Nobel Laureates: Bill Gates, Martin Engstroem to join Honorary Senate

ITRealms:

The Foundation Lindau Nobelprizewinners Meetings slated for Lake Constance, would this year herald the induction of the Microsoft Founder, William H. Gates III otherwise known as ‘Bill Gates’ and founder of Verbier Festival & Academy, Martin T:son Engstroem as Honorary Senate members at the 61^st session later this June, reports ITRealms.

The Foundation spokesman, Christian Rapp, confirm this to ITRealms, saying the recognition of the duo of personalities was based on their sustained personal commitment to supporting and encouraging young talents by opening the door to future opportunities.

He said, that As part the 61st Meeting of Nobel Laureates to be held from Sunday, 26 June through July 1, would see the Honorary Senate composed of representatives of the scientific, business and political communities, and play a role in advising the Foundation Board of Directors.

The Foundation, he said, organises the annual meetings of Nobel Laureates alongside its Board of Directors, whereas the Founders Assembly of the Foundation is comprised of some 240 Laureates. 24 Nobelprizewinners and 570 young researchers from 80 countries are expected to attend the 61st Nobel Laureate Meeting.

ITRealms gathered that Martin T:son Engstroem in his role as founder and guiding light of the Verbier Festival & Academy has created an international forum for the advancement of young musicians which, since 1991, has become one of the most innovative music venues in Europe. The VerbierFestival Academy offers young performers the opportunity to gain experience which will be of great value in developing their careers. For three weeks, the young musicians who meet the strict selection criteria take part in daily master classes in which they are able to learn first-hand from acknowledged virtuosi and broaden their horizons.

The significance of the Verbier Festival & Academy for the musical world is comparable to that of the Nobel Laureates Meetings for the international world of science. Both institutions share the same values and goals of disseminating knowledge, inspiring young minds and building networks. The Foundation Lindau Nobelprizewinners Meetings at Lake Constancewishes to underscore these similarities by inducting Martin T:son Engstroem into its Honorary Senate.

William H. Gates III through the Microsoft Corporation founded by him has made a major contribution to the fact that computers are today a normal part of our everyday lives. After stepping back from his day-to-day involvement with the business, he has devoted much of his time to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which he founded with his wife, Melinda. 

The foundation focuses on global health and development, and improving public education in the United States.

In recognition of his work in the advancement of future-oriented communications technologies and his commitment to education and research, the Foundation Lindau Nobelprizewinners Meetings at Lake Constance is inducting William H. Gates III into its Honorary Senate. Through his Foundation, he is actively helping to improve the conditions under which people live and learn worldwide. His commitment is an inspiration to young researchers in that it demonstrates how science and research can contribute to overcoming global challenges.

The members of the Honorary Senate are: Josef Ackermann, José Manuel Barroso, Ernesto Bertarelli, Christof Bosch, former German Federal President Roman Herzog, Dr. h.c.Klaus Jacobs (†), Henning Kagermann, Malcolm Knight, Pamela Mars Wright, Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel, Joachim Milberg, former Federal President Johannes Rau (†), Annette Schavan, Shri Kapil Sibal, HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, Edmund Stoiber, Erwin Teufel, Daniel Vasella, Ernst-Ludwig Winnacker, Martin Winterkorn

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Internet Governance: Tracking Governance on Social Media - Anambra State as a Case Study

Commentary@ITRealms:

Being the Text of the Address presented by Rtn Ifeanyi Aniagoh, the Senior Special Assistant on Social Media to Gov Willie Obiano of Anambra State at the 2016 Nigeria DigitalSENSE Forum hosted at Digital Bridge Institute (DBI), Lagos on Thursday through Friday, June 2-3, 2016 by DigitalSENSE Africa in conjunction with Nigerian Communications Commission and National Information Technology Development Agency.

Excerpts:

Protocol:

It gives great pleasure to be in your midst at the moment, I want to say that I'm honoured.

We are all lucky to be born in a generation where the internet has become a tool for letting out and getting information.

We are in this unique gathering to talk about how the internet should be governed to create viable opportunities for Nigerians.

