ITREALMS 2020 webinar series: Adebayo to demystify 5G v COVID-19 - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The Chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Engr. Gbenga Adebayo has been confirmed as another speaker at the forthcoming ITREALMS Webinar as part of the 2020 Digital Rights series.

Hosted by the multiple international award-winning medium, ITREALMS Online, on Saturday, June 6, 2020 by 11am, the event would be centred on the theme: “Role of IP in 5G v COVID-19 Debate.”

Disclosing this, Editor-in-Chief of ITREALMS, Remmy Nweke, said that the webinar being hosted to commemorate the World IPv6 Day, 2020 is part of their continuous education under its digital rights series.

Engr. Adebayo, he said, is not new the telecommunications industry and will bring his experiences to bear in demystifying the relationship of the Fifth Generation (5G) and Coronavirus also known as COVID-19.

Adebayo, he disclosed would be speaking on “ALTON: 5G v COVID-19” subtheme, at the ITREALMS Zoom Webinar scheduled for Saturday, June 6, by 11am Nigeria time, with meeting identification as 748 9663 7846 and password: 3ggKaz.
Engr. Adebayo, is a pioneer member of ALTON and currently the chairman of Communication Network Support Services Limited (CNSSL) with over 20 years’ in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector in the country.

ITREALMS recalls that a collaborating organization, DigitalSENSE Africa, has been leading this forte under the aegis of the Nigeria IPv6 Roundtable in commemoration of the World Internet Protocol Version Six (IPv6) Day, every June 6; to promote the adoption of IPv6 for the products and services as well as create awareness, especially in Nigeria.

Nweke equally noted that ITREALMS collaboration with DigitalSENSE Africa on this series is deliberate consider it has been an Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) accredited At-Large Structure (ALS), which brought IPv6 awareness to Nigeria since 2011.

This year’s virtual event, he said, thus, is to sustain the awareness creation around the IPv6 evolution despite the Coronavirus or COVID-19 pandemic, which course was occasioned by the depletion of the Internet Protocol version Four (IPv4), over eight years ago.

Chuks Egbune/DoP

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Makinde commissions health centre in Ibadan - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

As part of activities in commemoration of his first year in office, the governor of Oyo State, Engineer Seyi Makinde, on Wednesday, commissioned the newly-renovated ALGON Comprehensive Health Centre, Eyin Grammar, Ibadan, reports ITREALMS.

The governor maintained that the top goal of his administration is to make primary health care system functional and affordable, noting that the government will continue to invest in the primary healthcare system.

A statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr. Taiwo Adisa, quoted him as also urging residents of the community to enrol in the Oyo State Health Insurance scheme as officers begin to go from house to house.

The governor said: “Already, we have developed a new funding structure for PHCs in our state. We followed the policy of paying counterpart funding wherever it is required. Oyo State paid a sum of N250 million as state counterpart fund for the Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria (ANRIN), a World Bank project. The project commenced in March 2020.

“We paid a sum of N100 million as state counterpart fund on the Basic Health Care Fund project. We also paid N19 million counterpart fund for the Integrated Medical Outreach Program by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA). As I said in my One Year in Office Broadcast, we will start seeing the results of our new funding structure in the months to come.”

According to the statement, Governor Makinde stated that through the Oyo State Health Insurance Agency, the state had been able to register 58,000 more beneficiaries for health insurance, adding that the state will now mobilise the community into OYSHIA.

The governor said: “Before we came into office, we were determined to ensure a turnaround in our healthcare sector. In order to achieve this, we made health care one of the four pillars of our manifesto, the Roadmap to Accelerated Development in Oyo State 2019-2023. 

And since we took over the affairs of the state, we have made healthcare development one of our priorities through policies and actions.

“For example, here in Oyo State, we have 721 Primary Healthcare Centres, or PHCs for short, across the 351 political wards. Although this number is not enough, our top goal is to make what we have functional and affordable.

“So, in revitalizing the PHC service system, we are starting with the strengthening of a minimum of one PHC per ward. Therefore, we are focusing on renovating and equipping 351 PHCs in the state, for a start. We started with the PHC in Oranyan and used that as a standard for the subsequent renovations.”

Governor Makinde, who maintained that the state was kicking off a new phase of enrollment for the state’s health insurance scheme, said: “Through the Oyo State Health Insurance Agency, we have been able to register 58,000 more beneficiaries for health insurance in the past year. And today, we are kicking off a new phase of enrollment. We will be mobilising the community into Oyo State Health Insurance Scheme.

