Yudala nationwide real black Friday is here!

ITRealms:

Not done yet, the Africa’s pioneer composite online and offline e-commerce giant, Yudala, has advanced strategies for a nationwide unique Black Friday promotion tagged “Wait for the Real Black Friday” featuring unmatched discounts across ranges of products portfolio from November 24^th – 28^th 2016, reports ITRealms.

Yudala, ITRealms also gathered is set to give millions of Nigerians a chance to get an early taste of its Black Friday discounts through a week-long promotion known as ‘Midday Madness’ scheduled to run from Monday November 14th to Friday November 18^th.

Equally, Yudala, ITRealms reports has stunned the e-commerce world and made history during its first ever Black Friday promotion in November 2015 with the drone delivery of the first order which was incidentally placed by a staff of Access Bank, Mrs. Yetunde Lawal – a feat which has received global acclaim as the first recorded instance of product delivery using a drone in the e-commerce world.

Furthermore, Yudala had also set a new record by being the first e-commerce outfit to launch an online and offline Black Friday promotion which afforded many the opportunity of visiting its chain of Experience Stores to take advantage of the mouth-watering deals on offer.

Founder/Vice President, Yudala, Prince Nnamdi Ekeh, said Nigerians are in for a more rewarding experience with this year’s edition.

“Last year, we re-defined the concept of Black Friday with the world’s first recorded drone delivery and by making it an online and offline affair. That way, many of our customers were able to by-pass the huge traffic online by simply visiting any Yudala Experience Store nearest to them.

“This year, we are asking Nigerians to – Wait for The Real Black Friday. For the avoidance of doubts, the real Black Friday will commence from Thursday November 24^th to Monday November 28^th exclusive to Yudala and as was the case last year, it is going to be online at www.yudala.com and offline in every Yudala Experience Store nationwide.

“With the Real Black Friday powered by Yudala, you are guaranteed genuine products and peace of mind in line with the Yudala tradition and most importantly, unbeatable discounts that cannot be matched anywhere else in the market-place. What’s more, we are offering Nigerians more value with the guarantee of same day delivery of their products nationwide as well as unimaginable convenience with our various delivery and order fulfilment options.”

Among the wide range of products on which consumers can enjoy Yudala’s rock-bottom prices are smartphones, laptops, computers and accessories, choice wines, cognacs and spirits, men and women fashion items, healthy living products such as air fryers, smoothie makers, etc.; consumer electronics such as the award-winning iPowerPlus inverters, UPS, washing machines, refrigerators, Generators, Home Theatre Systems, TV sets, air conditioners; kitchen appliances including blenders, irons and steamers, cookers, microwaves, deep fryers, food processors and baby products, among many others.

Already, a host of premium organizations and renowned brands such as Hewlett Packard (HP), Infinix, InnJoo, Lenovo, Sovereign Trust Insurance (STI), Access Bank and Airtel, among others have aligned with Yudala on the hosting of the Real Black Friday, which is set to commence with the much-anticipated Midday Madness promotion.

“We are giving many Nigerians a taste of our Black Friday offering with the Midday Madness promotion which commences from Monday November 14^th till Friday November 18^th. It’s a week-long campaign – a teaser of what to expect during the Real Black Friday. As usual, there will be special deals and flash sales during MIDDAY MADNESS. Prices will crash to unprecedented lows and a few lucky ones will buy mega high-end devices almost for free,” Prince Ekeh disclosed.

Concluding, he noted that: “Those in attendance at the Yudala Zero Gravity 2016 Rock Gospel Concert holding at the Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos on Sunday November 20^th will be among the first to enjoy the huge deals and incredible discounts on offer right there at the venue. It’s an opportunity one must not miss.”

With its emphasis on genuine products and guaranteed manufacturer’s warranty, Yudala has expanded the scope of e-commerce in Nigeria since its entry into the market late last year and has also succeeded in raising the bar with a slew of innovative strategies including same day delivery on a nationwide scale, You-Break-It, We-Fix It policy, job creation platform known as YUBOSS as well as its customer engagements activities such as Yudala Zero Gravity Mega Concerts and Gyming with the Stars, among others, through which it is building a growing army of loyal and satisfied customers.

Chuks Egbune/GEE

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'Smart City Playbook' by Nokia identifies best practices from 22 cities

ITRealms:

Nokia has launched 'The Smart City Playbook', a strategy report that documents best practices for some 22 smart cities, reports ITRealms.

The playbook, ITRealms gathered, provides concrete guidance to city leaders on successful strategies used by other municipalities to make their cities smarter, safer and more sustainable.