The term ‘governance’ refers to an encompassing set of guiding rules and norms that guide any area of human activity, rules that may be formal or informal, and are applicable to virtually any societal activity, whether ‘market governance', ‘political governance' or ‘internet governance.’

Internet governance covers a wide range of issues, from day-to-day technical and operational workings of the internet to public policy issues such as combating crime.

Social Media refer to the means of interaction among a people in which they create, share, and/or exchange information and ideas through virtual platforms.

Some examples of Social Media platforms include Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube, Twitter, Digg, Blogs and Websites.

Tracking refers to approaches that allow the concerned to record and follow the progress of any identified problem or "issue" until the challenge is resolved.

Tracking of Governance provides us with a way to report issues, track progress and know how, why, when and who is responsible for resolving issues in our society as well as monitoring government activities.

There are a lot of persons interested in tracking governance; you and I, civil society organizations, donor agencies and government think-tanks.

My role in this conference is to do justice to the "Tracking of Governance on the Social Media using Anambra State as a Case Study"... How do the administration of Gov Willie Obiano bring "government" to the consciousness of Onye Anambra and other concerned persons?

Why Anambra?

While it's the duty of the organizers of this forum to make open their reason for choosing Anambra for this study, we are all witnesses to the fact that the eastern State known as the "Light of the Nation" is a state with many firsts.

Today, Anambra State tops the chart in terms of Nigerian states with appreciable engagement on the Social Media and e-governance.

This is as a result of ndi Anambra's unquenchable desire to find solutions through enterprises; and the governor's natural inclination to empowering young persons who are the major stakeholders in this internet age.

What do we do in Anambra State?  Here, "we" refers to Anambra State Government.

To ensure a full participation of ndi Anambra in governance and to help the people to keep track of what the government is doing, we run the following programmes:

1. WhatsApp Session - a novel network of 87,000 persons connected together with the rare ability to share information and receive feedback within 60 seconds;

2. Anambra Scorecard - a 2-hour per week online live programme anchored on Facebook where the political office holders and stakeholders are "put on the spot" for the people to ask questions directly from all over the world;

3. Social Media Hangout - a monthly offline gathering of online dwellers in Anambra State to interact, share experiences and learn new skills aimed at promoting the positive use of the Social Media... Here we discourage e-thuggery;

4. Public Court - a weekly online poll spread across Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, etc, to get direct feedback on the people's perception and opinion on government's policies, projects and programs.

In addition to these self-assessing programmes, we also maintain broadcast of the government's activities through Facebook, YouTube, Emails, Blogs and other Social Media platforms.

There are two important things to note:

1. These channels provide the people with the opportunity to be in the know about the governance of their State ... Giving them the privilege to ask questions and keep tract of the day-to-day running of their government;

2. You can only sustain these channels if you have quality programmes and achievements to show... An insincere or non-performing government cannot survive the volume of criticisms therein.

What do others do?  "Others" refers to non-government stakeholders in the Anambra State Project ... The CSOs, NGOs, critics, the citizens and the opposition.

The Social Media presence of Anambra State Government:

1. Gives the Civil Society Organizations (CSOs)  and NGOs the time-saving access to relevant facts and figures enabling them to keep track of the performance index of Anambra State Government;

2. Gives the critics the open platform to constructively engage the government by sharing their opinions on how better the State can be run... Note that criticisms are not insults or online bullying;

3. Gives ndi Anambra and concerned persons secure and confidential routes to send feedback directly to the government of the State;

4. Gives the citizens an alternate and very reliable means of resolving emergencies.

Ultimately, the recognition of the role of New Media in governance which informed the decision of Gov. Willie Obiano of Anambra State to engage a Senior Special Assistant on Social Media, has given Ndi Anambra, at home and in diaspora, the rare opportunity to partake in government of their State.

