Ladipo marketers reopen N4bn suit against Police

 by  abdulmumini adeku ,Ramon Oladimeji

The youths of the popular Ladipo International Market, Lagos State, under the auspices of Ekwulobia Imeobi Youths Association on Wednesday reopened a case against the Nigeria Police over the alleged extra-judicial killing of four of its members in 2001.

The youth group had in 2001 taken the Nigeria Police before a Lagos State High Court in Igbosere demanding N4bn as cost of damages for allegedly killing four of its members extra-judicially.
It was alleged that officers of the Aguda Police Station in Surulere did the killing.
The slain were named as Anthony Ezenwafor, Chukwuemika Ezeofor, Izuchukwu Ezeama and Alloysius Osigwe.
The deceased were said to be traders and apprentices under one Mr. Jude Okoli, a businessman at the market.
According to the youths, policemen attacked and killed the four men on July 21, 2001 in their apartment at No. 48, Olaitan Street, Surulere, Lagos.
At the resumed hearing on Wednesday, counsel for the youths, Mr. Abiola Akerele, informed Justice Oyindamola Ogala that though the Aguda Police Station had been served with the prosecution’s processes since 2001, they had yet to reply.
The defence counsel, Mr. Jonathan Ogunsanya, however begged for more time to regularise the position of the defence.
Justice Ogala subsequently adjourned till October 23, 2014 for further hearing.
The Ekwulobia Imeobi Youths Association are seeking in their suit a declaration of the court that the killing of its members by police officers was unconstitutional, extra-judicial, illegal and an infringement on their right to life, liberty and dignity.
They prayed the court to award a sum of N4bn as damages and compensations to the families of the four victims for the unjust and illegal termination of their lives.
They also want a court order directing the police authorities or any other persons or body of persons to conduct full and unbiased investigation into the incident with a view that punitive measures be taken against all those found to have had hands in the dastardly act.
In a 21-paragraph affidavit with which the group supported its case, one of them named Akaraka Ezeonara said, “The information I got was that robbers went to the house of the deceased on July 21, 2001 and began shouting ‘Alloy Alloy’, which was the name of one of the deceased.
“The deceased realising that the people shouting were robbers, removed their window glass and escaped out of the building through the window.
“After the robbers had gone, the deceased went back to their house and not long after, the police arrived and immediately shot three of them – Ezenwafor, Ezeofor and Ezeama, without any effort at arresting them or telling them what offences they were alleged to have committed.
”The police later said they shot the deceased on mere suspicion without the foundation that they were armed robbers.”

PUSH FOR ASPEN EXPORT IN NIGERIAN MARKET

PUSH FOR ASPEN EXPORT IN NIGERIAN MARKET

BY ABDULMUMINI ADEKU

 ASPEN EXPORT WISHES TO TAKE ITS PRIDE OF PLACE AS NIGERIA'S NUMBER ONE CIGARETTE

A series of highly aggressive marketing campaign has begun by the management of Oakland and Johnson Limited, an integrated marketing communication agency to activate and push Aspen Export up the ladder so that it becomes Nigeria’s favorite cigarette.

In an exclusive investigation on the matter by Paedia Express Multimedia in Lagos, Nigeria ,it was discovered  that marketing agents  from the aforementioned company were selling the brand essence of Aspen Export to the consumers through gifts such as banners which can serve as a form of advertising extract. To boost the image of the brand:Aspen Export.

This reporter saw first  hand how gifts were handed over to owners and managers of local pubs.

A source who consumes one of the rival cigarette brand told the marketer from Aspen Export that he will not be collecting their souvenir as he was already loyal to the brand that he smokes and he even brought out two packs of his favorite cigarette brand to buttress his points but when further probed he recanted and told this reporter that he was only joking.

The marketing agents from Aspen Export were seen cladded in apparels and backpacks   that promoted Aspen Export to the consumers..

Aspen Export is an international Cigar brand produced under a license agreement with J.T. International, United Kingdom and the International Tobacco Company Limited in Ilorin, Kwara State.

A media source at Oaklands and Johnson Limited later confirmed the present activation campaign now on when this reporter sought to find answers.

TBWA Unveils Strategies For Creative business Excellence

TBWA Unveils Strategies For Creative business Excellence

 

TBWA Concepts Unit is one of Nigeria's foremost advertising agencies.

THE international Strategy Director of TBWA, top-notch advertising firm in the world, Marie Jamieson, has revealed that one of the best ways African agencies can achieve commercial success is by packaging their creative works in compelling narratives.

Speaking at the TBWA Magna Carta symposium for creative practitioners and business communicators recently held at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos, she explained that Africa has quality narratives that practitioners can envelope their works around to capture attention globally.

She pointed out some globally acclaimed ads with African background that had millions of clicks online. A recent ad created by Procter and Gamble for the United Kingdom audience and the ad introducing Skype were two of the many materials she showcased to encourage Nigerians to believe that creativity resides in Africa.

