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BUSINESSDAY, Friday 03 - Sunday 05 Apri\,2009
Companies & Markets REAL SECTOR
SON wants Nigerians to alert regulators on substandard issues AUSTIN IMHONLELE
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wake up call has gone t o Nigerians to alert the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and other regulatory a u t h o r i t i e s on issues concerning substandard products to enable the appropriate authority take prompt actions. John Akanya, director general, SON, made this call while lamented on the recent incident of collapsed multi-storey building at WiAraba in Lagos State . "Nigerians should learn to avoid a culture of silence in the face of negative behavioural patterns by some members of the public by reporting such acts to appropriate authorities for
prompt action." Represented by Bede Obayi, a deputy director, who led a team of SON officials to the site of the collapsed building, Akanya said he was referring to the various newspaper reports by some survivors of the disaster and residents of the neigbourhood, who claimed that the structure had consistently showed signs of weakness even during construction. The 'wake up' call, therefore, he said, be in line .with the culture of Africans as "our brothers' keepers," stressing however that the after effect of the culture of silence can only be to the detriment of safety of lives and properties of Nigerians and the nation's economy. According to him, a strict monitoring process needs to be worked out between the
various professional bodies in the building sector and state government building approving authorities to ensure proper supervision at every stage of the development of structures, particularly high-rise buildings. This will ensure that only professionals are involved in c o n s t r u c t i o n and supervision of buildings, that materials are properly specified and used while procedures are also adhered to in line with approved standards and codes. The director general reiterated his deposition that SON had elaborated standards for all materials used in building construction, calling for proper specification, usage and supervision of structures to weed out quacks from the process.
L-Ri Balarabe Mohammed, chairman, Committee on Review of Code of Corporate Governance in Nigeria; Musa AI-Faki, director General, Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC and Udoma Udo Udoma, chairman, SEC during the Presentation of the Report of the Committee on the Review of the Code of Corporate Governance for Public Companies in Nigeria held in Abuja. Picture byTUNDE ADENIYI.
New IITA yam growing technique to increase yield, assures Irish envoy rish government has praised Nigeria-based International Institute of Tropical A g r i c u l t u r e (IITA) for the success of its new yam propagation technique that uses vine cuttings, instead of the traditional tuber seeds. Irish m i n i s t e r for integration, Conor Lenihan, says the technology will help in increasing the yield of yams, and consequently, farmers' incomes. "The work on yams is worthy and we hope it will improve livelihoods in Africa," Lenihan states during a courtesy call to IITA's h e a d q u a r t e r s in Ibadan . In February, IITA and
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its partners announced the yam propagation breakthrough. The Irish envoy notes that Ireland 's continuing s u p p o r t to IITA over the years is aimed at guaranteeing food security in Africa , Last year, the Irish government, through its Irish Aid programme, provided some 640,000 euro in research funding to IITA to help advance the institute's work of providing solutions to hunger and poverty in sub-Saharan Africa . The funding was part of a bigger 4.4 million e u r o p a c k a g e to the Consultative Group on
International Agricultural Research, which is a 'central component' of Irish Aid's response to the growing global food crisis. IITA director, Robert Asiedu, discloses that the new technology will reduce the amount of yam tubers used as seed in the cultivation of the crop, making them available either for consumption or for sale. "We have seen that yam tuber seeds alone account for about 50 percent of the cost of production of yams. Planting a hectare costs about $2000 in seeds. If farmers are able to use the vines, then they willsave this amount"
Drought tolerant maize boosts farming profit rought tolerant maize v a r i e t i e s have mitigated the effects of drought on maize production, and farmers are having better income," discloses Olumide Ibikunle, research and development manager, Premier Seeds. With this, farmers c u l t i v a t i n g maize are making profits despite droughts experienced in the northern part of Nigeria . "The seed industry is also better off because demand for mai7.e has actually increased," he adds at the "regional planning meeting of the Drought Tolerant Maize for Africa Project," at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA),Ibadan. Over the years, IITA,
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CIMMYT and national partners have released several drought tolerant maize varieties, including Samaz 16, ZM309 and ZM523, among others in sub-Saharan Africa to cushion the effects of drought on the crop. "Investment in drought tolerant maize is a good thing, especially for Africa," Ibikunle notes. Drought remains one of the most limiting factors to maize production in subSaharan Africa . "Northern Nigeria , where maize production dominates is also prone to drought," discloses Stella Thomas, managing director of Kano-based Seed Project Company Limited. "To keep production
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-HolisticBusiness Solutions, a leading small and medium enterprises consulting firm, has announced the firm's switch to use of now using revolutionary online accounting software. The move, thecompany disclosed is aimed at helping its clients better manage their bookkeeping and accounts, and keep better track of their financial position. It noted that use of the latest support is in a bid to conquer the funding issues encountered by SMEs as a result of poor financial statements. To this e n d , the company, based in Lagos, assure that it has futureproofed its accounting
W-Holistic Business Solutions goes hi-tech
s Nigeria s coal city, Enugu opened its trade fair complex to hundreds of participants in its 20th edition of the Rnugu International Trade Fair last Friday, Dangote Group, one of the biggest indigenous conglomerates in the manufacturing sector at the Fair, says it is poised to support government in realising its 20-2020 Vision. With the Group's imposing appearance at the Fair, which would last for 12 days, it is obvious that nothing would be left to chance in ensuring that the private sector continues to make positive impact on the nation's economy. This year's Enugu Fair, which ends on April 6, has 'Vision 20-2020 and the Challenges of Private Sector Development,' as its theme and like the recently organised 30th edition of the Kaduna International Trade Fair, the Enugu Fair is already attracting major indigenous manufacturing c o m p a n i e s w i t h wide spectrum of products. The G r o u p with a
Dangote Group supports private-sector development at Enugu fair
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software packages for their clients by using online accounting software that enables accountants and their clients to easily access their own financial records at any time, whenever they have access to the internet. Online accounting software is considered by many to be the "next level" for the industry because it enables businesses to keep constant eyes on their company's financial position without having to install costly and bulky software directly onto their computers. All the records held on the
profitable to resourcepoor farmers, research on drought tolerant maize is important," she adds. According to her, maize farming is profitable especially with the adoption of drought tolerant varieties. Researchers and other stakeholders in the maize industry meeting in Ibadan say developing maize varieties with tolerant of drought will boost maize production in Africa, a continent where the crop is among the major staples. Abebe Menkir, IITA maize breeder, declares that the Drought Tolerant Maize for Africa project will reduce the vulnerability ,of maize farmers to drought.
system are stored behind a stat^-pt-jh^art ^encryption system that prevents data, from being accessed OB passed on without the user's permission. Speaking about the' new contract Olanrewaju Oniyitan, founder/principal business consultant at the firm, said: "We were looking to provide a product that was easy to use for our clients that haven't had any accountancy training, but still enabled us as their consultant to extract the information we need to provide quality service.
display of various products Danvita manufacturing, in its pavilion, no doubt, Dansa fruits juice, which is highly demonstrates a fast penetrating Nigeria s leading position in sugar, fruits • ice market) is very salt, pasta (Spaghetti and h Qn d . Macaroni), flour and Integrated Rice Project Establishment?
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