General News
Consulting Should Tout Insights for Business Growth- Kalu

Ikechukwu Kalu is the chief executive officer/lead consultant of Customer Passion Point Limited. He was the Vice President/Group Head of Marketing & Communications of one of Nigeria’s leading financial institutions, First City Monument Bank (FCMB).
He began his career with Guinness Nigeria Plc and worked in different capacities spanning Production, Human Resources, Internal Audit as well as Marketing.
He is a Chartered Marketer and member of the National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria (MNIMN) and Chartered Institute of Marketing (MCIM), London. He is an alumnus of the revered Harvard Business School as well as Lagos Business School.
In this interview he spoke to peter ugwu he disclosed why he really wanted to be known for value creation consulting which is mainly about business marketing.
Leaving FCMB for Customer Passion Point Limited
Yes. It’s a great job I enjoyed while it lasted. As you may remember, I was head hunted and recruited all the way from Tanzania where I had just ended an expatriate contract as Marketing Director for Zanzibar Telecoms (Zantel Limited), a part of Etisalat.
I had a two year contract with FCMB which ended in August 2014 but we agreed to extend it to December 2014, a period we thought was adequate to get the team fit into a new structure which was intended to align the activities of marketing and the retail banking group in the bank’s quest to build a viable / profitable retail franchise.
The Concept of CPPL
Customer Passion Point Limited is a value creation firm that is positioned to support p small, growing and medium size organisations to create stakeholder value through consumer insights.
This we do through business marketing consulting and training / development.
We sit with SMEs and Entrepreneurs to understand their issues and develop appropriate solutions to solve the issues. We also serve large organisations that may not have the capacity in house to implement their strategies.
Ever Envisaged Leaving FCMB?
Yes I did know that I was going to leave FCMB at the end of the 2 year contract but I must confess that I expected that the contract would be renewed for another 2 years as I didn’t think the initial 2 years was adequate to midwife the new marketing that I set up.
Looking back now, I see why it was important for the team to work their way around the new structure and evolve organically. I always knew I will go back to working at CPPL because it was borne out of a vision to support small and growing businesses that definitely would not have the capacity for strategy and implementation and would require the services of consultants.
How did it start? It was in 2010 when I was leaving Zain (now Airtel, Nigeria) to travel to Tanzania to take up an expatriate job as Marketing Director when it the idea of setting up Customer Passion Point Limited (CPPL) occurred to my wife and I and we went for it and offered some shares to a friend who was also to run the company while we are away but it didn’t really worked.
The registration was completed but we never did any job until we got back from Tanzania in 2013.
As faith will have it, I had to set up the Tanzania arm in 2011 after my contract with Zantel Limited (a part of Etisalat) ended and I was very comfortable taking up another paid job.
It started with two very influential and successful businessmen (Zadock Kola, the owner of ZK Advertising), a Tanzanian and Tito Alai (a former member of Celtel International Board) from Kenya called me to a meeting on how we could start a truly African brand.
The meeting held at Southern Sun Hotel, Dar es Salam. I still remember the day very vividly. Interestingly, they two big men never got back to me on the subject even as you read this interview, but I walked away from that meeting with a strong passion to set up Customer Passion Point Limited in Tanzania, a brand that would soon become a truly African brand.
Three months after setting up CPPL in Tanzania, we got an opportunity to pitch for a customer engagement campaign job at Ecobank.
We were successful at the pitch and had the responsibility to develop and execute the campaign end to end.
It was about generate quality awareness for the band and growing both customer acquisition and low cost deposit for Ecobank Tanzania. The campaign ran for six (6) and I guess it was very successful as the campaign was later replicated in all Ecobank operations.
It was exactly three (3) into the campaign when FCMB head hunted and hired me for the role of Group Head, Marketing & Communication at a Vice President level.
CPPL’s Service Offerings
We offer two broad services – Business Marketing Consulting and Training / Development. (a.) Business Marketing Consulting. Forward looking businesses know that value creation through efficient and effective marketing is the key to success across times and seasons – during both good and bad economic times.
The challenge for most businesses is that they are not able to quickly and cleverly adapt their marketing strategies to current and foreseeable economic climates. This is not surprising as successful business promotion requires marketing experience and knowledge that many businesses don’t have in-house.
Investing in an experienced business marketing consultant can give an organisation the help that they need to acquire, grow and retain customers while building a solid and sustainable brand. We believe that when you build a solid brand, it will sell itself through advocacy which is the ultimate of good marketing. (b.) Training / Development.
