Starcomms boss renews call for CDMA consolidation in Nigeria

MANAGING Director of Starcomms Plc, Maher Qubain, has reasserted his position that consolidation in the Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) segment of the telecommunications market and a fair playground for all networks are vital considerations in the effort for proper development of the telecoms market in the country.

Qubain stated this in Lagos at the weekend, against the background of the tough operating conditions of the CDMA networks in the country. Qubain said with all the CDMA networks put together controlling less than 10 per cent of the telecom market, operating in a lopsided competition against larger GSM networks, there is need for constructive measures by both the CDMA networks and the regulators.

“It is important for the CDMA networks to come together in the face of the operating conditions. With that, they can achieve scale. They can muster greater buying power. So, instead of struggling for survival, they can compete as a dynamic force in the industry. CDMA mortality rate is alarming.

“For instance, there were 12 active CDMA networks in the country two years ago. They came down to six by last year and now there are three or four. Meanwhile, GSM networks are growing in number because they have scale and they are favoured by the interconnect rate allowed in the industry,” he said.

Speaking on Starcomms’ recent attempt to practice what it preached about consolidation in its bid to acquire another CDMA network in the country from a South African company, Qubain said that the deal did not come through because Starcomms had done four months of exclusive and extensive due diligence and establishing the right price for the network, which the network turned down for a higher bidder.

“Our intentions then were original and well informed. We believed that all issues, including legal issues must be clearly resolved. That is the way of responsible businesses. So we offered the price we considered fair.”

However, the Starcomms helmsman reiterated that consolidation could happen in diverse ways. He said that unused spectrums of moribund networks now lying fallow could be made available for others to use for better coverage. According to him, it is important for the National Communications Commission to enforce its own “use the spectrum or lose it” rule on networks that are no more operating and reallocate to others.

He said that a lot of the CDMA networks that have closed shop were weighed down by the interconnect rate. He said that the exclusive opportunity that the older GSM networks had for five years to enjoy high interconnect rate despite the size of their subscriber base did not allow some of these CDMA networks to take off properly.

“There is a lot of incongruence in the interconnect rate,” he said.

According to him, Nigeria charges the highest percentage of interconnect rate in the world. He therefore enjoined the regulators to look into the issue of interconnect rate and unused spectrums to allow for proper development of the industry and effective deployment of different technologies to serve Nigeria better.

Starcomms launches Huawei smart phone

STARCOMMS Plc, the leading CDMA operator in the country, has introduced Huawei IDEOS C8150 Android phones into Nigeria market in order to meet the cravings of its teeming customers.

Huawei C8150 is a smart mobile phone that allows a customer to apply voice and data services on its network such as calls, web access, application download, e-books and information search on the web for exciting places at the touch of the button.

The phone features Google Android 2.2 and it is supported on EVDO Rev A network with pre-loaded Google applications.

Presenting the new hand set, the Chief Operating Officer of Starcomms Plc, Logan Pather, said: "Android has continued to maintain its position as the most innovative smart phone operating system in the telecomm world. Starcomms has a culture of applying cutting edge technology for the benefit of our customers. That is why we will continue to give them value for their money."

He also said: "C8150 phone is a mobile phone with full touch screen. The Android 2.2 OS supports push mail on its platform and suitable for mobile entrepreneurs and business executives who need to stay connected with clients, business partners and also have access to vital information on the go.

Logan said that it had unique portable Wi-Fi feature, which allowed customers to connect with other suitable portable devices and access available wireless Internet connection.

He said: "It is a true mobile device that is comfortable to carry around and use on the move or at leisure while enjoying the G-sensor feature that allows the phone to be rotated for a landscape view for a better view of the screen contents."

According to him, "Starcomms will continue to listen to its customers and put their satisfaction on the front burner of its innovations and service delivery."

Starcomms targets N5.7bn turnover for Q3 2011

One of Nigeria’s CDMA operators, Starcomms plc, recently released its third quarter (Q3) 2011 forecast to the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) showing that the company expects gross earnings of N5.7 billion, while it targets a loss after tax of N2.3 billion, indicating that it does not expect to return to profit.

The company also forecasts net cash flow generated from operating activities at N50.3 billion, while cash flow from financing activities is targeted at N3 billion.

Though the company’s second quarter (Q2) result is still expected at the end of the month, a look at its Q1 result shows that the company recorded a significant 24 percent decrease in turnover from N7.9 billion in 2010 to N6 billion the following year.

Also loss after tax witnessed a sharp 35 percent decrease from N1.5 billion in 2010 to N2 billion the following year.

