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Dangote women empowerment program reaches N4.3billion in disbursement

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DSC 2757, L-R,, Emir Of Bauchi, Dr. Riliwan Suleiman Adamu Bauchi State, Deputy Governor, Senator Baba Tela Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Mohammed, Managing Director/ CEO, Aliko Dangote Foundation, Zouera Youssoufou, Group Executive Director, Government and Strategic Relations, Dangote Industries Limited, Engr. Ahmed Mansur, Who represents Chairman Aliko Dangote Foundation, Wife of the State Governor, Aisha Mohammed, and One of the Beneficiary, at the Official Flag- Off of Disbursements the Dangote Micro -Grants Programme for Venerable Women in Bauchi Local Government Area , Bauchi State on Tuesday 15th June. 2021.

 

The Aliko Dangote Foundation (ADF) has doled out a whooping N4.2billion as part of its unconditional Micro Grant Programme for empowering women in the rural areas across the country.

Speaking at the flag-off of its one-off unconditional Micro-grants Programme Tuesday in Bauchi, Chairman of the Aliko Dangote Foundation empowered twenty thousand vulnerable women across the 20 Local Government Areas of the State.

Dangote who was represented by the company’s Group Executive Director, Government and Strategic Relations, Mansur Ahmed said so far over four hundred thousand poor women have benefited from the programme in the country.

He said in Bauchi State, N200million is currently being disbursed to vulnerable women across the 20 Local Government Areas.

According to the Africa’s top philanthropist, the unconditional micro grant is aimed at supporting the government effort’s in empowering poor families in the State.

Dangote Wins 2021 Most Admired Brand in Africa

He said the Foundation had earmarked N10billion to be disbursed to vulnerable women across the 774 Local Government Areas in the country.

Dangote said states that have also benefitted from the scheme include: Lagos, Kano, Jigawa, Kogi, Adamawa, Borno, Yobe, Niger, Nasarawa, Sokoto, Katsina and Kwara state.

He added that the next states to benefit from the programme are: Osun, Edo, Ogun, Rivers, Anambra and Ebonyi state respectively.

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“The Micro-grants programme is one component of the Economic Empowerment pillar of the Aliko Dangote Foundation. It provides disadvantaged and vulnerable women with a one-off, unconditional N10,000,00 cash transfer to boost their household income generation. This we believe will help reduce their vulnerability and meet their livelihood needs,” he added.

He said it is gratifying to note that majority of women who benefitted from the scheme have been able to grow the seed capital.

While thanking Aliko Dangote Foundation to coming to assist the vulnerable women in Bauchi State, Governor Senator Bala Abdulkadir Muhammad said he was very elated with ADF’s intervention across the country and especially in his state.

He expressed optimism that the intervention will support lives and livelihoods of women, children and families in Bauchi State.

According to him: “Aliko Dangote is a beacon of hope for the Bauchi people. He has been creating not only business institutions at the highest levels but also touching lives at the lowest level. He seems to understand Nigeria more than some of us who are politicians. He’s supporting our mothers who will help put food on our tables and train their children in schools.

“We’ve just named the school of nursing and midwifery after him. This is to mark his huge contribution to our societies in Bauchi.”

“We are also using this opportunity to inform him that he should come and invest in Bauchi. We have the highest deposit of limestone in the country. We have the largest arable land and the largest forest. Bauchi is also very peaceful and secured.”

The Governor also presented a book to the Aliko Dangote Foundation.

The book was written over a 100 years ago by Sheik Uthman Danfodio, and titled: The Principle of Leadership.

Speaking also, the Speaker, State House of Assembly Rt Hon Abubakar Y. Suleiman described the intervention as huge saying it would go a long way in supporting the poverty alleviation stride of the state government.

He said the state will continue to collaborate with the state in area of economic empowerment of womenfolk.

Commending the foundation, First Lady and wife to the Governor Mrs Aisha Bala Muhammad said the intervention will help lift families from economic problems, even as she urged the women to invest it wisely.

