Monday, May 22, 2023

Video: President Muhammadu Buhari commissions the Dangote Refinery

 


President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR commissioned the Dangote Refinery at Ibeju Lekki, Lagos on Monday, May 22, 2023.
It is Africa’s biggest oil refinery and the world's largest simple-train refinery.





1. It is located in Ibeju, Lagos, Covering a land area of approximately 2,635 hectares.

2. World’s Largest Single-Train 650,000 barrels per day Petroleum Refinery with 900 KTPA Polypropylene Plant.

3. The Refinery is powered by a 435 MW Power Plant.
4. At full capacity, it can meet 100% of the Nigerian requirement of all refined products and also have surplus for export.

5. Designed for 100% Nigerian Crude with flexibility to process other crudes.

6. Self-sufficient marine facility with ability for freight optimisation. Largest single order of 5 SPMs anywhere in the world.

7. Diesel & gasoline from the refinery will conform to Euro V specifications.
8. The refinery design complies with World Bank, US EPA, European emission norms and Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) emission/effluent norms.

9. It incorporates state-of-the-art technology.

10. It is designed to process large variety of crudes including many of the African Crudes, some of the Middle Eastern Crudes and the US Light Tight Oil.

11. About 65 million cubic metres of sand dredged, costing approximately €300 million, using the world’s largest dredgers.
12. Over 1,200 units of various equipment were bought to enhance the local capacity for site works.

13. Dangote Group bought 332 cranes to build up equipment installation capacity.

14. Also built is the world’s largest granite quarry to supply coarse aggregate, stone column material, stone base, stone dust & material for break water (10 million tonnes per year production capacity).

15. In a bid to bring over dimensional cargoes close to the site directly, Dangote Group had to developed a port and constructed two quays with a load bearing capacity of 25 tonnes/sq metre.

16. Constructed two more quays in the port with a capacity to handle up to Panamax vessels to export, two quays to handle liquid cargoes.

17. The port will have 6 quays, including a roll-on/roll-off quay.

18. In the course of the civil works, 700 piles were drilled on some days, with total number of piles up to 250,000.

19. It has 177 tanks of 4.742 billion litres capacity

20. Dangote is one of the few companies in the world executing a Petroleum Refinery and a Petrochemical complex directly as an Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) Contractor.

21. Training of 900 young engineers in refinery operations abroad. Mechanical Engineers trained in the GE University in Italy. Process engineers trained by Honeywell/UOP for six months.


Friday, May 19, 2023

Video and Photos from the 2023 Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards (AMVCA) Cultural Day




Video and Photos from the 2023 Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards (AMVCA) Cultural Day 

I was invited to the 2023 Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards (AMVCA) Cultural Day at the Balmoral Convention Centre of the Federal Palace Hotel and Casino on Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria.










All the glitz and razzmatazz of the fanfare of colourful fashion and style of Nigerian haute couture were displayed on the red carpet of the well organized event.
I saw popular Nollywood actor Wole Ojo and other celebrities dressed in their traditional Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa and other tribal attires.

The AMVCA’s is the biggest Television and Film industry event of the year.
As part of its lineup, the AMVCA awards would benefit having a cultural day.


Wednesday, May 17, 2023

20 Years of Advocacy For Character Development of Nigerian Children and Youths for Nation Building: 2003 - 2023

20 Years of Advocacy For Character Development of Nigerian Children and Youths for Nation Building: 2003 - 2023


In 2003, my King of Kings Books International sponsored the King of Kings Books International National Essay Competition for Secondary Schools in Nigeria at the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies of the University of Lagos with the mission of character development of Nigerian children and youths for visionary leadership in the nation building of a New Nigeria.

 In 2004 spoke to children and youths of the Foursquare Gospel Church at 62/66 Akinwunmi St, Alagomeji-Yaba, Lagos with the approval of the General Overseer, Rev. Wilson Badejo who met with me and commended my mission.

