Day: August 2, 2024

The Electoral Commission has received a clean audit report for the fourth time in a row.

‘The Electoral Commission is proud to announce that the Auditor-General has concluded the external audit procedures on the 2023/2024 financial statements of the Electoral Commission as well as Party Funding. The outcome of both these external audits is clean audit opinion.

‘This feat is achieved for the fourth consecutive time,’ the Commission said in a statement on Thursday.

The commission said the clean audit opinions speak to the financial probity as well as the strength of internal controls which remain of the highest standards adding that the adherence to prescripts in the form of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) and its corresponding regulations.

Electoral Commission CEO Sy Mamabolo welcomed the clean audit and commended staff for working tirelessly to ensure that accountability, proficiency, and transparency is always at the centre of the organisation’s business practices.

‘Throughout the years we have
implemented internal controls to manage performance of the organisation. We strive to maintain this standard going forward, even during busy election periods,’ said Mamabolo.

He went further to say, ‘as the Electoral Commission we have not only committed ourselves to delivering reputable elections but have also made it our business to ensure our business practices are of the highest standard through the consistent implementation of internal controls.’

The audit report, together with the Annual Report, will be presented to the seventh iteration of the National Assembly in line with the provisions of the Electoral Commission Act and the PFMA.

Source : South African Government News Agency

The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism on Friday pledged to revamp the aging infrastructure in the Etosha National Park, which is approaching its 115th anniversary.

The ministry’s Executive Director, Teofilus Nghitila, on Friday at Okaukuejo in the Etosha National Park said the environment ministry is determined to restore Etosha’s former glory.

He made the statement while handing over a newly purchased grader, which will be used to level more than 400 kilometres of gravel roads within Etosha.

‘The new grader will be also used to clear the cutlines, which help to minimise the spread of veld fires from outside or even inside the national park,’ he said.

The executive director further stated that nearly N.dollars 50 million will be used during this financial year to also revamp the three major entrance gates to Etosha, as well as ablution facilities and other infrastructure of the ministry in the Hardap Region.

Nghitila then encouraged local and international tourists to visit Etosha, saying the
newly acquired grader will help eliminate potholes, thus improving the game drive experience.

According to the control technical works inspector at Etosha, Silver Kazombungo, the park now has 10 graders but only the new grader is operational. The remaining nine graders, all dating back to the 1970s, are no longer functional.

He said the new grader has an expected lifespan of 54 years.

Source: The Namibia News Agency

The government of Anambra State has found the spate of building collapses in the state worrisome and has issued directives to reduce building collapse in the state .

The Executive Chairman of Anambra State Physical Planning Board (ANSPPB), Barrister Chike Maduekwe, disclosed this while briefing the press at the Board’s Headquarters in Amawbia, Awka, the state capital. Stating that he is acting on the Governor’s instruction, he said ,

‘When there is any building collapse, Governor Soludo calls me and says this constant building collapses in Anambra is embarrassing, please do something urgent about it.’

Speaking on the recertification of building permits, he said, ‘Effective immediately all permits for ongoing

construction projects are hereby suspended. All Developers must bring their approval documents for revalidation.

‘It must be made clear that we are not revoking all existing building permits, but revalidation them to be sure that the approval given is what the developer is building.

‘Because most De
velopers after obtaining building permit approval do not engage relevant professionals in the building industry, Anambra State Physical Planning Board will now audit and ensure that these professionals have been engaged in all on going constructions which is an already existing provisions of Building

regulation.’

He also noted that any development that commences without 7 days prior notice to ANSPPB, will be deemed illegal and is liable to be demolished and the developer will be made to face the full embrace of the law.

Speaking further, Barrister Maduekwe said, ‘During the audit, any buildings that are found to have structural integrity issues will be subjected to non destructive testing (NDT) by the Material Testing laboratory.

‘Soil investigation report are critical requirements for most constructions in Anambra State. All buildings above 2 floors must submit Geotechnical surveys, failing which there will be severe penalties.

‘Government will now hire Professional consultants to monitor construction s
ites statewide.

‘We shall intensify efforts on statutory stage inspections as well as signing of stage certification forms by relevant professionals. It is important to note that supervising professionals will be liable for any building failure or collapse not government staff.

‘Buildings under construction that has been abandoned for 5 years and above will need to be recertified before the recommencement of construction work on it to ascertain the structural stability of the building.

‘Government hereby directs that nobody shall be allowed to pass the night in any building undergoing construction and construction works must not go beyond 7:00pm every day.

