NEWS AGENCY OF NIGERIA
Politics

APC to address complaints of aggrieved members in Lagos – Tayo Ayinde

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By Adeyemi Adeleye/Olayinka Olawale

The Independent Campaign Council (ICC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), working for the re-election of Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu  in Lagos State, says party leaders will address all concerns raised by its members ahead of the March 11 Governorship  election.

 

 

Mr Tayo Ayinde, the Director-General of the group, gave the assurance during a town hall with members in Alimosho, Oshodi and Mushin Local Government Areas, on Saturday in Lagos.

 

Ayinde, also the Chief of Staff to Gov. Sanwo-Olu, urged residents of these  areas to put all differences aside and unite for the success of the second term of the governor and his deputy, Dr Obafemi Hamzat.

 

The meeting was organised by the ICC to find out why the opposition party won elections in some local governments  in the state and why members did not come out to vote.

 

He said the aim of the forum was to rub minds, listen to complains and provide possible solution.

Ayinde also said that the meeting was to find out why the areas performed very low during the presidential election and how it could be addressed.

 

He said that the forum was to get feedback of issues, problems and challenges among members of the party in the these areas.

“The reason why we called this meeting is because we can not sit down at the state level and know what your  problems are at the local government level.

 

“This is why we came to interact with you and also find out the reason why the party performed woefully during the presidential elections.

 

“We are happy that you won your house of representative seat and you did not disappoint Asiwaju.

“We want you to help the other areas, Isolo and Ejigbo to win the elections. Conduct door-to-door campaign so that Oshodi Local Government will deliver.

 

“We were surprised about what happened during the presidential elections. So, we are here to find out what we can do ahead of the March 11 elections so that the party will not fail again.

“This is about how we will return our governorship candidate for the second term as well as our house of assembly members,” he said.

 

He said that all complaints would be addressed before the elections assuring that the party would pay more attention to youths .

 

Mrs Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, Special Adviser to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), urged residents of Alimosho to come out en masse to cast their vote for all APC candidates on March 11.

 

Orelope-Adefulire commended the residents of Alimosho and Lagos in general for their support for the President-elect, Sen. Bola Tinubu.

 

She said that the administration of  Tinubu would be beneficial to the masses as more jobs would be created especially for the youth.

 

“I want you all to relax as the new government of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu will be peaceful, create more jobs  and empower youths.

 

“We want you all to troop out on March 11 to cast your votes for all candidates of our party,” she said.

 

 

Mrs Funmilayo Tejuosho, a former Deputy Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, urged market men and women to conduct door-to-door campaign in Mushin and Odi-Olowo area of the state.

Tejuosho said the leaders of the party had  heard their complaints and would work hard to address them.

 

According to her, their support will go a long way in helping the party to retain power in the state.

 

“We want you all to come out and cast your votes.

 

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that participants included  youths, artisans, market men and women, religious bodies, traditional rulers, community development associations and people living with disabilities.

 

Majority of the participants had expressed displeasure and accused leaders of the party of neglect, poor leadership, and lack of financial mobilisation of its members during elections.

 

The meeting was very tensed in Alimosho and Oshodi LGAs as members accused the leaders publicly of antiparty activities.

 

A representative of the youth in Mushin, Mr Mutiu Adekunle, urged the government to carry the youths along in affairs of the state,  adding that they should be considered for political appointments.

Mr Adigun Olalekan, another youth representative, urged the government to reconcile all aggrieved youths before the next election.

 

He assured the leaders that youths in Mushin would embark on grassroots campaign.

Stakeholders at the meeting included Sen. Musiliu Obanikoro; Mr Bayo Oshinowo,Special Adviser to the Governor on Chieftaincy Matters; APC council leaders and council chairmen of Oshodi  and Mushin LGAs.

Also in attendance was Mr Musilu Akinsanya (MC Oluomo), Chairman, Lagos State Parks and Garages Management, among others. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Folasade Adeniran

Education

FGC Ijanikin wins African Coding Competition

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By Millicent Ifeanyichukwu

 

Ten students of the Federal Government College, Ijanikin, Lagos, have put the school in the map of academic achievement, winning a coding competition, contested by 178 schools nationwide.

Principal and students of Federal Government College, Ijanikin, Lagos, African Coding Challenge winners.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) learnt that the feat has also placed the school as the third best in the latest edition of the African Code Challenge, involving 30 African countries.