One may then ask ...  What are the advantages of tracking governance through Social Media? The unlimited list of these merits as being experienced in Anambra State can be summarised thus:

1. People-oriented Governance - A government like we have in Anambra State being aware that the people are constantly watching its activities endeavours to provide what the people need, listens to their demands and alleviates their plights;

2. Purposeful Leadership - A careful appraisal of the giant strides of Gov Willie Obiano of Anambra within 2 years in office explains this benefit... A government that consciously allows self to be publicly assessed at all times, as is obtainable in Anambra State, can only survives by providing purposeful leadership;

3. Job Creation - The programmes I enumerated earlier gives direct jobs to 41 young persons while Anambra Social Media Hangout trains at least 20 online entrepreneurs per month... Imagine the indirect jobs being created through the government MDAs and the CSOs/NGOs that follow the government on the internet to track its progress;

4. All-inclusive Democracy - What else will a democratic society like ours wish for than what we have in Anambra State, where everyone has the privilege to participate in the governance of the State and all citizens enjoy the right to Freedom of Information (FOI).

While e-governance is not a cure-all for modern challenges of governance, it is a powerful enabling tool that has aided governments achieve some of their development and administrative reform goals.

It has also helped major stakeholders of good governance to keep track of the progress being made by governments of the day.

Generally, many states in Nigeria are now realizing the need for e-governance in order to provide people-focused, cost effective, and easy to use services for citizens and enterprises and to improve the internal workings of government.

Similarly, many governance tracking applications have emerged rapidly (such as yourbudgit.com, tracka.ng, etc).

Thus,  it's very evident that if other states and the Federal Government can emulate Anambra State on the effective use of the internet in governance while allowing free tracking of government activities by interested persons, more Nigerians will be able to access and assess the government’s services without necessarily going to the government office or contacting by telephone.

The use of the internet will reduce the negative attitude Nigerians have towards government agencies because not many people enjoy interacting with their government; and delivery of government services from any place to citizens.

If well-orchestrated, e-governance can also bring an improved citizens’ access to information and services, increase efficiency in service and information delivery to citizens and other stakeholders as well prepare our nation for digital democracy which involves e-voting.

As a takeaway, I encourage every young person here not to stop at effectively using Social Media platforms but aim at developing better platforms ...

The e-government positions and the jobs being created by the need to track governance could be yours.

Thank you for listening.

Ifeanyi ANIAGOH, SSA to Gov Willie Obiano on Social Media.

@IfeanyiAniagoh

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Pix 1: Ifeanyi Aniagoh, SSA on Social Media to Gov. Obiano presenting his paper on Internet Governance: Tracking Governance on Social Media.
Pix 2: L-R: Domain Name Business Manager, UpperLink Ltd, Mrs Irieti Chukwujama; President, Cyber Security Expert Association of Nigeria (CSEAN), Mr. Remi Afon;  Executive Director Operations, DigitalSENSE Africa, Mrs. Nkemdilim Nweke; Chairman of NDSF 2016 and President, Nigeria Computer Society,  Prof. Adesola Aderounmu; ;  Broadband and Converged Solution Manager, Phase3Telecom, Mr. Yemi Adedoyin, Senior Special Assistant to Governor Willie Obiano on Social Media, Anambra State, Mr. Ifeanyi  Aniagoh responding during question and answer session, at 2-day 2016 Nigeria DigitalSENSE Forum held at Digital Bridge Institute, Lagos.

Saving Rivers Economy: The Wike Matrix

Opinion@ITRealms:

It was Sophia Amoruso, the founder and owner of Nasty Gal, described as one of "the fastest growing companies" by Inc. Magazine in 2012, that said "Half of getting there is having the confidence to show up and keep showing up." That describes Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State. Over the past one year since he took over the reins of governance in the weather beaten, investment hostile and business stagnated Rivers State, he has demonstrated this saying by his deliberate interventions to get infrastructure working and businesses running by ‘half getting,’ and the uncanny confidence to show up where government’s attention is needed and will not stop showing up as he has promised.

It is no longer a matter for debate that Wike inherited a state in dire economic straits last May. Business owners were listless, investors were hamstrung by dearth of infrastructure and government inertia. Many, today agreed that the governor has injected vitality in all sectors of the state economy, and is on course to transforming the infrastructure landscape. While it is granted that it is not yet Uhuru, but the signs are positive and Rivers state has come alive again.

Speaking of his one-year stewardship recently, Wike explained that his administration in the last twelve months has been able to rescue the state from ‘dysfunctioning.’

