Info Tech
NCP Appoints Liquidator for NITEL
ABUJA – The National Council on Privatisation (NCP) Thursday appointed Olutola Senbore & Company as the liquidator for the national telecommunications carrier, Nigerian Telecommunication Limited (NITEL), and its mobile sister firm, Mobile Telecommunications Limited (MTEL).
Senbore, a Lagos-based Chartered Accounting firm, which also render services in Financial Consultancy Services, Insolvency Practitioner Management, has six month to accomplish his task.
This was one of the outcomes of the fifth meeting of the NCP this year, which was chaired by Vice-President Namadi Sambo, at the State House, Abuja. Others were the sale of the Kaduna Distribution Company (DISCO) and Afam plant, approval for BPE to set aside N59.55 billion from the sale of Egbin power plant for operations, partial privatisation of the Bank of Agriculture (BoI) and a resolution that the expertise of BPE be deployed in the process of privatising some national assets.
The choice of the liquidator was reached, after several bids were received from eight companies, at the end of which five were pre-qualified and one picked after final analysis.
Minister of State for Finance, Yerima Ngama, and Director-General of the Bureau for Public Enterprises (BPE), Mr. Benjamin Diki, told State House correspondents, that government expects the two firms to be sold off as ongoing concerns to continue in the same line of business.
Diki, while assuring that the assets of the firms will remain intact and during the process as was the case with the sale of national fertiliser company in Onne, Rivers State, to global fertiliser giant, Notore, also said: “The process of liquidating the firms in this manner is to protect the shareholders even as he enthused that “this time around, we expect the sale of NITEL to be a success.”
The liquidator and other interested investors were expected to carry out due diligence on NITEL and MTEL, after which preferred prices would be set by the BPE ahead of the privatisation process.
Ngama said: “We have operated them for long and we think we should get the private sector in to bring in additional financing. We need partners to reposition the banks and help them raise funds.”
On Kaduna Disco and Afam, Ngama announced the approval of seven pre-qualified firms to advance to the next stage – financial bidding – of the privatisation of Kaduna Disco; while three firms similarly qualified from the technical tests to advance to the financial bidding to buy Afam power plant.
For Kaduna Disco, the pre-qualified bidders are Axis Power Distribution Limited, NAHCO Consortium, INCAR Consortium Aiteo Consortium, LEDA consortium Limited, Northwest Power Limited, and Copperbelt Consortium.
For Afam plant, the bidders were Primezia Energy Limited, TES Power Limited, Talevares Group.
The pre-qualified bidders were required to provide post-qualification security of $15 million for Kaduna Disco and $10 million for Afam power plant.
“We have also noticed that over the years the BPE has gained experience in preparation of companies for privatisation so as part of efforts to conserve the internal competences and expertise we have in the BPE are now going to be conserved to prepare potential companies for privatisation,” Ngama said.
For this purpose, in-house teams from BPE were to be set up to examine them and evolve frameworks that would guide the sale process. – THIS DAY
In efforts at spicing up the 2023 ITREALMS E-Waste Dialogue, the management of ITREALMS Media has partnered with E-waste Producer Responsibility Organization of Nigeria (EPRON) membership organisations for a day-long collection scheme of small electronic waste on Friday, December 15, 2023.
The EPRON members aligning their partnership with 2023 ITREALMS E-Waste Dialogue are EL-AS Tech Enterprises Limited and WEEE Eco-Friendly.
ITREALMS’ day-long collection scheme is part of the commemoration of 2023 international E-Waste Day (IEWD) within the ITREALMS E-Waste Dialogue with the theme “You Can Recycle Anything with a plug, battery or cable” at Welcome Centre Hotels, International Airport Road, Lagos.
Revealing this collaboration, the Group Executive Editor, ITREALMS Media, the organisers of the 2023 ITREALMS E-Waste Dialogue, Sir. Remmy Nweke, urged mobile device enthusiasts to come along with their devices that have reached their end-of-life to the venue for proper disposition by professionals who would also be on grounds to address some topical issues.
The collection of small electronic wastes especially mobile phones and like-devices, would be carried out by EPRON member organisation, EL-AS Tech Enterprises Limited as facilitated by ITREALMS Media group as part of this year’s ITREALMS E-Waste Dialogue on Friday, December 15, he added.
He disclosed that the exercise would commence at Welcome Centre Hotel by 9am till close of work hours the same day.
Nweke pointed out that the collection of small e-waste items would include mobile phones, pointers mouse, earpieces, rechargeable torches, phone chargers, to name a few.
