Author: Lara Olaniyi

Management of Dangote Cement has revealed that its Pan African sales increased by 2.7 per cent to nearly 4.7 million tons for the six month ended on June 30th 2019.

To the delight of its investors, the company also revealed that its Tanzania Plants now runs on gas turbines, just as sales volumes from its Senegal Plants are more than 100% of its rated capacity.

All in all, these surely are good signs of better days ahead for the company’s investors. It would be recalled that the company paid a whopping N272.6 billion as dividends to its shareholders last financial year, translating to N16 per 50kobo share,, an increase of 52.4 per cent against total dividend of N178.9 billion or N10.50 per share paid by the company for 2017 financial year.

Chairman of the company, Aliko Dangote had recently said its cement terminals in Lagos State and Onne, Rivers, would be concluded before the end of 2019, as a way of further improving its market share.

 He promised that the terminals, which were delayed by equipment suppliers, would rake in about $700 million in foreign exchange through cement exportation to sub-Saharan Africa.

He said the company would be opening export facilities within the terminals to export clinker and cement to its existing facilities both in Cameroun and other African countries.

According to him: “Later in 2019, we will open export facilities in Lagos and Port Harcourt that will enable us export clinker initially to our grinding facility in Cameroun and then to new grinding plans we are building in West Africa…Not only will these generate useful foreign currency for Dangote Cement to support other expansion projects outside of Nigeria, they will also help to increase the output of our Nigerian plants,” he said.

He further revealed that the company would be exporting cements through the terminals to Ghana, Cameroun, Sierra Leone and Congo, among others and as such make Nigeria the biggest exporter of cement in sub-Saharan Africa.

Noting that the project will improve job creation and increase prosperity of the country, he said the company’s capacity will also increase on the completion of the terminals.

Dangote Cement is Africa’s leading cement producer with nearly 46Mta capacity across ten countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. A fully integrated quarry-to-customer producer, it has a production capacity of 29.25Mta in Nigeria. Its Obajana plant in Kogi state, Nigeria, is the largest in Africa with 13.25Mta of capacity across four lines; its Ibese plant in Ogun State has four cement lines with a combined capacity of 12Mta, while its Gboko plant in Benue state has 4Mta.

The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo has stated that the two ministers would work assiduously to deliver on the mandate given to them by President Muhammadu Buhari in the next level Agenda in his present Administration. Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo and Amb.  Mariam Yalwaji Katagum who resumed office immediately after their inauguration disclosed that they will repose the confidence given to them by Mr. President.

Mr. Adebayo said there is enormous task for the staff to discharge their duties diligently within the 4 years of the present administration. The Minister said we are in the Ministry to achieve result and we will work out work plan to move the ministry forward in terms of economic growth and job creation, assuring staff that they would be motivated to deliver on the ministry’s policies and progammes.

Earlier,the Minister of State, Amb. Mariam Yalwaji Katagum commended Mr. President for finding them worthy for the appointment and promised to work vigorously to achieve the mandate of Mr. President.

Yalwayi stated that we will not let the system down, and further solicited for the support of the staff to work as a team to achieve result.

While receiving the Ministers, the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Edet Sunday Akpan welcomed them and assured them of the unalloyed support of the staff to achieve the Ministry’s mandate.

Mr. Akpan disclosed that the Ministry’s mandate is to create an enabling environment to stimulate industrialization, accelerate domestic and foreign direct investment and to ensure a coordinated and integrated approach to Nigeria’s Trade policy.

He thereafter presented them with the handover Notes containing an extract of the achievements and report of the ministry from 2015- 2019.

LONDON, UK – Media OutReach – 22 August 2019 – When Satoshi Nakamoto solved the Byzantine General’s problem in 2008 by inventing the Proof of Work consensus mechanism, not only did the world come to know what is today collectively known as Bitcoin, it received something which triggered a profound and irreversible chain of events. Few of us knew and even fewer dared to imagine that the solution to a mathematical problem would be the key to decipher a myriad of social, economic, and political issues. This is the essence of blockchain.

But first, let’s provide some very basic definitions for those not versed in computer programming. After all, if blockchain is to change the world it is necessary for industry leaders to speak to the people, and not just each other.

Blockchain is basically a record of transactions and this record is spread across several computers linked in a peer-to-peer network. This means it is decentralized, as there is no central authority; transparent, as everyone has access to the information, and immutable, as the record cannot be retrospectively changed. The first real use of blockchain was Bitcoin, the first functioning virtual currency. This was all made possible by solving the Byzantine General’s problem, which was how you can verify the person you send a message to is indeed that person without a central actor acting as a go-between. This is of course oversimplifying matters, but it gives the reader the general idea.

