Orange concludes acquisition of Tigo DRC

ITRealms:

The mobile market in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) would soon witness a boom with the conclusion of acquisition of Tigo DRC by Orange Telecom, reports ITRealms.

 With this acquisition, DRC prides itself as the largest mobile market in Central and West Africa, after Nigeria, just as this came less than three months after signing an agreement with Millicom.

ITRealms reports that with a population of more than 80 million people and a relatively low mobile penetration rate of 50 per cent of the population, the country offers considerable growth potential for Orange.

The consolidation of Orange and Tigo operations in the DRC, ITRealms reports, would enable Orange to strengthen its presence in the country.

Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Orange in-charge of Operations in Africa and the Middle East, Bruno Mettling, said, “We are extremely happy to announce the completion of the acquisition of Tigo by Orange DRC in a market marked by very strong growth potential. Through this strategic investment, Orange confirms its ambition to reinforce its presence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and accelerate the conditions in which it can develop its services through this consolidation.”

This acquisition, according to the duo of Tom Wright and Olivier Emberger from Orange Telecom in a press statement made available to ITRealms, illustrates Orange’s development strategy in Africa where almost one in ten people are already customers. In this zone, the Group aims to reinforce its positions as a leader in the countries in which it is present.

ITRealms recalls that Orange is one of the world’s leading telecommunications operators with sales of 40 billion euros in 2015 and 156,000 employees worldwide at 31 December 2015, including 97,000 employees in France.

+Remmy Nweke  

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Tension mounts in oil companies over tax evasion letter to Buhari

ITRealms:

Tension is now high among workers and management of Shell Producing and Development Company (SPDC), Nigerian Agip Oil Company Limited (NAOC), Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL), Consolidated Oil (CL) and Conoil Producing, Brass LNG and Aiteo Energy, reports ITRealms.

Correspondent investigations across the office of these companies in Port Harcourt and Lagos, showed that staff and management were engaged in series of meetings over the letter sent to the President, Muhammadu Buhari by the Bayelsa State governor, Hon. Henry Dickson, accusing these multinational oil companies, particularly Shell of such huge negligence with reference to its Gbaran Ubie Integrated Oil and Gas Project in Gbaranmotu leading to sealing its facility.

Sequel to this development, youths in Bayelsa State under the aegis of Izon Progressive Youth Vanguard (IPYV) are warming up to shut down oil companies operating in the state.

Correspondent reports that they were said to be getting set to embark on mass protests to headquarters of SPDC in Port Harcourt and Lagos, following the non-compliance of SPDC towards the rules and regulations of Bayelsa State Physical Planning and Development Board (BSPPDB).

The leader of IPYV, who is also the Chairman of Ijaw Youth Congress (IYC), Central Zone, Mr. Bobolaiyefa Owopeiei, told correspondent on Friday that the criminal exploitative tendencies and irresponsible behaviour of the oil companies towards their host communities, were very inhuman.

"We are glad that the Bayelsa State Government has decided to fight this injustice from both legal and intellectual perspectives. But on our part as youths, we will fight them according to tradition. We will take this fight to their doorsteps. Every morning, we will march to their offices in Lagos and Port Harcourt. We will mobilize our youths in those states to picket their offices. We will shut their operations until justice is done. We say enough is enough" he said.

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Earth Day Special on eWaste: 75% of ‘Tokunbo’ elec...

Naija AgroNet: Earth Day Special on eWaste: 75% of ‘Tokunbo’ elec...: NaijaAgroNet : As the world celebrates the 2016 Earth Day , NaijaAgroNet reports exclusively that 75 per cent of used electronics device... ... Linking agrobiz, sustainable environs, people & technology

Nigeria seeks ICT as alternative revenue source @CeBIT-16

ITRealms:

The Nigerian delegation to the 2016 CeBIT led by the Acting Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Dr. Vincent Olatunji, is seeking alternative revenue in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector, reports ITRealms.

