Broadcasting
Gov Sanwo-Olu Asks PR Practitioners and Stakeholders to Help check the spread of Covid-19
Lagos State Governor, BabajideSanwo-Olu has Sanwo-Olu called on Public Relations Practitioners and other Public Communication expert to key into the administration’s strategies to mitigate the effect of COVID-19 Delta Variant and other health challenges on Lagosians.
L-R President African Public Relations Association, Mr Yomi Badejo – Okusanya;Executive Secretary MTN Nigeria Foundation, MrsOdunayoSanya; President and Chairman of Council, Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, Mallam Mukhtar Sirajo; Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof Akin Abayomi; Chairman, Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, Lagos Chapter, Mr Comfort Nwankwo and the Conference Convener, CEO Addefort Limited, MrOlabamijiAdeleye at the 8th Lagos Public Relations Stakeholders’ Conference, Promoting Healthcare and Wellness at the MUSON Centre, on Thursday August 26, 2021.
He promised to transform medical infrastructure in Lagos to discourage outbound medical travels and attract medical tourism to the state.
Sanwo-Olu who disclosed this on Thursday at the 8th Lagos Public Relations Stakeholders’ Conference with the theme: Policy Communication for Sustainable Healthcare and Wellness in Nigeria, urged individuals, corporate bodies and leaders in different spheres of life to join hands with the government in building a healthcare system that is reliable, affordable and sustainable for the people.
“Ladies and gentlemen, let me stress that in Lagos, we prioritize the health of residents. Hence, we are working hard to improve public health facilities across the state.
“The construction of new Massey Street Children Hospital as well as a new General Hospital at Ojo LGA has commenced. The objective is to improve medical infrastructure, boost access to quality healthcare service and achieve universal health service.
” It is also meant to improve the state’s health indices, discourage outbound medical travels and attract medical tourism to Lagos as well as improve work experience of health workers.
“Similarly, we have begun phased deep refurbishment and renovation of General Hospitals in the state.
“Thus, comprehensive renovation work is ongoing at the Ebute Metta Heath Centre, Harvey Road Health Centre, General Hospital, Odan-Lagos, General Hospital, Isolo and Ketu-Ejirin Health Centre,” he said.
Sanwo-Olu who was represented the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Akin Abayomi said the objectives are to improve health infrastructure, increase capacity for human resource for health and improve work experience of health workers.
“Permanent Triage and Oxygen Therapy Centres have also been established to effectively manage serve to critical cases in high burden Local Government Areas to support patients with oxygen before they are transferred to isolation care centers.
“The care centers, which are permanent facilities will be an addition to the existing infrastructure in the hospitals and the facility after the pandemic and thy can be used for other healthcare purposes.
“In addition, the Lagos State Health Insurance Scheme (LHIS) was introduced to make healthcare delivery affordable to families and individuals across the state with the “IleraEko” Scheme. This scheme has assisted in providing quality, yet affordable health care to Lagosians in areas such as outpatient common ailments and conditions such as malaria, management of uncomplicated chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes and asthma.
“Through the Public Private Partnership, we have also placed a forward moving agreement on health as well as encourage innovation on maintenance and sustainability of the state’s health sector.
“As a testimony to our government’s resolve to improve the residents’ health, a wellness centre was established at the Secretariat, Alausa to assist public servants with depression and other mental health challenges.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, as I draw a close, I solicit the cooperation of members of NIPR in Lagos State to join us in championing mental reorientation among the citizenry.
” I also seek your enduring partnership and understanding with the government in all mutually rewarding areas. Our unique strength as a state is our developmental plan, optimism and work ethics, our diversity as well as commitment to the upliftment of the well-being of the people,” he said.
The governor calls more public sensitization to mitigate the effect of COVID-19 Delta Variant and other health challenges on Lagosians.
“On Monday, I gave an update on the challenges posed by COVID-19 Delta Variant Pandemic and our proactive responses to enhance ongoing preventive protocols to be observed by all members of the public. I have to reiterate that our COVID-19 Care Centers are functional with healthcare personnel to attend to incidents effectively.
“We have commenced dispensation of the second phase of the vaccine programme which has been positively accepted by members of the public.
“However, the consumption rate for oxygen for affected persons in the Care Centres has increased to over 400 cylinders daily. This is an indication on the need to step up the campaign and make our people understand that the battle against COVID-19 is not yet won, therefore, we cannot afford to let down our guards.
“At this time, we have to stand together and ensure that we play our roles as stakeholders and members of the community. We have to enlighten people in our various communities and neighborhood on the need to enhance personal safety hygiene standards.
“In a social media driven era when the public information space is filled with all kinds of disinformation, misinformation and outright lies. It is quite commendable that the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, Lagos Chapter has always been at the forefront of promoting professionalism and objectivity in public information dissemination,” he said.
The annual Conference is the brainchild of Addefort Limited; a public relations and concept development firm. It is held in collaboration with the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, Lagos.
Lagos State Electricity Regulatory Commission (LASERC) has issued a new directive establishing a formal regulatory framework for electricity market operations within Lagos.
With the release of Order No. LASERC ORDER/001/2025, the commission finalizes the shift of oversight from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to LASERC, aligning with the Electricity Act 2023 and Lagos State Electricity Law 2024.
Under the new regulations, individuals or entities involved in electricity-related activities in Lagos must obtain a license or permit from LASERC. Licenses issued by other regulatory bodies will no longer be recognized. Unlicensed operators must immediately halt operations and apply for proper authorization to avoid penalties, which include a fine of ₦20 million and additional daily fines of ₦20,000 for continued violations.
