DE MARINE EMPIRE SERVICES.

NEBOSH INTERNATIONAL GENERAL CERTIFICATE TRAINING & EXAMINATION

2015-02-26T11:22:00.001-08:00

Give a boost to your career with the NEBOSH INTERNATIONAL GENERAL CERTIFICATE TRAINING & EXAMINATION with an Accredited center (945)
This Health & Safety training is a level 6 safety qualification that provides an excellent foundation in Health and safety for managers and people starting out on a career in health and safety. The NEBOSH IGC course is relevant to all types of organizations as it helps the professional manage risks effectively. NEBOSH IGC is about the highest recognised qualification in the field of safety. It also ranks amongst the most reputable qualification for those working in the oil & gas sector. On successful completion of the course a professional will automatically be recognised as a Technician Membership (Tech IOSH) of Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) and Associate membership (AIIRSM) of the International Institute of Risk and Safety Management (IIRSM).
Novelle center is a NEBOSH accredited center in Nigeria. Accreditation number is 945. We offer you the best chances at success. We have a history of the highest distinction recorded by our students during our exams.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
Managers, Supervisors, Technicians, Health Professionals, Environmental Professionals, Young Graduates in all disciplines, Consultants, Engineers, Oil and Gas workers, Workers in the production and manufacturing sectors
DATE: 09th - 20th March 2015
DURATION: 9am – 5pm daily
VENUE:
Port Harcourt: Novelle center, Suite 21, Opus Plaza, 21 Afam Street D/line Port Harcourt, Rivers State (Contact - Mr Tony [to get phone number click on show number button])
Lagos: Novelle center, 7 Olufumilola Okikiolu Street, Off Toyin Street, Ikeja Lagos (Contact Mr Faith - [to get phone number click on show number button])
Course and Exam fee is N250,000. Candidates can pay in 3 installments. This fee covers the training, examination, British Council registration, course materials and refreshment:

Procurement Officer II (Trainee) at Retrogidi Nigeria Limited

2015-02-26T09:00:00.002-08:00

Retrogidi is one of the foremost Information Technology Solutions Companies in Nigeria. Since our inception over two decades ago, we have evolved from a small organization pushing boxes to customers to a company providing enterprise ICT services to mid range and large scale companies across Nigeria. We offer broad Electronic, security and technology products, services & solutions.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Procurement Officer II (Trainee)

Location: Lagos

Job Responsibilities

    Provide daily operational support to staff regarding the support of transaction planning and processing efforts to ensure all procurement activities are delivered in the most cost effective manner without compromising on Quality and Standards, while meeting customer expectations for efficient and effective service delivery.
    Assess cost and other performance aspects.
    Lead initiatives to optimize fleet (company and third party leased vehicles) engagement.
    Facility management of the Company offices in Lagos and Abuja.
    Manage and monitor the use, schedule and maintenance of the Company Transport and Delivery vehicles.
    Ensure that all Company drivers' credentials are always up-to-date.
    Assess the drivers training needs and ensure prompt bridging of identified gaps by informing HR of relevant training programs
    Analyze logistical problems and produce new solutions.
    Liaise and build relationships with the company and clients.
    Follow existing processes and systems in view of efficient operations, continuously recommending improvement.
    Identify opportunities and implement actions to continually reduce wasted time, money and resources from assigned tasks.
    Comply with all company’s local procedures applicable to the job function.
    Supervise all third party activities including invoice reviewing.
    Safeguard internal arrangement and common goals/ objectives to support internal customers.
    Perform all other duties that are necessary and reasonably attached to this Procurement Officer II(Trainee) position and the fulfillment of its responsibilities.

Experience, Skills and Qualifications

    Minimum of OND in any discipline related to Management Science, Finance, Business Administration, Accountancy, Mathematics and Statistics.
    Minimum of one (1) year cognate experience in the industry will be an advantage.
    Ability to handle and track items.
    Excellent written and oral communication skills.
    Numeracy skill.
    Good organizational and planning skills.
    Timeliness and effectiveness of the company’s tendering management system and procedures and vendor selection.
    Interpersonal skills, high collaboration with others and a team player.
    Good negotiation skills.
    Must be analytical and structured.

Renumeration
The Salary ranges from 80, 000 to 125, 000 monthly depending on the qualifications of the candidate.

Application Closing Date
20th Monday April, 2015.

Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should send their CV's in Microsoft Word Format (PDF Format Not Acceptable) to:

careers@retrogidigroup.com

careers@retrogidigroup.com
Note: Multiple applications will lead to disqualification of the Applicant.

Job Vacancies (5 Positions)

2015-02-26T08:54:00.003-08:00

Shapeyou Company, birthed in 2014 is Nigeria's No 1 online store providing Authentic Waist Cinching and body sculpting garments to ladies worldwide.

At Shapeyou, we believe in the overall beauty and confidence of the modern day woman.

Women everywhere are raving about the hourglass figure and the weight-loss solutions that the waist shapers, girdles and shape wear create. Waist shapers immediately sculpt the midsection through compression, while supporting the back and lifting the bust, creating an overall slimmer and curvier silhouette. They support long-term slimming by increasing thermal activity and perspiration. This mobilizes fat and toxins, maximizing the work your muscles do every day.

Shape You Africa is recruiting to fill the following positions:

1.) Creative Writer

Click Here To View Details

2.) Graphic Artist

Click Here To View Details

3.) Communications Executive

Click Here To View Details

4.) Personal Assistant to the MD

Click Here To View Details

5.) Web Developer

Click Here To View Details

Republicans and Democrats Prefer What They Know[2016]

2015-02-18T08:38:00.000-08:00

2012 GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney is Republicans' top pick for 2016, while Democrats prefer 2008 runner-up Hillary Clinton.
Sometime next January (though the exact dates are not yet set), the 2016 presidential primary selection process will begin. One year before then, partisans on both sides say they prefer what they know to what they don’t – with the GOP 2012 standard bearer and the woman who has been the Democratic frontrunner for years leading as their respective party’s 2016 choices.

The latest Economist/YouGov Poll gives Mitt Romney the lead when registered voters who describe themselves as Republicans are asked who they would like to win the 2016 GOP presidential nomination. And his margin is wide – more than twice as many Republicans choose him as select the next highest-ranked Republican, Florida Governor Jeb Bush. When Republicans are asked to choose between Bush and Romney, Romney leads by two to one.

Good feelings about Romney are near universal among Republicans. More than eight in ten have a favorable opinion of the former Massachusetts Governor. Only 12% are not favorable. Those are the best rankings for any of the possible GOP candidates included in the Economist/YouGov Poll. The second most popular Republican is 2012’s GOP Vice Presidential nominee, Wisconsin Representative Paul Ryan. But Ryan took himself out of the 2016 competition this past weekend.

Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee and Tennessee Senator Rand Paul also do well with Republicans. All fare better than Bush with GOP identifiers. In fact, one in four Republicans have an unfavorable opinion of the former Florida Governor. Only Texas Senator Ted Cruz and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie have higher unfavorable ratings. 26% are unfavorable towards Cruz, and a third are unfavorable towards Christie.
Republicans are not the only ones who are putting more confidence in those with more name recognition – and those with a longer history in the party. Democrats, too, seem more comfortable with what they know. This week’s poll was conducted before Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren took herself out of the running for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination, but even before that statement, she was trailing the runner-up for the 2008 Democratic nomination, Hillary Clinton. And trailing significantly.
Vice President Joe Biden and other possible Democratic contenders are even farther behind.
Even though a majority of Democrats have a favorable opinion of Warren, far more give Clinton a favorable rating. And Clinton’s positives are just about as high among Democratic men as they are among Democratic women.
The President’s favorable rating from Democrats is only slightly higher than the rating Democrats give Clinton: 87% of Democrats have a favorable opinion of Barack Obama; 11% don’t. Clinton fares better with Democrats than Romney does with Republicans.
Clinton and Bush (and to a lesser extent, Romney and Paul) are members of political families. Romney and Paul’s fathers ran for the White House; Clinton and Bush are related to men who have served as President. Registered voters in a YouGov Poll conducted earlier this month weren’t sure that made a difference – and those who did were evenly split on whether that made them more (21%) or less (18%) likely to support someone.
Nearly half agreed that candidates from political dynasties have more experience, but about the same percentage say they have an unfair advantage.
As for the two most prominent members of political dynasties, Hillary Clinton and Jeb Bush, Clinton would be ahead of Bush among registered voters if a presidential election were being held today. But one in four voters at the moment don’t support either.
See the full poll results