 Jamieson emphasized that brands should dare to be different when marketing their products by engaging their customers with authentic, relevant, emotional and insightful ads.

According to her, the country’s advertisement industry is yet to attain its full potential, adding that several opportunities still exist in the creative industry.

“There is a dearth of creative talent in the industry, and we believe this is because in Africa, this is not a conventional career path, hence, the few available talents are not even liberated,” Jamieson said.

The analysts also noted that Africa’s lack of infrastructure should place the continent as a den of opportunity, however, adding that some of the world’s existing  business models do not work in Africa, hence, the need for the continent to chart its development course with its own ideas.

Jamieson also introduced two other members of the team she led to Nigeria for the special seminar on commercial success in creativity. The two experts were David Blythe, Managing Director of Yellowwood, who spoke on the fundamentals of getting marketing right in Africa, and Vincent Magwenya, Managing Director of Magna Carta Reputation Management Consultants, who spoke on effective leadership in delivering quality communication in the digital era.

In his own presentation, Blythe revealed that Nigeria’s rebased Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which currently stands at $509.9 billion will significantly rise in the future when operators in the retail, insurance and health industry leverage on the full potentials available in their sectors.

The Yellowwood boss said while opportunities abound in the economy, brands should desist from seeing the opportunities from the huge population’s perspective insisting that consumers are not just about numbers but about the ability of brands to offer products and services that create values to consumers.

“Opportunities currently abound in financial services, telecommunication industry but we believe the future of the Nigerian economy rests on sectors such as retail, insurance and health,” Blyth noted.

Blyth who is a brand strategist stressed that the country’s current retail structure though still informal is already evolving and will eventually metamorphose into a major component of the economy.

He however pointed out that it is pertinent for players in the sector to desist from imitating what is obtainable in other parts of the world to rubber stamp in the country, adding that Nigeria has her own unique system of trade.

Citing Shoprite as a case study, Blyth maintained that the brand has excelled in Nigeria’s retail scene because of its ability structure itself to suit its environment by stocking and offering its customers what is relevant to them.

“We also believe that the insurance industry will be a major contributor to this economy in the near future because this is evidently an under-insured market,” Blyth further said, pointing out that as the growing middle class acquires more goods and services they will need to insure them.

SHOT GUN :FRIENDS OR FOES

Mr Ikechi Ameachi,Managing Director of The Niche Newspapers pose with MR Ted Iwere,Managing Director of The Independent Group of Newspapers who now rules by military fiat

SCOTLAND ELECTS TO STAY IN DISUNITED KINGDOM

AGAINST THE BACKDROP OF THE RECENT POLITICAL SITUATION IN THE UNITED KINGDOM,MANAGING EDITOR,ABDULMUMINI ADEKU LOOKS AT ENGLISH LANGUAGE ,AS THE GREATEST CULTURAL IDENTITY BRAND SOLD TO THE ENTIRE WORLD

……………………………………………………….60 NATIONS SPEAK ENGLISH GLOBALLY.

……………………………………………………..THE WAR WAGED BY THE VIKINGS IN THE 9^TH AND 10^TH CENTURIES HELPED THE GROWTH OF ENGLISH AS A WORLD LANGUAGE

………………………………………………………ENGLISH LANGUAGE SPOKEN IN THE MIDDLE AGES NOW LOST

BY ABDULMUMINI ADEKU.

The English language Spoken during the days of Middle ages has now been lost effectively as at now.

In an exclusive investigations on the decision by Scotland to be independent from its British slave masters which did not however work out recently, a British Born Nigerian ,Mrs  Susan Annette Adeoba said that they actually have a lot of dialect just like the local languages in Nigeria back in the United Kingdom.

She affirmed that she had wanted to study English Language up to the  Doctorate level but that somehow this did not happen as the opportunity did not present itself.

She insisted that if a tourist goes to Yorkshire he or she will see an evidence of the strong links they have in history with the Vikings of the Scandinavians among others, with this having its direct influence on the spoken English Language.

She later handed this reporter two sets of books on English Language which according to her will help ,Paedia Express Multimedia in its analysis of English Language in mediaeval times to the 21^st Century.

The books ; The Yorkshire man’s dictionary by Peter Wright and Our Language written by  Professor Simeon Potter showed the transformation of English Language over the centuries.

On the issue of Scottish independence, Mrs Adeoba was very unhappy that the Prime Minister, Mr David Cameron tried to convince the Scots to stay back in the union by travelling all the way to Scotland just to convince them to hang on in the United Kingdom with more constitutional powers to the bargain.

In his book Our Language,Professor Simeon Potter while appraising  his won work published about a 100 years ago stated that the purpose of the book was to  sue it to present a clear picture of the English Language as it is spoken and written in its amazing variety and complexity.

Professor Potter believes that more people today were interested in speeches than ever before and that a new spirit of linguistic enterprise and adventure is astir.

According to a source ,the pelican guide  to English literature consists of seven volumes, among which includes the Age of Chauser, The Age of Shake spears, From Donne to Marvell, From Dryden to Johnson ,From Blake to Byron, From Dickens to Hardy and the Modern Age.

