Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has made it clear that he has not come as a minister for selling and allocating lands in Abuja. He stressed that the only reason he accepted to be Minister in the All Progressives Congress (APC) government is to support the administration of President Bola Tinubu not to join “traders or land grabbers.” Wike, who spoke during the flag off of the construction of the 15.4-kilometer Pai-Gomani road project in Kwali Area Council yesterday, October 29, said that the government of Tinubu would allow everybody to benefit from the dividends of democracy. “That is what I have told our people. Mr. President has promised you, give me time, be patient, I will get to all of you. “All the Area Councils must have the impact of the government of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu who is the President and Commander in Chief. “I want to say clearly let everybody hear me; I did not become a Minister to come and sell land. I took this position to support Mr. President to improve the infrastructure of the FCT. That is why every day, our concern is infrastructure and infrastructure, be it in the city or rural areas. “Whether you are in PDP, whether you are in APC, whether you don’t even believe in any party, you must use this road. “So, this road is very important. No matter how far it is, we will make out from time to time to see that we come here and see if the contractor is doing what he is supposed to do.”
Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja, Cardinal John Onaiyekan has lamented what he called “poor state of affairs” of the Northern parts of Nigeria inspite of potentials for greatness. “I think we must face the reality that the way northern Nigeria is today is not what we can be proud of. All the various indices of good governance and standard of living, we have a very poor record. If Nigeria is poor, the epicentre of the poor is the north.” Onaiyekan, who spoke during a meeting with the League of Northern Democrats, stressed the urgent need for the northern elite to address pressing issues of poverty and insecurity in the region. He also advocated collaborative efforts across regions and faiths to enhance governance and foster stability in the country. “Let’s face it, if the north does not move well, Nigeria cannot move well. It’s the same discourse. If Nigeria does move well, Africa cannot move well. He wondered why things are not moving as they should in the North when there is a league of northern democrats who are interested in addressing the issues and finding out. “I think things will move because a league of elite northern democrats should be able to engage those who call themselves political leaders, especially as some of you have had good experience in government. “So, you can tell them, listen, look around you, are you proud of what you see? Out-of-school children all over the place, and it is not an excuse to say we are poor because if we continue about being poor, the issue will remain. “We are in a federal government and federal resources are being distributed, so what has happened? “There is no room for one section of the country to be lagging behind. What it does mean is that the entire nation should be interested in what you people are doing. If for no other reason but for what they normally call enlightened self-interest.”
The Federal Government of Nigeria has made it mandatory for all fuel station owners across the country to commence the installation of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) pumps. This is aimed at making CNG more accessible to Nigerians, and allowing them to refuel their vehicles at a much lower cost: about N200 per unit, as against the rising prices of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as petrol. The Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Farouk Ahmed, gave the directive at the 2024 OTL Africa Downstream Energy Week in Lagos. Farouk said that the NMDPRA is partnering with stakeholders to expedite action on the installation of CNG pumps at retail outlets across Nigeria, in line with the government’s broader goal of advancing energy transition. He said that most fuel stations will be expected to incorporate CNG dispensers to support the growing number of CNG-powered vehicles in Nigeria. This is coming at the time President Bola Tinubu encouraged Nigerians to consider CNG as a cleaner, more affordable alternative, saying that petrol prices could reach N1,000 per liter, whereas CNG remains at N200 per Standard Cubic Meter. The federal government has already introduced incentives for commercial drivers to convert from petrol to gas at no cost.
