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Rule of Law @ Test in Econet Wireless Dispute

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After long drawn years of legal tussles in and out of court corridors, the recent judgment by the Federal High Court sitting in Kaduna reinstating Econet Wireless Ltd’s equity in Airtel Networks Nigeria appears to have reignited the ebbing flames of recurring frictions in the company since inception.
At the centre is Econet Wireless, the South Africa based founding shareholder of what was originally known as Econet Wireless Nigeria.
Econet Wireless, promoted by Strive Masiyiwa, was one of the licensees of the great GSM auction that has spread the mobile revolution in Nigeria but the relationship went sour after a board meeting sacked his company as a shareholder in the Nigerian operations.
Masiyiwa said Econet Wireless was left with no option but to launch a legal offensive.
It however waited patiently until January 24 when Justice Shuaib delivered his judgment on a matter which has been before the courts since 2003, and ordered that: Airtel should reinstate the five per cent (5%) shareholding of Econet Wireless Ltd (EWL); All actions, and resolutions taken by the company since October 2003, at which EWL was entitled to be notified, and to participate in, as a shareholder, but was prohibited, are null and void. This includes decisions to sell shares, issue shares, and also transfer shares to third parties. The name change from Econet Wireless Nigeria Limited, effected in 2003, was irregular, and must be reversed forthwith.
Justice Shuaib further ordered the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), to cancel any certificate previously issued for the change of the name of the company and restore the name of the company to Econet Wireless Nigeria Limited.
Emmanuel Otokhine, head of public relations at Airtel Nigeria however said that it has filed an appeal against the judgment, while reiterating that said judgment will have no impact on the holdings of other shareholders in Airtel Nigeria.
Airtel Nigeria was founded as Econet Wireless Nigeria in 2001, with Mr. Masiyiwa’s Econet Wireless International owning 5per cent stake and a contract to run the company.
But Econet’s Nigerian partners scaled back the management deal, called in Vodacom and renamed the company Vee Networks.
Vodacom then pulled out and in 2006, the Nigerian partners reached a deal to sell 65% stake to Celtel, a unit of Zain.
Econet said that such a deal is not valid because it was not given the first right of refusal on the shares.
Masiyiwa promptly initiated legal proceedings to seek justice and before Bharti begun talks to buy Zain’s African operations for about $10.7 billion, he claimed that Zain had given an undertaking to a tribunal set up by the Federal High Court of Nigeria the previous year that it will not sell its Nigerian unit until the issue of its ownership is resolved.
The dispute is also being heard by the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law arbitration.
As Econet Wireless savour this initial victory, there are some issues begging for some clarifications.
For instance, why did Celtel, Zain and Bharti-Airtel go ahead with the purchase of the Nigerian company when it seemed clear that Econet Wireless was a shareholder?
What happened to the supposed undertaking given by Zain to a tribunal that it will not sell its Nigerian unit until the issue of its ownership is resolved?
Nigeria should be careful not make a business concept out of rule of law.  Enforcement of rule of law is still the only way to rebuild Nigeria’s economy hobbled by years of corruption and mismanagement
The international business community and indeed the world is watching with keen interest and hoping for amicable resolution of this dispute.
Already, Nigeria has plummeted in World Bank Global Doing Business Report 2012, as it ranked 133 out of 183 countries in the world as result for many factors.
For Nigeria to attract the much needed investment there must be rules and performance requirements that are fair for everyone in the environment.


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Brands Jostle for CVA 2024 as Consumers Vote

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Ongoing voting for brands on the Consumers Value Awards portals, consumers expressed brand satisfaction with their votes.

Over 40 categories of brands are listed based on consumers’ nominations on the Consumers Value Awards portal for voting as Value-for-Money brands in the 2024 edition of the award.

Consumers cast votes for brands to express satisfaction among various brands.

Presenting the one-month result, Akonte Ekine, CEO of BrandXchange, said the initiative is transparent and objective. It’s the consumer position on brands as nomination and voting drive the platform.

According to him, in the Telecommunications category (MNOs), MTN leads with 51.1% of the votes recorded in the first month, Spectranet has 47.6% of the votes in the Internet Service Provider segment, and MTN has 69.2% votes for ISP under the MNOs.

In the ongoing 3rd edition voting, two new categories of sanitary pad and Ice Cream are experiencing consumers’ attention as Always Sanitary Pad leads the segment with 63.6%, Just Delight Ice Cream at 36.2% and Viva Detergent at 41.7%.

Other leaders on the voting platform of Consumers Value Awards based on consumer preferences in the first month under home appliances (Television, Refrigerator, Air conditioner and washing machine) are Samsung 40%, Haiier Termocool 40%, Lontor 40% and Haier Termocool 42.9% respectively.

Trophy leads Alcohol Beverage with 50% of the votes, and Pepsi takes 62.5% of ⁠Carbonated Drinks. It is a tie among consumers on the cooking oil and regular Toot paste as Kings Oil and Power Oil achieved the same vote of 50%, Colgate Toothpaste and Close Up Toothpaste also tied with 26.7% votes each in the categories while Dabur Toothpaste leads in the herbal toothpaste category with 55.6%.

Lafarge Cement leads with 62.5% in the Cement, Dangote Sugar has 55% of the votes in Sugar, Leadway Insurance has 57.1%, Eva leads the Table water category with 38.5%

Other leaders in various segments based on consumer votes on the Consumers Value awards platforms are Maltina 40%, Dettol 37.5%, Peak Milk 80%, Golden Penny Spaghetti 80%, Indomie Noodle 85.7%, Checkers 90%, GTB 66.7%, OPay 62.5%, Morning Fresh 62.5%, and Gala Sausage Roll 94.4%.

