Macleans, Passion House take Environmental Campaign to Surulere

The campaign for environmental protection and promotion of cleaner and
healthier surroundings in Nigeria received a boost recently when Macleans,
the toothpaste brand from GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Nigeria (GSK) Plc
partnered Passion House, an environmental protection NGO, to clean up
Surulere LGA in Lagos. Macleans and Passion House teamed up with the Lagos
State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) in order to ensure an impactful
exercise. to cleanup major zones of Surulere
The Corporate Reporting and Procurement Director of GSK, Mrs Foluso
Onabowale, Mr Oladimeji Gbadamosi, Assistant Director Lagos State Ministry
of Environment LAWMA' office and other top management team of GSK, students
from various schools as well as residents of the LGA participated in the
clean up exercise which is a quarterly event.
Mrs. Onabowale who represented the Managing Director of GSK, noted that
there is a great correlation between a healthy environment and a healthy
oral cavity and that this was the bases for which Macleans as a brand is
championing this campaign. She also mentioned that "this particular cleanup
is special to us because its the month of Nigerian Independence and we have
deemed it important to draw the attention of our consumers to the need to
join hands together to move the nation forward by each person contributing
his own meaningful quota. Active involvement in ensuring a clean environment
is definitely one way we can all contribute to the Nigeria of our dream. We
have also offered free product samples to the participants in the spirit of
celebration of our 51st Independence.
"We are here to restate our commitment to environmental protection and also
assure our consumers, that in line with our mission of improving the quality
of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer, we
are interested in providing them with quality product as well as helping
them achieve quality living of which a healthy environment plays a major
role." Mrs. Onabowale added.
She further explained that, Macleans has shown great commitment to
promoting, protecting and educating Nigerians on the need to take good care
of their oral environment by supporting various consumer oriented
initiatives over the years. The brand also boasts of a number of variants
that have been developed to address specific oral healthcare needs of
consumers, the most recent entrant being the Macleans Milk Teeth for kids
aged 1 - 6 years.
"Macleans has over the years played prominent role in the activities that
promote good life for Nigerians", she added. "We have collaborated with the
Lagos State Ministry of Health on programs aimed at improving oral hygiene
in schools; we also supported communities this year through our Community
for Dental Health Education Scheme with the help of final year Dental
students in Universities; and we support the Dental Association of Nigeria
at different levels including the World Oral Health Day celebration," she
enumerated.
Also speaking at the venue, Mr. Oladimeji Gbadamosi, an Assistant Director
of LAWMA said that, "environmental cleanup should be a joint effort of
government, corporate bodies and individuals. I am excited about this
team-up to clean Surulere and the contributions of Macleans especially the
free samples to residents and participants. If every organization or brand
sees the need to give back to society as Maclean has done, we will not only
have a better place but a healthier nation."
He commended Macleans for the long standing quality products and the
promotion of oral hygiene by the brand. Mr Gbadamosi also called on other
corporate organizations to emulate the CSR spirit of Macleans.
For the Executive Director, Passion House Mr Alex Akhigbe "our partnership
with Macleans is borne out of the fact that the brand is known for helping
people keep healthy by having good oral hygiene. We are jointly committed to
giving back to the community, by educating the people on the importance of
clean and healthy environment which is what we are all out to achieve by
cleaning the streets of Surulere."
He promised to sustain and extend the project to other parts of the state to
enhance government's effort in maintaining a cleaner environment and also to
monitor the impact

Panadol, a premium pain reliever product from GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Nigeria plc has again been recognized as one the most successful brands in the nation’s competitive market in 2010.

The recognition of a new set of superbrands in Nigeria was a result of the just concluded Consumer Market Survey carried out recently by Superbrands in partnership with AC Nielson.

Speaking at the unveiling ceremony held in Lagos, Project Director, Superbrands, Mr. Maxwell Marshall, stated that “the brands being unveiled as Superbrands have performed remarkably well and displayed leadership and resilience over the years.”

He noted that they will be presented with certificates of excellence and the opportunity to leverage Superbrand’s Seal and other promotional benefits.

The Seal, he highlighted, symbolizes achievements of exceptional brands and celebrates the acceptance and respect that these brands have earned from the market.

In his words, it is shorthand for outstanding brand performance, leadership quality, resilience, reliability, responsibility and good will. It re-enacts the bond between the brand and its publics and gives it the pride of place among its peers.

Panadol Marketing Manager, Charles Emakpose expressed delight on the recognition and award given to the brand. He commended Superbrands for recognizing, rewarding and reinforcing leading brands in Nigeria and globally.

