Connect with us

General

Nigerian Journalist Narrates Ordeal with SA Embassy

Published

on

A Nigerian journalist, Mrs Funke Osae-Brown, has narrated her horrible encounter with the South African High Commission in Nigeria.

According to the journalist, who publishes Luxury Reporter Magazine, she received an invitation towards the end of January 2017 to be in South Africa on March 1, 2017 to experience the new BMW 5 Series.

Mrs Osae-Brown said it was an event “I had looked forward to considering my love for fast cars and the kind of beat I cover as a journalist.”

She narrated that, “As soon as I received the itinerary and other documents needed for my journey, I applied for the South African visa on February 13.

“Conscious of the many challenges that come with getting a South African visa, I was advised to apply through one of South Africa’s accredited trade partners World ‘N’ Traveland (WONTRA).

“The WONTRA staff who assisted me with the application process was very courteous. She guided me through the application requirements.

“At a point, she advised I get a statement of account from my host BMW in South Africa or their certificate of incorporation.

“I declined to do this because I felt my statement of account and a letter of introduction from my organisation should be enough.

“She also advised I get a letter of authorisation from my husband. I told her I have that already because the last application I did I was asked for it. This is a letter my husband find ridiculous to write! He argues it is a sexist requirement from an embassy. Why would he authorise a full-grown woman to travel because she is his wife, he reasoned? Anyway, I got him to give him the letter, even though I found it ridiculous too!

“Since I was applying through WONTRA, I had to pay a premium price of N70,000 instead of the official N8,600 for visa fee and N22, 310 for VFS courier service.

“The lady at WONTRA told me the visa should be ready within the stipulated 10 to 15 working days by the High Commission.

“Based on a past experience and what others have told me, I decided to notify the few people I know handling South Africa related travel and tourism matters in Nigeria to use their connection to pull strings at the embassy so that my visa could be ready on or before my travel date. I knew I had about 13 days between my submission and travel dates to get my visa.

“After 10 working days, I didn’t receive any news from the VFS. I decided to notify my contacts on the possibility of checking out my application status at the High Commission, they all told me to wait that I will surely get my passport on or before my travel date.

“As I sat behind my laptop to type this today, March 1, 2017, I am yet to receive my passport from the South African High Commission. I am supposed to travel tonight.

“What is most painful about this experience is it seems the South Africa High Commission in Lagos smacks of arrogance and is consumed by a nonchalant attitude.

“For a country, that is promoting itself as a tourists’ destination in Nigeria, to be so rude to its visa applicants, beats me.

“In spite of all my efforts and my host’s (BMW) in South Africa effort to reach the High Commission in Lagos, there has been no response from the High Commission to emails sent and calls put through to them.

“It seems to me the High Commission is populated lazy staff who have just refused to understand the importance of their job to the growth of the economy of their country.

“How can one explain applying for visa and you are yet to receive your passport 12 days or a month after application?

“The South African High Commission can never claim to be busier that the United Kingdom or United States of America’s embassies in Nigeria.

“If you apply for UK or US visa, you can be assured to get your passport within 10 working days or less.

“There are people who have applied for the South African visa since February 3, 2017 who are yet to receive their visas today, March 1; that is almost a month after submitting their applications.

“Delaying the issuance of my visa and that of other four journalists’ I am supposed to travel with means BMW has lost a lot of money on booking business class tickets for us, paying for our accommodation, airport pick up and drop off and food for the number of days we are supposed to spend in South Africa.

“You can imagine the loss to those going on personal trips who have paid for their flights, accommodation not to have received their visas days after their travel dates have passed?

“If South Africa is truly serious about marketing itself as a tourists’ destination, its High Commission needs to drop its toga of arrogance and emulate countries like Dubai and Kenya where you get your visa within two days as is the case with Dubai or Kenya that issues visa on arrival.

“Little wonder, Dubai has the largest tourism market share in Nigeria! SOUTH AFRICA HIGH COMMISSION RELEASE MY PASSPORT!!!! #SOUTHAFRICAHIGHCOMMISSION #RELEASEMYPASSPORT.”