Commissioned by Nokia and developed by Machina Research, a leading provider of strategic market intelligence on the Internet of Things (IoT), the playbook was developed through primary research into the strategies and progress of 22 cities around the world.

ITRealms also reports that the study uncovered significant diversity in the smart city strategies of different cities, but identified three distinct 'routes' that cities are taking to make themselves smarter.

The 'anchor' route involves a city deploying a single application to address a pressing problem such as traffic congestion, and then adding other applications over time. The 'platform' route involves building the underlying infrastructure needed to support a wide variety of smart applications and services.

ITRealms also gathered that 'Beta Cities' by contrast, try out multiple applications as pilots to see how they perform before making long-term deployment decisions.

While the study found significant differences between cities, even amongst those cities following the same route, it also concluded that there are several particular practices used by successful smart cities that would appear to be of universal benefit.

“Successful cities have established open and transparent rules for the use of data (on which all smart cities are dependent) by government departments and third parties, whether shared freely or monetized to cover data management costs,” part of the report said.

In addition, Nokia says many cities that are advanced in their smart city journeys have committed to making both information and communications technology (ICT) and IoT infrastructure accessible to users both inside and outside of government, and have avoided the creation of 'silos' between government departments.

Chuks Egbune/GEE

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Shell lifts Port Harcourt Literary Society with N1bn library

ITRealms:

The Shell Petroleum and Development Company of Nigeria Ltd (SPDC) has lifted the Port Harcourt Literary Society with an e-library worth N1 billion, just as the society has opened its doors to book lovers and other literary enthusiasts, reports ITRealms.

The e-library, ITRealms gathered is one of the N2billion social investment projects Shell exclusively sponsored in the Niger Delta to mark Nigeria's centenary anniversary.

The others are a hospital and sports centre in Bayelsa and Delta states respectively. Shell spent N790 million on the project that was implemented via a Memorandum of Understanding with the Port Harcourt Library Society, which contributed an additional N240 million.

The Managing Director, SPDC, Mr. Osagie Okunbor, said that Shell invested exclusively on this library project because of its strong conviction that it will deliver significant benefits and positively impact the lives of the people.

Okunbor who also is Country Chair Shell Companies in Nigeria, said at the commissioning ceremony that they were pleased to deliver an ultra-modern public library that would rank as one of the biggest and most IT-driven in the country. The feedback we’re receiving shows that the literary scene in the Garden City has already changed.

Nigeria’s National Librarian, Prof Lenrie Aina  said that the facility, named Port Harcourt Literary Society Library is the ‘first complete public library in Nigeria,’ because, aside from Shell ensuring supply of power, books and cooling, every comfort of book lovers was considered in the design and construction of the library. 

Deputy Governor of Rivers State, Dr. Ipalibo Banigo, in a speech delivered by her Senior Special Assistant, Mrs. Inegogo Fubara, thanked SPDC for supporting the state government's desire to provide sustainable and affordable education to the people. 

Chairman, Board of Trustees of the Port Harcourt Literary Society, Dr. Chidi Amuta said the library was designed to be the heart of the Port Harcourt Book Centre that was originally conceived to commemorate the recognition of Port Harcourt by UNESCO as the 2014 World Book Capital. He added: “Oher structures awaiting donor evaluation and sponsorship include a writers’ hostel, an event centre/exhibition hall and a theatre. The Book Centre, like the Muson Centre in Lagos along which it is modelled, is conceived as a centre of culture and enlightenment.”

An obviously elated Senator Magnus Abe said “In everything Shell has done in the Niger Delta, today they have made a statement that will never go away. They have set us as a people as partners, in truth, because it is books that will develop the Niger Delta. So having associated themselves with books today in the lives of our children and in the lives of our youths, Shell has made an indelible contribution to the true development of this region. We will never forget you.’ 

The cynosure of all eyes at the event was 10-year old Shawn Ene who single-handedly raised over N250,000 for the donation of children’s books under the special support programme of Shell Nigeria staff’s volunteer group, Shell Employees Care. There were also poetry and drama performances at the commissioning of the library.

Chuks Egbune/GEE

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ETELM’s e-LBS base station set for international launch at @AfricaCom

ITRealms:

Leading manufacturer of advanced Mission Critical communications systems, ETELM, has advanced plans to unveil e-LBS, a new eNodeB LTE base station with the longest reach ever developed for PMR 4G technology worldwide, at AfricaCom in Cape Town, South Africa, reports ITRealms.

