century post 1st ed. '14

2nd Quarter 2014 / 1

Century POSTA publication of the Century Group.

Second Quarter 2014

The Magic of The Mountain Evaluating Local Content Policy An Evening with Hassan Basma

CENTURY GROUP

Company News, Social Diary and Life & Lesson Series+

2 / Century Post 2nd Quarter 2014 / 3

Self Determination

It is no doubt a new phase for the CG family and I am positive to the fact that there are a lot to be done. The most powerful and resourceful tool on earth are human beings and nobody

has the power over you if you are deter-mined and focus in pursuing your dreams. Dreams and focus are what makes us who we are and it stands us out in various remarkable ways.

We all have to inculcate the mentality of being powerful because you are power-ful. The ‘’L’’ word comes to mind whenever I ponder about the responsi-bility of human race in the sphere of life. But the question is what your incentive is? Definitely, everybody needs it. What is your sphere of influence? What do you want to influence? Why do people go to work? All these and many more are what shapes our thought patterns and weakens our ability to strive for new paradigms.

It is a reality that people tend to forget their humble beginning and worry too much but learning to rise above worries and challenges is a skill we must strive to acquire in life. If you must be successful, stop complaining and find solutions to the problems.

In Century Group, every human being should see all the endless possibilities that lie between defeatism and the ultimate vision should be the possible heights of positive action. No matter the level of your position or disposition, have a mindset of ‘’Yes I Can” in reaching every possible goal in life.

We all have to imbibe the passion for success and selflessly deter-mine to get to the peak of our career and success story as a company. I wish you all the best in your endeavors.

CE’s Forward


Content Company News

Feature

Leadership Master Class

Cover Story

Century Life

Social Diary

8 10

20

44 48

42

40

30

32

6014

26 46

8 Century Bumi: An Evening With Hasan Basma

20 Evaulating Local Content Policy: Oil Services As A Success Story and Template For The Rest of The Indus-try

24 New Models in Emerging Markets

7 The Magic of Mountains

28 Leadership Series: Learning, Sharing, Bonding

34 Winning Employees Confidence

38 My CG Experience

40 Spotlight: 5 Questions For Olubanke Olujide

42 HSE: World Environment Day: Building a Green Economy; How Green can it get?

44 FPSO Mystras Achieves 1000 Days of LTI Free Operations

45 CG Becomes A Member of British Safety Council

50 TGIF: Roll Up Your Sleeves

48 With Love From Harvard

11 Century Group Secures First Crude Oil Lifting Contract

14 Nigeria Oil & Gas 2014

18 New Frontiers

Life & Lessons30


All correspondence should be forwarded to [email protected]. Century Post is an in-house magazine for the Century Group and its key partners. It is published by the Corporate Affairs Department.

Chairman – Editorial BoardKen Etete

Executive DirectorTK Etete

AdvisorNadou Amri

EditorFerdinand Adimefe

ContributorsDiana Tom-EdideEkanem EtaJames UseghanKunle AjayiOlubanke OlujideOlubusayo OludayoOsas UwaifoStephen ObuboStephen OsiegbuMiebi IfedigboCharles BinitieIfeanyi Chidi

Design / LayoutWitts & Stratts(www.wittsandstratts.com)

Print CMYKPro

PhotographyRedArkBash

“Time flies”, they say, “Make hay while the sun shines”. As the first quarter breezed past, the truth in these ancient lines unpacked themselves before me and a moment of realisation settled in. I take a cursory look at our organisational goals and objectives, not doing badly I thought, but certainly we can do better.

I have come to realise that what determines how far we travel is not just how we are able to stick to our priorities, but how we navigate the unforeseen events that will occur. So I guess life is really about how we handle the curve balls.

At Century Group, we have a dynamic nature, change is rapid, but our uncanny ability to respond adequately to these unpredictable changes and curve balls remains one of our guiding secrets and our abiding virtue in our success story.

This season, is not just about waiting for the curve balls, it is about creating change. In this second quarter, the Corporate Affairs Depart-ment launches the CG Project Renewal. CPR is the holistic process of breathing fresh ideas, creativity and innovation into our entire brand. We will re-create the interface of our website, add social media tools, develop new content narratives, and re-conceptualise our brand es-sence.

The first quarter was very exciting as we had the privilege of host-ing the Managing Director of BAB, Hassan Basma in Lagos. We do have pictures for all to feast on. We also had the priviledge of sponsoring the exciting mountain trip adventure.

The annual NOG event was a huge success: Century Bumi had a strong presence and we were able to establish new networks, pursue new prospects and explore strategic business areas.

Also, our CE, Mr Ken Etete, recently completed his OPM program

EditorFerdinand Adimefe

in Harvard. In his words “It has been three years of darting back and forth, endless sleepless nights to crack into exciting case studies and a bunch of fun loving mates to journey with”. We feature highlights of this picture in our collection: With Love, From Harvard.

There is so much to share, and yet so little space, but do have an enjoyable read.

What do you do when life throws you a curve ball?

Editor’s Desk

John Muir once said “The mountains are calling you must go!” Two Malik sisters decided to an-swer the call, now they are set on making history.

Nungshi and Tashi Malik are on the verge of entering the Guinness Book of World Records

as the first twins to climb the seven highest peaks on the seven continents. They have already climbed five peaks including Mt Everest.

The radical passion for adventure shown by the twins

is pretty much a characteristic that defines Century as a Business Group; this is why we deemed it fit to support the climbing of the fifth peak till the end.

When Nungshi and Tashi arrived at the Mountain top of Mt McKinley in North America on May 14, 2014, they had the Summit Flag of Century Group, which is a testament of the triumph of the human spirit to rise above daunting challenges. The twins are scheduled to arrive at Mt Vinson Massif in Antarctica this June.

The Magic of The Moutain

Cover Story


CENTURY BUMI: An Evening With Hassan BasmaConversation & Cocktail

On Monday, February 25, 2014, Century Group played host to the Managing Director of Bumi Armada Berhad, Mr Hassan Assad Basma. The event, held at The Mouse Pad

(TMP), was well-attended, with guests drawn from key industry players, top dignitaries, business asso-ciates and senior staff of Century Bumi and Century Group.

Speaking at the event, Mr Hassan Basma thanked the Group Chief Executive of Century Group, Mr. Ken Etete, the management team and also the members of staff for their continued com-mitment to the success of their business activities. In his words “this success story started as a dream that Ken and I conceived in London. Today, that dream has grown to be a huge success story.”

Century Bumi, an enduring partnership be-tween Century Group and Bumi Armada Berhad, has created a business worth over US$10 billion.

Bumi Armada Berhad is a Malaysia-based international offshore oil field services provider op-erating in over 10 countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America. The company is one of the top owners and operators of offshore support vessels in Asia. It is also a global FPSO player. Thanks to its partnership with Century Group, an indigenous oil and gas services company, Bumi Armada currently has 2 FPSOs in operation in Nigeria: the Armada Perkasa and Armada Perdana in the Okoro and Oyo fields respectively. Other leases in Congo, Angola and Brazil total about US $5 billion and at the end of September 2013, the company posted year-to-date revenue and net profits of over US $450 million and US $100 million respectively.