Olatunji, who represented the Honourable Minister of Communication, Barrister Adebayo Shittu made this disclosure at a meeting with the management of Deutsche Messe, organisers of CeBIT, to explore ways of collaboration and how Nigeria as a country can actively play and participate at CeBIT.

Dr. Olatunji told the organisers that Nigeria is looking towards ICT as a very good avenue to tap into so as to shore up her revenue inflow especially as price of oil is falling at the international market.

Having explained that the Honourable Minister would have personally attended CeBIT 2016 but was engaged in another international programme on behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria, Dr. Olatunji told his hosts:

“One unique feature of Nigeria is a huge population of nearly 180 million people who are very IT savvy. And, currently the government is looking for alternative revenue channels to oil, hence the government is ready to support the activities focused on ICT.

“And, backing up the government’s efforts, stakeholders in the private sector are coming up with various solutions,” he stated, adding:

“So, I think CeBIT is the platform where we can really showcase and promote what we have; and even look for markets for what we have in Nigeria; look for investors for the young innovators that are coming up; investors that will say if I put in this amount of money in this idea or solution, in the next five or 10 years, this is what will likely be the turnover for me.”

Explaining the uniqueness of Africa’s largest economy, Dr. Olatunji said:

“Because the market in Nigeria alone is enough to convince an investor to say I really must go into this market; Nigeria is like putting five to six countries in Africa into one country, because of the population. And a very high percentage of the population are the youths, and they are really ready and willing to adopt and use ICT.

“So next year, yes, we are willing to work with you; we are willing to partner with you. And, I am happy that our very important personalities in the government, from the National Assembly, are here with us.

“In fact, their presence is a clear testimony to government’s overall preparedness and willingness to adopt ICT as a reliable alternative to oil for economic growth, for earning foreign exchange and for growing a self-reliant population.

“We are glad to further assure you that we will work with you on the part of the Agency in implementing government’s policies in the area of ICT development in Nigeria.

“For CeBIT 2017, we will start working towards it immediately; we will not wait till close to 2017 before making the moves. In particular, we are very keen on working to bring our young innovators to CeBIT 2017 as a country, among other key areas to showcase.”

Also speaking, the chairman, House of Representatives Committee on ICT, Honourable Mohammed Onawo, said, he was impressed with attendance and what he has seen at CeBIT.

“While we were going round on the guided tour, we visited SAP; and they demonstrated to us software where everything that is done in government can easily be monitored. I was excited about that; because what makes most of our governments fail in the Third World is lack of proper monitoring.

“For instance when budgets are not monitored, a lot of things are done under assumptions; results are not achieved at the end of the day. And, I will really want to take that back home.”

For the chairman, Senate Committee on ICT, Senator Abdulfatai Buhari, the opportunity of being at CeBIT 2016 is really commendable.

“I compare it to what happened in my country some months ago – and I thought if the guy in question was in Europe or America probably investors would have identified his talent.

“This Nigerian in a rural area in the country, manufactured an aircraft, and everybody watched in amazement; and, like a joke, he was able to fly the aircraft. He tried it once; the second time, it landed on water. When he was interviewed, he said that is IT (information technology). But if nobody identifies him that’s how he could remain with his initiative.

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Pix: Nigeria delegation to CeBIT 2016

Girls In ICT Day 2016: Emuophedaro urges support for girls

ITRealms:

The Convener of the eBusiness Life International Girls in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Day Celebration, Mrs Ufuoma Emuophedaro has urged stakeholders to support the forthcoming event to be held in Lagos, on April 28, 2016, reports ITRealms.

The one-day event is part of a global campaign initiated by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) to encourage young girls and women to pursue careers in ICT.

According to Mrs Emuophedaro, studies have shown that there are few women choosing careers in ICT, hence the need to expand the local technology talent pool to include more women.

She called on other stakeholders to join hands with her organization to further invest in girls and young women by supporting the Girls in ICT campaign and empowering them, giving them the confidence to pursue ICT studies and careers.

Also, she noted that jobs as ICT creators often offer higher salaries and lower gender-based pay gaps than in other fields.

“Girls in ICT Day events make girls and young women aware of the vast possibilities ICTs offer, quelling misconceptions about the sector and inviting them to envision their future as ICT creators,” she said.

This year, the event would comprise App development and quiz competitions between female students from selected secondary schools; round-table discussions; interactive and motivational talk from renowned women ICT professionals, among others.

The ITU, in initiating the campaign had noted that encouraging women and girls to pursue ICT careers also fosters a more dynamic technology sector, posing extensive benefits for companies.

“It states that a more gender-balanced workforce reflects the customer base more accurately, enhances productivity and innovation and leads to better financial results of any company,” ITU said, stressing that ICTs drive growth and innovation worldwide, infiltrating all aspects of life.

In addition, ITU noted that ongoing advances in ICTs effectively make digital literacy a prerequisite for employment and entrepreneurship opportunities and are leading to a projected shortage of at least 2 million ICT employees worldwide by 2020.

As more companies partner with eBusiness Life to ensure the success of this year’s event, the Marketing Manager, Vodacom Business Nigeria, Anne Ihugba says the company concerns itself about the future and welfare of the young girls. “It is not about us, or the companies participating, we want to make sure the children get the best”.

Ihugba further implore other corporate organisations to join hands and make a success out of the children.

“Partners should be committed. It is a platform for competition,” she said.

Uj.N. Dominic/ED. OPs
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Hilary Clinton petitions Congress over Zika virus ...

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UNWTO partners Nigeria to boost tourism

ITRealms:

The UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is partnering with the government of Nigeria to boost tourism in the country, says the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, ITRealms reports.

Special Assistant to the Minister, Segun Adeyemi quoted his principal as saying that he met with the UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai on the sidelines of the UNWTO Commission for Africa meeting in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire on Wednesday, said the global tourism agency agreed to design a two-year Plan of Action to promote tourism in Nigeria.

He said the Secretary-General, had invited the Minister to the organisation's headquarters in Spain, to explore further this partnership with UNWTO, private sector investors and Spanish government officials.

The visit, Alhaji Mohammed said, would be followed by that of the Secretary-General to Nigeria for on-the-spot assessment of the challenges mitigating against the development of tourism in Africa's largest economy.

He quoted Mr. Rifai as saying the UNWTO is delighted to have Nigeria fully back in the fold, following the attendance of the Commission for Africa meeting in Abidjan by the Minister of Information and Culture.

''We are happy Nigeria is here. Nigeria is too significant to disconnect from UNWTO. Happily, the new government in Nigeria has a good reputation,'' the Secretary-General said.

The Minister also briefed the Secretary-General and his team on the efforts being made by the Nigerian government to ensure the security of lives and property, especially the successes recorded against Boko Haram, as well as the upgrading of infrastructure.

The UNWTO is the leading international organization in the field of tourism, promoting tourism as a driver of economic growth, inclusive development and environmental sustainability, while providing leadership and support to the sector in advancing knowledge and tourism policies globally.

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Hullabaloo @CCT as Umar orders Saraki's lawyer out

ITRealms:

There was a hullabaloo Thursday at the daily trail of the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki over alleged bogus declaration of assets over 13 years, reports ITRealms.

The incident follows the order by the Chairman, Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), Hon. Danladi Umar, who was reportedly to have asked security officers to kick out one of Saraki’s lawyers, Barr. Raphael Oluyede.

The CCT chairman also refused an application by Saraki team of lawyers requesting him to step down from the trial, more so as a judge.

“This motion filed by a mere busybody legal practitioner is not accepted by this tribunal. Members of the inner bar, you are to guide him. How can you allow such a rubbish thing from him? This motion is of no consequence. As far as this tribunal is concerned is thrown away,” he wondered.

According to correspondent, a verbal brawl ensued between Umar and Oluyede when the lawyer asked the tribunal for an opportunity to expatiate on the application, which was promptly refused by Umar.

Rather, Umar was reportedly ordered the lawyer to take his seat after overruling his request, but persistent Oluyede declined and a shouting match then ensued.

However, the attendant qualm was promptly brought to a halt by the presence of security officers in the courtroom.

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Northeast: Japan grants UNICEF US$4.5m for life saving intervention

ITRealms:

In efforts to improve life-saving emergency interventions in the North-east Nigeria by all stakeholders, the government of Japan has extended a grant of US$4.5 million, about N1.4 billion, to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), reports ITRealms.

Affirming this in a joint press statement by the Chief of Communication, UNICEF Nigeria, Doune Porter, and Ambassador's Special Adviser, Embassy of Japan, Takashi Tamai, made available to ITRealms, said that the grant is for the provision of life-saving emergency work to assist people affected and displaced by the conflict in northeastern Nigeria.

“The grant will cover assistance in the provision of water, sanitation and hygiene facilities; health, nutrition and child protection services and education. It will focus primarily on assistance for children, with special attention given to populations trying to return to where they lived before they were forced to flee the violence,” they said.

ITRealms reports that the seven years of conflict in the region, especially in the states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, have caused massive human suffering, with children and women bearing the brunt of the difficulties.

“The conflict has triggered major population movements, with most recent estimates of people displaced by the conflict in the four most severely-affected states at over 1.7 million – more than half of whom are children,” they said.

They quoted the UNICEF Representative in Nigeria, Jean Gough, as saying the people of Japan are strong supporters of UNICEF’s work to help children and women, stressing “This generous grant will help to make a tangible difference in the lives of children who have suffered so much. It will help them to recover physically and psychologically so that they can be children, can go to school and have a brighter future.”

ITRealms recalls that with a similar grant last year from the Government and people of Japan, UNICEF and its partners were able to boost primary health care services for people affected by the conflict in more than 100 health facilities in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states.

“Funding from Japan provided more than 65,000 people with clean water and more than 25,000 people with access to safe sanitation. Education was improved through creating temporary learning spaces for children in camps for the displaced; malnourished children were provided with life-saving treatment. Special support has been given to children who have been separated from their families by the conflict, and traumatised children have been given psychosocial support,” part of the statement read.

For Sadanobu Kusaoke, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Government of Japan believes that primary education, health and nutrition are some of the basic rights of every child anywhere in the world and in this regard, Japan has and will continue to make efforts to ensure that no child is denied these basic rights, no matter the situation,” said.

Since 2000, the government of Japan has been a major donor supporting child survival activities, prevention of infectious diseases in children and emergency assistance in Nigeria, through the UNICEF/Federal Government of Nigeria Programme of Cooperation.

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Why we prefer Nigeria to launch Jongla - CEO

ITRealms:

The chief executive officer of the latest in town Instant Messaging, Jongla, Riku Salminen has revealed why they preferred Nigeria to launch the brand in Africa, reports ITRealms.

Salminen explained this in Lagos during the West Africa Mobile Conference 2016, saying that the choice of Nigeria to launch Jongla in Africa was because their investigations showed that many people are frustrated with the current user experience that most of the Instant Messaging (IM) apps offer. 

“We have been able to solve various technical challenges without needing to compromise on functionality,” Salminen said, stressing that Jongla has made instant messaging possible for people who don’t have high-end smartphones and live and work in areas where there is often limited access to mobile broadband. 

Users, Jongla boss said, want something more fun and personal than just basic messaging to connect with friends and family. We believe in a world where everyone can communicate instantly, freely and securely from anywhere and with anyone regardless of where they live, which phone they have and which network they can access.”

The Jongla team, Salminen said, is currently working to add new social and collaborative features to Jongla that will go way beyond traditional messaging.

“The next generation of Jongla, introducing new social features, will be launched by mid-2016,” the CEO disclosed, pointing out that Jongla is already localised to 20 languages and it could be downloaded for free by people living and working across Africa from the App Store, Google Play, Windows Phone Store, and Firefox Marketplace. 

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DALA 2016 attracts galaxy of arts, Klint da Drunk, De Don, Elder O, D’Lectura, others on queue

ITRealms:

The forthcoming Daylight Annual Leadership Awards (#DALA) 2016, is attracting a galaxy of tested and trusted comedians as they queue up to perform at the historic event, holding on Sunday, May 22, Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos, reports ITRealms.

The chief host and publisher of Day Light Newspaper, Mr. Azuh Amatus, confirmed that multi-talented entertainer, Klink da Drunk would be leading the team of top-notch comedians waiting to entertain audience with their rich repertoire of jokes and exhilarating performances.

He also disclosed that hilarious quartet of De Don, Elder O, D’Lectura, Baba de Baba and a few others, would also be teaming up with Klint da Drunk on the stage to further literally electrify guests with their acts.

Amatus, who also is the Chairman and Founder of the awards scheme, said the star-studded list of comedians expected to crack ribs at the ceremony is tight and carefully selected to add fun and undiluted entertainment at the high-net-worth event.

‘’DALA is a glamorous awards ceremony and we are bringing the very best on board to make the event memorable and fun-filled,’’ he said.

Reacting to the news of his participation, Klint da Drunk assured fans, he will be a DALA 2016.

“I’ll be at DALA 2016 live to thrill my fans, see you there,” he assured.

+ITRealms DSA  #DALA

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Abducted Chibok girls not abandoned - US

ITRealms:

The United States government has assured that though is taking long to release the abducted Chibok girls from their captives, they are not abandoned, reports ITRealms.

As such, the American and African forces sent to Cameroon to fight Boko Haram have, on several occasions, claimed location of clusters of the schoolgirls kidnapped by the militant group two years ago.

Rescue operations, according to The New York Times, have not been carried out, because of fears that any ensuing battle with Boko Haram fighters would put the captives at risk, or incite some form of retaliation against hostages still being held in other areas.

The report went on to state that American officials said a combination of local intelligence, intercepted communications and drone footage had been used to locate groups of some 276 girls abducted from the Government Girls Secondary School in the Nigerian town of Chibok two years ago this month. Some of the girls have since been tracked to Nigeria’s sprawling Sambisa Forest.

Officials insist that efforts to free the girls have not been abandoned, insisting that a major concern is the hundreds of other women and girls who are also held by Boko Haram, captives who are often sexually assaulted, forced into marriages with their tormentors, and sometimes killed.

Gen. Carter F. Ham, the retired head of the United States military’s Africa Command said, “You’re not just looking for 200 girls. There are many, many others who have been taken hostage, and more thousands killed, and two and a half million people displaced.”

+ITRealms DSA 

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Breaking News; Nigeria tops Africa active social media users with 11m

Breaking News @ITRealms:

Nigeria has been named tops in the latest WeAreSocial’s Digital in 2016 report, across 30 economies of active social media users, reports ITRealms.

According to the study, Digital in 2016, Nigeria achieved this feat when it comes to mobile’s share of web traffic, with more than 80 per cent of all web pages served in Africa’s most populous nation going to mobile phones.

ITRealms also reports that at the other end of the scale, just 12 per cent of Russia’s web traffic goes to mobile phones – more than three times lower than the global average.

Equally, ITRealms gathered that WeAreSocial’s Digital in 2016 report, showed an estimated 102 million of the 986 million mobile connections in Africa are classified as active social media users, out of which, Nigeria has 154 million mobile subscribers with 11 million active social media users.

According to Simon Kemp, the lead author of WeAreSocial’s Digital in 2016, the Internet connection speeds have continued to improve, although the pace of change is still painfully slow in many developing nations.

He pointed out that Egypt, Nigeria, India and the Philippines are all struggling at the other end of the scale though, each with an average connection speed below 3 Mega bits per second (Mbps).

“Once again, South Korea claimed top spot in Akamai’s rankings for the world’s fastest average speeds for fixed internet connections, registering an impressive 20.5Mbps – a full 33 per cent faster than second-place Hong Kong,” Kemp said.

The report, he also said, showed impressive growth in most things digital with 2016 seeing even faster growth, “a somewhat surprising result considering that global internet penetration is already approaching 50 per cent.”

The key statistics for digital, social, and mobile media in 2016, Kemp said comprised that are 3.42 billion internet users, equaling 46 per cent global penetration; 2.31 billion social media users, delivering 31 per cent global penetration; 3.79 billion unique mobile users, representing 51 per cent global penetration; while 1.97 billion mobile social media users, equating to 27 per cent global penetration.

Nenye Dom/GEE +Remmy Nweke (ITRealms) 

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Africa Telecom & IT losses director, Monique Butt

ITRealms:

The Board, Management and Staff of Telecom and IT Business Limited; publishers of Africa Telecom and IT has announced the death of its Editorial/Business Services Director, Ms Monique Butt.

ITRealms reports that she passed on to eternal glory on Thursday, 17^th March 2016 in London, United Kingdom.

A press statement from the media out, signed by the Managing Editor, Mr. Olubayo Abiodun, described Ms Butt as a polyglot gifted in the excellent use of English, French, Yoruba and to some extent Hausa languages.

Also, Ms Butt had traversed the media landscape as a top flight marketing executive. She had excellent working relationship with some of the renowned icons in the African media industry; including Peter Enahoro popularly called 'Peter Pan'.

She was once a top executive of African Business magazine where she was in-charge of the development of the Nigerian market. Monique was a top shot in media relations, public relations, marketing communications, corporate communications, business strategy, marketing strategy, strategic communications, social media, business development, and event management.

She was a graduate of the University of Essex, United Kingdom. She would have turned 60 years in August this year. 

May her soul rest in peace.

+ITRealms DSA 

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Jongla debuts in Lagos with ‘lightest’ instant messaging service, built for emerging markets

ITRealms:

A Finnish-based company, Jongla, Wednesday in Lagos, unveiled its acclaimed world’s lightest instant messaging service in Africa, at the 2016 Mobile West Africa conference holding in Lagos, reports ITRealms.

According to the chief executive officer, Jongla, Riku Salminen, they have made instant messaging possible for people who don’t have high-end smartphones and live and work in areas where there is often limited access to mobile broadband. 

Jongla, Salminen told  ITRealms, uses less bandwidth and just 10 per cent of the handset’s memory space compared to WhatsApp, WeChat and Viber.

Jongla, founded by Arto Boman and owned by a group of private investors and management, Salminen also said enables users to send and receive unlimited free text messages, stickers, photos, videos and funny voice messages over the Internet using low-speed Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) networks as well as Fourth Generation (4G), Third Generation (3G), Enhanced Data for Global Evolution (EDGE) and General Packet Radio Service (GPRS).

“It opens up the world of free instant messaging to people living and working in Africa, where cellular and data services are often unreliable and expensive. The Jongla app has been specifically designed for emerging markets, because it takes only 2.5MB to download on Android phones compared to more than 20MB for most other messaging apps,” the CEO explained.

Stressing that those already using WhatsApp, WeChat, Viber and other messaging apps in Africa will find that Jongla could be used more often and in more places as it uses innovative technology to reduce bandwidth usage, “so it helps people save their data plan and money.”

Jongla Salminen further said, has a number of other innovative features that will appeal to people looking for a free and reliable way to communicate with their friends, family and colleagues, including Jongla Out, Voice Messaging, reliable and secure, easy chat and group chat.

+Remmy Nweke (ITRealms) 

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Reps authorize FG to increase diaspora bond to $300m

ITRealms:

The House of Representatives has authorized the Federal Government to increase the Diaspora Bond from $100 million to $300 million as part of FG borrowing plan, reports ITRealms.

The authorization, ITRealms gathered, was given during the consideration of the report of the Hon. Garba Shehu Sarkin Noma-led Ad hoc committee, mandated to work on the presidential request at the Committee of the Whole presided over by the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Yusuf Lasun, Tuesday.

ITRealms also gathered that the Diaspora Bond was captured in the federal government’s external borrowing plan 2016-2018 as a means of diversifying the sources of government funding for capital projects in priority areas such as roads, railways and power.

The diaspora bond, ITRealms reports, reduces the interest cost of government’s borrowing as it is an inexpensive way to raise funds for developmental projects.

ITRealms recalls that in January 2011, Nigeria issued €500 million bond to announce its entrance into the international capital market for a tenor of 10 years, issued at the rate of 6.75 per cent, with the subscription rate at 260 per cent.

This was followed by another successful float of €1billion bond in July 2013 which was in dual tranches of €500 million bond each.

However, the first tranche of €500 million bond in 2013 was for a tenor of five years, issued at the rate of 5.125 percent, with the subscription rate at 346 percent.

The second tranche of €500 million bond, ITRealms further gathered, was for a tenor of 10 years, issued at the rate of 6.375 per cent and at a subscription rate of 445 per cent.

+Remmy Nweke (ITRealms) 

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Natural births still possible after cesarean - Study

ITRealms:

A new study has shown that women who had a cesarean section in a previous pregnancy are much more likely to have a safer vaginal birth if their antenatal care is led by a midwife, according to a new study from The University of Manchester, reports ITRealms.

Experts noted that although cesarean sections are safe, research is increasingly showing that vaginal birth and labour protects against long term-risks such as impaired immune response, asthma, obesity and type 2-diabetes in the baby. As a result there is a growing emphasis placed by health authorities on promoting vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) where it is safe to do so.

The new Manchester study, published in the journal Birth, is the first to evaluate the influence on VBAC rates of midwife-led antenatal care as opposed to care led by an obstetrician.

ITRealms gathered that using patient records, 405 women giving birth at one hospital after a previous cesarean were examined in two groups. The first group was from 2008 when antenatal care was led by obstetricians and, following a change in hospital policy in 2009-2010, the second group was drawn from women who had received midwife-led antenatal care in 2011.

The number of women who intended to give birth by VBAC in 2011 was 90.3 percent, against 77 percent in 2008. Those who actually achieved VBAC was also higher in the midwife-led group with 61.2 percent instead of 46.9 percent. Both represented significant increases in VBAC when antenatal care was led by a midwife.

Dr Helen White, a midwifery lecturer in the University’s School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work, led the research.  She said: “There were few differences between the two groups of women we studied, so the main variance was the professional responsible for their care.

“Where it can be achieved safely, vaginal birth is preferable, but there’s a real issue with women who have had a cesarean once, opting for the same again.  There aren’t many initiatives out there to break this cycle so this finding is important for providing evidence that midwives are best placed to promote vaginal birth.”

The authors of the study are not proposing that women should reject cesarean birth when they are advised to do so, but suggest that midwives are important figures in promoting VBAC in suitable women.

There is a three year gap between the two groups of women but in terms of age, socio-economics, ethnic group and other variables, the groups are similar.  The only significant change was the change in policy to midwife led care in the hospital. The results are also unlikely to be due to cultural changes over time as the VBAC rates across England more generally did not change during the study period.

Dr White added: “The more we understand the role of the microbes living in the vagina, the more we are uncovering the protective effects of labour and natural birth against conditions such as diabetes and obesity.

“Midwife led care is cost-effective and, if it safely reduces the number of repeat cesarean sections, then it’s even more beneficial for mothers and babies.”

Uj N. Dominic/GEE

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Viber launches full end-to-end encryption, hidden chats

ITRealms:

London-based Over-The-Top messaging operator, Viber, has launched complete end-to-end encryption across all devices, ITRealms reports.

Viber, a leading messaging apps company with more than 711 million unique users worldwide, said these devices include Android and iPhone, iPad, Android tablets, PC and Mac desktops.

This feature, ITRealms reports, would be available over the coming weeks to all users who have the latest version of Viber.

The chief operating officer, Viber, Mr Michael Shmilov, said the company update strengthens security in every voice or video call, message, video and photo, in both group messages and one-to-one communication.

“As part of this update, Viber also launches ‘Hidden Chats’ allowing users to hide specific chats from the main screen so no-one but the user knows they exist. These chats can only be accessed using a four digit Personal Identification Number (PIN), providing an optional additional layer of privacy to users’ personal communications,” he said.

Shimilov said that they took users’ security and privacy very seriously, hence it’s critical that they feel confident and protected when using Viber, stressing “Because of this, we have spent a long time working on this latest update to ensure that our users have the most sophisticated security available and maximum control over their communications. We will continue to make this an ongoing priority as digital communication evolves.” 

The roll out, ITRealms reports would take effect globally over the coming weeks, just as users will automatically be protected by end-to-end encryption in all communications on their smartphone once they have upgraded to the latest version of Viber - v6.0 or higher. 

ITRealms further reports that subscribers who are also using Viber on an iPad, Android tablet or desktop will be prompted to re-connect it to their phone using a Quick Response (QR) code.

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Police reconciles Linda and WizKid over social media threat

ITRealms:

The Nigeria Police Force has reconciled Blogger Linda Ikeji and music artiste, WizKid over social media threat, reports ITRealms.

The reconciliation follows the reporting of both with their team of legalese at the Police Headquarters in Lagos.

Confirming this in a press statement made available to Vangaurd, Linda Ikeja stated that:

“So, I am going to write about this Wizkid matter for the very last time. Anything else after this will no longer concern me. So Wizkid and I met with the Commissioner of Police today and when the Commissioner asked me what I wanted them to do with the case… I told him that I wanted peace.

“And the reason why I insisted on peace and not to drag the matter further, that is, go to court, is because Wizkid and his lawyers have been apologizing since Friday, up until today!

“I spoke with Wizkid through his lawyer on Friday April 15th where he tendered an apology to me and said he wasn’t a violent person, that he didn’t mean what he said, that it was just an emotional outburst.

“And then he asked for forgiveness. Please continue… But despite forgiving him, he still had to show up at the Police HQ to officially apologize and write an undertaken which he did today. I see a lot of negativity has come out of this case with Wizkid – with many folks bashing me for reporting a threat on my person.

“But here’s my consolation and why I am glad this happened. I promise you, especially the ladies, Wizkid will never threaten you with harm again. At least, not in public. I believe I am the last bus stop. He will think twice before threatening another human being again on social media.

“A police file has been opened for him, and he has been cautioned. The day he threatens another human being again with harm, then… Having said that, I turned down taking a photo with him and the police commissioner this afternoon.'

“One of his people took a pic of him and the commissioner with me in it and my people insisted they delete it. Not because I haven’t forgiven him, I just don’t need the extra drama.

“I wish Wizkid all the best and will continue to celebrate him.

“God bless us all.”

Uj. N. Dominic/GEE

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Pix: Wizkid and Linda

Budget impasse: Buhari in crucial meeting with Osinbajo, Udoma

ITRealms:

In effort to resolve the budget impasse between the Executive and Legislature in Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari, Tuesday summoned his Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo and Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Udo Udo Udoma to the State house, Abuja, reports ITRealms.

President Buhari, ITRealms recalls had been away in China on a state visit for the past one week.

Whereas Presidency was trading blame with the National Assembly for the delay in assenting to the 2016 budget, the National Assembly on the other hand said they have done their best as far as the 2016 appropriation bill is concerned, insisting the ball is in the Executive court.

Development experts have also warned that with the continuous of blame between NASS and the executive arm of government, the Federal Government and indeed, Nigeria may shut down in June due to the delays in assenting to the budget.

Meanwhile the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has asked presidency and NASs to resolve whatever issues they have because Nigerians are the ones suffering while the two elephants fight.

Also, Senator Udoma had earlier met with Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki ahead of this meeting with Mr. President.

It is expected that the meeting between the trio of President, his vice president and Udo Udoma is to fashion a way forward.

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