Also, knorr Cube 57.1%, Lipton Tea Bag 83.3%, Vaseline 71.4% and Golden Morn lead their sectors, Milo and Bournvita tied with 50% of the vote each as leaders alongside MTN and Cadbury tying with 40% votes under Consumer-Friendly brands.

Vitafoam 44.4%, Guinness Stout 83.3%, Mobil Engine oil 100% (International Engine Oil Brand), Oleum Oil 100% (Made in Nigeria Brand), Hypo and Harpic 50%, Fearless 33.3%, Abidec 80%, Reload Kids 60% Reload Adult 66.6%, and Bet 9ja 50%

The voting will close on 30th June 2024.

 


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Sterling One Foundation Partners UNIDO, Others to Launch ESG Series

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The Sterling One Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to sustainable development and empowering professionals to drive social impact across Africa, has partnered with Price Waterhouse Coopers Nigeria, UNIDO-Investment Technology Promotion Office, Nigeria, Lagos Business School Sustainability Center, Sterling Bank, NGX Group, the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association and the Lagos Chamber of Commerce & Industry to unveil  the first edition of its Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Series.

The partnership aims to support professionals in understanding, implementing, and reporting sustainability progress, in alignment with global standards.

According to a signed statement by the Foundation, the ESG Series was birthed following a workshop held at the 2023 edition of the Africa Social Impact Summit (ASIS) where it was discovered that there was a significant knowledge gap on the subject within the African development ecosystem as well as the private sector.

They commended all the excellent partners who have made the series possible noting that their commitment will strengthen professionals’ competencies in integrating ESG principles into organizational frameworks, and drive positive change while advancing the adoption of ESG principles and increased investment into the economy from local and global investors.

Over the years, Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) considerations have evolved from optional to essential for organizations, making the significance of incorporating ESG principles into business plans to enhance sustainability and corporate responsibility, for organizations an increased priority. Statistics indicate that ESG-focused institutional investments are projected to reach $33.9 trillion by 2026.

Through this series, the Foundation said it aims to demystify ESG concepts among the private, public, and development sectors in Nigeria and Africa while highlighting their tangible business benefits, to equip professionals with the knowledge and tools necessary for successful ESG integration in their organizations.

The one-day virtual event gives insight through in-depth sessions featuring thought leaders from private sector impact makers, development partners, international non-governmental organizations, and government agencies.


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Uche Ikejimba Secures Sixth Consecutive AMVCA Nomination With Best Unscripted M-Net Original Nod

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Uche Ikejimba, Award-winning producer, has secured her sixth consecutive Africa Magic Viewers Choice Award nod. The organizers made the nomination announcements on Sunday, March 24, 2024, across all Africa Magic channels. It saw Ikejimba clinch a nom in the ‘Best Unscripted M-Net Original’ category for What Will People Say.

In 2022, Ikejimba received two nominations for ‘Best Africa Magic Original Drama Series’ for Unmarried and Dilemma. She secured two other nominations in 2023 in ‘Best Unscripted Original’ for Come Play Naija and ‘Best Original Drama Series’ category for Unmarried.

Speaking about her latest nomination, Ikejimba said, “I’m very humbled and beyond grateful to be receiving my sixth consecutive AMVCA nomination. Anyone who knows me will acknowledge that I often put my blood, sweat and tears into the shows I produce. After Truth won its nomination in 2020, I’ve been holding on patiently for a second win and I hope this is the year. So, here’s my hearty congratulations to my fellow nominees and a huge thank you to the AMVCAs organisers for honoring me.”

Ikejimba is one of Africa’s most-sought after serial producers, and has earned herself the title, ‘Reality TV Series Savant’, with work on 100% Naija, Vodafone Icons, Naija Sings, Calabar Festival Diaries, Big Brother Reunion, Shoot Your Shot, What Will People Say, Come Play Naija, and the more recently airing Husband Material and Overall Best.

She came into the world of Television production as an associate producer on Moments with Mo, the first and only syndicated daily talk show in Africa at the time. However, she has also proven that her talents go beyond producing reality shows or unscripted serials, and she can run with the best in producing original drama series.

In 2016, she landed her first commissioned project with Africa Magic titled Hustle. The series about a young man’s first time in Lagos became an instant hit and ran for three seasons, with 360 episodes. She created, wrote and produced Blink’s original 26-episode drama series titled Truth. The show won an AMVCA for ‘Best TV Series’ in 2020. That same year, she produced and wrote the hit series, Unmarried. The show ran for four seasons and ended on a high.

Off the success of these drama series, she produced Africa Magic’s Dilemma, a 260-episode telenovela. She produced Shallow and the recent Africa Magic fanfavourite original, Manfriend. The show follows the women of the King family and their dysfunctional relationship with the men in their lives. She also produced Showmax’s first original law limited series, AGU in 2023. Her first feature length film, Phantom is a co-production and is also nominated for several awards such as the Toronto International Nollywood Film Festival (TINFF).

Uche Ikejimba has beaten many odds to become a producer and remained steadfast in her commitment to producing the best shows Africa has ever seen. As the continent prepares for the milestone 10th AMVCA, the Reality TV Series Savant and producer extraordinaire is content to celebrate her sixth consecutive nomination. Find out if she clinches her second AMVCA win when the awards air live across all Africa Magic channels on May 11, 2024.


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