When Mr. Olufemi Soneye was appointed in October last year as the Chief Corporate Communications Officer [CCCO] at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd), I wrote a celebratory piece in which I captured the excitement in the Nigerian media community in the aftermath of his appointment. Was the excitement misplaced? Read what I wrote last year as I now attempt, this day, a peer review of his performance a year in the saddle and on the occasion of his 50th birthday: “There has been a burst of excitement in the Nigerian media community since Thursday, last week, when the management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) announced the appointment of 49-year-old Mr Olufemi Soneye as the company’s Chief Corporate Communications Officer (CCCO). By virtue of that significant appointment, Soneye becomes the company’s spokesperson; and, he is required to robustly drive its public communication plans and strategies to ensure that the company’s external publics, through the media, are kept abreast of and apprised with is sues of public interest around the operations of the national oil company. “The good thing is that Soneye will be honchoing a department that is very resourceful and capacitated to provide him with the necessary support to confront the rising complexities occasioned by episodic advancement in technology in use and deployment of public communication in pushing through and explicating to the company’s external publics, its official positions on contending industry issues. In fact, what Soneye essentially brings to the job is a load of passion that has, over the years of building media relations for brands across the public and private sectors, consistently driven his savoir faire and fidelity to efficient service delivery. “In the connectedness or intercourse between experience and service delivery, Soneye has kept faith with those little things that matter in building a bank of social capital and obligatory goodwill that are inevitable in the province of media relations. In 2013, we had a chance meeting in Washington DC at an official assignment. There was exchange of pleasantries between us (a three-man team from Nigeria) and Soneye, who had just celebrated the one-year anniversary of the publication of his online newspaper with headquarters in the United States of America: Per Second News (PSN). We had expressed our desire for Nigerian cuisine, especially pounded yam. He offered to drive us to Maryland to a Nigerian Kitchen where our culinary desire was taken care of. “Soneye and I got closer the following day at the event proper, exchanged numbers and, on getting to Nigeria, he got in touch and I reciprocated his gesture. At the time, I was handling the media affairs of Chief Tony Anenih (now late) who was then Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Soneye pragmatically deployed the PSN platform in publishing every material I sent to him without asking for any consideration in reciprocity. In the last ten years of our friendship, he has demonstrated a great sense of association, always reaching out to me. He has also always tapped my expertise as a media professional to achieve certain tasks in aid of his media support services for some institutional and individual brands. This peer “support and review” mechanism has been largely mutual. “A man of big ideas, Soneye reaches out to seek ways in which I could add value to ideas he is always fleshing up around reputation management. Imbued with a touch of Midas, he sees through his ideas and projects. If there was a glitch leading to failure, it would not be on account of him not having invested his best possible in the project; it has always boiled down to some shenanigans from the other side. I believe that the NNPCL job is one of the big ideas that Soneye had been working on in recent months or years. This can be explicated: on a number of occasions, I had seen how consistently he had intervened in providing positive reportage of the activities of the NNPC, particularly through the transition to NNPCL, using his PSN platform and many times using pseudonyms to syndicate positive narratives in other media organs. Remarkably, his coverage had cut across the entire gamut of the national oil company-providing, as it were, positive media focuses to the institution and individual leaders that superintended over the corporation then and those who are still in the saddle at the company. “In that deliberate, conscious and planned intervention effort to mollycoddle friends with the magnitude of his excellent media relations offerings, he had also built a robust goodwill for the NNPCL among his numerous media colleagues and their media organs. Soneye had quietly provided a link between a good number of online media publishers and the NNPCL who desired advert patronage. In this context, his transformation from being an external link to being a significant top member of management is both monumental and transcendental. It makes the interface much more seamless and one that ensures that media partnerships are easily consummated. Besides, with Soneye in the saddle, there is a new dawn of robust media relationship that is becoming increasingly tangible-just because of his personality. Every media organisation which craves for pieces of information henceforth should rest assured that it would get responses unlike in the immediate past epoch when neither calls nor text messages were answered. “Again, unlike many reputation managers or image makers who would either get involved in “media fisticuffs”, practically descending into the arena, in defence of institutional positions, Soneye has always advocated the pacific path, emphasized conciliation for better media relationship, and shown a great understanding and belief in the efficacy of engagements