The Principal of the college, Ms. Tofunmi Akamo, confirmed the development in a telephone interview with NAN on Sunday in Lagos.

She expressed her excitement on the feat by the students, describing the development as heart-warming for teachers, students and former students of the college.

Akamo said that the youngsters had raised hope that Nigeria would eventually rule the world in the evolving field of coding and other aspects of information communications technology.

Principal of Federal Government College, Ijanikin, Lagos, Ms. Tofunmi Akamo.

She lauded the Federal Government for creating a congenial environment that made it possible for students of the college to make their mark at the continental and national competitions.

The principal added that the school’s team worked on a project with theme “Chase N’ Recycle for the 2022 competition, assuring that the school would never relent in bringing honour to Nigeria.

She disclosed that the contest, staged late last year, saw Madagascar placing first, with Mauritius coming second while Nigeria, represented by two teams from the Federal Government Ijanikin, came third.

NAN reports that team one as fielded by the college is made up of Chidozirim Ejiogu, Praise Olugbenro, Ikram Babs-Lawal, Ayodeji Taiwo-Taiwo and Honourable Olutoye.

The school’s team two is made up of Adesewa Akin-Aina, Muhammad Elusogbon, Mustapha Adeboye, Joel Okafor and Daniel Oluwajuyigbe.

Federal Government College, Ijanikin, one of the unity schools in the country was established on Oct. 6, 1975. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

 

Edited by Silas Nwoha

Oil & Gas

MOMAN tasks downstream operators on service automation

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By Yusuf Yunus

The Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN) on Saturday urged operators in the Nigerian downstream sector to ensure  automation of their services.

According to the body, their services being automated will help them on data generation, improve product delivery storage utilisation and profitability.

Mr Clement Isong, the Chief Executive Officer of MOMAN, gave the advice while speaking during a virtual workshop on World International Data Day,  on Saturday.

Isong, who spoke on the importance of data and automation in the downstream business, said data on products demand on refined fuels and  lubricants could streamline operations, improve product delivery, storage utilisation, among others.

Isong said that the automation would also ensure transparency, excellent customer service, eliminate fraud, corruption and  boost the reputation of the industry.

The MOMAN boss urged the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) to invest in infrastructure for data gathering.

Isong said, “ Our position in MOMAN is that we are looking for the automation of the entire supply chain. It meas everybody needs to invest in order to optimise their businesses.

“Eventually, the beneficiary is the customer. It is good for corporate governance. It removes people’s ability to steal.

“And the authority, NMDPRA, itself, has got to invest in infrastructure for data gathering and has got to do a preliminary analysis of that data.

“It has to put up that information on its website, which investors, marketers, operators and everybody can access.

“On that basis, optimise the business and make investment decisions. It is fundamental to a deregulated system.

“It improves the quality of decision-making as well as transparency and eliminates bad behaviour as well as fraud and theft.

“You have to shine your light and darkness and bad practices will disappear. This is very important,” lsong added.

The lead political analyst, Ikponmwosa Aikhionbare, said that Ghana launched the Bulk Road Vehicle Tracking System (BRVTS) to track the movement of petroleum products from depots to retail outlets.

“The system uses GPS technology to monitor the location, speed, and fuel consumption of trucks transporting petroleum products.

“In India, the government has implemented a system called the Automated System for Oil Movement and Storage (ASOMS), which tracks the movement of petroleum products through the supply chain.

“The system uses data analysis to monitor product quality and identify potential issues before they cause defects or safety hazards,” he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the virtual workshop was attended by energy journalists and stakeholders in the oil and gas industry. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

 

Edited by Olawunmi Ashafa

Politics

Yiaga Africa advocates legal timelines for testing new electoral technologies

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By Angela Atabo

 

Yiaga Africa, a Civil Society Organisation (CSO), has recommended legal timelines for testing new electoral technologies in Nigeria’s electoral legal framework.

 

The CSO made this suggestion in Abuja on Wednesday in its post-election statement signed by Dr Aisha Abdullahi, the Board Chair, and Mr Samson Itodo, the Executive Director, Yiaga Africa.

 

According to the group, the testing timeline will equip the commission more to use its adopted technology effectively during election.

 

It said that for the Feb. 25 presidential election, Yiaga Africa employed the Parallel Vote Tabulation (PVT) methodology.