Nigeria is considered a challenging market not only for the reasons earlier mentioned but also because foreign companies believe that local partners are neither competent nor credible, with outright fraud being alleged in some cases. Yet, top executives at Bumi Armada tell a different story: they attribute the company’s success to a corporate belief in local content and the ability to build strong relationships in the different countries where it operates. The origin of Bumi Armada’s partnership model lies in Nigeria, with the birth of a partnership with Century Energy Services Limited (CESL).

Company News


Financial Times Executive Dinner Forum

Century Group Secures First Crude Oil Lifting Contract

Financial Times’ in association with SPDC held its inaugural Executive Dinner Forum, April

03, 2014 at the Federal Palace Hotel, as part of the ‘Future of Energy Series’. The dinner was chaired by William Wal-lis, the Financial Times’ African Affairs Writer, under the theme of ‘The Role of IOCs in Nigeria’s Economic Trans-formation – partnerships for sustained growth’. Mr Ken Etete, the Group CEO of Century Group was among the 15 top-level decision-makers and thought leaders from government, civil society, academia and the energy industry that engaged in the discussion. He was represented by the Managing Director of CEPL/ COO of Century Group, Mr

COO of CG, Mr. Harold Obasahan, with former minister of foreign affairs, Mr. Odein Ajumogobia

CESL was also among the 28 compa-nies recently approved by NNPC to lift Ni-geria’s crude for the period of June 2014 to May 2015. The contract involves the lifting of 30,000 barrels per day of various Nigerian crude oil grades. The success of this is due to the fact that the government reduced the number of companies from 52 in 2012/2013 to just 28 competent and credible companies for 2014/2015. CESL is among the credible and privileged few.

Also, CESL through the New Business Unit secured the renewal of the 30,000 barrels per day Crude Oil Term Contract for our partners PTT Public Limited of

Thailand for the period June 2014 to May 2015. Prior to this renewal, NBU had successfully managed the contract on behalf of PTT for the past 15months.

Harold Obasohan.Other guests that were in atten-

dance includesd: Dr David Ige, Group Executive Director (GED) Gas & Power and Senior Business Adviser to the Minister of Petroleum Resources (Gas issues) NNPC; Mr John C.M. Groffen, Ambassador of the Netherlands to Ni-geria and Permanent Representative to ECOWAS; Dr Andrew Pocock, British High Commissioner Designate and Per-manent Representative to ECOWAS; Babs Omotowa, Managing Director, Ni-geria LNG; Mr Frank Aigbogun, Editor, Business Day; and Mr Inemo Samiama, Coordinator, National Coalition on Gas Flaring and Oil Spills in the Niger Delta – NACGOND.

OML 42: CESL Gets NPDC’s Approval For Procurement And Installation Of 4(Nos) 5mmscf/Day Gas Lift Compressors For Jones Creek Flowstation

As part of activities to develop the remaining flow stations in OML 42, NPDC

has approved the procurement and installation of 4(nos) 5mmscf/day gas lift compressors for Jones creek flow station contract at the approximate value of $26m.

The scope of work includes:• Procurement of 4 nos Ariel JGT/4 compressors• Procurement of 4 nos 1380

existing compressors• Civil site engineering works for installation processes• Installation of the compressors and their drivers, scrubber and coolers to Jones creek flowstation• Provision of two years operation and maintenance spare parts• Testing and commissioning of gas lift compressors• Provision of standard operation manual and documentation• Provision of CASHES

HP @ 14000 RPM Caterpillar Gas Engine drivers to drive the compressors• Procurement of Inlet and Inter stage coolers and scrubbers• Factory acceptance test of the integrated compressor units (to be witnessed by NPDC)• Shipping, Custom clearing of equipment packages and transportation to Jonescreek flowstation• Decommission and removal of

Century Energy Services Limited has been awarded a Crude Oil Term Contract for the year 2014/2015 by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

Company News


Batan: CESL Gets NPDC Nod For The Revamp Of BATAN And Egwa Electric Motor Compressors

CESL Wins Three-Year Wreck Removal Concession Contract

Official Commencement Of The CG Port Harcourt Guest House

Century Energy Services Limited recently got a nod from NPDC to revamp of the electric motor driven compressors located in Batan and Egwa flow stations,

which are part of the six flow stations located at OML 42.OML 42, one of the recently divested assets from Shell

Petroleum Development Company to NPDC and other indigenous partners, is currently being managed by Century Energy Services Limited.

Out of the six flows stations (Batan, Egwa 1 and 2, Odidi 1 and 2, and Jones Creek flow station) only Batan is currently producing at 23,952 bbls per day. There are concrete plans to accelerate the development of the other flows stations to commence their own production as part of the plan to

The wreck-removal activities recently got a boost when the Federal Executive Council (FEC)

through the Federal Ministry of Trans-port and its agency NIMASA, awarded a three-year Wreck Removal Conces-sion contract to CESL to remove all towable wrecks in Warri, Port Harcourt and Calabar Pilotage districts.

This contract came on the background of the successful salvage of the sunken floating dock at Sapele (reputed to be the largest in West Africa).

support NPDC’s 2015 production estimate of 250,000bbls per day.

The activities to be carried out on both flow stations include:1. Carry out medium overhaul of the compressor2. Replacement of all the major component of the compressor and electric motor3. Servicing of compressor auxiliaries4. Replacement of cooling water pump5. Carry out NDT of cylinder head, junction and discharge valves and gas cooler fan module and repair or replace damaged items

By Diana Tom-Edide

The 17th of February marks a significant milestone in Centu-ry Group International as the

Port Harcourt Elelewon Guest House

an issue as we have armed Mobile Police men on the premises 24hrs a day, 7 days a week.

With the guest house coming on stream, revenue lost to hotels in the past can be effectively used for other purposes more profitable to the company.

Updates on the CG Port Har-court Guest House will be posted regularly, so be expectant.

commenced its crew change opera-tions. The facility has been updated and refurbished to hotel standards for the comfortable stay of our crew members and travelling staff.

The guest house has 70 well fur-nished rooms, internet connectivity, cable connection, catering services, laundry services and 24hrs power sup-ply from PHCN and our 165KVA and 600KVA generators. Security is not

Company News


Nigeria Oil & Gas 2014

The Nigerian Oil and Gas ex-hibition was held from the 2nd-5th of February 2014 at the International Con-ference Centre (ICC) Abu-

ja. The exhibition once again attracted the highest levels of the Nigerian oil & gas value chain to discuss, debate and network over 4 days of events, func-tions, exhibition and seminars. These exhibitions have consistently facilitated partnerships between resource-hold-ers and investors, helping various governments drive the energy industry forward across Africa and continue building relationships for many years

Declared open by the Honourable Minister of Petroleum Resources, the Nigeria Oil & Gas 2014 Conference, featuring a distinguished speaker line-up, celebrated industry successes, addressed the challenges faced in the continued growth and development of the Nigerian oil and gas industry, including oil theft and legislative and fiscal reform and outlined opportuni-ties for investment that will help move the industry to the next level.Century/Bumi was in attendance and this event provided us the ideal opportunity for discussion forums that solve topical industry challenges and promote debate and international knowledge transfer.

