Nigeria commences online Visa on Arrival

ITRealms:

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has commenced a liberalised online Visa on Arrival (VOA) facility to the public for foreign investors and willing professionals desirous of coming to Nigeria, reports ITRealms.

The Comptroller-General of the NIS, Mr Muhammad Babandede, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, Thursday, said that‎ the measure was part of the resolution of the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) aimed at attracting foreign investors to the country.

“‎As a critical member of the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), the NIS has automated its visa application and processing services at all entry points. This is to ensure that all genuine requests for Visa on Arrival facility from any part of the world are processed and issued within 48 hours (two working days),” NIS boss said.

He explained that the‎ online VOA application and processing facility is a product of robust visa reforms regime intended to bring Nigeria in tandem with global best practices and attract Foreign Direct Investors and skilled professionals into the country.

Also, the controller-general said that the new process was‎ designed to eliminate all unnecessary bureaucratic visa processing procedures in Nigerian Missions abroad. Stressing this would be of great help for potential visitors from countries where Nigeria does not have a Mission.‎

He said that‎ ‎a dedicated e-mail address oa@nigeriaimmigration.gov.ng has been deployed where visa applicants, their representatives or companies could forward their requests and details.

Advising applicants to use functional e-mail addresses where copies of approval letter shall be forwarded upon a successful process and payment.‎

“Applicants are, however, to note that successful payment online is not an approval and should not proceed to Nigeria until you have received ‘Visa on Arrival Approval letter’ duly issued by the NIS Headquarters, Abuja.”‎

He said that a VOA desk had been opened at all international airports in the country where visas would be issued upon the presentation of all the necessary travel documents and evidence of visa payment.

The NIS boss expressed optimism that the VOA process and the introduction of the harmonised arr‎ival and departure cards would go a long way in attracting investors to the country. 

Nonye Dom with additional reports from NAN/GEE

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Dell, Intel launch cloud ecosystem hub for EMEA

ITRealms:

Dell EMC and Intel have launched a new web-based Cloud Ecosystem Hub, to provide Cloud Service Providers (SPs) in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) as well as end users with an online one stop site to unify and simplify access to Dell EMC’s cloud proposition and resources, reports ITRealms.

Country Manager, Dell EMC Nigeria, Travers Nicholas said that the hub will connect customers with SPs to help establish stronger marketing efforts, enabling digital transformation and significantly growing long term Cloud business.

This new unified platform demonstrates Dell EMC’s commitment to providing choice and unique solutions to every customer and removing obstacles to cloud adoption through hosting an online cloud portal for Dell EMC Technology, making it easier for customers to select the right SP to address their needs. For SPs, the hub will be a platform to launch key initiatives and drive new business through the marketplace. With sales revenues in the hardware market decreasing and much of the Cloud market set to transition over to hybrid Cloud, it is expected that Cloud SPs will acquire a considerably larger market share over the next five years[i] and Dell EMC and Intel will act as key business enablers to all parties.

“Historically, vendors have failed to support Service Providers in their campaigns and the Dell EMC Cloud Ecosystem represents a game-changing development for both Service Providers and customers alike,” said Eric Velfre, senior vice president, Compute and Networking Sales Dell EMC EMEA. “By simplifying access to the Dell EMC Cloud value proposition and offering content and support for co-marketing projects, we can generate awareness and enable new capabilities to achieve greater profitability for our partners. Through the Dell EMC Cloud Community we can also drive demand from the customer towards Service Providers and capture feedback to help develop future Dell EMC Cloud technologies” he said.

The country manager also said that the One-Stop site for enterprise customers, the Cloud Ecosystem Hub promises to help them understand how to transform their businesses, with a dedicated repository of up-to-date resources and assets explaining the value proposition and benefits offered by Dell EMC’s Cloud technologies. Customers will be able to select SPs through bespoke searches to find the most relevant solutions for their businesses, with options to contact providers directly through the platform. The Cloud Ecosystem Hub will also allow customers to discover and register for broader industry events organised by SPs and Dell EMC.

The Cloud Ecosystem Hub, he said, includes an array of new tools for SPs, including LeadPool demand generation, allowing partners to identify ‘hot’ vendor agnostic leads, along with additional resources to help promote offerings directly to customers.

As said by him, the platform also provides the latest insights and information around Dell EMC’s and Intel’s Cloud technology offerings to help SPs build a stronger portfolio. In addition Dell EMC will allow SPs to run co-marketing campaigns with tools to assist in the creation of marketing assets, campaign building and client and influencer networking, featured within the marketplace.

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Grass Cutting scam: I've no power to give contract...

Grass Cutting scam: I've no power to give contract...: NaijaAgroNet :   ​The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. Babachir   David Lawal  has said he does not award contr...