‘Effective immediately, all developers will now be required to comply with the compulsory insurance Act of 2003 of Builders’liability and Public Liability

Insurance before they can be granted building permit approvals. The reason is to protect the workers and the public who work in the site and who come around the building site. The contractor who has
this insurance in place under the insurance act is protected from the legal liabilities arising from any damage to property, collapse, injury or death to any person arising from the Development / Construction.

‘Also all Professionals involved in any Development must present to ANSPPB their Professional Indemnity Insurance alongside the letter of undertaking before the building permit approval will be granted to the project they are supervising.’

The ANSPPB Chairman further stated that the second phase of these initiatives is ‘Operation Show Your Building Permit’ which takes effect from 1st of August to the 31st of October, 2024.

He said, ‘All property owners

with buildings that lack necessary approvals are required to regularize their building plans within this grace period. This amnesty period is an opportunity for compliance and to avoid penalties that may be imposed after the expiration of the grace period.’

Maduekwe urged Anambrarians to regularize their building plans by visiting the Anambra State P
hysical Planning Board for necessary documentation and procedures at the ANSPPB Headquarters, Old Government Station, Amawbia, Awka Capital Territory, Anambra State, as failure to comply with this directive after the stipulated period will result in appropriate sanctions.

He further advised them to contact Anambra State Physical Planning Board on these numbers 08062533672, 08033561344 or 08037835105, for enquiries.

Contributing at media briefing, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Anambra Material Testing Laboratory( AMTL), Engineer Ebosie Ezeoke, noted Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s concern about the recent unfortunate incidents of building collapses in the state, stating that impunity is the core problem.

He said, ‘The major problem we have is impunity, there is obviously a lot of inferior materials in circulation particularly now with the economic crunch all over the place. We have dual responsibility in the system. The Standards Organisation of Nigeria, SON, generally takes responsibility
for imports and also regulation of standards, so we in the state have put measures in place to actually ensure there is full compliance.We will run some tests to ensure that the buildings have structural integrity to ensure safety.’

Source :News Agency of Nigeria

OSHAKATI: Two suspects have been arrested and are under police guard at the Onandjokwe District Hospital after they were assaulted by community members during a failed robbery at Akuniihole in the Oshana Region.

Namibian Police Force Oshana Commander, Commissioner Naftal Lungameni Sakaria said the incident occurred at Akuniihole village on the Ongwediva-Ondangwa main road around 17h30 on Thursday.

According to Sakaria the victim, a resident of Okakonyambata village, boarded a taxi at Oshakati with Akuniihole as his destination.

He indicated that two other men were picked up near Adolf location with their destination being Omwandi gwaKamanya at Ondangwa.

When the taxi reached Akuniihole, the two suspects however allegedly demanded the victim’s cellphone, twisted his arms and threatened him with a knife. The victim threw his cellphone out of the taxi and this infuriated the suspects, who then allegedly stabbed the victim several times on the shoulder and left arm.

Sakaria said villagers at a nearby cucasho
p witnessed the incident and intervened, overpowering the two suspects and assaulting them.

The two suspects and their victim were taken to the Onandjokwe District Hospital for treatment.

One of the suspects suffered a serious head injury and his condition was described as critical.

Police investigations into the matter continue.

Source: The Namibia News Agency

The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, FCCPC, has accused Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited (Coca-Cola) and Nigerian Bottling Company Limited (NBC) of Misleading trade descriptions and unfair marketing tactics.

The Commission in a statement by the management said the brand had violated the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act, FCCPA by commencing a migration of their Coke brand from a formulation that included regular sugar to non-nutritive sweeteners.

The statement reads; ‘Pursuant to Sections 17, 116, 123, 124, 127, and 155 of the Federal Competition

and Consumer Protection Act, 2018,

Thursday, August 1, 2024: In June 2019, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (Commission) became aware that Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited (Coca-Cola) and Nigerian Bottling Company Limited (NBC) (jointly referred to as the ‘Companies’) had commenced a migration of their Coke brand from a formulation that included regular sugar to non-nutritive sweeteners.

‘The migration at the time
, though not concluded, apparently followed previously concluded, but undisclosed and uncommunicated migrations with respect to their other brands, to wit: Fanta and Sprite (as the Investigation will later discover).

‘The strategy and conduct at the time appeared to possibly infringe FCCPA provisions prohibiting misleading trade descriptions, unfair marketing tactics, and questions whether some pricing strategies in certain geographical areas of Nigeria were on account of market power in the geographic areas, and as such constituted abuse of dominant market position.’

It added that the Commission opened a formal investigation accordingly.

