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4th Quarter 2014 / 1 Century POST A publication of the Century Group. Fourth Quarter 2014 What Lies Ahead Hard Work and Commitment 10 Success Tips CENTURY GROUP Company News, Social Diary, Spotlight and Leadership Series +

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A Century Group in-house magazine

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4th Quarter 2014 / 1

Century POSTA publication of the Century Group.

Fourth Quarter 2014

What Lies

Ahead

Hard Work and Commitment 10 Success Tips

CENTURY GROUP

Company News, Social Diary, Spotlight and Leadership Series+

2 / Century Post 4th Quarter 2014 / 3

Hard Work and Commitment

It has been an eventful year. One we are proud of and many valu-able lessons learnt that will help us move ahead as a company in the light of the opportunities

ahead of us.As we’ve come to the end of the

year, remember that our journey as a company just began. In recent times, there have been stormy seas but we must sail on because we have put in so much to do otherwise.

Challenges are a constant in life and our reaction, which is a variable, will determine the outcome in every situation. We must remain positive and resilience to succeed.

Hard work and commitment to ourselves, families and firm is the only panacea for relevance in this industry and the society at large. We must instill these virtues at every level because the competition will only get stiffer and we must stand out as a firm, delivering on our promises to our clients.

I assure you that these will bring you an inch closer to your dreams and aspirations every day. Management will also work hard to help you actualize these dreams.

Happy holiday.Joyeux Noel!

CE’s Forward

4 / Century Post 4th Quarter 2014 / 5

Not Beyond UsJoin us on February 4thworldcancerday.org

Content Company News

Leadership Master Class

CE’s Forward

Century Life

Social Diary

8 38

40

47

45

52

36

54

10 18

8 Century Group at the Net-working Reception of the Energy Institute Nigeria UK

12 What Lies Ahead

3 Hard Work & Commitment

18 Leadership Series: A Grand Slide Success of the Leadership Series in Port Harcourt and Warri

30 10 Success Tips

36 Spotlight: 8 Questions for Jessica Inegbeniki

38 HSE:World Cancer Day:A Day of Awareness

40 Cancer Awareness Walk

45 A Tribute to Myles Munroe

56 ED’s Birthday

58 CG One World Games

54 CE’s Birthday

52 Ross Mierendorff’s Sendforth

9 Century Group Secures Gas Purchase

10 Century Group And Intermoor Enter A New Joint Venture

2014 Harvard Business School Association of Ni-geria End of Year Black Tie Dinner & Ball

20

6 / Century Post 4th Quarter 2014 / 7

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 Corpo-rate Affairs Department.

Chairman – Editorial BoardKen Etete

Executive DirectorTK Etete

AdvisorNadou Amri

EditorOlubusayo Oludayo

Assistant EditorsJames UseghanMiebi Ifedigbo

ContributorsAbiola ObadimejiAdeniji VictorEdward YinkereEmetomo OtuagaHilda SubiIsioma IdemudiaJessica InegbenikiJoseph UkpongKarl Ken HarrisKemepade SammyKuponiyi OluwoleNnenna MaduabumOdidika NzenaguoraOlubanke OlujideOsas UwaifoRemilekun OgonsStephen ObuboTamunosipiriye KokoTolulope Famojuro

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

Print CMYKPro

PhotographyRedArkBash

Here we are. It was like space travel. The last quarter is here. 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’ve seen and heard stories that bring smiles and almost tears: Mr

Sparkle’s article and his view towards life. Managers and HODs who have helped encourage others and staff who are quick to help a new face in the office get acclimated.

Within these pages, you will find interviews with great minds and poems from poets within the CG environment. Other voices come from people with lots to share for all to learn. While we were putting this edition together, we thought of some ways in which we hope you hear some echo of your own achievements in these pages hence the spot-light and management trainee session.

In this edition, we rounded up the Leadership Series in Port Har-court and Warri offices. The Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) “New Pair of Eyes” initiative was a success as the company had the privilege of partnering with members of staff for the benefit of the indigenes from one of our host communities. We have lots of pictures to share with you all from the Intermoor signing to the addition of new bundles of joy as well as the first ever “CG One World Games”.

As we approach the finish line, it is imperative that you take time to check your career. Sit back maybe for just a minute and write down five key objectives that you have actualized that make you proud of yourself

EditorOlubusayo Oludayo

as a staff and work towards getting better. It’s a good way to end the year.

Do enjoy the read. Feliz Navidad!

The Gift of Each OtherEditor’s Desk

Desirous of transforming the Nige-rian Maritime Administration And Safety Agency (NIMASA) into a 21st century compliant entity, the NIMASA Administration is keen

on implementing e-Procurement (electronically managed tendering, bidding and procurement system) as the platform for higher efficiency, greater productivity and better service delivery. As would be naturally expected, the Agency is familiar with quite a few Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Systems. However, the need for a localized system with features and function-alities specifically designed to cater for the data management needs of the Agency with special regards for the laws and regulations guiding the processes and functions of the Agency in its tendering, bidding and procurement activities.

In view of above organizations need to incorporate best practice in procurement and this is especially important in the governance and compliance areas. Century Data Inte-grated Services Limited (CDISL) was awarded the contract, in October 2014, to deploy an E-Procurement and E-Tender-ing Application to NIMASA. We are proud to say that after in-depth consultation, coupled with appropriate e-Tools. Our e-procurement and e-tendering software has been devel-oped in-house affording us the flexibility to cost effectively meet our clients (NIMASA) needs and to ensure maximum impact on their bottom line.

Our E-Procurement and E-Tendering application is designed to streamline the workflow involved in the prepa-

CDISL Deploys An E-Procurement And E-Tendering Solution To NIMASA

Company News

Mrs. Isioma Idemudia giving more insight into the application to the team present at the meeting

The NIMASA Team was quite impressed with CDISL capabilities and expressed its gratitude and willingness to immediately set the process of “perfecting development and planning implementation” in motion.

ration of tenders and procurement requirements, improve administrative approval and technical sanction by using electronic formats. This portal provides a simple, secure and efficient means for managing tendering activities online. Incorporating the sending and receiving of tenders and quo-tations online, this reduces the time and effort required for both buyer and providers.

The application was deployed within two weeks of ac-cepting the contract. And NIMASA staffs were trained on the use of the application. Development of the proposed system is nearing its completion stages and this meeting is the first of its kind in a series of meetings designed to practically involve the agency in making final inputs in the development of the framework. This way, the development team hopes to improve usability and enhance customer satisfaction in their user-experience.

Mrs. Chichi Azike from the NIMASA team presenting to Mrs. Isioma Idemudia existing data that will serve as input data during the next presentation.

By Osaretin Salami

8 / Century Post 4th Quarter 2014 / 9

Century Group at the Networking Reception of the Energy Institute Nigeria UK

On Friday 10th October, 2014, The Acting British Deputy High Commis-sioner, Mike Purves, requested the presence of Century Group at the Networking Reception of the Energy

Institute Nigeria/UK to host the Nigerian Produc-ers Forum. The theme of the event was ”Growing Nigeria’s Indigenous Producers’ Future Investments in Oil and Gas”. The event held at the British Res-idence was attended by members of staff, invited clients and vendors.

Company News

Century Group Secures Gas Purchase

Century Group recently secured a gas purchase order from Gas Aggre-

gation Company of Nigeria to receive 50mscf per day from SPDC.

The gas obtained will be used to generate 50mwatt power through a modular power plant in partnership with Aggreko power solution. The location of this power plant is Gbarain in Bayelsa state and it is one of many more to come.

This is in line with Centu-ry’s new drive to support the Federal Government gas to power initiative. The project is scale-able and is proposed to generate 200mwatts of power in the near future.

CG Staff, Mike Purves and invited guests Mike Purves, Osas Uwaifo and an invited guest

Olubusayo Oludayo and Mike Purves

James Useghan with invited guests Mayowa Oluyide, Ferdinand Adimefe, James Useghan and invited guests Osas Uwaifo (2nd Left) and invited guests

10 / Century Post 4th Quarter 2014 / 11

Century Group And Intermoor Enter A New Joint Venture

It was a great feat for us in Century Group on the 22nd of July, 2014 as it was a landmark achievement with the signing between InterMoor and CG.

InterMoor, an Acteon company, came into a joint venture agreement with Century Energy Services

Ltd (Century) in Nigeria. This will be a locally registered company and fully compliant with the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Bill, 2010. For InterMoor, securing a joint venture with an experienced and established partner like Century would ensure an effective local engagement with the Nigerian oil and gas market.

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. Philipp Stratmann, InterMoor’s global development manager, said, “Nigeria is the largest oil producer in Africa. Expanding in Nigeria is a strategic move for us while we continue to focus on international growth and new ways to address our clients’ needs. The joint venture will ensure compliance with Nigerian local content laws and enable us to participate in the increasing number of offshore projects being conducted in the region.”

Derrick Douglas, InterMoor’s new business development manager in Nigeria, and Osas Uwaifo, Century’s managing director for the joint venture, will manage the InterMoor offices in Lagos.

Bumi Armada Berhard represent-ed by Century Bumi Ltd partic-ipated in Vendor Gap Closure

Engagement and Exhibition facilitated by Nigerian Agip exploration Limited (NAE) NC Division in collaboration with Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN) and Nigeria Con-tent Development Monitoring Board (NCDMB)

The event which took place at the Hotel Presidential in Port Harcourt, River state, Nigeria from 2nd-3rd October 2014 was organised by NAE Nigerian Content (NC) Division with the objective of partnering vendors and contractors in the deep offshore to de-velop capacity and capabilities through the utilization of Nigerian human and material resources in the Oil and Gas industry. An MOU between NAE and PETAN was signed to foster collabora-tion in developing capacity within its operations and to boost local content in the country

As a major contractor in the deep offshore, BAB/CBL was present to showcase its expertise. Mrs Osadebam-wen Uwaifo, Head Business Develop-ment/ Commercial, Century Group was also on hand to lend her support to CBL during the workshop

The exhibition provided an oppor-tunity for networking, brand exposure and questions and answers which high-lighted steps taken by the organisation to contribute towards the development of Nigerian content and compliance with the local content regulations. During the tour of the exhibition ground, Vice-Chairman and Manag-ing Director of NAOC, Mr Massimo Insulla, made it a point to visit the BAB/

Company News

Nigerian Agip Exploration Limited Gap Closure Engagement and Exhibition

By Osaretin Salami

CBL stand and exchanged a few words with the BAB/CBL delegates; He was also briefed on the core compe-tence of the company.

