Brands/Products
Helen Eyo’s Elen Homes to Change Face of Shortlets Market
By Adedapo Adesanya
For Helen Eyo, hospitality has been entrenched in her from a young age. For the last child in a family of six, taking care of others came naturally just as her acumen for business.
It was this that laid a foundation for her to establish Elen Homes, a shortlets company in Lagos with a vision to provide affordable housing to meet the surging demand.
Raised by hardworking parents with her father, a logistic consultant and a mother who is a fashion designer, Helen was taught to never limit herself to what existed in the periphery and she should always aim for better.
She was drawn to the shortlets business after proper research and intuition, the double trigger a smart business-oriented person needs. It was in her search for knowledge she realised that there was a dearth in the details in catering to customers in the hospitality business.
“I saw a need to paint my views on what hospitality should be like in Nigeria, many at times the hotels get in the wrong and the few persons into shortlets business as at when I got into the business were not making strides I was hoping for. I decided to take the leap of faith, turn a desire for change into a means of revenue,” the entrepreneur said.
And the results have always motivated her, she said, “the smiles and thank you I get from every one of my clients when they have to say goodbye from any of my apartments.”
“It gladdens my heart knowing I made someone feel special at their stay at any of my apartments by giving them the best of hospitality service,” she added.
However, even as the successes are a thing of delight, the businesswoman has faced a number of hurdles in the business, which she believes have a high risk as well as a high reward.
“So far, every challenge has been a rewarding lesson for me, so I’d like to say just like every other business, there are good days and there are bad days.
“When it is good, I like to make the most of it. When it isn’t good, I remember the good days and improve my strategy to ensure I return to good times,” she quipped.
She also believes that the sky is big enough for many people, especially those with the will to succeed to fly.
“Make a move. You will not know if you’d make it or not if you don’t make that first move.”
While data centres, healthcare developments, and logistic parks are the outliers in terms of driving Africa’s real estate growth in the short to medium term, Elen Homes is seeking to change the narrative around the shortlets sector through collaboration and inclusiveness.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
To further reinforce its commitment to continuous enhancement of customer experience through menu innovation and quality improvements, Chicken Republic, Nigeria’s leading quick-service restaurant brand and a flagship brand of Food Concepts Plc, has improved its Smokey Jollof recipe across restaurants nationwide.
As a customer-centric brand, Chicken Republic regularly evaluates consumer feedback, dining trends, and product performance to ensure its menu continues to deliver the quality and value to which customers have become accustomed.
The updated Smokey Jollof is part of this ongoing commitment to continuous improvement.
The refreshed recipe represents the latest evolution of one of the brand’s most popular offerings.
Developed with a focus on richer flavour, greater consistency and an even more satisfying eating experience, the improved Smokey Jollof reflects Chicken Republic’s dedication to meeting the evolving tastes and expectations of its customers.
“At Chicken Republic, our customers are at the heart of every decision we make. We are constantly listening, learning and looking for ways to improve the experience we deliver.
“The improved Smokey Jollof is a reflection of that commitment. We’ve refined the recipe to deliver an even richer, more enjoyable taste experience while maintaining the flavour profile our customers know and love,” the Managing Director of Food Concept, Mr Olumide Aniyikaiye, stated.
“Great brands evolve with their consumers. This update is not about changing what people love, but about making it even better.
“We are confident that customers will enjoy the improved recipe and appreciate the attention we continue to invest in delivering quality meals every day,” Mr Aniyokaiye added.
The improved Smokey Jollof is now available at Chicken Republic outlets nationwide, allowing customers to experience a more flavourful and consistent version of a fan-favourite menu item.
This latest enhancement underscores Chicken Republic’s broader commitment to innovation, quality and creating memorable meal experiences for customers across Nigeria.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) said it has uncovered a warehouse stocked with expired baby wipes intended for illegal revalidation and sale to unsuspecting consumers.
In a statement shared on X (formerly known as Twitter) on Monday, the agency said the value of the products is estimated at N42 million.
The agency said during the operation, its officers discovered over 240 cartons of expired baby wipes that had already been revalidated and repackaged, alongside approximately 20,000 additional expired wipes, equivalent to 625 cartons, awaiting revalidation.
NAFDAC said one suspect was apprehended at the scene, while the warehouse was sealed and the products evacuated for further investigation.
“The distribution and use of expired baby wipes pose significant health risks, particularly to infants and young children, including skin irritation, skin infections, allergic reactions, worsening of eczema or dermatitis, and an increased risk of diaper rash due to the reduced effectiveness of preservatives that inhibit microbial growth.
“The seized products are valued at approximately N42 million.
“We reaffirm our commitment to protecting public health by preventing substandard and expired regulated products from re-entering the market.
“Members of the public are urged to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities involving regulated products to the nearest NAFDAC office or call 0800 1 623322,” it stated.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) has backed the call by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) for local smartphone manufacturing to accelerate digital inclusion.
The ALTON Chairman, Mr Gbenga Adebayo, described the proposal as a practical measure capable of accelerating broadband adoption and expanding digital inclusion across the country.
He said Nigeria must deliberately transition from being predominantly a technology consumer to becoming an innovator, designer and manufacturer of digital technologies.
According to him, Nigeria’s large telecommunications market and youthful population provide the scale and human capital needed for world-class technology manufacturing.
The ALTON chairman said the country’s ambition should extend beyond assembling smartphones to developing complete technology capabilities across the value chain.
“Our ambition should extend beyond assembling devices. We must pursue genuine knowledge transfer, research and development, product engineering, software development, semiconductor capabilities and large-scale manufacturing,” he stressed.
He said the objective should be producing devices and digital technologies for Nigeria, Africa and the global market.
Mr Adebayo said the emergence of Artificial Intelligence had further strengthened Nigeria’s opportunity to become a competitive technology manufacturing hub.
He said Artificial Intelligence was transforming product design, manufacturing, quality assurance, supply chain management, customer experience and software innovation.
According to him, investing in AI-enabled manufacturing will improve productivity, create high-value jobs and strengthen Nigeria’s competitiveness across Africa.
NCC’s Board Chairman, Mr Idris Olorunnimben, at a Digital Africa Summit Roundtable in Shanghai, called for local smartphone production and innovative financing to tackle the proliferation of counterfeit and non-type-approved devices through stronger market integrity.
The ALTON boos described the grey market as a major challenge affecting consumers, Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and the wider telecommunications ecosystem.
According to him, robust local manufacturing supported by strong quality standards will provide credible alternatives to grey-market imports.
He said effective type approval, competitive pricing and consumer confidence would encourage wider acceptance of locally manufactured smartphones.
“This will strengthen consumer protection, improve network performance, retain greater value within our economy, and stimulate industrial growth,” he said.
Mr Adebayo also endorsed innovative smartphone financing, stronger device management systems and identity-enabled credit frameworks.
He added that the initiatives would enable more Nigerians to acquire quality smartphones through affordable payment models.
According to him, telecom operators remain ready to partner with the government, manufacturers, financiers, academia, investors and development partners to build sustainable local manufacturing.
The ALTON boss described the initiative as a national economic transformation agenda capable of creating jobs and strengthening Nigeria’s position in the global digital economy.
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