BusinessDay 23 Mar 2018

16
BUSINESS DAY
C002D5556
Friday 23 March 2018
COMPANIES & MARKETS
Trojan introduces Solar
batteries into Nigerian market
HOPE MOSES-ASHIKE
Respites might
be on the way
for many Power
consumers in Nigeria,
as Trojan
Battery Company Limited,
world’s leading manufacturer
of deep-cycle batteries,
introduces a new range of
Solar batteries into the Nigerian
market. A move believed
to boost the current Power
supply in the country.
Among the new products
are the SAGM 06 315 and
SAGM 12 205, coming in collaboration
with its Nigerian
partners, Eauxwell Nigeria
After 10 years of successful
food business,
promoting Nigerian
made dishes and
culture, Natives Hospitality
and Service Limited is planning
a market expansion that
will internalize its flourishing
heritage to different parts of
the Country.
Operating under the name
Ark of XNatives, the one-stop
hospitality company with over
85 staff currently, is an ecofriendly
community that brings
you close to nature and reminiscent
of the beauty of African
heritage.The Ark of XNatives, a
class hospitality and catering
company wholly owned and
managed by Nigerians is located
at 5b, Oju Olobun Close,
Off Idejo Street, VI, Lagos.
Ikenna Eze Uzoamaka, a
chartered accountant and exbanker,
is the Managing Director/CEO
of the company, driving
a vision he said was borne
out of his passion to make good
food and see people eat his
food with joy.
He said his mission is to
Limited.
These batteries are
available in sizes that are
most commonly used for
alternative power sources
in Nigeria, ranging from
6V to 12V models and are
suitable for use in several
applications.
The new line of batteries
is engineered with advanced
technologies for high cycle
life, optimum performance
and rugged durability, which
is a necessity in the Nigerian
power landscape. It delivers
reliable power, and maintains
high capacity throughout
its cycle-life, unlike typical
VRLA batteries.
Speaking at the official
become a household name
in Nigeria and to become first
to take Nigerian best natives
dishes and culture to the rest
of the world.
“Our vision is to constantly
take our dear customers unto
a culinary and cultural journey
back to their roots by providing
them with splendid African and
Continental Cuisines with great
emphasis on Nigeria Native
Dishes in an ambience that
is uniquely and refreshingly
African.”
Ikenna who could not hide
his excitement on the success
of what he started 10 years ago
in a sitting room, cooking for
friends who admired his kind
of food, said he had all the opportunity
to live and work in the
UK where majority of his family
members stay, but resisted the
temptation just to promote
what is made in Nigeria to the
rest of the world.
Speaking on his passion
for the country, Ikenna said
“I noticed that in Nigeria we
have good foods, but we don’t
promote them that much and
you go to other places they
make so much noise about
unveiling of the products,
Edwin Enwegbara, managing
director assured the
public that Trojan Solar
AGM batteries have been
tested over the years and
that Eauxwell remains
committed to providing
technical support in the
region.
Eauxwell Nigeria Limited
distributes the products in
Nigeria, a leading alternate
energy company with the vision
to ensure that constant
energy is delivered in Nigerian
homes and companies
nationwide. Eauxwell is the
official West African master
distributors of Trojan Battery
Company.
Natives Hospitality plans expansion after 10
years of promoting Nigerian food, culture
Modestus Anaesoronye
FG saves N68bn on personnel cost,
captures 511 MDAs under IPPIS
The Minister of Finance,
Kemi Adeosun has disclosed
that the Federal
Government saved
N68 billion on personnel cost
in 2017.
According to her, this brings
the aggregate savings by the
government on personnel cost
since 2007 till date to N288
billion. Adeosun said this in a
statement issued by her Special
Adviser on Media and Communication,
Oluyinka Akintundeon
Wednesday in Abuja.
Akintunde said the minister
disclosed the figures in a presentation
to the Federal Executive
Council. Adeosun said the
money were funds that would
have gone unaccounted for that
were now free for the government
to fund capital projects.
She said the savings were
their food, so, our focus is to
take the best of Nigeria dishes
to the rest of the world. We want
to put Nigeria in the scheme
of things, on the Map. I travel
around the country to get my
cooking staffs, if you go to my
kitchen you will see different
tribes, and over 500 people
have passed through our training
and majority of them have
become successful in their
catering careers.”
“In view of our name, The
Ark of XNatives, our Vision is
to continuously take our dear
customers unto a culinary and
cultural journey back to their
roots; we choose to use the
above periods to promote some
of the rich ancestral heritages
of the 4 major ethnical and
regional settlements in the
country with major emphasis
on some dishes, drinks, fashion
and music peculiar to these
tribes. First weekend of the
month is the Hausa/Fulani
Day, second weekend is Yoruba
day, third weekend is the Niger
Delta Day and fourth weekend
is the Igbo Day while fifth
weekend is The Ark of XNatives
Variety Days”
achieved despite increase in
personnel, including the employment
of 10,000 officers by
the Nigerian Police.
