General
Elegbe Tutors Companies on Crisis Management
Companies have been advised to have a crisis management plan in order to prepare for potential crisis and keep their businesses afloat.
This call was made by the founder and Group Managing Director at Interswitch, Mr Mitchell Elegbe, who stressed that the impact of coronavirus pandemic, which has left businesses across the globe counting losses, was a wake-up call for companies to take proactive measures to handle crisis.
Speaking during a WIMBOARD Institute webinar tagged The role of a Board in Anticipating and Managing Crisis last Thursday, he said decision makers must take a long-term view of the business and plans for seasons.
Using the Interswitch Group as a case study, he disclosed that prior to the novel coronavirus disruption, the firm had developed a proactive crisis management plan that has enabled it navigate the business environment seamlessly, was and continue to offer top-notch services to its esteemed customers, during the pandemic.
He disclosed that while it is true that the company did not envisage the coronavirus outbreak, the board was not caught unprepared by the impact of the pandemic.
He explained that as far as the Interswitch Group’s board was concerned, the group’s vision is captured as a landing zone and a well-defined plan is put in place.
Not unmindful of multiple risks that had propensity to crystallize along the way, the board proactively set out to identify and activate triggers that would help achieve the vision and mitigate traps that could potentially have detrimental effect on the actualization of the business’s vision.
He added that at Interswitch, four major indicators were tracked as potential crisis traps: organizational disruption, unrehearsed major market province, technology lag or solution failure and poor business practices or governance.
“The interesting thing about COVID-19 is that it threw up all four challenges simultaneously and the impact was major.
“However, because we track these things from time to time, we envisaged its possibility and were able to navigate the business in a way that has helped us cope with the current situation,” he said.
Describing an effective board during a crisis, Mr Elegbe explained that having a supportive board with people of different backgrounds, bringing different perspectives to bear during a crisis especially as it concerns the external environment, is critical to an effective board and gives the CEO lots of confidence to navigate the crisis.
While describing the role of a founder during a crisis, he explained that they are highly integral as they are accountable to the board and their role is to manage the business for profitability.
He opined that in a crisis, founders should be more focused on getting the solution that would steer the business out of the crisis and still remain in business post-crisis.
WIMBOARD Institute is one of the four platforms of the Nigeria Women on Boards (WIMBOARD) program that was launched in 2012. The WIMBOARD Institute is targeted at providing training, education and opportunities for prospective and serving Board members.
Other speakers on the webinar included: Ibukun Awosika, Chairman Board of Directors, First Bank of Nigeria Limited, Oyeyimika Adeboye, Managing Director, Cadbury Nigeria; Bisi Lamikanra, Partner & Head of Advisory Services, KPMG Nigeria; Audrey Joe-Ezigbo, Deputy Managing Director, Falcon Corporation. The Webinar was moderated by Cecilia Akintomide, Independent Non-Executive Director, FBN Holdings Plc.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
A Federal High Court in Warri, Delta State, has affirmed the right of Nigerians to film personnel of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) on duty.
The judgment was given by Justice H. A. Nganjiwa on Tuesday in a case filed by Mr Maxwell Uwaifo in suit number FHC/WR/CS/87/2025.
The court held that Nigerians have the constitutional right to use any device to record police officers executing their official duties in public.
It was ruled that police officers must wear visible name tags, display their force numbers, and must not harass, intimidate, arrest, or seize devices from citizens documenting their activities.
The court awarded the applicant N5 million in damages for the violation of his fundamental rights and N2 million for the cost of litigation.
Business Post reports that the respondents in the case were the Inspector General of Police (IGP), the NPF, the Police Service Commission (PSC), and the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF).
The lawyer filed the case in accordance with Sections 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, and 41 of the Constitution of Nigeria and others.
“This judgement has significant implications for policing standards, civil liberties, and public accountability across Nigeria,” Mr Uwaifo said after the judgement.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The General Manager in charge of Transmission for Lagos Region of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Mr Adeshina Adeonipekun, has stressed the critical role of Lagos in the national grid.
While receiving the chief executive of Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC), Ms Wola Joseph Condotti, at his office on Monday, he said the Lagos region accounts for about 30 per cent of total power off-take in Nigeria.
He stated that TCN was implementing strategic expansion and project upgrades aimed at enhancing grid stability and operational efficiency in response to rising demand.
Mr Adeonipekun highlighted recent key milestones achieved in the region, including the commissioning of a 100MVA power transformer at the Ijora 132/33kV Transmission Substation, a 300MVA transformer at the Lekki 330/132kV Transmission Substation, and a 125MVA unit at the Agbara 132/33kV Substation, among others.
According to him, these additions have further increased the region’s installed capacity to 5,470MVA on the 132/33kV network and 4,110MVA on the 330/132kV network.
He further said that there were several ongoing rehabilitations at key substations within the region, including Amuwo GIS, Akoka 132/33kV, and Itire 132/33kV Transmission Substations, all geared towards further improving reliability, reducing system constraints, and enhancing the overall efficiency of power delivery.
In her remarks, Ms Condotti expressed appreciation for TCN’s continued partnership and support, underscoring the importance of sustained collaboration between transmission and distribution companies in building a more stable and efficient electricity transmission and supply network.
Both parties explored ways to strengthen collaboration and ensure a more stable and efficient power supply in Lagos, the nation’s commercial hub.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Governor of Anambra, Mr Chukwuma Soludo, says the years-long sit-at-home is now a thing of the past in the state as it will bring back lost economic viability to the South East state.
The governor spoke on Tuesday during his inauguration for a second term as the leader of the state, noting that security has improved in Anambra.
“The debilitating one-sit-at-home is over, and our schools, markets, businesses, and public servants are back to work. Reports say that ours is now the safest, or at least one of the safest states in Nigeria,” Mr Soludo said.
The second inauguration of the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) witnessed eminent Nigerians, including ex-presidents Mr Goodluck Jonathan and Mr Olusegun Obasanjo, as well as the Vice President, Mr Kashim Shettima, among others.
“I’m sure many of you flew into Anambra yesterday, being Monday. Previously, it was not possible,” he said at the Alex Ekwueme Square in Awka, the state capital.
Primarily associated with the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), a separatist group advocating for an independent Biafran state, the sit-at-home saw millions of South-East residents remain indoors, shut their businesses, and stay off the roads on Mondays. Initially, it was declared as a weekly protest (especially on Mondays) to demand the release of IPOB leader, Mr Nnamdi Kanu, in 2021 by the Federal Government and draw attention to the separatist cause.
The cause had significant socio-economic consequences in the South-East states like Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo.
However, Mr Soludo referenced several milestones, including the destruction of criminal camps and the “mass return” of Anambra indigenes during the Yuletide, as evidence of improving security in the state.
“Some 62 criminal camps have been dismantled, and 8 local governments previously under total siege have been liberated,” the governor said.
“Anambra had its best Christmas season in decades last December with a mass return and over 10,000 visitors per day to the Solution City every day until the 10th of January.”
Part of the measures to address insecurity in Anambra was the Homeland Security Law 2025, a measure the governor said contributed to the reduction in criminality.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Mr Soludo as the winner of the November 8, 2025, governorship election in Anambra State. The APGA candidate polled a total of 422,664 votes, defeating his closest rival, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Mr Nicholas Ukachukwu, who scored 99,445 votes, while the candidate of the Young Progressives Party, Mr Paul Chukwuma, came third with 37,753 votes.
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