We are focused on delivering business enhancement training programs. Our flagship program is the CPPL monthly training program for business people where we train business owners and their core staff on strategies for growth and profitability.
We have recently introduced other programs like: (i.) Effective Business Writing & Communications Skills program to help improve communication within the business environment, appreciating the over whelming positive impact of good business writing and communication to a business. (ii.) We have also introduced leadership and personal effectiveness training programs. This is because leadership sets the tone for the entire business and people must be thought to appreciate the role of leadership. People should also be thought on how to ensure personal effectiveness at work and manage stress.
The Making of a Good Businessman
A good businessman or woman is someone who is able to convert an idea or value to a profitable business. It’s someone who is able to make a meaning by improving quality of life, righting the wrong and or preventing the end of something good.
He does all these and makes money out of it. If no money is made, then it’s purely social responsibility.
Therefore, I want to emphasis that I really want to be known for value creation consulting which is really about business marketing – marketing of businesses. Secondly, training should be an intervention coming out of a consulting.
Consulting should help tout develop insights which if acted upon should unlock massive opportunities for growth and profitability for the business.
The Toughest Hurdle in Bringing CPPL to This Point
Good question. It’s been getting people to try you out. I thought that it would be a smooth start given that I had worked in great companies and rose quite high there, that they will naturally want to patronize me.
It’s not that easy as they also have to be sure that you can provide value that match the need they have. So, I have had to start small with training and growing gradually.
Our flagship training, the CPPL monthly training program for business people has been on for the past 14 months and we have trained well over 150 participants from more than 50 businesses. We now have to leverage on this to pitch for marketing consulting jobs. Slowly but surely, we shall get there.
The Best Way to Start and Nurture a Business
Start small and grow gradually. This will help you keep cost down and invest wisely. There is nothing wrong in starting from you home and gradually hit the high streets. It’s important to manage cost, be discipline, professional, keep good record, and track your business performance by doing some simple profitability test. It’s really important to start right.
Costliest Mistake Most Business People Make
In my view, it’s about not being disciplined. You don’t borrow money to do business when you are not sure of the returns.
How do you pay back? Some have invested huge funds on aesthetics claiming that ‘image is everything’ You have to start small, understand the terrain and position properly before you start to get into huge investment. There is really no hurry. Get it right the right time and always.
Set Target in Next Five Years as CEO
I hope to build a thriving business with clients that you can look back and say, yes we did it together. I have been successful with my work carry.
I hope to replicate same in business. I want be known creating value in the market place. I want to redefine the concept of value creation consulting.
The market is there and we are actually few in this sector. My vision is to operate CPPL as a dynamic African brand while focusing on excellent client service in every country (and culture) where we operate in.
Most Difficult Experience Encountered
My case is somehow peculiar. I have been in paid employment for about 32 years and over 10 years of it were on roles that gave me some authority. I had really gotten used to people coming to me as against me going to them.
I was saw surprise now having to wait on the queue to be attended to. It was a rude shock but I learnt humility fast and it’s a long better. My advice is being patient, focus on the value you have and wait for that golden moment to sell.
The making Of A Good Business Consultant
Personal effectiveness is key. You must manage your time well, work well with your clients and continuous self-development. Your client is depending on you for insights and you can’t afford to fail them.You must always to seek first to understand and then to be understood. This way you hear the voice of your client and possibly respond more aptly to their needs. We want our clients to focus on other aspects of their businesses while we help them with the development of insights and the relevant value propositions to drive growth and profitability.
—
General News
FG Declares Admissions outside CAPS Illegal

Federal government has declared that any admission into tertiary institutions conducted outside the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS), will be deemed illegal.
Dr Tunji Alausa, minister of Education, gave the directive in Abuja on Tuesday at the 2025 policy meeting of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).
Alausa, therefore, warned universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education across the country against illegal admission.
He said institutions and individuals involved in such practices would be prosecuted and severely sanctioned.
“Any admission conducted outside CAPS, regardless of its intentions, is illegal.
“Both institutions and the candidates involved in such practices will be held accountable.
“Sanctions may include withdrawal of institutional assets and prosecution of culpable officers or governing council members,” he said.
CAPS, introduced in 2017, automates the admission process to eliminate human interference and administrative bottlenecks.
Alausa, however, reiterated the government’s commitment to strengthen transparency, fairness, and accountability in the nation’s tertiary education system.
He explained that while the responsibility for initiating admissions rests with the academic boards of each institution, JAMB, as a statutory regulatory body is mandated to oversee and regulate the process to ensure fairness and equity.