“As our Cost-Benefit Analysis has shown, the average out-of-pocket payment for healthcare is N50,000/annum per resident of Oyo State. With healthcare insurance, you pay N8,000, a reduction of 84%. So, I urge you enrol in this scheme as the officers go from house to house in mobilisation.”

The governor explained that the state had also leveraged its COVID-19 response by identifying some PHCs that could be used as isolation centres and embarked on the rehabilitation and repairs, citing the examples of the PHCs in Igbo Ora and Awe.

“Before the COVID-19 pandemic forced a suspension of activities, we had approved and started a N54 million-naira medical mission aimed at bringing healthcare closer to the people,” the governor said.

Earlier, the Executive Secretary of the OYSHIA, Dr. Sola Akande said the ALGON CHC was the second renovated PHC by the state government through capitation from Oyo State Health Insurance Scheme, saying that was PHC Oranyan, while a third facility located at Aafin Oyo, Oyo is ready for commissioning.

He said the facility is complete with the basic feature of OYSHIA, accredited PHCs and done in line with Governor Makinde’s instruction that the standard of Oranyan PHC must be followed, adding that the facility has been equipped with medical equipment, furniture, solar power installation and a 40kva diesel generator, which had been abandoned for 10 years.

“Your Excellency, in collaboration with primary health care board, the workforce shall be overhauled, trained and equipped to deliver excellent services with a human face in a friendly atmosphere to the enrollee and member of the community,” Akande said.

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FirstBank leverages technology, promotes virtual bank account for customers - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

First Bank of Nigeria Limited, Nigeria’s premier and leading financial inclusion services provider, has announced that it has reinforced its technology infrastructure to enable anyone in the country open a FirstBank account through their mobile phones, without visiting any of its branches nationwide.

The investment in the Bank’s mobile banking infrastructure is in furtherance of the need to deepen financial inclusion in the country, enabling account opening to be carried out on its *894# USSD banking, FirstMobile (self-service telephone banking), its website – www.firstbanknigeria.com – as well as the Bank’s staff, through the Direct Sales Executive (DSE) application installed on their mobile phone, ATMs and the bank’s over 55,000 FirstMonie Agents spread across the country. Opening an account with FirstBank through any of these means is seamless, convenient, fast, and user-friendly.

The DSE App is an end to end encrypted mobile application installed on the phone(s) of FirstBank staff which enables them to open an account for to-be customers. Upon the completion of the account opening process via the DSE App, the customer is notified of his or her account number through a text message on the mobile phone used to register the account.

With FirstBank’s *894# USSD banking, various banking activities are carried out on a mobile phone – across the four major GSM network operators in the country – without the use of the internet. To open an account via this means, dial *894# then select ‘open an account’ to provide the information required or by simply dialing *894*0#. The Bank currently has over 9.5 million of its nearly 20 million customers on its USSD banking platform.

The FirstMonie Agent Banking is an agent banking initiative from the bank that is designed to take banking closer to people, thereby bridging the gap between the banked and unbanked. FirstMonie is a channel through which various banking activities like FirstBank account opening, funds transfer, bill payments, data and call credit recharge services, amongst others are carried out. The Agent Banking initiative has also contributed to reducing poverty, being responsible for the indirect employment of over 150,000 people across the country.

According to Chuma Ezirim, Group Executive, e-Business & Retail Products, First Bank of Nigeria Limited, “beyond opening an account in any of our over 700 branches, we are delighted with the investments at reinventing our business processes over the years, especially with the use of technology. This has been critical to staying relevant in the industry for over 126 years and being the financial partner of the first choice to all our customers and Nigerians, irrespective of where they are.”

Creating these virtual ways of opening a bank account with us – thus; the staff DSE App, ATMs, FirstMonie Agents, *894# USSD banking, FirstMobile and our website – reinforces our resolve to ensure that more Nigerians and residents have access to banking, especially through our state of the art financial services and we remain resolute to being the key to banking, enabling business and financial activities that would continue to propel the country’s economic growth and development.

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Advertising: Minister inaugurates committee on audience measurement - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Tuesday inaugurated the Task Team on Audience Measurement, charging it to develop an industry framework that will serve as a catalyst for putting in place a robust Audience Measurement System that meets global standards and supports the realization of the immense potential of the Nigerian Creative Industry, reports ITREALMS.

The Minister, who inaugurated the committee virtually in Abuja, said the absence of a world class measurement regime has resulted in under-investment in the sector, which is necessary to foster the growth of the industry, as the Advertising community continues to rely on subjective factors when making decisions on the content they want, as opposed to how many viewers the content truly attracts.

