BusinessDay 13 Jul 2018

Friday 13 July 2018 C002D5556 BUSINESS DAY 17
COMPANIES & MARKETS
‘Home and You’ Furniture Company will
boost Lagos economy, says Ambode
Business Event
MIKE OCHONMA
The historic town of
Ibeshe, a suburb of
Lagos State came
alive this week following
the grand
opening of Home &You Ultra
Modern Furniture factory in
Ikorodu.
In what he described as the
first furniture company of its
kind in the Ikorodu axis, Akinwunmi
Ambode, the executive
governor of Lagos State stated
that the commissioning of the
multi-million naira factory is a
clear indication that the efforts
of the state government to provide
security and infrastructure
is beginning to yield positive
results.
Represented by Rotimi
Ogunleye, the state Commissioner
for Environment and
Physical Planning, governor
Ambode noted that, the industrial
made-in-Nigeria furniture
produced by Home and You
will compete very well with
foreign products of their kind.
At the event attended by
dignitaries from both the
public and corporate sectors,
including the Lagos
monarchs, the state chief
executive stressed that apart
from bringing development
to the Ibeshe community, the
factory will play a sustainable
role towards employment
creation and increase the
Nigeria’s Gross Domestic
Product (GDP).
Giving more insight into the
company, Feyisola Abiru, chief
executive officer and Founder,
Home and You, said passion
and undying crave for success
have been the reason she was
able to weather the storm in
the early days of the 21 years
old business.
She declared that if not
for the support from BOI, the
company would not have attained
the position it has gotten
to presently.
Continuing, the CEO said,
‘’They gave us the first facility
in 2006 to get us running. We
acquired world class machines
from Italy. And when we needed
to improve on our quality
and expand the capacity of the
business, we approached them
again for another facility which
was granted in 2017”.
On his part, Olusegun Osunkeye,
pioneer chairman of
the company, described Home
and You as a young adult going
places. Osunkeye, former
chairman of Nestle Plc , and
chairman the board of the company
for seven and half years,
described Feyisola as a decisive
lady, who is well focused in her
business.
Waheed Olagunju, executive
director of Bank of Industry
(BoI) who represented the
financiers of the project, said
the bank had supported the
furniture company for about
13 years.
In his words, “What’s being
commissioned today is
an expansion. Home and You
is a role model for others to
emulate. By every standard, this
factory is one of the best in the
world and if the owners come
again, we will give them loan”.
L-R Franco Maria Maggi, marketing director, NB Plc; Bisi Deji-Folutile, jury member “33” Export
Pen Down For Friendship Competition; Kufre Ekanem, corporate affairs adviser, NB Plc; Anthony
Kan Onwordi, head jury, “33” Export Pen Down For Friendship Competition, and Pelu Awofeso,
jury member “33” Export Pen Down For Friendship Competition, at the unveiling of “33” Export
City of Friends in Lagos.
Pic by Pius Okeosisi
FCMB calls for stakeholder collaboration to
boost international trade
Seyi John Salau
The Managing Director
of First City Monument
Bank (FCMB), Adam
Nuru, has urged banks
and other financial institutions
in Nigeria to brace up to the challenges
of international trade and
commerce by collaborating more
with other stakeholders in order
to tap into the opportunities in
the sector.
This, according to him, will
boost their performance and
overall contribution to the development
of the country.
He stated this while declaring
open, the bi-monthly general
meeting of the International
Chamber of Commerce (ICC)
Nigerian Banking Commission
in Lagos, which was sponsored
by FCMB.
ICC is the world’s business
organization, a representative
body which authoritatively
speaks on behalf of enterprises
Oyin Aminu, Abuja
from all sectors in every part of
the world. The body founded in
Paris, France in 1919, groups
hundreds of thousands of
member organisations, including
Banks and associations
in over 120 countries. Business
experts drawn from the
ICC membership establish
the business stance on broad
issues of trade and investment
policies as well as on a
wide range of policy subjects
of interest to organisations
worldwide.
Nuru, who was represented
by, Yemisi Edun, executive director,
Finance at the Bank pointed
out at the meeting that maintaining
a sound culture of compliance,
due process and capacity
building among experts on the
trade desks of Banks, should be
accorded priority.
“Due process, digitalization
and capacity building would go
a long way to break the myth
of the perception that international
trade is a sacred area
of operation alone by Banks.
Banks must also collaborate
more with government and
other stakeholders to explore
better ways to maximise the
new and emerging opportunities
in the sector’’, Nuru stated.
He added that, ‘’to ensure
the business of international
trade and commerce is conducted
in a responsible and
transparent manner, ICC Nigeria
should continue to ensure we
operate under full and complete
compliance with all applicable
laws, rules, regulations, policies,
and best practices’’.
Raymond Ihyembe, chairman
ICC Banking Commission
in Nigeria in his presentation
advised Banks to upscale their
operations with regards to international
trade and commerce
so as to mainstream businesses
in Nigeria into the global community
and to promote the creation
of wealth and prosperity
through international trade and
investment.
NBC urge broadcast stations to abide by NBC’s Code
of Conduct ahead of Ekiti Elections
The National Broadcasting
Commission has
calk on all broadcasting
stations who will be
reporting the Ekiti State Governorship
elections on saturday
to do so in conformity with the
provisions of the Nigeria Broadcasting
Code, especially the
provisions relating to coverage
of elections.
The Director General of
NBC, Modibbo Kawu made
the call in a statement issued in
Abuja on Tuesday.
He said “attention of broadcasters
is drawn to the following
sections of the Nigeria Broadcasting
Code:
*Section 5.2.12:* *All
partisan political broadcasts,
campaigns, jingles, announcements
and the use of all forms
of partisan political party identifications
or symbols on air shall
end not later than twenty-four
hours before polling day.*
*Section 5.2.14:** A
broadcaster shall not use any
vote obtained at different polling
stations or from exit polls,
to project or speculate on the
chances of the candidates.*
*Section 5.2.15:* *A
broadcaster shall broadcast
election results or declaration of
the winner only as announced
by the authorized electoral officer
for the election.*
L-R: John Goldsmith, marketing director, SPAR Nigeria receiving the award of the Outstanding
Retail Brand of The Year from Dr Olajide Idris, hon commissioner for health, Lagos State and
Emmanuel Isangediok, marketing manager, SPAR Nigeria, at the Marketing Edge Brand and
Advertising Excellence Awards that took place in Lagos recently.
L-R: Francis Okon, paediatric consultant, Gbagada General Hospital; Gbolahan Olayomi, CEO,
Equipment Hall; Chioma Sunday, ICU Patient Mother, and Olukoya Adesola, Chief Matron,
Paediatric Ward, Gbagada General Hospital, during the Equipment Hall’s Charity Visit to Children
Ward, Gbagada General Hospital
L-R: Panel Discussants, Uwa Etigwe; Funmi Roberts; Tunde Ajibade; Babatunde Fagbohunlu,
chairman, Lagos Chamber of Commerce International Arbitration Centre (LACIAC), and Tim Martin,
co-chair AIPN Model Dispute Resolution Contract Committee, at a workshop on International
Dispute Resolution Co-hosted by the African chapter of the Association of International Petroleum
Negotiators (AIPN) and LACIAC in Lagos.