ETELM also said that it plans to use AfricaCom holding between November 15 and 17, to showcase its 4G Linked portfolio, the e-LBS is a major breakthrough for LTE technology in Mission Critical applications such as “blue light” services and will allow operators to boost their coverage areas from existing locations.

ITRealms reports that ETELM, which has over 35 years experience, globally, has developed the e-LBS specifically to be compatible with existing LTE infrastructure and is also producing technologies to embrace TETRA and PMR over a single core network.

President, ETELM, Pierre Minot, said there is a massive market globally for a PMR optimized, long range LTE base station and we are very excited to be launching this new solution next week at AfricaCom,” 

“We have harnessed LTE’s multi-broadcast features to ensure the widest possible coverage area from our eNodeB cell, including group callfunctionality which is so vital to Mission Critical users. Our technology is the only one on the market which provides full integration between PMR and LTE, and is designed for Enterprise and Mission Critical LTE applications. It is ideal for operators looking to offer Enterprise solutions and extend geographic coverage of their commercial networks at the same time.”

The e-LBS currently operates in the 700 MHz band (with plans for other bands like 400 MHz and 2.6 GHz in the near future), allowing a greater broadband coverage, significantly outperforming typical macro-cell sizes of traditional eNodeB. It operates in a channel bandwidth of 1.4 MHz to 10 MHz and has full local or remote configuration and monitoring.

Minot continued: “The e-LBS base station is fully compliant with the LTE standard developed by 3GPP and so is compatible with any LTE Core network. We have already developed a range of PMR base station products that implement the LTE protocol stack, thereby allowing our radio sites to directly and seamlessly connect to any LTE backhaul. In the future alloperators will probably use the LTE core network, so having the ability and flexibility to directly connect both narrowband and broadband base stations onto this international standard network offers major advantages to them for inter-technology communications.”

ETELM is dedicated to offering fully integrated, multi-technology solutions based on internationally recognised communications standards. ETELM will be exhibiting at this year’s AfricaCom on stand E4, which is part of the FrenchPavilion. For further information, please visit http://www.etelm.fr/.

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Praise explosion @Enugu ... as Yudala Coalfest Zero Gravity ends

ITRealms:

For the many who made their way to the Michael Okpara Square, Independence Layout, Enugu – venue of the Yudala Coalfest Zero Gravity Rock Gospel Concert on Sunday November 6^th, there couldn’t have been a more fitting and rewarding end to the three days of activities put together by Yudala, Africa’s pioneer composite e-commerce outfit.

In an atmosphere transformed, thousands of attendees reveled in a night of soul-lifting worship and praise to God, marked by several prophecies, messages of breakthroughs, divine healings and an outpouring of joy.

A high-profile line-up of Gospel Ministers including Sammie Okposo, Chioma Jesus, Frank Edward, Steve Crown, Buchi, Chinyere Udoma, Prince Gozie Okeke and Enkay, among others, had converged on the expansive venue to elevate the city of Enugu and bring the three-day event to a praise-filled conclusion.

As it turned out, the night lived up to the billing with a series of masterful performances from the artistes which left the audience satiated.

With ace comedian Akpororo anchoring the show and treating the audience to his collection of rib-cracking jokes, the event kicked off with a series of delightful performances by upcoming gospel artistes featuring musical renditions and dance choreography. This set the stage for the fast rising UK-based Nigerian Urban Contemporary Gospel Artiste Enkay to deliver a thrilling performance that had the crowd on their feet.

Next up was Akanchawa crooner, Prince Gozie Okeke who succeeded in taking the tempo higher, setting the tone for successive high-octane performances from Chioma Jesus and Chinyere Udoma which had everyone, including the Governor, Enugu State, Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, Deputy Governor, Hon. Cecilia Ezeilo, Deputy Senate President, Dr. Ike Ekweremadu and other dignitaries singing and dancing along.

 

From Buchi’s reggae gospel delivery to Steve Crown who served up a powerful rendition of some of his most popular songs, the crowd appeared to be getting warmed up for more and this proved to be the case, as Sammie Okposo led the audience on a ride into the realm of energetic praise to God and setting the stage for Frank Edward to bring a befitting close to what is undoubtedly the most star-studded Gospel Praise event witnessed in the South East this year.

 

The Yudala Zero Gravity train returns to Lagos for the Grand Finale - a Rock Gospel Concert scheduled for the Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island on Sunday November 20th – featuring a host of headline performers including Joe Praise, Tope Alabi, Sammie Okposo, Frank Edward, Buchi, Chinyere Udoma, Sola Allyson, Gozie Okeke, Enkay and Chioma Jesus, among others.