Obama sees popularity gains on domestic issues only

2015-02-18T08:00:00.003-08:00

President Obama

President Obama's political fortunes have improved on domestic issues, but not foreign policy

Things may be looking better for the President when it comes to domestic issues, but there are concerns about foreign policy and terrorism, which once was a bright spot for the Administration. In the latest Economist/YouGov Poll, Americans are as likely to approve as they are to disapprove of the way the President is handling the economy – something that has not been the case for a very long time.
Americans have slowly noticed the changes in the state of the American economy. This week, a third of them recognize that the unemployment rate has dropped below 6%, and a majority agrees that the rate is lower today than it was when Barack Obama first took office in January 2009. Republicans, who for a long time had resisted seeing positive change in the economy, are no different than the public overall on these questions: A third say the jobless rate is less than 6%, half agree it has dropped since President Obama was first inaugurated.
And when asked if the economy is getting better or worse, slightly more say it is improving than think it is declining. The percentage saying the economy is getting worse this week is among the lowest seen since 2010.
As has been the case all along, perceptions of the economy are linked to partisanship, with Democrats thinking things are getting better and Republicans vehemently disagreeing.
When it comes to jobs, Americans are more likely to view unemployment as a very serious national problem than they are to see it as very serious in their own communities. There is a 16-point difference in the public overall – and an even larger one for Republicans. More than half of Republicans, 55%, say unemployment is a very serious national problem; just over half that percentage of Republicans, 30%¸ view it as very serious in their own communities.
There is also some good news for the President this week on health care. For the first time in Economist/YouGov polls, half the public say they would prefer to keep or expand the Affordable Care act.   Still, 40% would repeal it.
Public willingness to continue Obamacare (or even expand it) has improved lately, although Americans are not yet ready to label it a success – and they may never be. Although a majority believes the number of people now with health care coverage increased in the last year, just 26% label the ACA a success. 41% say it has been a failure.
But these improvement on domestic issues may be overshadowed by the international problems the country now faces – and the President is not seen as doing a great job managing them. That is particularly true when it comes to the public’s assessment of his handling of terrorism. Evaluation of the President’s handling of terrorism had often been better than his overall ratings, especially in 2011, when Osama Bin Laden was killed by the U.S. military.
No longer.   Just 41% this week approve.
In recent polls, Americans have expressed discontent with other aspects of Administration foreign policy, and this week, when it comes to foreign policy in general, only 37% of Americans approve. Nearly half, 48%, do not. President Obama’s overall approval rating remains in the low 40’s, with a majority disapproving.
See the full poll results

Americans Are Divided On Weapons Shipments To Ukraine [Infographic]

2015-02-18T07:52:00.000-08:00

After a marathon meeting lasting 15 hours in Minsk, Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, confirmed that a ceasefire agreement had been reached to end fighting in Eastern Ukraine.

Heavy weapons will be withdrawn from the front lines from midnight on Saturday with the ceasefire coming into force on February 15th.

On Monday, President Obama said that his administration was considering supplying the Ukrainian government with weapons, coinciding with a spike in the fighting. However, research from YouGov suggests the American public is divided when it comes to arms shipments.

37 percent of those surveyed were against the US providing weapons to the Ukrainian military while 32 percent would support any such move. Politically, the picture is very different. Over half of Republicans, 53 percent, support military aid to Ukraine compared to just 27 percent of Democrats.

Most Americans support holding diplomatic relations with Russia as well as imposing greater economic sanctions. If the ceasefire fails to hold and the situation deteriorates further, over 60 percent of the American public would be opposed to US troops being sent to Ukraine. YouGov’s overall findings on measures to end the conflict were similar in the United Kingdom.

*Click below to enlarge (charted by Statista)

Anti-Science Views Are a Bipartisan Problem

2015-02-18T06:15:00.000-08:00

The truth is anti-vaxxers are made up of liberals and conservatives.
Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul made their comments on vaccination, the issue has become a partisan sideshow. Bolstered by media critiques of Christie and Paul, Democrats gleefully accused Republicans of anti-science views. And conservatives, miffed by a perceived double standard, replied in kind.

“It is indefensible to spin this as a problem for Republicans,” wrote Mollie Hemingway, senior editor for the Federalist, pointing to the prevalence of vaccine skeptics in liberal enclaves like Marin County, California, and the presence of the same in liberal magazines like Mother Jones, Rolling Stone, and Salon. Her colleague, fellow senior editor David Harsanyi, went further, listing “five ways liberals ignore science,” from anti-vaccination and anti-genetically modified foods dogma, to global warming “alarmism,” fracking, and a whole host of parascience beliefs. “Among those who do believe extraterrestrials are hanging around, 69 percent are Democrats, a far higher number than Republicans,” he writes, citing a 2013 poll from YouGov and the Huffington Post. “Democrats were also significantly more likely than Republicans to believe in fortune telling, and about twice as likely to believe in the astrology.”

I sympathize with the impulse behind both arguments. It’s maddening to see thoughtful friends and smart allies tarred with the brush of “anti-science,” especially when the charge still stings. The fame of Neil deGrasse Tyson or the massive popularity of fictional characters like Tony Stark is a sure sign that science—or at least, a crude scientism—retains great influence in public life, even as the broad culture faces a crisis of confidence in authority. To stand against science in many places is to invite stigma and disdain.

Which is to say that overall, both Hemingway and Harsanyi are right: Fairness requires an evenhanded look at the presence of anti-science beliefs on the left and the right. With that in mind, vaccine skepticism is mostly ecumenical. The Pew Research Center finds modest differences in views about vaccination—34 percent of Republicans, 33 percent of independents, and 22 percent of Democrats believe parents should have final say on vaccination—while we know from anecdotes that vaccine rejection is present in conservative religious communities (like the Amish in Ohio) as well as in crunchy college-town communes like Boulder, Colorado. In fact, the available data shows stability in anti-vaccination views across ideology—neither side is substantially more likely than the other to hold anti-vaccine beliefs.

Which gets to the problem of this conversation: It is annoyingly, frustratingly imprecise. Because we see the strongest anti-vaccination beliefs among clusters of affluent, left-wing parents, we assume a one-to-one connection—it’s their politics that drive their conviction. And when their conversations turn to deceitful doctors and untrustworthy pharmaceuticals companies, that’s a fair assumption to make. At the same time, as Dartmouth political scientist Brendan Nyhan makes clear, “[P]olitical liberalism is part of a correlated cluster of beliefs and lifestyles in those places and isn’t seemingly the most important explanatory factor in determining who’s a vaccine skeptic.” That many vaccine skeptics are liberal doesn’t make vaccination skepticism a liberal belief, driven by liberal concerns. And this is true for a whole host of anti-science beliefs—like belief in astrology—that are associated with particular political teams but aren’t themselves political.

All of which raises a question: When is an anti-science belief political? At the risk of tautology, it’s when it becomes an agenda item for the party in question. Neither vaccine skepticism nor its cousin, GMO skepticism, is a particular Republican or Democratic problem, because neither party advances policies or agendas around either concern. (Although, if either issue developed a distinct political constituency, that could happen, which is one critical reason we don’t want vaccination to become part of the partisan landscape.) By contrast, something like climate skepticism is a Republican problem—distinct from other anti-science beliefs—because of its huge currency in actual Republican politics. Sure, both parties have members with anti-science beliefs. But it’s the GOP that’s elevated a few of those beliefs to the party platform.

Are Democrats in a similar situation? Not quite. While some conservatives describe abortion rights as anti-science—citing the truth that a human life is created at the moment of fertilization—that confuses a biological question with a metaphysical one. The question for most abortion rights advocates isn’t whether the fetus is human, it’s whether it stands as a person with the rights and protections of an infant or a child. That’s a question for religion, philosophy, and law, not science.