Speaking, one of the beneficiaries Amina Musa, 50, said she would start micro business and use the profit to support her family.

Another beneficiary Jumai Rabiu, 47, described the intervention as huge and timely, adding that she will use the money judiciously and employ others too.

Business

KEDCO Sees Improvement in Financial Performance Following Power Restoration, Appeals for Prompt Payment

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Kano Electricity Distribution Plc. (KEDCO) has reported steady improvements in financial and business performance following the restoration of power supply after a significant blackout during the September-October 2024 billing and collection cycle. This was disclosed in a press statement signed by Sani Bala Sani, Head of Corporate Communication at KEDCO.

According to Sani, the blackout had severely impacted KEDCO and three other distribution companies in the North East and North West regions, with KEDCO being the worst hit. “Recall that KEDCO, alongside three other distribution companies in the North East and North West had significant disruption to power supply in October, with KEDCO being the worst hit,” he stated.

The operations at KEDCO were initially affected on October 13th, 2024, with only 40% of their grid allocation being supplied after the Shiroro-Kaduna 330kV line incident. This situation was exacerbated by a total blackout on October 20th, 2024, during the peak of the revenue collection cycle. “Although the power supply was partially restored to a 40% level on 30th October, we were only availed with up to around 85% supply levels on November 14th and are anxiously awaiting the completion of the Shiroro-Kaduna repairs,” Sani explained.

The blackout resulted in KEDCO’s worst market performance of the year, posing significant financial and economic challenges for both KEDCO and its customers. “Having zero grid supply posed significant financial and economic challenges for KEDCO and its customers, with many customers resorting to costly backup sources or shutting down operations,” Sani noted.

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Despite the challenges, KEDCO has seen improvements in power supply, which now stands at around 85%, leading to significant collections from last month’s arrears. Sani urged customers to cooperate by paying their current bills and outstanding arrears promptly to ensure business sustainability. “Thankfully, with the current power supply at around 85%, we have recorded significant collections from last month’s arrears and are appealing to our customers to continue to cooperate with us on prompt settlement of their current bills and arrears, for business sustainability,” he appealed.

Sani also commended the resilience of KEDCO’s customers and vowed to continue improving the performance in supplying safe and reliable electricity. “We commend the resilience of our customers and vow to continue to improve our performance in supplying them with safe and reliable electricity,” he said. He thanked the Honourable Minister of Power for his timely intervention and the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) for their restoration efforts. “We equally acknowledge TCN’s restoration efforts and appreciate the Federal Government’s commitment to helping improve the redundancy and safety of the National Grid,” he added.

Looking ahead, KEDCO’s core investor and Board remain committed to driving investments and improving performance through embedded generation supply options via the Safe Grid and Utility 2.0 projects. “It remains our core investor and Board’s resolve to continue to drive investments and improved performance through embedded generation supply options in our network via the Safe Grid and Utility 2.0 projects,” Sani stated.

 

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Lubricants and Nigeria’s economy

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By Cosmas Chukwunonso Nwobi

Every engine depends on oil, which serves as the heat transfer medium and lubricant for moving parts. It stops wears and damages from happening because the moving parts won’t be rubbing against one another.

The primary consumers of engine oil in Nigeria are those who own cars, generators, enterprises, tricycles, and motorcycles. Diesel and gasoline engines both utilize various grades of engine oil. Diesel engine oil is used to maintain heavy vehicles (diesel vehicles), small and large generators, as well as passenger vehicles (light vehicles). Petrol engine oil is used to maintain passenger vehicles (light vehicles).

The overall annual requirement for lubricating oils across the globe is projected to be 50 billion liters, or 60 percent automotive and 40percent industrial. However, industrial lubricants account for more than 70% of total global gross revenues and profit margins.

According to projections, Nigeria, with a gross domestic product of N150 billion in 2013 and more than N450.37 billion by the end of Q1 2021, is the third-largest user of lubricating oils in Africa, consuming 700 million liters of the substance per year (or 1 percent of the global demand).