In 2004 I left Lagos for Bonny Island in Rivers State, where I sold books on medicine and true love in the Nigeria LNG Residential Area 1 where I had the presentation of my book, "The Language of True Love" on the Valentine's Day, February 14, 2006 and also sold the book on the street.
I joined the Assemblies of God Church in evangelism and supported church planting on Bonny Island.

I returned to Lagos in 2008 to focus on the advocacy for the education of the millions of underprivileged girls out of school in Nigeria.
The success stories include the following:






* Nigerian premiere of "In The Name of Your Daughter" cosponsored by the High Commission of Canada in Nigeria on May 23, 2019.





* Nigerian Premiere of “Girl Rising” with Holly Gordon of 10x10 and Participant Media on October 11-12, 2013. https://newsghana.com.gh/moments-nigerian-premiere-girl-rising/




* Nigerian premiere of "HE NAMED ME MALALA" for the MALALA Fund on October 11, 2015.


I am glad and grateful for the cooperation and support of everyone, company and organization since 2003 to date in the upliftment of Nigerian children and youths. 


- EKENYERENGOZI Michael Chima 
Publisher/Editor, 
NOLLYWOOD MIRROR®Series 
Tel: +2347066379246

Monday, May 15, 2023

Nigeria Daily: There is No Life Insurance Policy in Nollywood

 https://twitter.com/nigeriadaily/status/1658099965514661890?t=1oEgRQxxtcd8rGZ5ipGPSw&s=09

The last time I signed a contract as an actor with insurance was in 1996 for a Nigerian action movie. Segun Arinze, Regina Askia, Emeka Ike and other top actors were in the cast.

I have written and published an article on the importance of insurance policy for Nollywood.

Ibinabo Fiberesima addressed it during her tenure as the President of Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN). But I have not heard about it again.

There are no regulations for professional contracts for the cast and crew by both the AGN and Directors Guild of Nigeria (DGN). So, they don't have any insurance policy.

There is too much opportunism in Nollywood and disregard for professionalism. And the opportunists feel offended and upset when you ask for professional ethics in the Nigerian film industry.

-  Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima,
Publisher/Editor,
NOLLYWOOD MIRROR® Series,


Nigeria: Spyware Attacks on organisations in South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria Increased in Q1 2023

PRESS RELEASE

Spyware attacks on organisations in South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria increased in Q1 2023

Spyware continues to be a threat to users of different types of devices, including thin clients.

Access Multimedia Content

https://kaspersky.africa-newsroom.com/press/media/spyware-attacks-on-organisations-in-south-africa-kenya-and-nigeria-increased-in-q1-2023?lang=en

LAGOS, Nigeria, May 15, 2023/ -- As discussed during the recent Kaspersky Cyber Security Weekend – META 2023 (www.Kaspersky.co.za), for the first quarter of 2023 (Q1 2023) the share of users attacked1 with spyware in South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria increased steadily. Kaspersky recorded an increase of 18,8% in South Africa, 12,9% in Kenya, and 14,6% in Nigeria from Q4 2022 to Q1 2023. Spyware continues to be a threat to users of different types of devices, including thin clients.

Thin clients are used in corporate networks around the world to set up workspaces at a much lower cost than when using traditional laptop or desktop computers (thick clients). A thin client on a traditional operating system (OS), Linux or Windows-based, could potentially be targeted by different types of attacks, including spyware. A compromised thin client could serve as an entry point to the corporate network, and it could be used to gain access to confidential data, take control over other machines on the network, or run malicious software, etc. According to Kaspersky, there are over 60 vulnerabilities in thin clients that could be used by cybercriminals.

Victor Ivanovsky, KasperskyOS Business Development Lead.