“Today, television platforms are subjected to renting out space on their channels to sustain their businesses, and content producers are at the mercy of sponsors which, unfortunately, skews the authenticity of their creative output in favor of a few decision makers, instead of the millions of TV viewers,” he said.

Alhaji Mohammed stressed the need for an objective and scientific Audience Measurement System that articulates the value of the content to consumers, as well as the value of the audience to advertisers, particularly in the television sector.

He said for the Digital Switch Over (DSO) in broadcasting to be effective, there has to be a robust Audience Measurement System to make it sustainable for Signal Distributors, Channel Owners, TV Content Producers and Advertisers.

“Ladies and gentlemen, with this Task Team, we are today heralding a new dawn in our Broadcast Industry. The Digital Switch Over (DSO) of our television from Analogue is now well underway, and we are set to announce a new, accelerated agenda, in order to ensure that the DSO becomes a veritable tool to help lift the Creative Industry out of the crippling effect of COVID-19,'' the Minister said.

He further charged the committee to identify best practice Audience Measurement System that will support the sustainable growth of the Nigeria Creative Industry; recommend a Framework for supporting the sustainability of the Audience Measurement System, independent of the Federal Government; and recommend a Payment and Disbursement Framework among the key stakeholders in the industry, that is, the Broadcasting Organizations of Nigeria (BON), Media Independent Practitioners Association of Nigeria (MIPAN) and the Advertisers Association of Nigeria (ADVAN).

Responding, the Chairman of the Committee, Alhaji Bello Kankarofi, said the inauguration of the Committee is a watershed in the annals of the broadcast and advertising industry in the country.

Alhaji Kankarofi, who said there was a failed attempt in 1995 to set up an Audience Measurement System for the advertising industry, expressed the belief that the overwhelming commitment of the Minister will drive the effort to success this time around.

Other members of the Committee are: Mr. Obi Asika; Hajia Sa'aa Ibrahim; Mr. Mahmoud Ali Balogun; Mrs Pauline Ehusani; Mr. Tolu Ogunkoya and Mr. Joe Mutah as Secretary.

The Committee has six weeks to submit its report.

Uboshe Uboshe/Editor

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25% Nigerian parents suspicious of their child’s social media account - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

Estimated 25 per cent of Nigerian parents are suspicious of their child's social media account, reports ITREALMS.

The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic has forced families to spend their free time mostly at home, which also means spending more times using different Internet connected devices. 

For clear reasons, children’s growing online activity can cause lots of worries to their parents.

Thus, according to a Kaspersky survey, 25% of Nigerian parents claim that they have come across something in their child’s social media account that seemed suspicious. Elaborating on what it exactly was, they mention groups or public pages they join (56%), posts that they publish or share (50%), people they interact with (31%), video on their page (31%) and private messages (19%).

What is more, 34% state their child has seen or listened to something that seemed suspicious to them, be that videos (68%), music (43%) or photos (25%). Obviously, this data shows the need to explore the interests of children, to make sure everything is okay or if it is necessary to take action. However, not all the parents realise it – only 19% of them befriend their children via social networks in order to be connected with their kids – sometimes real communication is not enough and the parents have to look carefully at their children’s webpages.

“It gets harder and harder for parents to keep up with the pace of the modern evolving world. They are often left out of the picture as they simply do not catch up with trends that emerge way too fast. However, it is possible to stop this backlog by communicating with your child and ensuring your presence on the Internet – to build trust and a good relationship with your child you have to know what you are talking about with them,” states Maher Yamout, Senior Security Researcher at Kaspersky.

In order to eliminate groundless suspicions about your child’s digital life and to secure their presence on social media, Kaspersky strongly recommends following this advice:
Learn more on the topic of children’s cybersecurity: explore modern trends, apps, the way of behaviour that has to be adopted in order to safeguard against dangers (for instance, the basic security rules while on the Internet);
Communicate with your child and define the boundaries which are not meant to be crossed: discuss with them safe locations both real and webpages;
Install a reliable security solution such as Kaspersky Safe Kids (www.Kaspersky.co.za/safe-kids) to monitor your child’s activity successfully.

Nenye Dom/Editor

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Standard Chartered appoints Abbas new Head of Corporate Finance for Africa - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The Standard Chartered has appointed Abbas Husain as its new Regional Head of Corporate Finance, Africa and the Middle East (AME), reports ITREALMS.

Bringing over nearly 24 years of banking experience, 17 years of which have been with Standard Chartered, Abbas has been leading one of the largest and most successful Project & Export Finance teams in the region, with a proven track record in structuring and executing project finance transactions in the power, water, oil and gas, metals and infrastructure sectors.