In addition, the minister
said a total of 511 Ministries,
Departments and Agencies
(MDAs) had been captured
under the Integrated Payroll
and Personnel Information
System (IPPIS), with staff count
of 607,843.
L-R: Okhidievbie Oamien Roy, group CEO, August Eye Group Limited; Adebayo Abegunde,
director , virtual technology and new markets, Halogen Security Company and Martin Gill, founder,
Outstanding Security Performance Awards (OSPAs), while presenting the Outstanding Contract
Security Company (Guarding) Award 2018 to the Halogen during the 2nd edition of Securex
West Africa 2018 in Lagos.
FIRS records 4m new taxpayers,
N700m revenue increase in 2017
The Chairman, Federal
Inland Revenue
Service (FIRS),
Tunde Fowler, said
the Service recorded four million
new taxpayers, including
companies and individuals,
resulting in N700 billion increase
in revenue in 2017.
Fowler said this at the 13th
General Assembly of the West
African Tax Administration
Forum (WATAF) with the
theme: “Enhancing the Revenue
Potential of West Africa”
held on Wednesday in Abuja.
The chairman said in the
past two years, the Service
had increased its use of ICT
to facilitate taxpayers’ compliance.
He also said the service
introduced initiatives to improve
inter-agency collaboration
with a view to enhancing
tax administration and reducing
tax revenue leakages.
“Our efforts in this regard
have made an impact and
contributed to an increase in
Respite is finally here
for passengers as Arik
Air, Nigeria’s biggest
carrier has launched
its Lagos-Port Harcourt flight
services from the Murtala Muhammed
Airport Terminal two
(MMA2), terminal amidst commendations
from stakeholders.
BusinessDay’s checks
show that for over ten years,
Bi-Courtney Aviation Services
Limitrd, (BASL) and Arik Air
had dissagreed over relocation
of operations to the terminal
but events took a new turn
since the Assets Management
Corporation of Nigeria (AM-
CON) took over the operations
of the airline, as both parties
have resolved to partner in a bit
the number of taxpayers by
an additional four million,
including companies and
individuals.
“We recorded an increase
of over N700 billion in tax revenues
in 2017, above the taxes
collected in 2016,” Fowler
said.
He said the launch of
WATAF marked its formal
entry into the ranks of similar
organisations focused on
international collaboration
in tax matters, having attained
the statutory requirements
spelt out in the WATAF Agreement.
Fowler said this marked
a new dawn in the consolidation
of WATAF collective
aspiration to improve the
standard of living of its people
through effective mobilisation
of available domestic tax
revenue.
“Now, West Africa has a
platform for countries to collaborate
in tax matters supported
by their governments
to satisfy passengers.
Speaking during a brief ceremony
to mark the operations,
Steve Omolale, representative
of BASL, who is also the public
relations manager at MMA2,
said the commencement of
Arik Air operations from the
terminal is one of the greatest
achievements of BASL this year.
While assuring travellers
and the airline of safety in all
operations, Omolale said the
terminal has all the facilities
to accommodate all domestic
airlines, adding that already,
six are operating from the terminal.
“This is a facility that will
make your passengers feel safe
and secure, this is a terminal
where you have modern facilities,
we spend millions of naira
in maintaining the terminal ev-
and a forum to articulate and
project West African perspective
in tax administration in
the global tax arena.
“We all are aware that the
business community is setting
up processes and structures
which our legal and tax
regimes did not contemplate
and are struggling to keep
up with.
“Nowadays, trade and
commerce have become
borderless, especially with
the advent of e-commerce,
hybrid financial instruments
coupled with the sophistication
and ingenuity of the army
of tax advisors.
“At the receiving end are
the host country and its nationals,
whose governments
are losing revenues that ought
to have been put to use for
development.
“This further brings about
stagnated growth, under development
and other attendant
ills in our countries,’’
he said.
Respite for passengers as Arik Air commences
P/Harcourt flights from MMA2
IFEOMA OKEKE
ery month and we say we have
the facilities to accommodate
more airlines.
“We assure you of the best
services you can ever think of
and of the sustenance of the
high standards in this facility”,
he said.
Also speaking Murat Ozcan,
Vice President, Arik Air ground
operations, commended the
efforts of BASL at putting such
edifice in pace, adding that the
airline is happy to commence
part of its operations from the
terminal.
Abdullahi Mahmoud Chief
Pilot of Arik Air, who also commended
the ambiance and
facilities at MMA2, said the terminal
has facilities that is up to
international standards, adding
that as a pilot that has travelled
widely, MMA2 is superb.