Capt Rohit with MD NAE at CBL stand

A visitor and Capt. Rohit at the Exhibition stand

A visitor and Capt. Rohit at the Exhibition stand

Osaretin Salami and a visitor at the Exhibition stand

New Frontiers

Osas Uwaifo, Philipp Stratmann, Ken Etete and Teinane Okpoketi

12 / Century Post 4th Quarter 2014 / 13

WhatLies Ahead

Leadership Master Class

I recently came across a quote from the Isa Upanishad, Hindu Scripture. It simply reads: “who sees all beings in his own self and his own self in all beings, loses all fear”. I found it confusing and contradictory but on a deeper consideration of the quote, I realised that most of the

problems we face today are a joke when compared to what lies ahead of us. Why? Fear, our ancient companion. Sudden-ly, my mind was a race track with so many thoughts running through as I considered what matters most in life. The finish line was epiphany- point of realization. Are you Curious? Want to know what I discovered? First I will tell you a short story, one that you have probably heard. I will tell it anyway.

By Ken Edward Etete

A wise man once said that poverty is the fear of what tomorrow holds. This fear is evident in every strand of the fabric of today’s society. There is a responsibility we owe to all humanity, especially future generations to launder this fabric.

It was a warm Saturday afternoon. Joe was out with his kids and a couple of friends, having fun. They tried sever-al stuffs, had good laughs, basically engraving some pleasant memories on the walls of their hearts. The kids were clamouring for a boat ride and of course they required a chaperone. Yours truly, Joe volunteered; after all the air was cool and the water was calm. Everyone wore a life jacket and the ride began. To the children, Christ-mas came early as they sang rhymes and told stories. All of a sudden, the storm crept out and the water began to boil. Yes, literally boil. One, two and all the occupants of the boat were poured into the water. Only then did Joe realize that not all the life jackets were fastened properly. The screams changed the water to a labour room. The children labored to swim as they screamed like a pregnant woman be-ing delivered.

Joe’s eyes opened in horror realizing the magnitude of his predica-ment. A few metres away from him was Mary, his friend’s daughter and further away was his son, James. Joe could only save one of them given the circum-stance. He began to swim towards his son. Now pause. What do you see? A rational being?

I see protectionism, but not in the context of international trade. I see the tendency to protect “one’s own”. It

is like the Albatross in Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”. The cross of protectionism is getting heavier by the day. Although we view wars, acts of terrorism and

violation of human rights as principal threats to peace and development, there are other variables that pose a greater threat- Family, legal system, religion, language, racism to mention but a few which now go with the prefix, “my”. These variables are the vehicles of protectionism; and fear is the ultimate fuel. Fear of tomorrow, fear of the un-known and even fear of the known.

A wise man once said that poverty is the fear of what tomorrow holds. This fear is evident in every strand of the fabric of today’s society. There is a responsibility we owe to all human-ity, especially future generations to launder this fabric. It transverses our families, race, religion and other barri-ers we have put up as barricades. This is an exercise that involves every one of us as we are all proponents of protec-tionism. A couple of us might beg to be excused, by denying any form of affinity with this reality, but our subsequent detailed discuss of each of the variables of protectionism will prove that indeed all have sinned. Watch out!

For more leadership thoughts: Follow www.kenetete.wordpress.com

14 / Century Post 4th Quarter 2014 / 15

Forbes Afrique s’est associé à l’Institut Choiseul qui a réalisé le classement de cette nouvelle génération business du continent.

Une première édition inédite et exclusive.

LE TOP 100DES JEUNESDIRIGEANTS

PAR LUC BERTRAND

The CE, Mr Ken Etete was featured in the African Business and the Forbes Afrique magazines for 2014.

CG In The Media

#20 Mariéme Jamme Une PDG très sociale« JE CROIS EN MES RÊVES, JE SOUTIENS LES AUTRES ET JE BOSSE DUR. Il n’y a pas de mystère ! » Force de la nature, cette Sénégalaise de 40 ans, passée par l’EM Lyon, a basé sa société Spot One à Londres. Le but : faciliter l’accès au marché africain (notamment) d’investisseurs étrangers. Entrepreneuse sociale dans l’âme, elle veut par ailleurs favoriser l’accès du continent à la technolo-gie, y implanter des bonnes pratiques dans le business, la transparence en politique et renforcer l’éducation des jeunes. Un engagement qui lui valut de figurer dans le récent classement Forbes des 20 jeunes femmes influentes d’Afrique.

#11 Mark Shuttleworth Jobs, Gates et luiAVEC UN NOM PAREIL, SHUTTLEWORTH (“VAUT NAVETTE”) DEVAIT FINIR DANS L’ESPACE. Ce qu’il fit en 2002. Sa semaine dans l’ISS lui coûta 20M$.

Une paille pour celui qui avait revendu sa société Thawte (certification SSL pour navigateurs Web) en 1999 pour près de 600 M$. Génie des télécoms – il a étudié la gestion des systèmes d’information à l’université du Cap –, le quadra-génaire sud-africain vise à présent l’exploitation libre de logiciels, “Ubuntu”, à travers sa société Canonical.

#14 Sébastien Kadio- Morokro Plein gaz !QUAND IL ACCÈDE AU POSTE DE DIRECTEUR GÉNÉ-RAL DE PÉTRO IVOIRE IL Y A DEUX ANS, LE FILS DU FONDATEUR DE LA COMPAGNIE PÉTROLIÈRE IVOI-RIENNE EN A DÉJÀ AMORCÉ LA DIVERSIFICATION DEPUIS 2008 : ouverture du capital, distribution

de gaz et internationalisation des activités. Ambitieux pour son pays et le continent, à 34 ans, marié et père de trois enfants, diplômé en sciences économiques à l’université de Paris XII, Sébastien Kadio-Morokro aime rappeler son long séjour en France, source d’enrichissement culturel.

#19 Saad Sefrioui 32 ANS - MAROC- DIRECTEUR GÉNÉRAL DÉLÉGUÉ ADDOHA• Université de Paris,

HEC Montréal• Chargé de mission,

Addoha Groupe (2011)

#18 Hassanein Hiridjee39 ANS - MADAGASCAR PRÉSIDENT DTS -  MOOV MADAGASCAR• ESCP • Président-directeur

général, First Immo (1999-2005)

#17 Peter Njonjo 40 ANS - KENYA DIRECTEUR GÉNÉRALCoca-Cola East Africa• Strathmore College,

USIU• Directeur général, Coca-

Cola Kenya (2009-11)

#16 Rosario Mbasogo K. Nguidang35 ANS - GUINÉE ÉQUATORIALE VICE-PRÉSIDENTE CEMAC• Strathmore College, USIU• Directeur général, Coca-

Cola Kenya (2009-11)

#15 Paul-Harry Aithnard40 ANS - TOGO - DIRECTEUR MARCHÉ DE CAPITAUX ET GESTION D’ACTIFS ECOBANK• Université de Paris,

HEC Montréal• Directeur d’investissement,

BBSP (2007-08)

#13 Jean-Paul Melaga 39 ANS - CAMEROUNDIRECTEUR AFRIQUE BANK OF TOKYO- MITSUBISHI• IEP Lyon, ESCP Europe• Directeur Afrique franco-

phone, Renaissance Capital (2007-08)

#12 Ken Etete40 ANS - NIGERIAPRÉSIDENT-DIRECTEUR GÉNÉRAL CENTURY GROUP• London School of

Economics, Harvard• Directeur pays,

Bluewater Offshore Nigeria (2000-01)

SEPTEMBRE 2014 FORBES AFRIQUE | 65

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16 / Century Post 4th Quarter 2014 / 17

Management Trainees’ Experience

I met and worked with skilled people and learnt

a lot from them. I undertook several tasks that enabled me discover our business ideals as well as worked in different departments to better under-stand the various fields of expertise. HR provided a tailor-made development program guaranteed to give my career an excellent head-start. The challenging work environment provided me a great opportunity to build myself and better understand the path I wanted to take career wise.

The support I got from both the Lagos and PH staff has been amazing to say the least. Everyone in CG showed a high level of commitment to my growth and development as a Management Trainee and also in ensuring I pos-sessed the functional and leadership capabilities required to excel in the programme. This showed that the organization was committed to my development and the constant feed-back on my performance helped me build the leadership and functional capabilities required to complete the programme as a high performing individual.

It would be remise of me if I didn’t give special thanks to our CE Ken Etete, Mr. Adaka, Mrs. Helen Fajimi and (but not limited to) Mr. Harold Obasohan, who gave me the opportunity to grow and be the best I could be during the training.

In summary, the MGT programme was everything I expected and then some.

My one year management trainee program has been quite an interesting journey. I started off with the procurement department, and

then moved on to HSE and currently with Century Data Integrated Services. I got to understand how these different departments carried out their various duties following their SOP and how people worked together to achieve the company’s set goals. I am currently working with Global Performance Index, an online platform which enables professionals and enterprise monitor productivity and performance.

My expectations coming into the program were to experience as much exposure to as many different levels within CG and experience real diversity in the types of roles I undertake.

For me, one challenging aspect has been working with so many different people. These people have different roles, positions, cultures, backgrounds, and personalities. As a trainee you have been assigned certain job roles and you are responsible to make that a success, to create something which is useful to the company. Thus, to achieve success you have to work with all these different people and you need to approach everybody differently. Being a flexible person is key.

My advice for current management trainees is that, you will need to be flexible and have the ability to adapt to change. Showing you can listen and take other people’s opinions on board, I have discovered will make being a management trainee a very rewarding experience indeed.

If I were to sum my experience in three words, I would say “Exciting, challeng-ing, varied”.