By Olubusayo Oludayo

As a first timer at this exhibition myself, it was an opportunity to be abreast of all the latest developments – geopolitical, industrial and techno-logical updates, join in round table dis-cussions; facilitate unique interaction

with all interested parties, learn and implement key findings from real-life case studies. It also provided the com-pany the opportunity of expanding her customer base and do business with the key decision makers in the field.

Company News


Nigeria Oil & Gas 2014

Company News


New Frontiers

Century Group through one of its subsidiary, CESL is in the process of estab-lishing a new joint venture with InterMoor, an Acteon

company. This will be a locally regis-tered company and fully compliant with the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Bill, 2010.

InterMoor has been working in West Africa for 10 years with bases in Luanda and Malongo in Angola. The company also has extensive experience with rig moves and mooring campaigns in Angola and Equatorial Guinea.

Mrs Osas Uwaifo who is the man-aging director of the JV, is a petroleum engineer with more than 13 years’ ex-perience in business development and contract management in the oil and gas industry. She is currently in charge of business development and commercial activities for Century Group and has a BEng degree in petroleum engineering

About InterMoorInterMoor, an Acteon company, is

the leading mooring, foundations and subsea services provider delivering innovative solutions for rig moves, mooring services and offshore instal-lation projects. We support operators and contractors worldwide with our engineering, fabrication, shore base, survey and positioning and inspection services to truly provide customised

solutions that reduce cost, time and risk. For more information, visit www.intermoor.com.

About ActeonActeon companies provide

mooring, foundation, riser, conductor, flowline and marine electronics prod-ucts and services supported by strong engineering and project management capabilities. Acteon’s companies are 2H Offshore, Aquatic, Claxton, Conductor Installation Services (CIS), Core Grouting Services, Fluke Subsea, InterAct, InterMoor, J2 Subsea, LDD, LM Handling, MENCK, Mirage Ma-chines, NCS Survey, Offshore Instal-lation Services (OIS), Probe Oil Tools, Pulse Structural Monitoring, Seatron-ics, Subsea Riser Products (SRP) and TEAM Energy Resources. For more information, visit www.acteon.com

About Subsea ServicesSubsea services are defined as the

provision of specialist equipment, ser-

Pre Dock

Post Dock

Osas Uwaifo New Managing Director of Century Group, InterMoor and Acteon Joint Venture In Nigeria

vices and personnel that can operate from any fit-for-purpose vessel or plat-form. Acteon’s subsea services offering is unique and addresses operational requirements that support oil and gas asset owners, construction and drilling companies, and vessel owners.

Company News

CG Dry Dock


Evaluating Local Content Policy Oil services as a

success story and template for the rest of the industry

International oil companies have dominated the Nigerian oil industry since exploration and production activities began in the 1950s and local content aspirations have always existed. Industrypressure groups as well as gov-ernment agencies have long emphasised the need for

increased local participation in the industry. Varied attempts were made by successive administrations to enhance local participation but in the absence of an appropriate supporting legal framework, those attempts were less successful than they could have been. However, these efforts had created a strong platform for an effective conceptualisation of the lo-cal content policy so that when the Local Content Act was eventually passed in 2010, the environment had been well prepared for its implementation.

Feature


Three years since its promulgation, the Local Content Act is praised for significantly increasing indigenous ownership

in the upstream sector; Seplat, FHN, Shoreline, Neconde, Elcrest and Niger Delta Western completed the acqui-sition of 8 assets and thereby added 44,000 bopd to existing production to Nigeria’s indigenous production. Most assessments of the success of the Local Content Policy so far have focused excessively on the ability of Nigerian companies to compete favourably in the exploration fields.Yet a review of the medium term Nigerian Content targets set by the Ministry of Petroleum and the Nigerian Con-tent Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) reveals that boosting indigenous production is only a small part of the story. An overarching goal is the retention of at least 50% of average annual industry expenditure (at present barely $4 billion is retained out of an annual average expenditure of $20 billion). Other objectives are the establishment of 3 new pipeline mills to meet industry demand, development of 1 or 2 dockyards and utilisation of existing shipyards, and the achieve-ment of 60% indigenous ownership of marine vessels supporting the industry. In other words, raising the indigenous profile in the oil services subsector is a key element of the policy.

So has the Local Content Policy been successful from the point of view of oil services? Before the Act, about eighty percent of oil services were foreign executed and only twenty percent could be done in-country. Presently however, only those activities that cannot be performed locally because of schedules and cost and technology are executed by foreigners, for example, drilling. The executive secretary of the NCDMB recently disclosed that 90 per cent local content had been achieved in

industry engineering, and 50 per cent in fabrication. Practical instances of local content wins that have been cited are the increased tonnage of fabrication yards from 10,000 to 50, 000 tons and the production of 200 kilometres of pipes locally for the oil industry.ExxonMobil deployed Helical Submerged Arc Welded (HSAW) pipes fabricated locally by SCC Pipe Mills for its Usari-Idoho pipeline replacement project in Akwa Ibom State. More recently, Afren Plc extended its lease of the Armada Perkasa FPSO at its Okoro-Setu field of Nigeria for a

further two years. It would be recalled that the FPSO is provided and operated by international company Bumi Armada in partnership with Century Group, an indigenous oil and gas services company. Century provides operation and maintenance services on the FPSO which has been on charter by Afren since 2008. The two-year extension, valued at 68.2 million USD, is considered by industry analysts to be a reflection of the quality of the asset and the operating track record of companies.

Going by all of this, Local Content Policy appears to have done quite well. However, to truly evaluate the success of the Local Content Policy and the potential for sustained progress, there are certain key aspects to its implementation that need to be considered – the law, its enforcement, proper education of the workforce, availability of skills and entrepreneurs. The first two are easy – the law now exists and most stakeholders agree that it is capable of achieving what it was enacted to achieve if it is properly

implemented. Implementation may not yet be excellent, but the efforts so far being made by the NCDMB are commendable. The current management of the Board has been praised for being tough but reasonable, balancing policy objectives and targets with what makes economic sense and is achievable at any particular time. The competence of the Board has also been credited with securing the cooperation of the oil companies and effective monitoring has ensured that compliance with local content is now standard operating procedure for any company dealing with government, since project approvals are based on their meeting the minimum local content requirements.

However, there are some fundamental weaknesses in the policy environment that cannot be ignored.The Local Content Policy by itself is insufficient; it needs to be driven by the availability of the required skills set, the existence of genuine entrepreneurship and corporate leadership. It is the lack of these that constitutes the current biggest challenge for the successful operation of Nigerian Local Content Policy.

There is a large labour force but very few persons with the requisite skills to take up available positions in the oil industry or other foreign dominated industries. Current efforts being made to develop the right skills among young people will not come to much if some changes are not made within the educational system to ensure adequate facilities and modern curricula. Local entrepreneurs are similarly challenged. Besides the problems associated with inadequate supporting infrastructure to run a business (roads, power, telecommunications),few truly understand what it takes to execute large scale complex projects and companies often operate without a proper corporate structure. Adequate

financing is crucial for such local entrepreneurs, and yet lending to the oil sector remains limited because Nigerian banks, on average, still do not have access to the kind of long term resources that are required. All of this means that small indigenous businesses find themselves struggling and are often unable to take advantage of the huge opportunities opening up in the industry. So although ongoing divestments by the oil majors can be considered a welcome development from the point of view of creating opportunities for the indigenous firms, the latter may not yet be fully ready to fill those soon-to-be-vacant shoes.

Therefore, there is a lot of work that still needs to be done. Local infrastructure, in the widest sense, must be revamped to support the implementation of the Local Content Policy.The educational system, and this includes vocational education, needs to be adequately reformed to support the oil industry and other industries. There is also a need to attract investments to the banking sector to build the asset base that will enable them finance entrepreneurs in the oil and gas sector.Monitoring policy implementation

should be expanded to include the expenditure of retained profits. This is because actual profits retained in-country can provide the needed base to finance other projects.

At the same time, there needs to be a corresponding flow of business opportunities commensurate to the investments entrepreneurs are making and are willing to make. A long awaited second marginal bid round is due to commence and this presents another opportunity for local firms.However,it must be taken into account that the Local Content Policy cannot continue to benefit a handful of indigenous players; efforts should be made to ensure that newcomers are also given opportunities. Thirty-eight thousand jobs so far created from implementation of the Local Content Policy is impressive but if the level of business activity increases, this figure can rise even further as thousands more get employed. We should be able to aim for 500,000 jobs out of the oil industry to bring down the level of unemployment in the country.

Above all, it must be recognized that the industry is segmented and efforts to ensure local content cannot focus on the upstream sector alone, which is the most capital intensive and yet yields the least returns in terms of wealth distribution. The midstream and downstream sectors have not really taken off in Nigeria as activities like refining and production of domestic cooking gas have been largely ignored over the years. The true value of developing local infrastructure will be felt most in these sectors because there is a lot more potential for opening up and opportunities for indigenous players. In conclusion, the Local Content Policy is certainly moving in the right direction but all stakeholders must be aligned to improving its implementation and ensuring that it realises the expected positive benefits for the country’s economy.

The executive secretary of the

NCDMB recently dis-closed that 90 per cent local content had been achieved in industry engineering, and 50 per cent in fabrication.

Therefore, there is a lot of work

that still needs to be done. Local infrastruc-ture, in the widest sense, must be re-vamped to support the implementation of the Local Content Policy.The educational sys-tem, and this includes vocational education, needs to be adequately reformed to support the oil industry and other industries.

Feature


Almost a decade ago, the prospect of emerging mar-kets burnt brightly; pre-dictions were made about how certain countries

would effortlessly gain entrance into the league of developed economies. However, after the melt down, the brightness dimmed and the apparent cracks that had been shielded from informed view began to show. In what seemed like a strange contrast -as some advanced economies picked up after the global meltdown; emerging markets experienced a broader-based slowing of growth.

As the scaffolds came apart, conjectures were made, questions were asked, answers were given, but understanding how the supposedly coveted investor’s destination went south, grappling to recover its steam

years after the melt down is not always found in the pages of economic theories. Most of the postulations of our empiricism will not suffice. Analyzing this without the necessary local intelligence would provide ideas, but never resolve the pertinent issues.

A very important feature of an emerging market is largely unattended to in most analysis, which poses a hidden threat to any recovery effort. Perhaps, it is time to pour some realism over the theoretical construct built around emerging markets. One glaring mistake most investors make in their foray into emerging markets is that they often judge a book by its cover. They take a quick dive into a business, based entirely on a brilliant business plan and, soon realize that the ‘so called’ entrepreneurs with compelling credentials from ivy-league schools are just incapable of delivering returns. For the most part, the entrepreneur has nothing but a golden head supported by clay feet.

In fairness to some of these entrepreneurs, they do not set out

New Models in Emerging Markets

A very important feature of

emerging market is largely unattended to in most analysis, which poses a hidden threat to any recov-ery effort

These are the gems that should

be discovered. These are the guys that hold the key to unlocking the wealth in emerging markets, but investors need a new pair of eyes to understand this and avail them the capital needed to achieve an economy of scale that can produce astronomical profit

to fail; they are just ill-equipped to handle the pressure and perhaps underestimate the challenges in their fields. The investors soon realize that not all that glitters is gold, however the winning streak will commence when we flip the coin to realize that the real entrepreneurs in the emerging markets are often like rough diamonds. They may not necessarily know how to articulate themselves flawlessly or put together a seamless business plan with the right global indices and investment, but they usually have a proven track record of navigating the tough economic space; they have grit to bite their way through the dense systemic corruption and they have local intelligence in averting the ineptitude that is a fall out of their culture. Yet they have no access to capital because of the lack of information and their limited exposure. Albeit their limitations, they have consistently stayed profitable and are concerned about the sustainability of their businesses.

These are the gems that should be discovered. These are the guys that hold the key to unlocking the wealth in emerging markets, but investors need a new pair of eyes to understand this and avail them the capital needed to achieve an economy of scale that can produce astronomical profit. Emerging markets, though different due to their peculiar characteristics, have certain similar traits that run through them. Revitalising the growth prospects of most emerging markets will depend on having a keen insight in unpacking the strands of their structural and cultural tapestry and how they impact the economic space. There exists within the market, non-empirical in-situ cultural

forces at play. A closer look at Africa, shows

a continent, bedeviled with infrastructural lapses, grappling with democratic ideals and inadequate skills to sustain the pace of growth and further reinforced by other unique fault lines and challenges rooted in culture, religion and ethnicity.

Africans are usually communal people; merit is constantly trumped on the back of tribal sentiments. Ethnicity is stronger than ethics. They over indulge in politics, in ways that endanger their businesses. Some pursue cash and not necessarily passion, they are in business first for the money. Sometimes, business resources are spent on prestige projects that have minimal value, but impact heavily on their egos. They have a culture of profligacy and expend business resources on personal vanity projects. They perpetuate the class war between the rich and the poor, and seek to preserve the status quo ante that benefits them. They feel entitled to a new car and a chieftaincy title when they cross a particular profit

By Ken Edward Etete

threshold. Any cash is profit. Investing in innovation is not yet ingrained. Are there exceptions? Yes, but almost insignificant in number. Does it mean that there are no opportunities? Definitely not!

The fact remains that opportunities are often surrounded by these complicated cultural challenges. When investors choose to get apprehensive over the challenges, they miss out on huge opportunities to access wealth. However, when investors focus on the opportunities and undermine the challenges, they get burnt in the process. These cultural factors are not going away anytime soon. A healthy approach will require an appreciation of both with equal equanimity.

We can bridge the gulf between the global investors and the emerging markets in a way that is viable and sustainable. This is why the conventional approach to investment will be inadequate for most emerging markets. There are no ready-made templates, but emerging markets require a different investment model. This new model would be a hybrid of conventional and unconventional - structuring a better corporate governance system that restrains excesses and provides an incentive scheme that caters mildly to vanity. There has to be a strong training policy, because where you cannot stop the business owner from hiring his incompetent relatives, you can get him to train them regularly. This model retains the veneer of the global investment template, but focuses on understanding the orientation and the peculiarities of the emerging market in order to achieve better balance and high quality growth.

Leadership Master Class


Leadership Series

Season III of the leadership series resumed in earnest, this March, the theme of

this season is drawn from the WARRING TRIBES OF ANCIENT CIVILIZATION.

Members of staff were assigned groups. There are 10 of the greatest ancient tribes in the league of extraordinary cham-pions, from the Trojans to the Persians.

The recommendations from last season have been carefully collated, scrutinized and moulded into practical applications that we have structured as topics for this new season. Here are some snap shots of the experience.

Learning, Sharing, Bonding

Century Life

Facilities (FPSOs, Production Platforms, MOPUs, FSO’s, etc.). Our service-solutions are continuously optimized for operational efficiencies. We are proud to be the leading, wholly indigenous African entity providing such services. We co-own and manage over 20 offshore support vessels (OSVs)

Working in partnership with the U.K. for Nigeria’s sustainable future

A global industrial group operating in various sectors, Century Group (CG) is a solutions-pro-vider for modern busi-

nesses. With a mission to identify and solve problems, enable people and create value, CG operations are focused on job creation with com-mercial effectiveness in all the coun-tries it has presence. CG has more than 2,000 employees, and contrib-utes more than 200,000 barrels per day of oil and/or its equivalent to the Nigerian oil and gas sector. It man-ages assets worth over $4 billion. Ken Etete, Group CEO, takes up this incredible Nigerian success story.

“We started out supporting the human resources of the oil and gas industry, which is highly technology driven. In the last six or seven years, however, we have grown into a major service provider, offering end-to-end operations and maintenance solutions to oilfield

through our marine division.To consolidate our fast-growing

business, we are developing Kidney Island in partnership with Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC), to become a strategic centre for oilfield logistics and supply chain activities in Nigeria and the Gulf of Guinea. We are grateful to Shell and other big players in the industry for recognizing the capacity and skills of local companies, especially the ones led by local entrepreneurs.”

CG was one of the first wholly indigenous companies to market its competencies and readiness-to-operate when the government pushed through its local content policy in 1999. “We were ready and have benefited from our support to local content development,” Etete says. “Cost, technology and efficiency are the key factors in the oil industry and if you don’t possess them, the oil man doesn’t wait! We take advantage of the experience and knowledge that we lack by forming strong partnerships. We are open to strategic partnerships that can add value for our stakeholders.”

The main challenge the sector faces is financing, Etete said. “Nigeria’s financial sector needs to be much stronger to support businesses,” he said. “There is also a major skills gap, considering the opportunities that are available.”

With this in mind, CG puts its money where its mouth is.

“We go to schools and help lots of young people. We train and empower people, and also create job opportunities. We want to create a million indirect jobs for Nigeria in the coming decade,” Etete says.

“We are proud of our growth and the fact we’ve survived with our own resources. We are also proud of the new U.K. partnerships we are building. It is a good sign, underscoring a very good future.”

We are proud to be the leading,

wholly indigenous African entity provid-ing such services. We co-own and manage over 20 offshore support vessels (OSVs) through our marine division.

CG In The Media


Leadership Series Learning,

Sharing, Bonding

Century Life


Life&Lessons

On Friday, April 25, 2014, Mrs. Patricia Etete, CEO of V.I.C.A.S was the special guest at our Life and Lessons KSS

series. The goal of Life ‘n’ Lessons is to bring accomplished persons to share their knowledge and experience with our staff. Through these talks, staff will learn life skills and achieve a balanced life. Work/life balance is a timely issue which impacts everyone. It is important towards maintaining an employee’s health, sanity, and contributions to the productivity of the organization. Most people compromise their marital suc-cess to achieve career growth but how can we hold it all together?

Mrs Patricia Etete, married for thirty five years, is a grandmother and worked for the British Deputy High Commission, Lagos, for 20 years before she retired in June 2008 as the office manager/visa operations manager. In April 2009, she established V.I.C.A.S (Visa Immigration Consulting and Advisory Service). She was motivated by the information gap with regards to the documentation required in the process of applying for visas. Mrs Pat Etete is also philanthropic and pas-sionate about marital counselling and mentoring.

with Mrs. Patricia Etete

Century Life


Life&Lessonswith Mrs. Moyinoluwa Olutayo

Century Life

In May 2014, Moyinsola Olutayo a.k.a “Dear Mother” came to share her life lessons with members of staff of CG. Mrs Olutayo is a TV content developer, an actress, a

presenter and producer. She started her journey into the world of media in advertising as an account executive and was a key player in the HOPE ‘93 Presi-dential Campaign. In 1994, she worked for the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) and moved to other notable media organisations. As MD/CEO of Emerald Production Ltd., a television, film production and event management company, and principal partner with Aims and Frames, a consulting firm, Mrs. Olutayo is truly a multi-faceted individual.


If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a lead-er—John Quincy Adams

Most employers look out for the best employ-ee that can deliver on the tasks at all times. But the employer cannot get the best of an employee if the employer doesn’t exhibit some good quality traits.

It is imperative that every employee gets into an organization with their set objectives and aligns them with the company’s goals. But for people to follow you, they must believe and have confidence in you. Your personality, your charisma, your character, your dispo-sition, your tolerance level and your vision are some of the factors to make people have confidence in you.

At a work place, there was leader who was very jovial and playful. He was fun to be with and everyone loved him. Because his department was underachiev-ing, he was summoned by a boss and was advised against his playfulness. He discovered that he needed to strike a balance. “When those you lead do not know where you stand, they will never stand for you”.

Money is not a total criterion to win people’s confidence. You can use your money at some point but money is not a guarantee. Never make money the ultimate because it will fade away. Leaders who think on the strength of their money always realize that money, alone, is not enough. Just because somebody

has the money to buy prop-erties and hire staff, does not mean that person can run an organization. The business will go on for some time but will fail at the end.

Some employers are easily carried away with the power

they seem to possess. An em-ployer can win an employee’s confidence by controlling the power they possess over the employee. An employer can make an employee afraid and lose confidence on the job. It also affects the employees’ creativity.

An employer’s popularity cannot win the confidence of the employee. In winning people’s confidence, there are some certain things you should learn from a pencil:• You must allow yourself to be held and guided by the hand.• In life you will undergo some painful sharpening which will make you a better pencil.• Always realise your mistakes and use your eraser to correct immediately.• Make a mark in everything you do.

I hope you found this very helpful. Thanks for reading.

Winning EmployeesConfidence

It is impera-tive that

every employee gets into an organization with their set objec-tives and aligns them with the company’s goals. But for people to follow you, they must believe and have confidence in you.

Century Life

By JamesUseghan or society thinks it is the

woman’s fault, like in most cases of child bearing or the

sex of a child? When will our culture and tradition

realise that the man is the person responsible for the sex of a child? And that they might

be responsible, in some cases, for the barrenness

of their wives?When you blame the

boss for the problem, do you agree that you are not

perfect? When you look down on your subordinate, are you

aware you do not have infinite knowledge?

In all spheres of life, it is pertinent to realise that when you point one finger at a person, four

fingers are pointing at you. This should make us sober and ponder.

We need to be very cautious, ana-lytical, and factual or sure before we make assertions, accusations, state-ments, or blame someone other than ourselves. This is a call for constant self-examination. When we do, inspi-ration could arise and motivation for self-improvement and development could occur.

One day, a man realised that his

wife of many years could not hear him as well as be-fore. He didn’t want to offend his wife, by accusing her of bad hearing, so he went to an ear doctor for advice. The doctor told him a reliable way to test his wife’s hearing.

Back at home, the man sat at the dining table while his wife was in the kitchen.

“Darling, when will dinner be ready?” He said.

“In five minutes!” She answered.He moved closer to the kitchen and

repeated his question. He walked to the door of the kitchen and asked her the same question. He entered the kitchen, stood beside his wife, and repeated his question.

“For the fourth time, it will be ready in five minutes!” The woman screamed.

Finally, the man heard his wife and discovered he was the one in need a hearing aid.

How many wives have suffered because the man

The Four Fingers

By Stephen Obubo

36 / Century Post 2nd Quarter 2014 / 372nd Quarter 2014 / 37

From my bedroom window I saw Bella come in through the gate. My sister’s head was bowed, her face sagged and her feet dragging every step. I skipped downstairs to the sitting room as she was pulling the blinds, blocking out the sun.

“Wassup,” I said.“Brenda, it’s not easy.” She said

and collapsed on the loveseat.I sat beside her. She hissed and rolled her eyes.“True to God, that Biodun guy wan kill me!” She said.I braced myself for the barrage of

offences her boss had committed. “8.05, this morning, 8:05, I just enter office,

I never even siddon for my seat na im I hear him voice as he commot for lift: “Bella! Bella! Come to my office now,” My sister began.

“Wetin you do am?” I asked. “Na one report wey I don send since last week

o! The thing too big, I don try send am and the thing dey bounce, so I don copy am for cd put for him table since last week. He never even check am, he just dey shout. Every ten minutes, na Bella you go hear from him office, everything wey happen and the one wey no happen for him life na me cause am!”

“Hmm!” I said.Can you imagine he dey go meeting around three

DiaryJobless

Entrepreneurof The

Century Life

By OlubankeOlujide

thirty for VI, he say make I no commot for office till six thirty, in case he come back office. Anyway me, I commot for office by five as others dey go house.”

“What if he comes in after you left?” I said.“I nor send am!” She said.“No mind am,” I said. “Wetin you go chop?”“Abeg, leave me first, you know

say you jobless so you fit dey cook and chop food from morning to night.”

“Haba, Bella! Na bad thing I do wey I dey ask wetin you go chop?”

“Sorry I no mean am, am just cranky.” Bella said.“Moreover, I’m not jobless I

have my own business!”“Dat one wey you dey do na work?” Bella said.“After all, I don’t have a boss screaming down

my neck every five minutes and I pay my bills.”“Brenda, what you are doing is a hobby

not a job. You are walking people’s dogs and doing shopping for them when they go to work. That isn’t a job. You even cook for them, you are a senior house girl.” She said.

For a moment I decided not to let her hurtful words get to me. We have been at this for over 2 years, since I started my home assistant company for busy professionals. I shop for them, cook and stock the freezer twice a month; I walk their dogs (those of my expat clients). I even helped a high profile client plan her son’s wedding, that’s including shopping, dress rehearsals, hall scouting, and the whole nine yards. That one job made me major bucks. In the past year, I made more than Bella and I wake up at my own time. I have a car and I pay bills at home without challenges.

Bella isn’t the only family I have who feel I am jobless, even though I don’t go asking for money or assistance, my dad cannot believe that I shelved a Second Class (Upper) degree in Quantity Surveying to become a “senior house girl”. Mum feels bad but I believe her love for me won’t let her totally smash the passion I have for the job and making my own money on my terms.

Anyway Bella felt better after a steaming bowl of Edikaikong and Starch that I made.

“Brenda, thank you jare!” Bella said as picked her teeth.

I wanted to harass her for eating the food made by a jobless senior housegirl who earns more than her and loves her “joblessness”. But I let her be. Biodun has dealt with her for today.

See you guys later!Watch this space for more snippets from

The Diary of a Jobless Entrepreneur.

New Appointment

Century Group wishes to formally welcome Mr Sharad Kumar Maheswar to the CBL/CESL family. Mr Sharad will be replacing Mr Fernan-

do Martin Becerra as the Finance Manager of Century Bumi Limited.

The management of Century Group, wishes to appreciate Mr Fernando Martin Becerra, who has held the office of the Finance Manager since 2012. He will be resuming at the Bumi Armada Berhad office in Kuala Lumpur.

Mr Sharad brings on board 17 years cognate expe-rience garnered in various capacities in the oil and gas sector.


I was looking forward to a challenge within the commercial sector when the role of Project Ac-countant with Century Group came up. My career had grown mainly within the UK public sector over the past few years. It was really exciting to be

afforded this opportunity within the private sector and ultimately within the oil & gas industry of Nigeria.

Inevitably, there were the initial corporate differ-ences moving from one job to another but the one thing I recognized immediately was how vibrant the staff at CG are, a young and energetic team itching to take big leaps in the progressive oil and gas sector.

The finance department is one of the largest functional teams in the group with a diverse selection of people from all over Nigeria. As I enjoy meeting people from different cultures and learning diverse traditions and patterns of life, it has been a positive encounter for me.

The department is fun loving and always look forward to a reason to celebrate each other. I consider this a great avenue for balancing a sometimes very de-manding work schedule. In December, I was privileged to join in the Xmas fun, where we exchanged gifts and

put together a small drama (imitating individual real life characters within the depart-ment..LOL). Birthday cakes & songs are a regular part of the fun agenda as well.

On the business side of things, finance is one of the most dynamic functions as a result of moving projects, new business and industrial evolu-tion which sometimes occur unexpectedly. For this reason, we are expected to remain up-dated professionally and astute at all times. The department is proactive in supporting this as I have already been involved in financial training on IFRS compliance since joining CG in October of 2013.

Being a professional in my field comes with its own set of challenges and it is almost second nature to automatically identify areas that require im-provement once I am on a job. My role in CG is no different as the Century finance team has its own set of challenges in meeting its objectives. Some of the tools that help to meet these challenges include a state of the art accounting system (SAP) giving the group a com-petitive edge in terms of finan-cial reporting and our calibre of dedicated professional staff.

No doubt with the changing economic environment and our growing portfolio of invest-ments, CG’s financial challeng-es will also evolve. The key is to remain positive and be ready to change with the tide.

I am grateful this opportuni-ty came up with Century Group and look forward positively.

CGMY Experience

The de-partment is

fun loving and always look for-ward to a reason to celebrate each other. I consider this a great avenue for balancing a sometimes very demanding work schedule.

By Ekanem Eta

Century Life

Book Donation

Century Group partners with Bayelsa State Government to set up SME Trust Fund

Century Group was one of com-panies that participated in the just concluded 20th interna-

tional conference on Small and Medium Enterprises, in Bayelsa State. Century Group is also partnering with the state government to set up the SME Trust Fund.

The governor, who hailed the World Association for Small and Medium Enterprises (WASME), for granting the state the hosting right, said the con-ference was taking place at a period,

when efforts were being intensified to diversify the economy beyond the oil and gas era.

