Mobile phone chat with Obama

The two-day visit of President Barack Obama to Ghana has come and gone, but the interactive session through Short Message Service (SMS) and web-chat with the people of Africa cannot be devalued, reports REMMY NWEKE.

For the Sub-Saharan Africans, it was a new dawn last weekend, when the first black President of United States of America (USA), Mr. Barack Obama visited Ghana and interestingly had a mobile phone chat with ordinary citizens across Africa and Nigeria in particular.

Among those who interacted with President Obama during his glorious two-day visit to the Sub-Saharan Africa, was a Nigerian public analyst, Mr. Ikechukwu Ukwa, who was caught in the web through an electronic mail forwarded to him by a friend, who received the e-mail from the United States’ mission in Nigeria, via the Information Resource Centers located both in Abuja and Lagos.

The email sought to know the citizens of Sub-Saharan Africa who are interested in following up the activities of President Obama, whilst his Accra visit lasted through Short Message Service (SMS) and web-chat interactive, especially on Saturday, July 11, 2009 at 11am Accra time.

Initially, Mr. Ukwa did not take the mail seriously, but because Obama was involved, he followed the directive given, which entails that those interested in either SMS or web-chat should follow.

Part of the email read: “President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will visit Accra, Ghana, from July 10 to 11. While in Ghana, the President will discuss a range of bilateral and regional issues with Ghanaian President Mills. The President and Mrs. Obama look forward to strengthening the U.S. relationship with one of our most trusted partners in sub-Saharan Africa, and to highlight the critical role that sound governance and civil society play in promoting lasting development. Connect through http://www.new.facebook.com/event.php?eid=212976270391.”

The most interesting part of the email for Mr. Ukwa was the aspect that read, “An Invitation to Africans: Send a message to President Obama and receive highlights of his speech in Ghana. And starting July 3, 2009, you are invited to send a text message to U.S. President Barack Obama with your questions and comments in advance of his visit to Africa.  Those who respond early will receive SMS highlights from his speech in Accra, Ghana on Saturday, July 11, 2009.“

Another beauty of this initiative was its availability in both English and French, even as it promised that “President Obama will directly answer selected questions through local radio broadcasts in Africa. Text messages may be subject to local and international charges as stipulated by your carrier.”

So, to send a text message to President Obama, from Nigeria, for instance, simply text ‘English’ or ‘French’ to short code 32969.  But if sender did not receive a confirmation of their enrollment within 10 minutes, they were advised to re-send to +45609910343.  Equally to text from anywhere in Africa, it was advised that SMS be sent to+61418601934. While for South Africa, interested participants should use short code 31958. It was highly recommended that capacity was limited hence interested people were asked to text right away.

Additionally, a clause was put in place that registration for highlights of President Obama’s speech would be limited, while all local mobile phone, mobile coverage, local and international operator mobile quality of service and charges, as well as other operational constraints and conditions apply. The SMS service is not a 100 per cent guarantee of message delivery, but the mail encourage the sharing of this information with colleagues, listeners, viewers, and readers.

For Mr. Ukwa and others on the continent, this opportunity was an exposure not only to interact with President Obama, but also to try out the capabilities of telecommunications operators in delivering on this initiative through SMS borderlessly.

Webopedia.com, a free online dictionary related to computer and Internet technology, described SMS as short or acronym for Short Message Service, which is similar to paging. SMS is a service for sending short text messages usually not exceeding 160 characters to mobile phones or exchanging text between mobile phones.

Hence, Ukwa sent ‘English’ to 32969 using his Glo Mobile line, one of the Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) operators in the country with accompanied question; “Ps what are your plans to encourage the growth of true democracy and leadership on the continent and precisely Nigeria.” And within three minutes, he received a response which read: “Thank you for your text message to President Obama. You are registered to receive speech updates. If you do not want updates, text ‘STOP’.”

Then came the d-day, Saturday, Mr. Ukwa left home despite the early morning rain, which extended till afternoon for a meeting in Victoria Island part of Lagos when at exactly 2:29.32 another SMS landed on his mobile phone, reading thus; “It is an honour for me to be in Accra, and to speak to the representatives of the people of Ghana. I am proud that this is my first visit to sub-Saharan Africa as President of the U.S.”

This prompted Ukwa to fast-forward the session and headed home to capture the exciting visit in Digital Satellite Television (DSTv), only to behold that Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) is still withholding public power supply which was last available seven days ago, despite promise to return it on Saturday.

Ukwa also tried powering his house momentarily with a generating set, but discovered that the last fuel was used-up the previous night, as a result, he relied on his mobile phone to follow up on US President’s visit in Accra as the SMS on Obama’s speech continued to pour in; and part of the speech read: “The 21st century will be shaped by what happens not just in Rome or Moscow or Washington, but by what happens in Accra as well. Just as it is important to emerge from the control of another nation, it is even more important to build one’s own. Governments that respect the will of their own people are more prosperous, more stable, and more successful than governments that do not.”

And so, the conversation continued between Obama and Ukwa as he focused on four areas that are critical to the future of Africa and the entire developing world, namely democracy; opportunity; health and the peaceful resolution of conflicts. Consequently, Obama noted without any reservation that “Africa doesn’t need strongmen, it needs strong institutions.”

According to President Obama, with better governance, he has no doubt that Africa holds the promise of a broader base for prosperity and there is need for the people to make responsible choices that prevent the spread of disease, promote health in their communities and countries, even as America is ready to support these efforts through a comprehensive and global health strategy.

“Africa’s diversity should be a source of strength, not a cause for division,” he asserted in one of the SMS’, stressing that the world must stand up to inhumanity in our midst, emphasizing that it is never justifiable to target the innocents in the name of ideology. Obama also told Ukwa that freedom is an inheritance and it is now the responsibility of the people to build upon freedom’s foundation.

“I am speaking to the young people. You have the power to hold your leaders accountable, and to build institutions that serve the people. I can promise you this: America will be with you. As a partner. As a friend,” Obama declared.

What the above scenario unveiled was the much needed collaboration between Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and policy makers, usually the political class in discharging their responsibilities as the representatives of the people. More so the efficacy of the mobile phones as tools and SMS as a veritable Value Added Service (VAS) that cannot be over-emphasized in today’s world of communications, especially in delivering cogent communications across border, typically in reaching out to the citizenry.

