MAN Honours Late Total CEO In PH

The manufacturers As
sociation of Nigeria (MAN), Captain of Industry and top government officials Thursday honoured the late Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the French Oil Giant, Total, Christopher De Margerie with a minute silence in Port Harcourt as the company promised rewarding business operations in the country.
Deputy Managing Director of the company, Nicolas Brunnet who was represented by the Manager Enterprises Development, Philipe Desiricac said despite the sudden death of Margerie, Total would continue to move forward in pursuit of his lofty dreams.
It would be recalled that Margerie was killed Monday when his jet collided with a snow plough as it was taking off at the Vnukovo Airport in Moscow.
At the event marking the 30th Annual General Meeting of MAN, Rivers/Bayelsa States branch, the General Manager, Sustainable Development of Total, Mr Cyprian Ojum commended MAN for choosing “Developing SMEs in Rivers/Bayelsa States for National Development,” as theme for the event.
He described SMEs as the backbone of the nation’s economy noting that SMEs guarantee about 60-70 per cent of employment in Nigeria.
Ojum who delivered a paper at the event said irrespective of how rich a country could be, if  wealth does not impact on the citizens, such a country is poor, stressing that income per capita is the index by which the wealth of a nation is measured in civilized nations.
SMEs, he said, ensure food, income, expertise and employment through which an individual could be developed.
He said Total had invested very well on its host communities through several skills acquisition and empowerment programmes, but stressed that sustainability remains a major factor in the development of small and medium scale enterprises.
Ojum maintained that SMEs bridge the gap between the big and the small by forming allied business.
He mentioned high production cost, lack of technology, lack of access to international market, high level of ICT illiteracy, lack of capital support as challenges frustrating the growth of SMEs and commended MAN for its interest in growing SMEs in Rivers and Bayelsa States.
The event was attended by Bank executives, company representatives, regulators and top government functionaries.
 

Chris Oluoh