In response to advancing cyberthreats, Kaspersky promotes the Cyber Immune approach. The Kaspersky Secure Remote Workspace solution offers a manageable and functional thin client infrastructure that is built according to the secure-by-design principle and the Cyber Immune approach that makes them more resilient to cyberattacks in comparison to traditional thin clients. Together with Centerm, a global producer of thin clients, Kaspersky produces the KTC (Kaspersky Thin Client) – the world's first thin client with Cyber Immunity that requires no additional antivirus protection tools. At the core of the solution lies KasperskyOS, a microkernel operating system. KTC excludes the possibility of exploiting a wide range of vulnerabilities common in traditional thin clients. Another component of the solution – the unified management console – solves the problem of managing and monitoring thin client infrastructure.

Kaspersky Secure Remote Workspace is suitable for many areas where a large number of workstations with similar tasks and a standard set of applications are used: the public sector, educational institutions, manufacturing and production plants, fuel and energy sector, healthcare, financial organisations, retail, and others.

“Thin clients have gained popularity over the last few years, especially after the pandemic, as organisations were seeking cost effective ways of setting up remote workplaces. It is also believed by many that they are secure to use and less vulnerable to malware than traditional machines. However, this belief is nothing more than a myth: thin clients running traditional operating systems are vulnerable, and our internal research shows that they can be hacked with a simple tool in under 10 minutes and be used to spy on users and/or access confidential data,” comments Victor Ivanovsky, KasperskyOS Business Development Lead. “We believe that the future of thin client development should be determined by Cyber Immunity. Attacks on a Cyber Immune system are ineffective - they continue to function even in an aggressive environment and stop potential attackers in their tracks.”

[1] All of these attacks were blocked by Kaspersky.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Kaspersky.

For further information please contact:

Nicole Allman | INK&Co.

nicole@inkandco.co.za

Social Media:

Facebook: https://apo-opa.info/3M3uy0L

Twitter: https://apo-opa.info/3OaLeGw

YouTube: https://apo-opa.info/41wO7V6

Instagram: https://apo-opa.info/42BZnRq

Blog: https://apo-opa.info/42Apbxn

About Kaspersky Secure Remote Workspace:

Kaspersky Secure Remote Workspace (KSRW) is a solution for building a Cyber Immune, managed and functional thin client infrastructure based on the microkernel operating system KasperskyOS for secure connection to remote desktops. Thin clients as part of the solution are based on Cyber Immunity – Kaspersky’s own approach to creating IT solutions with built-in protection against cyber threats.

In 2022, Kaspersky Secure Remote Workspace received the World Leading Internet Scientific and Technological Achievements award. It is awarded to significant scientific and technological achievements in the field of information technology, innovative solutions and developments. The jury includes Turing Award winners, members of the Academia Europaea, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

About Kaspersky

Kaspersky is a global cybersecurity and digital privacy company founded in 1997. Kaspersky’s deep threat intelligence and security expertise is constantly transforming into innovative solutions and services to protect businesses, critical infrastructure, governments and consumers around the globe. The company’s comprehensive security portfolio includes leading endpoint protection, specialized security products and services, as well as Cyber Immune solutions to fight sophisticated and evolving digital threats. Over 400 million users are protected by Kaspersky technologies and we help over 220,000 corporate clients protect what matters most to them. Learn more at www.Kaspersky.co.za.

SOURCE

Kaspersky



Saturday, May 13, 2023

International Branding of NOLLYWOOD for the Global Market

 That the phenomenon of Nollywood has gained global recognition is a fact. But Nollywood is still lacking the required structure for competition in the global film industry and lagging behind South Africa, Egypt and Morocco.

I have addressed the shortcomings of Nollywood and the Nigerian film industry measured with the criteria for the international development of a film industry. These shortcomings are why Nigeria is not among the top 10 countries with the biggest film industries in the world.