I hope to continue to progress until I am restricted only by my own potential!

Being a management trainee is so much fun and more because you are considered the most in-experienced and hence propelled to learn, learn and learn. Beginning the one year program with a boss

who was also a mentor was instrumental to my professional growth as she was able to streamline my job description based on my strengths and areas that needed improvements. However, my major job description entailed assisting every other Corporate Affairs Department (CAD) staff and how I loved this task because today I can carry out everyone’s job with ease.

Having worked as an intern with CAD in the past, my head of depart-ment observed my flare for IT and upon resumption for the Management

Trainee Programme I was assigned to handle the creation of a new company website. This project armed me with several abilities, both soft and hard skills, and it enabled me understand the importance of teamwork, diligence and time management. Launch-ing the new website in the New Year was fulfilling and I felt like a new mother who had recently seen the arrival of her little one.

I have also had the opportunity to work on our Corporate Profile which made me really understand the company’s business and goals and also comprehend how to positively portray the CG brand. From working on the intranet portal to creating and managing CG social networks, I have acquired project management skills on-the-job.

7 words, being a trainee was a learning experience. I thank the management of Century Group for giving me the opportunity and having been retained as a staff I look forward to contributing to the realization of the company’s vision.

Hilda Subi

Kemepade Sammy

I joined the Management Trainee Programme in February 2013 and spent a year in the programme. The programme afforded me the opportunity to go round various departments both in the Lagos Office and Port Harcourt office. From Procurement Department (My first placing) to Business Development,

Marine, IT, I met and mingled with various members of staff in each of the departments who taught me a lot. I also had an amazing two month experience in Kidney Island Port Harcourt (Commercial, Technical, Operations) where I learnt from the various heads and members of staff. They all contributed to ensure I had a seamless integration into the company and that I am exposed to the right assignments and projects.

Altogether, the programme was a nice experience and a fulfilling one.Odidika Nzenaguaora

Century Life

Miebi IfedigboNnenna Maduabum

Writing this was a difficult task for me because am more of a talker than a writer, but I did

it anyways because my experience as a management trainee is what any fresh graduate should embrace at any given opportunity.

Joining the management trainee pro-gramme was a set goal that I knew I had to be part of to help me boost my career, it was a fantastic experience because it made me more intelligent, more versatile,

more confident and more popular (as in the century environment). All the hype that comes with the programme worked greatly for me as I became more exposed in the workforce, more outspoken and was able to express myself at all time.

Most of the challenges (as people will call it) were not really a chal-lenge for me, it was an avenue to acquire new knowledge, it was easy for me to blend because I was ready to learn. I never assumed at any point, I always asked questions over and over again until I was convinced and all managers and colleagues were willing to help. I had the mind-set of a workaholic and a busy bee so I was more than glad to take up more and more useful works that would help the company grow. Starting from Global Manning Department, the one thing amongst others that was the peak of my training was the point where I had to sit amongst Group

CEO’s of a Multinational Company. I also worked with the New Business/Project Department.

I was opportuned to liaise with foreign companies via phones and send out proposals via emails and get positive feedback. Procurement Department was the peak of my knowledge acquisition because I became much exposed to all sorts of suppliers I became aware of different kind of consumables machineries and offshore equipment. Did I mention how I learnt to compose mails that would make the recipients reply just the way you need them to?

All in all, I took advantage of so many positive things that would help me grow, took advice from experienced leaders, made more friends and no foe, and had the best work friendly environment any fresh graduate can ever ask for. The highlight of my 12 month as a management trainee was my confirmation day where I had to sit in front of experienced panel and I was really proud of how much I knew about the job and how I was able to express myself confidently and more relaxed. I knew I was ready to take over the labour world and defend myself at all times.

I am thankful that I am now a staff of Century Group and more so to be in the department that is relative to my education background, lifestyle, skills and hobbies. Many thanks to Century Group and the management behind the training programme.

“To all the new trainees, have an open mind to learn, always ask questions whether it feels dumb or smart to you, get your facts right always, respect everyone and stay respected, what you learn from your 12months is for your development and no one can take it away from you”.

18 / Century Post 4th Quarter 2014 / 19

Leadership Series A Grand Slide Success

of the Leadership Series in Port Harcourt and Warri

Century Life

By James Useghan

Leadership series, a brain child of the CE, started as an idea in one of the prayer sessions coordinated by the CE. The intention was to create a common avenue to educate, impart and develop employ-

ee knowledge base on leadership skills that will enable them meet the ever growing demands of the 21st century workforce.

The Leadership Series was extended to our Port Harcourt and Warri Offices and these were the outcome of the sessions in pictures  below:

Participants during the interactive session

GRA certificate recipients

Kidney Island certificate recipientsCaptain Edward Yinkere and a staff Captain Edward Yinkere and Vivian Nsiegbe Captain Edward Yinkere and a staff

20 / Century Post 4th Quarter 2014 / 21

Century Life

Ken Etete is an Alumnus of Harvard. As an incentive, he gave the opportunity to all members of staff to attend as his guest. The eventual attendees were Osas Uwaifo, Nkoyo Umanah, Nnenna Maduabum, Ishike Harry, Tamunosipiri-ye Koko and Oludayo Olubusayo.

Those nominated for the awards were either HBS alumni or Nigerians of otherwise great repute. People who have either made significant contri-butions or demonstrated exceptional leadership qualities in their areas of professional expertise. Eligible persons who met the criteria were nominated and selected by the HBSAN Board of  Directors.

Alhaji Aliko Dangote, GCON, CEO

The Harvard Business School Association of Nigeria (HBSAN) End of Year Black Tie Dinner & Ball event took place on the

10th of December, 2014 at the Oriental Hotel in Victoria Island Lagos. It provid-ed a platform for HBSAN to recognize three outstanding leaders. People that have made significant achievements in business, entrepreneurship and society in Nigeria. The event also provided a platform for networking opportunities among members and the wider busi-ness community. The event started at 6pm and ended at 10pm.

Century Group was a sponsor of the event as the Chief Executive, Mr.

Dangote Group, was the winner of the 2014 HBSAN Leadership Award for Entrepreneurship, Mr. Jubril Adewale Tinubu, CEO Oando Plc, won the 2014 HSBAN Leadership Award for General Management and Dr. Ameyo Adadevoh (posthumous) was awarded for her contribution to the eradication of the ebola virus.

It was a fun dinner as good music filled the environment. There were lots of comedy from ace comedian Basket Mouth who almost cracked the ribs of all present at the event. Century Group staff sure had a swell time.

2014 Harvard Business School Association of Nigeria End of Year Black Tie Dinner & Ball

By Olubusayo Oludayo

CG guests at the event

Nkoyo Umanah, Tamunosipiriye Koko, Ishike Harry, Nnenna Maduabum and Uche

22 / Century Post 4th Quarter 2014 / 23

There is no doubt that the most talked about aspect of the economy in this 21st century is In-formation Communication Technology and how it has invaded our lives. Do you go a day without using some kind of technology? Perhaps your

telephone, e-mail or internet banking?Technology is taking over the world and at a fast pace!

Compare the instantaneous power of email to, say, handwrit-ing a letter and sending it overseas by boat. Cell phones now carry millions of voices where once native people commu-nicated over distance with drums. Teaching is not restricted to traditional classes anymore, now I can be in Nigeria and get a degree from a British university online, how cool is that? In summary, technology is driving the way we commu-nicate and we must move with the pace or be sorry for being left behind.

These advancements motivated Century Group to take a step in dining with technology by exploring how Tech is changing our world and how we intend to embrace this change. On the 5th of September, 2014 during an interac-tive session staff members were presented the CG intranet and told the importance and benefits it would accord the company. An intranet is simply an internal website that helps employees get things done faster and easier. A few benefits include saving time as employees have access to all com-pany documents irrespective of their location. A common

corporate culture is easily cultivated as everyone is viewing the same information while new staff get acquainted with everything about the company. The e-learning feature is a self-training tool that will help staff always be updated on personal and industry relevant information. On the social aspect, your colleagues from all over the world are just a chat away!

Furthermore, in a bid to keep staff informed of import-ant Tech platforms that are shaping the world, CG invited a team of experts that have worked on the Global Perfor-mance Index (GPI) website in which people can increase their employability by GPI membership and subsequently be noticed by global organizations. By signing up at www.gpicertified.com professionals can be alerted on profes-sional assessments that will give them a competitive edge in attaining their career objectives and stir them in the right professional direction.

Have you ever wondered why new versions of products, software, books and other items are constantly made avail-able? The reason is simple. Everything becomes obsolete very fast and if you cannot meet up with the pace you even-tually become obsolete and replaceable. Bill Gates once said that “In three years, every product my company makes will be obsolete. The only question is whether we will make them obsolete or somebody else will.” Be your greatest competition, move with the times, be tech savvy.

Tech Savvy CG

By Miebi Ifedigbo

Last year, November to be precise, I was privileged to be in the gathering of students where we discussed issues on contentment; in a nation

like ours where there are no practical applications of such. There are so many people who find happiness over mate-rial things that tend to fade away. The failure of contentment leads to greed and will bring about under-develop-ment in a developing country.

There are so many definitions of contentment. According to Wiki Loves Africa, Contentment is the acknowl-edgement and satisfaction of capacity. In my own definition, contentment is a

state of being happy with who you are, what you have and how you are able to manage it for good.

It starts with you as an individual and it cascades to others. In other words, everyone is a leader. Leaders are meant to embrace contentment in order to erase corruption.

As leaders, we should understand that being content starts with being happy with you. Most of the killings in the society today are as a result of not being content. In life, I have come to understand that the material things are not really worth the life of an individual.

The present position you are com-plaining about is another man’s wish.

Leaders Should Practice Contentment

Leaders are meant to em-brace content-ment in order

to erase corruption. As leaders, we should understand that being contented starts with being happy with you

Century Life

By JamesUseghan

Rule your content-world and make it happen as the leader that you are.