At the interactive session to give his scorecard, the governor said to kick start the administration on day one, he directed the reinstatement of one thousand lecturers of state university of science and technology sacked by the previous administration on union activities.

Other highlights he gave include the reopening of the courts which were closed for over one-year by his predecessor. The good news is that the courts are all working, providing unhindered access of justice to the people.

He has been able clear the backlog of salaries and pensions of the state civil servants and pensioners, with over 1, 000 kilometers of roads either completely rehabilitated or constructed afresh.

It is instructive that for businesses to thrive, the purchasing capacity of the people is integral aside the importance of infrastructure and enabling environment. The recall of 1, 000 lecturers simply translates to the fact that about 4, 000 other immediate family members have their livelihoods secured, and with their productive capacity guaranteed, it can only be imagined what this translated to in economic terms. There is little argument to the fact that a state with a high unemployed rate cannot engender economic prosperity as their purchasing power will be next to zero.

It is in this regard that the import of Wike recalling the sacked lecturers as well as clearing the backlog of arrears and pensions of the workforce of Rivers state can be best situated.

Tied to economic growth is the access to justice. There is no denying the fact that in every society and business environment, there are bound to be conflicts of which the courts are the arbiter if society is not to descend into a Hobbesian State. 

For the people of the Rivers, the state became one large theatre of aberration as people resorted to extra legal means to address their disagreements and conflicts in the absence of clear judicial avenues. Port Harcourt became a city of fear for small, medium and large business concerns as there was no instrument of state to tackle their issues and provide remedy. It was therefore not unexpected that economic activities witnessed serious decline.

Added to this was the erosion of aesthetics and serenity of the famed Garden City. Port Harcourt and adjoining towns became one huge refuse dump. It was the case of Nero fiddling while Rome burnt. This time, the former state governor went on political whoring while the decadence and stagnation became rife. Traffic snarls, pothole ridden roads. In short, Port Harcourt became intolerable and not sustaining. Given the precious man-hours spent in traffic and the suffocating nature of filth at every turn, it was evident that businesses would relocate and they did! 

So when Wike came into office, optimism was in short supply, the business community were expectant but not overly confident of what was in stock. However, one year down the lane, Port Harcourt has found its bounce, the traffic snarls have ebbed, access to justice and arbitration is available, while the infrastructural space is broadened.

Speaking on how far his administration has weather the storm, Wike said: “We have stabilised the economy of Rivers State since we took of the reins of leadership in the state. We achieved the stabilisation of the economy by injecting N151 billion as salaries and payment of contractors.”

One can only imagine what N15 billion can do in an economy like that of Rivers State at a time other parts of the country are facing the strain of poor streams of income from the federation account. It cannot be taken away that this feat is as a result of careful planning, priority of the people over self-aggrandisement and survival as was the lot of the immediate past regime.

While it is not enough that these feats have been achieved, it is heart-warming to note that the governor has given the indication of equitable development so as to guarantee economic growth for all areas of the state.

According to him, every local government area in the state will host key projects, making the point that no local government area will be denied the impact of good governance.

With what Wike has achieved, it is no wonder that the state PDP Chairman, Bro. Felix Obuah, is full of commendation and waxing in the enthusiasm of a future assured for Rivers State.

Giving his take on Wike’s one-year in office, he makes the argument that it is as a result rare frugality and prudent management of state resources, despite shortfall in internal revenue accruals due to harsh economic realities of the time and very meagre federal monthly allocations, yet delivering on amazing democratic dividends.

While it is enough to be angry that despite the huge allocations at the disposal of the previous administration, it is a vindication of the allegation in several quarters that Rivers State was milked dry and the collective wealth of Rivers people personalized and wasted on unnecessary goodwill to remain politically relevant.

As the deliberations continue on the first anniversary of the Nyesom Wike administration the messaging is clear that beyond the rhetoric, he has established the principle of accountability, service and promise kept detached from elections.

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Loot recoveries: FG releases interim report on finances, assets

ITRealms:

… Total cash N78.3bn; $185.1m, £3.5m, €11,250

 

At last, the Federal Government (FG) has released what it tagged ‘Interim Report on Finance, Assets Recoveries’ without the names of those involved, reports ITRealms.