Top 10 Film Industries 
1. Hollywood Movie Industry
2. Bollywood Film Industry
3. Chinese Cinema
4. United Kingdom of Great Britain
5. Japanese Cinema 
6. Cinema in South Korea
7. France
8. German cinema
9. Australia
10. Mexico

The constant emphasis on the large volume of movies produced annually making Nollywood the second largest producer of movies in the world after the Bollywood of India and ahead of Hollywood of the United States of America is not enough without film commissions and film markets.
Having the largest market is different from having the biggest economy.
South Africa has the biggest film industry in Africa and not Nigeria based on the annual revenues of the film industry from the box office, international co-productions, TV networks, movie merchandise and film tourism.
South Africa has the largest cinemas of the biggest film distribution and exhibition companies in Africa.
South Africa has film commissions which Nigeria does not have.
South Africa has a film market which Nigeria does not have.
South Africa has the biggest cable TV industry in Africa with MultiChoice which Nigeria does not have. 
The Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) is hyped as the largest TV network in Africa, but running a deficit annually and cannot even pay salaries without revenue allocations from the Nigerian government. 
In terms of quality of TV productions, the NTA does not have local content of international standards compared to the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) that has been producing content attracting international acquisition and distribution.









The criteria for the international branding of Nollywood for the highly competitive global film industry include the top priorities of having world class international film festivals to attract the participation of the best filmmakers; international co-producers; film acquisition and distribution companies and for the promotions of movie merchandise and film tourism.
Presently among the few film festivals in Nigeria, only the annual Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF) is rated as the best international film festival attracting some of the best filmmakers in the world with the potentials of having an international film market like the Durban FilmMart of the Durban International Film Festival in South Africa. 
AFRIFF made international news headlines in November, 2022 for cohosting the African premiere of "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever",  the 2022 American superhero film produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

My articles on how Nollywood can make the Nigerian film industry a multibillion dollar film industry through the opportunities for movie merchandise and film tourism have been published and widely circulated online. But the Nigerian government and the private sector are ignorant of the huge economic benefits.

The Global TV and Movie Merchandise Market is forecast to grow by $90.53 Billion during 2022-2027, accelerating at a CAGR of 9.04% during the forecast period.

Sony Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros, Huayi Brothers, Enlight Media, Lionsgate Films, NBC Universal, Nickelodeon, TOEI COMPANY, Alpha Group, The Walt Disney Company, Twentieth Century Fox and Toho Company are the key copyright owners in the global Movie Merchandise market. The top 5 took up about 66 Percent of the global market. USA is the largest consumption regions of Movie Merchandise in the world in the past few years and it will keep increasing in the next few years. USA market took up about 50 Percent the global market, while Europe was 25 Percent, and China is followed with the share about 6 Percent.

Nigeria has awesome attractions for film tourism which I have been promoting with the publication of the NOLLYWOOD MIRROR® Series since 2013 to show the beauty of Nollywood in family friendly books to attract people worldwide. 
My popular article, "The Best Film Locations in Nigeria" has attracted thousands of readers with over 17, 000 readers on TripAdvisor.






Nollywood has attracted Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney and other leading international American film and TV production and streaming companies.

The best film locations in Nigeria should be developed as international tourist attractions like the Obudu Ranch in Cross River State. Holiday resorts and hotels should be built on the locations for filmmakers and tourists.

What is the value of the global film tourism market?

As per a recent market analysis by Future Market Insights (FMI), the film tourism market is poised to reach a valuation of US$ 66.7 Billion in 2022. Sales are projected to increase at a 6.8% CAGR, with the market size reaching US$ 128.78 Billion by 2032.https://www.accesswire.com/717595/Film-Tourism-Market-is-anticipated-to-increase-at-a-high-CAGR-of-68-during-2022--2032-Future-Market-Insights-Inc

There are models for templates for the international branding of Nollywood for the global film industry which I have shown with the references to South Africa. 


By Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima,
Publisher/Editor,
NOLLYWOOD MIRROR® Series,
Executive Producer,
Screen Naija YouTube Channel,
Vuulr Program Partner
Cinewav Partner


Friday, May 12, 2023

Nigerian Igbo Movies Started the Phenomenon of NOLLYWOOD

"Chukwuabiama Na Ezedibia" (God and the King of Wizards) Coming Soon on NOLLYWOOD MAGIC Channel on CINETIE 

Igbo dramas started the phenomenon of Nollywood with the first Igbo blockbuster movie, "Living in Bondage" in 1992. 