Along with his new responsibilities as Head of Corporate Finance, AME, Abbas’ will also expand his role as Head of Project & Export Finance for Middle East, North Africa and Pakistan (MENAP) to cover Europe, Africa, Middle East and Pakistan. He will continue to be based in Dubai.

Speaking on Abbas Husain’s new role, Sunil Kaushal, Regional CEO, Africa and the Middle East, commented: “The appointment of Abbas demonstrates the commitment we have made in developing top leadership talent within the bank. We are focussed on the continued growth of our business, and he brings a valuable wealth of experience in successfully advising clients across a diverse range of sectors in our footprint. As we navigate the current COVID-19 crisis, Abbas will play a crucial role in supporting our clients across Africa and the Middle East during this challenging period.”

In his previous role Abbas advised, structured and executed over 50 deals in MENAP, raising more than US$ 100bn of debt, including advising/structuring more than 60 gigawatts of new power generation and water projects that produce over 1,700 million imperial gallons per day in the region across 11 countries. Abbas was awarded the Dealmaker of the Year by EMEA Finance for Europe, Middle East & Africa in 2017. 

Under his leadership, the MENAP Project Finance business has been recognized industry wide as the Best Project Finance House in the region over the last few years. He has also been a key contributor to driving the bank’s Sustainable Finance commitment through leadership in the renewables sector

Prior to joining Standard Chartered, Abbas worked with Citibank, managing a portfolio of multinational corporates and local corporates and at Bank of America managing a diversified portfolio.

Nenye Dom/Editor

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ICT Foundation seeks partnership on AI - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The African ICT Foundation is seeking out institutions, organizations, startups and individuals who have expertise in the creation of intelligent drones, robots or other applications that are related to Artificial Intelligence to apply for partnership, reports ITREALMS.

The Foundation, while making the call in a statement issued and signed by its Executive Secretary. Mr. Bassey Emmanuel said partnering with the Foundation will afford these set of individuals and group the opportunity to expand and ultimately attain greater height in their technology innovation pursuit.

“Are you an institution, organization, startups and individuals who have created intelligent drones, intelligent robots or other applications related to Artificial Intelligence with the hope of expansion and attending greater heights, we call on you to get in touch with us,” he said in a press statement available to ITREALMS.

The call, according to Bassey became necessary owing to a deal it recently sealed with the United Nations, where the African ICT Foundation is expected to assemble technology innovators in the areas of Artificial Intelligence on the African continent.

He also said that if your activities fall into any of the listed categories and you are interested in the said venture; send a letter of intent to ai@africanictfoundation.org for further processes.

The African ICT Foundation is an independent non-profit, non-partisan organization with a vision to formulating, evaluating and promoting ICT and Telecoms policies. The Foundation is aimed primarily at creating job opportunities, accelerating innovation, and boosting productivity, and progress in the African economy.

Nenye Dom/Editor

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9mobile appoints Alan Sinfield, new CEO, aims at growth - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

Telecoms company, 9mobile, has appointed a seasoned telecoms expert, Alan Sinfield as its substantive Chief Executive Officer (CEO), reports ITREALMS.

Sinfield, ITREALMS gathered, brings a wealth of global operational expertise having held leadership roles at numerous mobile, fixed-line and broadband data operators as well as retail, media, and wholesale distribution businesses across emerging markets in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Europe.
ITREALMS reports that Mr. Sinfield succeeds Stephane Beuvelet, who held the position in an acting capacity when the new board took over the company's management in November 2018.

Sinfield has been a Chief Executive Officer since 2006 and brings extensive international and operational experience from wireless telecom, fintech, and banking sectors to his new role at 9mobile.

His global experience covers countries as diverse as the United Kingdom, Germany, Portugal, Slovakia, Iraq, Qatar, Myanmar, South Korea, Cambodia and Hong Kong. He was previously the Chief Executive Officer at Amara Communications Co. (ananda), a 4G LTE mobile broadband operator in Myanmar, and before this, he was the Chief Executive Officer of Cadcomms (qb), in Cambodia.

Other earlier roles included being CEO at Ooredoo (Starlink), a subsidiary of the listed Qatari Telecommunications Group, operating in Qatar and regionally, and also as Chief Information Officer and Chief Customer Services Officer at Orascom Telecom (IraQna), a subsidiary of the listed Egyptian Telecommunications Group, operating the first mobile network in Baghdad and surrounding territories providing voice and nascent data and satellite services.

Sinfield began his career in the Banking sector at Bank of America, where he was fast-tracked through a Management Trainee programme, later becoming a Programmer and Business Analyst where his desire to work overseas allowed him to close out the IT systems at Bank of America in Frankfurt, Germany.