Meanwhile, as part of moves by the company to strengthen its management team in a highly competitive telecommunications industry and put it onto growth path, it recently appointed two directors - Bryan Morris and Peter Kingsley - as new directors last month.

In a statement signed by the company, it said Morris would be responsible for all human resources and administrative operations while Kingsley would be in charge of customers operations and services of the company.

Prior to the time of appointing them, Starcomms also went into negotiations with Telcom Multi-Links, which was having problems.

The deal was however slowed down by cost of sale considerations as both parties were negotiating to agree on a final sale that would be agreeable to both.

Sometime in January 2010, the Telkom’s board was said to have rejected a proposal by former CEO, Reuben September, to merge Multi-Links with Starcomms. But with the exiting of Telkom from the Nigerian CDMA market, the firm is said to be in negotiations with Starcomms in its bid to acquire Multi-Llinks. If the acquisition sails through, it would give Starcomms which had lost market share to Visafone, a chance to recover dwindling subscriber numbers.

Since Telkom announced that it was exiting the Nigerian market in November last year, it was said to have gotten strong offers from Etisalat Nigeria, whose CEO Steve Evans later said the company was not interested in Multi-Links any more.

　

Starcomms hails customers’ response to new tariff plan

Starcomms Plc has lauded its customers’ response to the "Awuff-Plus" tariff plan, which allows them to call free on-net all day and at 20k a second to other networks within Nigeria.

The Chief Operating Officer, Starcomms, Mr. Logan Pather, was quoted in a statement on Monday as saying, "Our customers’ response to the plan has been tremendous."

He said the tariff plan could be used by all Starcomms customers everywhere within the network’s coverage.

"To get on this plan, customers will need to dial 151*PIN*number of days. The default PIN of all Starcomms phone is *1234. This will put them on the plan for the number of days they subscribe for. Awuff Plus also attract a daily N100 subscription fee," he said.

Pather noted that customers, who subscribed for several days at once, would get a discount on the fee according to the number of days.

The Starcomms boss said the plan could be one, three, five, seven, 15 or 30 days.

"Discounts on the subscription plan are available for only five, seven, 15 or 30 days, and they range between N10 and N500. This means that those who subscribe for five days’ plan will pay N490, while a 30-day subscription will cost N2,500," he said.

Pather said that the subscription charges expired at 12 midnight regardless of the time of the day that the customer activated the plan.

According to him, Awuff Plus is the follow up to Starcomms’ Awuff, another plan announced by the company a few weeks ago.

Pather said that the company introduced the plan in response to its customers’ demand.

According to him, Awuff was inaugurated on March 15, 2011, when Starcomms joined the rest of the world to commemorate the World Consumer Rights Day as a one-off bonus to the customers.

On that day, Starcomms customers were offered the opportunity to call their friends and loved ones at only N2 per minute on-net between the hours of 6pm and 8pm.

"This is an excellent platform to assure our consumers that, with Starcomms, they are king and we will keep listening to them," Pather said.

　

　

L-R Chairman, Starcomms, Chief Mann Lababidi; Company
Secretary, Mr. Nnami Oyeka and Director, Mr. Paul Edwards
during the 13th annual general meeting of the company in Abuja

Promasidor Appoints TPT International as PR Partner

Keith Richards,
MD Promasidor Nigeria

After organising a very competitive pitch involving six top Public Relations firms in the country, Promasidor Nigeria Limited, makers of Cowbell Milk, a Fast Moving Consumers Goods Company; has announced the appointment of TPT International, a leading public relations company in the country; as its public relations partner. This is the first time the company is formally retaining a Public Relations firm in it’s over seventeen years of existence in Nigeria.

According to Chief Keith Richards OBE, Managing Director of Promasidor, “the selection process was indeed very competitive. But after a very careful review of the presentations and credentials of all the agencies, we settled for TPT International because of their excellent presentations and unrivalled track record”.

With the appointment, TPT International will be responsible for managing the reputation of the Promasidor corporate and all product brands. Promasidor’s product brands includes the household name Cowbell Milk, Cowbell Choco, Cowbell Flavoured Milk Drink, Loya Full Cream Milk, Miksi, Onga food seasoning, Amila and the premium tea brand-Top Tea. They are all market leaders in their various market segments.

 In his words Mr. Modupe Adetokunbo, TPT International Chief Consultant said his team was delighted about the development as it will give his agency another opportunity to work with a first-class marketing team in one of the fastest growing multinational companies in Africa. “I have no doubt this will afford us the opportunity to apply our innovative PR practice in complementing the efforts of the management team of Promasidor”.

TPT, which started business in 1998, is a professional, service-driven communications consultancy firm that offers premium public relations and advisory services to a select group of corporate clients, institutions and, in special cases, high net worth individuals.