Can blockchain resolve all the problems of the world? Obviously not, but it is an important step towards reaching that ultimate goal. One case that perfectly illustrates the conundrum of the Byzantine General’s problem would be the fake news phenomenon, which has yet to meet an adequate response from those who fight against it. This is where the magic of blockchain comes into play.

Over the past few years, fake news has become a global issue that raises challenges for both democracy and wider society. While technology and various social media channels are an important tool for spreading disinformation, technology — and more precisely blockchain — can help us fight it. As technology has rapidly evolved over the past few decades, often faster than we might have imagined, the ways in which people communicate have also changed drastically. People must be aware of the risks of disinformation and fake news and must learn how to protect themselves by differentiating between what is and is not trustworthy.

There is a difference between disinformation and misinformation. Misinformation is “false information that is spread, regardless of whether there is intent to mislead,” and disinformation is “deliberately misleading or biased information, manipulated narrative or facts, [and] propaganda.”

The real threat of disinformation

The term fake news came into focus in 2016, when the U.S. Presidential elections took place. Since then, the spread of disinformation by politicians, foreign powers, and entrepreneurs has become a hot topic for discussion, triggering reactions and commentary from all sides. Fighting disinformation is not easy as it is easy set-up an online presence, mask identities and locations, and broadcast information and ads to disseminate fake news. The threats posed by fake news are real and have serious consequences for democracy and liberty since fake news can be used to influence people for political purposes and to fulfill private agendas which are rarely in tune with society’s goals. Hoaxes spread through fake news contain sensational, eye-catching, and fabricated content that is intentionally created to mislead, harm, and accomplish certain political or financial objectives.

The digitization of human life has led to the greater ease of disseminating news through social media channels and apps, the availability of big data that allows the customization of news feeds and the creation of polarized so-called “filter-bubbles,” and rapid progress made by generative Machine Learning (ML) and Deep Learning (DL) algorithms in creating realistic-looking yet fake digital content. It is obvious that there is a real need to combat the steady rise of fake news and disinformation. Blockchain has the power to do that.

Blockchain and eIDAS to the rescue

Based on the experience of the FinTech and blockchain industries, blockchain-based technology can allow users and information suppliers to publish information in exchange for a tamper-proof record of identity to be stored on the blockchain. Thanks to its characteristics, blockchain can improve the transparency, reliability, and traceability of news. Furthermore, the data used for identification would be securely held by an independent third party, which thwarts abuse and unauthorized access. Blockchain can be leveraged to preserve and verify the integrity of the news and other multimedia content being shared online. As a Decentralized Ledger Technology (DLT), blockchain has the potential to bring transparency and trust to our new post-truth world by enabling smart contracts, decentralized consensuses, and tamper-proof authentication. DLT is basically a record, i.e. ledger, of transactions spread out across several computers in a peer-to-peer network, making it decentralized.

Electronic Identification and Trust Services (eIDAS) could also be used to fight fake news and disinformation. Everyone creating an account, posting content online, writing a review, or buying an ad would be required to identify themselves electronically in order to demonstrate that they are indeed who they claim to be. This can take the form of electronic signatures or video identification that are able to securely associate the signer with the online account or the information shared using a secure private key. This would end many fake accounts and bots, while also increasing accountability for people who share information.

In the middle of the problem

It is not just industry experts who think that blockchain can make a difference when it comes to fighting fake news. Big names from the publishing industry are turning to blockchain with the aim of unlocking and using its full potential. The New York Times is using the Hyperledger Fabric permissioned blockchain to guarantee the provenance of digital files.

Hyperledger Fabric, among other uses, acts as a foundation for developing applications or solutions. At Modex, we are also using Hyperledger Fabric for our Blockchain Database solutions (BCDB). BCDB is our most important product, and basically allows us to apply blockchain solutions to already existing databases, making it easier for our customers to reap the benefits of blockchain with minimal disruption to their already existing structures.

The New York Times’ News Provenance Project will use blockchain technology to fight misinformation in the media. Currently in its first phase, it aims to create a photojournalism-focused proof-of-concept that demonstrates how such a blockchain-based system could work to scale. The News Provenance Project will also rely on blockchain technology to record metadata about video and audio recordings published by news organizations.

