Meristem Promotes Healthier Lifestyle Alternatives at Inaugural Festival

The efforts of the Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN) towards developing a deep seaport in the riverine areas of the state appear to have paid off as the Federal Government has finally agreed to open discussions with the state on the execution of the multi-billion naira project, which is expected to open a new vista in the economy of the state. This development is coming on the heels of the cancellation of the port master plan consultancy component of the $2.6 billion Badagry deep seaport project by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).

The authority was said to have hinged its decision on the alleged poor delivery of the consultancy contract which was expected to guide the Federal Government in the development of new deep seaports in the country.

Staff of the authority who are very knowledgeable about the development of deep seaports had advised the Managing Director of NPA, Hadiza Bala Usman, not to go ahead with the port master plan consultant as his work did not meet the required global standards and practices as was premised on very faulty foundation.

The NPA Managing Director was reported to have explained that what was currently required in Nigeria was to fast-track the development of deep seaports that would make the nation’s seaports competitive. In a bid to concretise the move to have a deep seaport in the state, Usman is expected to have a preliminary meeting with Governor Akeredolu on the possibility of exploring a “seamless but due process” and kick-start the construction of the multi-billion project located in Araromi, Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State.

Impeccable sources said barring any unforeseen circumstances, the meeting between Usman and Akeredolu will hold next week as all the parties involved look forward to a fruitful discussion.

In the same vein, sources at Dipharima House, the corporate headquarters of the Federal Ministry of Transportation said the option to develop a deep seaport in the riverine part of the state was informed by certain natural advantages the site had aside the preliminary technical efforts the state government had put in that regards. According to them, from the look of things, the next destination after Badagry had been cancelled is the proposed deep seaport in Araromi, Ilaje Local Government Area in Ondo State, which is a veritable alternative.

“We are committed to this because we are already under pressure to find a lasting solution to the embarrassing gridlock in Apapa, Lagos which has deteriorated following the perennial poor port access roads.”

Continuing, the top government official who preferred anonymity because he has not been authorised to speak publicly on the matter said: “Already, arrangements have been concluded for the NPA team to meet the Ondo State Government to explore a seamless but due process towards the realisation of the project.

“We are aware that so much efforts have been put by the state governor for there to be a seaport along the coastline of that state and precisely in Araromi where there is a natural trench and deeper raft than the Badagry project, which would been more expensive to embark upon because it lacked the required minimum of 16 meter raft in depth.

“I can emphatically say that the technical efforts of the Ondo State Government appear to have jump started the process because we followed up and we are almost convinced that Ondo State has a deeper raft advantage than any other in the country. So we may have no choice than to look in the direction of Ondo State”.

He argued that the choice of Ondo State was informed by the natural advantages. Its proximity to the Southeast and the South-south via Okitipupa and Ore stands out.

Usman had explained that the Federal Government cancelled a re-awarded the port master plan to avoid financial and commercial liabilities inherent in it.

Her words: “If you look at the Badagry and the Lekki deep seaport projects, they are all within the Western ports. The port master plan will guide us on whether it is okay to have two deep seaports in close proximity to each other. When I assumed office, I inherited a consultant that was supposed to do a Port Master Plan for the Badagry project, but the consultant did a very bad job.

“When we took the job to the consultant that did the project’s terms of reference (TOR), our internal people looked at it and said it was not good enough. Even the consultant that did the TOR confirmed that the job was not properly done.

“So because of these issues, we cancelled the contract, and the project’s promoters took us to court. We are currently in arbitration. Now we are working on re-awarding the contract. I just gave the goahead for the engagement of another consultant that will do the Port Master Plan. The master plan will allow us to know where ports should be deployed in the country inview of environmental issues, in view of commercial and financial liabilities”.

Besides, Badagry, other deep seaports in the pipeline include the ones situated in Lekki, Lagos State; Ibom, Akwa Ibom State; Port Notel, Akwa Ibom State; Agge, Bayelsa State, and Ogidigbe, Delta State.

While all of them are funded by various state governments in collaboration with the Federal Government in some cases, the first ever ocean seaport being promoted by Port Notel Limited is a wholly private sector driven project.

The Moët & Chandon Grand Day party, which held last week Saturday was one for the books, as Lagos city’s finest and most stylish crowd came out dripping in GOLD & GLAM for the most anticipated day party of the year, which was also in celebration of 150 years of the Iconic Moët & Chandon Imperial.