Afterwards, Sinfield joined Barclays Bank in South Africa and spent three years there as a Technical Manager. He also worked for various other Banks in Portugal, Slovakia, and Hong Kong before his first foray into the telecom industry in Korea with SK Telecom, which led to an M&A role with the merger of SK Telecom & Shinsaegi Telecom.

Commenting on the appointment, Chairman of 9mobile, HRH, Alhaji Nasir Bayero, said, “Alan’s wealth of experience of building high performance and high-growth organizations will play a pivotal role in strengthening 9mobile’s market position in the highly competitive telecommunications industry.

“He brings with him the vision, passion and years of experience from diverse environments, which will consolidate our priorities to provide superior customer experience and sustained network quality. He is expected to work closely with the Board of Directors and all stakeholders to define credible and achievable long-term business plans, through the introduction of solutions to address the evolving needs of the Nigerian telecommunication market.”

Sinfield in response noted that the Nigerian telecoms industry is characterized by strong competition, which is also an industry that is important to people everywhere. 

"Nigeria is rich in diversity and boasts of energetic, resilient, friendly and hardworking people. I am delighted to join the 9mobile family and I look forward to using my experience and unique value propositions to lead the company in the next exciting phase of its journey.

“The goal is to build on the existing strong foundation of the company to create value that will transform the Nigerian telecoms sector. I also look forward to embracing the people, the culture and the unique knowledge that Nigeria has to offer,” he said.

Chuks Egbune/DoP

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Islamic Corporation signs COVID programme - ITREALMS

ITREALMS: 

The International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC), has signed an agreement to support the provision of a food relief program for the most vulnerable people in Kyrgyzstan during the outbreak of the new coronavirus (COVID-19), reports ITREALMS. The agreement, which has been agreed in coordination with of the Kyrgyzstan Government, will allow the ITFC partner, Micro Credit Company M Bulak of Kyrgyzstan, to implement the humanitarian intervention.  The support will provide immediate relief to around 2,000 families who are most affected by the health and economic consequences of the pandemic and is the latest in a series of ITFC interventions, in alignment with the Islamic Development Bank Group ‘3Rs Response Package’. Commenting on the grant provided by ITFC, Eng. Hani Salem Sonbol, ITFC CEO, said: “This grant provides critical support for the provision of crucial food supplies in Kyrgyzstan, and enables ITFC to support the most  fragile, who are struggling with the social and economic fallout from the pandemic. The intervention also builds upon ITFC’s existing partnership with the Micro Credit Company M Bulak and contributes to enhance the development of economic and social infrastructures that both parties are working towards.” Micro Credit Company M Bulak is a client of ITFC and benefited from US$2 million Murabaha Financing Agreement in 2019. In addition, Micro Credit Company M Bulak benefited from an Islamic Trade Finance Workshop conducted in March 2019 and Advanced Islamic Trade Finance Workshop conducted in February 2020, both organized by ITFC in Kyrgyzstan.

Nenye Dom/Editor

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COVID-19: Ekiti enters fresh relaxation of lockdown - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

With effect from Monday, residents of Ekiti State now have opportunities to pursue their businesses Mondays through Friday from 6am to 8pm, reports ITREALMS.

Governor Kayode Fayemi who disclosed this in a state-wide broadcast Sunday evening also revealed that consultations are underway to reopen religious worship centres, schools and big markets in the state.

Also with effect from Monday, public officers on Grade Level 8 and above are to resume for duty while those on Grade Level 7 and below are to remain at home till further notice.

The Governor also stressed that the dusk-to-dawn curfew will resume daily at 8pm and will last till 5.59 am of the following morning.

The Governor also announced that the state’s molecular laboratory will be commissioned on Monday to facilitate testing for covid-19. Fayemi urged residents to give maximum support to the medical experts conducting the tests as modalities have been devised to ensure a seamless exercise.



He said: "I therefore urge you to willingly submit yourselves for testing when the officials get to your neighborhood.

"This also provides an opportunity for those who might have had symptoms associated with COVID-19 to freely come out for testing at no cost to them."

The Governor in the broadcast also reiterated his earlier order that all Ekiti boundaries will remain on complete lockdown daily pending further review at national level.

Speaking on likelihood of resumption of public worship, Fayemi promised that religious centres will reopen "very soon" revealing that a committee will be engaging with religious organisations to fashion out a workable protocol.

The workable protocol, he said, will enable religious houses to reopen very soon without jeopardising the lives and health of worshippers.