Therefore, bringing to the fore the importance of a recent workshop organized in Dialaw-Senegal by the Panos Institute West Africa (PIWA) through its ICT programme on International Liberalization of Trade in ICT goods and services (LICOM), with the support of a Canada-based organization, the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), in partnership with the CRES - Centre de recherches Economiques et Sociales.

At the workshop, Mr. Ken Lohento, the project director, LICOM, highlighted the challenges for the private sector and implications for the implementation of public policies in West Africa aimed at contributing for a better understanding of international challenges of liberalization of trade in ICT services, in order to encourage formulation of public policies conducive to the development of ICT and private sector in West Africa; cutting across Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal and Benin Republic.

Just as stakeholders who commented on the Obama’s visit initiative via SMS and web-chat described it as novel, but should not have been possible without liberalization, for instance, of the telecommunications markets in the West African region, especially in Nigeria and Ghana, which have spurred the evolution of some VAS offering to boost interactions among the citizens and policy makers as displayed during the Obama visit.

Above all, over 15 SMS’ were received by Mr. Ukwa and friends who subscribed to the initiative via mobile phones.

Therefore, it is highly advocated that when next our presidents in the sub-region give their address to the nations, the operators should be involved through the West African Telecommunications Regulators Assembly (WATRA) and respective country industry regulators like the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), so as to reach out to the masses and importantly Nigerians spread across the sub-region.

This way, leaders in the continent and sub-region precisely would realise the importance of the statement from President Obama’s speech; “Governments that respect the will of their own people are more prosperous, more stable, and more successful than governments that do not.”

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Why Mobitel was granted concession – NCC

Telecommunications regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has given more insight on why it granted concession to Mobitel Nigeria Limited, prior to a new management take over.

In a letter addressed to chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mrs. Farida Waziri, the Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of NCC, Dr. Ernest Ndukwe said that the concession was granted based on facts available to him as chief executive officer of the commission and dully authorized by law as well as statutes to take a decision on such matters.

Corroborating the EVC position on the waiver, was a full report on the issues in the ‘concession’ granted Mobitel Limited and sighted by ITRealms Online, weekend, which indicated that the case was extensively investigated by the special assistant to the
EVC on Legal and Regulatory, Mr. Ayoola Oke.

The investigation which saw to the retrieval of Mobitel’s file at the EVC’s office registry, legal directorate registry and engineering directorate registry, coupled with the interview of some officers at various departments, especially the Engineering, who were desk officers involved with the matter over the years and presumably most familiar with the issues covering a period over four years before the current appointment.

The report noted that indeed a request for waiver of a portion of the debts owed by Mobitel was brought before the EVC to which he had instructed the Director, Legal Services to communicate a denial of the request based on the full facts available to him at the time, but persistence on the part of the company for the waiver claiming that it was wrongly billed while not in operation between 2004 and 2008.

“It was when the matter could not be resolved at the lower level in the Commission that the matter was again escalated to him,” Mr. Oke stated in the report, stressing that at a meeting in September 2008, Mobitel’s representatives informed the Commission of the impending plan to sell the company to new investors.

“They pleaded with NCC that in order to consummate the sale to new investors, it was necessary that the old shareholders cleared all outstanding debts owed the NCC. They also indicated that as a measure of goodwill they had paid N500 million, being two thirds of their total outstanding indebtedness to NCC. They drew the attention of the Commission’s representatives to the fact that the company had been non-operational since 2004 and under receivership since 2005 without any earnings and yet was being billed by NCC for frequencies, numbering plan, etc,” part of the report read.

Mr. Oke’s investigations also revealed that it was after full briefing on the matter that the EVC personally reviewed the company’s file and discussed the relevant documents with the desk officers and “it became apparent to him that there were inconsistencies in the billing and that the estimated bill given to the company had been relatively exaggerated.”

Hence, it was advisable to rather than commence another round of tedious reconciliations and meetings on the issue and since the company was only requesting for a ‘waiver’ or concession that the company was granted 50 per cent discount on the bill of N485,500,000 million for the period 2004 through 2008 when Mobitel was not in operation.

Further, the investigations revealed that Mobitel was inaccurately estimated at N747,945,463.00, which should not have included billing for two states, namely Rivers and Federal Capital Territory (FCT), where it had not rolled out prior to the suspension of operation in 2004 and subsequent receivership.

“These states are Rivers and FCT for 2.2 Gega Hertz (GHz) {N113,4000,000.00} each totaling a sum of N226,800,000.00. … A disputed arrears, which had been recalculated under the Frequency Spectrum Pricing Regulation to N53,699,750.00,” the report read while excluding N20 million already paid on account by Mobitel.

Therefore, bringing the total of overbilling of Mobitel to N298,675,250.00, based on the facts that frequency spectrum slots were obtained by Mobitel Limited from the Ministry of Communications at the time when the Ministry was still in charge of spectrum administration, which entailed that telecom operators were billed for frequency on a per subscriber basis, thus permitting frequency reservation of which FCT and Rivers were reserved frequencies as the company had not rolled out in those cities.

According to the NCC investigations, in spite of several demands by the Commission, the Ministry never forwarded the full records of its spectrum administration to the Commission, hence its Engineering department was left with no other option but to issue estimated bills to licensees and prevail on the operators to pay-up or come forward for bill reconciliation and adjustments.

“These reconciliation exercises often dragged on for a long time and involved many meetings, verification of records, negotiations, offers and counter offers. Generally some of the issues on which such negotiations centre include reservation of frequency spectrum slots, viability, request for frequency slot changes and replacement, reassignment or relocation, identification of roll out areas, etc,” NCC explained.

The Commission said its engineering department made up of engineers were actively involved in such negotiations where the word ‘waiver’ was loosely used whenever the engineers accepted proof of exaggerated estimated billing.

“Thus, technically, these situations were not actual waivers,” the report stated, pointing out that in the case of Mobitel Limited, because it was moribund and had lost its entire staff including the regulatory affairs staff, whose job was to do billing reconciliation and point out errors, “instead in 2008 the company through its acting chairman requested a ‘waiver’ after making a payment of N500 million.”

And based on the aforementioned, the report indicated that it became apparent to the investigators that the company – Mobitel had been over-billed and already over paid after due investigations.

Equally, based on these explanations, the report highlighted Chapter VII, Part 1 on Technical Regulation of the Nigerian Communications Act (NCA) 2003, of which Section 121 vested exclusive jurisdiction to administer frequency spectrum in Nigeria in NCC, which included powers formally vested in the Minister of Communications by the Wireless Telegraphy Act (WTA).

“The principal regulation under the WTA also in its Section 12 vest the power to modify and grant waivers for spectrum license fee in the Director-General of the Ministry by implication is now vested in the chief executive of the NCC after transference of the Minister’s powers to NCC,” Oke submitted.

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FG may subsidise cost of digital switchover

Federal Government may be considering subsidizing the cost of digital switchover by broadcasting stations in the country.

According to the Lagos State Zonal Director, National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Mr. Olufemi Ayeni, this has become necessary as part of effort in meeting the 2012 digital switchover.

He also said government has taken this step to save broadcast stations the enormous cost of a transmitter by providing a unitary antenna in regions to beam signal code for their audiences to receive.

“Because it will not be cost-effective for individual stations to procure digital transmitters, the NBC is working with other interested stakeholders how we can have a unitary antenna, either in region or within the nation where stations can beam signals to for the audiences to receive. It is called the Multiplexer,” he said.  

He explained that a multiplexer is a transmitting device that receives and distributes signals and that this will enable the stations to concentrate on production. 

Ayeni who was optimistic that the 2012 date would be met, said that digitization is not new and that most stations in the country have already gone digital except in area of transmission.

“If you look at broadcasting, the issue of digitization is not new, if you go to virtually all the radio and TV stations in Nigeria they have digitized up to a level. Once upon a time it was Betacam, Betamax and U-matic. Before Betamax we were using reel-to-reel, one inch and two, after this some stations went to Super VHS.

Even when the home video started what we had were poor video and sound quality because they were using VHS machines but today things have changed, they have upgraded and gone for training and so you now see our home videos on digital satellite television (DStv),” he said.

Ayeni pointed out that what exists in the country today in terms of analogue are just the transmitters and that the studios are now digitized.

Further, he said, that digitization does not mean throwing away the present television sets but that with a converter an analogue TV can transmit digital signals.

“For the next 10-15 years there is no fear using your present analogue television, but you need a converter or you subscribe to a cable station to enable you receive the signals,” he explained.

The Lagos NBC boss equally advised those that could procure a digital TV to do so and be sure of what they have bought is digital-compliant, disclosing that in the coming months the processes for conversion will be made public which may include the subsidy from government to ameliorate the effect of the switchover, stressing that government is working seriously to ensure that the date is attainable.

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Champion reporter bags international IT award

Senior Reporter with Champion Newspapers Limited, Mr. Remmy Nweke, has won the 2008 African Siemens Profile Awards, for his contribution to reporting Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in Africa.

Based in South Africa, the Siemens African Profile Awards which originally started as a South African initiative, has evolved since 2004 to become a fully-fledged pan-African initiative. Daily Champion recalls that Mr. Nweke was a pioneer prize winner of Siemens African Profile Awards, and he became the first Nigerian journalist to win the prize back-to-back in IT business solution category.

According to the award organizers, the Certificate of Recognition is in honour for his journalistic contribution to excellence in the fields of Science and Technology. Nweke’s entry was the “Imperative of SIM cards registration’ published in Daily Champion of October 8, 2008, for the Siemens Africa Profile Awards 2008, which earned him the Merit prize.

Speaking on the award, the chief executive officer, Siemens Southern Africa, Mr. Sigi Proebstl, said that as one of the world's leading engineering and electronics organisations, Siemens is driven by innovation, with science and technology at the very centre of everything.

“Advancements in science and technology can help everyone to create safer and healthier societies, cleaner environments and prosperous knowledge-driven economies across Africa,” he said.

The Siemens portfolio, he said, spans a broad range of markets, from power, transportation, automation and drives healthcare through to information technology and industrial solutions and services.

“Given the wide scope of the company's products, systems, solutions and services, the Siemens portfolio has the ability to impact on almost every aspect of daily life,” he said.

Highlighting the fact that with this in mind, Siemens appreciates that science and technology reporting needs to be continuously accelerated and improved across the African continent in order to demystify these very important topics that have the potential to impact massively on the lives of the continent's people and beyond.

“For these reasons, Siemens sees the reporting of science and technology in an easily understandable format as a priority for Africa. Consequently, the recognition and reward of those writers, broadcasters and producers who effectively do this, is a vitally important task and it is in this spirit that Siemens sponsors the Profile Awards for the 8th year in a row with a total investment of nearly R4 million,” he said.

The CEO stressed that at Siemens, “we pursue excellence in all we do; excellence in products, excellence in services and excellence in solutions. But most of all, we pursue excellence in people, and where we find it, we reward it.”


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Africa needs research technology to achieve MDGs – ASSRT

The Secretary General, African Society for Scientific Research & Technology (ASSRT) Dr. Amany Asfour has said that promotion of research technology has become mandatory for achieving Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) on the continent.

Disclosing this weekend, in a public statement made available to ITRealms Online on preparations made so far on the forthcoming third ASSRT congress to be hosted in Cairo, Egypt, Asfour said the conference is being organized under the theme, “Scientific Research and Technology to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).”

Asfour also said that the congress scheduled to hold in November will be held under the Human Resources, Science & Technology Cluster (ECOSOCC) African Union Economic Social Cultural Council in collaboration with National Research Center (NRC) of Egypt.

The ASSRT scribe said that the event has been slated to take place between November 1 and 3 in Cairo, Egypt.

“Our African continent is the richest continent yet the poorest of them all. The need for the promotion of Scientific Research and Technology is mandatory for the development of Africa and for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs),” Asfour declared.

In recognition of this initiative from the Civil Society to gather inputs and emphasize the active role of Civil Society Organizations as development partner for the lobbying and advocacy for the popularization as well as awareness of the importance of scientific research and technology that ASSRT announced the date for this year’s congress.

Asfour said the public awareness of all sectors of the society including African leaders, policy makers, decision makers, politicians, media, and private sector, is very important for the promotion of scientific research and the legislation for the enabling environment for investment in scientific research and technology.

Hence, this Congress has been planned as a way forward to achieve certain objectives that includes putting a road map for all stakeholders on how to accomplish the MDGs through scientific research and technology by promoting scientific research-related to the needs of the African Continent.

Also, Asfour said, the establishment of a database for the scientific institutes and research centers through gathering of scientists and researchers from all over Africa and the diaspora in all fields, emphasizes the role of the Civil Society as a partner of development and as an active player for the popularization and awareness for the importance of the scientific research and technology.

ASSRT president, Prof. Khaled Lotfy Dabees, emphasized some priority areas for Africa during the congress, to include health care and drug industry; agriculture and food technology; energy; infrastructure; water; environment; biotechnology, Information and Communication Technology.

Recalling that in the year 2000 the member states of the United Nations signed the Millennium Declaration, which led to the adoption of the Eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Five years later at the UN World Summit in 2005 countries reaffirmed their commitment to the MDGs.

And despite these commitments, there has been mixed progress regionally and across the globe, just as Prof. Dabees listed the eight points of MDGs to include “Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger, Achieve Universal Primary Education, Promote Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women, Reduce Child Mortality, Improve Maternal Health, Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other diseases, Ensure Environmental Sustainability, and Develop a Global Partnership for Development.”

Dabees stressed that achieving MDGs require concrete actions from national governments, development partners, civil society organizations and the private sector.

“Thus the United nations General Assembly called for building partnership between the UN, Governments and the Civil Society to accelerate the Implementation of the millennium Development Goals by 2015,” Dabees said.

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e-Business Life debuts

In realization of the need to inform and educate telecoms and computer users on how to maximize Information and Communications Technology (ICT) products and services, a magazine, tagged, e-Business Life, has made its debut into the Nigerian market.

According to the publisher, Mrs. Ufuoma Emuophedaro, e-Business Life gives information on global trends, services and products in the market, on how consumers are using the products and services, as well as how ICT tools have changed the lives of users including useful tips that will help optimizing these products and services.

Emuophedaro noted that often times when ICT news is reported the consumer is ignored as such focus is usually on reporting news meant for ICT professionals, which e-Business Life magazine has come to change by focusing on bringing better news and information that would link users and service providers together.

She also said her team is poised to offer utility and guidance to ICT users, stressing that e-Business Life emergence has become necessary as “we can see the effects of ICT on medicine, law, education and business transactions of all sorts across the globe. Everyone now use ICT in one form or the other, making it important for users to have a better understanding of these technologies. This situation underscores the need to inform and educate the people on trends and developments in ICT around the world.

Mrs. Emuophedaro explained that the name e-Business Life signifies the relationship between electronics business and our daily lives since ICT now impacts on every aspect of our daily lives.

She pointed out that the magazine was borne from the realization that information and education are the best instruments for protecting consumers of telecom products and services, noting that such protection is not currently evident in Nigeria today.

According to her, e-Business Life magazine is intended to give consumers information on global trends and developments in ICTs as well as the skills, information and confidence consumers need to get the best deal they can from the market place.

Further, Mrs. Emuophedaro said another thing that distinguishes e-Business Life magazine from the rest is the distribution.

“Our distribution network is spread across major cities in Nigeria such as Abuja, Port Harcourt, Warri, Benin, Enugu, Owerri, Kaduna, Kano and Jos, not just Lagos,” she said.

Mrs. Emuophedaro was also the former Vice President, Nigeria Internet Group (NIG) and a member of the board, Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NIRA).

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Know your Skype end user license (16)

This software is controlled under ECCN 5D992.b.1 of the Export Administration Regulations (“EAR”) per CCATS # G047973 and thus may not be exported or re exported to or downloaded by any person in any countries controlled for anti terrorism reasons under the EAR, which include Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Syria and Sudan. EAR 742.15(a), Title 15 Code of Federal Regulations.

Moreover, the software may not be exported or re exported to or downloaded by any person or entity subject to US sanctions regardless of location. See http://www.bis.doc.gov/ComplianceAndEnforcement/ListsToCheck.htm and EAR Part 736.
Skype is making this software available to You for download only on the condition that You certify that You are not such a person or entity and that the download is not otherwise in violation of US export control and sanctions regulations.
5. Term, Termination, Updates

5.1 Term: This Agreement will be effective as of the Effective Date and will remain effective until terminated by either Skype or You as set out below.

The Additional Terms will be effective as of the date upon which they are accepted by You or You use the relevant Skype Service (as applicable), and will remain effective until terminated by either Skype or You as set out below and/or in the applicable terms.

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Dozie, Ndukwe honoured @ Africa Business awards

Chairman, MTN Nigeria Mr. Pascal Dozie and the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Ernest Ndukwe were among winners in the just concluded Africa Business Awards 2009 held in the United Kingdom (UK).

Also listed among other winners included Mr. Cyril Ramaphosa, and Maria Ramos of South Africa, thus bring the number of African winners in the award to four, while the nation of Mauritius, and Lagos State Government of Nigeria, were also the only governments crowned at the occasion.

The Africa Business Awards, was part of the events during the just concluded the Commonwealth Business Council in London, hosted by the Commonwealth Business Council (CBC), in collaboration with IC Publications.

The awards, according to the organizers, are aimed at celebrating African individuals and businesses whose achievements are changing the perception of Africa’s potentials in domestic and international markets. It is also designed to celebrate their excellence and positive impacts within their industry as well as for their contributions towards the development of the continent.

Speaking at the event, Director General, CBC, Dr. Mohan Kaul, said in his address that the award is an opportunity to promote confidence and highlight the numerous successes and achievements of businesses and business people on the African continent.

“By holding the awards alongside our prestigious G8 Africa Business Forum, here in London, we hope to ensure that the African Business achievements are known, not only to Africans, but to the world at large,” he said. However, Ndukwe was honoured with the award of “Outstanding Contributions in Public Office,” while Mr. Pascal Dozie received the “Lifetime Achievement Award.” Mr. Ramaphosa, Executive Chairman, Shanduka Group, South Africa, received the “Business Leader of the Year” award whereas the Group Chief Executive Officer of ABSA Group, South Africa, Mrs. Ramos, was honoured with the “Outstanding Business Woman of the Year” award. Mr. Pascal Dozie was crowned for his successful foray in business spanning many years as a banker and boardroom supremo.

The citation read by the organizers about Ndukwe, recounted his impressive performance as Nigeria’s telecom regulator who has put Nigeria in the global map as one of the fastest telecom growing countries in the world.

It described the growth witnessed in Nigeria’s telecom industry from less than 400,000 by 2001 to about 67 Million in 2009, as a revolution that has made Africa proud.“The Board of Directors of the Organizing  Committee decided to honour you with this special recognition award for your achievement in public office and for your contributions to the telecommunication sector in Nigeria and the transformational role in creating a framework to improve service delivery through public sector reform,” it said.

Also at the event, the Island of Mauritius, was honoured with the award for “Tourism Destination of the Year”, while Nigeria’s Lagos State Government received the award for “Good Corporate Governance.”

Corporate organizations in the continent who won awards at the event include; Goldman Sachs (Best Corporate Citizenship/Social Responsibility), Ecobank (African Business of the Year), Diageo (Best Global Business in Africa), MTN (Telecoms Company of the Year) and Kenya Airways (Airline of the Year).

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ITU, Qualcomm enhance mobile service for emergencies

Global telecommunications regulator, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is partnering with Qualcomm Incorporated to enhance emergency communications for disaster preparedness and to coordinate relief activities in the aftermath of a disaster.

This deal was cemented with the agreement reached last week between the two, which enables Qualcomm to donate to ITU a Qualcomm Deployable Base Station (QDBS) with a total estimated value of about USD 500,000, about.

Director, ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau, Mr. Sami Al Basheer, said, the base station will enhance ITU’s capacity in deploying mobile telecommunications to assist countries in preparing for disaster and in strengthening response and recovery mechanisms.

Based on 3G Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) technology, QDBS is a compact, quickly deployable and easy to operate mobile solution for providing first-responder communications, which is reliable, responsive and complete cellular system with the ability to forward-deployed to supply vital wireless communications.

“We are delighted by this alliance with one of our development Sector Members. QDBS brings with it the wireless technology that is so essential in bridging the telecommunication gap when terrestrial networks are knocked out by natural disasters,” he said.

A press statement made available to ITRealms Online and endorsed by the Chief, Media Relations and Public Information at ITU, Mr. Sanjay Acharya, and Ms. Tina Asmar of Qualcomm Corporate Communications, pointed out that Qualcomm provides wireless solutions that are relevant and critical in responding to disasters, especially through its Wireless Reach initiative, thus it works with organizations such as ITU to bring wireless technology to those who need it most.

The Senior Director, International Government Affairs at Qualcomm, Shawn A. Covell, was quoted as expressing delight over the partnership and promises that they would continue to provide a useful system to enhance their emergency communications programme.

“Wireless Reach is fortunate to have the opportunity to collaborate with ITU in order to help make a difference when a disaster strikes,” Covell said.

ITRealms Online recalls that Qualcomm believes access to advanced wireless voice and data services would improve people’s lives. Qualcomm’s Wireless Reach initiative supports programmes and solutions that bring the benefits of connectivity to developing communities globally. By working with partners, Wireless Reach projects create new ways for people to communicate, learn, access health care and reach global markets.

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Glo slashes tariff for farmers

Mobile subsidiary of the Second National Operator (SNO), Glo Mobile has slashed call rate for a group of farmers under the aegis of Western Nigeria International Agriculture (WNIA) to make calls at N10 per minute and 20k per second, just as the telco sponsored this year’s summit.

The summit, which saw hundreds of farmers in attendance was organised as an exhibition and training seminar to bring farmers together for capacity building, learning, and technology transfer.

Also in attendance were small and large scale farmers associations, cooperatives, investors, retailers of farming equipment and products as well as top government officials.

Speaking at the event, head, Sales department at Globacom, Mr. Charles Odiase, said that the company decided to sponsor the summit and bring value to Nigerian farmers by offering members post-paid lines with a Closed User Group (CUG) to enable them make calls for as low as N10 per minute or 20k per second.

Odiase also said that the partnership with Nigerian farmers is in line with Globacom’s strategy and vision to provide affordable telecommunications services to various strata of the Nigerian society.

He called on farmers nationwide to make use of the opportunity by registering with the African Farming Project, organisers of the summit in order to benefit from the initiative.

Responding, the International Coordinator of the Africa Farming Project, Mr. Bright Okwu commended Globacom for partnering with the organisation to bring tremendous value to Nigerian farmers who need all the support they can get in their efforts to free the nation from import dependency through improved farming methods and large scale food production.

“The fact that Globacom is doing this is no surprise to us since the company is well known for its support for other sectors of the economy such as sports, arts, culture and entertainment”, he said.

Globacom was also honoured with an award at the summit as the “Most Farmer Friendly Telecom Company” for its efforts at touching the lives of Nigerian farmers through its support of the capacity building summit; and for giving a unique opportunity to farmers through the Closed User Group initiative.

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New Horizons, Queensland produce more certified professionals

New Horizons Systems Solutions Limited and Queensland Academy both based in Lagos, have produced new four Microsoft Certified Professionals (MCPs).

Revealing this at the weekend, the chief executive of New Horizons Systems Solutions Limited, Mr. Tim Akano, said this achievement is an indication that a true mark of continued improvement is when new change takes root and there is continuity and noticeable progress in an exercise.

He gave the names of the four new graduates of MCP to include Miss Orakwe Chiamaka - S.S. 1, Miss Dimobi Somtochukwu - J.S. 2, Miss Okudoh-Brown Victoria – J.S. 2, and Mr. Ubah Tochukwu – S.S. 2; aged 15, 12, 12, and 16 in that order.

“All students of Queensland Academy became the newest addition of Microsoft Certified Professionals (MCPs) in the area of Client-End Operating system the Microsoft business solution tool,” he said.

As said by him, they passed the requisite examinations conducted on-line in flying colours, with Tochukwu scoring 100 per cent.

He recalled that his school had earlier produced Davidson Oseremen, 12 and Alade Oluwaseun, 13, who emerged the youngest Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) in Nigeria a few years ago, both are SS1 Science students from Doregos Private Academy.

Microsoft Certified Professional is an internationally recognized certification programme provided by Microsoft Corporation. This is tailored to building skills on Microsoft Business Solutions, which focuses on Client-End operating systems such as Windows XP, Vista With the skill acquired from this certification; these young Nigerians stand the chance of securing high paying holiday jobs as System Administrators, Helpdesk Support Analysts, or System Engineers.

Moreover, the qualification places them on a higher pedestal when compared with students, their age or class.

According to the Proprietress of Queensland Academy, Mrs. Adenike L. Okudoh the relationship between her school and New Horizon dates back to over four academic sessions and like every other of its kind, has yielded dividends.

She stated further that “asides laurels, our pupils and students are this-age compliant. Based on our vision of providing world class education (citizens of the world), the partnership has built a solid foundation that is today a reflection of the great vision of its founder.

New Horizons, an integrated Information Technology training curricula leads in the area of scaling up this kind of training from primary to tertiary levels which foresaw the need to prepare the youths of the country early in life for the challenges in the global labour market and business environment.

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Olatunji Odegbemi IT contestants to be honoured @ NCS confab

Finalists at this year’s Olatunji Odegbami national Information Technology (IT) competition for Nigerian secondary school students would be honoured at the international conference of the Nigeria Computer Society (NCS) which takes place next week in Abuja, reports CHARLES OKOH.

A statement from the Chairman, Education & Manpower Development, Dr. Peter O. Olayiwola said that the umbrella organization of computer professionals, IT practitioners and stakeholders would use the platform of its 9th International
Conference and annual general meeting (AGM) to honour finalists in the competition.

One of the programme of activities, he said, is the 2009 finals of the Olatunji Odegbami National I.T. Competition for Secondary Schools from the six geographical zones of the federation including Lagos State and Abuja-FCT.

He said the award for the finals has been slated to hold next week Wednesday while the presentation to the finalists would take place the next day the ECOWAS Commission conference hall, Asokoro, Abuja-FCT.

Meanwhile, NCS has said that the 2009 conference will serve as a major forum to bring together top researchers from Africa and the rest of world to share ideas and propose Information Technology (IT) solutions to varieties of challenges being faced all over the world.

The conference which theme is Managing Current Global Challenges: IT Strategies and Tools, according to the organizing committee, had invited submission of full papers related to any of the conference sub-themes.

Some of the sub themes are “Achieving global economic transformation through Information Technology, Information Technology as a tool for enhancing agriculture and food sustainability in developing countries, Current Trend and Challenges in security issues, IT Infrastructures for Qualitative Health care delivery, Secure the future; Empower the next generation with IT and Gender issues and IT adaptability.

Others are Information technology as a tool for consolidating good governance, Enhancing Electoral processes using IT and Emerging Technologies in e-learning, knowledge and skills acquisition.

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LG unveils Champagne II TV series

LG Electronics has unveiled the second version of its Champagne Television series otherwise known as HT964TZ in Lagos.

The company also said that the Champagne II TV model comes with superb sound performance into the Nigerian market and is one of the LG Electronics Design Art Home theatre series and a continuation of the famous Champagne series.

Managing Director, Fouani Nigeria Limited, Mr. Mohammed Fouani told newsmen at the launch that the debut of the second version of the TV set is in fulfillment of LG promise to Nigerians to always have the latest on its shelf as soon as possible.

While applauding Nigerian LG customers to keep date with the new TV, he said, they would not be disappointed having it as part of furniture.

Equally speaking, the General Manager, Media Marketing, LG Electronics Nigeria, Mr Hee Chan Han, said that in creating the LG HT964TZ, they focused on delivering ideal sound quality for all occasions.

“We wanted to create a masterpiece that helps customers to be totally engrossed in their music, movies and other entertainment content whatever the occasion maybe.
When they listen to their favourite songs, they should feel the concert effect and when they watch movies, they should be carried away by the clarity and precision of the picture and sound. In a nutshell, With the HT964TZ, we are recreating the full cinema experience in the Nigerian homes,” he said.

According to him, Champagne II Home Theatre System’s superb sound performance clearly demonstrates LG Electronics leadership in audio product.

“The HT964TZ Home theatre system which comes with High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) cable inside-box was LG’s idea to give consumers the best viewing and listening pleasure,’ he said.

He further explained that the HDMI cable which is a single cable is the most recent technology in transmitting digital data, delivering high definition pictures, ideal for connecting to any device from video game consoles to digital audio, computers, TV sets and Blu Ray players compared to analog standard of component and composite cables.

To achieve delivery of deeper, natural bass at a faster rate to consumers, he said, LG moved the subwoofers from the sides of the speakers to the front area. And to top it all off, the LG HT964TZ was specially tuned by Mr. Mark Levinson, the guru of high-end audio who has been designing high-end audio equipment for discerning listeners for over 35 years.

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Zinox, NComputing partnership to crash PC prices

Acclaimed manufacturers of Nigeria’s first internationally certified branded computers, Zinox Technologies Limited, has entered into a strategic and exclusive partnership with a United States-based NComputing, for the provision of ultra low-cost computers.

Chairman, Zinox Technologies Limited, Dr. Leo-Stan Ekeh, said that the strategic partnership strengthens the ability of Zinox to deliver on her resolve to bring computing to millions of Nigerians who are ready to embrace Information Technology (IT), but simply cannot afford it.

According to him, access to computing technology is the spring board for educational, social, and economic development in the 21st century.

“This partnership will play an important role in closing down the global digital divide and in particular enhance the realization of the MDGs and vision 20: 2020,” he said.

Ekeh also said that the NComputing innovation is ideal for government projects from local and state to federal, stressing that educational institutions, manufacturing concerns, large agric firms, small and medium enterprises, research laboratories, cyber cafés and homes.

“… Because it’s central concept of the shared PC,” he said, noting that NComputing has internationally acquired the reputation of being more rugged than the most durable PC due to it could run anywhere; factory floors, assembly lines, distribution centers, warehouses, plant offices, ERP terminals, dusty and dirty areas, high-heat locations, high-vibration areas.

NComputing, he further said, has been found suitable for healthcare, namely hospitals, clinics, examination rooms, nurses stations, laboratories to name a few as well as general offices.

The Zinox boss explained that the product is the perfect answer for affordable serious knowledge rebranding.

Explaining further, he said that NComputing solution is based on the simple fact that today’s PCs are so powerful that the vast majority of applications use only a small fraction of the computer’s capacity.

“NComputing taps the unused capacity in a PC and shares it among multiple users as if each person had his own computer. Each person enjoys a full PC experience by connecting their own monitor, keyboard and mouse to an NComputing access device, which is then connected to the shared PC,” he said.

Ekeh emphasized that maintenance and running costs are minimal because only the shared PC requires on-going service or upgrading.

The NComputing solution, as virtual desktops have broken the cost barrier to digital acquisition by over 35%, and supports both Linux and Windows platforms.

“There are technically two major products; the Zinox X-series and the Zinox L-series. The X-series supports up to eleven simultaneous users on a single shared PC. The X-series provide a rich PC experience that includes wide-screen resolutions and full-screen video,” he asserted.

A single PC, he said, could support 11 users, which means the main host PC itself and 10 virtual PCs.

He explained that the Zinox L-series access devices connect to the shared computer via standard Ethernet networks. That way, users could be any distance from the shared PC - whether it’s across hall, campus, or the world.

“L-series products come in a variety of configurations, with options that support USB flash drives and two-way audio. Up to 30 L-series can share a single PC,” he said.

Noting that both Zinox X-series and L-series are perfect solutions to the digital needs of corporate Nigeria,

“Governments – Federal, State and Local, SMEs, NGOs,” he said, expressing optimism that for once Nigeria would not procrastinate but embrace NComputing proactively just as the leading States in the USA, Asia and Europe have deployed millions of units.

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iWay Africa introduces HX200 modem

As part of its commitment to customers in the country, iWay Africa Nigeria Ltd has introduced the new HX modem into the market.

According to the firm’s Marketing Manager, Mrs. Muyiwa Esomojumi, the HX200 modem is a high performance satellite router designed to provide carrier-grade Internet Protocol (IP) services using dynamically assigned high bandwidth satellite IP connectivity.

She said customers on its iWay platform with remote sites operating on a less stringent bandwidth requirements or service level agreements could be configured for best effort service, thereby allowing iWayAfrica Nigeria Ltd (INL) to develop a service tailored to their customers’ specific requirements.

She also said the HX system bandwidth allocation scheme uses Aloha channels for initial assignment which results in very efficient use of space segment.

“This frees up unused bandwidth and allows us to make more efficient use of our space segment resources. After successful tests, the HX service is now available to all the customers on the West Africa National Operating Centre (WA NOC),” she declared.

ITRealms Online recalls that recently iWay Internet Gateway (RiIG) was launched into the market, which offers a number of software modules precisely servers, serving different purposes bundled together in an operating system to form one gateway.

Each of the modules, Mrs. Esomojumi said, have been carefully researched and implemented to serve a different purpose, stressing that RiIG has content management feature that gives users more flexibility and freedom in managing and controlling their volume usage locally.

“It also allows the subscriber to remove unwanted content and increase privacy on their network,” she said.

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Linkserve sets up satellite hub in Germany

Pioneering broadband Internet company, Linkserve Limited, has set up a C-band hub based on its recent deal Viasat Incorporated Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB S2 ACM) for service on Intelsat 905 satellite beam.

The hub is located in Intelsat’s teleport facility in Fuchsstadt, Germany with global beam covering the whole of Africa, according to the chief executive officer, Linkserve, Chief Chima Onyekwere.

He said that the hub operates a highly efficient solution based on the new International Telecommunication Union (ITU) standard that was approved in 2003; the DVB S2 architecture allows for MPEG 4 Applications to be optimized for satellite transport.

“The new solution also includes first of its kind in coding and modulation, called Adaptive Coding and Modulation (ACM), which provides dynamic uplink satellite power control (DUPC) functionality, thus enhancing the system capacity,” he explained.

Equally, Onyekwere said that the hub which is fully redundant and secured with Cisco’s leading ASA technology, provides high speed Internet and Data connectivity.

With the Virtual Network Operator provisioning (VNO) feature, larger customers can
manage and monitor their usage, an ideal solution for service organizations in Africa.

“An example is an organization based in South Africa using the VNO service with its branch operations in Nigeria for voice and data integration,” he declared. Also, the hub could be used for Multimedia Streaming and Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) applications and is presently serving customers in occasional use video streaming projects.

Linkserve boss said that his company’s investment in satellite technologies is for the benefit of its customers, a demonstration of trust in the growth of the market and ability to provide world class products even during these challenging times in the economy of countries.

Speaking at the deployment of this hub, Director, Middle East and Africa, Mr. Harry Stribos said that the longstanding partnership with Linkserve to provide superior satellite technologies in the region has helped to increase the broadband and data services penetration in the region.

ITRealms Online recalls that Linkserve pioneered Internet in Nigeria and has multiple satellite hubs serving primarily the African market with broadband Internet, data service and video streaming. Just as it recently established a data center and satellite teleport for commercial purposes was established in Oregun, Lagos State and integrated into several homing IP feeds.

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Zukang beckons stakeholders on Internet governance ‘09

Under-Secretary-General, Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), Mr. Sha Zukang has extended invitation to Information and Communication Technology (ICT) stakeholders on the forthcoming Internet Governance Forum (IGF) 2009.

He said that the fourth annual meeting of the Internet Governance Forum has been scheduled to hold in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, from November 15 through 18, 2009, and is being hosted by the Government of Egypt. Participation, he said, will be open to all entities accredited to the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) among other institutions and persons with proven expertise and experience in matters related to Internet governance.

Zukang noted that the overall theme of the meeting will be Internet Governance – Creating Opportunities for All.

He pointed out that the theme reflects the basic purpose of the IGF to develop a common understanding of how to maximize the opportunities the Internet offers for all nations and peoples, and how to address the risks and challenges, while also raising awareness of the development dimension of Internet governance.

Highlighting that a broad-based consultation process through the Multi-stakeholder Advisory Group (MAG) has generated the following proposed agenda for the meeting, which include “Managing critical internet resources; Security, openness and privacy; Access and diversity; Internet governance in light of WSIS principles; Emerging issues – impact of social networks; and Taking stock and the way forward – desirability of the continuation of the forum.”On the last item, he said, regarding the future of the IGF beyond its five-year mandate, they would like to invite ideas and comments from all stakeholders and urged stakeholders to share their views at: http://www.intgovforum.org/cms/index.php/review-process.

IGF was extensively propagated at the second phase of WSIS in Tunisia in 2005, especially with the endorsement of paragraph 72 of the agenda, which read: “We ask the UN Secretary-General, in an open and inclusive process, to convene, by the second quarter of 2006, a meeting of the new forum for multi-stakeholder policy dialogue—called the Internet Governance Forum (IGF).”

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Ericsson, Telecom Italia test EcoSmart solar power

World’s leader in provision of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and services to telecom operators, Ericsson and Telecom Italia have trialed Ericsson’s innovative solar site solution, called EcoSmart.

With this, both telcos have positioned themselves at the forefront of solar-powered site development, and proving that alternative energy sources represent a viable business case for both emerging and developed markets.

Disclosing this, Head, Marketing Communications at Ericsson Nigeria, Mr. Olabode Sowunmi, said in a press statement made available to ITRealms Online that Eco-Smart solution, is based on flexible solar panels, and could generate up to 100 per cent of the energy required to power a site in the same land space as a traditional site.