FG also said it has made cash recoveries totaling N78,325,354,631.82 (Seventy eight billion, three hundred and twenty-five million, three hundred and fifty-four thousand, six hundred and thirty one Naira and eighty two kobo); $185,119,584.61 (One hundred and eight five million, one hundred and nineteen thousand, five hundred and eighty four US dollars, sixty one cents); 3,508,355.46 Pounds Sterling (Three million, five hundred and eight thousand, three hundred and fifty-five Pounds and 46 Pence) and 11, 250 Euros (Eleven thousand, two hundred and fifty Euros) from 29 May 2015 to 25 May 2016.

In a press statement in Lagos on Saturday made available to ITRealms by the Special Assistant to Hon Minister of Information and Culture, Segun Adeyemi, quoted the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, as disclosing that Recoveries Under Interim Forfeiture (cash and assets) during the period totaled N126,563,481,095.43 (One hundred and twenty six billion, five hundred and sixty three million, four hundred and eighty one thousand, and ninety five Naira, forty three Kobo; $9,090,243,920.15 (Nine billion, ninety million, two hundred and forty three thousand, nine hundred and twenty Dollars, fifteen cents; 2,484,447.55 Pounds Sterling (Two million, four hundred and eighty four thousand, four hundred and forty seven Pounds, fifty five Pence) and 303,399.17 Euros (Three hundred and three thousand, three hundred and ninety-nine Euros, 17 cents).

According to Mohammed, the interim report on the financial and assets recoveries made by the various government agencies from 29 May 2015 to 25 May 2016, the Funds Awaiting Return From Foreign Jurisdictions total $321,316,726.1 (Three hundred and twenty one million, three hundred and sixteen thousand, seven hundred and twenty six Dollars, one cent); 6,900,000 Pounds (Six million, nine hundred thousand Pounds) and 11,826.11 Euros (Eleven thousand, eight hundred and twenty six Euros, 11 cents).

It showed that Non-Cash Recoveries (Farmlands, Plots of Land, Uncompleted Buildings, Completed Buildings, Vehicles and Maritime Vessels) during the period totaling 239.

The following is the breakdown of the recovered cash and assets:

INTERIM REPORT ON FINANCIAL AND ASSET RECOVERIES MADE BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OF NIGERIA FROM 29 MAY 2015 TO 25 MAY 2016

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NDSF 2016: CSEAN, DigitalSENSE Africa unveil Stop, Think, Connect campaign

ITRealms:

The Cyber Security Experts Association of Nigeria (CSEAN) has partnered DigitalSENSE Africa Media on the national cybersecurity awareness campaign tagged Stop, Think, Connect (STC) with the unveiling at the 2016 Nigeria DigitalSENSE Forum (NDSF) series, last Friday, reports ITRealms.

The unveiling was part of the two-day NDSF 2016 was graced by the National President of CSEAN, Mr. Remi Afon, who led dignitaries at the forum to the unveiling told participants that CSEAN is a non-profit organisation made up of information security professionals championing awareness on best practices, and acting as an agent of change to address cybercrime phenomena through engaging intellectual minds, business and political leaders.

Afon also told participants at the Day-2 of NDSF 2016 which was used to host the Nigeria Internet Protocol version Six (IPv6) Roundtable, noted that with the kind of fast internet expected with IPv6 evolution, the unveiling of Stop, Think, Connect, is very apt.

He explained that the Stop-Think-Connect campaign’s overarching goal is to help internet users understand not only the risks that come with using the Internet, but also the importance of practicing safe online behavior.

Pointing out that CSEAN is a global partner of Stop-Think-Connect and aims to roll out the campaign in all nook and corners of Nigeria, stressing that his team have started rolling out the campaign in tertiary institutions and secondary schools.

Commending the management of DigitalSENSE Africa, the organisers of the Nigeria DigitalSENSE Forum on Internet Governance for Development (IG4D) and Nigeria IPv6 Roundtable for partnering CSEAN on this campaign, Mr. Afon outlined some of the key concerns to include issues affecting every Internet users, cyberbullying.

“Cyberbullying is bullying that happens online. It can happen in an email, a text message, an online game, or on a social networking site. It might involve rumors or images posted on someone’s profile or passed around for other people to see,” he said.