And this is true of a whole host of political and politicized beliefs. In the quest for partisan advantage, everyone scrambles to clothe his or her beliefs in the guise of objectivity. The reality, however, is that our beliefs are nothing of the sort. We construct them outside the scope of scientific observation, with ideas that come to us through custom, experience, and education, and for which science gives little confirmation or support. “We see what we want to see,” writes John Dewey in Human Nature and Conduct, “We dwell upon favoring circumstances till they become weighted with reinforcing considerations.” In that environment, honest deliberation, he says, “needs every possible help it can get against the twisting, exaggerating, and slighting tendency of passion and habit.”

Instead of trying to attack each other for our fealty to science—or lack thereof—let’s acknowledge the deep subjectivity of our views but try to use the tools and methods of science to help us inform and strengthen them; to challenge them, to sharpen them, and to try to root them in our shared reality.

Americans Question Whether Science Fiction Will Ever Become Science Fact

2015-02-17T02:11:00.000-08:00

The first real moon landing was over forty years ago but many Americans are now skeptical that the technologies which fuel so many sci-fi franchises will be coming to Earth any time soon.

Warp speed rockets shifting vehicles faster than the speed of light, teleporters shifting our molecules from place to place and time travel are unlikely leaps for most Americans. 58% are sure that time travel is never going to happen and 45% never expect to see teleportation as a travel option. Vehicles traveling faster than the speed of light are almost as unlikely (43% think they will never happen).

From invisibility devices to fictional stealth technology cloaking devices, Americans aren’t convinced. 35% think that invisibility devices are never going to happen.

Despite the recent Virgin Galactic disaster, Americans do, however, have faith in the swift commercialization of space flight. One in five (21%) think commercial flights will be scientifically feasible before the end of 2020. Only 9% think that it is never going to happen.

Around one in five also think that human cloning (22%) and mind-controlled robotic limbs (22%) will be scientifically possible before the end of 2020. 17%, however, think that these won’t ever be possible.

What might be coming up in the much longer term? 40% of Americans think that it might be scientifically feasible to live permanently or at least indefinitely in space after 2025. 35% think that after 2025 robots will be created which could pass for humans.

Which of the following technologies and/or advancements do you think will NEVER be scientifically possible?

How to delete/clean unnecessary files from hard drive and get free space in GBs without any software.

2015-02-16T10:32:00.001-08:00

This is very serious problem C drive of our hard disk is full even we have not save any file in C drive of our hard disk. So because of this problem we restore our windows of install new windows. This is a temporary solution of this problem but not permanent to clean hard drive. Here i write some solutions that may help full for you to clean your hard drive.

1: If you installed Internet Download Manager in your system then mostly it occupies space in GB's without any reason. Mean it waste space and should be removed from our system. For this purpose just go to C Drive => User => go to the user that you created on installing time of windows(Name-PC) => AppData(It will not show. First show hidden folder then you will see this folder) => Roaming => IDM => DwnlData => Default PC name's Folder(Name-PC) => Delete All files you see in this folder.
You will get Free space in GB's in your hard drive. Enjoy and share with your friends. There is no software that will remove these file.

How to recover data from your memory card or USB or hard disk partition by using software Recova

2015-02-16T10:28:00.001-08:00

To day our topic is How to recover data from your memory card or USB or hard disk partition by using software Recuva. So i will discuss on data that are lost by mistake. Data recovery is not a difficult task but if data is overwrite from where you want to recover data then you cannot recover it. For example if data is deleted or format from USB and you copy data other data on USB then you cannot recover your old data. But if you didn't copy ay data on your USB then you can recover data from your USB.

Now question is that how to recover data from USB or memory card or from hard disk? There are some simple steps to recover your data are given below.

1: Download and install Recuva in your system. Download link is given below

Download Link

2: Now open Recuva software and click Next Button

3: Choose your own option that you want like pictures music etc or if you want to recover all files then check All Files and then click on Next

4: Now select directory from where you want to recover your data. Click on Browse Button.

5: Choose directory from where you want to recover data. In my case i am recovering data from my USB device. and then click OK and then click on Next button.

6: Now check "Enable Deep Scan" and then click on Start Button.

7: Scanning of your device is start as you are watching below

8: All files that are found shown in the below dialog box.

9: Check files that you want to recover or you can check all files by checking check box that is high lighted. And then click Recover button.

10: Now select directory where you want to keep recovered files. and then click on OK button

11: Recovering of data is started

12: When recovery is completed you will see a dialog box as given below. Click OK your data is recovered. :-)

This is very simple tutorial to recover data from USB or memory card or from your hard disk. Don't forget to like our Facebook page.

How to open two Facebook accounts on a single browser like Chrome, Mozilla, Opera, Safari

2015-02-16T10:21:00.000-08:00

This is a big problem when you want to open a Facebook account without logging out from your previous account. So today i have a solution of this problem in different browsers. First thing is that there is no software required to open two Facebook account at the same time on same PC or same browser. Below i have different methods for different browsers that will explain how to open two Facebook accounts at the same time on same browser and same PC or laptop.

1: Chrome

Open your chrome browser and press "CTRL+ALT+N" a New Incognito Window will open and now you can open your second Facebook account without logging out of previous.

2: Opera

Open your Opera browser and press "CTRL+ALT+N" a New Incognito Window will open and now you can open your second Facebook account without logging out of previous.

3: Mozilla

Open your Mozilla browser and press "CTRL+ALT+P" a New Incognito Window will open and now you can open your second Facebook account without logging out of previous.

4: Safari

Open your Safari browser and press "CTRL+ALT+N" a New Incognito Window will open and now you can open your second Facebook account without logging out of previous.

Treatment of headache you feel in your eyes infront of laptop or monitor screen

2015-02-16T10:19:00.000-08:00

Many people faces pain in their eyes and head when they sit in front of computer or laptop screen.

This is because of brightness of screen and colors of screen that make pain in your eyes and head.
If you also faces this problem then please be aware this can be dangerous for your eyes and your eye sight can also be weak. Solution of this problem this problem is that low brightness of your screen. And one of the best solution of this problem that I personally tried is a software that will dim brightness of your screen and change colors that will prevent your eyes from bad effects that make pain in your eyes. Link of the software is given below. Download it and install in your system.
Try it and share it with your friends so they also save from bad effect of the brightness of the screen.

Download Software

Shekau Displays Disturbing Cache Of Weapons Allegedly Seized From Troops In Baga, Brands Jonathan, Buhari ‘Infidels’

2015-02-15T16:25:00.000-08:00

The controversial leader of the Boko Haram sect, Abubakar Shekau, on Tuesday released a disturbing video in which he set fire to the Nigerian flag, displayed a large cache of arms and ammunitions as well as threatened to end democracy in the country.

Shekau had also in the 36 minutes video, declared the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari, and his Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, counterpart, President Goodluck Jonathan, as enemies and infidels, who Nigerians cannot rule Nigeria.

The leader of the Boko Haram sect, whom the military had claimed to have killed on at least two occasions but somehow manages to resurface, was seen in this latest video dressed in his usual apparel – full military kit with an AK-47 rifle hanging across his chest and wearing a head warmer, held a spiral bind booklet from which he read out his statement that lasted 17 minutes in Arabic. Thereafter he spoke for about seven minutes in Hausa and some few minutes, in English.

Shekau, who displayed his latest collection of quite a disturbing number of arms and ammunition his group purportedly seized from troops stationed in Baga, Borno State, ridiculed soldiers of the Nigeria Army as weaklings, who are hiding under the lies that they don’t have enough arms to prosecute a war against his group.

According to the terrorist leader, the arms seized by his group from Baga was enough to prosecute war against the Nigerian State, how much more, neighbouring Cameroon.

He also warned that more killings and attacks would soon be recorded around towns and villages in Nigeria.

He said in Hausa, “We thank God for making us enter Baga and Doro-Baga in victory. We have today declared Baga as part of our territory and one of our operational base.