... Linking agrobiz, sustainable environs, people & technology

SOPHiA Genetics berths @7 African research centers

ITRealms:

Leading data-driven medicine, Sophia Genetics, has listed African hospitals to be integrated with SOPHiA, the company’s artificial intelligence, for their clinical workflow in order to advance patients’ care across the continent, reports ITRealms.

The chief executive officer (CEO) and co-founder, Sophia Genetics, Jurgi Camblong, made this known at the 2017 Annual Meeting of the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) in Phoenix.

ITRealms also reports that some medical institutions at the forefront of innovation already using SOPHiA in Africa, Camblong said, include, PharmaProcess in Casablanca, Morocco; ImmCell in Rabat, Morocco; Al Azhar Oncology Center in Rabat, Morocco; Riad Biology Center in Rabat, Morocco; Oudayas, Medical Analysis Laboratory, Morocco; Center for Proteomic & Genomic Research (CPGR) in Cape Town, South Africa; and Bonassama District Hospital in Douala, Cameroon.

African hospitals, Camblong pointed out, are adopting SOPHiA to get up to speed and analyze genomic data to identify disease-causing mutations in patients’ genomic profiles, and decide on the most effective care.

“As new users of SOPHiA, they become part of a larger network of 260 hospitals in 46 countries that share clinical insights across patient cases and patient populations, which feeds a knowledgebase of biomedical findings to accelerate diagnostics and care,” the CEO said.
According to Camblong, since inception, noted that SOPHiA vision has been to develop innovative technological solutions that analyze patients’ genomic profiles to offer better diagnosis and care to the greatest number of patients, wherever they live.

“Today, I am very proud that SOPHiA is triggering a technological leapfrog movement in healthcare across Africa,” the founder said.

Isaac Oyimah/GEE

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NCC, law enforcement agencies brainstorm on telecom infrastructure security

ITRealms:

As part of efforts to drum more support for the security of telecommunications infrastructure in the country, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and law enforcement agencies assembled in the city of Port Harcourt, Rivers State for brainstorming, reports ITRealms.

Correspondent reports that the consciousness of the centrality of telecommunications and the revolutionary benefits the nation has derived from the exponential growth in the telecommunication sector, was the bottom-line for the session.

ITRealms also gathered that they were concerned about the attendant challenges, particularly the antics of criminals who through vandalism of telecom infrastructure, theft, and use of pre-registered SIM cards, are causing disruptions in telecom operations and undermining efforts at consolidating sectoral gains.

This, NCC said, was why the Commission is currently holding sensitization workshops for law enforcement agencies in all geopolitical zones of the country.

According to the Director, Public Affairs at NCC, Mr. Tony Ojobo, this workshops have been designed as a strategic partnership and collaboration between NCC and the nation's security sector, to embolden enforcement processes; the laws and regulatory frameworks; challenges of prosecution; and how ICT enables effective policing.

He also noted that similar workshops have been held in Lagos and Kano as anchors for the South West and North West zones respectively.

ITRealms further gathered this workshop under review targets the law enforcement agencies in the South South zone.

The Executive Vice Chairman/CEO of NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta, represented by Mr. Efosa Idehen, Head Compliance Monitoring and Enforcement, commended participants for good attendance and robust participation.

He also requested all law enforcement agencies to amplify the voice of the Commission, particularly in its determination to make 2017 Year Of The Telecom Consumer, a programme unveiled just a week ago to sensitize the public and heighten awareness about consumer issues across the industry.

“The increasingly strategic role of telecommunications and ICT in the economy, the fact that the commanding heights of the economy and all other sectors ride on telecoms services provided by operators regulated by NCC demand that the challenges confronting telecom operations be tackled speedily,” he said.

Idehen explained the current collaborative initiative of the Commission with the security sector to ensure that law enforcement agencies are conscious of their roles under the Nigerian Communications Act 2003, and other extant laws, regulations, guidelines and directions guiding telecommunication operation in Nigeria, up to and including arrests and prosecution of those who contravene the telecom laws in Nigeria.

This, he said, would help to ensure that the Quality of Service and the Quality of Consumer Experience are improved upon qualitatively with concrete benefits to the consumer, the telecom industry and the country at large.

ITRealms reports that participants at the workshop included personnel from the Office of the National Security Adviser; the Nigeria Police Force; Nigerian Customs Service; the Department of State Services; and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps.

Uboshe Uboshe/GEE

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Season 2: Be a Millionaire with Skye Bank goes to Owerri for draws

ITRealms:

The season 2 of the Reach for the Skye Millionaire reward promo is headed to the capital of Imo State, Owerri for its upcoming draw, reports ITRealms.

Scheduled to hold on Thursday, 30^thMarch, 2017 in Owerri, Imo State, ITRealms reports that the exercise aligned with Skype Bank’s effort in encouraging savings culture and rewarding loyal customers.

ITRealms recalls that already the first millionaire, Olusola Olusegun Ezekiel, emerged at the first draw of the Season II which took place on February 16^th, 2017 in Ikorodu, Lagos.

