Broadcasting
Chevron Nigeria: A Model for Other Multinationals
By Eniola Otun Ade-Bisiriyu
Since I departed Nigeria over 17 years ago for further studies and subsequently settled in the United States of America, one irony that has never ceased to amaze me is the failure of the government in Nigeria to match its public statements with action, especially in local content promotion, patronage and development.
Here in the United States, one cannot help but admire how the US government fights for and protects the interests of its own local brands, notably in the face of competing foreign brands.
A case in point is the ongoing trade war with China and the still-prevalent censure of Huawei, a multinational technology corporation headquartered in China. Granted the US government may come down hard on its own local entities when it comes to anti-trust issues, concerns over infringement of user privacy or even tax avoidance, however, it would never stand by and watch foreign brands eat the lunch of its own home-grown companies.
Nevertheless, this seems to be the status quo in Nigeria, as the experience from my recent trip back home to the beloved motherland proved.
China is another very good example of a government that is fiercely protective of its own. A fallout of the trade war with the United States is the fact that local Chinese entrepreneurs have been able to turn overnight billionaires, by cashing in on a combination of factors, including the encouragement of local enterprise by the Chinese government, a burgeoning population and enforced patronage of local products and solutions. In China, for instance, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Google and many other foreign tech solutions are banned. For each of these and many others on the banned list, the Chinese have a local substitute app that has succeeded in helping China mint new dollar billionaires on a regular basis.
First, it is imperative for us to take into cognizance the difficulties with doing business in Nigeria – a factor, which on its own, makes local entities operating out of here already disadvantaged, when compared with their foreign counterparts. A recent World Bank report shows that Nigeria is ranked a lowly 131 out of 190 countries surveyed in the Ease of Doing Business scale. A deep dive into the report reveals some of the startling parameters that makes Nigeria such a harrowing and challenging terrain for local businesses.
Nigeria ranks an abysmal 169 in access to electricity for business owners, while it also stands nearly at the bottom of the pile with a shocking 183 rank in the area of registering property. The report equally brings into sharp relief the encumbrances borne by businesses in Nigeria when it comes to trading across borders, with the country ranked a worrisome 179. Other areas in which Nigeria ranks poorly in the Ease of Doing Business scale include resolving insolvency (148), paying taxes (159) and enforcing contracts (73).
The foregoing, despite all the sweet talk by the government, paints a picture of a tough operating environment for Nigerian businesses, many of which also must contend with poor infrastructure and an economy hobbled by over-reliance on oil.
For these challenged businesses in Nigeria, one would expect the government to do much more in promoting and protecting their patronage, not only by corporate entities, but more importantly by the government and its agencies. There is no disputing the fact that government is the biggest spender, especially in this part of the world and having outstanding local-grown businesses enjoy the patronage of government, solely on a merit-driven basis, would go a long way in boosting the profile of these businesses, create more jobs for Nigerians and even give them the much-needed impetus and confidence to compete more favourably with their advantaged foreign counterparts who operate out of more convenient and support-driven climes.
However, the reality on ground is far from this.
This is one of the reasons Chevron Nigeria deserves huge commendation for being not just an example to other multinationals operating out of Nigeria, but equally for showing the Nigerian government the way to go in matching words with action.
In October, my elder brother had invited me to meet a few of his Ikoyi club colleagues, three of whom were employees of Chevron Nigeria. We had driven round to their residence to pick them up and met them rounding off some official tasks, using Zinox laptops. It was a remarkable sight and in the course of our interaction, I was informed that the computers, workstations and other systems used by Chevron were all supplied by Zinox. Initially, I had assumed it was an American brand (based on the fact that Chevron Corporation is headquartered out of the US) as I was not very familiar with the name, but the sleekness and cutting-edge design of the systems my hosts were using had caught my attention. Imagine my surprise when my hosts informed me that it was a Nigerian brand and that Chevron Nigeria had been using the Zinox brand for over 16 years and without any complaints.
Surprised, I pressed further and enquired if Zinox had expatriates such as Indians working with them but was told that the company is peopled throughout by Nigerians. My interest was piqued and I had subsequently done a quick research which opened my eyes to the world-class status of the company.