“Jonathan you are in trouble. All governors of Nigeria are in trouble. All these war equipment that you see being displayed in the screen are gotten from Baga and Doro. Your army kept deceiving the world that you can’t fight us because you have no arms. Liars! You have all that it takes; you are just coward soldiers. You forgot that it is God that arms. Is it not amazing that we who started with sticks and machetes, are today the biggest headache to the almighty Nigerian soldiers? What a shame!!

“Jonathan, is it not shameful that now, even your supporters are insulting and cursing you? This should be a sermon to the world that you should not trust on humans. Any one that trusts a man will end up regretting. This is just the beginning of the killings; what you’ve just witnessed is a tip of the iceberg; more deaths are coming. This will mark the end of politics and democracy in Nigeria. This is to confirm to you that we carried out the Baga massacre, and we are going to do more.

“Nigerians are busy with politics, hailing Buhari! Buhari, Jonathan! Jonathan! Do you think the two of them are spared? Do you think even Buhari is a good Muslim? Buhari is not a Muslim as far as we are concerned – He is nothing but an infidel and our enemy.

“Muhammed Yusuf, the president of Niger, so you too have the temerity of coming out to pay sympathy visit to Francois Holland, the President of France. Is this your true character? Muhammed Yusuf, you have amazed us. You shall soon see our wrath, very soon.

“And you, Paul Biya, the president of Cameroon. Now you are asking for foreign assistance; please don’t waste your time because God is more than all the helps you will get.

“And even you Idris Debby (President of Chad), you are not spared. You guys have acted too late. Very late.

“Before I end my speech; I want to react to a radio broadcast from France where the French said they are enemies of Islam and the prophet of Islam. I am going to read the France statement (he tried reading out the statement written in French)… In that broadcast, the French government and people after insulting the holy prophet of Islam, said a war against terrorism is the same as fighting Muslims.

“After this, I will be setting ablaze the Nigerian flag just like we always do in all the places that we have conquered. It is a useless flag whose relevance would soon be a thing of the past. We are now showing the world all the arms and ammunitions that we got from the Nigeria army barracks in Baga, Doron-Baga, Mile-4 and this barrack. What we have in our armoury now, plus all that we had before is enough to execute a victorious war against the whole Nigeria”.

Shekau, who also threatened to attack Total Petroleum company’s assets in Nigeria, in retaliation for the French government’s pledge to fight terrorism, was later shown in the video setting a Nigerian flag on fire, and hoisting a Boko Haram flag in its place. He then recited an altered version of the first few lines of the Nigeria National Anthem, speaking in English:-

‘I pledge to Allah, my God. To be Faithful Loyal and Honest. To serve Allah with all my strength. To defend his Islam… Allahu Akbar!! Nigeria is dead; her constitution is dead!! Islam and Islam; war by war upon the Kafir who is the unbeliever”.

The remaining video showed members of the terrorist group setting fire to the Nigerian flag and reciting a Quranic verse that says “and say the truth has come and false has vanished; for surely all falsehoods are bound to vanish”.

Then a Boko Haram member dressed in long gown with a turban around his head, was seen walking over a cache of displayed arms and ammunitions, while he narrated how the arms were obtained.

“All these arms and ammunition you see in their thousands are gotten from Baga. We thank God for makind this possible because He says we should always thank Him for every good thing he does and He shall give us more. Words cannot express our gratitude to Him. It is His mercy for us that is why we got them so easily. God says He would test us with all that He gives us; so we know God will be waiting to see what we would do with these things. Insha Allahu we are going to do His work with these arms at our disposal. We are going to sacrifice our lives in doing God’s work.

“As you can see we have thousands of AK 47 rifles, we have so much that we are still conveying them to our camp here. We have AA, we have different kind of them that can be mounted on vehicles. We Shell Car; we have RPGs; we have Mac and so on. We cannot just mention them. We have dozens of vehicles and tanks that God has given us”.

The video showed a disturbing assemblage of ammunition many of them in boxes that could be counted in thousands. More and more ammunitions were displayed in the bushes and under shrubs as background voices of Boko Haram members kept on chanting Allahu Akbar!!

Why OBJ Has Been Attacking Jonathan – PDP

2015-02-15T16:23:00.001-08:00

The People’s Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Organisation (PDPPCO), Sunday, said former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s only reason for his continuous attack on the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan is because he has refused to be a stooge to Obasanjo.

According to the organisation, soon after Jonathan was elected the president of the country, the former President tried everything possible to control and teleguide Jonathan, but the president did not accede to his requests, most of which were simply wrong and unacceptable to a government with plans for the people.

Addressing Journalists in Abuja, Director, Media and Publicity of PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation, Femi Fani-Kayode said Obasanjo has been lampooning the President and trying to destroy the credibility of the election process because he knew that the President would win the March 28 election.

“After Jonathan came to power, Obasanjo not only tried to control and teleguide him but he also asked him to do a number of things that were simply wrong and unacceptable. It is for President Goodluck Jonathan himself to divulge those things and I am sure that he will do so at the appropriate time. Needless to say President Jonathan refused to be teleguided and told what to do even though at all times he showed Obasanjo maximum respect and accorded him all the privileges, access and courtesies that is due to a former Head of State and a father and mentor. This continued to be the case even after Obasanjo consistently attempted to undermine his government and ridicule his efforts,” Fani-Kayode said.

Insurgency, fraud pose risks for credible Nigerian election

2014-12-25T09:12:00.002-08:00

Nigeria has made an effort to clean up voter registration for elections next February, but holding a credible poll is a daunting prospect amid chaotic distribution of ballot cards and an Islamist insurgency that could disenfranchise millions.

Nigeria’s last presidential poll in 2011 was deemed the cleanest to date in Africa’s most populous nation, but since previous elections had been characterised by ballot box snatching, intimidation of voters by armed thugs and completely made up results, this was a modest achievement.

The election will test whether Africa’s biggest economy can improve its patchy record on democracy.

“Looking at overt, simple forms of election manipulation, in 2011, there was a decrease and we think … that trajectory is going to continue,” Thomas Hansen of Control Risks says.

Yet questions remain over whether the coming elections will actually continue that trajectory.

The race largely between President Goodluck Jonathan and former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari on Feb. 14 is expected to be Nigeria’s most closely fought since the end of military rule in 1999, which will encourage both to play dirty.

A violent Islamist Boko Haram insurgency that has killed thousands will make voting almost impossible in swathes of the northeast, possibly disenfranchising millions.

New technology, such as biometric I.D. card readers, should make ballot box stuffing harder. But glitches have caused hundreds of thousands of voters to be struck out.

TEST FOR NIGERIA

The election must be seen as credible to avoid violence by the losing side. In 2011, 800 people were killed after Buhari lost to Jonathan.

The growing polarisation of Nigeria between the largely Muslim north and majority Christian parts of the south, and ugly rhetoric on both sides, send ominous signals.

“The demonisation of the opponent, the threats of violence, the accusations of plans to rig the election, the whipping up of ethnic and religious sentiments. The clouds are indeed dark,” wrote Azuka Onwuka in The Punch daily this month.

When Jonathan ran in 2011, northern elites said he scrapped an unwritten deal to rotate power between north and south every two terms. Amid the heightened tension, parties could use minor irregularities as an excuse to whip up violence.

Three states in the northeast under a state of emergency will be too dangerous for most election observers.

There are more than a million Boko Haram displaced who cannot vote unless the law changes to allow them to do so away from home, a move Parliament is considering.

Borno electoral commissioner Tukur Saad said the state had registered 11 camps for refugees, but many more were unregistered in schools and mosques.

Since many displaced did not take their voting cards when they fled, they may be unable to vote.

“Creating polling units in camps does not mean people will not be disenfranchised,” said Idayat Hassan of the Abuja-based Centre for Democracy and Development. “How many will actually have identification of any form with them?”

Insecurity will prevent voting in many places. Most of Borno’s 1.76 million voters won’t be able to vote.

“It’s a very tricky situation … We may only be able to hold the vote for … 600,000 voters,” Saad told Reuters.

TECHNICAL ‘GLITCHES’

The electoral commission has culled duplicates and fake names from the register in order to issue biometric voter cards, in a bid to curb practices like ballot box stuffing.