to achieve consensus ad idem or meeting of minds on issues that are conflictual. He is always excited to win over more and more friends to the side of his “good ideas or causes” who then become the extended mouthpieces of the brands he promotes. Soneye’s brilliance and cosmopolitan nature do not predispose him to treat the other person with condescension. His simple mien and calm disposition underpin very largely his “Omoluabi” (a well-brought up son of Yoruba land and of Ijebu Igbo extraction) pedigree. Highly respectful, Soneye is also reputed for his consistent kindness, his catholic conviviality, his gift of the garb, and ease of making friends with high net worth. These, perhaps, find solid anchorage in his Christian faith through which he has received the divine grace to prosper. “As he resumes any moment from now at his desk in the massive belly of the behemoth that the NNPCL office structure and infrastructure typify, Soneye, without a doubt, will deliver on his assignment on the back of an unprecedented social bank of goodwill and support from media professionals- his colleagues- who are well pleased in him. His media constituency is united behind him to assist in the delivery of his mandate(s). That external media tension has been taken care of. The only other tension that he may have to deal with is internal, that is within the top echelon of the management of the NNPCL and this may border on the shape, texture, contents and context of information flow to the media. He will be expected to do some processing of information and flow to the external publics through the media to provide appropriate guidance as to the theme of every communication endeavour. “In rounding off, I posit that Soneye’s pick is in apple pie order and his passion for the job is in a warm embrace with the platform of engagement that the national oil company has offered him. A cornucopia of goodwill, support and prayers is readily available for the NNPCL’s “Seriki Magana” or if you like the “kakaki”! More power to Soneye’s elbows as he continues with what he had hitherto been doing from the outside.” Now let us get down to my significant peer review: On the occasion of Soneye’s 50th birthday, an age where life has just begun for him, it is pertinent to state that as spokesperson for the NNPC Ltd, he has so far spoken very well for the national oil company. In the interaction with his professional colleagues and media organisations, Soneye has done what Napoleon could not do and has surpassed himself in terms of personal and corporate relationships that are mutually beneficial. There might be a minority report but the vast majority would concur with me on this score. In terms of proactive and utilitarian engagements with the public through the media, Soneye has acquitted himself very well. He continues to expand the frontiers of public communication for a “freely-communicating” national oil company, something that was previously restrained if not largely muted. Today, NNPC Ltd communicates more effectively with Nigerians on contending issues and emerging rising complexities that require public understanding. On the interpersonal level of social and community interactions, Soneye has remained ever approachable, reachable, and always constantly touching base with significant others and proximate people, offering hands of fellowship and support. As a friend, I have been a beneficiary of Soneye’s eleemosynary act even before he got the NNPC job. It is validating his kindheartedness that to commemorate the milestone of turning 50, he had last Saturday, October 27, 2024, identified with the widows and vulnerable people in Ajegunle community of Lagos State. He distributed to 150 widows and vulnerable persons10 kgs of rice, sugar, salt, and olive oil for cooking as well as grains. There were detergents and other material to boot. Soneye was quoted to have said that the gesture was his way of celebrating the milestone by giving back to the vulnerable in society. The excitement that greeted his appointment last year was not misplaced, after all. This is wishing my buddy many happy returns of his Especial Day in good health. Happy burfday, Femo!
Sufuyan Ojeifo is the publisher of THE CONCLAVE online newspaper.
Online Publishers, under the umbrella of the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP), are happy with the return of their colleague, Dr. Hassan Gimba, from Saudi Arabia where he went for medical treatment for a couple of months. The Deputy President of GOCOP, who doubles as Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Newsdiaryonline, Danlami Nmodu, mni, in celebrating the return of Dr. Gimba in Abuja, expressed delight in seeing him hale and hearty. Nmodu, representing GOCOP on a visit to Dr. Gimba, who is Publisher/CEO of Neptune Prime online newspaper, appreciated God for a safe sojourn of the publisher from Saudi Arabia, and for keeping him well, with renewed strength and agility. He said that the return of the Publisher/CEO is a proof of God’s faithfulness, acknowledging that Dr. Gimba is now endowed with vigour, resilience and ready-to-go spirit. The GOCOP Deputy President applauded the unwavering trait of seriousness and professionalism of Neptune Prime under the leadership of Dr. Gimba, even as he acknowledged Dr. Gimba’s contribution to the growth of online journalism and factual reporting in Nigeria. Danlami expressed optimism that the CEO would continue to discharge his duties in good health and wisdom. This was even as Dr. Gimba thanked GOCOP executives, under the leadership of Mrs. Maureen Chigbo as President, for the unwavering support and togetherness of members of the Guild. He pledged his continued support for GOCOP’s operations and overall success, especially, in its efforts to sanitise online journalism in Nigeria.
Northern Nigeria has unanimously rejected the content of the recent Tax Reform Bill that was forwarded to the National Assembly by the executive arm of the government, headed by President Bola Tinubu. The region said it “unanimously rejects the proposed Tax Amendments and calls on members of National Assembly to oppose any bill that can jeopardise the well-being of our people.” These were parts of the resolutions as contained in a joint Communique that emanated from the meeting of the Northern State Governors’ Forum and Chairmen of the Northern State Council of Emirs and Chiefs which was held today, October 28, 2024 in Kaduna. The Forum noted with dismay, the content of the Tax Reform Bill, saying that the contents of the Bill is “against the interests of the north and other sub-nationals, especially the proposed amendment to the distribution of Value Added Tax (VAT) to Derivation-based Model.
“This is because, companies remit VAT using location of their headquarters and tax office and not where the services and goods are consumed.” The northern leaders said that they are not against any policies or programmes that would ensure the growth and development of the Country, but insisted on what they described as “equity and farness in the implementation of all national policies and programmes so as to ensure that no geopolitical zone is short-changed or marginalised.” Parts of the Communique go thus: A joint meeting of the Northern States Governors’ Forum and Northern Traditional Ruler’ Council (Emirs and Chiefs) was held today, Monday 28 October, 2024. The meeting was also briefed on the security challenges in the north by the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa. The meeting deliberated extensively on matters of common interest and resolved to issue the following communique: 1. Forum extends its deepest sympathies to the victims of the recent flood disasters in Maiduguri and other parts of the North, as well as to the families affected by the tragic tanker explosion in Jigawa State. The Forum equally commiserates with other victims of terrorism, banditry and similar criminal activities in the North and Nigeria at large and stand in solidarity with them during these difficult times. We agreed to continue to work with the Federal Government and relevant agencies to provide the necessary support and relief to those affected. 2. Forum emphasises that Traditional Institutions are critical in the quest for lasting peace and security in the region. Forum also acknowledged their commitment in bridging the gap between the Government and the people. Forum advocates for increased roles for the Traditional Institutions to maximize cooperation with security agencies in the fight against kidnap for ransom, banditry, cattle rustling, communal clashes, farmers/herder clashes and other forms of criminality. 3. Forum acknowledges the recent gains made against criminals, especially the elimination of bandits and terror leaders. However, we resolved to sustain these gains in order to ensure lasting peace and stability in the sub-region. Forum commend the Federal Government and security agencies for their commitment in ensuring that our communities are safe and secure. Particularly we commend the untiring commitment of the Chief of Defence Staff General C. J Musa whose professionalism and innovative approach has made difference in security architecture of the Country at large. Nevertheless more need to be done to address pockets of challenges that abound in the Northern Region. 4. With the recent “End Bad Governance” protests that took place in August, the Forum resolved to scale up efforts to tackle the root causes of youth restiveness by investing in education, skills development, job creation and pathways for the youth to chanel their energy into productive ventures, thereby reducing their vulnerability to crime and social vices. 5. Forum resolves to call on the Federal Government and relevant Agencies to urgently address the current electricity power blackout affecting most of the Northern States due to vandalization of electricity transmission infrastructure. This matter not only underscores the vulnerability of critical infrastructure, but also the need to build aalitional transmission lines and diversify our energy supply so as to better connect our region and improve our energy resilience. 6. Forum agrees that Northern Nigeria holds immense agricultural potentials, which, if fully harnessed, can significantly alleviate hunger and boost economic growth. To achieve this, we resolved to provide adequate support to our farmers, including access to financing, modern farming techniques and infrastructure such as roads and irrigation systems. Agriculture should not only be seen as a means to feed our people but also as a catalyst for industrialization and job creation across the region. That can be achieved through re-industrialisation of the North especially by reviving the textile value chain and development of other agro-allied industries. 