For Chevron Nigeria, one of the most popular multinationals in Nigeria to have patronized Zinox for over a decade, it is certainly not a fluke or a chance occurrence, neither would it be a business relationship that is not founded on merit. I have been based in the United States for over 15 years now and I know for sure how things work over there and the intense scrutiny, painstaking justification and approvals that would have been secured for Chevron to keep using Zinox.
Inside, I was elated and proud to be a Nigerian and equally delighted to be associated with Chevron Nigeria.
But I recently encountered a development that burst my bubbles and showed me that we still have a long way to go in getting it right here in Nigeria.
In the course of my extended stay in Nigeria (I had arrived in October, way before the festive season), I also had the opportunity of paying a visit to a former classmate in my Ph.D. class in the US, who incidentally works as a consultant for the Ministries of Transportation and Education here in Nigeria. This fellow, whose identity would remain withheld for obvious reasons, had invited me to accompany me on a visit to the Ministry of Transportation in Abuja. On arrival there, I was shocked to see that virtually all of the computer systems being used by staff of the Ministry were foreign brands, ranging from HP to Dell and others.
I could not believe my eyes!
Here was a Chevron Nigeria, on one hand, a globally renowned multinational from a fiercely patriotic nation such as the United States convincing its foreign management of the quality of Zinox laptops, workstations and other devices for use by its entire staff in the country for their undoubtedly complex computing tasks; but on the other hand, is a Ministry of Transportation in Nigeria who could not trust or patronize its own local products for their basic Word Processing tasks. What a pity!
But my former classmate was a bit taken aback at my reaction. In fact, I learnt from him that this was a common sight in virtually all Nigerian government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) as most of them hardly use local products or resources. He pointed out the case of Innoson Motors as another solid Nigerian brand which manufactures vehicles which Nigerian politicians and civil service officials hardly use, even for their pool cars.
One must not fail to commend the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo who did a lot in encouraging patronage of local businesses. His actions and sound policy directions in the area of local content promotion went a long way in shoring up indigenous capacities among entrepreneurs in Nigeria. Admittedly to a lesser extent, the administration of Goodluck Jonathan equally did its best in this regard.
And with the current administration, it is an open secret that one of the major reasons Nigerians voted overwhelmingly for President Muhammadu Buhari is his anti-corruption stance and patriotic zeal. The president is a firm believer in the Nigerian ideal and is known to go out of his way in fighting for Nigeria’s interest. Further buoying President Buhari’s scorecard in the protection of local interests is his brilliant selection of the highly cerebral Dr. Ibrahim Pantami as Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, a man under whom this strategic ministry has done so much in protecting Nigeria’s sovereignty and fidelity of our collective data.
But it is clear that even with the best intentions of the current administration and others that have gone before it, there are selfish and vested interests within the polity that continue to rubbish local content efforts, keeping credible Nigerian businesses in the shadow of their foreign counterparts at the detriment of our national development.
With this worrisome scenario, how does the Nigerian government expect to transform the country into a regional or world power or even better the lot of its citizenry? Can we factor in the scarce foreign exchange or number of jobs that is being lost to foreign patronage in the face of world class and excellent substitutes that abound here in Nigeria? How do we expect Nigeria to mint dollar-billionaires on a regular basis like the Chinese do for fun? Or when can we even produce the next Mark Zuckerberg or Jeff Bezos when budding entrepreneurs here know that their government can never support them to grow?
Corruption is the usual fall-guy when cases like this comes up. But, in my own opinion, we need to look beyond just corruption and begin to pose serious questions.
Imagine if Nigeria did not have a local entrepreneur like an Aliko Dangote in the cement business or a Mike Adenuga representing us in the foreign interest-dominated telecoms sector. What would be the fate of the average man in the street when the price of cement hits the roof? Indeed, what would be the fate of our collective national data in the hands of foreign telecoms companies? Perhaps, we may not understand the gravity but the fact that Nigeria can count on such strong local enterprises in these industries and other critical ones is a blessing and a strong pointer to our sovereignty as a people.
A lot has been said about the growing prevalence of technology as a bastion of future wealth and the determinant of the wealth of nations. However, this reality seems to be lost on the powers that be here in Nigeria.
Indeed, the plight of tech companies in Nigeria, as seen from my recent experience back home, shows that Zinox and others, may be sadly fighting against a very strong tide, despite putting food on the table of many Nigerians through direct and indirect employment opportunities as well as their undoubted contributions to the economy.
The Nigerian government must wake up and smell the coffee!