The annual and exclusive fete, Moet Grand Day hosted in over 80 countries worldwide by the international champagne house; Moet and Chandon, took place at the Pearl Towers in Eko Atlantic, and it was indeed an absolute glam party!

A private “Iconic GOLD” themed brunch started the affairs of the day with a star-studded guestlist that included Kate Henshaw, Ireti Doyle, Mo Cheddah, Mai Atafo, Basketmouth, Shaffy Bello, Uti Nwachukwu and a few

Meristem, a leading investment and capital market conglomerate has reiterated on the need to facilitate the adoption of healthier lifestyle alternatives and dispose of artificial and unhealthy living habits. This was the focus of the inaugural edition of its Green Fest held at Muri Okunola Park, Victoria Island on June 1, 2019.

Themed “Unjunk”, the organic and healthy-living festival, was the ultimate haven for health, fitness and wellness enthusiasts and created to propel the singular truth that health is wealth, and individuals must be committed to sustaining their health to enjoy true wealth.

The Meristem Green Fest took on a holistic approach in projecting this message through an array of activities including engaging fitness sessions, masterclasses, outdoor games, thrilling musical performances, and much more that spanned throughout the day.

Reiterating the purpose of the event, Head, Brand Management of Meristem, Omosolape Akinpelu said, “At Meristem, we are explicitly client-centric; our core focus is creating value for our clients by helping them grow their wealth. We have however come to understand that it is counterproductive for one to acquire wealth without paying attention to their health because of what use is wealth if one does not live long enough to enjoy it?

“Also, it would be difficult for one to grow wealth if they are not physically and mentally healthy. The Meristem Green Fest was borne out of this very notion and our goal is to promote the adoption and maintenance of a healthy lifestyle in nutrition, physical activities, and mental balance.”

Speaking on the future of the fest, Wole Abegunde, GMD, Meristem, said “The Meristem Green Fest is definitely here to stay, we have successfully brought people from all walks of life to experience our brand up-close and personal and we have consequently, heralded the biggest organic and healthy livmore glamorous connoisseurs of the premium champagne brand.

The guests moved on to the All-Gold day party which had over a thousand celebrities, social influencers and socialites, all dazzling in GOLD, as they danced to the tunes of DJ FACTOR, while savoring glasses of champagne and creating Moet Moments till the very end!

The poolside of the Eko Pearl Towers glimmered in GOLD; from the double glistening media wall and GOLD carpet, to a photobooth which contained golden balloons and a transparent-door fridge packed with the reason for the celebration: Endless bottles of Moet & Chandon!

Held annually across the globe the event is a 24-hour celebration that sees the rich and fab from New York City to Ibiza and Tokyo rise a bubbly toast. ing festival in Nigeria. We will continue to redefine the content and core-essence of the fest to help our clients to stay healthy so they can grow and enjoy their wealth. In the same vein we will bolster the community of business owners by creating a range of financial solutions to help them ultimately expand their business.”

The Meristem Green Fest served as a platform for clients of the company, health and fitness enthusiasts and practitioners to collectively kick-start a journey into a much healthier life. This was facilitated with a series of fitness sessions and masterclasses that held throughout the day. The morning itinerary included yoga, zumba, and aerobics classes led by fitness instructors Obinna Udora of Fit Nigeria, Bunmi Olunloyo of Bailamos Dance Company, and Sandra Patrick of Yoga Club Lagos.

The afternoon itinerary included masterclasses led by nine industry experts who shared insights on the following topics: ‘Juicing – Passion to Profit’ led by Goke Balogun, co-founder of So Fresh and Shola Ladoja, founder of Simply Greens; ‘Journey to fewer pounds’ led by Bunmi George, weight management coach; Lifestyle Modification and Healthier patterns led by Patrick Ijewere and Chinasa Amadi, nutritionist and health coach; Financial Literacy for Business Growth led by Senami Johnson, Head of Meristem Capital), ‘The Pretty side of Charcoal led by Omolewa Adenaike, CEO of activated charcoal company, Koalture Organics, and ‘A Trip to Unfiltered Glow’ led by Nancy Ndukwe – Ositelu, founder of skincare company, Chaurme Beauty.

There was also an enlightening live cooking class on ‘The Art of Healthy Cooking’, led by culinary chef, Soliat Bada, where guests learnt ways to recreate high-caloric and unhealthy staple meals with natural and organic alternatives.