The Minister urged vice-chancellors, rectors, provosts, and governing councils to intensify oversight functions to prevent unauthorised practices.
He assured that the Ministry would monitor compliance closely in collaboration with JAMB.
The minister also reaffirmed the policy mandating integration of the National Identification Number (NIN) into the JAMB registration process.
“The NIN requirement has proven vital in safeguarding the integrity of our admission system by curbing identity fraud and multiple registrations.
“Any abuse of the NIN system will be identified and punished,” he said.
He highlighted the need for data-driven policies in the admission processes.
The Minister also presented statistics showing a mismatch between available admission quotas and actual student intake across many programmes, especially in agriculture, education, engineering, and the health sciences.
“We have capacity, but we are not admitting enough students.
“We need to start closing the gap, so that more children can access tertiary education,” he said.
He also criticised the proliferation of underutilised institutions, revealing that over 120 universities in Nigeria received fewer than 50 applications in the current admission cycle.
“The problem is not about access, it’s about alignment and capacity.
“We don’t need to open new tertiary institutions in every ward. Instead, we must expand and strengthen the capacity of existing ones,” he said.
On his part, Sen. Shuaib Salisu, chairman, Senate Committee on ICT and Cybersecurity, called for stricter sanctions against institutions and administrators who undermine Nigeria’s admission process.
Salisu proposed the criminalisation of fraudulent admission practices.
He also warned institutions that exploit loopholes in the admissions system, allowing students to unknowingly pursue flawed admissions for years to desist from such practices.
He assured that the Senate Committee would explore legislation to criminalise such fraudulent practices, holding admission officers and institutional management accountable.
Salisu also called for an inclusive education system that drives peace and economic growth.
General News
BRICS Leaders Seek Inclusive Access to AI

To support a constructive debate towards a balanced artificial intelligence (AI) approach, the BRICS leaders have agreed on a set of guidelines to foster responsible development, deployment and use of AI technologies for sustainable development and inclusive growth.
The leaders of the BRICS nations – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – published a joint statement calling for a global governance framework for AI that is inclusive, representative and rooted in the principles of sovereignty, development and ethical responsibility.
The guidelines, which strictly refer to the use of AI in the non-military domain, should be applied through either domestic or applicable international frameworks, as well as through the development of interoperable standards and protocols, in inclusive, transparent and consensus-based processes, the statement reads.
BRICS is a political and diplomatic coordination forum for countries from the Global South. This year’s theme was “Strengthening global south cooperation for more inclusive and sustainable governance”.
The BRICS leaders’ statement positions AI as a transformative force for sustainable development and innovation, while also warning against uncoordinated governance models that could deepen global inequities, marginalise developing nations and fracture multilateralism.
It emphasises that AI governance should be anchored in the United Nations system to ensure inclusivity and legitimacy.
The BRICS countries warn against a fragmented regulatory landscape, advocating for co-ordinated multilateralism that includes the voices of developing countries – particularly from the Global South.
BRICS leaders reaffirmed their support for Digital sovereignty, saying each country must retain the right to shape AI policy and technology in line with its own development goals and legal frameworks. This includes capacity-building, data governance and technological autonomy.
“We firmly support the right of all countries to harness the benefits of the digital economy… to develop capacities in AI research, foster technological autonomy and innovation, ensure data protection, and promote their own digital economy,” the statement reads.
A major theme in the document is the need for fair, equitable and inclusive access to AI technologies. The BRICS leaders stress that all countries – regardless of economic standing – must be able to access and benefit from AI.
The group also called for global co-operation in building data governance frameworks that allow developing countries secure and equitable access to data, with full respect for privacy, intellectual property rights and national laws. This ties into support for open science, open innovation and open-source AI models that can fuel local innovation ecosystems.
On intellectual property, the statement advocates for a balance between proprietary rights and public interest to prevent exploitative data practices and ensure transparency in AI model development and deployment.
The BRICS countries voiced concern over algorithmic bias and the exclusion of underrepresented cultures and languages in AI datasets and models.
They called for ethical, transparent and accountable AI development that reflects cultural, demographic and linguistic diversity.
They also endorsed UNESCO’s Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence and called for international co-operation to develop inclusive datasets, tools to flag misinformation and mechanisms to mitigate bias – especially against vulnerable groups like women, children, the elderly and people with disabilities.
The BRICS nations stressed the importance of using AI as a tool for sustainable development, citing sectors such as healthcare, agriculture, education, energy and environmental conservation as priority areas.