The Company which has a track record of innovative approach to PR practice has consulted for many multinationals and Governments including Guinness Nigeria Plc, British America Tobacco Company, Procter & Gamble West Africa, British Council, MasterCard, IBM, FCMB, Finbank, Pfizer, Federal Government of Nigeria, Cross River State Government e.t.c.

 001 Events Limited, an event management and direct marketing company in 2008 and Tech One, an event, logistics and activation company also joined the fold in 2010.

 It is expected that with this appointment, the Company will help reposition Promasidor’s corporate and product brands profile to reflect the efforts of the current management, under the leadership of Chief Keith Richards, a man whose positive impact is already being felt in the Company.

Onga: Stoking Culinary Skills of Students

Kate Henshaw-Nuttal is one brand ambassador that has more than delivered on expectations. Most people who knew Kate as a Nollywood actress would never have associated her with culinary expertise. Those who know her, at least before she debuted as the face of Onga food seasoning would never have believed she was capable of inspiring such a strong influence on the sales of something that had to do with cooking.
But Kate has that smile and warmth of personality that could disarm. And she is one Nollywood actress that has not had any scandal tainting her career and marriage. So when a couple of years ago, Onga and Kate consummated a relationship that made her the face of the brand, it was this clean personality that the brand was actually looking for.

But since coming on board, Kate has delivered beyond expectations.
Slowly and with her face donning one creative advert after another, Kate is taking Onga into most kitchens in Nigeria. And from May 28 to August 20, 2011, Kate will be carrying this new wave-making seasoning to 15 university campuses in Nigeria for a cooking competition geared towards winning “future wives and mothers” over to the brand at such a critical age.

According to the company’s Manager, Food Enhancement and Beverages, Abiola Inawo, at a media briefing in the company’s corporate headquarters in Isolo, Lagos, the Onga National Campus Cooking Competition is essentially put together to celebrate the Nigerian Culture as expressed in the diversity of delicacies created by various ethnic groups in the country.

She also said it was designed to stimulate young Nigerians to prepare for a future where the consumption of healthy food will be part of them.

“Promasidor is known for innovation, creativity, nourishment and care. All these are packaged in Onga which is a seasoning that comes in powdered form to add value to the lives of women in this country. We intend this National Campus Cooking Competition to prepare young Nigerians for unity and stability in their homes, knowing that campus life is the final stage before homebuilding. That is why they are challenged to cook traditional meals of the locality of their campuses no matter which part of the country they themselves come from,” Inawo said.

Onga Cooking Competition is not new to campuses, according to Kate Henshaw-Nuttall. The brand has been staging cooking competitions at faculty, club and Hall of residence levels through invitations by student groups on campuses. But this is the first time that the competition is happening on a national scale in 15 carefully selected campuses.

“It has been a very exciting and educative experience for me. Through those competitions I have travelled to many regions of the country, eaten various delicacies and had great times with students. I have learnt a lot about Nigeria and I am thrilled at the interest that the cooking competitions have generated among students,”

To participate in the Onga National Cooking Competition, students will need to respond to a call to entry which will be collated in their faculties and halls of residence. The competition will happen in three stages. At the campus levels, Onga crew will arrive each campus to organise a two-day school storm, where different flavours of Onga will be showcased, with cooking and sampling.

The campus level competition will be preceded by a variety show, with the students having a lot of fun which will be driven by various talents among them. Prizes to be won at conclusion of this level include, a deep freezer, a four-in-one burner gas cooker and a fridge for the first, second and third winner respectively. Other consolation prizes will also be won.

 

Promasidor’s General Manger, Marketing, Kachi Onubogu, also commenting on the competition, said “Everybody who participates will win something. The initiative is bigger than a competition. It is the company’s way of driving unity. Integration is the goal. It is about celebrating culture and food. I will be excited for instance to see a Yoruba boy or girl studying in University of Calabar, coming tops in Unical by cooking the best Afang soup or an Igbo student in Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University doing the best Mia Kuka.

The grand finally of the Onga National Campus Cooking Competition will hold in Lagos after all the campus editions have been concluded.

The first, second and third winners will go home with a Kia Rio car, a six-in-one burner gas cooker and a freezer-fridge respectively.

Like most products from the stable of Promasidor Nigeria, Onga came into the market with very strong differentiation and thus is what, along with Kate’s wan smile, is taking it into most kitchens.

Recall that when this brand came into the market with Cowbell milk, it cleverly targeted the low income bracket by making its milk is small affordable sachets. Recall that within a few years, most other milk brands followed this path.