On the fate of schools in Ekiti, the Governor explained that efforts to reopen them are also ongoing "as the committee set up to appraise the protocols, resources, conditions and modalities for reopening has concluded its work."

The Governor also said government is considering reopening major markets to permanent shop owners, after the outcome of the engagement process that is ongoing on the relocation of roadside traders to available alternatives.

The reopening of the major markets, the Governor said further, will be subject to compliance with specific conditions and protocols that are being determined.

On when the state will be totally opened up its economy, Fayemi said: "Once the report of the random testing shows that we are safe generally, it would further give fillip to our confidence to fully open up our state and return to our normal way of life."

He expressed delight that appreciable progress has been made in the fight against COVID-19 since the second wave of lockdown a month ago, partly in consonance with national strategy to ban interstate movement, which makes review of existing regulations necessary.

Fayemi disclosed that Ekiti has so far recorded 20 cases in all with 16 of the patients successfully treated and discharged with only two active cases left at the State Isolation Centre while two cases were lost.

He added that about 300 contact tracing were done with over 200 persons tested so far in the state.

The Governor expressed gratitude to front line medical personnel, task force team, security agents, the COVID-19 Response Resource Mobilisation Committee and the general public.

He also appreciated the Coalition Against COVID-19 (CACOVID) led by Alhaji Aliko Dangote for its contribution donation and the Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu-led National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) for its technical assistance.

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Zenith Bank is 2020 best bank in Nigeria says GF - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

Nigeria’s leading financial institution, the Zenith Bank Plc, has emerged as the Best Bank in Nigeria in the recently released Global Finance Magazine World’s Best Banks Awards 2020, reports ITREALMS.

The awards, which was published in the May 2020 edition of the Global Finance Magazine, was based on the performances of the banks in their respective regions and countries over the period from January 1 to December 31, 2019.

Global Finance’s "World’s Best Banks Awards" are recognized amongst the world’s most influential banking/finance and corporate professionals as the most coveted and credible awards in the banking industry, with winners chosen in more than 150 countries across Africa, Asia-Pacific, Central & Eastern Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, North America and Western Europe.

Founded in 1987, Global Finance regularly selects the top performers among banks and other providers of financial services and the awards have become a trusted standard of excellence for the global financial community.

Commenting on the recognition, the Group Managing Director/Chief Executive of Zenith Bank, Mr, Ebenezer Onyeagwu said that “this award is a clear demonstration of the bank’s market leadership, occasioned by our superior product offerings, best-in-class service and top-of-the-range technology which create value for our teeming customers.”

Zenith Bank has clearly distinguished itself in the Nigerian financial services industry through superior service quality, unique customer experience and sound financial indices. The bank, with a knack for setting the pace and raising benchmarks, is a clear leader in the digital space with several firsts in the deployment of innovative products, solutions and an assortment of alternative channels that ensure convenience, speed and safety of transactions.

As a testament to its resilience and market leadership, Zenith Bank announced an impressive result for the year ended December 31, 2019, with profit after tax (PAT) of N208.8 billion, achieving the feat as the first Nigerian Bank to cross the N200 billion mark. In the recently released Q1 2020 unaudited financial results, the bank also recorded an improved result over the corresponding period in 2019, with gross earnings rising by 6% to N166.8 billion and profit before tax (PAT) growing 3% to N58.8 billion.

Consistent with this superlative performance and in recognition of its track record of exceptional performance, Zenith Bank was ranked as the Best Commercial Bank in Nigeria 2019 by the World Finance and the Best Digital Bank in Nigeria 2019 by Agusto & Co. The bank was also voted as Bank of the Year and Best Bank in Retail Banking at the 2019 BusinessDay Banks and other Financial Institutions (BAFI) Awards. Most recently, the bank was recognized as the Most Valuable Banking Brand in Nigeria, for the third consecutive year, in the Banker Magazine “Top 500 Banking Brands 2020” and the Bank of the Decade (People’s Choice) at the ThisDay Awards 2020.

Chuks Egbune/DoP

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Rudman for ITREALMS webinar on IPv6 - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The Chairman of the Internet Protocol version Six (IPv6 Council Nigeria), Mr. Mohammed Rudman has been slated to speak at the ITREALMS Webinar as part of the 2020 Digital Rights series, reports ITREALMS.

The webinar to be hosted by the multiple international award-winning medium, ITREALMS Online, on Saturday, June 6, 2020 by 11am would be anchored on “Role of IP in 5G v COVID-19 Debate” as the theme.

Revealing this, the Editor-in-Chief of ITREALMS, Remmy Nweke, said at the weekend that the webinar has been slated in commemoration of the World IPv6 Day, 2020 as part of the media house drive for education and enlightenment under its digital rights series.

