Jabborro Blog

Update : Dangote Suspends Tomato Paste Factory Because He Can't Find The Raw Crops   In December2015, I had a close meet-up with Sir Goodluck Etom Obi (KSC), Chairman of GateGold Nigeria at MMA, Lagos. I discussed with him the prospects of investing in Akwa Ibom State; and he shared with me his experiences in other places as one of the nation's top tin tomato manufacturers. As I expressed my concerns about President Buhari's Economic policies, the lack of them (pardon me) or maybe the lack of public awareness of them; he took the time to walk me through the President's activities in the development of the Economy at the grassroots, as he knew it. He shared the challenges facing the Federal Government's programme to intervene in several sub-sectors of our Agric Super-sector, citing one commodity for an example; the red tomato used in making the tomato paste. "Do you know that the tomato we plant in this country is not suitable for canning?" He p

St Louis have stuck to their brand since they broke into the Nigerian sugar market. Competing brands did nothing to upset the St Louis dominance, and complacency along. Then all competition phased out. As Nigeria kept transitioning into a 21st Century Commerce-homely society, re-branding became 'law', with companies running willy-nilly in every marketing direction. But St Louis sneered at the riot, calmly concentrating on sales. Industry shifts would have demanded a rethink on this moribund Marketing policy, but it appeared there was no Marketing department at St Louis. No ads (or have you seen any? you must be working at their factory if yes); no CSR; no press releases; no media facility tours; no public relations; nothing but sales trucks raising dust on bumpy Nigerian roads. But something is praiseworthy. St Louis branding has been as consistent as their trademark product quality.Still they would be wrong to depend on quality of product to drive sales endlessly. For i

In 1967, Nigeria was at war. With Biafra. The Bafran army, goaded by their cause and motivational leadership was marching towards Lagos, the seat of power, conquering cities and states on their way. At about 100 miles from Lagos, Lieutenant Murtala Mohammed was dispatched by Yakubu Gowon, the Nigerian president, to halt the parade. He did it with surprising success. At the Murtala Muhammed 40th Memorial Lecture held last week at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, President Muhammadu Buhari brings the event back into memory. President Buhari recalled that by the time 28 year old Murtala Mohammed was given Command during the Civil War, the Nigerians side was on the defensive under severe assault from the marauding Biafran army. According to Buhari, the rebels had overrun the then Mid-West, and reached as far as Ore, just 100 miles from Lagos. But “By dint of sheer bravery, improvisation and resourcefulness, he mustered a rag-tag group of soldiers, integrated them into an entir

Anxious Crowd, Uyo Why does Akwa Ibom affairs draw so much national attention? What is it about Akwa Ibom State that keeps the entire nation obsessed about the state?   Oil wealth? Is it mere fascination about an exciting people or is it the frustration of having to contend perpetually with a pioneering people? These questions pester the mind when it reflects on how far Akwa Ibom news travels. Things climaxed with the Supreme Court judgment of Wednesday 3 rd February. On this very day, there was action every-literal-where. But in Uyo, it was an explosive th eat re production.  Facebook, Twitter and other social media perhaps held the most of Akwa Ibom and other people’s interests in the lead up to that pronouncement. On Twitter, Akwa Ibom was the trend ascending to the top and trending for nearly 2 days following. Others were #AkwaIbomIsPDP and #IStandWithUdom. Nervousness was palpable on the very streets; you could knock your head on some free floatin