Now again in 2004, Promasidor launched Onga. In a market where food seasoning are packaged in cube form, Onga came out already crushed in an easy to use sachet.

But even then, the buying habit of most home makers was such that when they go to the market, in their heads, food seasoning is a cube. So they were not really buying Onga because for them, Onga is not a seasoning.

That was when Promasidor pumped up the volume with TVCs and location activations that included cooking competitions at NYSC Orientation camps and such places. Then again, Onga invoked its strongest differentiator. As we noted earlier, not being a cube was a major disadvantage for Onga. But that was what this brand was later to turn into a strong advantage by attacking the “cube” seasonings and emphasising the benefits of being a seasoning in a sachet.

For Onga, being in a sachet reduces exposure of cooking food to germs contacted in the everyday activity. It does seem that the public is embracing this sentiment. Whether this will also eventually lead other brands to change from cubes to sachets remains to be seen, but what is clear is that Onga has taken the innovation leadership and it does seem to be working.

With the Onga Cooking Competition targeting young undergraduates, this brand is really building long term partnerships that will properly situate it high on the family preference and budget.

School Children Win Big at Cowbell Chocolate Animal Game Show

Children from about 30 nursery and primary schools in Lagos were at weekend treated to various games at the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Surulere, Lagos.

The event which was sponsored by Cowbell Chocolate, one of the leading products of Promasidor Nigeria Limited is an yearly event, which is designed to mark the children’s day celebration, is in its fifth year.

It was a day of fanfare, talent display and variety shows for, and by the joyous children, who staged a parade, mimed songs, performed choreographic dances and played games. They all arrived at the venue in glowing Cowbell Chocolate colours to slug it out in various exciting animal games.

Mr. Kachi Onubogu, general manager, marketing of Promasidor said the aim of the company’s sponsorship of the event is to bring children together to share joy with one another on a day dedicated to them by the whole world.

 According to him it is the practice of Promasidor to get involved in all events that will excite the children and make such events memorable for them. The company sponsors events all over the country and these include inter-house sports in schools and other children-specific events.

“All Promasidor products are children-friendly. And this is our strength, which is being felt all over Nigeria,” he said.

At the league round of five games which included: Ball in the Air, Zoo Garden Ball Race, Fishing Game, Egg laying Game and Tortoise Balloon Hammer Game, Jolayemi Nursery and Primary School of Epe led the pack with the highest points by winning the Ball in the air game in Group A.

It was followed by Air Force School which won  the Tortoise Balloon Hammer Game in Group E. Queensland Academy won the Egg laying game in group D, Liham School Iwaya won the Zoo Garden Ball Race in group B while Toria School from Yaba won the fishing game in group C.

At the final round which is the Cowbell Choco Fortune Game, Air Force Primary School overtook Jolayemi to clinch the trophy and went home with N50,000 cash prize plus a promotional packages, while Jolayemi Nursery and Primary School of Epe went home with N40,000 cash prize and promotional packages.

Toria School, Yaba came third and went home with N30,000 and various promotional packages too. Nobody was a loser at the Cowbell Chocolate sponsored event as every child present had a  sumptuous meal and went home with a shirt and promotional materials. Each of them was also entitled to a raffle ticket.

It was a day of great excitement for the children. The high point of the show was the raffle draws where all the pupils played for three BMX bicycles and other consolation prizes. Feyisayo Ibidapo-Elegbe of Toria School Yaba , Tobi Adedayo of Yemtoik School Oshodi and Omoniyi Timilehin also of Toria School won the bicycles.

Congratulating the children on the occasion, the wife of the chairman of Surulere Local Government Council, Mrs. Mosunmola Folami who represented the wife of the Lagos State governor, Mrs. Abimbola Fashola, enjoined the children to always emulate good conducts, obey their teachers and parents and should shun anything that could bring disrepute to their families.

Also speaking at the event, the Brand Manager, Dairy Category of Promasidor, Dr. Obinna Anyalebechi said that Cowbell Chocolate, the sponsoring brand of the games is a brand mostly enjoyed by children of nursery and primary school age.

He added that the sponsorship of the event was an effort to honour the children and give them a day of fun in a bid to create in them the spirit of sportsmanship.

“It is their special day and Cowbell Chocolate is their special brand. So they have all honoured the invitation to come and have fun,” Anyalebechi said

Starcomms Awuff-Plus Tariff Continues to Excite Customers

Starcomms Awuff Plus, a tariff plan which allows the network’s customers to call free on-net all day and 20 kobo per second to other networks within Nigeria is still making waves, according to the company.  “Our customers’ response to the plan has been tremendous,” says Logan Pather, the comp0-any’s Chief Operating Officer.