Eniola Otun Ade-Bisiriyu is an academic based in the United States
Malam Ali Muhammad Ali, managing director of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) has assured that the agency will work to promote SLTV, indigenous satellite television, in the country.
Ali gave the assurance when Dr John Nwafor, managing director, Metro Digital Limited, the operator of SLTV paid him a working visit on Friday in Abuja.
The managing director said that promoting indigenous brands would ensure an inclusive development of the country and encourage consumers to buy-in to local products.
“We identify with your goal, which is why we will always tell stories that promote indigenous initiatives.
“NAN is very reliable and trusted brand, and will always be on the side of the underdog, we will always be on the side of the truth.
“Rest assured that this is home and the agency is open to any kind of partnership,’’ he assured.
He further said that the agency was also working on rebranding its local and international offices across the globe, to tell Nigerians and Africans stories inclusively.
According to him, presently we are working on repositioning the agency to compete more favourably with other global brands and work smart.
“We are already positioning to face the impending challenge of Artificial Intelligence and we are looking at having a good automated news content.’’
Earlier, Nwafor, commended the efforts of the Federal Government for encouraging indigenous satellite television companies as SLTV in the network industry.
He explained the process began from former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, with the modification of the National Broadcasting Corporation’s (NBC) Codes and Act to accommodate local players.
“The government tried to open up the industry and encourage local players to be part of the satellite television ecosystem, and the government effected some changes in the NBC code and Act.
“The Copyright Act was also modified to encourage Nigerians to participate in the industry, because we believe that when the industry is opened up, the consumers will win.
“Then, former Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed invited us to look at the framework and see how we can participate.
“It was in that process we applied for licence for our Direct-to-Home transmission paid television, which is SLTV,’’ he said.
He further said the action was followed with a mandatory court order to ensure that the reviewed NBC code was adhered to and implemented.
Nwafor said that the intervention by the government was to end exclusivity of content by few giant satellite television companies.
The SLTV boss appreciated the management of NAN for telling the story of the emergence of SLTV, adding that indigenous satellite television networks would thrive with the support of Nigerians.
Highlight of the visit was the presentation of three SLTV decoders and dishes to the management of NAN.
Cloud Network Foundation (CNF) and the Lagos State Government (LASG) are soon to hold a strategic capacity-building workshop for the operators in the media industry.
The initiative, the first in a series of other noble plans is designed to engender massive engagements and collaboration with the stakeholders in the media industry to help plug the hole in the missing links between a healthy and more productive media industry and the professional challenges facing the media operators.
The 2-day event that will be declared open by the Lagos State Governor, His Excellence, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, will feature talks on various topics such as Digital Media and Social Journalism, Data Journalism and Visualization and unpack the latest trends in YouTube, Radio, TV and documentary production.
It will proffer solutions to the nuts and bolts of investigative journalism, and Journalism in the era of Artificial Intelligence ( AI) amongst others.
Mr. Abimbola Tooki, Chairman of CNF, in a Statement released in Lagos, said that in this era of Social Media, Digital Publishing and the abuse and misuse of other opportunities in the technology space, knowledge development and applications of appropriate tools are critical in maximizing the potentials in the media space for national growth and development.
Speaking on the plan to forge collaborative engagements between the CNF and LASG, Tooki said that the partnership is designed to scale up professionals in the public and private media sectors.
Noting that this is intended to build a robust set of skills for operatives easily vulnerable to the pitfalls of the digital publishing space, he said that the delivery of professional competencies is imperative within the media ecosystem.
He stressed that the rise of the internet and digital technologies has revolutionised the way we consume media.
Traditional forms of media, such as newspapers and magazines, have given way to the online news portal, blogs, and social media platforms.
According to him, the convenience of accessing news and entertainment content anytime anywhere has made digital media increasingly popular.
The CNF leader acknowledged that the digital age has also presented media organizations with opportunities and challenges that need to be adequately grasped and mastered.
“On one hand, the Internet has expanded its reach, allowing us to connect with global audiences and experiment in new storytelling formats.
” On the other hand, the fragmentation of audiences, the dominance of social media platforms, and the decline in traditional advertising revenues pose significant challenges.
“Media organizations need to adapt by embracing digital technologies, exploring new business models, and fostering meaningful engagement with their audiences”.
He said in a fast-changing industry and the world there is a need to recognize the importance of equipping and constantly engaging journalists and other news actors with emerging and advanced digital skills, tools and knowledge.