7. Forum commends His Excellency, the President and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for the reform initiative in the livestock sub-sector and agreed to provide the necessary political will and commitment to ensure the success of the Federal Government livestock development initiatives. The Forum also agreed to sustain engagement and cross-fertilization of ideas with the Presidential Livestock Reforms Implementation Committee to achieve greater results. 8. Forum acknowledges the fact that climate change has greatly affected our environment resulting in the recent flood incidents in many parts of the North and therefore resolved to partner with the Federal Government and other stakeholders to build irrigation infrastructure like canals and waterways to divert excess water and channel them towards irrigation activities, thus enhancing rural livelihoods and safeguarding food security. 9. Forum agrees to support and key-in to any initiative aimed at addressing the challenges of out-of-school-children and improving educational outcomes in the sub-region. 10. Forum notes with dismay the content of the recent Tax Reform Bill that was forwarded to the National Assembly. The contents of the Blare against the interests of the north and other sub-nationals especially the proposed amendment to the distribution of Value Added Tax (VAT) to Derivation-based Model. This is because companies remit VAT using location of their headquarters and tax office and not wnere the services and goods are consumed. In view of the foregoing, the Forum unanimously rejects the proposed Tax Amendments and calls on members of National Assembly to oppose any bill that can jeopardise the well-being of our people. 11. For the avoidance of doubt, the Northern Governor’ Forum is not averse to any policies or programmes that will ensure the growth and development of the Country. However, the Forum calls for equity and farness in the implementation of all national policies and programmes so as to ensure that no geopolitical zone is short-changed or marginalised. 12. On the present economic hardship affecting the Country, the Forum is appealing to all citizens to remain calm, as the states and Federal Government are working hard to implement measures that will cushion effects of the hardship. His Excellency, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, CON, Executive Governor of Gombe State/Chairman of the Northern State Governors’ Forum.
Over 19 years after, the legal battle between the dethroned Emir of Gwandu, Alhaji Al-Mustapha Jokolo and the Kebbi State government has continued to linger. The Court of Appeal in Sokoto State, today, October 28, ruled that Jokolo was dethroned in June 2005, by the then Governor Muhammad Adamu Aliero without being given fair hearing. In a unanimous judgment, read by Justice Ebiowei Tobi, the court held that the appeal filed by the Kebbi government lacked merit and upheld the lower court decision. Justice Tobi said that the decision was arrived after thorough consideration of the lower court judgment . The court cited non-compliance with the Chief’s appointment and the Deposition Law of Kebbi. “I have looked at the judgment of the lower court and it did not mention the evidences as the ground of the judgement. ”The appeal lacks merit and therefore dismissed. By so doing, I reaffirms the judgment of the lower court delivered.” According to him, the sister appeal was equally determined in favour of Jokolo because they were all talking about the same subject matter. Recall that the Kebbi State government, alongside with 12 others, had instituted an appeal against the judgement of the lower court on the fundamental right of the former Emir. The Appellants were represented by Yakubu Maikyau (SAN) while the respondent was represented by Fascal Onyenobi, during the hearing of the suit. In April 2016, the Court of Appeal, led by Justice Tunde Awotoye, upheld the High Court’s decision, saying that the Governor’s actions contravened the provisions of Sections 6 and 7 of the Chief Appointment and Deposition Law.
Former Nigeria’s President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and his Vice (President), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, today, October 28, exchanged pleasantries at the venue of the 25th anniversary of the Women Trafficking and Child Labour Eradication Foundation (WOTCLEF) in Abuja, the nation’s federal capital.