 

The CSO explained said that the organisation deployed 3,014 observers in pairs to a representative random sample of 1,507 polling units, 822 mobile observers in all 774 local government areas (LGAs), 36 states and the FCT.

 

“This deployment strategy enabled Yiaga Africa to provide timely and accurate information on the election day process commencing from the set-up, voter accreditation, voting, counting and to independently assess the official results of the presidential election as announced by INEC.

“This statement is based on reports from 1,454 to 1,507 (97 per cent ) sampled polling units in Nigeria.

 

“The PVT statistical analysis was based on the number of registered voters and not on the number of PVCs collected.”

 

It said that Yiaga Africa’s findings on the election included: late arrival of INEC officials at the polling unit, challenges with locating polling units and insufficient election materials.

 

The organisation listed others as functionality of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), uploading and transmission of results, among others.

 

“Yiaga Africa expressed concerns about the delay in uploading polling unit results for the presidential election on the INEC Election Results Viewing Portal (IReV).

 

“Undoubtedly, the delay in uploading the polling unit-level results cast doubts on the credibility of the results management process resulting in broken public trust in electoral technology.

 

“Yiaga Africa notes that the delayed upload of the results on the IReV is a flagrant disregard of INEC’s Regulations and Guidelines, and it failed to meet citizens’ expectations.”

 

It said that Yiaga Africa also condemned the cases of violence and disruption of the voting and results collation process by thugs and hoodlums, especially the violence targeted at National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members and INEC staff.

 

The group said that the creation of additional polling units was a positive and long-needed step by INEC, however the implementation failed to address overcrowding.

 

As a result, there were polling units with fewer than 10 registered voters and others with over 10,000. Some voters who were migrated to new polling units experienced difficulties locating their respective polling units.”

 

Yiaga Africa also recommended a comprehensive audit and investigation to unravel the factors that led to the delay in the upload of election results on the online portal as critical.

 

It said that persons found complicit in sabotaging the critical aspect of the election should be sanctioned.

 

The CSO also advised INEC to provide clarifications on its interpretation of key aspects of the legal framework on issues like results collation and transmission process.

 

It said that there should also be clarity on the threshold for determining the winner in an election and the commission’s power to review election results declared under duress or in contravention of the Electoral Act, INEC Guidelines and Manual.

 

Besides, Yiaga Africa urged INEC to sustain the uploads of polling unit results form EC 8A on its IReV portal. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola

General News

Oba Elegushi hails Police, others for violence-free election

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Oba Saheed Elegushi while performing his civic rights in Lagos on Saturday.

 

By Aisha Cole/Mateen Badru
Oba Saheed Elegushi of Ikate Kingdom in Lagos State has commended the Police and other security agencies for ensuring peace and orderliness during the general election at Ikate-Elegushi area of the state on Saturday.
Elegushi said this while briefing newsmen after exercising his civic responsibility at Polling Unit 008 within the Ikate-Elegushi Palace in Lagos.
“Everything is going on well, I have been out earlier to exercise my own civic rights as a citizen of Nigeria. I voted for the candidate of my choice and I am back to my palace now.
“I was just visited by the Army Commander and the Police. They told me about the incident and the issue had been settled. I am not aware if any arrest was made,” he said.
He, however, decried the transferring of voters from their polling units to another without proper verification by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
“I have one question to ask INEC. How can someone just go to your website, make a transfer and upload an address to vote without verifying it.
“We see lots of strange faces that don’t live in this vicinity coming here to vote. We can’t accept that because it’s a fraud.
“Definitely after the election, we have to take it up because it is not right. To see a lot of strange faces that they don’t even live within this local government and they are voting here.
“When you do a transfer, you must be able to verify the address,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) gathered that there had been fracas at some polling units outside the palace, where some voters claimed they were not allowed to vote.
NAN also reports that security operatives were on ground, following an allegation of destruction of voting materials at some polling units around the area.
Elegushi, however, said that the Army Commander had subsequently paid him a visit and that the situation had been put under control.
NAN also observed that normalcy had immediately returned to the polling units outside the palace after which security operatives with armoured personnel carrier patrolled the area. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Olawunmi Ashafa
Politics

Group appeals to technocrats to lead Nigeria’s politics

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Some participants at a two hour interactive session organised by the Tinubu/Shettima and Sanwo-Olu/Hamzat Independent Campaign Council (ICC), Professional Women Directorate, Thursday in Lagos.