24 / Century Post

Century Life

When You Stop Checking Facebook Constantly, These 10 Things Will Happen

By Kuponiyi Oluwole

1You’ll become less brain dead. I use the phrase “brain dead” figuratively here. When you’re buried in a screen checking Facebook, you’re not

paying attention to the world around you. Your animals may need to be fed or to be let out to use the restroom. You’ll do it but only after you’re done on Facebook. You may go places but still be on your phone all the time. If that happens, you’re not even experiencing what you left your house to experi-ence. When you put Facebook down, you put your head up and start looking at what’s going on around you and you’ll be more cognizant of everything. For your hungry pets or your friends who wanted to hang out with you, that’s a good thing.

2 You’ll get more work done.As a blogger, I’m on the internet fairly frequently (read: constantly). My greatest enemy is social media. It’s easy

to minimize the tab with the blogging stuff in it and go check Facebook or Google+ for a few minutes. A few minutes turns into a quarter of an hour and before I know it, I’ve lost 30 minutes of productivity. Thanks to smartphones and improv-

ing mobile data speeds, you can check Facebook anywhere and that includes at work. When you put it down, you’ll have to do something else to keep from being bored and that usually means doing actual work. If you do put it down then expect your productivity to go up.

3You can focus on other things.Being on Facebook takes up a lot of time. You can waste insane amounts of time just scrolling through updates. This is especially true since Face-book doesn’t adhere to a chronological posting

format anymore. Putting down Facebook means you’ll be freeing up a lot of time. That’s time that can be spent doing other things. You can spend more time with your significant other and make your relationship stronger. You can spend more time with friends and reconnect with them on a differ-ent level. You can get on a treadmill and lose a few pounds, get back into shape, and feel better about yourself. The possibilities are literally endless because you’ll be spending time doing what you want to do.

4You can find out who your real friends are.Having a good internet friend-

ship is easy. Liking people’s posts and commenting on their photos takes mere moments. Someone who comments on all of your photos and likes all of your status updates spent 45 seconds doing it but they appear as though they really care and that they’re a real friend who is interested in you. Once you leave Facebook, a lot of that will disappear. The only people who want to actually hang out with you are people who care about you and who want you around. Leaving Facebook is going to help you find those people really quickly.

5You will learn the word “like” has no meaning.Audra Rundle made an amazing

point regarding this. She states that liking things on Facebook is no longer a matter of actually liking the post. It’s an obligatory action to show that you have seen the post and acknowledge its existence. Many people are too close to the problem to see it directly. Taking a step away can show you just how useless the Like button is now and how few people actually care about the things they like.

6You will feel more accom-plished.The defining characteristic of Facebook is that you’re never done with it. There is

always more to do, more to see, and more to engage with. Dealing with that feeling of “never done” all day long can be emotionally and mental-ly draining. Doing things outside of Facebook can fix that problem. You can finish a book. You can finish plant-ing a garden. You can finish washing the dishes. Pretty much any task in the real world is something that you can finish. We as humans feel almost high on the sense of accomplishment. Don’t rob yourself of that feeling. Get off of Facebook and finish something.

7 You will get rid of the stalkers.Practically everyone who uses Facebook has a stalker. That is

especially true if you happen to be a woman. People can look at your photos, your updates, and everything without your permission and some people actu-ally do that. Creepy guys will frequently browse the photos of their crushes. Creepy women will do the same thing (albeit less frequently). People you’re not friends and people you don’t want to be friends with can see your information. Even if they can’t see you directly, they can see who you associate with. Your less privacy-minded friend may post that they’re going to the mall with you. Now your stalkers know where you are.If you leave Facebook, you’ll be totally immune to those kind of creepy people.

8You will actually feel better about yourself.Studies have proven beyond

a shadow of a doubt that Facebook makes you feel bad about yourself. There are so many reasons for this. When you post a status and no one likes it, you feel like everyone thinks you’re stupid. When you post photos and members of the opposite sex don’t comment on how good you look, you feel ugly. You’re constantly exposed to people who are happier than you, more successful than you, and who have stronger relationships than you. How is that not supposed to make you feel inferior or utterly depressed all the time? Why would you want to put yourself through that? There’s an easy way to stop and that’s taking a break from Facebook.

9You will feel better about the things you own.Reporter Belinda Goldsmith published a piece regarding some research that had been

conducted in Germany about how peo-ple feel on Facebook. The end result was that people actually become more jealous and envious of what others

have on Facebook. It may be someone posting about their new phone, car, house, or other possession. There are some who get jealous when they see people in happy relationships be it friends, boyfriend/girlfriend, husband/wife, or family relationships. Facebook is a great place to brag about what you have and that means it’s also a great place to read about all the things that people have that you don’t. Like I asked earlier, why would you want to put yourself through that?

10You will realize that all you ever were to Facebook was a piece of data that viewed

advertisements.We have no doubt that there are people on Facebook who legitimate-ly care about you. However, we also have no doubt that Facebook itself couldn’t care less about you. To Mark Zuckerberg you are a piece of data in his giant database to be mined and exploited. Your job on Facebook is to view advertisements, spend money on Facebook games, and make the site rich. What happens to you aside from that doesn’t really matter to Facebook. You wouldn’t stay in a relationship with a person who treated you that way, so why stay in a relationship with Face-book?

I know this sounds like a Facebook bash post and it definitely is to an ex-tent. However, social media sites were made for a reason and somewhere in the last 10 years, we’ve all forgotten what that reason is. That includes you, me, and even the social networks them-selves. It’s not about finding people, or about connecting, and creating lifelong friends anymore. It’s about fads. It’s about chain-liking status updates like a smoker chain-smokes. It’s an addiction and it’s a job and you don’t really get anything out of it. We’re not saying you should leave Facebook for good. That’s a little drastic. However, you should definitely have less of it in your life. You’re not missing much by not going on Facebook 30 times a day.

Culled from www.linkedin.com

26 / Century Post 4th Quarter 2014 / 272nd Quarter 2014 / 27

My alarm clock went promptly at 6am. I knocked it off my bedside table, kicked off the duvet and got off bed. I sauntered into the bathroom, flicked on the light and looked into the mirror. ‘Meeeeeennn, I

dey wowo for morning” I thought as I stared at my puffy eyes, dabbed cold water to pull me out of sleepiness and it worked.

Bella came into my room then possibly to use my perfume as she usually does but was surprised I was up so early. Bella: “Good Morning Brenda” She threw at meMe: “Morning” I croakedBella: “Wetin happen this morning? 6’0 clock, Where you dey go?”Me: “I have an appointment”Bella: “Appointment kwa! “ She mused. “With who? Bingo the dog? As she laughedMe: “Bella, this morning? What do you want? “Bella: Backing off “Ok! Ok!! Ok!!! Truce . Where are you off to this morning?”Me: “My oyinbo boss needs me to take his parents on a tour of Lagos and we start at 7am”Bella: “Shuo? Is Lagos now a tourist centre and you a tourist guide kwa?”Me: “There are several things to see in Lagos oh especially for foreigners who have never been to Lagos”Bella: “So where are you taking them to?, Oshodi? Abi na

Lekki toll gate?” She musedMe: “There are several fun places in Lagos oh, Tak-wa bay, Badagry with all its ancient stuff, you know Oyinbos dem dey like “Antique”” (I double quoted with my fore and index finger. I dey also carry dem go fish market for Epe, La campaign Tropicana for lunch and then we go carry go silverbird go watch movies or go Sheraton craft market for Ikeja, if dem no too tire”Bella: “No be small something oh, you seem to have the day planned to the brim o.” I wish I was the one going on this your enjoyment galore day”Me: “No be enjoyment oh, na hardwork. As you dey waka naim you go dey talk. And oyinbo can ques-tion person!!!”

DiaryJobless

Entrepreneur 2of The

Century Life

By OlubankeOlujide

Bella: “I say stop to dey call this holiday wey you dey do work” “if you no walk Bingo, you go go mar-ket go buy tomatoe, if not, na to join tourist guide to you list of many things” She said as she approached the door.Me: “Oya come dey go ya work, you wey be “work-er” Plus all your work, no be my perfume you come borrow now? Broke worker!!!” (I spat out more forcefully than I would have liked. Plus the fact that am frustrated at the constant battering I get from Bella).

As I got into the bath, I looked forward to a fun, entertaining and “very” rewarding day “I kuku no tell Bella say na 100k I dey make from this our waka today plus tips as I hear say Oyinbo dey tip person well well.”

See you later for more excerpts from the Dia-ry of the jobless entreprenuer

New Appointment

Century Group wishes to formally congratulate Mrs Osas Uwaifo as the Acting Director of Century Exploration and Production Limited.

She also occupies the office of the Head – Commercial/Business Development Department of CESL. She brings on board over 15 years cognate experience garnered in various capacities in the oil and gas. She is an experienced Petroleum Engineer with a passion and strong desire to develop into a highly successful professional, working and creating value in world class organizations.

28 / Century Post 4th Quarter 2014 / 29

Do you seldom feel like a colleague or friend is crossing his or her bound-aries? Do you have that one acquaintance who

insists on talking to you about situa-tions you would rather not talk about? Do you have that one family member that just doesn’t respect your privacy? If you can identify with any of these sit-uations, rest assured you are not alone. These circumstances are red flags to indicate that our personal boundaries have been violated.

Oxford dictionary defines boundary as a line which marks the limits of an area. Hence, personal boundary can be described as the imaginary line we draw around ourselves to maintain balance and protect our bodies, minds, emotions, and time from the behavior or demands of others. These bound-aries are likened to a protective gear which keeps us safe from people who may want to take advantage of us or manipulate us in any way. It is import-ant that each person establishes a personal boundary as it affords us the possibility to express who we really are and what we want in life. It ensures that we are the captains of our journey through life. It allows us be the only holder of the pen that is telling our life story. It serves as our guide to what others can say and do to us.

Another question, have you ever found it hard to tell someone (especial-ly a loved one) no without feeling bad? Many conflicts with loved ones can be

traced back to boundary issues. The fol-lowing real-life examples demonstrate situations in which the questioner is struggling with defining their boundar-ies, while the source of the problem is struggling with respecting the bound-aries of others:

Temitope: My brother-in-law wants to move in with my husband and I. I love him, but this will definitely not work for me as my house is quite small. How do I handle it?