NOLLYWOOD MAGIC Channel is bringing the captivating movies of Nigerian dramas on CINETIE of Rwanda streaming to millions of people online, including over 50 million Igbos in the world with over 45 million Igbos in Nigeria and over 4 million Igbos in the Diaspora.r Hundreds of thousands of Igbos are in America and the UK.

"God and the King of Wizards" is an Igbo epic drama of supernatural battles and encounters with powers of darkness and principalities never shown before in any Nigerian movie.

Director: Evans Orji

Major Cast: Prince Emeka Ani, Agbaogidi Clement Cornel, Camilla Mberikwe

Language: Igbo (subtitled in English)

#God
#witchcraft 
#wizards 
#igbos
#language 
#igbo 
#nollywood 
#nigeria
#rwanda 
#epic
#movies
#drama
#power
#supernatural 

View the trailer only on 

https://nigeriansreportng.blogspot.com/2021/11/prince-emeka-ani-in-chukwuabiama-na.html


Sunday, May 7, 2023

Who is the New Shining Star in Nollywood?


Who is the new shining star to watch out for in Nollywood?


Uti Nwachukwu, the handsome unique  style icon, TV personality, actor and the co-host of the Nigerian show Jara was the Shining Star to watch in the first edition of the NOLLYWOOD MIRROR® Series published in 2013. And he has become a true shining since then. 

In 2023, the New Shining Star in Nollywood is a black and beautiful young actress who featured in an international award winning film. 

Who is she? 

You will see her in the third edition of the NOLLYWOOD MIRROR® Series. Definitely a collector's edition.

#Nollywood

#star

#actor

#2013

#2023

#editor

#collector

#awards

#film


#series

 





Saturday, May 6, 2023

OPEN LETTER IN RESPONSE TO: NDDC- WHAT WE MUST DO AND THE PRESS STATEMENT BY THE CHAIRMAN OF THE GOVERNING BOARD OF NDDC

NIGER DELTA JUSTICE FORUM
No. 86 Nwaniba Road, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
Telephone: 08118054076.

To: The Presidency Abuja

       The National Assembly Abuja

       All Niger Delta Stakeholders

OPEN LETTER IN RESPONSE TO: NDDC- WHAT WE MUST DO AND THE PRESS STATEMENT BY THE CHAIRMAN OF THE GOVERNING BOARD OF NDDC

We are compelled to respond to the above subject matters as patriots and stakeholders because nefarious actors are monolithic in their structure, with no option to retrace their steps or even branch off from the solidity of the inflexible trunk, the source of their implacable power. To counter them, the kernel of their malevolent frameworks must be dismantled and completely laid bare.

The most important piece of real estate to stake a claim is the human mind. You make the claim by creating a perception. You create the perception by controlling the context. Control the context and you control the mind. Control the mind and you control reality, that’s the essence of the Veblen Effect. However, social psychologists are quick to remind us that “herd mentality” or “group think” has severe limitations when subjected to critical analysis or hesitation.

It is our opinion that the decision of the Chairman of the Governing Board of NDDC to hastily distance the Board from the MOU signed by the Commission in its quest to attract private capital for the development of the region based on emotions, sentiments, sense of judgment and propriety in order to curry public appeal, on deeper introspection is ruinous and far from right. We are not fooled by the beautiful prose of hired writers, the cobbled arguments of her procured craven supporters or the eloquence of her Marxian postulations about transparency and accountability. Her ambition of naked power grab was made obvious in the sponsored Vanguard newspaper advert published before the summit in Lagos where a fictitious group made legally deficient solicitations to President Buhari to quickly amend the law and further promote her to Executive Chairmanship of the Commission with unlimited powers even at the twilight of his administration.