CSEAN president also advised participants to be weary of bullying, asserting “Don’t stand for bullying—online or off. Treat others the way you want to be treated—whether you’re interacting with them online, on your phone or in person.

Further, he urged participants made up youths and students to always speak up, mostly when they see something inappropriate on a social networking site or in a game or chat room, let the website know and tell an adult “you trust” by using ‘Report Abuse’ links which could help keep sites fun for everyone.

On his part, the Lead Strategist, DigitalSENSE Africa, Mr. Remmy Nweke said that the partnership is meant to further stimulate the vision of DigitalSENSE group to stimulate consciousness on the public, especially in Nigeria and among the youths and students on positive use of the Internet rather than the notorious yahoo, yahoo syndrome.

This, he said, would in addition help in discovering future ethical information security professionals by catching them young for a better Internet eco-system from this part of the world.

Okoli Vincent/GEE

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Pix: L-R: Managing Director/CEO, Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria, Mr. Muhammed Rudman; General Manager, Information Security, National Identity Management Commission, Mr. Emmanuel Ogungbe; President, cyber Security Expert Association of Nigeria, Mr. Remi Afon;  Executive Director, Operations DigitalSENSE Africa, Mrs. Nkemdilim Nweke; Chairman of the Occasion, President, Nigeria Computer Society,  Prof. Adesola Aderounmu; Senior Special Assistant to Governor Willie Obiano on Social Media, AnambraState, Mr. Ifeanyi  Aniagoh;  Broadband and Converged Solution Phas3Telecom, Mr. Remi Adedoyin; during the unveiling the Stop Think Connect at Closing Ceremony of 2 day 2016DigitalSENSE Africa Forum in Lagos.

EFCC fails to comply with court order on Orosanye

ITRealms:

The legal team of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Friday, failed to honour an earlier order of the Court, directing it to file clear fresh charges and evidences in the case of breach of trust preferred against Nigeria’s former head of Service, Mr. Stephen Oronsaye, reports ITRealms.

Justice Olasumbo Goodluck of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, High Court, sitting in Maitama, Abuja, had issued an order directing the EFCC to file fresh charges and additional evidence in the suit, a directive the Commission did not heed.

Upon resumed hearing Friday, Counsel to Mr. Oronsaye, Ade Okeaya-Inne, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria drew the attention of the Court to the flaws identified in the processes served.

“On the last adjourned date, the Court made an order that clear copies be served. The copies served do not represent that order. We have been served additional charges and two additional documents. They do not represent the set of clear copies, as ordered,” he said.

Responding, the presiding Judge, Justice Olasumbo Goodluck expressed concerns over the impropriety of the documents.

“The Court is concerned about the propriety of the documents in the courts records, having not been part of the Court’s order. The Court had ordered the EFCC to put their records straight, ahead of today’s proceedings.”

Prosecution Counsel apologized to the Court for the blunder and appealed that the amended charges brought against the accused be read out, a plea the Judge granted.

The former Head of Service, Steve Oronsaye however pleaded not guilty to the 7-count amended charge bothering on alleged criminal breach of trust, as Chairman of the Presidential Committee on the Financial Action Task Force-FATF, read out to him.

Following an oral application by the Defense Counsel, Ade Okeaya-Inne, SAN, the Court reiterated its earlier order, granting bail to the accused.

“This Court hereby reiterates its earlier order granting bail to the defendant, notwithstanding the additional charges.”

As the hearing commenced, a Prosecution witness, Ibrahim Musa, an Assistant Manager with Zenith Bank Plc, Abuja, shocked the Court, when he claimed that he had never met the accused personally, but managed the account of the Presidential Committee. He explained how the account was opened, following all known banking procedures.

“I have not met Mr. Oronsaye personally, but I know him as former Head of Service and Chairman, Presidential Committee on the Financial Action Task Force. I opened the account for them and was in charge of it. The account was in the name of the Presidential Committee on Financial Action Task Force. 

"The account number is: 1012749303. There were three major inflows into the account, one on 17th September, 2011 (N51,306,975.00), another on 12th June, 2013 (N160,525,000.00) and the third on 23rd September, 2014.”