Another great example is Forbes. The magazine has joined forces with Civil, a journalism blockchain network, to become the first major media company to experiment with publishing stories to the blockchain. Civil previously entered into a photo partnership with the Associated Press (AP) using its blockchain technology for photos, but Forbes is the first media company to strike this type of partnership regarding actual stories. The broader goal will be to migrate all of Forbes’ published content over to the blockchain in the future, using Civil’s proprietary content management system, ‘Bertie’. Once plugged in, Forbes journalists are able to upload their metadata to the Civil network, while simultaneously publishing to their own website. Initially, only cryptocurrency-related content will be uploaded and if the experiment works well, other topics will follow.

Blockchain is no longer simply about crypto culture or a closed club for computer programming enthusiasts. It is a tool that offers trust in a way that was never available before. Blockchain is about being bottom-up, decentralized, transparent, and honest. Blockchain is about progress.About Modex – for background information

Modex is a company that promotes the adoption of blockchain technology as a key pillar of future progress. Modex offers fully integrated services designed to solve the last mile adoption problem of the blockchain and aims to make blockchain user-friendly for every device and person.

At Modex, we can innovate thanks to our incredible team of experts and we offer services for the entire blockchain technology ecosystem: marketplaces for Smart Contracts, community tools for developers, and blockchain as database services for enterprises.

Over the past two years, using cutting-edge technologies and a clear strategy, Modex has evolved from the world’s first app store for blockchain into a complex ecosystem designed for developers’ needs and enterprises looking for blockchain solutions.

As 10 others collect tricycle, motorcycle, fridge, TV prizes

Two lucky Nigerians, including a 64-year-old bricklayer, Mr. Iyowun Ezekiel and 20-year-old artisan, Godwin Godday, have emerged the latest winners of Star prize GAC Saloon cars in the ongoing Dangote Cement ‘Bag of Goodies’ national consumer promo.

Elated Ezekiel, who is based in Ijebu-ode, Ogun state and has been a bricklayer for over 40 years, found his prize-winning scratch card in one of the Dangote cement promo bags he bought from a distributor in Ijebu-Mushin. On the other hand, Godday, who is the youngest winner of the Star prize so far, found his winning scratch card in Ikorodu, Lagos.

Both star prize winners were given the keys to their brand new cars by top Dangote Cement officials at different handing-over ceremonies in Ijebu-ode and Ikorodu, alongside 10 other lucky promo winners, who carted home various prizes including a tricycle, a motorcycle, 8 refrigerators and two television sets; to the admiration of other Dangote Cement consumers, distributors and the general public.

While Mr. Akintaye Oluwagbemiga won a tricycle, Mr. Kamilu Audu won a motorcycle.Interestingly, Mr. Solomon Dayo won three out of the seven refrigerators presented at the Ikorodu event, while Messrs. Ohemu Friday, Innocent Agbo-James, Ransome Watels and Kehinde Adeagbo went home with one refrigerator each. There was also the presentation of television sets to Mr. Dare Olajide and Mr. Oluwadare Gbenga.Likewise, Mr. Imam Adebisi Abdulhakeem, who won a refrigerator, collected his prize at the Ijebu-ode venue.

Handing over the car keys to Ezekiel in Ijebu-ode, National Sales Director, Dangote Cement Plc, Mr. Adeyemi Fajobi told those gathered at the Local Government office that the cement promo is real and that there are many more choice prizes to be won.

According to him, all a consumer has to do is to buy the Dangote Cement products and open the bag, adding that whatever is stated on the scratch card is automatically won by the buyer, when taken to any approved depot for the redemption of the prizes.

The National Sales Director added, “Only Dangote can do this. This is a promise fulfilled. Some people were skeptical when this promo began but today, this is proof of our sincerity”.

Also, Regional Director, Lagos/Ogun, Dangote Cement Plc, Mr. Tunde Mabogunje, while handing over the various prizes in Ikorodu, said excited consumers have been coming forward to collect their prizes in the ongoing promo.

According to him, scores of people have come to redeem their winning scratch cards for recharge cards worth Thousands of Naira, pointing out that the promo is a deliberate effort at rewarding the consumers. He also said the company is happy that the consumers are winning.

Head, Route to Market, Dangote Cement Plc, Olukayode Akin-Bamidele said the promo was put up by the President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote to reward consumers’ patronage.

Ezekiel, who in a display of euphoria danced to the podium to claim his Star Prize of a GAC saloon car in Ijebu-ode, Ogun State, added dash to his win by sending a typed letter of appreciation to the Chairman of Dangote Cement Plc, Aliko Dangote.

The lucky star prize winner, who said he has been a bricklayer for over 40 years, expressed profound gratitude to Aliko Dangote and the Dangote Cement company for the ongoing promo, which has so far empowered thousands of Nigerians as winners of various prizes.

While celebrating his win with his son, Tayo Ezekiel (also a bricklayer) and members of his outfit, who donned “Thank you Dangote” t-shirts, Ezekiel disclosed that he had not won anything before until now, and enthused that the Dangote Cement ‘Bag of Goodies’ promo is a reality which has greatly helped Nigeria.

Speaking on how he emerged the star prize winner, Godday, who couldn’t take his education beyond Primary School due to lack of funds, said he was always watching out for winning cards in any cement bag he opened as a concrete mixer at a building site. He commended Dangote Cement for putting up the promo to alleviate poverty in the country.

The Dangote Cement ‘Bag of Goodies’ promo, which began nationwide in July and is to run till September ending, has so far yielded numerous winners of prizes in various categories.

Among other unique gifts, a total of 43 brand new cars, cash prizes of N200 million, 24 tricycles, 500 refrigerators, 24 motorcycles, 400 television sets, generators, Goodies packs, are available for winners in a promo, which has generated so much excitement among Nigeria, with over 21 million lucky winners targeted.

The Federal Government through the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) has paid 502 Civil Service Pensioners the sum of N784,377,933.27 (Seven Hundred and Eighty-Four Million Three Hundred and Seventy-Seven Thousand Nine Hundred and Thirty-Three Naira Twenty-Seven Kobo) as pension arrears.

The category of pensioners who received this payment include 262 verified eligible pensioners with complaints of non-payment of pension arrears from the North East, South East, North West and South South Zones. They received a total of N370,162,701.77 (Three Hundred and Seventy Million, One Hundred and Sixty-Two Thousand Seven Hundred and One Naira Seventy-Seven Kobo).

41 pensioners who were part of the 24,021 suspended in April 2018 for non-verification but have now been verified and restored to the monthly pension payroll with pension arrears for the months of April 2018 – June 2019 have received the sum of N15,543,703.96 (Fifteen Million Five Hundred and Forty-Three Thousand Seven Hundred and Three Naira Ninety-Six Kobo).

In the same vein, N398,671,527.54 (Three Hundred and Ninety-Eight Million Six Hundred and Seventy-One Thousand Five Hundred and Twenty-Seven Naira Fifty Four Kobo) was paid to 199 verified eligible pensioners added to the pension payroll in July 2018 from the South West and North Central Zones.

The Directorate wishes to assure verified eligible pensioners awaiting payment of their pension arrears, that in line with restoring hope in pension administration under the Defined Benefit Scheme (DBS), outstanding arrears will be cleared.

Director General National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), otunba segun Runsewe has thrown his weight behind  Lagos government decision to fish out brains behind the Lekki public naked dance, saying the show negates the beauty of Nigerian culture and way of life.
Runsewe who has zero tolerance for attitudes and culture unbecoming of well brought up nigerian young persons, described the lekki public show as unacceptable, Jezebelistic and sin against nigerian culture which must be condemned, rediculed and rejected by Nigerians from all works of life.
The NCAC boss whose major forte is to reposition the true gains and pictures of Nigeria’s diverse cultural history and impact, noted that the Lekki debacle must be used as an example to officially clamp down on promoters and influencers of strange entertainment from the pit of hell, adding that Nigeria will never succumb to imported cultural pastime or to blackmail, tailored to destroy centuries old and rich Nigerian culture.

“This dizzying madness cant and would not be allowed to turn nigeria to destination for sex and illegal drugs tourism. Enough is enough, and for God sake, where is this coming from?” Runsewe laments
Alluding to various reports and calls to his office on certain alleged offences against Nigerian culture promoted by a pay TV station, the hardworking culture exponent who also doubles as Africa president of World Craft Council, disclosed that his office is investigating the allegation against the   TV company and would work with other relevant government agencies to find lasting solutions to any foreign cultural infractions and  subtle attempts to colonize the minds of the Nigerian young persons.
He called on traditional rulers to join hands with government to check the open rage and rape against nigerian culture with possible consequences of the unimaginable.
“(In Nigeria, we love and respect our mothers and sisters, women in general and therefore will not condone deliberate acts or actions that would betray the values of our culture and make our heroes past to turn angrily in their graves)”, Runsewe explained.
Runsewe also sent a strong message to state governors to create and empower agencies and departments of culture to arrest the organised assault against established and respected Nigerian  way of life, adding that we must be proudly Nigerian and resist vigorously attempts to insult the Nigerian women.