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Intel, Girl Rising Nigeria partner on International Day of the Girl Child

ITRealms:

Intel Corporation and Girl Rising Nigeria recently partnered on the International Day of the Girl Child, reports ITRealms.

The event which held at the Film House Cinema, Ado Bayero Mall in Kano, has the theme as “Girls’ Progress = Goals’ Progress: What Counts for Girls”.

ITRealms also gathered that the ceremony was organized in the framework of encouraging girls to see education as a “Must Have” with a goal to highlight the role of technology and the Internet as essential tools needed for leveraging all aspects of human endeavor in the current competitive dispensation.

In addition, ITRealms reports that the occasion brought together over 500 girls from schools across Kano, government officials, NGOs and partners working for the protection of child rights.

Convener of the event who doubles as the Country Manager of Girl Rising Nigeria, Maryam Tafida Bello, described the event as an avenue for girls in Kano and beyond to realize that they can achieve their dreams.

Stressing that people should bring meaningful change to Kano and the world by empowering girls through education.

“There are over 5 million girls out of school in Nigeria and most of these girls are in the northern part of the country. We cannot sit back and watch, we must do something. We must take the baton to lead the fight in ensuring that all girls, all children are educated. That is why we are here today”, Maryam said.

Speaking at the event, Corporate Affairs Manager, Intel Corporation, Babatunde Akinola mentioned how Intel is making efforts in several ways to encourage women and young girls to be technologically motivated, especially through the Company’s ‘She Will Connect’ initiative.

“Women do 60 per cent of world’s work, produce 50 per cent of food, and yet earn 10 per cent of income and own only 1 per cent asset”. Intel will continue to work with NGOs and other well-meaning organizations under the She Will Connect umbrella to enable, empower and connect girls and women to opportunities and consequently put an end to such gender gap” he said.

On the partnership, Akinola reiterated Intel’s commitment to the development of the girl child.

He stressed that the company elected to partner with Girl Rising to celebrate the International Day of the Girl Child to further demonstrate Intel’s commitment to helping the girl child realize her potentials and improve their opportunities for employment and income generation while embracing technology and the Internet.

ITRealms further gathered that to drive home the message with storytelling, over 500 girls and young women including, government functionaries, NGO partners watched the Girl Rising video series ‘Da Bazar Mu’ which literally means ‘Dancing to Women’s Tune”.

The key message of the video series was centered on encouraging and motivating the girl child to see education as a necessary step towards the accomplishment of their dreams.

Representatives of the girls including two beneficiaries of Intel She will Connect initiative gave presentations to affirm their commitment to acquiring education and relevant technology skills that would ensure they achieve their dreams.

The International Day of the Girl Child Event echoes the need for more opportunities for girls, and increases awareness on the inequalities faced by girls worldwide. 

Uj. N. Dominic/GEE

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ASA-Dallas elects Ray Okoye, president

ITRealms:

The Anambra State Association (ASA) branch in Dallas Forth-Worth (ASA-DFW) has elected Chief Ray Okoye as its new president, reports ITRealms.

Board Chairman, ASA-United State of America (USA) Dr. Chris Ikeanyi, disclosed this at the weekend to ITRealms, commended the election.

“ASA-DFW has elected a very good man in the person of Chief Ray Okoye to lead our great affiliate in Dallas,” he declared.

He also alleged that this came after two years of destructive leadership in ASA-DFW.

“… Finally, a peaceful leadership has emerged and the association that played a vital role in the formation of ASA-USA will now begin to thrive as it once did in the past when it was led by the likes of Engr. Paul Iwuchukwu and Dr. Joe Udeozoh,” he said.

Okenyi, therefore, extended a resounding congratulation to Chief Ray Okoye, as the new President of ASA-DFW.

ITRealms gathered that the election which took place on Saturday night saw the defeat of the incumbent Engr. Nnaerika Okonkwo.

An eye witness, Sir Charles Maduka told ITRealms that the election result sent “a shocking chill to the spines of members as nobody gave the unknown Ray a chance.”

He joined other well-meaning ASA-USA members to congratulate Chief Ray Okoye on his emergence. 

Remmy Nweke/ED, Ops
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Fever fills @Yudala Coalfest Zero, records over 120,000 attendance

ITRealms:

The expansive Michael Okpara Square, at the Independence Layout, Enugu was filled to the brim as Yudala Coalfest Zero overwhelms the city on Saturday, reports ITRealms.