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has taken practical step towards fast-tracking the growth of private businesses in Nigeria, with a partnership deal it has just had with International Finance Corporation (IFC), which is a member of the World Bank Group. The partnership agreement, which was struck in Washington D.C., USA, today, October 28, is aimed at increasing local currency financing to enable private businesses in Nigeria to grow and thrive. A statement emanating from the endorsement room in the U.S, said that the partnership would allow IFC to manage currency risks and increase its investment in Nigerian naira across priority sectors of the economy, including agriculture, housing, infrastructure, energy, small and medium enterprises as well as the creative and youth economy. “IFC aims to significantly scale up its financing of critical sectors in Nigeria, with a goal of providing more than $1 billion in the coming years. “Many of these sectors require local currency financing, and IFC’s partnership with the CBN is a key tool in expanding access. “This pioneering initiative between the IFC and CBN will unlock much-needed long-term local currency financing for private businesses in Nigeria at economically viable rates.” Confirming the development, the CBN Governor, Yemi Cardoso said: “this collaboration marks significant progress in the CBN’s commitment to delivering innovative development initiatives through reputable third-party service providers, moving beyond traditional intervention programs. It will serve as a catalyst for economic growth and advance the Federal Government’s agenda for economic diversification.”
This was even as the IFC Managing Director, Makhtar Dop said: “expanding access to affordable local currency financing for small businesses in Nigeria is essential for IFC to address the increasing demand for diverse funding options and to better manage currency risk. “Our partnership with the Central Bank of Nigeria will enhance lending in Nigerian naira, fostering economic growth and creating jobs across the country.” With an active portfolio of investments in Nigeria of up to $2.13 billion—the second highest in Africa—local currency financing is a key priority for IFC. IFC pledged to continue to leverage innovative financial instruments and strengthen partnerships to meet the growing demand for more local currency financing in emerging markets.
Dangote Cement Plc has announced a significant investments exceeding $280 million in compressed natural gas (CNG) technology and infrastructure.
This is coming as a support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s CNG Initiative, which aims to provide cheaper and cleaner fuelling alternatives for all Nigerians, The Group Managing Director of Dangote Cement Plc, Arvind Pathak, who did the announcement said that the investment aims to acquire 100% CNG trucks as part of a long-term plan to transition its entire fleet to CNG. He said that the over $280 million investment not only solidifies its leadership in the CNG sector but reflects its dedication to mitigating climate change and supporting a transition to a low-carbon economy.
He said that the move marked a significant milestone in Dangote’s clean energy transition, with the objective of operating most of its fleet on CNG by mid-2026. “As at October, the company has received its first batch of 1,500 mono-fuel CNG trucks while expecting additional 1,600 CNG trucks; totalling 3,100 before the end of the year. “By mid- 2026, Dangote Cement aims to operate a fleet predominantly powered by CNG. To facilitate this transformation, we are investing in expanding our CNG fuelling infrastructure, ensuring that our growing fleet has reliable access to CNG as our fuel.” He said plans are afoot to aggressively pursue this timeline of deployment, beginning from the first quarter of 2025. “We are keeping our eyes on the ball to ensure that we do not miss our target dates of full compliance.” Pathak said that the company’s CNG infrastructure investments have positively influenced Nigeria’s transition to cleaner fuels. He added that the CNG station at Obajana, capable of refuelling over 3,000 trucks, exemplifies this commitment, with a second station currently under development in Ibese to further support fleet operations. This is even as the President and Chief Executive of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote said that the company’s investments in CNG are also in line with Nigeria’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement, which aims for net-zero emissions by 2060. “In this pursuit of transition to clean energy, we are optimistic of a remarkable accomplishment by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as he has taken the lead in the nation’s drive towards energy efficiency. This presupposes private sector intervention to support this noble idea initiated by the President.” He said that the company’s early adoption of CNG has made it the largest operator of CNG trucks in Nigeria, emphasising that the initiative is a boost to President Tinubu’s quest towards enhancing the nation’s energy independence and contributing to a more secure energy future. “We are now using CNG vehicles, especially with the new policy of the Federal Government, launched under the Renewed Hope Agenda by His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. We are committed to a cleaner and greener future.”