Ada: A friend of mine invited herself to the beach house when myself and family were vacationing. I don’t want her there. How do I explain it without offending her?

Ebi: My wife doesn’t want to go to the village for holiday and my moth-er wants us in the village. Who do I please?

Gift: My colleague who is my superior keeps asking me inappropriate questions. Is there a diplomatic way to tell him off?

All the scenarios described above are related to boundary issues. Anoth-er set of questions, how do we define our boundaries without seemingly offending our friends or family mem-bers? How do we recognize someone’s boundary so we do not intrude? With-out the answers to these questions we will offend people, be misunderstood, lose friendships, mar relationships and even lose our self-respect.

The trick? Communicate. I know it sounds too easy. Well, there are series of steps that lead up to communication. Let’s analyze Ada’s situation. If she’s 100% sure she doesn’t want her friend at the beach house during the family vacation why doesn’t she just tell her so? Could she be scared? Of what? Hurting her friend’s feelings? Is her friend’s feeling more important than hers? This last question is very key. If

Ada is 100% sure she would rather not have her friend at her family vacation all she had to do was tell Ada in a simple and polite sentence why she didn’t want her there.

Without establishing healthy boundaries or with very weak bound-aries, you simply cannot have healthy relationships. You give up a part of yourself to be available or accommo-dating. Or you become so entangled and dependent on another person that you lose your own identity. This under-mines your integrity and leads to a loss of self-respect.

At the root of personal boundary issues is fear. (Isn’t that the root of most issues?) It’s the fear we won’t be loved, that we aren’t good enough or deserving enough just as we are. When we respond to life from this point of emotional weakness, we are letting go of our integrity in order to salvage the crumbs of love and acceptance.

But when you establish personal boundaries, you don’t have to accept crumbs. You can get the entire loaf, a full meal of confidence and support, because you will attract people who are emotionally healthy themselves, people who respect your boundaries.

People with weak personal boundaries tend to attract controlling, disrespectful, or needy people into their lives. Or they simply train others to take advantage of them because they so willingly allow themselves to be used.

Define your boundaries, be 100% sure of your boundaries and do not be sorry to communicate same to others in a polite and simple way. Your happiness comes first.

By Miebi Ifedigbo

My Boundary, My Happiness

Century Life

Without establishing healthy

boundaries or with very weak boundaries, you simply cannot have healthy relationships.

Who Packed My Parachute?

A parachute is a life saving device normally or mostly in a military plane or aircraft. It is often needed in times of crisis. When used and purpose achieved, it brings to the beneficiary joy, hope, inspiration, fulfillment, satisfaction,

and feelings of escape from danger as well as thoughts/stories of glad tidings for future generations, and above all, gratitude to whoever provided/packed the parachute and to god the giver cum guardian of life.

Metaphorically, and in rhetoric, a parachute is not necessarily that flying apparatus meant for life saving, a life saver may simply be prayers from a loved one, a word of advice from a concerned person, some loving act or gesture that gave hope, that inspired a despairing fellow or that instilled courage into the timid and fearful. As we ran the leadership sessions, one day the lessons learnt might be the parachute one of us would need to climb the ladder of success, prosperity, position or power. You never can tell. But, definitely, the testimony would ring out in a corner of the world – in Nigeria or anywhere in the globe; this parachute of leadership capsules would come handy to give a helping hand.

What or who motivates, or inspires or thrills you in life? What or who gives you happiness, joy, satisfaction? Who do you look up to for succor, courage, as a mentor, role model or benefactor? What do you want to engage in to derive that inner pleasure of fulfillment? Who do you want to spend your moments of loneliness and gladness with? Who do you want to share your times of joy and sadness with? Who would you want to tell your stories of success or tales of failure to before any other person, and would give you a part on the back or a hug and a kiss, standing by you with that support you need? These are your parachutes, and the list is by no means exhaustive.

Or as Bill Withers sang in “lean on me”, who helps you to carry on in life? We may all need to swallow our pride when we need a hand. We all need someone to lean on when in our moments that we are not strong. There may be a lonely brother or sister. If you are called, would you be that friend ready to offer your shoulder to lean on? Then, you are life’s parachute to a co-traveller on planet earth.

In life, we all need an anchor. We all need to be sure that our hope rests on that heavenly anchor who can provide our parachute anytime any day and in any form.

By Stephen Obubo

30 / Century Post 4th Quarter 2014 / 31

Century Life

10 Success Tips, The Blunt Friend

1Realize your PotentialIn order to succeed at anything, you need to see that you have

the potential to reach your goals. For example, if you want to be a recording artist but have no singing ability, having success in this field is not likely. However, if you love working on cars and have a real talent for fixing engines and transmissions, and to you, success would mean working for NASCAR, you have potential to learn and achieve that success.

2Don’t Look BackEveryone has failures or mistakes from the past. To have success,

you need to learn from your past and value those difficult lessons but do not ever dwell on the past. Simply move forward and make better, more educated decisions from the lessons learned.

3Dare to DreamTo succeed, you need to have dreams and aspirations. Be honest

with yourself as to what you want out of life and what you want to give of your life. Allow your mind to dream and think big.

We all have that one friend, sister, brother, colleague or neighbor who is always very blunt.

It is so bad sometimes we just want to slap their mouth shut. But the truth is, we know they speak the truth, we just do not want to accept what they are saying is true.

Bluntness to a degree is good. There are times when being blunt is necessary but it is also more important to know when you need to be tactful and gra-cious. These will get you much further in life than being blunt. Still, bluntness does have its place.

Sometimes bluntness gets one into trouble. Your tactfulness doesn’t seem to convey the magnitude of the situa-tion or of your feelings. I have a friend who tends to be blunt, but not trying to be rude. She has offended people on accident before, her compliments are very sincere and people can tell that but people don’t like to hear the truth. The problem with being blunt is that people can think you are insulting them, when you aren’t.

4Business PlanCreate a Business Plan as your very first step if you are planning

to build a business. Whether you will be searching for investors or not, this plan will be the blueprint to your success. The Business Plan will consist of market trends, financial planning, competitive analysis, exit strategies, marketing and promotional options, everything about your goal. When going before an investor, you will be required to have a Business Plan. This is by far the most important document of all. If your success were something personal, you would not need to create a Business Plan although a project plan would be a good option to allow you to keep track of everything involving your goal.

5Don’t Give UpTo reach success, you have to persevere. Even Thomas Edison

had to learn this. When he was creating the incandescent light bulb, it took him more than 10,000 times to get it right. Keep striving even when it becomes challenging.

6Have an Unstoppable AttitudeYou need to have determination. With good intentions, there may

be a close friend or family member that feels it would be better if you focused your attention in another direction. Uphold your unstoppable attitude, determined to succeed.

7  Stop the ComplainingYou might think there is no correlation between complaining

and success when in fact there is a connection. When you are spending time complaining about the obstacles you are facing, you are wasting so much time being negative that

you are actually loosing chances to move forward. Instead of thinking of challenges as problems, think of them as opportunities.

8 Focus on Something you LikeTo increase your chance of succeeding, you should

concentrate your efforts on something you enjoy. When you start out, make a list of everything you find interesting. Then in a second column, write down the skills you have in relation to each of those items. This will help you narrow choices down based on interest and skill, which gets you started in the right direction for success.

9Change your CircumstancesYou have a choice in life to accept your position or change it. If you

choose to plug along in life hoping that something will change for the better, you will not get very far. Always remember that when it comes to changing your circumstances, you can – you have that power. As an example, women who are in abusive situations often feel controlled and powerless to get out of the situation. They have the same choice of changing their circumstances as you do. If your circumstances lower the chances of success, you need to change them.

10 Have a PlanEven if it is flimsy to begin with, you should construct

a plan to include goal, milestones, deliverables such as contracts, business plans, etc., and accomplishments. This will provide you with a visual as to what you are working for, what milestones you have successfully met, and where you need to do better.

Culled from www.affirmware.com.au

Being blunt doesn’t mean that you can’t filter. If someone asks your opinion, tell them the truth or just keep your mouth shut. I’d rather know the truth, than have people try to get on my side with insincere compliments and I am sure the same goes for everyone. Won’t you prefer someone who comes right out and says something, instead of trying to be nice or sugar coating things to make you feel better? Someone who is straightforward and brutally honest with you?

At the same time, being blunt doesn’t mean you have to be rude. Don’t hide behind being ‘blunt’ or ‘hon-est’ and be rude to people. Be honest when people ask for your opinion and always take others feelings into consideration. Give the right answer. Do not go out of your way to make pointless disrespectful remarks (which everyone is guilty of at some point). That way, you’ll come off as rude. Over time you will develop a reputation, so friends always come to you for an “honest” opinion

There’s tactful honesty. Blunt peo-ple don’t sugar-coat things. You don’t

have to try to figure out what they are implying. They come right out and say what they are thinking or how they feel about something but not with accusa-tions. Accusations will only put people on the defensive and won’t work, plus you might lose a friend. Raise eyebrows if you think they’ve said something stu-pid. Trust me, I have a friend who does that and it works really well.

There’s a saying that “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver”. Treat your relationships with people like you would a fragile and ex-pensive piece of china. When you must correct someone, the manner in which you correct someone often determines how they receive it. There are some that take correction badly, no matter how it comes, but even so, your words ought to demonstrate how much you care even though blunt.

Most of us like to help, but how we come across will determine if someone will accept our help or not. Nothing will make you an enemy faster than appearing to intrude in someone else’s business. So for every blunt person out there, keep doing what you do and be tactful about it too. You never can tell if you are about to save a self-destruct soul and oh, politeness always does the magic.

By Olubusayo Oludayo

Being blunt doesn’t mean that you can’t

filter. If someone asks your opinion, tell them the truth or just keep your mouth shut.

By Remilekun Ogons

I stumbled upon this success tips and thought to share. Below are some few tips that will guide you in your profes-sional career.

