Brands & Marketing B6 Stories by Godwin Anyebe The disengaged workers of the National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria (NIMN), recently called on the leadership of the institute to review their mode of sacking . The ex-staff, who recently converged on the Centre for Management Development (CMD), Shangisha, Lagos office of the NIMN, staged a peaceful demonstration to protest what they described as unfair treatment and the refusal of the institute’s council to remit their pensions to the relevant authorities. The protesting former employees, who displayed various placards, and co-ordinated by three of the institute’s former principal officers, Mr. Archibong Duke, the institute’s former Assistant Director, Membership Services; Mr. Tunde Oyeyode, Director, Corpo-
Daily Times Nigeria Thursday, August 31, 2017
NIMN ex-workers, institute leadership, biker over unpaid allowances rate Affairs and Procurement and Mr. Abiodun Okunade, the institute’s erstwhile Assistant Director, Training and Examination, accused the council of not being fair over the disengagement process. While venting the group’s disagreement to the media, Archibong had accused the incumbent president of the institute of not honouring his campaign promises of training and re-training the institute’s staff. According to the aggrieved exworker, “One of the campaign promises of the president was that the institute’s workers would be retrained in tune with the 21st century challenges. He said this sever
times during his campaign, but we were shocked when he decided to do away with 28 out of the 31 staff of the institute immediately he resumed office.” He also accused the council of non-remittance of the workers’ pensions to the appropriate government quarters, despite being deducted from their salaries. He said, in the eventuality, none of the disengaged workers would be benefited from the contributory pension scheme having duly compolied. “God forbid, if any of us should die tomorrow, there are no records at the pension office that we were actually active with our pension
payment while alive. What we are saying is that besides paying us our remaining entitlements, the institute should also release unremitted pensions to the relevant agencies and make available statement of such remitted pensions to us,” he added. Reacting to some of the allegations, the institute’s Registrar, Mr. Sydney Ogodo, argued that the issue of non remittance of pension, predated the present council, arguing that the institute had, however, been prompt in remitting staff’s pension since 2016. Daily Times learnt that on March 31 this year, the Institute had paid the disengaged staff sala-
ries and 25 per cent of their entitlement with a schedule to pay the balance based on ability to raise the money. A reliable source said, soon after this arrangement was reached, the Institute’s ex-directors started agitating and threatening to disrupt the peace of the Institute. According to him, “Their main demand to pay all their outstanding entitlements immediately and to change the termination letters to what they called “employment friendly” ones, spurred others to join the train.” The President of the Council, Mr. Tony Agemonmen told The Daily Times that “The 50 per cent of outstanding was paid through various sources including borrowing before end June as agreed.
Cowbell Milk relives memories of Okwaraji (L-R): Mr Ebenezer Boluwade, of Agric and Export Finance Department, Sterling Bank Plc; Mr. Adewole Gbolade, Coordinator, NatnuPreneur; and Adelana Ogunjirin, of Agric Finance Unit, Heritage Bank Plc; at the Heritage BankNatnuPrenenur Press Conference on Food Security initiative held in Lagos...Tuesday.
DPP withdraws charges against foreign investor Recently, a Lagos High Court, presided over by Justice Oluwatoyin Ipaye, struck out frivolous fraud charges brought against two British nationals, Deepak Khilnani and Sushil Chandra by the Attorney General of Lagos State. The decision of the court was sequel to a Notice of Discontinuance filed by the State Director of Public Prosecutions, Mrs. Titi Shitta-Bey appealing to the court to strike out the case in the light of a review of the case by the State Attorney General, Mr. Kazeem Adeniji. It had been alleged by the Attorney General, through the State prosecution team, led by the then Director of Public Prosecution, Mrs. E.I. Alakija (now a serving judge of Lagos High
Court), in a charge that Deepak Khilnani and Sushil Chandra sometimes in 2008 defrauded a Nigerian company Green Fuels Ltd of about $8.8million. However, there was apparently no evidence to support such an allegation and it was totally unfounded. When the case started in 2015, the media was awash with sensational headlines of how these British nationals had allegedly defrauded their Nigerian business partners. The truth was that the allegations against the defendants were baseless and unsustainable before any court of law in the country. Although the presiding judge; during the early stages of the trial dismissed a motion seeking to quash the charges, the
State prosecution team still could not make meaningful progress in the matter, because there was simply no evidence to prove the allegation against the Defendants. This was evident at the proceedings of 22nd October, 2015, when the then DPP urged the Court to adjourn the proceedings indefinitely to enable her to amend the Proof of Evidence. The fact was simply that a non-existence criminal implication was being imported into a purely business disagreement between Deepak Khilnani and his Nigerian partners. The background to this civil dispute is that Ola Rosiji and Anil Ahluwalia, who had formed a company called Green Fuels Limited, approached Mr.
Khilnani’s company in 2009 to join them in building a Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) gas distribution company – clearly this is a very technical business; and Khilnani’s company held significant experience and expertise in this area. After protracted negotiations and discussions, Green Fuels entered into a contract with Khilnani’s Company Gentec Energy, a UK PLC company, to build the plant, train their personnel and provide technical management support to the business. The contract was signed by Ahluwalia on behalf of Green Fuels Limited and the funds for the project were initially provided by Rosiji’s company, Nigerian Distillers Ltd.
Twenty-eight years after his death, memories of his life and times of Samuel Okwaraji have faded out. Not even members of his primary constituency remembered to commemorate his skilful style last Saturday. But Cowbell Milk, made a difference on that occasion The flagship brand of Promasidor Nigeria Limited, was on hand to recognize the late soccer legend. At that same main bowl of the National Stadium, Lagos, where Samuel Okwaraji slumped and died while in the colours of the Super Eagles of Nigeria, Cowbell Football Academy (CFA) remembered the national hero. And for kids and parents that participated at the final ceremony of the Cowbell Summer Camp, a programme organised by the CFA to groom young talents, it was a date with the history with the late midfielder looming large. Toyeeb Gidado Olakunle, who captained the Under-15 Team Nigeria at the Youth Olympics held in Botswana in 2014 distinguished himself at the occasion. Many people have nicknamed Toyeeb as Nigeria’s rising Wonder Boy, a name once associated with Okwaraji. The master of ceremonies reminded the crowd that it was in that main bowl of the National Stadium, Lagos, that Okwaraji had a tragic end during Super Eagles’ encounter with Angola in a FIFA World Cup qualifier game. Speaking at the event recently in Lagos, ex-Super Eagles defender and Barcelona player, Gbenga Okunowo, said the event was a positive memorial for Okwaraji. He said the young talents that participated in the event would, some day, replace Nigeria’s past heroes, if the national team managers paid attention to them.