A heavy flood has swept away the Director of Finance, Federal Capital Territory High Court, Mr. Tony Okecheme.

Okecheme was on his way to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in his official 2017 Toyota Camry when his car got stuck in the flood at Galadimawa roundabout, Abuja.

The finance director was swept away by the raging flood, but his driver, whose name could not be immediately ascertained, was rescued by some young boys in the area.

The driver was said to have been taken to Asokoro hospital, but his boss was yet to be located as of the time of filing this report.

Eyewitnesses said the National Emergency Management Agency officials who came to the scene failed to rescue Okecheme and his driver who were reportedly trapped in the flood for about an hour before the water swept away the director.

His car, which was filled with mud water, was, however, pulled out of the ravines by the rescuers, who were angry over NEMA’s failure to rescue the man.

Two young girls who claimed to be Okecheme’s children were seen weeping uncontrollably at the scene of the incident.

An FCT judiciary worker, who did not give his name, identified the car as belonging to Okecheme, noting that the man sent him N40,000 this (Friday) morning.

“I phoned him yesterday that I was broke and he promised to send me money before he travels today.

“I got N40,000 from him this morning,” he explained, as he showed our Correspondent the text message from the director.

The Ogun State Police Command says it has rescued the remaining four persons abducted in the state.

Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Abimbola Oyeyemi, confirmed this on Saturday following the rescue of a woman, Mrs Ibelegbo Chidinma, who was also kidnapped earlier.

The five victims believed to be ministers at the Redeem Christian church of God were abducted by armed men on Friday on the Sagamu-Benin Expressway.

According to Oyeyemi, all the kidnapped victims were rescued unhurt from their abductors by operatives of the Command.

The National Council On Fire Conference holding in Ilorin, Kwara State was declared open on Monday by the Governor of Kwara State, His Excellency, Abudulrahman Abdulrazaq.The Governor who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Kwara State Ministry of Works and Transport, Dr. Yusuf Garba Manjo thanked the National Council on Fire for choosing Kwara as the venue of the  10th edition of the National Council on Fire Conference. The Governor stressed that the Conference will help in strengthening effective service delivery in the Fire sector.He used the opportunity to appeal to citizens and relevant stakeholders to cooperate with the Nigerian Fire Service to ensure enhancement of better service delivery and viable safety network in order to reduce the loss of lives and property.Governor Abdulrazaq acknowledged the fact that fire has destroyed properties worth billions. ” in recent years, fire has destroyed both government and private properties and other socio- economic activities in different parts of the country. Kwara State is not exempted from this sad and ugly occurrences” the Governor said. He then called on Fire Services at all levels to embark on more publicity in order to create fire safety awareness.
The Controller General, Federal Fire Service, Liman Ibrahim MIFireE while delivering his welcome address said the importance of the Fire Conference can not be overemphasized. In his word ” The impact of the National Council on Fire Conference as a priceless asset in the fight to curb the spate of uncontrolled fires in our nation cannot be overemphasized”. The CG said “the theme of this year’s conference “TECHNOLOGY: AN IMPERATIVE FOR ENHANCED SERVICE DELIVERY IN THE FIRE SECTOR” is affirmative of the the key role technology plays in our lives. Their is no sphere of human existence, not been touched by technology, both positively and otherwise. Technology remains the most visible indices of global change in human advancement. Through out the ages, technology has continued to evidence the bid of the human race to have dominion over the earth and even beyond the earth”.  He went further to acknowledge that the ever evolving and increasing threats to lives, property and the environment continues to expand the load and strain the capacity to respond effectively,  hence the importance of the employment of technology to enhance  the level of preparedness for effective fire fighting. 
The Controller General emphasized that the role of the Fire Service is beyond firefighting ” Our daily schedule is no longer restricted to fire in building alone; it now includes responding to incident of collapsed building, both occupied and under construction. Flood disaster and other natural and man made disaster have also taken centre stage in our sphere of influence as fire and rescue service providers.”
He also used the opportunity to appeal to Kwara State Government to intervene in the challenges faced by Kwara State Fire Service who he said are in dire straits. The CG called on the Governor to take a clue  from the transformation the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has brought to the Federal Fire Service, while urging all Fire Services to intensify efforts in keeping the nation free from uncontrolled fires and other unsafe acts by embracing technology  as a means of modern firefighting.