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
Soneye @ 50: A Peer Review And Service Delivery At NNPCL, By Sufuyan Ojeifo
When Mr. Olufemi Soneye was appointed in October last year as the Chief Corporate Communications Officer [CCCO] at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd), I wrote a celebratory piece in which I captured the excitement in the Nigerian media community in the aftermath of his appointment. Was the excitement misplaced?
Read what I wrote last year as I now attempt, this day, a peer review of his performance a year in the saddle and on the occasion of his 50th birthday:
“There has been a burst of excitement in the Nigerian media community since Thursday, last week, when the management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) announced the appointment of 49-year-old Mr Olufemi Soneye as the company’s Chief Corporate Communications Officer (CCCO). By virtue of that significant appointment, Soneye becomes the company’s spokesperson; and, he is required to robustly drive its public communication plans and strategies to ensure that the company’s external publics, through the media, are kept abreast of and apprised with is sues of public interest around the operations of the national oil company.
“The good thing is that Soneye will be honchoing a department that is very resourceful and capacitated to provide him with the necessary support to confront the rising complexities occasioned by episodic advancement in technology in use and deployment of public communication in pushing through and explicating to the company’s external publics, its official positions on contending industry issues. In fact, what Soneye essentially brings to the job is a load of passion that has, over the years of building media relations for brands across the public and private sectors, consistently driven his savoir faire and fidelity to efficient service delivery.
“In the connectedness or intercourse between experience and service delivery, Soneye has kept faith with those little things that matter in building a bank of social capital and obligatory goodwill that are inevitable in the province of media relations. In 2013, we had a chance meeting in Washington DC at an official assignment. There was exchange of pleasantries between us (a three-man team from Nigeria) and Soneye, who had just celebrated the one-year anniversary of the publication of his online newspaper with headquarters in the United States of America: Per Second News (PSN). We had expressed our desire for Nigerian cuisine, especially pounded yam. He offered to drive us to Maryland to a Nigerian Kitchen where our culinary desire was taken care of.
“Soneye and I got closer the following day at the event proper, exchanged numbers and, on getting to Nigeria, he got in touch and I reciprocated his gesture. At the time, I was handling the media affairs of Chief Tony Anenih (now late) who was then Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Soneye pragmatically deployed the PSN platform in publishing every material I sent to him without asking for any consideration in reciprocity. In the last ten years of our friendship, he has demonstrated a great sense of association, always reaching out to me. He has also always tapped my expertise as a media professional to achieve certain tasks in aid of his media support services for some institutional and individual brands. This peer “support and review” mechanism has been largely mutual.
“A man of big ideas, Soneye reaches out to seek ways in which I could add value to ideas he is always fleshing up around reputation management. Imbued with a touch of Midas, he sees through his ideas and projects. If there was a glitch leading to failure, it would not be on account of him not having invested his best possible in the project; it has always boiled down to some shenanigans from the other side. I believe that the NNPCL job is one of the big ideas that Soneye had been working on in recent months or years. This can be explicated: on a number of occasions, I had seen how consistently he had intervened in providing positive reportage of the activities of the NNPC, particularly through the transition to NNPCL, using his PSN platform and many times using pseudonyms to syndicate positive narratives in other media organs. Remarkably, his coverage had cut across the entire gamut of the national oil company-providing, as it were, positive media focuses to the institution and individual leaders that superintended over the corporation then and those who are still in the saddle at the company.
“In that deliberate, conscious and planned intervention effort to mollycoddle friends with the magnitude of his excellent media relations offerings, he had also built a robust goodwill for the NNPCL among his numerous media colleagues and their media organs. Soneye had quietly provided a link between a good number of online media publishers and the NNPCL who desired advert patronage. In this context, his transformation from being an external link to being a significant top member of management is both monumental and transcendental. It makes the interface much more seamless and one that ensures that media partnerships are easily consummated. Besides, with Soneye in the saddle, there is a new dawn of robust media relationship that is becoming increasingly tangible-just because of his personality. Every media organisation which craves for pieces of information henceforth should rest assured that it would get responses unlike in the immediate past epoch when neither calls nor text messages were answered.