Modupe Gbadeyanka is a fast-rising journalist with Business Post Nigeria. Her passion for journalism is amazing. She is willing to learn more with a view to becoming one of the best pen-pushers in Nigeria. Her role models are the duo of CNN's Richard Quest and Christiane Amanpour.

Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

General

QNET’s Global Reach in 100+ Countries: What International Access Means for Local Distributors

Published

on

QNET

Global scale means market access and international supply chains. For individual distributors in direct selling, it can shape everything from product availability to income stability and long-term opportunity.

QNET, the multinational wellness and lifestyle direct selling company, positions its business model around that idea: connecting locally based independent distributors to an international operating platform. With activity spanning more than 100 countries, the company sits within a direct selling industry that, according to the World Federation of Direct Selling Associations (WFDSA), has stabilized after several relatively volatile post-pandemic years.

Global Reach Within a Stabilizing Industry

The WFDSA’s latest global report estimates worldwide direct selling retail sales at roughly $163.9 billion in 2024, essentially flat year over year. That flat performance, however, masks gradual improvement beneath the surface. Nearly half of reporting markets showed growth in 2024, and average market growth rates rebounded to positive territory.

The report estimates more than 104 million independent sales representatives globally in 2024, a figure that has remained largely stable year over year.

This stabilization sets a backdrop for companies like QNET. A global footprint is no longer about rapid expansion alone; it is increasingly tied to resilience: operating across regions with different economic cycles, consumer behaviors, and growth trajectories.

For distributors, this matters because opportunities extend beyond individual effort. They are often shaped by the health of the company’s broader channel and product reach.

A Platform Designed for Distributed Entrepreneurship

QNET’s model centers on local execution supported by centralized infrastructure. Products—ranging from nutritional supplements and wellness devices to home and lifestyle solutions—are sold through the company’s proprietary e-commerce platform. Independent distributors do not manage warehouses, shipment logistics, or customer service systems.

As Ramya Chandrasekaran, who heads communications at QNET, explained in a recent interview, the company views direct selling as a form of accessible “micro-entrepreneurship.” The idea is to reduce the operational burden typically associated with starting a business, allowing distributors to focus on product education, customer relationships, and market development.

Why Global Scale Changes the Distributor Equation

One practical benefit of international reach is product continuity. WFDSA data shows that wellness products account for roughly 29% of global direct selling sales, making it the largest category worldwide. In the Asia-Pacific region, the largest direct selling region by sales, wellness represents more than 40% of total category share.

QNET’s emphasis on wellness and lifestyle products places distributors in line with the strongest demand segments globally. Instead of relying on narrow local trends, distributors operate within product categories that have shown consistent global interest.

International scale also supports consistency in training, compensation structures, and digital tools. Distributors in different countries access identical back-end systems, tracking referrals, commissions, and orders through the same platform. This standardization reduces friction and uncertainty, particularly for individuals operating in markets where informal commerce is common.

Workforce Shifts

The WFDSA’s report highlights notable shifts in the global direct selling workforce. Women continue to make up more than 70% of participants worldwide, and representation among individuals aged 35 to 54 remains the largest cohort.

Independent Distributors increasingly value flexibility, long-term viability, and support systems that allow them to operate sustainably rather than aggressively scale. QNET’s emphasis on digital access, centralized operations, and gradual business building reflects those priorities.

For many participants, especially those balancing work with caregiving or other responsibilities, direct selling infrastructure offers a way to stay engaged at their own pace.

Training, Exposure, and Cross-Market Learning

QNET’s international conventions and training programs connect distributors across regions, creating informal networks for peer learning. Events that draw participants from dozens of countries expose distributors to varied approaches to sales, customer engagement, and market adaptation.

This mirrors one of WFDSA’s broader conclusions: direct selling increasingly functions as a global learning ecosystem, with companies providing tools and education that help individuals navigate uncertain economic conditions.

For distributors, exposure to cross-border experiences can recalibrate expectations, reinforcing that success often comes from steady engagement rather than rapid recruitment or short-term activity.

International Access, Interpreted Locally

Despite its global scale, QNET’s business ultimately plays out in local communities. Distributors adapt messaging around wellness, home quality, and lifestyle enhancement to cultural norms and household priorities. The international platform provides reach and structure, but relevance is built locally.