According to him, the plan can be used by all Starcomms customers everywhere within the network’s coverage. To get on this plan customer will need to dial 151*PIN*Number of Days#. The default pin of all Starcomms phone is *1234. This will put them on the plan for the number of days they subscribe for. Awuff Plus also attract a daily 100 subscription fee, The customers who subscribe for several days at
once will get a discount on the fee in accordance with the number of days. The option of number of days for the plan includes 1, 3, 5, 7, 15 & 30 days.

Discounts on the subscription plan are available for only 5, 7, 15 or 30 days and they range between N10 and N500. This means those who subscribe for 5 days plan will pay N490 while a thirty-day subscription will cost N2500. Regardless of the time of the day that the customer activates Awuff Plus the charging expires 12 midnight of everyday and reverts to the user’s default plan except in the case of multiple days’ subscription. Awuff Plus allows more talk time and saves the customer money.

Awuff Plus is the follow up on Starcomms’ Awuff, another plan that can also be enjoyed by Starcomms users, which the company announced a few weeks ago .Awuff tariff plan offers the network’s customers discount on-net (Starcomms to Starcomms) and off-net (Starcomms to other networks) rates on both their mobile and fixed prepaid phones. With the plan anybody using Starcomms phone can make on-net calls for 15
kobo per second and call any network outside Starcomms for 20 kobo per second.

The first call of every day under the Awuff voice tariff plan will be charged at N30 per minute with per minute billing whether it is on-net or off-net, while subsequent calls of the day will be at the discounted rates and billed on per second basis. These rates apply
only to calls within Nigeria and are available to only prepaid customers in all towns and cities under the coverage of the Starcomms network.

Logan Pather said that the company introduced the plan in response to its customers. According to him, Awuff was launched on March 15, 2011, when Starcomms joined the rest of the world to commemorate the World Consumer Rights Day as a one-off bonus to the customers. On that day Starcomms customers were offered the opportunity to call their friends and loved ones at only N2 per minute on-net between the hours of 6pm to 8pm. “This is an excellent Platform to assure our consumers that with Starcomms they are king and we will keep listening to them,” Pather said.

Onga National Campus Cooking Competition



L-R: Head Legal & Public Relations, Promasidor, Andrew Enahoro, Manager Food Enhancement & Beverages, Abiola Inawo and General Manager Marketing, Kachi Onubogu and the Onga Brand Ambassador and Nollywood star, Kate Henshaw-Nuttall at a press briefing held in Lagos to flag off the Onga National Campus Cooking Competition organised by Promasidor Nigeria Limited on Wednesday

L-R: Head Legal & Public Relations, Promasidor, Andrew Enahoro, Manager Food Enhancement & Beverages, Abiola Inawo and General Manager Marketing, Kachi Onubogu and the Onga Brand Ambassador and Nollywood star, Kate Henshaw-Nuttall at a press briefing held in Lagos to flag off the Onga National Campus Cooking Competition organised by Promasidor Nigeria Limited on Wednesday

Nneka Meet and Greet Event

Starcomms Plc, Brand Ambassador; multi award winning singer/song writer,
Nneka Egbuna, recently visited the company’s Customer Care Centre on Bode
Thomas Street, Surulere in Lagos where customers won several prizes through
lucky dip. One of the winners, Mr. Gallant Alex Osemene, a security personnel
living in Surulere, Lagos , receives his prize from her.

Starcomms Plc, Brand Ambassador; multi award winning singer/song
writer, Nneka Egbuna, recently visited the company’s Customer Care Centre
on Bode Thomas  Street,  Surulere in Lagos where customers won several prizes
through lucky dip. One of  the winners Mr. Agbaje Olugbenga, a businessman living
in Victoria Island, Lagos, receives his
prize from her.



Starcomms Plc, Brand Ambassador; multi award winning 
singer/song writer, Nneka Egbuna, recently visited the company’s Customer
Care Centre on Bode Thomas Street, Surulere in Lagos where customers
won several prizes through lucky dip. One of the winners, Anthony
Udoh, a businessman living in Ikoyi, Lagos , receives his prize from her on the occasion



Starcomms Plc, Brand Ambassador; multi award winning singer/song writer,
 Nneka Egbuna, recently visited the company’s Customer Care Centre on
Bode Thomas Street, Surulere in Lagos where customers won several
prizes through lucky dip. One of the winners, Mrs. Folahan Odebo, a business
woman living in Lekki, Lagos , receives her prize from the ambassador.