In a related issue, Scotland recently decided to stay back in the United Kingdom comprising of Britain, Wales and historically Ireland.

In a referendum on the future of the ancient Kingdom of Scotland ,the populace decided not to take there destiny in their own hands as 55 percent of the population voted to stay back in the UK as against 45 percent that voted against such an ideology.

They came to the polling centers in all the major Scottish cities like Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Isle of Skyes, Bannockburn ,Glasgow amongst others .

Former Prime Ministers like Mr John Major,Mr Gordon Brown, a Scotsman himself, Mr Tony Blair  all joined hands with the present leadership of Mr David Cameron as they campaigned vigorously to keep there nation as one despite its own diversities.

Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown seems to have won the battle to keep both nations together when he struck a cord with a very emotional appeal .

His words”There is not a cemetery in Europe that does not have Scots,English,Welsh and Irish  lined side by side“ he added emotionally.

N.A.S.S.I ,SPECTRA FOODS JOIN FORCES TO FIGHT POVERTY.

A BANANA PLANTATION LIKE THIS WILL CREATE THE RAW MATERIALS FOR THE CLUSTERS TO DRIVE AWAY POVERTY IN NIGERIA

N.A.S.S.I ,SPECTRA FOODS JOIN FORCES TO FIGHT POVERTY.

BY ABDULMUMINI ADEKU.

The Nigerian Association of Small Scale Industrialists and Spectra Foods Industries Limited are about now considering a joint effort at fighting poverty through the creation of cluster groups to aid mass trade.

In an address to a cross section of the Nigerian media at the week end, the Lagos state Chairman of  N.A.S.S.I ,Pastor Segun Tayo  George  said that it  was the right thing to do considering the level of poverty in the Nigerian and African public space.

In his own contributions, The Executive Chairman of Spectra Foods,Mr Duro Kuteyi  said that cluster as an idea may look like something very small at first  but quickly added that this depends on the mindset of those looking at it as this may get bigger with time.

He revealed that they were working with a sect oral and much more vibrant body like NASSI to promote the entrepreneurial idea because they were sure that they could ride on the relationship the agency has with at least 774 local governments in the land so that this could be replicated nationwide.

He insisted that what they have now can create as much as 30 jobs ,though they had created as much as 15 jobs as at press time  and when you multiply this by the 774 local government councils then it will have a ripple effect.

His words” Benefits of clusters includes enhancement of technologies through farms in the region,we are therefore building on this through an effective synergy between Spectra Foods and NASSI”

“recently I was a  resource person at a Lagos State Government sponsored  training and participants wanted to know how much it will take to set up and produce plantain Chips and I said N3million”

“so I now urged that we form a cluster with each person putting down N100,000,it is a concept of plantain that has not been seen anywhere around the world ,some people want plantain because it is good  for diabetic patient”

He told the gathering  that the initiative was been managed under the auspices of the Agro Allied Industrial Cluster as it will bring a lot of people together for the main purpose of making money on a continual basis.

He noted that they will be focusing on the existing marketing platform of Spectra Foods Industries Limited for now so that the product will be effectively pushed in the market place.

He continues ”we have plantain chips which is suited for pigs and the farmers among us can use this in feeding them as well ,receipts will be given as soon as every transactions is concluded  and for those that are here today  the price of chips will be selling at N600 but we will be selling at N500”

It  was learnt  that though a noble platform  for employment  can eventually evolve into a network marketing situation.

Kuteyi , a Seasoned African entrepreneur whose had the privilege of accompanying Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on business trips for his contributions to the growth of Nigeria’s economy   that they were targeting N100million for now .

NUJ GAMES GULPS ABOUT N5MILLION IN 2014

NUJ GAMES GULPS ABOUT   N5MILLION IN 2014

BY ABDULMUMINI ADEKU.

The Nigerian Union Of Journalist Games for 2014 actually gulped about N5million.

In an exclusive interview in his office in Lagos, Nigeria, The Chairman of the Lagos state Chapter of the NUJ ,  Mr Deji Elumoye told Paedia Express Multimedia that they actually spent about N5million to organize the games for 2014.

He revealed that they did not have anything less than N3.3million in terms of sponsorship  funds available .

He listed the amount of money and the corporate firms behind it as , Medview Airlines N2.5million ,Lafarge Cement N500,000, A Sport writer N300,000.

He point out that NUJ as a body  have not  yet finished  the auditing of its accounts but he was sure that they spent between N4million to N5million.

His Words”we hope to do better next year, Medview Airlines has increased  our sponsorship package to N5million,some of the medalist were given cash prizes but when we have more funds in place then we will give more”

He assured during the interview session that NUJ as a body will do all that is within its powers to make sure that only practicing  journalists in established media firms take part henceforth in the games.

According to him if they discover that any athlete representing a media firm errs in the process of registering and participating in the games such an athlete will be disqualified immediately.

Nigerian Journalists at a recent sporting event in Lagos,Nigeria