They urged that AI development must be environmentally responsible, minimising carbon emissions and e-waste.
The potential of AI to enhance productivity and job creation was also recognised, as well as the risks of job displacement and exploitation. The statement calls for policies that safeguard worker rights, ensure compatibility between AI and human capabilities, and promote decent work in the digital economy.
“It is imperative to safeguard the rights and wellbeing of all workers, particularly those directly affected by the digital transformation… including generative AI,” the statement says.
The BRICS statement ends with a commitment to intensify co-ordination on AI governance and share the guidelines across international platforms. It extends an open invitation to other developing countries to contribute to and refine the emerging global framework for AI.
“We welcome contributions to further develop these guidelines, particularly from other developing countries, and will remain open to revisiting them.”
General News
Tech-driven Solutions Receive Commendation @ Maiden Insurance Week Hackathon

Mrs Yetunde Ilori, President of the Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria (CIIN), has commended the innovative and technology-driven solutions presented during the institute’s maiden Insurance Week Hackathon competition.
Ilori gave the commendation after the completion of the competition on Thursday in Lagos, held at the College of Insurance and Financial Management in Asese, Ogun, as part of the Insurance Week organised by the CIIN.
She described the solutions as crucial to the industry’s transformation and relevance in the digital age. “This shows that the future is bright for the Nigerian insurance industry.
We are transforming as an industry, and digital innovation is at the heart of that transformation,” Ilori said. She noted that 19 teams initially applied for the competition, but only six were shortlisted.
The competition, which targeted young Nigerians between the ages of 18 and 29, engaged six finalist teams over a fourweek intensive innovation process, culminating in a demo day on Wednesday in Lagos.
The hackathon focused on real-world challenges in the sector, such as inclusive insurance, fraud detection, risk management, and improving customer experience.
It was designed to cultivate the next generation of insurance innovators, deepen insurance awareness, and promote financial literacy among Nigerians.
The teams that participated in the final stage of the competition were: Ifokanbale, Insurbridge, Insurvate, Team Aegis, Team Phoenix, and The Assured Team. Team Aegis developed “Hustle Guard,” a microinsurance solution for tricycle drivers covering health, life, and income, in an effort to demystify micro insurance in Nigeria.
The Assured Team presented “Kolo Plus by Card,” an unstructured savings plan with payment and interest features tailored to low-income earners. Team Insurbridge created “Smarter Claims,” a solution aimed at improving the insurance claims process.
Team Phoenix introduced “HerShield,” a solution focused on empowering women and building trust in the insurance sector. The Assured Team also developed additional ideas to drive insurance penetration in underserved and informal communities.
After an engaging pitch session before a panel of judges, Team Insurvate emerged as the overall winner with its solution, “Claim Central”, an end-to-end digital platform designed to streamline the insurance claims process from policyholders to insurers.
Team Aegis secured second place, while Team Phoenix came in third. The panel of judges included financial sector experts such as Norah Igwe, Tunji Andrews, Diana Mulili, Sakeenat Bakare, Ibraheem Babalola, and Prince Adeshina Adeyemi-Doro.
Also speaking, Mr Eddie Efekoha, Chairman of the Insurance Week, said the hackathon demonstrated a conscious effort to explore how technology can help distribute insurance products to all parts of the country.
“We believe this initiative will spark more interest among the youth to engage with insurance, not just as consumers but as creators and innovators,” he said.
Speaking on behalf of the winning team, Mr Odunayo Ojeremi, leader of Team Insurvate, described the competition as highly competitive and rewarding. “We are excited and grateful for the opportunity.
“We didn’t expect to win, but we are glad our solution was recognised. We hope to improve ‘Claim Central’ and make it a platform that ensures seamless claims processing,” he said.
- Telecom2 days ago
Y’ello Care’s 21-Day Campaign Bridges Digital Divide for Thousands Nationwide
- General News2 days ago
Enugu Air Commences Operations Today
- E-Business2 days ago
Galaxy Backbone, Rural Electrification Agency Commit to Deepening Digital and Energy Access Across Nigeria
- Broadcasting2 days ago
NDPC Slaps Multichoice with ₦766M Fine for Data Privacy Violations
- News2 days ago
Lagos-Calabar Highway Gets $100M Push from ECOWAS to Drive Regional Growth
- Telecom2 days ago
20 Years of Digital Leadership: Layer3’s Legacy and the Road Ahead
- News2 days ago
NBS May Release Rebased Figures for Nigerian Economy July 11
- Telecom1 day ago
NCC Wins Global ICT Award for Digital Awareness in Schools