But 11.5 million people were, in some cases wrongly, struck off the list this year, electoral commission (INEC) spokesman Kayode Idowu said, owing to data collection problems.

The total voter count fell to 58.9 million, from 70.4 million at the end of 2013. Voters wrongfully removed will have to queue up to re-register. Some won’t bother.

The fact that many were in strongholds of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC), such as Lagos, rather than those of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP), angered the opposition.

“I am worried this is the beginning of a plan to disenfranchise Lagosians,” Lagos state governor Babatunde Fashola, himself stuck off the list, said last month.

Another worry for election observers is whether the card readers will be deployed in time and if they will work.

INEC says it anticipates the inevitable failure of some readers so extras will be supplied. The readers will run on batteries to escape frequent power cuts.

Idowu said that if a machine fails and a replacement is unavailable, the election will be delayed in that area. That would draw out an already fraught process.

In the Niger Delta, Jonathan’s home region, a history of political thuggery looks set to continue.

Two security sources say large amounts of weapons are being imported into the region. In past polls, militias carved out areas where they controlled voting. That could happen again.

Plunging oil sets up winners and losers amid economic turmoil

2014-12-17T00:34:00.002-08:00

Plunging oil prices are not proving a sole negative for the Nigerian economy, as new investors prepare to capitalise on cheaper assets amid an economic turmoil that threatens to bankrupt at least five states.

From bankers to oil barons and profligate Nigerian state governors who refused to save for the proverbial rainy day, the 45 percent slump in crude oil this year presents opportunity as well as pitfalls.

“Nigerian oil assets are much cheaper now and present a good time to take positions,” said Diekola Onaolapo, CEO of Eczellon Capital, a Lagos based boutique investment bank, in a Dec.15 interview with BusinesDay.

While firms like Eczellon that just launched a $250 million Private Equity (P.E) fund targeting oil and gas deals are looking to buy beaten down assets, those who gorged up on debt to finance acquisitions when oil traded above $100 per barrel are having to restrategise.

Oando which financed the acquisition of Conoco Philips Nigerian assets for a consideration of $1.5 billion had total debt in its balance sheet of N351.71 billion ($2.093 billion), while debt to equity ratio, which measures the proportion of debt in the capital structure of a company was 163.38 percent, the highest among its peers.

Oando’s share price has lost -31.42 percent year to date, while Seplat, which raised $500 m in an Initial Public Offering (IPO) in April this year, at N576 per share, has lost -51.35 percent of its value since the shares started trading.

Both have underperformed the Nigerian benchmark equity gauge which has plunged by -26.22 percent in the period.

Oando has adopted hedging on future crude production, ensuring it is adequately protected over the next few years, if oil prices stay below ~$97/barrel, according to Ainojie ‘Alex’ Irune, Head Corporate Communications, Oando Plc.

“This effectively ensures the company receives income pegged approximately to the above price,” said Irune.

Seplat says it is expanding its horizon outside the production of oil and investing in gas projects which are less risky and volatile.

“The gas business is far more stable than the oil business. You don’t have the disruption like you have in oil,” said Austin Avuru, Chief executive officer of Seplat.

However, lower oil prices mean lower revenues, which could translate to strains in the credit repayment ability of some of the upstream oil companies.

This is where the bankers may feel some stress.

“The loans to the indigenous companies were mostly structured with an assumed oil price of $70-75/bl. In the event that oil prices test the break-even levels, a couple of banks expect these loans to get restructured,” said Adesoji Solake, Renaissance Capital’s SSA banking analyst, in a Dec 01 note.

Brent for February settlement was down $1.79 to $59.42 a barrel on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange as of 11:31 a.m. local time yesterday.

Slumping oil prices which are seen trading below $50 next year by analysts, will further crimp the budgets of state governors who are particularly vulnerable.

Oil revenues accounts for up to 75 percent of the Federal budget, however in some states it goes as high as 97 percent.

If the decline of crude oil prices in the global market continues for another three months, states’ economies will collapse, warned Governor Babangida Aliyu of Niger State, at an event on Tuesday.

“Five states are close to bankruptcy and cannot pay salaries as we speak,” said Bismarck Rewane, CEO of Financial Derivatives Company, at the BusinesDay energy conference held in November.

While oil prices may rebound by the end of 2015 as lower prices take out U.S shale producers, there is still the distinct possibility of oil triggering a black swan event, such as a sovereign blow up, as the continued freefall of the Russian Rouble despite a surprise rate hikes signal.

Such an outcome would worsen Nigeria’s already lowered growth prospects for 2015.

Boost for local content as Berger Paints wins NLNG coatings contract

2014-12-16T16:38:00.001-08:00

Berger Paints Nigeria Plc has emerged a beneficiary of the Nigeria Local Content Act as it has won a contract to manufacture and supply coatings for two new NLNG carriers to be built by Hyundai Heavy Industries in Korea.

Consequent upon this, the management of Nigeria LNG has paid a visit to Berger Paints in Ikeja, Lagos, as a step required in the monitoring of the implementation of the Nigeria Local Content Act.

Receiving the Nigeria LNG Limited team at the premises of Berger Paints Nigeria Plc, Tor Nygard, managing director, Berger Paints, said his company was glad to be partners with NLNG in delivering the Nigeria Content Act.

“We will like to let you know that since the discussions on the participation in delivering the Local Content Act in Nigeria started, we have taken steps to demonstrate our commitment to the act by scaling up the standards of our operations and products,” Nygard said.

After a factory tour for the inspection of the paints to be shipped to Korea, Henry Agbodjan, head of shipping and knowledge transfer for Nigeria LNG Limited, said, “I am very pleased with the quantum of investments in terms of equipments which Berger Paints has deployed in ensuring the manufacture of paints and coatings locally. In compliance with global standards, their products are at par with those produced by KCC in Korea, which will be used by Hyundai Heavy Industries in the coating of two new NLNG vessels.”

The managing director of Berger Paints went on to assure the visiting team of the company’s capacity to do more than it is currently doing in view of the upgrade to full automation of its production facility in a bid to improve its offering. He further said the automation would have major positive impacts on production volume, costs, product quality and turn–around time. He also reiterated that Berger Paints was committed to delivering global quality to Nigerians at affordable prices.

Maritime safety in Nigeria: A necessity for human development (2)

2014-12-16T16:34:00.001-08:00

The impact of human development on maritime safety in Nigeria will be examined using the Human Development Index (HDI).

This is because the HDI is one of the ways in which the contribution of human capability to maritime safety can be analysed. It was recently reported that Nigeria ranks 153rd out of 187 countries in the United Nations HDI. It is necessary to subject this report to further analysis as it affects maritime safety in Nigeria.

Life expectancy

According to the World Health Organisation, life expectancy is the average number of years a person can expect to live. Thus, the average life expectancy in Nigeria was put at 52 years in 2011, while it is the 17th lowest in the world. This abysmal ranking, when viewed within the context of this article, was as a result of polluted waters, oil spills, ship wrecks, untreated sewage, heavy siltation, acidification, overfishing and destruction of coastal and marine habitat.

However, as a result of shift to double-hull tankers, oil discharges and spills to the sea have elsewhere been reduced by 63 percent, and tanker accidents have gone down by 75 percent and industrial discharges by 90 percent. This is not the same story in Nigeria as most of the ships operating in the oil and gas sector are single-hull and are very old. In fact, the number of ship wrecks is of major concern to maritime experts in Nigeria. It is a clear demonstration of NIMASA’s inability to cope with its mandate as a maritime safety enforcement agent.

High carbon emissions from ships resulting in environmental pollution and consequently affecting marine life and their ability to recover from extreme climatic conditions increase the cost of human health risk. Most seafarers indulge in various habits injurious to health such as excessive smoking, drinking of alcohol. These are health-threatening habits that may affect life expectancy and performance of seafarers. An assembly of healthy and skilled Nigerians is required as a contributory tool to maritime safety. Consequently, Nigerians must change their attitude towards having a safe maritime environment in order to increase their life-expectancy rating.