During cross examination, Musa denied knowledge of any form of investment of the funds by the accused, as claimed by the prosecution.

“The Committee’s funds in Zenith Bank were never invested. When TSA was implemented, all the monies were sent to the TSA and the account closed,” he explained.

Continuing, the prosecution introduced another witness, Mr. Bello Hammadhama, an operative of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, serving in the Special Task Force of the Commission.

In an incoherent testimony that lasted for nearly two hours, the EFCC operative said the Commission received a Petition against the accused, alleging abuse of trust, which they investigated.

At about 1.30pm, with the consent of all the parties, the presiding Judge adjourned the matter to 13th, 24th of June and 8th of July, 2016 for continuation of hearing.

Addressing newsmen after the Court session, Counsel to Mr. Steve Oronsaye, Ade Okeaya-Inneh expressed confidence in the ability of the Judiciary to dispense justice.

It would be recalled that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, in March, 2016, dragged Nigeria’s former Head of Service, Stephen Oronsaye, before Justice Olasumbo Goodluck of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, High Court, sitting in Maitama, Abuja, on a two-count charge bordering on alleged breach of trust.

Oronsaye, who is also a former Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Financial Action Task Force, FATF in 2013, has been having a running battle with the Commission.

Stakeholders have accused the EFCC of witch hunting the former Head of Service, over several issues, including his recommendation for the merger of the EFCC with the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission-ICPC, pursuit for autonomy for the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, NFIU, a department believed to attract heavy foreign donor support to the EFCC, among other issues.

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Broadband Forum charts future for broadband, IP networking

ITRealms:

The Broadband Forum announced the conclusion of a special three-day meeting held in Atlanta and subsequent agreement of the Board of Directors, with the purpose of examining common strategies for the future of broadband and IP networking, reports ITRealms.

The forum also aimed at developing a new operational model and immediate actions that leverage new technology and development approaches to serve the business requirements of the stakeholders in the broadband market.

According to official statement made available to ITRealms, the outcome of the meeting was a course of action that included but not limited to embrace the best of both open source and standards development and will immediately instigate new methods for rapid delivery of innovative software and standards for key use cases to the community of manufacturers, service providers and open-source organizations that replace traditional Standards Development Organization (SDO) approaches.

ITRealms further reports that to complement the above action, the Forum will take action to significantly increase its collaboration with key industry groups including developing open initiatives, including both members and non-members, for the benefit of the whole broadband community.

The Forum emphasizes the work and methodology that is bringing the most value to stakeholders, such as new value added services, enabling the broadband smart home; a safe harbor for intellectual property, virtualized business and residential gateways, YANG data models, interop testing for ultra-fast networking and guidance for deployment best practices.

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Communication tax to impoverish Nigerian youths – Nweke

ITRealms:

The Executive Director, Operations at DigitalSENSE Africa Media, Mrs. Nkemdilim Nweke, has condemned the Communications Service Tax (CST) before the national assembly, saying that the bill hinged on 9 per cent tax on all electronic services would impoverish Nigerian youths, reports ITRealms.

Speaking at the Day-1 of the Nigeria DigitalSENSE Forum series on Internet Governance for Development (IG4D) ongoing at the Digital Bridge Institute, Cappa, Lagos, said she condemned in totality the motion before the National Assembly.

She also lamented that the 9 per cent tax on all electronic services will further impoverish the teeming unemployed Nigerian youths.

“Thereby, making it more difficult for people to access and share knowledge which the electronic communication is made to abridge,” she said.

Nigerians, Mrs. Nweke pointed out, are already paying for all the mismanagement of their leaders, wondering why make them pay more especially in the present economic downturn.

Further, she joined forces with other stakeholders in calling on the Federal government to make Telecoms Infrastructure a Critical National Resource as this would also mean protecting the jobs and businesses online because when telecoms infrastructures are tampered with, “our Jobs and businesses online are affected.”

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Pix: Executive Director, Operations at DigitalSENSE Africa Media, Mrs. Nkemdilim Nweke 

Kampala joins smart African cities to offer Uber

ITRealms:

The city of Kampala, Uganda joined Uber’s growing African network (www.Uber.com). With the launch of Uber, the innovative technology platform, Kampala joins the list of smart transportation hubs in Africa, reports ITRealms.