According to him, these and more are the focus of the 2-day capacity building digital workshop being planned for the media professionals by the NCF in collaboration with the Lagos State Government.
According to him, the main objectives of the workshop include enhancing professional competence by providing journalists with up-to-date skills in reporting, storytelling, and digital media to adapt to the changing industry demands.
More so, the workshop will focus on ethical reporting and standards. This is to ensure that practitioners reinforce ethical journalism practices, ensuring accuracy, fairness, and accountability in reporting.
The workshop will ensure that professionals are reined in on the recurring challenges in the New Media space, and emerging technologies.
The workshop will also integrate digital transformation for the media operators.
It is designed to equip journalists with the tools and techniques necessary to leverage digital platforms effectively for storytelling and engagements.
Above all, Tooki said, the workshop will reinforce the synergy between the government and the media, as well as the government and its public.
To make the programme all-inclusive, he said that the training will accommodate government House Reporters, young reporters, middle to senior levels career journalists, bloggers, online news writers and social media influencers.
Across Africa, the cost of electricity is on the rise. Compounded by inflation and other economic pressures, this puts additional strain on consumers
“With households already feeling the pinch, proactive measures to manage energy usage are essential to not only save money, but electricity too,” says Dr Andrew Dickson, Engineering Executive at CBI-electric: low voltage.
Below, he shares 10 ways that people can do this by using smart home technologies to monitor, control and automate electrical appliances:
- Knowledge is power: Understanding how much electricity your most commonly used appliances consume is the first step towards more efficient energy use. Many smart home technologies can track energy consumption, helping to pinpoint areas where you might be able to save.
- Keep loads low: The load management capabilities of some home automation systems can help users ensure that only one heavy load-consuming appliance is switched on at any given moment, thereby ensuring optimal energy distribution.
- Set limits: Users can specify the operating duration of appliances, like running the geyser for two hours to save electricity while also ensuring a hot bath.
- Schedule appliance switch-on: Many regions have peak and off-peak hours when electricity costs more. Smart tech can help consumers schedule appliances to run during off-peak times whenever possible to save money. This can be done at specific times and on particular days.
- Curb consumption in colder months: Electricity is more expensive during winter due to the high demand that results from using heaters, electric blankets and underfloor heating to keep cosy. Smart home devices could be used to determine when these appliances switch on as well as for how long. And while it can be hard to get out of bed on those icy winter mornings, a timer could be set to switch on a heater so that your bedroom is warm even before you wake up.
- Environmental intelligence: Many of these technologies can react to environmental conditions such as weather or the setting and rising of the sun, enabling them to automatically switch specific loads on or off under these conditions. So, if a rainy day is detected for instance, your irrigation system can be preprogrammed to not switch on. This not only saves electricity, but water too, which can lower the total of your bill.
- Remote control: Worried you left a device switched on? Smart home technologies allow users to turn connected appliances off from their smartphone and/or tablet from anywhere in the world. You can also use this capability to switch items on. To illustrate, you could turn your lights on before you get home from work in the evening.
- Don’t just standby: When in standby mode, electronic goods like microwaves, computers, televisions, coffee machines, gaming consoles and even garage door openers can consume more electricity than when they are in use as they are only active for relatively short periods. While the obvious solution would be to unplug all non-essential appliances when inactive, smart home tech lets users switch off any items that are pulling power unnecessarily.
- Incorporate renewable energy sources: With the adoption of rooftop solar steadily increasing across the African continent, smart home technology enables the effortless integration of these alternative power sources. For instance, the tech could be used to connect and disconnect from the grid as well as to ensure that the power produced by solar PV systems is used effectively and efficiently.
- Avoid additional expenses: To protect appliances from voltage fluctuations that could result from power outages, users can set a minimum and maximum ‘safe operating voltage range’. If the voltage is unstable, the technology will monitor voltage levels and only allow power to the appliance once this is within a safe operating range.
“Contrary to popular belief, homeowners won’t need to rewire their homes to enjoy the benefits of smart home technologies. Devices like smart plugs, isolators and controllers can easily be installed by an electrician without the need for additional wiring or hubs,” points out Dr Dickson.
He concludes by saying, “With the cost of living set to increase over 2024, now is the time for Africans to put the power in their hands and save in areas that they can control.”
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