Education

With rapid changes in technology and the world becoming increasingly knowledge-based, education has become an important driver of human development. The quality of education is a critical factor for improving the quality of human resources in general and in particular for developing new skills, cultural values and behavioural pattern needed in the marine industry. An educated and healthy workforce is critical to increasing productivity in all sectors of the nation’s economy. In order to sustain shipping, the IMO through the International Safety Management (ISM) Codes frames the Safety Management Systems so that ship owners/operators could meet high training standards. For instance, the Standard of Training, Certification and Watch-keeping (STWC) Conventions 1995 amendment to the 1978 version for seafarers established training requirements for mariners based on the level of their licence, the ship type and minimum standards of safety. According to Ornitz, “The STWC Conventions provide guidance to training institutions as they teach safety and quality management, and also integrate classroom learning with real life experience.”

In Nigeria, NIMASA has accredited some training institutions to train those aspiring to be seafarers in line with IMO requirements. The government has also recently established a maritime university in Delta State, Nigeria, while training others in countries such as the Philippines and Egypt, amongst others. There are other private institutions within the country managed by individuals and the government-owned Maritime Academy, Oron, offering maritime-related courses up to post-graduate level. Whilst it is conceded that an appreciable level of success is made in maritime education in Nigeria, serious questions still remain regarding the quality. This is because in the past decade, the country has drifted to a situation of low academic standard. The proliferation of maritime schools has not helped matters as most students are ill-prepared for the marine profession.

For instance, “in 2012, out of 1,540,250 students that wrote the WAEC examination, only 789,288 representing 51.71 percent obtained 5 credits and above including Mathematics and English”. This has been the pattern in the past few years. The implication is that only few students possess the aptitude to study maritime-related courses which are mostly science-based. Importantly, there are no government-owned ships for those who are just graduating from maritime institutions to develop practical skills in marine engineering, navigation and seamanship. It could be argued that it is not necessary for the government to buy ships when in the last two decades there has been a decline in the number of skilled people to operate Nigerian-owned vessels.

The shortfall between educational provision and demand for places in the nation’s maritime industry is so substantial that many youths spend most precious time searching for work. This is because graduates of maritime institutions lack skills and qualifications that are pro-industry. This has undermined the government’s local content effort as foreign ship owners are not willing to employ most Nigerian seafarers. Instead, it is Indians, Filipinos, Greeks and Chinese that are mostly employed to work onboard most merchant ships in Nigeria. NIMASA therefore has a regulatory responsibility to ensure that standards stated in the ISM Codes are maintained in all institutions accredited to offer marine-related courses. The truth about maritime safety is that seafarers must possess “a culture that is characterised by rationality, inquisitiveness, motivation to learn and acquire new knowledge, focus on quality and deep roots in excellence”, while ship owners and operators must be committed to safety of crew, ship and the environment by ensuring that they provide competent, well-trained and motivated staff to maintain their vessels promptly.

Literacy

In the last 30 years, the number of tertiary institutions has increased exceedingly. Nigeria can now boast of 37 federal universities, 47 private universities, 38 state universities, 21 federal polytechnics, 36 state and 22 private polytechnics as well as numerous colleges of education. There are equally numerous maritime institutions accredited and not accredited by NIMASA in the country. In 2013, however, a newspaper reported that 10.5 million children were out of school. This, according to the then minister of state for education, Nyesom Wike, was “indeed an embarrassing literary statistics on Nigeria”. It was also reported that the number of illiterate adults has increased over the past two decades to reach 35 million. By implication, about 40 percent of Nigerians of working class (15-65 years) are illiterate. Consequently, the nation is not producing technologically-literate citizens who possess the qualities to engender maritime safety. This is because the ship is a complex system whose safety requirements are to be provided by males and females who possess necessary skill, knowledge and experience. Low levels of literacy and education in general can impede human development in a country and indeed the marine industry in a rapidly changing technology-driven world. Improving the nation’s literacy level requires commitment at all levels of government.

GDP per capita

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita is most times used as an indicator and not as a measurement of a country’s standard of living. This is based on the assumption that all citizens will benefit from their county’s economic production. The standard of living of people in a country is determined by factors such as income, quality and availability of employment, class disparity, poverty rate, quality and affordable housing. Other factors include hours of work to purchase necessities, inflation rate, affordable or free access to healthcare, cost of goods and services, environmental quality, climate and safety, amongst others. But what do seafarers want? They want to live long, fulfilling lives, not just to be very rich.

It is regrettable to state that maritime safety cannot be at its peak in a nation where unemployment is high, environmental quality is below average, incidence of disease is high, and life expectancy is below average. Even, when the GDP is improved or rebased, neither maritime safety nor human development is enhanced. This is because GDP is a measure of economic quantity, not economic quality or welfare, let alone social or environmental well-being. The risk of shipping is high in Nigeria regarding maritime safety, as most ships are very old and not seaworthy. This is evidenced by the number of ship wrecks along the nation’s coastline. It was recently reported that “the nation’s coastline particularly in Lagos area is harbouring about 200 shipwrecks and abandoned ships”. This has posed danger to navigation as well as the environment. The health of people is compromised by the toxic water occasioned by decay of the wreckage. The Lagos State government has requested for N25 billion to salvage these abandoned vessels. In the same vein, NIMASA placed an advertorial in one of the newspapers directing the owners of the abandoned ships to make necessary arrangements for salvage. It is expedient to know how these ships found their ways into Nigeria’s maritime space.

The opportunities available for those operating in the shipping industry are unlimited. However, the prospect of those in shipping providing adequate maritime safety is limited because of shortage of skilled staff. Additionally, factors such as polluted waters, low level of literacy, insufficient knowledge coupled with limited funds have impaired the capability of those who are operating within the nation’s shipping industry to provide maritime safety. Consequently, maritime safety is secondary and at its ebb because Nigerian shipping companies are benefitting only from a fraction of the opportunities available. For Nigerian ship owners and operators to tap into these opportunities, the government must create enabling environment, attitude of individuals must change positively, people must be given quality education, and there must be leadership commitment at all levels to sustaining safety culture. It is only then that human development can be a prerequisite for maritime safety.

Banks’ technology adoption not fast enough for some regulators – SAP study

2014-12-16T16:29:00.000-08:00

While technology is changing every aspect of banking operations, 77 percent of participants in a recent survey say the greatest impact will be on customer satisfaction and regulatory compliance.

Some regulators, however, believe banks are moving too slowly.

“The Benefits of Innovative Information Technology in the Banking Industry” was conducted by the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management, New York University’s Stern School of Business and Management, the University of Applied Sciences and Arts North-Western Switzerland, the Business Transformation Academy (Basel, Switzerland) and SAP SE.

The study uncovered various trends in banking, most notably a large disconnect between regulators’ expectations and the ability of banks to meet compliance and reporting requirements. However, many financial institutions have plans to increase their budget for Information Technology (IT) to invest in the necessary banking solutions to meet these changing requirements.

Throughout the study, a clear consensus prevailed that regulatory requirements are the primary driver of business model changes.

Regulators agree that required levels of risk reporting in banks cannot be met given existing IT infrastructure. As one regulator noted, “IT budgets have to significantly increase to meet the current and future requirements.” Indeed, 61 percent of survey participants expect an increase in their IT budget of at least 25 percent in the next three years. Regulators ranked new provisions that are regarded as the main cost drivers for the future IT infrastructure for banks.

According to the study, the top cost driver is the Basel Committee’s guideline on principles for effective risk data aggregation and risk reporting (BCBS 239), followed by Basel III, Dodd-Frank, the recommendations set forth in the Liikanen Report, Markets in Financial Instruments Directive and Markets in Financial Investments Regulation, European Market Infrastructure Regulation and multi-curve valuations.

Regulators defined which features will characterise a state-of-the-art IT infrastructure from a regulatory standpoint. The ability to conduct automated ad hoc stress testing is key, as well as the ability to produce timely, complete, granular balance sheet data and counterparty data for the entire bank.