That balance, global systems supporting local relationships, defines much of modern direct selling. The WFDSA describes the industry not as a single growth story, but as a framework that can scale proportionally with economic conditions across regions.

For QNET distributors, international presence does not guarantee income or uniform outcomes. What it offers is access: to resilient product categories, standardized systems, training resources, and a global marketplace that extends beyond any single region. For local distributors navigating today’s uncertain global economic environment, that is an important foundation to maintain.

Continue Reading

General

FCCPC Unseals Ikeja Electric Headquarters

Published

on

Ikeja Electric

By Adedapo Adesanya

The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has unsealed the headquarters of Ikeja Electric Plc in the Lagos State capital after a week under lock and key.

According to a statement on Friday, the electricity distribution company committed to a binding undertaking to comply with the remedial process following consumer rights violations.

The statement signed by Mr Ondaje Ijagwu, Director of Corporate Affairs at the commission, Ikeja Electric undertook to resolve all consumer complaints referred to it by the FCCPC within agreed timelines

The headquarters was earlier sealed on December 11, 2025, because Ikeja Electric allegedly failed to comply with a directive by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to unbundle a Maximum Demand account into 20 individual accounts for a customer who had been without power for over two and half years.

The FCCPC noted that following the resolution, any breach of the undertaking would expose it to renewed and escalated enforcement action under the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act.

Reacting, the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the FCCPC, Mr Tunji Bello, said the Commission’s intervention was necessary to enforce the provisions of the FCCPA (2018).

“Our responsibility is to ensure that consumers are treated fairly and that service providers comply with lawful decisions and directives. Enforcement is not an end in itself. Where compliance is achieved and credible commitments are made, the Commission will respond appropriately,” he said.

Clarifying further, Mr Bello said the outcome reflects the commission’s balanced approach to regulation.

“We intervene decisively where consumer harm persists, and we de-escalate where enforceable compliance is secured. What remains constant is our duty to protect consumers and uphold regulatory accountability,” he said.

Continue Reading

General

All On’s Clean Energy Access Transforms Over One Million Lives

Published

on

All On

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

The decision by a leading impact investment company focused on expanding clean energy access, All On, to support over 50 clean energy businesses and provide grants and technical assistance to more than 80 enterprises in Nigeria is already yielding positive results.

This is because the organisation’s Impact Evaluation Report indicated that more than one million lives have been transformed through clean energy access.

The report covered from 2018 t0 2024 and it was discovered that the interventions of All On enabled the connection of over 230,000 households, businesses, and public facilities to reliable energy solutions, while strengthening the operational capacity of energy providers and improving affordability and service reliability for end users.

Prior to the commencement of All On’s operations in 2016, nearly half of Nigeria’s population lacked access to electricity, and the sector faced an estimated 92 per cent annual funding gap.

In response, the group adopted a bold, risk-tolerant strategy—deploying catalytic capital, innovative financing instruments, and ecosystem-building initiatives to unlock private sector participation and drive progress toward universal energy access.

Central to these achievements is All On’s holistic support model, which combines rigorous, tailored due diligence, deep sector expertise, and active ecosystem engagement.

This approach has positioned All On as a trusted partner capable of delivering both commercial viability and systemic impact.

Flagship initiatives such as the Demand Aggregation for Renewable Technology (DART) programme have further amplified results by reducing procurement costs for supported businesses by up to 50 per cent, enabling developers to scale faster and pass cost savings on to consumers due to access to reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy solutions.

In the report, it was revealed that half of supported households reported improved air quality, enhanced safety, and reduced noise pollution, contributing to better health outcomes and improved quality of life, alongside measurable environmental benefits.

“This report confirms that our approach is delivering real results. By combining patient capital, technical assistance, and ecosystem support, we are enabling scalable and sustainable energy solutions for Nigeria’s unserved and underserved communities,” the chief executive of All On, Ms Caroline Eboumbou.

The company plans plans to scale proven models, strengthen local capacity, and expand its reach—particularly in underserved regions such as the Niger Delta.

“While the progress to date is encouraging, our work is far from done. As we look toward 2030, we remain committed to deepening our impact and creating even more meaningful connections across Nigeria,” Ms Eboumbou added.

Continue Reading

Trending