Further, he said, that this initiative has become time-serving because some people may have missed any other opportunity before now for the year-long campaign, hence this awareness on e-Waste has to be continuous, “ITREALMS came up with this scheme.”
Nweke beckoned on Nigerians, especially mobile phone users, to leverage the opportunity in disposing of their mobile devices they no longer use, of course in exchange for a voucher or gift item.
In her reaction to this year’s day-long small waste collection, EPRON Executive Secretary, Mrs. Ibukun Faluyi, described the initiative as commendable, expressing confidence it would intensify the collection of end-of-life devices for proper disposition.
Mrs. Faluyi, also urged Nigerians to take advantage of this day-long collection of small wastes courtesy of ITREALMS Media.
Recalling for instance that in October 2022, EPRON had partnered SLOT alongside some UN agencies for collection of small e-waste items in Lagos, including the United Nations Information Centres (UNIC), United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), International Labour Organisation (ILO), Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) and Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA).
This is even as the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) Dr. Aminu Maida and Director-General, National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), Prof. Aliyu Jauro, would both lead speakers at the 2023 ITREALMS E-Waste Dialogue slated for this Friday, December 15, in Lagos.
Today, September 12, the tech corporation Apple will introduce the iPhone 15, their newest iPhone model.
According to a Forbes story, this model, which will be introduced at the company’s “Wanderlust” event in Cupertino, California, will be available in four variations: the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Here are five things you should know about the new iPhone 15 model.
1. The new model is made of titaniu, not stainless steel as some other Apple smartphone models, Senior research analyst at DIGITIMES, Luke Lin reports.
2. The Pro Max model will feature double the optical zoom on the iPhone 14 as it comes with a newly-introduced ‘periscope lens upgrade, performing 5-6x optical zoom.’
3. The Pro models will carry an A17 bionic chip expected to make it perform faster.
4. The iPhone 15 model will feature a USB-C charging port, the same port featured on some Android phone models.
5. Due to its titanium shell, the new model is anticipated to be more expensive to purchase. The following is the speculated price list, as reported by Forbes:
The iPhone 15 starts at $799, the iPhone 15 Plus at $899, the iPhone 15 Pro at $1,099 ($100 increase), and the iPhone 15 Pro Max at $1,299 ($200 increase).
In an effort to reduce the exorbitant cost of Premium Motor Spirit, better known as petrol, the Infrastructure Bank Plc announced its collaboration with FEMADEC Group on Monday to offer 500 buses powered by autogas (Compressed Natural Gas).
Partners in the agreement claimed that the project was created to provide citizens with dependable, affordable, and environmentally friendly travel options, taking into account the negative effects of the nationwide increase in PMS costs.
Under Decree No. 51 of the Federal Republic of Nigeria’s 1992 Constitution, the Infrastructure Bank, originally known as the Urban Development Bank of Nigeria Plc, was founded in 1992 to promote the quick development of infrastructure throughout the nation.
In a statement issued in Abuja on its partnership with FEMADEC, the bank said, “The preliminary offer extended by TIB lays a solid foundation for the expansion of FEMADEC Group’s CNG bus fleet.
“With plans to introduce 500 CNG buses within the next five years, commencing with an initial batch of 50 buses in the forthcoming year, this proposal stands poised to instigate significant change.
“The acceptance of this proposition by FEMADEC Group, notably championed by Fola Akinnola, the Group Chief Executive Officer, is a testament to their zeal and dedication to this alliance.”
The bank described the partnership as a “pivotal endeavour that is primed to redefine Nigeria’s public transportation landscape, offering dependable, cost-effective, and ecologically conscious travel alternatives for citizens, while harmonising with the nation’s broader sustainability ambitions.”
“This partnership represents a remarkable stride towards a more ecologically aware future for Nigeria’s transportation sector, highlighting the shared commitment of both TIB and FEMADEC Group to sustainable advancement and progress.”
It said FEMADEC Group’s strides in operating Compressed Natural Gas buses, including the existing fleet of 20 CNG buses under LAMATA, underscored their unwavering dedication to ecologically sound solutions, a commitment predating the fuel subsidy removal.
“Their leadership within the CNG value chain is undeniable, and the new alliance with TIB underscores their foresight.
“This partnership seamlessly aligns with TIB’s sustainability objectives, echoing their resolute endorsement of the government’s net-zero and climate change agenda.
“The bank’s aspiration to champion Nigeria’s infrastructure progress is evident in its endorsement of pivotal initiatives like this, yielding expansive positive impacts on both the environment and society,” the bank stated.
The bank added that it would continue to make a significant contribution to the country’s growth as a leading financial institution committed to advancing effective and long-lasting infrastructure projects.
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