“Environmental issues are high on Ericsson’s agenda and this trial aims to prove that solar solutions represent a sustainable business case for operators in developed countries. As energy costs can account for up to 50 per cent of a site’s operating expenses, the Eco-Smart solution can help operators make significant cost savings while reducing CO2 emissions,” he said.

The trial, he said, was carried out in Italian city of L’Aquila, where G8 leaders met last weekend to discuss, among other topics the challenges posed by climate change ahead of December’s United Nations conference on climate in Copenhagen.

Sowunmi quoted the Head, Technology & Operations at Telecom Italia, Mr. Stefano Pileri as saying that with this trial the telco reaffirms its commitment to technological innovation that will benefit the whole country, as well as cost-cutting solutions.

“Using Eco-Smart also confirms our concern for environmental sustainability, one of the main drivers of our development policies,” Pileri said.

Equally speaking, President of Ericsson Italy, Mr. Cesare Avenia, said that Ericsson is at the forefront of energy-efficient solutions development and the trial last week, points out that the Eco-Smart represents everything telecommunications and Ericsson stand for, basically using innovative solutions to improve lives.

“The solution also confirms Ericsson’s leading position as an integrator, as it can be used with any technology, 2G, 3G or LTE, and in multi-vendor environments,” Avenia said.

Emphasizing that the trial was the outcome of an agreement signed between Ericsson and Telecom Italia in 2008 to jointly develop sustainable solutions, hence, Eco-Smart reaffirms both companies’ commitment to a more innovative and eco-sustainable society.

He further said that the Eco-Smart solution features include an elliptical support structure coated with flexible solar panels wrapping up the antenna.

The innovative structure, which was completely designed in Italy, Avenia said, could be easily adapted to all radio base stations shapes and provide operators with significant advantages in terms of operational expenses with an expectation of medium-term amortization, with a very low environmental impact.

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CAPDAN resists illegal levies

The Secretary General of Computer and Allied Products Dealers Association of Nigeria (CAPDAN), Mr. John Oboro, has said that the group will not allow its members to be exploited by any group within and outside the popular Computer Village in Ikeja, reports CHARLES OKOH.

Oboro who was reacting to a circular from the Ogunbiyi Community Development Association (OCDA) demanding for annual community dues ranging from 1,000 to N3,000 per month, questioned the rationale behind the levy when the association had just paid the sum of N1.3 million to the Lagos State Waste Management Association (LAWMA).

He said that membership of any association, as enshrined in the constitution, is not compulsory but optional.

“We take solace in the position of the Honourable Commissioner for
Rural Development, Prince Lanre Balogun while inaugurating the Lagos State Community Development Advisory Council (LASCDAC) where he posited that the new Lagos State Community Development Association Law did not make membership compulsory for all residents. He went further to say that the decision is to ensure that people’s rights as enshrined in the 1999 constitution are not infringed on.” He said.

Oboro also questioned the decision by the OCDA to request for such levies for security when there was no proper budget drawn to enable stakeholders make input on what would be the appropriate levy.

“We will not conform but will remain calm in this struggle to liberate our members and avoid any extortion. We pay for levies for waste generated by us (commercial wastes) and those generated by the few residents and yet we are still not being appreciated by them,” he lamented.

Reacting, the General Secretary, OCDA, Mr. Timi David, said the law setting up the community development associations empowers each of them to set up their own set of bye-laws to operate in that community.

He said the fee is to take care of sanitation of the environment, security guards, provision of streets lights and installation of close circuit television (CCTV) among others.

Mr. David equally said that repeated efforts by the association in its meeting with CAPDAN had not provided any meaningful result owing to what he called selfish interest of some few members of the exco.

“We have had several meetings with CAPDAN and to the entire market we have carried our vision but the bottom line is that the executive believe that they should be in the position of collecting the revenues and now remitting it to the community, and which we feel is not comfortable because of the way they manage their own finance,” Mr. David said

He also explained that LAWMA only collects refuse and that there is need to engage people who will permanently be sweeping the place as well as security men to work both night and day with the aid of patrol vehicle to avoid the situation where the market was raided by armed robbers recently.

David further said the association’s point of departure with CAPDAN was not on the amount of the levy or the propriety of it but that they would want a situation where a committee would be set up to supervise the collection and the proceeds paid into an account directly rather than allow the CAPDAN officials collect the money before finally paying to them, in order not to give room for lapses.

He insisted that OCDA was ready to work with CAPDAN and other interested parties on how to move the market forward and improve on the not too palatable impression people have about the market.

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Samsung introduces S5233 mobile phones with full-touch screen

Mobile phone manufacturer, Samsung Electronics has introduced S5233 in the Nigeria’s Information and Communication Technology (ICT) market.

The firm also said that the launch of its latest in stock, S5233 mobile, comes with full-touch screen, which enables its position as a leading player in the hugely popular touch screen mobile market.

Executive Vice President and Head, Mobile Communications division at Samsung Electronics, Mr. JK Shin, said that Samsung S5233 otherwise refer to as Star, is a significant product in the full-touch screen mobile portfolio, thus bringing stylish designs to user interfaces.

“We are committed to strengthening our portfolio of full-touch phones by introducing a variety of handsets to suit every lifestyle. This new products will bring the exciting experience of touch to mobile phone users and further enhance Samsung’s leadership in the full-touch market,” he said.

Shin also said that Samsung S5233 is bundled with the latest multimedia features in a slim and compact body that measures a mere 11.9mm, as well as adopting a 3.0-inch WQVGA full-touch screen and Samsung’s TouchWiz User Interface with Mobile Widgets.

Stressing that these features afford the phone users to enjoy their mobile easily and intuitively, noting that using the “Photo Contact” users could call a contact simply by touching an appointed image.

In addition, he said, the S5233 boasts various multimedia features including a three mega-pixel camera and video recording supporting QVGA@15fps.

“It supports multi-format and DNSe for ease of use and better sound quality. The phone also features music recognition using Shazam’s ‘Find Music’ service. To enjoy various multimedia content, S5233 (Star) supports 50MB memory capacity with an external memory slot up to 8GB,” he said.

Equally, Samsung S5233 users could enjoy full internet browsing with an accelerometer sensor for auto-rotation and Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) connectivity. For convenience, the phone also supports a QWERTY keyboard. “Gesture Lock” and hand writing features.

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