The event, ITRealms gathered attracted a number of distinguished guests including the Governor of Enugu State, Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi; Deputy Governor, Hon Cecilia Ezeilo; Deputy Senate President, Dr. Ike Ekweremadu; Chairman, Zinox Group, Leo Stan Ekeh, Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Enugu State, Hon. Rita Mbah as well as members of the Enugu State House of Assembly.

The Yudala Coalfest Zero Gravity, ITRealms gathered also attracted attendance figure of over 120,000 and saw the security forces struggling to contain the huge crowd present.

The event – which kicked off with a series of striking performances from a plethora of upcoming artistes – was remarkable in terms of the variety of entertainment on offer for the audience. From a nostalgia-inducing performance from One World, the Nigerian Afro-Rock Group of the 1970s who rolled back the years with a masterful delivery of some of their timeless songs, through the indigenous flavor delivered by a local flute player, the crowd gathered in the Michael Okpara Square were treated to a memorable night of sublime entertainment.

One after the other, the strong cast of artistes on the roll-call for the night took their turns to raise the excitement even higher.

Mr. Raw who led the way, did not disappoint as he churned out some of his most popular songs signposted by his latest release – Blessing – which had the crowd singing along. With David Grey delivering another well-choreographed performance and Naeto C taking the engagement levels even higher by mingling with the crowd, the atmosphere in the Michael Okpara was super-charged by the time the Osinachi crooner, Humblesmith took the stage with his live band to get everyone dancing to the pure sounds being dished out.

From then on, the event reached a fever-pitch with the introduction of Zoro whose dancers serenaded the audience with a gravity-defying dance routine of the hit song – Ogene. Zoro’s performance, which had the crowd asking for more, set the tone for Founder/Vice President, Yudala, Prince Nnamdi Ekeh to deliver a brief vote of thanks and introduce the night’s headline artiste, Flavour.

As expected, the talented singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist brought the event to a fitting close with a masterful performance featuring many of his most popular songs.

The weekend of activities by Yudala rounds off on Sunday November 6^th at the Michael Okpara Square with what is billed as the biggest Rock Gospel Concert ever witnessed in the South East featuring Frank Edwards, Sammie Okposo, Buchi, Chioma Jesus, Joe Praise, Steve Crown, Chinyere Udoma, Nkay and Gozie Okeke of Akanchawa fame, among others.

Ozo Nweke Ozo/GEE
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FG blames ‘NaySayers’ for misinformation on govt efforts

ITRealms:

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has blamed the alleged misinformation of Nigerians to the propensity by naysayers, reports ITRealms.

Mohammed who made this accusation in Lagos at the weekend, noted that the suspected naysayers, had deliberately spread false information via the social media which negatively impacted on the federal government's efforts to keep Nigerians informed of its activities.

''Everyday, this group of people deliberately distort our messages while also suffusing the atmosphere with their own version of information,'' the Minister said in a speech at a Colloquium organized by the National Coalition of Apostolic Leaders in Lagos on Friday.

He said that in order to ensure that Nigerians get undiluted and correct information, the government has resorted to taking its messages directly to the people using the Town Hall Meeting format.

''What we have done is to counter them using what we call Town Hall Meetings that allow us to speak with Nigerians directly, while also getting the necessary feedback. We have held such Town Hall Meetings here in Lagos, Kaduna, Kano, Uyo, Enugu and Abuja, during which Ministers interacted directly with a cross section of Nigerians. 

Having realized its effectiveness, we have lined up more Town Hall Meetings across the country,'' Alhaji Mohammed said.

He also said that in order to carry Nigerians along, the Federal Government has embarked on sensitization campaigns on what it is doing in its three broad priority areas - Tacking corruption, fighting insurgency and revamping the economy to create jobs and wealth.

''We are aware that it is not just enough to do something, you must be seen to be doing it. In other words, the activities of government are as important as communicating them. That is why this Administration places much premium on communicating with the people.

''Mixing the traditional means of communication with the modern ones, we are reaching out to the people through radio, television, newspapers and the all-powerful Social Media to keep them abreast of developments in these three broad areas,'' the Minister said.

He said the government is also aware that feedback is one of the essential elements of good communication, adding: ''It is not enough for a government to talk to the people, the government must also hear from them.''

Alhaji Mohammed thanked the Nigeria Coalition of Apostolic Leaders for organizing the State of the Nation Colloquium, but urged them to sustain it.

''It is impressive, and indeed highly commendable, that rather than sit back and complain endlessly, thus becoming a part of the problem, the Nigeria Coalition of Apostolic Leaders has opted to be a part of the solution. It is however important that this Colloquium be sustained,'' he said.

Uboshe Uboshe/GEE

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