1. Codub UK succeed in bringing Asset Summit Africa 2014 home
At the end of the Asset Summit Africa 2013 event in London, the majority of participants
asked Codub UK to come to Africa, starting with Nigeria.
Not only did Codub "listen", they acted accordingly and brought their showcase event
home to Africa with a 2-day summit at the Eko Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria
themed “Reduce Costs, Improve Safety & Increase Profitability through Effective
Asset Management & Maintenance”
A year ago the summit was opened with a
thought provoking analogy about the popular
game of draughts (checkers), not only to
explain the various techniques of Asset
Management but to introduce the Principal
Consultant Chidi Umeano (in picture).
This time around the delegates were informed
that by the end of the two days they will not
be saying "yes we can" when it comes to
Asset Management but by transforming it into
"we know how to".
The general buzz from the 200+ attendees over the two days (31st
March & 1st
April 2014)
is that Codub achieved their objectives while addressing issues that were very dear to the
delegates’ hearts. Engr Femi Akintunde, the Managing Director, Alpha Mead Facilities &
Management Services Ltd. pushed them one step further by not only coming but provided
focus on Asset Management from a Nigerian perspective.
Codub is a company that does not cut corners and flew in 7 Subject Master Experts in
addition to their own overseas based consultants for the 3rd
Asset Summit Africa. This
commitment for their excellence did not go unnoticed by Engr Femi Akintunde, Managing
Director, Alpha Mead Facilities & Management Services Ltd., whose company was a major
sponsor of the event. He said: “The quality of speakers that he experienced in London in
2013 was impressive and CODUB not only matched that here in Nigeria but exceeded all
expectations”.

2. Codub may claim not to be conference organisers but with the support of the UK Trade
and Trade and Investment (UKTI) and The Nigerian High Commission London, they not
only pulled off their event but also succeeded in conveying their messages about effective
Asset Management & Maintenance.
CODUB who are known for keeping things in-house decided to attract sponsors in order to
make the event accessible to a much wider audience.

3. InterContinental Hotel & Resorts, Lagos sponsored the cocktail reception at the close of
the event. The Federal Ministry of Works through the Honourable Minister, Arc. Mike
Onolememen, who was represented by Engr. Tunde Ekunsumi, supported the event
financially by being a Silver Sponsor. Other key sponsors and supporters included
Nigerian Society of Engineers, Dana Airlines, Built Legacy, Upscale Consultants and
Liberte Technologies.
The Asset Summit's unique format
is usually a combination of
conference sessions with debates
and breakout sessions. Also, there
is time for master classes and
case studies. While this is
normally done over four or five
days, this time around CODUB
achieved all of this in two days.
They also had to adapt their
typical British style approach to
comply with Nigerian protocols.
Noticeable additions was the
inclusion of open forum question
and answer sessions in which all
the speakers including
government representative
participated and provided good
responses as well as tips to
secure government contracts.
The British Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria, Peter Carter had the double honour of
opening and closing the summit. Clive Deadman and Mark Whyte who are both directors
of UK companies were two of the new speakers to the Asset Summit to speak on day one.
This was followed by Ola Fajobi, Mark Norris, Dr Olanrewaju Okunribido and Obi
Ozonzeadi who are all past speakers. The final UK based speaker Principal Consultant Dr.
Tunde Bammeke, presented his paper on day 2.

4. It was interesting to note that the master class for the technically minded on Reliability
Centred Maintenance (RCM) did not finish till after 7pm and was packed to the full with
nobody leaving till the end.
Day 2 (1st
April) turned out to be a race against time despite the best efforts of CODUB to
get started on time. However, once Lagos based Mrs Uloma Umeano started, she got
everybody involved with an April fools prank and the summit was back in full swing.
A major endorsement of CODUB's initiatives was publicly praised in a presentation by the
Ministry of Water who stated that they would like to partner with CODUB to develop Asset
Management policies and training for the operatives of the water agencies.
Despite running out of time, CODUB still managed to run a raffle draw for their Corporate
Social Responsibility (CSR) Project for Saint Monica House, an Orphanage project for
children with disabilities in Lagos. Most of the children are aged 6 months to 11 years. The
amount raised was N59,700 (£220.00) and Codub group matched this amount raising the
total amount to N119,400 (£440.00). A cheque was presented to the Orphanage on 6th
April 2014.
In addition, Mr Dennis Stokell, General Manager,VGC
Maintenance & Management Ltd., won the business cards
raffle and got himself a free entry ticket to the next Annual
Asset Summit 2015.
To add the icing
to the cake,
Engr Femi Akintunde who spoke several times
during the conference illustrated in a case study
how CODUB helped his own organisation
(Alpha Mead Facilities) in successfully
computerising the operations and engineering
division of his organisation.

5. Chidi Umeano who is the publicly known
face of the CODUB Organisation explained
that without his fellow colleagues and staff
from both the UK and Nigeria offices, that
this event would not have been possible.
He explained that CODUB offers many
services and that the organisation has three
distinct lines of business operations. While
the Asset Management side is clear with this
event, he spoke a little bit more about the
ERP/CMMS consultancy side, their product (QuickSmartFM) and their purpose-built
training centre in London.
It is a pity that nobody from CODUB was able to
present a paper at the conference although they did
their best behind the scenes to answer questions and
explain what they do. On the positive side CODUB
have finally crossed over the waters and landed in
Nigeria with their range of international accents.
The 2014 Asset Summit Africa ended with a cocktail reception sponsored by the
Intercontinental Hotel & Resorts in Victoria
Island Lagos. The British Deputy High
Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Peter Carter who
opened the Summit also brought the event to a
close, thanking CODUB for addressing the
infrastructural needs of Nigeria while explaining
the business potential that Asset Management
has for Nigeria and Africa as a whole.