LASERC has encouraged entities unsure of their regulatory status to seek clarification to prevent sanctions. Despite the transition, existing national guidelines, including tariff structures, grid codes, and safety regulations, will remain in effect unless amended.
Dr. Fouad Animashaun, CEO and Executive Commissioner of LASERC, emphasized that the order is designed to ensure a secure, efficient, and reliable electricity market in Lagos.
He reiterated the commission’s commitment to global standards and safeguarding the interests of electricity consumers and investors.
This policy marks a significant shift in the state’s power sector and aims to enhance regulatory compliance while ensuring a more structured and effective electricity market.
Video entertainment company MultiChoice’s woes are persisting with the company continuing to suffer massive losses in revenue and subscribers.
This emerged today when the DStv parent company announced its financial results for the year ended 31 March (FY25).
In a statement to shareholders on the Stock Exchange News Service, the JSE-listed firm says the past two financial years have been a period of significant financial disruption for economies, corporates and consumers across sub-Saharan Africa due to challenging macro-economic factors.
Combined with the impact of structural industry changes in video entertainment such as the rise of piracy, streaming services and social media, this has materially affected the overall performance of the MultiChoice Group, it notes.
Over this period, MultiChoice says the group lost 2.8 million active linear subscribers and had to absorb a R10.2 billion negative impact on its topline due to local currency depreciation against the US dollar.
For the year ended 31 March, the company reveals that linear subscribers were down 1.2 million or 8% year-on-year (YoY) to 14.5 million active subscribers, with the loss evenly split between South African (600 000) and Rest of Africa (600 000).
Although reflecting an improvement on FY24 trends, MultiChoice says this indicates ongoing broad-based pressure across the group’s entire customer base.
Active paying Showmax subscribers were up 44% YoY, reflecting healthy growth and gaining regional market share, it adds.
Group revenue declined by R5.2 billion or 9% YoY to R50.8 billion, mainly due to an 11% decline in subscription revenues (-1% organic) caused by foreign currency and subscriber volume headwinds and the deconsolidation of the NMSIS insurance business from December 2024, it explains.
According to the firm, this was partially offset by inflationary pricing and new product growth (DStv Internet, DStv Stream and Extra Stream).
Trading profit, which declined by R3.8 billion or 49% YoY to R4 billion, was materially affected by the R2.3 billion organic increase in trading losses in Showmax and the R5.2 billion in foreign currency revenue losses, partially offset by a significant outperformance in delivering total cost savings of R3.7 billion.
Adjusted core headline earnings, the board’s revised measure of the underlying performance of the business, shifted to a loss of R800 million (FY24: earnings of R1.3 billion) due to lower trading profit and hedging losses in FY25 (compared to gains in FY24), partially offset by smaller losses on cash remittances from Nigeria.
The group incurred a free cash outflow of R500 million in FY25 (FY24: inflow of R600 million), impacted by lower profitability, higher lease repayments due to timing and partially offset by improved working capital management as well as a 29% YoY decline in capex.
At year-end, the group held R5.1 billion in cash and cash equivalents and retains access to R3 billion in undrawn general borrowing facilities.
A part of the R12 billion term loan was repaid early by using the R900 million upfront proceeds from the NMSIS transaction (ie R1.2 billion, net of tax), says the company.
The group operates in numerous markets across Africa and internationally, resulting in significant exposure to foreign exchange volatility.
Amid the challenges, MultiChoice states that management acted decisively to ensure that the group could withstand these headwinds, focusing on key areas within its control.
It notes that this has meant maintaining a discipline of inflationary pricing, with price increases of 5.7% in South Africa in FY25 (FY24: 5.6%) and an average of 31% in local currency in Rest of Africa (FY24: 27%), which enabled the group to offset subscriber volume pressures and deliver 1% YoY organic revenue growth in the current financial year.
In addition, further efficiencies were implemented to manage costs and cash flows without unduly sacrificing the group’s customer value proposition, it adds.
In this regard, the group delivered R3.7 billion in cost savings, well ahead of management’s initial R2 billion target (and the revised R2.5 billion target set at interims) and almost double the R1.9 billion saved in FY24, the company says.
Afia TV & Radio has announced its official entry into the Lagos media market, in its commitment to expanding the broadcaster’s footprint, connecting businesses to audiences across Nigeria, and redefining regional media excellence.
Chief Emeka Mba,
Nnamdi Obanya, general manager of Afia TV & Radio, said there is only one digital satellite and one digital station in the southeastern region of Nigeria, which is Afia.
Obanya, stated that: “We are specialists in developing products. A programme on our channel, ‘How Market’, is where we talk to the people in the market to tell their stories and advertise their products on AFIA.”
According to him, “the market world has changed a lot, as the physical market has become a ware house while people are buying digitally.”
Chief Emeka Mba, founder and CEO, stated: “The parley brought together top media buyers, advertising agencies, and communication professionals for engaging conversations around emerging trends, innovation, and future-forward strategies in media planning and buying. The event also served as a platform for Afia TV and radio to unveil its offerings, platforms, and unique value proposition to Lagos-based stakeholders.”
While noting that they are thrilled to bring Afia’s fresh, original, and regional perspective to Lagos, Mba said, “this parley signals our readiness to collaborate, innovate, and deliver impactful results for our partners through data-driven content and targeted reach especially for brands looking to penetrate the southern Nigerian market.”
Equipped with modern broadcast studios, digital-first production capabilities, and a highly experienced team, Afia TV & Radio is poised to make a bold impression on the Lagos media landscape.
The media brand delivers high-quality programming ranging from news and documentaries to lifestyle, business, culture, and entertainment only in south-east but in Lagos, African and beyond, we want to be chief marketing platform of the eastern region, we are the only 24/7 radio station now in Enugu.
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