Enumerating efforts made by his administration for wealth creation and poverty reduction in the state, Dickson said with the Bayelsa Geographical Information System (BGIS) in place, the citizenry could easily access finance with their assets.

In his address, Minister of Trade, Industry, and Investment, Dr. Olusegun Aganga, commended the state’s untir-

ing efforts at developing the entrepre-neurial ability of the citizenry as well as building the innovative capacity of enterprises in the state.

Aganga, who was represented by the Director General of Small and Me-dium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Alhaji Bature Masari, noted that SMEs provide em-ployment opportunities to 32.4 million Nigerians and stressed the need for all stakeholders to tackle the problems facing the sector.

CSER

As part of our corporate social responsibility in education, CG donates a book on high technology

written by Turner T. Isoun to the Education Department, University of Lagos and Yaba Colleage of Technology respectively.

The book is a compendium of the

author’s reflections on how Science and Technology Innovation (STI) could generate millions of jobs and proffer solution to nu-merous national problems in Nigeria. The 620-page book chronicles Nigeria’s Science and Technology strides during the author’s tenure as Federal Minister of Science and

Technology between October 2000 and May 2007, top of which was Nigeria launch of its satellite.

We believe this book will enrich the students intellectu-ally in Nigeria.


Global Manning, one of the subsidiaries of Century Group, is in-volved in facilitating skills development that caters to the oil and

gas industry. Banke Olujide is at the helm of affairs and takes on 5 questions from CAD.

5 QUESTIONS FOR OLUBANKE OLUJIDE

CAD: GMRL has changed in the past three years. How have you handled this transition?

BO: In the past three years, there indeed have been many changes at GMRL. Our objectives have changed as well and we have within the past 1 year honed in on what our business is, specifically. I have been with GMRL for 15 months and within this period we have been able to stay rooted by constant learning and fine tuning our offerings to align with CG objectives and also international best practices within the oil and gas industry. We have gone from being just a project department purely for the Amnesty programme, to becoming an overall project cum training department. Now the foundation of our major business of manpower services provision has been laid and we commenced

operations in January 2014 in this capacity.

CAD: What are the areas you have created change within GMRL?

BO: GMRL has changed since I have joined the subsidiary in Nov 2012, you can bear witness that the overall group had little or absolutely no understanding of what the subsidiary was about, what we did, who our clients were and neither were they very interested in whatever we were up to. We have changed that notion by opening our doors and showing transparency in our operations. We have cleared every misconception especially about who we are and what we do. We have structured the subsidiary in a way where we are constantly visible within the group by reducing overall group cost and upgrade efficiency on some services

we have undertaken. The guest house in Port Harcourt is a brain child of GMRL.

CAD: How will you describe your experience under GMRL?

BO: I have loved every minute of my frustrations and disappointments. I have also loved every “eureka” moment, every moment I find someone within the group who is willing to make an effort to help GMRL grow. I have learnt a lot about office politics, a lot about integrity and business maturity. I have had a very expository experience and I love every moment of it.

CAD: What are the major projects under GMRL?

BO: GMRL is currently undertaking the cleaning services of CESL Lagos Office. We will be spreading our services to the Port

Harcourt Office. We will also be undertaking some other services for the group. We are taking our services to other companies within Lagos. We have planned empowerment schemes for about 100 Amnesty trainees which will commence by the start of Q4.

CAD: Where do you see GMRL in the next five years?

BO: GMRL in five years will be a major provider of manpower in the oil and gas industry. We will provide manpower in diving, maritime, hospitality services and bespoke areas. We will be a strong autonomous company servicing several IOCs and Nigerian businesses; providing international standard manpower for every level of their organogram.


The World Environment Day (WED) is celebrated every year on June 5 to raise global awareness to take positive environmen-

tal action to protect nature and the planet Earth. It is run by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). It was established by the Unit-ed Nations General Assembly in 1972 on the day that United Nations Con-ference on the Human Environment began. The first World Environment Day was celebrated in 1973. Since then it is hosted every year by a different city with a different theme.( Wikipedia, World Environment Day)

With these thoughts, the UN General Assembly declared 2014 as the International Year of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) with the celebration of this year’s WED under the theme of SIDS. It had a goal of raising awareness of their unique development challenges and successes regarding a range of environmental problems; including climate change, waste management, unsustainable consumption, degradation of natural resources, and extreme natural disasters.

SIDS are especially vulnerable to climate change due to their small size, narrow resource base, high susceptibility to natural hazards, low economic resilience, and limited human and technological capacity for mitigating and adapting to the effects of climate change. The primary challenge for many SIDS is enhancing their prospects for economic growth while preserving their environment and promoting social

development. The Green Economy offers opportunities for SIDS to better manage natural resources and focus on sustainable development.

Green economy is an economy that aims at reducing environmental risks, ecological scarcities, and sustainable development without degrading the environment. The overall goal of a Green Economy is submerged under a supportive sustainable development concept, which has its main objectives under development and poverty eradication.

We reside in a society where little or no attention is placed on the environment and dangers as we are faced with various atmospheric pollutions due to our poor and

reckless waste management systems. With governments today seeking effective ways to lead their nations out of these related crises, whilst also taking into account these planetary boundaries; green economy (in its various forms) has been proposed as a means for catalyzing renewed national policy development and international cooperation.

It is therefore expedient that the right climate or enabling conditions are provided to generate and stimulate both public and private sector investments that incorporate broader environmental and social criteria. Several recommendations have been presented for enabling the transition to an inclusive green economy, including: increasing public investment in Green Economy activities, developing market-based instruments, revising legislative and regulatory frameworks and enhancing institutional capacity.

All these, are focused towards building a green economy, flourishing and growing with the right vegetation; but if we don’t consciously work towards it, we will continuously have outbreaks of diseases.

http://climate-l.iisd.org/events/world-environment-day-2014http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Environment_Dayhttp://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/index.php?menu

REFERENCES

Green economy is an econo-

my that aims at re-ducing environmental risks, ecological scarcities, and sus-tainable development without degrading the environment. The overall goal of a Green Economy is sub-merged under a supportive sustainable development concept, which has its main objectives under development and poverty eradication.

Building a Green Economy; How Green can it get?

World Environment Day

Health Safety and Environment

By TK Etete


FPSO Mystras Achieves 1000 Days of LTI Free Operations.

he very happy and proud of this mile-stone. He said this is one of those poi-gnant moments in which to remember that the safety of lives and property is to be given utmost priority. To achieve this is a resource more valuable than money – our people. He on behalf of the mgt. and staff expressed how proud we are of the people that stayed up late at night while the rest of us slept in order to keep the Mystras operating while eliminating unsafe acts. He went on to say that they have demonstrated the CG vision and philosophy to solve problems, enable people and create value with what they have all achieved and that even though there might be some setbacks, we can only improve on this achievement.

The Offshore Installation Manag-er (OIM), Mr. Nikolic Zoran, used the

opportunity to appreciate the collec-tive efforts of all personnel – Century Group (CG) staff, the valuable contrac-tors, third party companies and visitors who have contributed in making this accomplishment a reality. He implored everybody to remain focused as we continue to build on our HSE culture.