32 / Century Post 4th Quarter 2014 / 33

Yes Mr. Sparkle is his name. He’s the reason why you meet a clean work station and a clean sur-rounding every day. He’s the reason why you don’t get to have a fight with roaches and rodents daily. He’s the person that ensures your office remains organized and makes sure you don’t trip from spills. We invite you to get to know Mr. Sparkle in this brief interview!

Meet Mr. Sparkle

Century Life

Please tell us about Mr. Sparkle:MS: (Laughs) My name is Jo-seph Udoh Ukpong. I’m from Akwa Ibom State, but I was born in Lagos and lived my entire life here. I love sport, football and rugby. I love to dance, I love music and I love walking to keep fit. I’m single but getting married really soon.

Tell us about your experi-ence working with Century Group (CG):MS: I’ve been here since 2010 on contract. In January 2014 cleaners were made full staff. I love working here because of the friendly atmosphere and people. It feels like a family here and I like that I’m not discrimi-nated.

What strikes you most about CG?MS: The vision of the com-pany thrills me because of its aim at providing jobs for the youth. If we had 100 of such people and companies in Nigeria with such a vision the country will be a better place for the youth.

How will you like to be remembered in CG and in life?

How do you start your normal day? I say my prayers, get cleaned up and dressed up, check my mails, review my activities (deliverables, outstanding, prospects etc.) Draw up a to-do-list and get on with my first work related activity ei-ther by phone calls or e-mails as the case may be.

How will you switch a scenario where you have to make resolutions or decisions against busi-ness ethics? A major factor in our core values is integrity which is anchored on our commitment to accountability and transparency. Part of that, is an expectation of our maintenance of a very high standard not only in quality delivery, but also in propagating our core values for which integrity is sacrosanct. Operating outside observance of good business

MS: I want to be remem-bered for my dedication, especially as the head on the cleaners. I wouldn’t want

to give anybody a reason to look down on the cleaners. I want to be known for a good reputation with integrity. I

don’t want to ever be iden-tified with stealing. I want to leave CG with my head held  high.

A Chat With The MD of Century Ports And Terminals - Captain Edward Yinkere

ethics would simply be a paradox.

What are your challenges on the job? Getting to raise sufficient capital to achieve our dreams and future projec-tions.

What are your goals in the coming period? Maintaining profitability in the face of an inclement economic terrain, while minimizing downtime and maximizing operational efficiency.

A leader must be furnished with a set of competences necessary to perform his/her role. Which one would you

say is the most imperative ability a leader ought to have? A good leader does not excel on the operation of one ability or competency, but his quality performance is a combination of several attributes. However, a good leader must be self-disci-pline, have impeccable char-acter and have an eye for maintaining high standards and excellence.

Where do you need to grow as a leader? Acquiring more knowledge.

What do you do in your spare time? First I think of my family, plan and unwind with good friends with reputable char-acter. Like they say, all and work no play makes Jack an imperfect man.

What is your advice for those looking up to attain greater heights in their sphere of influence? Leadership is attained and not entrusted, so work hard and develop yourself – for you are the best asset God has unleashed on the earth.

34 / Century Post 4th Quarter 2014 / 35

Samuel B Fuller was one of the seven children of a Negro tenant farmer in Louisiana. At five, he found his place on the

farm. By the time he was nine he had dropped out of school and was already driving mules. There was nothing unusual about this: the children of most of the tenant farmers went to work early. These families accepted poverty as their lot and asked for nothing better.

Young Fuller was different from his friends in one way: he had a remarkable

mother. His mother refused to accept this hand-to-mouth existence for her children, though it was all she had ever known. She knew there was something wrong with the fact that her family was barely getting along in a world of joy and plenty. She used to talk to her son about her dreams.

Desire“We shouldn’t be poor Fuller” she

would say. ‘And don’t ever let me hear you say that it is God’s will that we are poor. We are poor- not because of God. We are poor because papa has never developed a desire to become rich. No one in our family has ever developed a

desire to be anything else.’His mother would soon pass away

leaving Fuller and six other children to fend for themselves. But she had al-ready sowed in him the seed that would transform his life. She had dared him to desire wealth.

Desire and Hard workNow, he wanted to be rich. He

reckoned the quickest way to make money was to sell something, he chose to sell soap. For twelve years he sold it moving from door to door hawking the product. One day he learned that the company which supplied him soap was going to be sold, the price was $150,000. In twelve years of selling and setting aside every penny, he had saved $25,000. It was agreed that he would deposit $25,000 and obtain the balance of $125,000 within 10 days. Written into contract was the condition that if he did not raise the money, he would lose his deposit.

During his twelve years as a soap salesman, Fuller had gained the respect of many business men who knew of his handicapped background and admired his desire and tenacity to succeed. They helped him. He obtained money from friends, loan companies, and invest-ment groups too. On the eve of the tenth day, he had raised $115,00, he was $10,000 short.

‘I had exhausted every source of credit I knew.’ He recalls. ‘It was late at night. In the darkness of my room, I knelt down and prayed. I asked God to lead to a person who would let me have $10,000 in time. I said to myself that I would drive down 61st street until I saw the first light in a business estab-lishment. I asked God to make the light as sign indicating his answer.’

He walked in. There, seated at his desk, tired from working late at night, sat a man Fuller knew but slightly. He agreed he had to be bold.

‘Do you want to make $1,000?’ asked Fuller straight out. The contrac-tor was taken aback at the question. ‘Yes of course’ he said.

‘Then make me a check for $10,000

We Are Poor – Not Because of God

By Adeniji Victor

Century Life

and when I bring back the money, I’ll bring back another $1,000 profit’ he re-called telling this man. He gave the man the names of other people who had lent him money, and explained in detail what the business venture was.

Despite the hostility he and his business suffered for the reason of the colour of his skin, Fuller built one of America’s biggest cosmetics companies and was arguably the richest African American at the time; a popular repub-lican and a civil right activist.

Desire, Hard work and Failure

Take a moment to reflect on Samuel B. Fuller’s story. Whilst he was sitting as chairman of the board of a multi-mil-lion dollar company, do you imagine that some of his childhood friends on the farms in Louisiana would still be farm tenants there? Looking for where to cultivate next season? Raising another generation that might succeed them? Maybe one or two of them would have wanted more and worked on coal mines. Possibilities are only within the scope of our desires.

‘’Desires do not become reality through magic; it takes sweat, deter-mination and hard work’’ the words of Collin Powell. There is no limit to what can be achieved through hard work. It is almost in itself sufficient and has proved from the genesis of humanity to yield success (and failure).

Failure sadly is the biggest adver-sary to the results achievable by hard work, only a burning desire to reach a goal can ride above it.

Hard work VS Talent On the 7th November 2012 Celtic

welcomed arguably the best club in world football to their stadium in Scotland- FC Barcelona. The Cataluña club boasted of the most talented crop of players in game and results backed them up. Celtic on the other hand was a lowly rated side in European football, it was not a match. After ninety minutes, however, results proved otherwise. Celtic won 2-1. They had 5 goal at-tempts, Barcelona had 23; 5 on target, Barcelona had 14; 11% possession of the ball, Barcelona had 81%; 116 completed passes, Barcelona had 955. I share your curiosity my friend: how did they win?

Celtic FC worked harder that night than they ever had, than Barcelona FC would ever try. They know they were outclassed ‘talent-wise’ and there was nothing they could do about that. That was not their fault. But they could work hard, and fight with their lives. That was exactly what they did, that was how the won.

“Hard work will beat talent any day if talent does not work. But if talent works hard, a new legend is born”

TalentEveryman is talented, some more

than others. When an individual is defined, his talent is described. It’s a shame however that most individuals are never correctly defined. You see, it is the job of your life to find out who you are. Some find out early, more find out mid-life or later, most never do. That is the reason we are not all great.

An extremely talented yet hard-working man with a burning desire for excellence has a place in the history books for greatness. Talent is the most beautiful of God’s specific gifts to each individual, but it is not enough; neither is desire nor hard work alone.

Everyman is talented, some more than

others. When an individual is defined, his talent is described.

Reference: S.B Fuller (Wikipedia, Think and Grow Rich)

36 / Century Post 4th Quarter 2014 / 37

CAD: For what purpose was the New Business & Strategy Department created?

JI: The New Business and Strategy Unit (NBU)(Now Strategic Business Unit or Special Business Unit (SBU)) was formed as a result of increasing areas of business interest for Century Group. NBU’s mandate is to interface with prospective companies and government organizations interested in developing opportunities with CG. We also work in developing identified special projects into businesses of their own.

CAD: As a department, what are your areas of operation?

JI: Our areas of focus include Oil Trading (Crude Oil, Gas and Refined Products), Wreck Removal and OCTG Supply and Associated Services provisioning.

to any situation. We are change and result-driven. For me every challenge and project well planned needs to be a success, this has to resonate for any one working close to me. My colleagues understand the need to WANT to Change in order to contribute value; I do not MAKE them change. I am really blessed in my unit and especially privileged to be part of the Century team. So it’s vertically and horizontally blessed across the business.

CAD: As the manager of this unit, what are the challenges?

JI: Again our challenge is always a welcome as it enables us perform our jobs even better. To relent is never an option. We sometimes have a few operational and administrative challenges but never too big a storm to handle. Positivity does the magic for us most times.My only real challenge is not knowing what tomorrow holds (smiles), BUT preparing today against tomorrow,

CAD: The department has changed in the past year. How have you handled this transition?

JI: The company has grown in the last year and so has its business units. We have grown into a structured business and now have the Trading project as a venture known as Elmina Petroleum Ltd, The Wreck Removal Project has also metamorphosed into a Full blown business where we now have a Federal Concession/Award to Clear Wrecks and Derelicts off the Nigerian Waterways, The Oil Country Tubular Goods (OCTG) business has been our slowest due to fewer investments in the oil and gas upstream sector, but we are optimistic this will change in 2015 as activities in the upstream sector ramp up and new investments are brought in.

CAD: What are the

means my tomorrow, however it shows up, is a manageable tomorrow.

CAD: What is the significance of the New Business & Strategy Department to CG as a whole?