This, ITRealms gathered, follows the success of Uber in many other growing cities, as Uber launched its ride-sharing platform to the people of Kampala.

ITRealms also reports that Uber provides a platform to connect drivers with riders in real time, at the touch of a button. Whether you’re going to work or going out with friends, Uber provides an affordable, safe and reliable way to get across the city. Kampala is a growing city in the heart of Uganda, a country with a fast-growing economy.

The World Bank forecasts that the Ugandan economy is growing at a positive and upward trajectory. This is owing to targeting development of Uganda’s infrastructure and intensified investment in the private sector. The World Bank also notes that Uganda is one of the world’s youngest populations, with 700,000 new people entering the workforce each year. 

With its people, energy, innovation, entrepreneurial and rapidly growing economy, Kampala is an exciting place for Uber to bring its services.

General Manager for Uber Sub-Saharan Africa, Alon Lits, says, “We’re really excited to be launching Uber in Kampala, a world-class African city. We are inspired by the city’s rapidly developing infrastructure and spirit of entrepreneurship and look forward to giving people in the city an affordable, easy and flexible choice to move around the city safely and reliably.”

“At Uber, we are proud to connect millions of global citizens every to affordable and reliable rides. By offering a friendly and reliable complement to existing transport options, we can help improve urban mobility in Kampala. We are mindful of the city’s current traffic congestion, and we aim to be part of the solution in improving it, while creating new, fruitful opportunities for drivers. Ultimately, we hope to reduce the strain on the city’s roads, and minimise the environmental impact of traffic congestion that is part of a growing economy,” Lits said.

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All is set for 2016 Nigeria DigitalSENSE Forum 2016 on Internet Governance

PR@ITRealms:

All is now set for the two-day 2016 Nigeria DigitalSENSE Forum on Internet Governance for Development (IG4D) and Nigeria IPv6 Roundtable, commencing tomorrow, Thursday, June 2 through Friday, June 3, at the Digital Bridge Institute, former NITEL Training School, Cappa Oshodi-Lagos.

Confirming this, the Executive Director, Operations, DigitalSENSE Africa Media, the organisers of forum, Mrs. Nkemdilim Nweke, declared that all is set for the this year’s two-day forum to be chaired by the President of the Nigeria Computer Society (NCS), Prof. Adesola Aderounmu who will be exploring his agenda for the larger Nigerian society through the Nigeria DigitalSENSE Forum series.

Mrs Nweke pointed out that Nigeria DigitalSENSE Forum series which is on its 8^th edition has remained a distinguished annual rallying point for Internet stakeholders in the country, with this year’s themes, focusing on ‘Internet Governance: Creating Opportunities for All Nigerians’ on Day 1, whereas the Day 2 is the Nigeria IPV6 Roundtable would be on ‘Creating Opportunities for Nigerians with IPv6’ in commemoration of the World IPv6 Day 2016.

According to her, the Honorable Minister for Communication, Barr. Adebayo Shittu, Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, Senior Special Assistant (SSA) Job Creation and Youth Empowerment to the Vice President, Afolabi Imoukhuede, acting DG, NITDA, Dr. Vincent Olatunji, and DG, Debt Management Office, Dr. Abraham Nwankwo among others, would be leading guests and discussions at the two-day forum under the chairmanship of President, NCS, Prof. Adesola Aderounmu; as some of the confirmed keynote speakers.

Aderounmu, she said, is a professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Fellow of Nigeria Computer Society, Registered Professional Engineer with Council for Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) to name a few.

DigitalSENSE Africa Media, she noted, is an At-Large Structure certified by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and organizes this annual forum in collaboration with the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Galaxy Backbone and National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) among others.

She also said, DigitalSENSE Africa is a team of internationally reputed and award-winning Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry analysts and perception managers; professionally affiliated to African Regional At-Large Organisation (AFRALO) for shaping the future of the Internet, African Civil Society for the Information Society (ACSIS), as well as the media caucus of African Information Society Initiative (AISI) of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), etcetera.

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