The manager of HSE, Mr. Egberipou Idonbaa, remarked that the feat was possible because of management support and the commitment of all personnel to HSE values. He added that “HSE performance is not a destination but a journey”. He emphasized that the performance does not call for only celebration but a challenge to continue to maintain the standard and improve on HSE performance.

Corporate Affairs and HR were onboard to celebrate with the crew.

By 12 midnight, on the 24th FEBRUARY 2014, FPSO MYSTRAS recorded a landmark when it achieved 1,000 Lost Time Injury

(LTI)-free days of operations. To mark this very important Health, Safety & Environment (HSE) milestone, a special onboard visit was organized for mem-bers of the team.

The CE, Mr. Ken Etete stated that

By Olubusayo Oludayo

I Year LWC Free

May 6th marked one year LWC free opera-tions in Armada Per-

dana. This success is coming a year after we witnessed the unfortunate incident involving one of our crew members. The offshore management team has done a lot to ensure that such occurrence does not re-occur.

The management of Century Group expressed gratitude to the offshore management team, CAMAC, BAB, KOLTOM and all who worked tirelessly to ensure hitch free operations. Management assured the team that the Perdana refurbishment will be commissioned in this second quarter.

CG Becomes A Member Of British Safety Council

In yet another giant stride to our HSE records, Century Group has fully acquired membership into the British Safety Council as part of our on-going commitment to

Health and Safety across all divisions of the brand.

The British Safety Council is an experienced, forward thinking, and innovative organization with over 50 years of knowledge in health and safety practices. This organization being the first international body we are regis-tered to is significantly instrumental in our strategy in promoting our commit-ment to health and safety for both our employees and customers. Membership of a professional body like the British Safety Council brings advantages such as easy access to expertise, opportu-nities for extra awareness and training and up to date changes in HSE legisla-tion and best international practice/standards.

We actively look at ways to improve and promote safety throughout the business and the British Safety Council is a professional organization that not only will aid our own development but assist us in providing professional sup-port and guidance to our clients, staff and contractors.

We are very pleased to join the British Safety Council in its efforts to reduce injuries and fatalities worldwide. We believe that work safety starts with education, therefore Century Group

is working diligently and effectively to put high-quality training materials into the hands of its stakeholders.

Some of the benefits of this mem-bership is access to key information and expert training. Membership of the British Safety Council also would help our organization manage legislation and compliance, as well as systemati-cally raising our health, safety, environ-mental standards and quality service delivery.

With the British Safety Coun-cil’s help, we are able to provide our employees, clients and contractors with the vital information they need to stay safer from work place hazards and accidents caused by breach of HSE procedures and standards.

They are also the only UK awarding body to offer a complete suite of health and safety qualifications from Entry Level to Level 6 in the HSE develop-mental framework.

Other Benefits include• Membership certificate.• HSE Management monthly magazine for general world updates. • Monthly member e-newsletter.• Intellectually rich resource materials. • Conferences and other networking events which is vital in attracting busi-ness opportunities.• Members’ participation in annual pol-icy activities including government con-sultations and ensuring the promotion

of sensible legislation and regulation.• Online account to manage our mem-bership• Annual international HSE awards

By Stephen Osiegbu



CG Fire Drill And Emergency Response Training

Staff Learning How To Use Fire Extinguisher And Fire Blanket

Nobody expects an emer-gency or disaster -- es-pecially one that affects them, their employees, and their business

personally. Yet the simple truth is that emergencies and disasters can strike anyone, anytime, and anywhere.

Around the world most govern-ments, offices and organizations pre-pare their staff for different emergency situations including natural disasters such as flood, tsunamis, fire, tornadoes and earthquake which affects thou-sands of people every year

The CG HSE department ensures that it organizes different types of drills including fire, medevac, security, and road accident drills to prepare staff for any type of emergency

On the 1st of April 2014, a fire drill was conducted by the HSE department in the main building (Lagos HQ) The exercise was witnessed by regulators of the Lagos State Fire Service (Mr.Adesina and Miss Adebimpe).

Subi Hilda using fire blanket to put out fire by starving the fire of oxygen as directed by Christopher Esin

Subi Hilda putting out fire with fire blanket



With Love From Harvard

The Chief Executive of Century Group was among the graduates of the OMP programme at Harvard. There was a gift presented to CE by the management team on behalf of the staff of CG on his graduation from Harvard

Social Diary


TGIF - “Roll Up Your Sleeves”

The staff of CG brought down the house with our first TGIF for the year, Roll Up Your

Sleeves’. It was an exciting eve-ning with loads of fun, freestyle karaoke performances, rib cracking comedy sessions, elec-tric dance steps and Cuba salsa. Guess what? Apart from the lots of mouth-watering food and beverages, we got the chance to explore over 12 game options @ the ultra-exclusive Sports Bar, TMP, one of Lagos best kept secrets fast becoming a popular spot. Here are the pictures

Social Diary


Social Diary

TGIF - “Roll Up Your Sleeves”


CE New Year BBQ

Social Diary


Social Diary


Century Group EASTER HAPPY HOUR in Warri.

New Additions To The CG Family

The Century Group, Warri office, recently hosted the Easter Happy Hour for family and friends of the staff in Warri. It was an evening of music, dance and fine food in celebration of the Easter public holiday.

Speaking at the occasion, Mr Ondokare Fufeyin, the Chief Lead of Armada Perdana Operations, expressed his profound gratitude to the management of Century Group, for supporting the staff and creating the environment for them to bond and have fun, after months of tedious work. As they say “Warri no dey carry last.”

Binatari Sese’s twin sons - 23rd January 2014

Paul Owotorufa wedding - 15th November, 2013

Mr. Ogechi Amadi’s twin daughters.

Miebi Ifedigbo’s daughter - 19th February, 2014

Ferdinand Adimefe’s son, - 2nd May, 2014

Emmanuel Aniete’s daughter - 30th December, 2013

Olubanke Olujide’s son - 4th November 2013.

Efosa Igbinoba’s son - 5th March, 2014.

Adesuwa Ebhaleme’s daughter- 30th April, 2014

Justina Azoro’s daughter - 22nd January, 2014

Raphael Adaka’s Son - 24thNovember, 2013

Social Diary

New Additions To The CG Family


Social Diary

Benepade Zuokumor’s Farewell

Olutunde Fadairo’s Farewell

64 / Century Post

CENTURY GROUP

Reshaping Africa

Here at Century Group, we understand that doing business is

beyond proven track records of providing world class services; that

is only part of the story. Our true story is about solving problems,

enabling people and creating value.

Across Century Group’s industrial value chain of nine different

subsidiaries, we have created over 2,000 jobs directly and over

10,000 jobs indirectly.

Every business venture only affords us the opportunity to do

what we do best: reduce poverty in our communities, develop the

region’s human resource capabilities by creating opportunities

for the youth and contribute to making the continent a safe and

enabling place.

T: 234 (0) 1-2715374 2719586 | E: [email protected]

W: www.ceslintlgroup.com

century post 1st ed. '14

Documents

century bumi

ces forward4 century

century posta publication

sphere of life

life lesson series

new phase

new paradigms

success story