Starcomms Invests in Network Expansion

From Left: Vincent Ejikonye – Regional Manager North Business Solutions, Starcomms Plc; His Royal Highness, Mallam Muhammad Awwal Ibrahim (CON) Emir of Zazzau, Suleja and Tunde Odetunde, Head, Indirect Channel of Starcomms during the official launch of Starcomms service in Suleija, Kaduna recently

Starcomms Introduces easy solutions for businesses

Corporate and business minded individual customers of Starcomms Plc can now avail themselves the benefit of various solutions hosted by the company on its network to enhance business transactions and ease lives for busy people. These facilities include the Star@email and Star Archiving.

The Chief Operating Officer of the company, Logan Pather said the launch of these services are caming as a result of continuous demand from customers who seek solutions that could help them organize their transactions better on the web. “We go to great heights to meet the needs of our customers,” Pather said.

 According to him, with the understanding that business e-mail users require more from their email than personal users, the company hosts Star@Email; which enables the user access to their mails, calendar, contacts, tasks and notes from just one application.

It can also help users edit their calendars, maintain and track task lists, create group contact lists in multiples of 2 gigabytes mailboxes, capable of holding ten years e-mail. The service also allows 50 megabytes of attachment as well as mail filtering controls and enhanced searching.

Star@email will also offers IT departments of companies’ features like easy web-based control panel administration, desktop client compatibility; domain & mailbox-level spam and virus filters as well as daily backups and optional email archiving service.

Another offering of the company, the Starcomms Microsoft exchange hosting; gives customers all the functionality of a dedicated exchange server at a fixed monthly cost. Users can have the benefit of 2 GB mailboxes, 50 MB attachments, premium spam and virus protection as well as free resource mailboxes for conference room and equipment. The Starcomms Microsoft exchange hosting also offers allocatable storage bank.

The third solution offered by Starcomms, Star Archiving is designed to ease pressures on businesses to maintain solid email archiving and retention procedures.

With properly archived and retrievable email, messages can be automatically retained and accessed when requested. Also offloading archiving management to experts on Star@email reduces internal server load, improve production server operation and improves customers IT resource efficiency.

With it users can use full text search capabilities to find mail, based on message components in a secure web-based search and discovery interface. They can also maintain original message integrity using WORM (Write Once, Read Many) technology to assign date and time stamps and unique headers to safeguard against deletion.

One major feature of the Star Archiving is the security of the facility. During transmission and storage, data remains secure and private because the facility provides top tier; physically and logically secure data centers and an audit trail for every system interaction with reports detailing users, activity, date, time and IP address.

Pressure now on journalists as Jonathan signs FoI Bill

 

After almost twelve years of a relentless campaign, spanning three presidential terms, President Goodluck Jonathan on the last day to his inauguration as president, signed the Freedom of Information Bill (FoI) which is expected to pave the way for journalists in the country to truly act as the serious watchdog of government, its functionaries and its activities.

The passage of the bill, interestingly, is seen as turning the table against journalists, especially on the need for them to carry out their constitutional responsibility without hindrance, fear or favour.

Journalists will be particularly tasked to embark on serious investigative reporting of the public sector, and demand for scrutiny and accountability by elected or appointed public functionaries.

Reacting, the Nigerian Guild of Editors said by signing the FoI bill into law, the president has, more than anyone else, empowered the citizens to participate in the governance of their own affairs.

"The people can now legitimately seek public information, corroborate their facts and make useful suggestions towards achieving greater good for the majority. With access to information, citizens can fight corruption in government places and confront those who misappropriate our resources to themselves."

For the media, the Guild in a statement signed by its president, Gbenga Adefaye stated that, "The signing of the FoI law has expanded the frontiers of press freedom for Africa's most vibrant press. No more will it be permitted for journalists to hurry to press with half truth and misinformation when they can officially verify their facts."

Earlier, while passing the bill, the Senate President, David Mark had expressed fears about the abuse of the bill by the media, but said, "The assurance that we the ordinary citizens would like to get from those of you who control our lives now is that the media should be responsible enough in operating and using the bill or using any aspect of the bill."

The NGE meanwhile, congratulated every Nigerian for what it called, "This all important citizens' law," and commended "The out-going National Assembly for freeing the democratic space for citizens' involvement in our democratic adventure."

The editors' body stressed: "We call on everyone to use the law, responsibly."

It recalled that President Jonathan had, during the last presidential debate, made a public commitment to sign the FoI bill into law once presented to him by the National Assembly, as a personal commitment to openness, transparency, accountability and good governance.

The Newspapers Proprietors Association of Nigerian (NPAN) had also observed that the endorsement of the bill will demonstrate government's resolve to fight corruption and recklessness in the country.

"The passing of the FoI bill by the Senate represents a major milestone for democracy and democratic practices," the association stated.