“Again, unlike many reputation managers or image makers who would either get involved in “media fisticuffs”, practically descending into the arena, in defence of institutional positions, Soneye has always advocated the pacific path, emphasized conciliation for better media relationship, and shown a great understanding and belief in the efficacy of engagements to achieve consensus ad idem or meeting of minds on issues that are conflictual. He is always excited to win over more and more friends to the side of his “good ideas or causes” who then become the extended mouthpieces of the brands he promotes. Soneye’s brilliance and cosmopolitan nature do not predispose him to treat the other person with condescension. His simple mien and calm disposition underpin very largely his “Omoluabi” (a well-brought up son of Yoruba land and of Ijebu Igbo extraction) pedigree. Highly respectful, Soneye is also reputed for his consistent kindness, his catholic conviviality, his gift of the garb, and ease of making friends with high net worth. These, perhaps, find solid anchorage in his Christian faith through which he has received the divine grace to prosper.
“As he resumes any moment from now at his desk in the massive belly of the behemoth that the NNPCL office structure and infrastructure typify, Soneye, without a doubt, will deliver on his assignment on the back of an unprecedented social bank of goodwill and support from media professionals- his colleagues- who are well pleased in him. His media constituency is united behind him to assist in the delivery of his mandate(s). That external media tension has been taken care of. The only other tension that he may have to deal with is internal, that is within the top echelon of the management of the NNPCL and this may border on the shape, texture, contents and context of information flow to the media. He will be expected to do some processing of information and flow to the external publics through the media to provide appropriate guidance as to the theme of every communication endeavour.
“In rounding off, I posit that Soneye’s pick is in apple pie order and his passion for the job is in a warm embrace with the platform of engagement that the national oil company has offered him. A cornucopia of goodwill, support and prayers is readily available for the NNPCL’s “Seriki Magana” or if you like the “kakaki”! More power to Soneye’s elbows as he continues with what he had hitherto been doing from the outside.”
Now let us get down to my significant peer review:
On the occasion of Soneye’s 50th birthday, an age where life has just begun for him, it is pertinent to state that as spokesperson for the NNPC Ltd, he has so far spoken very well for the national oil company. In the interaction with his professional colleagues and media organisations, Soneye has done what Napoleon could not do and has surpassed himself in terms of personal and corporate relationships that are mutually beneficial. There might be a minority report but the vast majority would concur with me on this score.
In terms of proactive and utilitarian engagements with the public through the media, Soneye has acquitted himself very well. He continues to expand the frontiers of public communication for a “freely-communicating” national oil company, something that was previously restrained if not largely muted. Today, NNPC Ltd communicates more effectively with Nigerians on contending issues and emerging rising complexities that require public understanding.
On the interpersonal level of social and community interactions, Soneye has remained ever approachable, reachable, and always constantly touching base with significant others and proximate people, offering hands of fellowship and support. As a friend, I have been a beneficiary of Soneye’s eleemosynary act even before he got the NNPC job.
It is validating his kindheartedness that to commemorate the milestone of turning 50, he had last Saturday, October 27, 2024, identified with the widows and vulnerable people in Ajegunle community of Lagos State. He distributed to 150 widows and vulnerable persons10 kgs of rice, sugar, salt, and olive oil for cooking as well as grains. There were detergents and other material to boot. Soneye was quoted to have said that the gesture was his way of celebrating the milestone by giving back to the vulnerable in society.
The excitement that greeted his appointment last year was not misplaced, after all. This is wishing my buddy many happy returns of his Especial Day in good health. Happy burfday, Femo!
Sufuyan Ojeifo is the publisher of THE CONCLAVE online newspaper.