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The aggregate profit margins of the blending plants were N45 billion in 2013 and N120 billion in the first quarter of 2021. Their total assets are projected to be worth N20 billion. This indicates that domestic production of lubricating oils meets 75 percent of the country’s total demand, with imports from specialist marketing companies providing the remaining 25percent.

You might also be interested to know that, over the projected period (2021-2026), the market for lubricants in Nigeria is anticipated to develop at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 1.54%, reaching 300,399.52 kilo tons by 2026. which demonstrates that the market for automotive lubricants in Nigeria is anticipated to grow to $683 million by 2023.

This demonstrates that the significance of engine oil cannot be overemphasized and that lubricant production would be a very profitable business endeavor that would considerably boost Nigeria’s economy.

However, this industry was adversely affected by Nigeria’s slowing economic growth. The 2016 recession brought on by the sharp decline in global oil prices was the root cause of the downturn. Oil prices started the year at $36.76 a barrel and reached a high of $54.06 for the year. The lack of foreign exchange had a serious negative impact on the ability of various lubricants manufacturing companies to conduct business and imposed severe costs on key sectors of the country, which further cascaded into all areas of the economy. Given that many players in the industry imported large volumes of base oil and other raw materials needed to blend lubricants at the time, this meant that the shortage of foreign exchange affected all sectors of the economy.

However, the investment landscape is currently changing and Nigeria’s lubricant industry, if properly managed, will surely triple it’s current position in a few years to come. This is due to large oil marketers taking advantage of the lubricants market’s deregulation and lack of significant government intervention.

I commend the effort of the Nigerian Government so far in reducing import charges for Lubricant Blending plants firmly advocate for the need of a driving and I strongly advocate that more can be done in this area since Nigeria’s lubricant business has great prospects for investors. Should we succeed, early investors will also benefit from pioneer status and a five-year tax break.

I firmly believe that better consumer education, cooperation with transportation companies, increased consumer knowledge, and the provision of higher-quality lubricants at lower prices would help Nigeria’s lubricant manufacturers expand and make more money.

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Best choice Specialist Hospital Launches First Intensive Infant Phototherapy Machine In Kano

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_”A Beacon of Progress in Northern Nigeria!”_

In a groundbreaking move, Best Choice Hospital has taken a significant leap forward in pediatric care with the introduction of the Infant Phototherapy Unit, a groundbreaking technology designed to treat jaundice and prevent brain damage in newborns.

In a statement signed by Auwal Muhammad Lawal Group Managing Director of the Hospital noted that pioneering technology enables medical professionals to transfuse blood with unparalleled precision, safety significantly enhancing treatment outcomes for children.

…. Noted that the innovative machine boasts a remarkable 70% radiance output and features a standard phototherapeutic unit, eliminating the need for blood transfusions.

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Auwal reiterated that introduction of this advanced state-of-art machine marks a significant milestone in Best Choice Hospital’s ongoing commitment to pediatric excellence.

With its advanced capabilities, the Infant Phototherapy Unit can effectively treat jaundice in a targeted manner, providing a beacon of hope for families.

“We understand the distress and hardship that comes with pediatric medical conditions”

“That’s why we’ve invested on this to ease the burden on families and provide children with the best possible chance at a healthy life”. Said Lawal

As the first of its kind in Northern Nigeria, this cutting-edge technology offers a comprehensive treatment solution for infants, covering the entire body with its optimal wavelength.

Dr. Abdulmalik Saminu, a leading medical expert expresses optimism that the development reinforces Best Choice Hospital’s position as a leader in pediatric care, providing families with renewed hope and confidence in the treatment of their loved ones.

Saminu further conveyed heartfelt gratitude to the hospital’s proprietor for his tireless efforts in making this life-changing technology available.

With the Infant Phototherapy Unit, families no longer need to travel abroad for medical treatment, as Best Choice Hospital now offers world-class care right in their own backyard.

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