Mr. Rudman, he said, would be speaking on IPv6 Evolution and 5G subtheme, at the Zoom Webinar scheduled for Saturday, June 6, by 11am Nigeria time which has meeting identification as 748 9663 7846 and password: 3ggKaz.

Rudman, who also is the chief executive officer of the Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN), doubles as the President of the Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NIRA) parades over 15 years’ experience in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector.

He further said that Rudman is reputed to have grown IXPN, to an enviable position as numero uno in localizing Internet traffics in Nigeria and by extension the West African region.

Nweke calls to mind that a collaborating organization, DigitalSENSE Africa, has been leading this forte under the aegis of the Nigeria IPv6 Roundtable in commemoration of the World Internet Protocol Version Six (IPv6) Day, every June 6; to promote the adoption of IPv6 for the products and services as well as create awareness, especially in Nigeria.

He noted that ITREALMS is collaborating with DigitalSENSE Africa, an Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) accredited At-Large Structure (ALS), which brought IPv6 awareness to Nigeria since 2011.

Nweke also said that this year’s virtual event is to sustain the awareness around the IPv6 evolution despite the Coronavirus or COVID-19 pandemic, which trajectory kickoff was occasioned by the depletion of the Internet Protocol version Four (IPv4), over eight years ago.

Uj. N. Dominic/Editor

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Prof. Kanu tasks media on positive migration narratives - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The foremost migration advocate, Professor Ikechukwu Anthony Kanu, O.S.A., has admonished the media to change the tide of negative perception about migrants and migration, especially on the continent, reports ITREALMS.The summit, ITREALMS gathered has scheduled online sessions on May 29 and 30, 2020 and another on June 5 and 6, which has attracted participants and speakers beyond Africa and Europe.

Speaking Friday at the opening ceremony of a two-day  international online summit hosted by the Journalists International Forum For Migration (JIFORM) titled Migration: Remedies For Covid-19 and the Economy, he charged media practitioners to change the narratives for good with positive vibes.

The don charged the media to report migration with human face, fact, knowledge of migration law and culture devoid of hate speech and colour divide.

Delivering a paper on "Positive Impact of Migration on Society," he said it was a pity that some section of the media both in Africa and other continents sometimes paint migrants in bad light.

He also cautioned developed nations to stop pretending about economic gains from migration, stressing that it was wrong to view migrants as threat and second class human beings anywhere in the world, but rather they were economic and institution developers.

“When one reads some headlines coming from European and America media, one cannot but feel sad. Daily Express London sometime captioned its headline thus: ‘Migrants Swarm To Britain’. Apart from that you sometimes see other captions like: ‘Migration Out Of Control’, 'Migration Numbers are at Crisis Point', among others.

“All these are dehumanizing and uncalled for. Remember the genocide in Rwanda started with a tribe refering to the other as cockroaches”.

The Professor quoted the Diaspora remittance from migration alone in 2018 to the low income countries totaling $520 billion while the high income economy raked $689 billion within period under review.

He said migration had brought more positive vibes to the economy and national development of any nation in terms of cultural exchange, technology transfer, labour and access to new culture and new markets and talents.

In terms of return, in 2019 alone China reaped $20.42 billion, United States got $61.38 billion and Russia got 19.7 billion from migration gains.

In Africa, he said the continent had populated Europe and other continents with human resources and had also reaped the benefits through diasporas remittance and foreign direct investment.

“Who is echoing the stories of Barack Obama and Chiamanda? Both are Africans that impacted positively on the US. Obama remains one of the best presidents in US. All these people had their root as migrants.

“Out of the entire diasporas returns to the entire sub-sahara Africa, record has it that Nigeria gets 65 per cent a and 2 per cent of the entire gains of migration globally. What an expatriate from London or American earn from oil company in Nigeria is far above what 100 Africa migrants in Europe put together annually.

“Migrants are not criminals. Therefore, it is wrong to give impression that they are parasites anywhere".

“Reports have suggested that in few years from now America will be short of 2.3 million workforce and 2.4 million in Germany.”

Prof. Kanu argued that there was need to welcome and allow free movement of people across the globe to the benefit of humanity.

Nkem Nweke/Editor

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Enyioha @50, Agu-Awka Beckons - ITREALMS

Commentary@ITREALMS:

Chief Ugochukwu Okeke, a man driven by passion and purpose is 50 today.

Enyioha as he is fondly called for his infectious style of touching lives is man who what he thinks, what he says and what he does are in harmony.

Born into the family of Engr. & Mrs. G C Okeke of Umuogbuafor, Ihiala, Anambra State, May 30, 1970, Enyioha is a great leader with fantastic strategies for conflict resolution.

Ugochukwu is a dependable and reliable man who measures success by the positive impacts on people around him.

He is a graduate of Banking and Finance from the prestigious University of Nigeria Nsukka .

Armed with other relevant educations and trainings, Ugochukwu, is a seasoned administrator with the capacity to breathe life into deadwoods.

With an outstanding experience in business, politics, and human relationship management, he is a born leader whose influence is real- anywhere and everywhere.

He is also a seasoned and serial entrepreneur and sits on the board of several companies.

His mark of generosity over the years has endeared him special place in the hearts of so many.

In line with his unreserved commitment in advancing the course of humanity, Enyioha takes it as a responsibility to empower numerous youths through vocational studies and skill acquisition programmes.

Ugochukwu moves mountains and make it look easy.

Excellence is in his DNA, which is why he is one of the most is sought after resource person at home and abroad.

A ministerial nominee in 2014, Enyioha is also a grassroot politician and has been a firm believer in the People's Democratic Party (PDP). In his usual candor and loyalty to whatever he believes in.

He is a translator of positive intentions into tangible results and has continued to show total commitment and loyalty to PDP and had at various times served in several capacities and accepted numerous assignments within the party.

Some of these tasks include: coordinator for Goodluck Jonathan Campaign in 2015 (LGA); coordinator at the last governorship election in Anambra 2017; appointed State Secretary of the Anambra Caretaker Committee after serving diligently as Exco member in 2017;

Others are: member PDP State House of Assembly Committee, Kaduna; member National Assembly Committee for Kebbi State; member/Organizer Enugu State Exco Election Committee 2015; and secretary National Assembly Committee for Yobe State 2016.

And as Anambra state prepares to go to the poll to elect the next governor in 2021, Ugochukwu, has accepted the call to run for governorship.

He accepted because it is in line with his relentless pursuit of adding value and improving lives.

Enyioha hopes to tap from the best brains in the state to run the first knowledge driven state in Nigeria.

To him, Nigeria and indeed the third world having missed the industrial revolution would rely on Anambra state for new primary source of wealth creation when he is elected.

Enyioha who hopes to pick the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) ticket for the forthcoming election, has urged Ndi-Anambra to keep their hopes burning in spite of the ruinous cloud of bad governance that has enveloped the state over the past few years, leaving critical infrastructure in tatters and rural communities in adverse neglect, that the state can still be redeemed.

He clear of his vision to define a pathway- a set of seamless road upon which Anambra will be rebuilt irrespective of town or senatorial zone.

Ugochukwu is a victor who looks to the future with a sense of purpose.

Happy birthday Enyioha! You have made here a better place in the last 50 years and may your next 50 be better.

*Contributed by Ken Nwogbo/Editor

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ITREALMS to host webinar on IPv6 - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The multiple international award-winning medium, ITREALMS Online has concluded plans to host its first virtual meeting on the Internet Protocol version Six (IPv6) on Saturday, June 6, 2020, reports ITREALMS.

The Editor-in-Chief of ITREALMS, Remmy Nweke, the meeting has been slated in commemoration of the World IPv6 Day, 2020 as part of the media house drive for education and enlightenment under its digital rights series.

According to Nweke, this year’s theme would focus on “Role of IP in 5G v COVID-19 Debate” with some subthemes, for the webinar slated for Saturday, June 6, by 10am Universal Time 11am Nigeria time at Zoom Webinar with meeting ID: Meeting ID: 748 9663 7846 and Password: 3ggKaz.

He recalled that a collaborating organization, DigitalSENSE Africa, has been leading this effort under the aegis of the Nigeria IPv6 Roundtable in commemoration of the World Internet Protocol Version Six (IPv6) Day, celebrated every June 6; to promote the adoption of IPv6 for the products and services as well as create awareness, especially in Nigeria.

He noted that ITREALMS is collaborating with DigitalSENSE Africa, an Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) accredited At-Large Structure (ALS), which brought IPv6 awareness to Nigeria since 2011.

Nweke also said that this year’s virtual event is to sustain the awareness around the IPv6 evolution despite the Coronavirus or COVID-19 pandemic, which trajectory kickoff was occasioned by the depletion of the Internet Protocol version Four (IPv4), over eight years ago.

He equally said that experts have been selected to speak to the theme of this year “Role of IP in 5G v COVID-19 Debate” urging interested public to join in the webinar to know more on the theme.

Nenye Dom/Editor

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