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Tony Elumelu Applauds US Congress for the passage of the ‘Electrify Africa Act’

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Leading investor and Chairman, Heirs Holdings, UBA Plc and founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation, Tony O. Elumelu has applauded the U.S. House of Representatives for the passage of the “Electrify Africa Act,”  which took nearly three years trying to get the measure through both chambers of Congress.

The Electrify Africa Act creates a framework for a major public-private partnership between the United States and sub-Saharan African countries to help millions of people gain access to affordable and reliable electricity.  It also codifies access to electricity in Africa as a U.S foreign policy priority, thereby preserving President Barack Obama’s Power Africa Initiative for years to come.  Launched in 2013, Power Africa is an innovative partnership to double access to electricity in sub-Saharan Africa where more than 600 million people currently lack access.

Mr. Elumelu through his investment company, Heirs Holdings has been in the forefront of promoting Africa’s power initiatives. In 2013, Heirs Holdings, made a commitment of $2.5 billion investment in the power sector to generate 2,000 megawatts of power, about 20% of the initial Power Africa target.  Through Transcorp Power, the company currently generates 19% of the power consumer in Nigeria.

According to Mr. Elumelu, Africa must win the energy challenge if it seeks to become an industrial power in the 21st century. “Power outages on the continent must spark power outrage. The kind of outrage that ignites the activist in us” he noted. Channeling their power outrage into global advocacy, in a letter and op-ed supporting passage of the bull last week, Tony Elumelu and Aliko Dangote, both cofounders of the African Energy Leaders Group (AELG), urged U.S. legislators to pass this critical legislation.  Mr. Elumelu also gave a keynote address at the “Powering Africa Summit” in Washington D.C. last week, where he mobilized investors and technocrats in the power sector to join him in lobbying their Representatives in the U.S. to pass the bill.

Elumelu said that ”Power is a cross-cutting issue that impacts job creation, education, healthcare delivery, food security, communications and virtually every other sector of commercial activity.”  He described the passage of the bill which now goes to President Barack Obama for his signature as “A landmark decision which will help to transform the lives of millions of Africans who cannot wait for power’. I’d like to thank Representatives Ed Royce and Eliot Engel; Senators Bob Corker, Ben Cardin, Jeff Flake Chris Coons and Ed Markey for their friendship towards Africa and for their bipartisan leadership to move this important legislation, my hope is that President Obama will sign it into law as soon as possible.”

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FCTA uncovers illegal oil refining warehouse in Abuja

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In continuation of the city cleaning exercise, Authorities of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) with operatives of security personnel have uncovered an illegal oil refining warehouse in Mabushi, opposite Mobile filling station on Ahmadu Bello way in Abuja.

 

The Director, Department of Development Control, FCTA, Mukhtar Galadima after the operation on Thursday, said the illegal refining site was discovered during the continuation of the city cleaning exercise.

 

According to him, about three to four plot of lands designated for commercial purposes have been converted to an area where oil and diesel are being adulterated and circulated to other parts of the city.

 

Galadima explained that the city sanitation task force will look into the provision of the law and make necessary recommendations to the FCT Administration for further actions on the plots used for the activity.

 

He said there was no arrest but the items used in carrying out the illegal refining have been impounded.

 

Galadima said, “During the continuation of our city sanitation exercise in Mabushi opposite Mobile filling station on Ahmadu way, we discovered an illegal refining site where oil and diesel are being adulterated, we have done the needful by moving the items to Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps.

 

“From what we have seen so far, about three or four pilot of lands designated for commercial purposes have been converted to unapproved activities, which we believe the owners are fully aware, there will be consequences.

 

“We are going to look at the provision of the law and make necessary recommendations to the FCT Administration”

 

He said the administration will continue to go tough on activities being carried out without government approval,  especially revocation of the titles.

 

Collaborating, Head, operations FCT Directorate of Road Traffic Service (DRTS), Deborah Osho said the city management team during the exercise also discovered that most of the areas in the Nation’s capital have been converted to illegal car mart and motor parks.

 

She disclosed that fifteen vehicles have so far been impounded since the operation commenced about two days.

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Central Bank To Freeze Accounts Without BVN, NIN From April 2024

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The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) said on Friday that it will freeze accounts without a Bank Verification Number (BVN) or National Identification Number (NIN) from April 2024.

This is according to a Friday circular by the apex bank which said a BVN or NIN verification will be “conducted shortly”.

It also said all BVN or NIN attached to accounts/wallets must be electronically revalidated by January 31, 2024, according to the circular by the CBN Director of Payments System Management Department Chibuzo Efobi, and the Director of Financial Policy and Regulation Department Haruna Mustapha.

More details later….

 

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Adebayo Alli: Guinness Nigeria gets new Managing Director, Its first Nigerian CEO since 2015 …..

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Guinness Nigeria has announced the appointment of Mr Adebayo Alli as its new Managing Director, its first Nigerian MD since 2015.

The appointment comes after John Musunga, the now erstwhile MD of Guinness Nigeria moved to become Diageo Africa’s Managing Director for Southern, West, and Central Africa.

The announcement was given after the company’s board meeting held on Monday, November 27, 2023.

According to the corporate filing on NGX’s website signed by the Company Secretary, Abidemi Ademola, Adebayo Alli would resume his new role within the company on January 1, 2024.

Profile of Adebayo Alli …..

Adebayo Alli, a mechanical engineer by training, holds a B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Ibadan and an MSc in Advanced Process Engineering from Loughborough University, UK.

He joined Diageo, owner of Guinness Nigeria in 2005 as a Packaging Operations Support Manager. Since then, he has gone on to work as project lead for a business transformation project in Meta Abo Brewery Limited, Ethiopia, another of Diageo Africa’s businesses. In 2014, he became a plant manager at the Meta Abo Brewery, and in 2015, Supply Chain Director.

Upon his return to Nigeria in 2017, he assumed the role of Operations Director at Guinness Nigeria before shifting his focus towards general management, venturing into multiple senior commercial sales positions within Guinness Nigeria PLC.

His trajectory saw a brief tenure between 2019 and 2020 as the Director for IPS, Reserve & Modern Trade. Subsequently, in 2020, Bayo ascended to the role of Commercial Director at Guinness Nigeria.

What you should know….

Guinness Nigeria’s last Nigerian MD was Seni Adetu who served between 2012 and 2015. Since him, John O’Kefee an Irish man became the MD, followed by Peter Ndegwa, a Kenyan, Baker Magunda, another Kenyan, then John Musunga, also another Kenyan.

Guinness Nigeria Plc is majorly owned by Diageo Plc with a 58% stake. In the past, Diageo’s only footprint in Nigeria was through Guinness Nigeria and the Managing Director of Guinness Nigeria also doubled as the head of the Diageo brand in the country.

However, after Diageo announced a discontinuation of its import deal with Guinness Nigeria, which meant Guinness Nigeria would no longer import Johnnie Walker and Baileys into Nigeria, it was also announced that Diageo was creating a new “wholly owned spirits-focused business” to manage the importation and distribution of those premium spirits brand in West and Central Africa. Presumably, John Musunga is resuming to head this new business.

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