In order to achieve a sustainable infrastructure, regulatory authorities and auditors recommend banks make the following improvements: Implementation of a central data warehouse, Improvement of data and process governance, Introduction of more automated processes, and Flexible and customised modules for automatic analysis, stress scenario generation and ad hoc stress testing. Others are: Enhanced capabilities and data analytics for product valuation and bank enterprise risk management calculations, as well as enhanced capabilities for legal entity- and jurisdiction-specific analytics.

As banks adopt advanced technologies to decrease the time lag on reporting, regulators have laid out their expectations.

For reporting on regulatory and economic capital on a group level, institutions should aim for final results within 10 business days from the effective date. Interestingly, there is a common expectation that in the near future the time frame deemed acceptable for delivery of information will not exceed one day, granting near real-time visibility.

Banks are largely in agreement that their current systems need updating, according to the study. Respondents to the online survey expressed little confidence in the ability of their current systems and processes to simulate the potential effects of business decisions on various figures, including economic capital and regulatory capital, in real time.

Despite increased regulatory pressures for banks to update their Information Technology (IT) infrastructure, banks remain largely focused on short-term success. As one auditor voiced, “To date, many financial institution tend to implement work-around and small scale solutions, but this will create significant issues in meeting potential future requirements.”

Why The billboard goes digital

2014-12-16T11:08:00.007-08:00

When Jeremy Male rang the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange last Thursday, he became one of a handful of chief executives to have performed that ceremonial duty, marking a corporate milestone, twice in one year.

Male, who is British, had already stood on the dais in March, at the side of Leslie Moonves, head of CBS, as they celebrated the spin-off of billboard advertising group CBS Outdoor from its parent. Male was then six months into the post of CBS Outdoor’s CEO.

The second Wall Street appearance, complete with change in ticker symbol, finalised the transformation of CBS Outdoor into Outfront Media. It also caps a year in which Male has overseen the group not just shedding its name but adopting a new tax structure and cutting the last ties to CBS as he pursues ambitious growth.

When he arrived in New York from France’s JCDecaux, one of the leading outdoor advertising companies, to head the group, it was very much in the shadow of CBS, the US broadcaster best known as the home of David Letterman, Survivor and The Big Bang Theory. “Coming over to the US, with a British accent, I’d say ‘CBS Outdoor’ and people would say, ‘Oh, what show is that?’”

Outfront’s reinvention comes as the out-of-home advertising sector – billboards, subway ads, bus shelters – is being reshaped by data, technology and the ubiquity of mobile devices, like the rest of the media industry.

It is also growing: global outdoor spending is projected to expand 4 per cent this year, and to maintain its 7 per cent share of the total advertising market over the next five years, according to Magna Global, Interpublic’s ad buying and research group.

Interest in outdoor is driven at least partly by operators converting their signs to more profitable digital displays, such as the often animated adverts illuminating Times Square and Piccadilly Circus like oversized television screens.

While just 1.5 per cent of Outfront’s inventory has been converted to digital signs, they already account for 10 per cent of its revenue. A single digital board can carry several ads a day and campaigns are cheaper and quicker to produce than traditional billboards. Male expects digital to reach 25 per cent of sales within three years, especially as the declining cost of electronic displays means advertisers can get more bang for their buck.

Additional digital inventory means Outfront can offer advertisers flexible and timely campaigns, including the ability to react fast to an event, such as flashing a message when a local team scores in a football game. “We’re not too far away from having an app where [marketers] could just say, ‘OK, I want this message on all of our screens across the world for a 10-second period’.”

Technology will enable billboard owners to use data to improve audience targeting, make campaigns interactive and connect outdoor messages to the other media people see, especially on the mobile phones carried by so many consumers wherever they go.

“What you can tell from the handsets that go past is where it started out, what it did, what websites it visited . . . The data mobile devices capture is allowing us to add far more value to our locations,” says Male. Outfront has collaborated with Dash Labs, a mobile app maker, to collect demographics on drivers passing a billboard in Los Angeles.

Such data collection raises privacy concerns, but Male says it is collected in aggregated form without personally identifiable information, or taken from apps where consumers have opted to share location information.

“I don’t think it’s quite going to be Minority Report,” he says, referring to the film where ad displays target individuals, using their real names in real time. “But I do think being able to give that enriched audience data will add value for advertisers and therefore for us because what you’ll find is that each board has a personality of its own” – based on the types of people passing by.

The increasingly mobile-driven, fragmented media landscape offers a “fascinating” opportunity for Outfront, Male says. He acknowledges that “huge swaths of money” are going into digital advertising budgets that can narrow their target down to individuals.

But marketers still want to reach mass audiences too, and with traditional viewership for television shows fragmenting and declining, especially among younger people, Male says outdoor is poised to help reach huge groups of people with ads that cannot be fast-forwarded with a remote control. Commuters stuck in a traffic jam gaze up at big striking billboards; in cities such as London and San Francisco, pedestrians pass displays on bus shelters.

“We are one of the few media that, in a low-cost way, still has that one-to-many opportunity . . . We are reaching young, urban, affluent people on the streets, and they’re the people that advertisers want to reach. It’s no coincidence that brands such as Apple and Google are significant users of out-of-home.”

Apple spends some 10 per cent of its US marketing budget on outdoor ads, while the top 100 US advertisers together spend 2 per cent, he says. (The figure in Europe, is closer to 8 per cent.)

In his office on the 17th floor of Manhattan’s Chrysler Building, the tall, silver-haired Male looks relaxed for someone giving up one of the most recognisable brand names in US media. His purple tie matches the balloons festooning the entrance and the signs proclaiming Outfront’s new name and logo.

When he first arrived in New York, one part of his task of transforming the operation was clear: Moonves had announced at the start of 2013 that CBS Outdoor would be spun off as a real estate investment trust. Reits pay almost no corporate tax but must pay at least 90 per cent of their taxable income as dividends. The conversion into a Reit was completed in July.

The next decision – rebranding – was, Male says, necessary for the group’s increasingly digital future. In CBS, “you had this incredible brand that, in a way, we felt slightly parallel to. We knew we were never going to replace CBS as a consumer brand but we always felt we could go out and create a great new media brand.”

It was not the first time Male has taken on reshaping a company. In 1994, he made the leap from Germany’s Tchibo Coffee to outdoor advertising when he joined TDI, a US-based advertising group focusing on transportation that had just won the first private contract for London’s Underground and buses. Male was responsible for turning the London transport network’s in-house marketing division from “a civil service” operation into a competitive ad agency. Over six years, he built TDI’s UK and European business, before moving to JCDecaux, where he led the UK, northern Europe and Australia business.

Amid the corporate changes of recent months, Male also bought the US’s largest private portfolio of billboards from Van Wagner, including boards in New York’s Times Square and Los Angeles’s Sunset Strip. Overall, Outfront’s aim is to become the top billboard own¬er in the US’s 25 biggest markets. Male says it is still pursuing acquisitions to round out its holdings.

Along with the new name, the company is signalling its ambitions with a new in-house creative studio and a consumer insight service to help brands design their outdoor campaigns.

“That’s absolutely where we wanted to position the brand, which is a new market-leading brand that is associated with media. We’re now Outfront rather than outdoor or out-of-home.”

Second opinion: Insider on an outsider

As CEO of Omnicom’s Outdoor Media Group, North America’s largest buyer of outdoor advertising, Dave Yacullo advises marketers on billboard space.

He says Male “brings this track record of leadership and results in Europe and abroad” from his time at JCDecaux and TDI. But at the same time, “he hasn’t come in with the mindset of, ‘we had this great success over in Europe and we will just apply what works to the US’. He really understands the nuances of the market.”

Why The billboard goes digital

2014-12-16T11:01:00.001-08:00

Why The billboard goes digital

2014-12-16T10:58:00.001-08:00

EQUIPPING THE BGT FLEET WITH WORLD-CLASS PERSONNEL

2014-12-16T10:52:00.002-08:00

NLNG SHIP MANAGEMENT LIMITED

NSML is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Nigeria LNG Limited, set up to give dedicated attention to providing, developing and managing high calibre personnel for NLNG's maritime business, with aspirations to provide such services to third parties in the future. NSML fully kicked off its activities in 2010 and is currently in its nascent organisational development phase.

