies (“Huawei”), a leading next generation telecommunication solutions provider, have concluded an agreement for Huawei to build a national Fibre Optic Network, the first part of which will cover the Eastern region of the country.
Huawei will provide an end-to-end solution for Dancom, including equipment, maintenances, managed services, and so on.
The agreement is in line with government’s effort at encouraging a robust national telecommunication superhighway infrastructure. President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote and David Xie, president of Huawei West Africa Region, attended the signing ceremony on April 27. The agreement indicates the beginning of long-term cooperation between Dancom and Huawei in the area of full telecommunications planning, network rollout and managed services.
Aliko Dangote summarised Dancom’s decision thus, “Our intention is to build Nigeria’s ‘Information Highway’ by cooperating with Huawei. I am glad
Dangote
that Huawei will provide Dancom with the most advanced technologies including NG-DWDM (Next Generation Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexer) with 40G Capacity per lambda, ASON (Automatic Switched Optical Network) to avoid multi fibre cuts and enhance the network security ability up to 99.99 percent.
“The Fibre Optic Network will be used to provide voice, data and video services, accelerating e-business progress of individuals, companies and governments.”
We do believe the launch of the project will bridge a lot of capacity needs, improve Nigeria telecommunication environment, guarantee cost reduction of end-users and enrich the lives of Nigerians.”
He further noted that it would contribute a lot to boost the rapid development of Nigeria economy.
Xie in his own comments, said that “Huawei is very proud to cooperate with Dangote. Huawei specialises in producing and marketing of communications equipment as well as providing customised network solutions. We focus on our customers’ market challenges and needs by providing excellent communications network solutions and services in order to consistently create maximum value for customers. We are committed to providing a fast and reliable service and will try our best in helping Dancom to realise its set goals and objectives.”
Only proper attitude from workers, managers and government will see the country navigate through its challenges
Ikeja Branch continues her tradition of excellence as she organized another world-class Public Lecture to address the problems and challenges of manufacturing industry in the country. And to underscore her determination to make it a memorable event, the Branch invited Mr. Jen Mollenback, a Harvard Trained manager, who have successfully managed two Nigerian companies during harsh economic climate (including during the military era) and still make profit, yet while expanding the companies.
Mr mollenback has been in Nigeria for 15 years and has managed such company as R. T. Briscoe Nig limited (which is now listed on Nigerian Stock Exchange). He is currently the Managing Director of the Fan Milk Plc, the country’s most successful Dairy Industry which continues to survive numerous macro-economic challenges. It should be noted that Mr. Mollenback in one of his interviews in the media have stated that the company is facing serious challenges especially in importation and sourcing of raw materials but restated the company’s position not to retrench workers but rather retool and re-strategize to meet the challenges of ongoing global crunch.
It is from this rare bred of “Dutch-gerian” that Ikeja Branch and host of invitees from public has to listen to look at how to “Break the Ice” at this challenging moment in our country manufacturing climate. And the audience have continues to show plaudit on the Branch for the choice this year speaker as they were all left intellectually refreshed and strategically retooled to face their respective business challenges rather than evade it by closing down their business.
Mr. Mollemback pointed to two critical areas that face the country and took the audience through Harvard Tutorial on how to tackle them. He listed, competition, environmental factors (including government regulation), power, internal governing mechanism (which includes the attitude of managers and their workers to work), among other problems just as he did not fail to recommend appropriate solution to the critical areas.
Mr. Mollenback concluded the lecture by telling the audience that what the country is going through is not peculiar to Nigeria but a transitory stage that other nations had underwent or are undergoing. And that only proper attitude , both from workers and managers as well as government will see the country navigate successfully through it.
And he believes the country can indeed break the ice. He concluded that contrary to what many are thinking, Nigeria is not a bad place to do business. The Ikeja Branch thank Mr Mollenback and the entire management team of Fan Milk Plc for the successful organization of this year public lecture.
It will be recalled that the Branch have developed penchant for basing her annual public lecture on current issues affecting the country. The branch have hosted individuals such as: Dr Harold Damuren, DG, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Engr Lana Odutola, Former Special Adviser to Lagos Governor on Works and Infrastructures among others.
By Isqil Najim