According to him, “Panadol is GlaxoSmithKline’s brand of Paracetamol sold as an over-the-counter medication for everyday aches and pains. It is available in more than 85 countries as paracetamol-based pain relievers, with over six billion tablets sold annually worldwide. Furthermore, it has been a market leader for over 20 years in Nigeria and is one of the largest pharmaceutical products.”

He added that, “Since its introduction, it has been highly-regarded by healthcare professionals and consumers as a first-line medication because of its efficacy and suitability for mild-to-moderate pain and fever.”

“Recently, it launched its newest variant, Panadol with Optizorb, consequent of research and innovation. The new panadol is enhanced by the global Optizorb technology to rapidly disintegrate and dissolve in the stomach, releasing its medicine in as little as 5 minutes because it disperses 5 times faster than standard paracetamol into the human system,” he noted.

Restating his company’s commitment to excellence, Emakpose highlighted GSK as an ever ready partner in offering health solutions who also believes in making a difference to the health and well-being of the families both in urban and rural areas, using science as the driving force.

GlaxoSmithKline is one of the world’s leading research-based pharmaceutical and healthcare companies with a mission to improve the quality of human life by enabling consumers to do more, feel better and live longer.

Lucozade Boost, from the stable of GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Consumer Nigeria Plc, is set to electrify the entertainment industry with the first ever search for ‘The Most Energized Nigerian’. The global brand is demonstrating its ethos of energizing Nigerians by giving people the opportunity to present their talents in an entertaining and fun-filled audition centres.

The spectacular event, Lucozade Boost Freestyle, is scheduled to cover 13 weeks of exciting activities including road shows and auditions. The top 20 shortlisted participants will be drilled and made to go through elimination stages before the grand finale where ‘The Most Energized Nigerian’ will emerge.

The winner will smile home with a brand new car while the first and second runner-ups will grab N500,000 and N250,000 respectively. There are lots of other gift items for the other contestants.

The Marketing Director, Mrs. Hannah Oyebanjo noted that, “the Nigerian  market represents a very important market for Lucozade globally. We recognize this and are investing in this project to help the Nigerian youth to understand and explore their innate talents to unleash their potential.”

She stated that, Lucozade Boost Freestyle 2010 is conceived out of GSK’s desire to enable Nigerian youths in their natural environments find the right motivation to exhibit their skills in a captivating manner.  

In her own remarks, the Marketing Manager, Outdoor Brands, Mrs. Chika Adibo explained that, Lucozade Boost as a youth-targeted brand is committed to impactful projects aimed at engaging and bringing out the best in youths. She noted that, people expend energy when they perform any kind of physical activity and need to be energized to achieve their best.

“Lucozade Boost packaged the physical energy talent hunt because we believe there are many untapped talents among Nigerian youths. We are leveraging on the program to help our youths in the country realize their dreams. We also want to offer Nigerians, especially viewers a coveted avenue to release tension.”

Mrs. Adibo stated that, the road shows and auditions will be shot in Onitsha , Enugu , Owerri and Calabar and anchored by the ace comedian, Julius Agwu. “Youths within the age bracket of 18 to 35 years will be given the opportunity to display their talents in dancing, singing, acrobatic, stunts, ball juggling, atilogu dance, body contortion, etc. The essence is to parade creativity and how best to express their physical energy,” she added.

 The Marketing Manager further explained that, all performances will be sent to the Studio where three Judges will watch and pass their verdicts.  According to her, the competition will be aired on AIT Network, Soundcity (DSTV) and Soundcity (AIT).

GSK is one of the world’s leading research-based pharmaceutical and healthcare companies with a mission to improve the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer. 

As part of the Company’s strategic plan to place proven Nigerians at various key positions as well as at the helm of the Company’s Management, the Board of Directors of GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Nigeria plc has appointed Mr Chidi Okoro, Managing Director of the Company with effect from 1^st April, 2010 . 

He holds a Bachelor of Pharmacy degree obtained from the University of Nigeria , Nsukka in 1987 and an MBA from the University of Lagos in 1997. Earlier in 1994, he had obtained a Diploma in Marketing from the University of Lagos and later in 2002 attended the Senior Management Programme of the Lagos Business School . 

Mr Okoro  joined GlaxoSmithKline Consumer  Nigeria plc as Sales Director in May 2007 since which time the business has  been  growing  significantly over the years with contributions  to an annual sales growth of more than 20%. He was, therefore,  a Member of the Team that delivered the Company’s turnover  of N9.9 billion in 2007 which was driven to an an all-time high of N15 billion as at 31^st December, 2009. In announcing his appointment as the Managing Director, the Board described him as a key factor to the success of the Company in West Africa and is in a great position to continue to drive growth. 

Mr Okoro’s working experience cuts across the manufacturing and service sectors of the nation’s economy. Very early in his career, he was a Sales Representative and later Product Manager at Emzor Pharmaceuticals. He also worked with Reckitt and Colman Nigeria Limited as Product Manager and managed such household names as Dettol Antiseptic, Robin Starch range and Harpic range of homecare products the re-launch of which he co-ordinated. 

Between 1994 and 2004, Mr Okoro was at various times  Regional Sales Manager & Sales Operations Manager and later  National Sales Manager at Promasidor Nigeria Limited. In these roles, he was responsible for field sales force and channel management of  over 400 staff and well over 600 Distributors located all around Nigeria . He was a key Member of the team that evolved a sales and marketing strategy for Promasidor Nigeria . His leadership of the Sales Force  brought about an unprecedented achievement in  volume growth from 1998 to 2002. 

From January 2005 to January 2006, Mr Okoro was  Sales Director of Promasidor Nigeria Limited. Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer, he  had responsibilities for Sales and Secondary Distribution Strategy Setting and Actualisation; Sales Volume target and Budget Setting; Implementation & Control; Sales/Distribution Channels Development and Loyalty Schemes/ Customer Retention  Strategy Management, among others. In addition, as a Member of the Management Team,  he contributed to Corporate Strategy Development and Profit and Loss Responsibility. 

Mr Okoro made a career move to the service industry when he joined MTN Nigeria Limited in February 2006 as the Company’s General Manager – Business Sales. In that capacity, he was responsible for direct sales of MTN ’s Enterprise Solutions to Corporate entities; the management of Business Sales Team to achieve sales, market share /profit objectives and the implementation of MTN ’s Business Sales Strategy. He also led the Company’s Relationship Building with Strategic Clients. In order to make success of his role, he was fully involved in human resources management of his team members. 

A one-time accredited Trainer in the area of General Management for Promasidor Nigeria Limited, Mr Okoro is a Member of Nigerian Marketing Association and Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria. He has attended several local and overseas general management and function- specific courses. 

Pursuant to its brand promise of boosting consumer’ with dental ingredients that enhance fresh breath, strong teeth and healthy gum GlaxoSmithKline’s Macleans sponsored free comprehensive dental check for consumers. The dental check and mass enlightenment on oral hygiene took place at Muritala Mohammed Airport 2 and City Mall in Lagos.

 Speaking at the dental check, Channel Development Manager GSK, Mr Emeka Uchenna, said Macleans is globally positioned to promote the dental health of consumers and increase awareness for oral hygiene in Nigeria.
He stated that, Macleans as a brand of GSK is focused on improving the quality of human life enabling them to become confident in their daily living. “It is also a way of giving back to our teeming consumers for their long time patronage and contributions to the brand success’’.

 Mr Uchenna explained that the brand has supported many dental health programmes. It supports logistics, products and educational materials on oral healthcare and supports for other impactful programmes like Schools Oral Screening (primary schools), Children Dental Health Month, Community Dental Education Health (CODEH) and training of over 1000 public primary school health teachers in Lagos State.

He added that, “The Macleans brands and its variants of Complete Care, Herbal and Freshmint are formulated with high quality standards. The products have consistently met the quality standard in Nigeria as monitored by Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON) as well as the global quality standard. It is important to mention that, Macleans Freshmint won the SON Gold Award last year.”

According to him, the brand is committed to promoting and educating Nigerians on the need to take good care of their oral cavity by supporting activities on the program.

Tony Adeniran one of the consumers that benefited from the dental check commended Macleans for the great initiative to give consumers the required knowledge on the best ways to care for the oral cavity, it is a concept that teaches the need to brush the teeth twice daily.

GSK, makers of Macleans, is one of the world’s leading research-based pharmaceutical and healthcare companies.

The walk which was flagged off by the Commissioner for commerce and industry Lagos State, Price Ademola Oyemade, had senior staff of SON, Engr Okoro, representatives from various corporate organisations, Nigerian Police, FRSC, Nigerian Customs and various states ministries of health in attendance.

Speaking at the flag off, Commissioner for commerce and industry Lagos State, Prince Ademola Oyemade stated that, “Lagos, known for various activities that promote excellence, has identified with the standard Organisation of Nigerian (SON) for various activities the organisation has been taking up since inception to check the menace of substandard and fake products which pose danger to existence and growth of good quality products in Nigerian.”

Prince oyemade added that, it is important for us all to continually remind ourselves on the need to check, reject and expose products or any organisation that do not comply with the set standard by the regulatory agency on production of goods in Nigeria. “I must congratulate organisations or brands here today to support this laudable initiative by SON, it shows your quest for quality and product confidence,” he said.

In his own remarks, Corporate Affairs Manager of SON, Mr. Bola Fashina noted that, “the essence of the week tagged Eko 2009 was to create the needed awareness for consumers who are expecting government intervention in controlling the scourge of fake and substandard products in Nigerian market. It is a week to celebrate selected firms whose products has passed the quality standard.”

The Brand Manager of Macleans, Mrs Toyin Yusuf disclosed that, “as a company with the vision to support activities that promote human life and general wellbeing of people, we have deemed it fit to support the 2009 quality week which was kicked off with the quality walk.” She further stated that Macleans is supporting SON because the agency stands for quality which is our major focus at GSK. Our products’ quality takes the first position in all we do,” she revealed.

All Macleans variant, Freshmint, Complete Care and Herbal has passed the set quality standard by SON, the brand is solely committed to promoting, protecting and educating Nigerians on the need to take good care of their oral cavity by supporting activites on the program. “Macleans has been collaborating with the Lagos State Ministry of Health to advance oral hygiene in schools and the society at large,” she added.

GSK, maker of Macleans Variants  of toothpastes is one of the world’s leading research-based pharmaceutical and Healthcare companies with a Mission  to improve  the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer.

In a renewed commitment to its corporate social responsibility, GlaxoSmithKline Plc, makers of Lucozade sparkling brand has partnered with the Lagos State Government to raise the level of awareness on voluntary non-remunerative blood  donation.  The Lucozade sparkling team also donated various items including Lucozade drinks to speed up recovery for donors and support the campaign jointly organized by Lagos State Blood Transfusion committee and the State Ministry of Health to mark the 2009 World Blood Donor Day celebration..

Mrs. Chinyere Chima, Medical Marketing Manager of GSK, said “the celebration is a laudable initiative of the Lagos State Government towards educating and rewarding the public on the need for safe and non-remunerative blood donation and transfusion. The Lucozade sparkling product has been proven to speed up recovery for blood donors shortly after the noble exercise. The initiative started in 2004 and is highly commendable and that informs why we identify with it and made contributions towards it.” She added that “the GSK and its Lucozade brand is a partner in progress for ideas and initiatives that can make life safer, active and sparkling for Lagosians and Nigerians at large”.

 “With this partnership, we are making progress in our passion and pursuit to give back to the consuming public in line with our policy of championing strong, safe and healthy  living”, she stated.

Mrs. Chima further commented that the celebration marked the global commemoration of World Blood Donor Day designed to reward non-remunerative voluntary blood donors and encourage prospective donors on the need for safe blood donation and transfusion processes.

Speaking at the event in Surulere local Govt Secretariat recently, Professor Ibironke Akinsete, Chairperson Lagos state blood transfusion committee lamented that only 7 out of 100 people in Lagos donate blood without coercion or been mandated. This is an extremely low figure in a city of about 15million people where about 150,000 pints of blood are used annually. She however expressed optimism that Lagosians and Nigerians at large will gradually be better informed over need for safe blood donation and transfusion.

Commending both government and other facilitators of the event over moves to professionalize and regulate the practice, the don stressed the urgent need for a higher level of consciousness and humanitarian attitude towards blood donation. She called on blood transfusion experts and administrators to embrace and encourage only voluntary non-remunerative approach, adding that it is the best.

 “Voluntary blood donation in Lagos State has risen from the scanty 51 in 2003 to 656 in 2007 while donated blood screened rose from about 12000 in 2004 to almost 46000 in 2007”, she revealed.

She further added that “standards globally attainable should be the benchmark in Lagos and Nigeria. She also warned that charlatans and quacks should be totally discouraged from the practice which he described as very sensitive. Professor Akinsete said “though there are challenges, efforts like these are in right direction. Bearing in mind that there has been a massive increase in cases of blood transfusion, as such, there is a great responsibility to provide the environment for only safe transfusion. She condemned in strong terms the traditional and doctrinal beliefs that blood transfusion is bad, saying that life is sacred and worth saving.

The event was graced by the first lady of Lagos State , Mrs. Abimbola Fashola, Deputy Governor, Princess Sarah Sosan, Dr. Jide Idris, Commissioner for Health, Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr.R.O.Olatunji Permanent Secretary, Health Service Commission amongst other dignitaries and representatives of the public, media and communities.