Business

MAN Gets New president

Published

4 hours ago

October 12, 2026

The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria has elected Dr Ifeanyi Okoye, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Juhel Nigeria Limited, as its 12th president.

Okoye who emerged winner of the association’s leadership following the election at MAN’s 54th Annual General Meeting held last week, succeeded Francis Meshioye, who completed his four-year tenure.

MAN Director-General, Segun Ajayi-Kadir, announced Okoye’s emergence in a statement made available to The Tide source on Friday.

Okoye, who founded Juhel Nigeria Limited in 1987, leads a wholly indigenous pharmaceutical manufacturing company headquartered in Enugu State.

The company expanded its operations over the years, moving to its permanent site in Emene, Enugu, in December 1989 before adding syrup and capsule production facilities in 2001. It opened a major parenteral manufacturing facility in Awka, Anambra State, in 2010.

The new MAN president holds a pharmacy degree from the University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University, as well as master’s and doctorate degrees in Pharmaceutical Technology and Industrial Pharmacy from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, where he graduated as the best student in his class.

He is a Fellow of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria and an alumnus of Harvard Business School in the United States. He is also a member of the National Institute, having attended the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies in Kuru, Plateau State.

The Federal Government conferred the national honour of Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic on him in 2012.

Okoye has also served on several public-sector committees, including the Ministerial Committee on the Establishment of World-Class Hospitals and Diagnostic Centres between 2013 and 2015.

He served on the Governing Council of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria from 2009 to 2022.

His election followed decades of involvement in MAN’s activities, including his service as chairman of the association’s Enugu, Anambra and Ebonyi states branches between 1998 and 2005.

He subsequently served as the association’s vice-president from 2006 to 2010 before emerging as its national president.

His emergence comes as Nigerian manufacturers continue to contend with high production costs, infrastructure deficits, foreign exchange pressures, and other constraints affecting industrial competitiveness.

Business

Air force Plane Crashed: Passenger’s Bodies Discovered In Swamp.

Published

4 hours ago

October 12, 2026

The Tide

Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has confirmed that the bodies of some passengers who boarded the ill-fated Nigerian Air Force ATR 42 aircraft have been recovered from a swamp in Igbokoda.

Speaking on TVC, the governor said he had advised naval officers and divers to search areas where bubbles were emerging from the water, as this could indicate the presence of bodies or other substances beneath the surface.

“I was telling the naval officers and some of the divers that they should look at some areas where we are getting bubbles of water coming from the river to find the bodies. Because once there’s a bubble coming from under the water, it means there are substances that are still there and they should try to locate them.

“I just got a report from one of the divers that some bodies were also found, but not alive,” Aiyedatiwa said.

The governor also raised concerns about the environmental impact of the aircraft wreckage, warning that debris from the aircraft needed to be evacuated urgently to protect the surrounding community.

He noted that aircraft parts being retrieved from the water had already contaminated the river, likely with fuel. According to him, the odour in the area was also an indication of the pollution.

Business

EMR BACKS PORT HARCOURT TOURISM CONFERENCE

Published

5 hours ago

October 12, 2026

The Tide

The Energy and Maritime Reporters of Nigeria, EMR, has thrown its weight behind the forthcoming Port Harcourt Tourism Conference ‘Special’ 2026, urging its members and stakeholders to actively participate in the six-day event.

The National Secretary of EMR, Saviour Ekpe, Ph.D., stated this in a press release made available to newsmen in Port Harcourt, within the week.

Ekpe in the statement disclosed that the conference would hold from November 17 to 22, 2026, at the NUJ Complex, Rivers State Council, Port Harcourt.

According to the statement, the conference, organised by Encyclopedia Nigeria Limited in collaboration with its partners, has as its theme, “Promoting Nigeria’s Vast Tourism Opportunities, Exposing Untapped And Hidden Tourism Potentials.”

It said the event would bring together tourism experts, investors, government representatives, hospitality operators, aviation industry stakeholders, tourism organisations, media professionals and other key players in the sector.

The statement quoted the organiser of the conference and Lagos State Chairman of EMR, Princess Happiness Aduku, as saying that the programme was designed to promote Nigeria’s tourism opportunities while creating avenues for investment, networking and strategic partnerships.

Aduku urged EMR members to give the conference wider publicity and participate actively, stressing that hotels, resorts, tourism operators, investors, government agencies, hospitality businesses, vendors and other stakeholders would benefit from the opportunities provided.

The statement also quoted the National Chairman of EMR, Comrade Martins Giadom, as commending Aduku and the organisers for putting the conference together, noting that the Lagos-based organisers had found a fitting platform in Port Harcourt.