NSML has continued to pursue the Nigerianisation Plan currently on the BGT vessels. From amongst its workforce of the shipboard officers, Nigerianisation has yielded six Captains and four Chief Engineers, all of which have now been deployed to the newly created NLNG Shipmanagement Services (NLNGSS).

From 2002 to 2011, a total of 182 cadets completed their cadetship training program in UK maritime colleges. As part of their training, all cadets go on board BGT vessels for practical experience; this is aimed at instilling in them the discipline required for succesful career at sea and at meeting the competency certification requirements of the STCW 9f regulations.

While in 2008 to 2010, a total of 72 Cadets were recruited. Their cadetship training started at Warsash Maritime Academy and Glasgow College of Nautical Studies (now City of Glasgow College) in the UK which takes three years. In 2011, 10 were recruited and they have commenced training in the UK in January 2012.

NSML currently has 153 Nigerian officers in its employment and has extended its portfolio to cover the management and training of cadets, a function previously handled by fleet managers SSML and AESM. Currently, BGT utilizes the services of 343 Ratings employed by GMS. This number is expected to grow to 400 in 2012 when NSML will commence direct employment and management of Ratings as approved by the NSML Board of Directors.

NLNG continues to support the Nigerian Maritime Academy, Oron, to train manpower for the industry. Warsash Maritime Academy, Southampton, was engaged to review the Academy's STCW 93 courses. They (Warsash Maritime Academy) are also required to help facilitate the accreditation process of Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Oron, to enable them issue MCA approved certificates. The cost for these projects which includes purchase, installation and test-running some equipment for the Academy is fully borne by Nigeria LNG Limited. The COmpany has spent ofer US $100,000 on the equipment, besides sponsorship of four lecturers and a Life craft Technician to United Kingdom for training recently. In 2010, NLNG made a donation to facilitate training of officers in Proficiency in Survival Craft and Rescue Boat (PSCRB) worth N40 million to the Academy.

Year of Recruitment/Graduation	Total number of Recruited Cadets	Total number of Graduated Cadets
1998	11	0
1999	13	0
2000	19	0
2001	25	11
2002	9	12
2003	23	19
2004	0	24
2005	29	8
2006	28	21
2007	27	0
2008	34	29
2009	22	23
2010	16	22
2011	10	24

NLNG plans multi-billion naira dry dock in Lagos, shops for investors

2014-12-16T10:31:00.001-08:00

Nigeria may soon be able to save huge foreign exchange through the construction of a dry dock for the maintenance of large ocean going vessels in Badagry Lagos State, as the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Limited has reached out to the investment community – representatives of banks and other financial institutions, promoting the potential for a new dockyard in the country.

This follows the conclusion of feasibility studies by Royal HaskoningDHV, an independent, international engineering and project management consultancy, headquartered in the Netherlands.

The thinking for the establishment of a dry dock in Nigeria is coming on the back of NLNG’s US$1.6 billion contract with shipbuilders, Samsung Heavy Industries and Hyundai Heavy Industries, for the building of six new vessels.

The volume of the fleet spurred the thinking of the need for maintainance locally.

Observers of Nigeria’s maritime sector have long lamented the absence of an operational dockyard to cater for very large crude carriers (VLCCs) and liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers, as existing dockyards can only handle smaller vessels.

Lack of such a facility has meant that owners of large vessels in Nigeria and the West African region, have had to pay large sums of money to docking facilities located mainly in Asia, Europe and the Americas, which can accommodate such large vessels.

NLNG, leveraging on the agreement with the ship manufacturers, secured a number of lucrative opportunities beneficial to the Nigerian economy, including the training of about 600 young Nigerians in various aspects of ship-building, procurement of goods from Nigerian companies and the feasibility studies for building a dockyard.

Feasibility studies for citing the dry-dock were carried out in seven places—Badagry, Lekki FTZ, Ladol Island, Ogogoro Island, Olokola FTZ, Onne and Bonny, before consultants identified Badagry as the best-in-class location for the dockyard.

Babs Omotowa, NLNG’s managing director and chief executive officer, at the investment forum held at the proposed site for the dockyard in Badagry said: “This dry-dock, when completed, holds huge potential for the investment community. Our LNG vessels and very large crude carriers (VLCC) of other companies in the oil and gas and marine industries, which are currently maintained overseas, resulting in millions of dollars being spent overseas, will soon be maintained in-country with tangible value-adds for the Nigerian economy,”

The dry-dock is also planned to be operated and managed according to international standards, and when operational, will generate revenue and add jobs to the economy.

Captain Temi Okesanjo, Nigeria LNG’s General Manager, Shipping Division, speaking to investors at a forum to discuss the potential of the proposed dockyard, said: “I can confidently tell you that if we have a dockyard here, Nigeria LNG with its current 13 vessels in our fleet will be one of your patrons. When our company receives its six additional vessels from Samsung Heavy Industries and Hyundai Heavy Industries, those vessels will also be maintained here.

“ I have no doubt the other players in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry will also be looking to service and maintain their vessels at this ship yard once it becomes operational,”

NLNG is owned by four shareholders. They are the Federal Government of Nigeria, represented by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC (49%), Shell Gas BV, SGBV, (25.6%), Total LNG Nigeria Limited (15%), and Eni International (N.A,) N. V. S. a. r. l (10.4%).

Rallies Investors For New Nigerian Dockyard - NLNG

2014-12-10T12:11:00.001-08:00

Nigeria LNG (NLNG) Limited has reached out to the investment community— representatives of banks and other financial institutions— promoting the potential for a new dockyard in the country.

The dockyard, for location in Badagry, follows the conclusion of feasibility studies by Royal HaskoningDHV, an independent, international engineering and project management consultancy headquartered in the Netherlands.

The studies come as one of the benefits of NLNG’s US$1.6 billion contract with shipbuilders, Samsung Heavy Industries and Hyundai Heavy Industries, for the building of six new vessels.

“This dry-dock, when completed, holds huge potential for investors and for Nigeria. Our LNG vessels and very large crude carriers (VLCC) of other companies in the oil and gas, and marine industries, which are currently maintained overseas, resulting in millions of dollars in capital flight, will soon be maintained in-country with significant value-added for the Nigerian economy,” said Babs Omotowa, NLNG’s managing director and chief executive officer at an investors forum held in Lagos.

NLNG, leveraging on the agreement with the ship manufacturers, secured a number of lucrative opportunities beneficial to the Nigerian economy, including the training of about 600 young Nigerians in various aspects of ship-building, export of goods from Nigerian manufacturing companies, and the feasibility studies for building a dockyard.

Feasibility studies for citing the dry-dock were carried out on seven locations — Badagry, Lekki FTZ, Ladol Island, Ogogoro Island, Olokola FTZ, Onne, Bonny — before consultants identified Badagry as the most suitable location for the dockyard.

Observers of Nigeria’s maritime sector have long lamented the absence of an operational dockyard to cater for very large crude carriers (VLCCs) and liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers. Existing dockyards can only handle smaller vessels.

The absence of such a facility has meant that owners of large vessels in Nigeria and the West African sub region, have had to pay large sums of money to access docking facilities located mainly in Asia, Europe and the Americas, that can accommodate such large vessels.

The dry-dock is also planned to be operated and managed according to best international standards, and when completed, will generate revenue and add jobs to the economy.

“I can confidently tell you that if we have a dockyard here, Nigeria LNG with its current 13 vessels in our fleet will be one of your patrons. When our company receives its six additional vessels from Samsung Heavy Industries and Hyundai Heavy Industries, those vessels will also be maintained here. I have no doubt the other players in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry will also be looking to service and maintain their vessels at this ship yard once it becomes operational,” said Capt. Temi Okesanjo, Nigeria LNG’s General Manager, Shipping Division speaking to investors at the forum to discuss the potential of the proposed dockyard.

NLNG is owned by four shareholders, namely, the Federal Government of Nigeria, represented by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC (49%), Shell Gas BV, SGBV, (25.6%), Total LNG Nigeria Limited (15%), and Eni International (N.A,) N. V. S. a. r. l (10.4%).