‘Between June 2019 and December 2020, the Commission and Coca-Cola as well as NBC engaged repeatedly, including seeking and securing vast internal documents and production logs to determine the veracity or otherwise of allegations that were subject of investigation or explanations provided by Coca-Cola and NBC.

‘By December 2020, the Commission was convinced based on the
evidence, that Coca-Cola and NBC on multiple occasions, and counts violated, and remained in violation of the FCCPA, particularly with respect to transparency, and clear disclosure obligations to their product patrons, intentional communications in describing their Coca-Cola ‘Original Taste, Less Sugar ‘variant as one and the same, as well as unchanged, when in actual fact, same had indeed changed, was different, differently formulated and not the same as their otherwise ‘classic, or ‘Original Taste’. One of the parties also attempted to, or misled the Commission under Section 112 of the FCCPA.’

The Commission further noted that ‘Coca-Cola and NBC initially sought to end the investigation and regulatory process by adopting clearer, more transparent and truthful descriptions and differentiation of the relevant variants of their products. The Commission granted this accommodation, and also gave Coca-Cola and NBC the opportunity and prerogative to propose remedies including descriptions and product differentiat
ions that comply with applicable statutory standards.

‘Coca-Cola, NBC, and the Commission engaged in a lengthy process of building consensus around a mutually agreed differentiation and description of the different relevant products.’

‘Coca-Cola and NBC sought an extended timeline before changing to the newly mutually agreed product descriptions and differentiations as proposed by Coca-Cola and NBC in order to exhaust existing packaging inventory, and lead time for new packaging inventory to arrive in stock. The Commission granted the extension as requested.’

‘On the eve of the cut-off date, and end of the extension, Coca-Cola and NBC abandoned the months of work and mutually agreed outcome with the Commission, for a different business strategy, which has turned out not to meet the applicable standards. Over the next years, it remained abundantly apparent that Coca-Cola and NBC’s meritless efforts failed, and it became clear to the Commission that neither Coca-Cola, nor NBC desired or intended to provide t
ransparency to consumers in a manner that complied with the standards in the FCCPA.’

‘Accordingly, the Commission concluded the then open investigation, and again engaged Coca-Cola and NBC with a view to providing sufficient remedies. Coca-Cola despite this prolonged investigation, and multiple opportunities to comply with the law, have failed to do same.

The FCCPC said despite multiple and repeated further engagements with Coca-Cola, NBC and their respective retained legal practitioners, the current market status and consumer feedback clearly demonstrates the colossal ineffectiveness of the milder and weak differentiations Coca-Cola and NBC have adopted.

‘Their internal documents show that they are aware of the evidence of the feedback that their efforts remain ineffectual. Coca-Cola and NBC have however made more spirited efforts at other interventions to address the regulatory concerns than measures to ensure compliance, and discharge from the regulatory process.’

‘Accordingly, and considering that the
conduct continues and remains, the Commission has entered, issued and served its Final order on Coca-Cola and NBC on July 29, 2024. The Final Order contains the Commission’s findings some of which include:

1. Misleading trade descriptions under Section 116 FCCPA by continuing to mislead consumers to believing Coca-Cola Original Taste is not materially different from Coca-Cola Original Taste ‘Less Sugar.’

2. Unfair marketing tactics: Contrary to Section 124(1)(a) of the FCCPA, Coca-Cola Nigeria markets Coca-Cola Original Taste Less Sugar in packaging first, indistinguishable, and now not sufficiently distinguishable from Coca-Cola Original Taste, contrary to Sections 123(1)(a), (b), and (c) of the FCCPA.’

‘Further, Coca-Cola and NBC after regulatory intervention still failed to take appropriate steps to modify misleading behaviour demonstrating that the Companies acted intentionally by misrepresenting Coca-Cola Original Taste Less Sugar as Coca-Cola Original Taste in a deliberate business strategy.’

‘Furth
ermore, NBC used identical packaging for both Zero Sugar and its 50:50 variant of Limca Lime- Lemon flavoured drink, misleading consumers and violating Sections 17(g), 116(1) and (2), and 123 of the FCCPA and Section 2(a) of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control Act 2004. The Commission found NBC applied deceptive trade descriptions to the two variance and supply these products to consumers violating Section 116 (3) of the FCCPA.’

The Commission said it has reserved the question of Abuse of Dominance and quantum of the penalty appropriate under the FCCPA and Administrative Penalties Regulation 2020 (APR) for further regulatory action, and same will be imposed in due course.

Source :News Agency of Nigeria