Notable media practitioners who commended President Goodluck Jonathan for assenting to the bill which had dragged on since the past 10 years believe Nigerian journalists will live up to their responsibility. They however cautioned media practitioners to show maturity under the new law.

Patrick Nwakogo, publisher of Exceed Magazine enjoined journalists to demonstrate maturity in their handling of sensitive information, especially from the standpoint of the larger security implications for the country. "It is part of their reasonable service to the nation."

Adedayo Ojo, a former lecturer of journalism was optimistic on the ability of the Nigerian media to handle the law discretionally. According to him, this is based on the understanding of the responsibility of the three tiers of government and the media to nation building.

With checks from the bill, John Ehiguese of Mediacraft said the media practitioners will likely display professionalism and avoid falling foul of the law.

Charles Igbinidu, managing director of TPT International, a PR firm, also applauded passage of the bill, says it is a positive development for democracy. "The journey was tortuous but the goal has been achieved. This is indeed one of the beauties of democracy. We all must therefore work to sustain democracy."

On his part, Bolaji Okusaga, managing director of The Quadrant Company, another PR firm, said the passage of the FOI bill represents a major milestone for democracy and democratic practices "because for democracy to thrive, one must have an open and accountable system."

Controversy Trails CMD Concessioning

The Federal Government under the Obasanjo administration in 2005 inaugurated the Infrastructural Concession Regulatory Commission Act (ICRC) in a bid to give legal teeth to the government strategic moves towards confronting the problem of infrastructural decay in the country under Public Private Partnership (PPP).

Under the plan, ICRC will ensure participation of the private sector in financing the construction, development, operation and maintenance of public infrastructure, development project or network for a stated period. Common concession contracts include Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT), Build, Own and Operate (BOO), Build, Transfer and Operate (BTO), lease contracts, among others.

The concession process allows private investors and operators to inject much needed capital into upgrading and maintaining infrastructure.

With the support of the World Bank and other financial institutions, many African governments are adopting the concession option for the development of their basic infrastructure.

The “infrastructure” envisaged under the ICRC Act 2005 covers virtually every sector of the economy: power plants, highways, seaports, airports, canals, dams, water supply, telecoms, railways, land reclamation, inter sate transport systems, industrial estates or township development, housing, tourism development, waste management, ICT and database infrastructure, education, health, drainage, dredging, trade fair complexes among others.

Given the state of most public assets, there was no doubt that concessioning will hold great promise for the economy.

It was against this background that the Federal Government through the National Planning Commission placed advertisement for expression of interest for the management of the Centre for Management Development, Lagos (CMD) facility on a build, operate and transfer (BOT) basis.

About 10 companies expressed interest in the bidding process, out of which six were short-listed and eventually; Allied Thrust & Systems (Nig.) Ltd. (ATSL) emerged as the preferred bidder.

Consequently, the National Planning Commission (the lessor) on March 1, 2007, entered into an 18-year lease agreement with Allied Thrust & Systems (Nig.) Ltd. (the lessee).

Under the terms of the agreement, 5.02 hectares of land of CMD was demised to the lessee, who was also expected to renovate the existing 30-room facility (serving as the Guest House), construct a 102-room guest house with 4-star facility, build and operate a 1000 seat conference facility and pay a graduated annual rent of N270 million to the lessor in three tranches over the lease period.

Subsequent to the agreement ATSL effectively took over the management of the property in May 2007. But the cordial relationship between the management of CMD and ATSL began to grow cold when in September 23, 2008, Mr. Emeka Nwasike, managing director of ATSL wrote the management of CMD, then under the director-generalship of Dr. Joseph Maiyaki, seeking approval to commence work on the conference hall.

In a reply to the letter, Mr. B.D. Chinoko, a senior official of CMD wrote, “I am directed to refer to the on-going construction work in the Guest Facility area and to inform you of the decision of Management to request you to discontinue the work since it does not have its approval.”

It added that, “Please be reminded that by the Terms of Agreement, the only construction work approved are the Hotel and the Conference Centre.”

The present bone of contention is a recent letter of CMD to ATSL in which its new director-general, Dr. Kabir Usman, noted that on assumption of office in January, 2010 he had council’s approval to terminate the lease agreement on the grounds of irreconcilable differences and more particularly, because it was observed that the activities of ATSL were at variance and in conflict with the noble goals and objectives of the lease agreement.

According to Usman the spirit of the lease agreement which was to complement and create a conducive atmosphere for learning had been breached and all attempts to reconcile these differences were unsuccessful, despite the personal intervention of the Honourable Minister of National Planning in April, 2009.