Giadom said the conference would provide an opportunity to showcase the tourism and investment potentials of the Niger Delta and Nigeria, assuring the organisers of EMR’s publicity and media support through its members and communication platforms.

He also called on members of the public and stakeholders in the tourism subsector to register for the conference and take advantage of the exhibition opportunities available to participants.

According to him, the conference would empower players across the tourism sector, promote investment and business opportunities, encourage networking and facilitate partnerships that could contribute to the growth of Nigeria’s tourism and hospitality industry.

The statement said the programme would feature a conference, runway fashion show, tourism exhibitions, roundtable and panel discussions, networking activities and a hospitality industry forum, among other activities.

It urged EMR members, tourism correspondents, media professionals and other stakeholders to support the conference through wider publicity and active participation, describing the event as an opportunity to expose Nigeria’s untapped tourism potentials and attract investment into the sector.

By: King Onunwor

Business

NCDMB Moves To Boost Indigenous Participation in Energy Sector

Published

5 hours ago

October 12, 2026

The Tide

The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), has called on indigenous oil and gas companies to strengthen their capacity and competitiveness in order to thrive in the international markets.

To this end, the Board has said it has identified “access-to-assets”, financing, technology, and markets as critical drivers of sustainable growth.

The Board’s General Manager, Corporate Communications, Dr. Obinna Ezeobi, made the appeal while Speaking at the 2026 Energy Conference of the Association of Energy Correspondents of Nigeria (NAEC), held last week in Lagos.

He noted that the conference theme; ”Access to Assets: empowering players and driving growth” resonates with the objectives of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act, which was designed to create meaningful opportunities for Nigerians to participate and excel in the industry.

Dr. Ezeobi emphasised that the Nigerian Content 10-Year Strategic Roadmap, launched in 2017, was built on five core pillars and four enabling factors with the ambitious goal of raising local content participation to 70 percent by 2027.

According to him, the roadmap also seeks to expand access to critical assets for skilled Nigerian professionals, while strengthening the capacity and competitiveness of indigenous operating and service companies.

The NCDMB’S General Manager, Corporate Communications highlighted several of the Board’s flagship interventions that have enabled Nigerian firms to build capacity, secure financing, and gain greater access to opportunities across the oil and gas value chain.

The Chief among the flagship initiatives of the NCDMB, according to him is the Nigerian Content Intervention Fund (NCI Fund), noting that over 130 indigenous companies have accessed more than US$400 million through the Fund, which he stated was domiciled with the Bank of Industry and NEXIM Bank.

Ezeobi also referenced Project 100, an initiative designed to support high-potential indigenous companies through capacity development, market access, financial linkages, and tailored business support.

“Other key programme of the NCDMB geared towards giving access to assets in the oil and gas sector include, the Nigerian Content Equipment Certification (NCEC), the Nigerian Oil and Gas Parks Scheme (NOGaPS), and vendor development initiatives.

“All of these initiatives were aimed at deepening local participation and strengthening the competitiveness of Nigerian firms. The NCDMB is facilitating partnerships between Nigerian and foreign companies.

“We’re also promoting regional collaboration to help local businesses expand beyond national borders. We’re satisfied that Nigerian content in the oil and gas industry has grown from just 5 percent in 2010 to 61 percent after 16 years of implementing the Nigerian Content Act”, he said.

The Board’s Corporate Communications boss, stressed however that the next phase of the NCDMB was focused on equipping indigenous companies with the skills, technology, and business systems required to compete globally.

In his welcome address, NAEC Chairman, Ugo Amadi called for expanded opportunities for indigenous companies to acquire and develop oil and gas assets, identifying high entry costs, funding constraints, and lengthy approval processes as major barriers.

In his remarks, Chairman, Petroleum Technology Assocation of Nigeria(PETAN), Engr. Wole Ogunsanya, underscored the need for consolidation and stronger collaboration among indigenous oilfield service companies to enable them pool technical capabilities and execute larger projects.

Also speaking, the Conference Chairman and Group Managing Director of Sahara Power Enterprise Group, Mr. Kola Adesina, represented by Head of Corporate Communications, Bethel Obioma, emphasised that access must extend beyond ownership to include capital, partnerships, markets, technology, and opportunities.

He stressed that “access” was actually much greater and more important than “assets,” noting that every transformational journey begins with access to ideas, mentors, capital, and partnerships before physical assets.

Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, represented by his Senior Technical Adviser, Engr. Abel Nsa stressed that Nigeria must move beyond mere ownership of its vast gas resources to their development, financing, and conversion into sustainable economic value.

The Minister explained that the Federal Government’s Decade of Gas initiative seeks to transform Nigeria from a resource-rich nation into one that leverages gas for industrialisation, power generation, transportation, manufacturing, fertilizer production, LPG adoption, and other productive uses that drive economic growth.

By: Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa