Personality in Focus
How FCWAMCO is Revolutionalising the Dairy Sector – Langat
Known in multinational circles as a turnaround business strategist, the Managing Director of FrieslandCampina WAMCO and Sub-Saharan Africa Cluster, Ben Langat, has maintained steam in the sustainable dairy breakthroughs that the firm has championed in more than a decade.
Since 2010 and still counting, FrieslandCampina WAMCO has invested over N21 billion in the Nigerian dairy sector even as the dairy giant continues to lead the transformation of the sector. Media visits to the dairy development sites of the firm across several states in the country show how the lives, living and livelihoods of thousands of farmers, their wives and children have gradually upscaled; improving their nutrition, health, earnings and access to child education, among other benefits that had eluded them for decades.
Thriving on its corporate commitment of nourishing Nigerians with quality dairy products, FrieslandCampina WAMCO continues to help solve issues of malnutrition, poverty, herders and farmers’ incessant clashes, as well as promote sustainable dairy practices through intense and creative backward integration.
The company has created over 100,000 employment opportunities, directly and indirectly through on-farm and off-farm activities; improved the livelihood of over 12,000 smallholder dairy farmers and pastoralists, which they have organized into cooperatives and integrated them into FrieslandCampina WAMCO’s fresh milk supply chain, which provides for the local dairy farmers guaranteed incomes and market access all-year round.
FrieslandCampina WAMCO provided access to potable water for communities and livestock with the construction of 109 solar-powered boreholes and proficient extension services for value chain actors; extensive farmer2farmer training where Dutch farmers visit Nigeria to train local farmers on animal health, hygienic milking, and best global dairy practices.
Besides developing productivity and efficiency in farm management, FrieslandCampina WAMCO is the highest off-taker of fresh milk produced locally for manufacturing in Oyo, Osun, Ogun, Kwara and Ondo and have spread their footprints into northern Nigeria as champions of the nation’s march towards a prosperous and self-sufficient dairy industry.
Speaking to the media recently, the eminent dairy management maestro, Langat fielded these questions among others, thus lending credence to the impact his company has made in the dairy sector…
How do you sustain local content for your products?
To grow high milk-yielding cows, you have to put in extra effort like we have been doing for over 12 years. FrieslandCampina WAMCO is the highest off-taker of fresh milk produced locally from five states in Nigeria. Our Yoghurt factories are running on local milk, so we can say we have brands that are 100% Nigerian in our portfolio. However, to be able to meet the total dairy nutrition demands in a country as large as Nigeria, the local milk currently available is still very much inadequate. In my opinion, the model that the country will run will still have a reasonable mix of importation of some of the raw materials, while local content is developed over a period of time.
What impact do your dairy activities have in your host communities?
We are doing all the right things if you look at it from the employment perspective. Among the 12,000 farmers we work with, there are about 1500 Fulani women who had been at home but today, they are productive and are being paid regularly for raw milk and their families are much more prosperous than before – the farmers, their wives and children. In some cases, their mud huts have been rebuilt to brick houses and their children now go to school, which they could not afford before.
How have you dealt with the paucity of Forex and threats of insecurity?
We have had to restrict our Forex needs as much as we can and also source it by any means legal. We sometimes source from commercial banks in addition to whatever the Central Bank is able to make available. Also, some of our service providers are able to source Forex and supply us products in Naira. This invariably means that the cost of raw materials will go up and ultimately affect the retail prices of our products. On insecurity, we have regular conversations with relevant government security agencies. We will never risk the lives of our people. Where we have security challenges around areas where we operate, we pull out for the time being like the case of the Bobi Reserve in Niger State. We had to withdraw from the location due to banditry in order not to risk the lives of our people. We are now in eight states in Nigeria; we work with 23 dairy cooperatives; we collect more than 40,000 litres of milk daily at peak periods and we have best-in-class raw milk quality, one of the best in Africa.
By NOMA
The Nigerian Online Media Alliance (NOMA) has celebrated Mr. Olakunle Aderinokun on his 55th birthday, describing him as a distinguished strategic communications expert and media professional whose nearly three-decade career continues to shape Nigeria’s communications and business landscape.
In a statement by Theresa Moses, Chairperson, NOMA highlighted Aderinokun’s current role as Head, Media and Public Relations at Access Holdings Plc, where he leads group-wide media strategy, executive communications, crisis management, and corporate reputation positioning across local and international markets.
The Alliance noted that his ability to align corporate narratives with business strategy, stakeholder expectations, and regulatory realities has strengthened institutional credibility and public trust.
Aderinokun’s career reflects a unique blend of journalism, financial services, and corporate leadership. He spent 24 years at THISDAY Newspapers, rising to the position of Group Business Editor and Associate Editor, where he played a significant role in shaping Nigeria’s business journalism ecosystem. He later served as Editor, Business at ARISE News Channel, further consolidating his reputation for editorial excellence and impactful storytelling.
Throughout his journalism career, he covered critical sectors including banking, capital markets, energy, aviation, and macroeconomics, engaging directly with top policymakers, regulators, and corporate leaders. His extensive international exposure includes participation in global platforms such as the IMF-World Bank Meetings, African Development Bank Meetings, TICAD in Japan, the Nigeria-China Business Forum, Africa Oil Week in Cape Town, and Vaasa Energy Week in Finland.
Beyond journalism, Aderinokun brings strong financial and investment expertise, having worked with United Bank for Africa (UBA) and Wall Street Trust Company (now WSTC Financial Services), where he handled equity analysis, market research, and investment advisory. This foundation, NOMA noted, has enabled him to effectively bridge financial performance with strategic communication outcomes.
An entrepreneur, he founded Pure Synergy Ltd in 2013, a firm focused on reputation management and strategic communications, and later served as CEO of Excite Enterprise Ltd, an online business solutions platform.
In the public sector space, Aderinokun served as Media Adviser to Senator Tokunbo Abiru in 2020, where he led media strategy and publicity for the Lagos East Senatorial campaign, contributing to its successful outcome.
Academically, he holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics (Pure and Applied) from the University of Ilorin and an MBA from the University of Lagos, complemented by executive education at Lagos Business School and professional training with the World Bank Institute, NIPR, and Standard Bank Group, South Africa. He also holds multiple professional certifications across public relations, banking, marketing, and digital communications.
NOMA described him as a quintessential, multifaceted professional whose career embodies excellence, innovation, and leadership.
“Olakunle Aderinokun represents the very best of strategic communication and media practice in Nigeria. His journey is not only inspiring but also instructive for the next generation of professionals navigating the evolving media and corporate landscape,” the statement read.
As he marks his 55th birthday, NOMA commended his enduring contributions and wished him continued success, good health, and greater accomplishments in the years ahead.
The Executive Secretary/CEO of the Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF), Dr. Ayodele Ogunsan, has congratulated the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, on the occasion of his birthday, commending his visionary leadership and reform-driven approach to policing in Nigeria.
In his birthday remarks, Dr. Ogunsan described the IGP as a “distinguished officer whose career has consistently reflected professionalism, courage, and a deep commitment to public safety.”
He noted that since assuming office as the 23rd Inspector-General of Police early this Year 2026, Disu has demonstrated a clear resolve to reposition the Nigeria Police Force towards greater efficiency and public trust.
Dr. Ogunsan particularly praised the IGP’s emphasis on intelligence-led policing, a strategy aimed at enhancing proactive crime detection and prevention, as well as his push for the integration of digital tools and forensic capabilities into police operations. These reforms, he said, signal a shift towards modern, accountable, and citizen-focused policing.
He further highlighted Disu’s decisive steps to strengthen the state policing agenda and officers’ welfare. He praised him for the effective policing model through the restructuring and reduction of tactical units, a move designed to address concerns over excesses while redeploying personnel to police divisions for improved community-level security.
The LSSTF boss also acknowledged the IGP’s consistent advocacy for discipline, integrity, and professionalism within the Force, noting that such values are critical to restoring public confidence and enhancing institutional credibility.
Reflecting on his track record, Dr. Ogunsan recalled Disu’s impactful leadership roles across key commands, including the Rivers State and the Federal Capital Territory Commands, where he contributed significantly to crime control and intelligence-driven operations.
His tenure as the Commander of the Rapid Response Squad in Lagos is a testament to his operational excellence and urban crime management.
Ogunsan wished the IGP good health, wisdom, and continued success in his efforts to build a more secure Nigeria. “On this special occasion, we celebrate not only a remarkable leader but a reformer whose vision continues to inspire confidence in the security architecture of our nation,” Ogunsan said.
Terrorists in northeast Nigeria killed a brigadier general in an assault on a military base, a local government chairman told AFP on Thursday, the second killing of a high-ranking officer in five months.
Africa’s most populous country has been fighting a terrorist insurgency for 17 years, since Boko Haram’s 2009 uprising, which has seen the emergence of powerful splinter groups, including Islamic State West Africa Province.
In an overnight attack, unidentified terrorists killed at least 18 soldiers and torched vehicles at a base in Benisheikh, about 75 kilometres from Borno state capital Maiduguri, an intelligence source told AFP.
“Unfortunately, the brigade commander, Brigadier General O.O. Braimah, lost his life,” Kaga Local Government Chairman Zannah Lawan Ajimi told AFP in a phone interview.
Two intelligence sources confirmed Braimah’s death to AFP.
His death follows the killing of Brigadier General Musa Uba by ISWAP in November. He was the highest-ranking military official to die in the long-running conflict since 2021.
“They overran the brigade,” one of the intelligence sources said, giving the death toll as “at least” 18.
The second intelligence source said that “the terrorists killed several troops” and “burnt vehicles and buildings before they withdrew,” without giving a toll.
The army and Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
– Rising terrorist violence –
Researchers have warned of an uptick of violence since 2025.
Borno capital Maiduguri has seen two suicide bombings since December — the type of bloody, urban attacks reminiscent of the insurgency’s peak a decade ago.
On Wednesday, the US State Department said in a notice it was authorising “non-emergency US government employees” to leave Abuja “due to the deteriorating security situation”.
While the insurgency is concentrated in the northeastern countryside, terrorists from Nigeria and the neighbouring Sahel have made inroads western Nigeria, where organised crime gangs known as “bandits” have been raiding villages and extorting farmers and artisanal miners for years.
Gunmen killed at least 90 people across several remote villages in northwest Nigeria this week, according to an AFP tally of tolls given by local and humanitarian sources.
Among the attacks was an assault in Kebbi state that police blamed a local terrorist group known as Mahmuda, which is affiliated with Al-Qaeda.
Kebbi sits on Nigeria’s border with Benin and Niger and since 2025 has been targeted by a rising number of terrorist attacks.
Conflict monitor ACLED says there has been a surge in violence in the area carried out by militants affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group.
In nearby Kwara state, in October, fighters from the Al-Qaeda-affiliated JNIM claimed an attack after years of researchers warning that the terrorist conflict ravaging the Sahel risked spreading south towards coastal West African states.
In December, the United States, with Nigerian assistance, bombed northwest Sokoto state, targeting Islamic State Sahel Province fighters usually found in neighbouring Niger, along with Mali and Burkina Faso.
AFP