The director-general noted that the core object of the lease agreement was to create a conducive environment for learning, for which the activities of ATSL had virtually eroded, contrary to the provisions of the clause “i” of the lessee’s covenants in the lease agreement.

The said clause stipulates that “Not to permit to be done within the demised premises any act or thing inconsistent with the terms of this agreement or that will constitute a nuisance to the neighbouring premises.”

Usman observed that notwithstanding, having given the contents of your letter dated 16 December, 2010, a considered thought, “I wish to assure you that the centre is working conscientiously to ensure the amicable resolution of this longstanding face-off in such a manner that the same will constitute a win-win to both parties.”

He expressed the hope that this would no doubt required that both parties make some sacrifice in the spirit of give and take, adding that they are prepared to consider the offer made in the ATSL letter.

Subsequently, the director-general noted that ATSL request to construct a 60-room low budget hostel accommodation capable of taking a 6x 41/2 bed, reading table, chair, television and air-conditioner, with toilet facilities ensuite has been accepted.

The director-general stated further that the approval granted to ATSL in principle also presupposes that no further development in the said 5.02 hectares of land would be allowed, until ATSL and CMD agree on a suitable site for the construction of the low cost budget hostel accommodation in a such a way as not to constitute nuisance value to the serene atmosphere suitable for learning and for which the centre is reputably known for.

Usman observed that this approval also meant that the lease agreement in force would be subject to review, the modalities of which would be worked out for the mutual benefit of both parties.  

He said it was important to note that the parties are required to urgently formalize the present agreement to enable the ATSL commence the process of obtaining the necessary approvals to enable it commence the building project urgently, remarking that the magnanimity of the present administration of the CMD in accepting the offer of ATSL will be reciprocated by its commitment to finalise the agreement and move the project forward.

However, in his response, Nwasike observed that it is strange and rather perplexing that after 14 months as the DG of CMD they are still talking about the rudimentary tenets of this BOT/lease agreement.

He rehashed their obligations to CMD as enunciated in the BOT/lease agreement that they are to renovate the existing 30-room facility, construct a 102-bed guest house with four star facilities and to build and operate a 1000-seat conference centre.

The managing director of ATSL said apart from these, their other obligations are to pay the rent, operate the facility and transfer same to the National Planning Commission at the end of the lease period, adding that all these are clear and provided for by the agreement and that CMD obligations are to help them (ATSL) provide approvals and allow them to peaceably hold the demised premises without interference from it or any other persons.

He said of the three obligations, they have fulfilled item one, item three is delayed because the management of CMD has refused to allow them to construct the conference centre despite the fact that the working drawing approval had been given by the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development more than a year ago, adding that they cannot discuss item two because item three is hanging.

Nwasike said BOTs are people oriented, to allow private investors take part in the development of the economy, develop government institutions at the investor’s cost and generate funds for government to provide amenities to the citizenry.

He remarked that any attempt to scuttle such laudable projects more so where the investor is keen and performing, is anti-people and anti-government, adding that they believe the National Planning Commission or CMD will genuinely not want to be labeled in that category of people who have come to despise the nation and its people and wish to bring it to ruin.

The managing director of ATSL drew the attention of the Minister of National Planning to the on-going face-off between his company and the management of CMD, noting the company took effective occupation of the premises one and half months after the lease agreement was signed and had complied with the clauses in the lease agreement, spending over N280 million.

He contended that despite this huge expenditure and to their utter discomfiture, the management of CMD has not shown the willingness to abide by the unambiguous provisions of clause 6A of the lease agreement, noting that the management of CMD/ National Planning Commission obligate themselves to give ATSL quiet enjoyment of the premises for 18 years devoid of any manner of interruption from the lessor or its agents.

Nwasike listed some examples of interruption to include the fact that the management of CMD cut off ATSL from the public power supply, insisting that ATSL provide its own transformer. This development made ATSL to depend entirely on its generator for about four months before it completed the purchase and installation of a 500 KVA transformer.

Also, the management of CMD insisted that ATSL wall off the 5.02 hectares of land that was demised to it and more also CMD used the Nigerian Police to threaten ATSL staffs who was going about their lawful duties on the premises.

There is no doubt that the government meant well with the concessioning policy. We have begun to see its positive impact in the airports and the ports. Those responsible for executing the policy should rise beyond selfish interest and look at the bigger picture, which is to enhance the performance of public infrastructure.

Over the years, we have realized that government alone cannot finance the economy. There is need for public and private sectors collaboration. This is what informed the privatization policy of the Federal Government and of late the concessioning policy.

We call on the National Planning Commission, management of CMD and ATSL to make effort to resolve the contending issues in the lease agreement in the overall interest of the policy.