JI: NBU has contributed significantly to CG in two critical areas: Brand visibility – by virtue of our crude oil lifting contract, CG is now well known by most of the leading global oil traders. Secondly, profitability, NBU is contributing over 10% of the gross income of CG.

CAD: What are the department’s plans for the near future?

JI: Consolidate on our crude & gas lifting contracts and become more active in the supply of refined petroleum products, while leveraging on our wrecks removal contract to secure more contracts in the marine industry.We are very excited about the future of our unit and in CG as a whole!

areas you have created changed with New Business & Strategy?

JI: NBU has made CESL an active player in crude oil lifting contract as well as export gas lifting, which were hitherto not part of CESL business. We thank the CEO for his confidence and trust in us to run with this. Today we lift over 1million barrels of crude on a monthly basis for export directly as CESL and another million barrels indirectly as a JV with the Thai National Oil company PTT. We also now play in the gas sector which looking into the future is one of the most strategic areas to be involved in with regards to Trading. As the CE says, “We are here to build a sustainable business regardless of environments and other variables”; today we are running with this to ensure our trading arm is not short lived but passes and sails through the test of time

– always endearing unto our grounded philosophy of solving problems, enabling people and most of all creating value.

CAD: How will you describe your experience as head of New Business and the relationship with your staff?

JI: As with most things in life - never a smooth sail but that is the fun of it all. Work would be extremely boring otherwise.In terms of working with my colleagues in the unit, I do believe I have some of the best support team in Century for which I am forever thankful. We are lean but extremely effective. The primary goal for me is to see us live and dance with the Century culture and ethos of work. We communicate openly, I encourage this a lot and this is really helpful. I ensure we have a positive approach

The New Business and Strategy, one of the Units of Century Group, shed some lights on their activities. Jessica Inegbeniki is at the helm of affairs and takes on some questions from Corporate Affairs De-

partment (CAD).

8 QUESTIONS FOR JESSICA INEGBENIKI

38 / Century Post 4th Quarter 2014 / 39

Not Beyond UsJoin us on February 4thworldcancerday.org

on the inside, informing that the cells are not being appropriately cared for, the immune system is weak, that nutrients aren’t being adequately used and that the cells are enlarging and not generating sufficient vitality.

Early detection of cancer can be treated and cured. Most cases of cancer are identified and detected after a lump can be felt or when other indications grow. In rare circumstances, cancer is diagnosed incidentally as an outcome of evaluating or treating other medical conditions. Symptoms vary depending on the type. Cancer

Every year, so many people around the world mark the awareness of this dreaded disease that human race hardly overcome. This

awareness enables us to prevent, detect and proffer treatment as the case maybe.

Cancer is a debilitating disease and can also be referred to as a malignant neoplasm or malignant tumor. It is an assemblage of diseases containing abnormal cell growth with the budding to occupy or spread to other parts of the body. The manifestation of cancer does not always mean that the end is impending; as a substitute, it can help as a significant message to the entire individual, motioning for a new progression in life.

The first identification of cancer cells can instantaneously drain one’s sensations with trauma and anguish. At this instantaneous stage, it’s imperative to fit the pressure around and start acknowledging the cancer for serving as a warning message. Cancer can be a message to a person that the body is under strain, that the cellular location within is in a condition of acidosis and has developed a perfect place for fungus to increase. The cancer is a threatening bell pealing

Cancer affects all of us, whether you’re a daughter, mother, sister, friend, coworker, doctor, or patient.” We urge those affected

with this deadly disease to stay strong and get a mindset of strength, confidence and resolution in surviving cancer.

Health Safety and Environment

A Day of Awareness

World Cancer Day:

By TK Etete

treatment may include chemotherapy, radiation, and/or surgery.

According to Jennifer Aniston, “Cancer affects all of us, whether you’re a daughter, mother, sister, friend, coworker, doctor, or patient.” We urge those affected with this deadly disease to stay strong and get a mindset of strength, confidence and resolution in surviving cancer.

40 / Century Post 4th Quarter 2014 / 41

Cancer Awareness Walk

Health Safety and Environment

CG staff during the walk

Refreshment after the walk CG staff during the walk

CG staff taking a break Nengi Phil-Ebosie and Funmi Lagos

HSE department leading the walk Tolu Famojuro, Chukwu Joyce and Remilekun Oguns

A group photograph of participants after the walkOlubusayo Oludayo and Miebi IfedigboHilda Subi, Temitope Taiwo and Emetomo Otuaga and other participants

Cancer awareness happens every year and it is an avenue to increase consciousness of the disease. On 31st October, 2014, CG staff had a cancer awareness walk. See pictures below.

42 / Century Post 4th Quarter 2014 / 43

CBL Workshop

Fire ExtinguisherDrills For NewStaff

October 17th 2014 was an interesting day for Century Bumi Limited, as we had to

carry out stock taking of some sort on our HSSE status and activities. The CBL HSSEQ Safety Leadership Workshop which is a yearly activity took place at Four Points by Sheraton.

The objectives of the workshop were; aligning the Management’s HSSEQ expectation in line with its annual HSSEQ Plan, improving on our HSSEQ performance by realizing and synergizing our CBL Management team resources, implementing and realizing the impact of the CBL 2014 HSSEQ plan in achieving company commitment to Goal Zero and ensuring a safe and healthy work site, sharing and learning from the industry “Best Practices” and building on management’s commitment for continuous improvement going forward to include learning into the

Health Safety and Environment

next year’s HSSEQ Plan.This year’s HSSEQ leadership

workshop was packed full with very enlightening talks by some of the industry’s experts and was attended by some of CBL’s clients.

CBL HSSE performance for the year was highlighted, that of CESL was also highlighted in order to show improvements in our safety culture and share lessons learned from recorded incidents both in house and in the industry as well. Some of the topics discussed at the event include: shaping safety culture through safety leadership by Ian Ramsey, BAB HSE

By Tamuno-seipiriye Koko

manager, hazard communication (material handling) by Francis Alegie, think environment towards sustainability taken by Koko Piriye.

The workshop showed that Safety is an essential part of the marine industry and the management of CBL have shown their commitment by working with the HSSEQ team towards achieving Goal Zero. This commitment has gone a long way in creating an enabling environment to achieving all set goals and objectives, some of which were highlighted during the event.

In all, it was a very interesting and engaging session.

A group photogaphy of participants at the workshop

Speakers at the workshop

Participants having lunch after the workshop

Gordip Singh

Preye Angaye and Stephen Obubo

Stephen Osiegbu Preye Koko, Gordip Singh and a CBL staff

Kunle Ajayi and a guest

44 / Century Post 4th Quarter 2014 / 45

The Read

When you grow olderYou will danceThe way your parents dancedBe afraid; be very afraid

If you think I am lying, ask JonaWho spent time in the creeksRehearsing his own stepsLike me, he was not proud of his parents’ steps

When the party started, we heaved a sigh of reliefA breath of fresh air it wasOr so we conceivedBut now that the party is almost over, wait we must

When you grow olderYou will danceThe way your parents dancedBe afraid, be very afraid

If you think I am lying, ask Jona.

Life isn’t always greenSo the heart’s slate must be cleanFor whatever life dishesThat must one relish‘cause life is no vegetarian.

Life is green, pale and blueIts cuisines comes without a clueSome beef here, some lettuce thereSome water here, only dewdrops thereGeniuses here, dunces thereAnd none somewhere

Alas! Hope must be kept aliveCause after the storm comes calmAfter day is nightAfter darkness is lightAnd after the sun, the moon or starThese differences are the beauty of life

Dance StepsLife Is No Vegetarian

By Emetomo Otuaga

By Karl Ken Harris

By Miebi Ifedigbo

A Tribute To Myles Munroe

Dr. Myles E. Munroe: (20 April 1954 – 9 November 2014) was a Bahamian Evangelical Christian evangelist and ordained Pentecostal minister who founded and led the Bahamas Faith Ministries International (BFMI) and Myles Munroe International (MMI). He was chief executive offi-

cer and chairman of the board of the International Third World Leaders Association and president of the International Leadership Training Institute as well as the author of numerous books.

Munroe died with his wife and 7 others in a private plane crash on 9 November 2014. May their soul rest in peace.

Overcoming Crisis: The Secrets to Thriving in Challenging Times: There is a saying that no man is without problems. However, our atti-tude when going through a problem, challenge or crisis is very important and Munroe teaches how to survive and even thrive during the current econom-ic crisis by applying the wisdom and time-tested principles of the kingdom of God.

Purpose and Power of Love and Marriage: Marriage is arguably the most difficult and challenging undertaking in life and that is because it is a union of two peo-ple with totally different principles, be-liefs, morals, characters, opinions etc. The list is endless. However, marriage can easily and should be the most beau-tiful ventures that exist. God’s inten-

tion for this companionship was good and it’s left for humans to enjoy it. Dr. Munroe takes us on a journey to understand love and where we can turn to for genuine insights on love

Understanding Your Potential: Do you believe that no one was born empty? Are you ready to unveil your potential? This is a motivating, provoc-ative look at the awesome potential trapped within you, waiting to be realized. This book will cause you to be uncomfortable with your present state of accomplishment and dissatisfied with resting on your past success.

Becoming a Leader: Myles Munroe strongly believed that every one of us has a potential and in this book he revealed that we all have a potential to be a great leader. This book uncovers the secrets of dynamic leadership that will turn your lead-ership potential into a potent reality. To become a front-runner you must successfully overcome the striving,

strains and struggles that can become barriers to your effectiveness as a leader. You will be encouraged, provoked and stimulated as “leadership-power” is literally activat-ed within you through the pages of this book.Becoming a Leader will help you to uncover principles that will enable you to lead others wisely; develop the tactfulness that gen-erates the response and respect of those you are leading, and enhance the natural leadership qualities lying dormant within you

46 / Century Post 4th Quarter 2014 / 47

The New Pair of Eyes Initiative

On the 5th of November, the CG team visited one of our host communities in Eligbam and

Rumuadaolu in Port Harcourt to exam-ine and treat those infected with an eye disorder. The attendance witnessed a huge turn-out as the old and the young came out massively.