We have experienced the confusion and dread of watching the least qualified people get promoted even when they lack the authenticity and influence to build strong teams because they are out of touch with the needs of the citizens. The government needs to cultivate and measure leadership potentials instead of the current system where authority over others is based on who you know and not what you know. Granting promotion without assessing a person’s capacity for leadership reduces the role to a mere transaction and this seems to be at the core of the public tantrums emanating from the Commission. 

The allegations of a prevailing toxic work environment and management consideration of board members as meddlesome interlopers as contained in the Vanguard newspaper publication are not only manifestly false and frivolous but absurd and hogwash. Also, the wild allegations of illegal waivers of 3% levies granted to IOC’s and the back dating of contracts to unlawfully appropriate the Commission’s resources are the imaginations of a devious mind and patently defamatory. The prevailing sense in the region is that of satisfaction because for the very first time in a long while, the Commission has a duly constituted management team deploying its resources for common good.

The Chairman’s press statement condemning the widely hailed effort of the Commission towards transitioning to a new organization that would leverage private capital for sustainable development of the region through PPP and the subsequent signing of an MOU for preliminary processes for a rail network that would connect the nine NDDC States is both reckless and ill-conceived. Her attempt to create an imprimatur of illegality and deliberate litigation of the internal affairs of the Commission in the public space is an unprecedented embarrassment to the region and its people. No matter how cleverly disguised and presented, her grudge response is simply in furtherance of her ongoing schemes at total capture of the executive powers of the Commission not institutional bargain.

How else can any rational person explain her opposition to the transformational change and Blue-Sky thinking that led to the concept of the PPP? Is she not aware that the federal government has all but abandoned the Eastern Railway Corridor due to paucity of funds? What disadvantage would the region suffer if it secures a rail network that would connect all the states and complement the Eastern Rail Corridor if it is eventually completed? Is she not aware that the Atlanta based AGRI came recommended by the US EXIM Bank and that the US Consulate was represented at the signing ceremony? Is she ignorant of the fact that several board members were present at the event? Does she not know that the outcome of the Summit is attracting global interest to the region? What exactly are her interests? There is no rule that says her arguments must make sense but we must do away with the principalities of the past.

The Chairman seems to  be suffering from the “Peter Principle” whereof she may have been promoted beyond her level of effectiveness. The region needs leaders who will allow the collective good of the people overshadow their self-aggrandizement. In view of this critical need, we hope and pray that the chairman retraces her steps and detracts from public smear and misrepresentation.

For NDDC to make progress, there is no magic bullet. What is clear is that doing nothing is not an option nor is continuing as normal the way to go. We recommend that the Board and Management should have a Shared Vision Workshop to deliberate on workable strategies and innovative ways to attract scalable development to the region. What NDDC needs is that in exchange for the greater strategic goal of developing the region, the Board and Management must embrace peace over conflict. Instead of engaging in public fits and outbursts, the board should liaise with management to rethink job creation, retool youth unemployment thereby significantly addressing insecurity and engendering the flourish of enterprise. 

The people of the region are tired of living frustrated, anxious and overwhelmed. New habits can be formed. Fresh hope can be found in the Commission. The practice of gratitude and acknowledgment of good deeds by those who dare is the missing key to unlock the hope, joy and beauty around the region. It is not particularly helpful when we try to frustrate people with good intentions. Let good conscience prevail.


- Bassey Ime Idongesit.
Convener

Joachim Dakolo                                            Publicity Secretary.

Friday, May 5, 2023

Advert Rates on Nigerians Report

The following are the advert rates and sizes for adverts on Nigerians Report Online.


Leaderboard banner 
$500 monthly

Half page
$400 monthly

Large Rectangle 
$300 monthly

Medium Rectangle
$250 monthly

Advertorials with up to 10 images
$500 monthly

Advertorials with up to 10 images and video of event or TV commercial
$750 monthly

Contact:
Email: ekenyerengozimichaelchima@gmail.com