By Yemi Adeleye/Grace Alegba

The Directorate of Professional Women, Independent Campaign Council (ICC) of the APC Presidential Candidate Committee, Lagos State, on Thursday said technocrats were indispensable and should ensure credible elections.

Mr Tayo Ayinde, Director General, Tinubu/Shettima and Sanwo-Olu/Hamzat Independent Campaign Council (ICC), said this in Ikeja at a two-hour interactive session with 50 professional bodies.

The programme was organised by the TinubuShettima and Sanwo-Olu/Hamzat Independent Campaign Council (ICC), Professional Women Directorate.

Ayinde said before the first and second Republics, Nigeria’s founding fathers and nationalists like Late Herbert Macaulay, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, Sir Tafawa Balewa , Sir Anthony Enahoro were technocrats.

He said the vacuum left by the experts gave room for charlatans in politics and appealed to technocrats to take back their place through active participation and leading campaign against voter apathy.

Ayinde, who is the Chief of Staff to Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, was represented at the meeting by Mr Tayo Orekoya, Director Lagos West 1, ICC.

He said the theme of the event, “Involvement of Professionals in Election and Electioneering Process” was apt.

Ayinde said that professionals, by their training, skills, exposure and expertise, were “positioned to play indispensable roles in the promotion of democratic ethos and furtherance of the democratic process”.

He said the Lagos State Government recognised their importance and had always engaged them positively.

Ayinde cited APC Presidential Candidate, Sen. Bola Tinubu as an example of first class technocrat and political master strategist who had never lost an election.

“He populated his cabinet as Governor of Lagos State from 1999 to 2007 with professionals otherwise known as technocrats,” he said.

He commended female professionals for creditable performance, adding that, over 40 per cent of the ICC Directorate was headed by Women Professionals as Directors.

Ayinde listed achieving female technocrats in APC Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) leading national campaigns, including Dr Betty Edu, National Women Leader, Mrs Alike Dabiri-Erewa and Sen. Oluremi Tinubu.

He urged technocrats to massively vote and seek votes for Sen. Bola Tinubu as President and Sanwo-Olu as governor of Lagos State.

Earlier, while making her opening speech, Director, TinubuShettima/Sanwo-OluHamzat, ICC, Dr Atinuke Owolabi, said professionals should stop being passive and sensitise more people towards making right choices in the forthcoming elections.

Owolabi, an award winning engineer, thanked ICC elders for the opportunity to showcase 50 professional bodies in Lagos who now have a platform beyond elections to interface between government and the grassroots.

She said the directorate’s goal was to ensure all eligible voters participate and are educated on basic voting processes, how to locate polling units and other important information on accurate voting procedures.

She also urged Nigerians to vote APC at all levels, particularly its Presidential Candidate, Sen. Bola Tinubu and Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State for renewed hope and a Greater Lagos that is rising.

“Our target in Lagos State is to get five million votes. This we can achieve, this we will achieve.
“It only takes us working together,” she said. (NAN)

Edited by Oluwole Sogunle

Politics

Election: Tinubu has capacity to salvage Nigeria – Group

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By Olatunde Ajayi

The Bola Ahmed Tinubu (BAT) Elite Group has said that the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Sen. Bola Tinubu, has the capacity to salvage Nigeria.

The group made this known at the Special Youth Sensitisation and Election Awareness Programme tagged: Tinubu 2023: The Push to the Finish Line,” organised on Wednesday in Ibadan.

Speaking at the event, Mr Wale Oladiti, the leader of the group, said that the group believed that right policies for economic development could only be achieved when the most qualified candidate emerged as Nigeria’s president.

Oladiti noted that Nigeria needed a person with credentials, capabilities and experience, especially at this critical moment to bring the required social reform and development to the country.

He added that the track record of Tinubu as a former governor of Lagos State showed that he would bring the much-needed positive change, especially in the area of job creation for the youth.

“Imagine if we have the kind of progress we witnessed in Lagos State during the regime of Sen. Bola Tinubu in many states, that means there will be massive job opportunities for the youth.

“We want youths to vote according to their conscience by checking the track record of all the presidential contestants.

“We are not tribalistic, as a youth group, we are not supporting Tinubu based on tribe or religion but purely on his capabilities,” he said.

One of the guest panelists, Mr Laide Oduyemi, a business development expert, said that the manifesto of Tinubu had clearly showed that there would be reduction in overreliance on imported goods.

This, according to Oduyemi, will bring massive job opportunities for the youth.

“When we cut down importation and increase local production, many of our youths will get good jobs, reduce brain drain and boost our revenue as a nation,” he said.

Also speaking, Mr Afeez Bolaji, the former Deputy National Youth Leader, APC, said that the programme sought to sensitise the youth to the need to vote for leaders that would salvage the nation’ economy, security, agriculture, education and other sectors.

Commenting, Mr Lanre Oyegbola, the special Assistant to Ogun State Governor on Housing, added that the manifesto of Tinubu had clearly shown that he had good plans for the youth.

“We can clearly feel the good spirits he has for the youth from the push and mentorship he has offered in the past, helping many youths to reach the top and fulfill their destinies,” he noted.

Another member of the panel, Mrs Mercy Adelabu, said that the move by the APC presidential candidate to ensure active participation of women in governance and policy formulation was commendable.

Adelabu noted that statistics had shown that women always perform creditably when given the chance to make input in policy formulation and governance.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the sensitisation programme featured panel session, voter education and awareness campaign, among others.(NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Chinyere Joel-Nwokeoma

Environment

Ecology office condemns delayed dredging of Lagos channels

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By Mercy Omoike

The Ecology Project Office (EPO) has condemned the delayed dredging and channelisation of the Tejuosho/ Canal railway projects in Lagos State.

The Permanent Secretary of the EPO, Malam Shehu Ibrahim, expressed dissatisfaction over the delayed progress of the project on Wednesday in Lagos.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the EPO under the auspices of Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) was on a site inspection of project interventions.

The dredging of the Tejuosho/Canal Railway is part of the efforts of the EPO on flood control and soil erosion prevention during the rainy season.

“This is the essence of the physical on-the-site inspection to be engaged by the ecological project office.

“As you can observe, the progress of this project is slow; we have already summoned the contractor to the office to explain to us the reason for this delay.

“The quality of the work is poor and as you can observe, looking at the situation alone everything is unkempt nothing is even going on here.

“When the contractor comes to the office, we will sit down with him and have proper discussion on the way forward to keep this project going.

“This delay has definitely slowed down our intervention efforts to prevent flooding across the country because this project should have been completed by now.

“This project should have been done even before the rain starts, we are already in February and maybe before March the rains will begin and further slow down the project.

So, much time has been wasted,” Ibrahim said.

He, however, disclosed that appropriate sanctions would be meted out on the contractors for the delay in the execution of the project.

“This is a project that was awarded two years or three years ago and they were supposed to have completed it within a year.

“Now, it is more than three years and the level of completion is not even up to 25 per cent.

“This is an eye opener for us and we will intensify our efforts in inspecting and monitoring interventions being sponsored by the Ecology Project Office across the country.

“I think because they observed that we were coming for inspection, they were able to upscale some of the work but that is not what should have been done.

“This drainage channelling is meant to ameliorate flooding incidents across this area, especially in Tejuosho, Bode Thomas and the Surulere axis.

“There will definitely be sanctions on the contractors for the delay and the small slow progress of this project,” Ibrahim said. (NAN) www.nannews.ng

Edited by Chinyere Joel-Nwokeoma

Environment

Ecology office inspects ongoing sewage pipeline system at LUTH

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By Mercy Omoike

The Ecological Project Office (EPO) on Wednesday commended the progress recorded at the ongoing construction of a six-kilometre sewage pipeline system at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Federal Government sponsored project under the auspices of the Ecological Project Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) is almost near completion.

Speaking at the on site inspection of the project, Malam Shehu Ibrahim, the Permanent Secretary, Ecological Project Office, commended the project progress and expressed optimism that it would amelioration the sewage problems at the teaching hospital.

“Anybody that has gone round this facility will really appreciate what the Federal Government is doing in communities.

“This project is something we are very proud of, and you can also see the quality of job that is ongoing here. We are looking forward for the project to ameliorate the problems that exist here.

“So far, the progress of the project at LUTH is commendable and in the next two to three weeks, we look forward to its inauguration,” Ibrahim said.

He also promised that more ecological project interventions would be approved as the need arises with availability of funds.

“Well, as I always say, the Ecological Project Office is one office that the public has confidence in because it’s an office that anybody has an access to.

“You just make your request and we will come in to see what we can do. Presently, we have so many requests, over 3,000 in our data bank to take care of.

“However, our major challenge is fund, what we have and the level of intervention will depend on the fund available to us,” Ibrahim said.

In his response, the Chief Medical Director, LUTH, Prof. Chris Bode, applauded the efforts of government in coming to the rescue of the hospital’s community with the sewage project intervention.

“As we celebrate our 60th anniversary, we want to thank the Federal Government for our sewage pipeline system for both the Lagos University Hospital and the College of Medicine.

“The sewage system in LUTH has been in existence for over 50 years. And inevitably, they became overworked.

“In fact, what we have here is the old sewage treatment plant, it broke down and we are barely coping by simply doing some chemical treatment of sewage.

“LUTH houses over 10,000 people, its a whole village on its own and we just chemically treat the sewage before we discharge it into the canal.

“When discharged it constitutes some environmental hazards. So, we had to approach the Ecological Fund at the Presidency. The reception we got there was amazing, we did not need to know anybody.

“You can see what they have done, over six kilometres of sewage pipeline have been replaced. And we are getting a brand new sewage treatment plant.

“As a community, we are very happy, it’s a happy day for us and for communities that live downstream to us, they will not be exposed to any hazards again.

“So, I must use this opportunity, therefore, to thank Mr President, the Secretary General of the Federation, the Permanent Secretary and everybody that made this possible,” Bode said.

The contractors of the project, Emeka Udokporo of Flab Engineering Services Ltd., said that the project would be delivered as soon as possible.

“The project is almost 100 per cent completed, we are almost at the end of the project.

“Once the treatment plan comes, within the next two to three weeks we will be ready to set up and train those to operate it,” Udokporo said. (NAN) (www.nannewa.ng)

Edited by Chinyere Joel-Nwokeoma

Business

Speedy implementation of movement critical to AfCFTA success- Zimbabwean tycoon

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Mr Ken Sharpe, CEO, WestProp, Zimbabwe

By Rukayat Moisemhe

Speedy implementation of free movement of persons, goods and services is critical in benefiting from opportunities in the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), says Mr Ken Sharpe, a Zimbabwean business mogul.

Sharpe, also the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), West Property, Zimbabwe, made the assertion during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday.

NAN reports that AfCFTA goal is to encourage trade, commerce and address the continent’s developmental challenges.

Sharpe said that the call was pertinent to reflect the true power of the continent and for accelerated Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth.

He, however, noted that five years into ratification of the AfCFTA, Africans were yet to benefit from the agreement due to several reasons.

“The are several reasons but the most important and pressing one is freedom of movement.

“You see Dubai was built because the visionary Sheik saw that creating the world’s largest airport and airlines would bring capital and investment to his country proves the point.

“We can’t fly directly between most African countries and visas are still required between many of our countries, thus restricting people moving affordably and easily.

“If people can’t have freedom of movement, then never mind moving goods because with all the trade tariffs and barriers that block trade, it is no wonder we are standing still.

“The message is for our leaders to wake up and make it happen like yesterday, for our future depends on it,” he said.

Sharpe also advocated the need for players in the real estate space to leverage technology to provide services that allow real time information relating to properties to address housing deficits in Africa.

According to him, Africans lived in a century where carbon oils is absolute, while the new fuel is data.

To this end, the real estate mogul said data and services could be tailor-made to provide services such as tracking and reducing electricity consumption, home automation and other offerings.

“Also, a possible solution to the housing deficit could be to create a shared stay app, like a shared ride where rooms unoccupied in homes could be rented out.

“Office vacancies can be converted to residential. However, data is needed to match the supply and demand needs, especially for low income earners,” he said.

He added that green and innovative solutions in the housing segment were critical to preserve the planet and have a sustainable climate.

“For example, at WestProp, we are already working with alternative energy solutions by using solar, gas and grey water.

“Smart homes allow electronically controlled valves and switches that allow you to turn your electricity and even water off to your geyser, control light switches and access and alarm control all from the touch of a button on your cell phone,” he said.

He urged upcoming entrepreneurs to focus on their core business, product or service and not spread too thin or be distracted to engender sustainability and success on the long run.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Olawunmi Ashafa

 

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