The CG Initiative (A Pair of New Eyes) partnered with Opti-Care Eye Clinic in order to tailor our approach in meeting the needs of the indigenes in our other host communities.

CSERThe Read

Funny Pix

www.boredpanda.com/funniest-signs-around-the-word

Dr. Mbah testing a patient

Jane Harry, Dr. Mbah, James Useghan and beneficiaries Jane Harry and a beneficiary

Eye glasses presented to beneficiaries Dr. Mbah and a beneficiary Dr. Mbah and a beneficiary

James Useghan and a beneficiary (In the middle) - James Useghan, Dr. Mbah and beneficiaries

48 / Century Post 4th Quarter 2014 / 49

Departmental Share

On the 30th of June 2010, Tunde, a compa-ny driver was driving his boss home when another vehicle drove past him, denting his vehicle slightly and sped off without render-ing any apologies.

Feeling slighted, he pursued the vehicle and double crossed it bringing the driver to a halt. An argument ensued which led to him seizing her car keys. She brought out her phone (very typical of women) and made a call to the pow-ers that be.

In no time, Officers of the Lagos State Traffic Manage-ment Agency (LASTMA) appeared on the scene, beat him to a pulp, arrested him and ended up charging him to Court. On the date fixed for hearing, neither the woman nor any LASTMA official turned up in Court, hence the Judge struck out the case for “lack of diligent prosecution”.

About a year later, Tunde was driving in a slow moving traffic in accordance with Traffic laws along Ozumba Mbad-iwe Road, when one of the LASTMA officials on merely rec-ognizing him, forced him to a halt and without accusing him of any Traffic violations, unlawfully forced out the occupants of the vehicle, deflated the vehicles tyres, impounded the vehicle and towed it to an unknown destination.

Tunde’s Company was notified and after an extensive and painstaking search traced the LASTMA team to one of their offices where they were informed that the vehicle was in the custody of Mr. Efosa as a result of Tunde’s earlier dispute with his wife sometime last year.

The Company wrote to LASTMA notifying them of the issue but received no official response save a fine in the sum of N50, 000. (Fifty thousand naira only) as penal-ty for the offences of Disobeying Government Directives on transportation and Assault of LASTMA officials.

POINTS

» Tunde had no right to seize her car keys. It is against the law to resort to self-help.

» LASTMA officials had no right to beat him up. That’s an infringement on his rights. They should have tried to sort out the matter amiably.

» After his arrest he should have demanded for the services of a lawyer, especially those who take it upon themselves to fight for human rights.

» Make sure you can identify the officials. Get their names from their name tags and observe their fea-tures closely.

» LASTMA is not empowered to deflate your tyres and tow your vehicle to an undisclosed destination. In this instance you can call a lawyer, the police or pressmen. You can also record the happenings and post it on social media.

» Overall always decide to consciously choose the peaceful option in every situation. If Tunde had react-ed differently this string of occurrences would have been avoided.

Welcome to the maiden edition of Legal Date with Tolu.My name is Tolu Famojuro, and I’ll be giving you some legal advice on some everyday happenings and how to handle such events.

This column intends to feature possible real life situations albeit with fictional names. I hope that this will be helpful to some of you out there.

Enjoy the column.

By Tolu Famojuro

Legal DateWith Tolu

Watch out for the correct position of the Law in our next edition.

Common Computer Issues

Try this firstI know it sounds like a no-brainer, but before you do anything else, restart your computer. Research has shown that most computer users have solved their problems with this simple step. This long-standing maxim really does work wonder.

My printer won’t printLet’s assume that your printer’s drivers are up-to-date, and that it has enough paper and ink or toner to print. Try turning the printer off and on. Unplug the printer and plug it back in. Check your printer’s print queue by looking for the printer icon in the system tray and double-clicking it. The print queue shows you the status of each job as well as the general status of your printer.

Ensure that ‘Use Printer Offline’ isn’t checked. Sometimes, printing while your printer is turned off can cause Windows to set your printer to

work offline, and that can stall jobs sent later.

I keep seeing ‘There is a problem with this website’s security certificate’

Sometimes the biggest problems have the easiest fixes. According to support technicians, the lion’s share of issues are due to an incorrect system clock.

Website security certificates sync up with your computer’s clock. Old computers in particular run the risk of having a dead CMOS battery—the watch battery in your computer that keeps its system clock ticking. Click the clock in the system tray and select Change date and time settings to cor-rect any issues.

Computer Won’t Turn OnFirst thing is to check are the power cables that connect to the mains or

UPS check to see that they are plugged in properly. Sometimes these cables tend to shift when the offices are being cleaned.

Computer Running SlowlyThere are literally countless rea-

sons for a computer to run slower than it should do, but here are the most com-mon causes and ways to fix them.

1. Open your antivirus software, ensure that it is up-to-date, and run a full scan of your computer to get rid of any possible malware infection which may be slowing your computer down.

2. Check to see that your computer hard disk is not full

3. Run anti malware scan on your PC to check for malicious soft-wares.

By AbiolaObadimeji

From the IT Desk

50 / Century Post 4th Quarter 2014 / 51

Social Diary

Iyabo and Christy’s Sendforth

Teinane, Iyabo and Kunle Christiana and Abigail Aderonke, Jennifer and IyaboAderonke, Christiana Kuju, Olubanke and Helen Iyabo Aluko, Nath and Christiana Kuju Aderonke, Josephine, Christiana, Helen, Anita, Gabriel,

Blessing and Judy

Helen, Nengi, Funmi, Iyabo, Judy, Christiana, Josephine and Seyi Josephine, Helen, Iyabo, Nengi, Christiana and Judy

Josephine, Helen, Iyabo, Stephen, Christiana, Seyi, Olubusayo and Judy Bukky, Osas, Iyabo, Olubanke, Seyi and Nengi The send-forth cake Aderonke, Josephine, Christiana, Helen, Gabriel and Judy

52 / Century Post 4th Quarter 2014 / 53

Ross Mierendorff’s Sendforth

Social Diary

A cheers to Ross Benita and Ross A group picture with Ross A well wisher, Ross and Andy Eyre,

Ken Etete and Ross A well wisher Gift presentation to Ross by Tom and Kunle Osaretin Salami and Ross dancing

Benita Siaisiai and Ross Gordip Singh proposing a toast

Teinane Okpokiti and Ross

Ken Etete and a well wisher

Osas Uwaifo and Ross

Jennifer Idundun, Sarah Afolahan and Abigail Ross and friend A well wisher

54 / Century Post 4th Quarter 2014 / 55

CE’s Birthday

Social Diary

Ken Etete and HR team

TK Etete and Ken Etete cutting the birthday cake Jennifer Idundun and Ken Etete Ken Etete, Ifeanyi and other well wishers

Ken Etete and CAD Team

Ken Etete and Account Team Ken Etete and John Etete

56 / Century Post 4th Quarter 2014 / 57

Social Diary

ED’s Birthday

TK Etete

Anita Siaisiai and TK Etete

Osa Uwaifo and TK Etete

Ifeanyi Ajuluchukwu and TK Etete Chidinma Tammy Amadi and a guest

Seyi Katola and a guest

Seyi Katola and TK Etete Banke Olujide, Osas Uwaifo, TK Etete, Ineye Isoun, Lily Adimefe and Judy Aniso

Judy Aniso, Kunle Ajayi and Ineye Isoun

Ken Etete and guest Ken Etete and guest s at the table Tammy Amadi, Yomi Adeoye and Kunle Ajayi

58 / Century Post 4th Quarter 2014 / 59

CG One World Games

Social Diary

Ere Alabintei with Abiola Obadimeji Adesuwa Ebaleme playing chess

Kelvin Honda playing the draught Ken Etete playing Ayo.Harry Ishike and Iredia Eboferemen

Bob Ogoli and Amabowei Werigbenegha playing Ayo CG Staff playing Egg Race

Miebi Ifedigbo serving refreshment

Peter Sagbeha and Seyi Katola Benita Siaisiai, Bob Ogoli and Kunle Ajayi

On the 28th of November, 2014, Century Group had its maiden edition of the ‘CG One World Games’. This was aimed at creating an atmosphere for staff bonding and a practical sensation of relaxation.

60 / Century Post 4th Quarter 2014 / 61

Social Diary

Sunny Angaye’s Wedding - 29th November, 2014

Tonye Uneh’s Wedding - 15th & 22nd November, 2014

Tombra Beke’s Wedding - 22nd November, 2014

Aderonke Coker’s Wedding - 29th November, 2014

Gabriel Effiong’s Wedding - 8th November, 2014 Ben Ololo’s Wedding - 31st August, 2014

New Additions To The CG Family

Andrew Ayabina’s Son - 9th June, 2014 Tolulope Famojuro’s Daughter- 11th May, 2014

Tubikumo Agedah’s Son - 18th July, 2014

Richard Ukpong’s Son - 23rd August, 2014

Henry Peterside’s Son - 18th July, 2014

Ruth Isah’s Son - 24th July, 2014

Eluka Noble’s Son - 24th September, 2014

Doutimi & Isis Tulagha’s Son - 6th October, 2014

Ebi Saya-Braide’s Son - 19th October, 2014

Ayandiran Banji’s Daughter - 9th June, 2014

Paul Owotorufa’s Son - 9th November, 2014

Weddings

62 / Century Post

Century Group at the 4th Year Anniversary of Nig. News Direct and Man of the Year Awards

The Nigerian News Direct held its 4th anniversary and man of the year awards at the Eko Hotel on 3rd December,

2014. The Chief Executive, Mr Ken Etete was represented by Mr Dagogo Karibi Whyte who chaired the awards.

Social Diary

Jagogo Karibi Whyte delivering a speech

Presentation of Wards to Karibi Whyte

Femi Fani Kayode and Karibi White

Jagogo Karibi Whyte delivering a speech

Jagogo Karibi Whyte and James Useghan

During the Holiday Season more

than ever, our thoughts turn

gratefully to those who have made

our progress possible.

To a joyful present

and a well remembered past,

we sincerely say

Thank you and best wishes.

Happy Holidays

and a magnificent New Year.

CENTURY GROUP

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