Skye Bank's Group Head of Retail Banking, Ndubuisi Osakwe explained that to participate in the draw, customers are encouraged to open any Skye savings account and make a minimum deposit of N10,000 over a 30day period.

“If however you already own a Skye savings account, with additional deposit of N10,000 minimum, you increase your chances of becoming the next millionaire. The more you save, the better your chances of emerging a millionaire,” he said.

ITRealms also reports that up for grabs are monthly cash prizes of N100,000 for 10 customers; N50,000 for 10 customers and N20,000 for 20 loyal customers.

“There will also be free gift of recharge cards for the first 200 dormant accounts re-activated on a monthly basis,” part of a press statement to ITRealms read.

Skye bank has used the ‘Reach for the Skye Millionaire reward promo initiative to change lives, accelerate employment generation and develop indigenous entrepreneurs; while encouraging savings culture among Nigerians.

According to Skye Bank's Group Head of Retail Banking, Ndubuisi Osakwe, the reward promo was instituted by the Bank to encourage savings culture, especially amongst the mass market segment.

"As a bank, we are committed to continually satisfy the needs of our customers; as well as empower and encourage savings culture in them, through rewards like this and also provide opportunities for them to establish small businesses with limited capital provided.

“The reward focuses on retail banking that is anchored on the premise of building a long lasting relationship with our customers based on trust; as well as supporting the financial inclusion drive of the CBN meant to bring a lot more people into the financial system and the formal economy,” Osakwe said.

ITRealms recalls that ‘Reach for the Skye is a year-long promo, with series of monthly raffle draws during which more and more winners will continue to emerge.’

The promo which was endorsed by the National Lottery Regulatory Commission, usually have at least a representative of the Commission present during the draws in order to ensure transparency in all processes.

Ayo Midele/GEE 

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CS2 hosts 20 Nigerians to cyber drills on new DDos threat

ITRealms:

Leading cyber security solution power house, the Consultancy Support Services (CS2) Limited has hosted some 20 Nigerians to a global cyber drill on the “Emergence of a New DDoS Threat,” reports ITRealms.

The newly emerging Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS), ITRealms gathered reflect largely the intentional paralyzing of a computer network by flooding it with data sent simultaneously from many individual computers.

Confirming Nigeria’s participation in this global cyber drill to ITRealms, the executive chairman of CS2, Alhaji Abdul-Hakeem Ajijola, said that his team successfully hosted 20 Nigerian participants for the Asia Pacific Computer Emergency Response Team (APCERT) and Cyberdrill 2017.

According to him, the session was hosted with the theme “Emergence of a New DDoS Threat.”

“Participants were drawn from a wide range of security, public service organisations and the private sector,” he said.

Ajijola explained that the exercise which commenced “22-03-2017, 2:00 AM” was held at the Penthouse, Ogun State House, Central Business District, Abuja Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

“It started with preliminary reviews at 2 am Nigeria time (GMT+1) with the actual cyber drill commencing at 3 am 22 March 2017,” he said, stressing that this is representative of real-world situations.

“Hackers don’t work regular hours,” Ajijola said, emphasizing that all assignments were completed, thus successful.

“We are pleased to note that all assignments were successfully completed,” he said.

Ajijola further told ITRealms that APCERT teams from 18 economies including Australia, Brunei Darussalam, People's Republic of China, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Macao, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam) participated in the drill, and additionally with 4 CSIRTs from 4 member countries (Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria and Pakistan) of the OIC-CERT www.oic-cert.org.

Chuks Egbune/GEE

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Killers of late Cynthia Osokogu to die by hanging

ITRealms:

The two-member gang of Okwumo Nwabufo and Olisaeloka Ezike charged with the murder of Ms Cynthia Osokogu, a Facebook friend, have been sentenced to death by hanging, reports ITRealms.


Ms Cynthia Osokogu, ITRealms gathered was a postgraduate student of Nasarawa State University, at the time of her death on July 22, 2012.

ITRealms recalls that Ms Osokogu was murdered by the duo convicts on July 22, 2012 at Cosmilla Hotel, Lake View Estate, Festac Town, Lagos.

Delivering judgment on Thursday, Justice Olabisi Akinlade of the Lagos State High Court in Igbosere, found Nwabufo and Ezike guilty as charged by the state.

Also, the judge held that the circumstantial evidence brought by the state in proof of the six counts of conspiracy, murder and stealing against the accused persons were cogent, complete, unequivocal and compelling, hence sentenced both to death by hanging.

*Ozo Nweke Ozo with additional reports from The Punch & Channels TV/GEE

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Buhari, Saraki commiserate with Britons over Westminister terror attack

ITRealms:

President Muhammadu Buhari has condemned Wednesday’s terrorist attack near the United Kingdom Parliament Building at Westminster, London, reports ITRealms.

This is coming as the Senate President, Dr. Olusola Saraki has also extended the sympathy of the National Assembly to the government, parliament and people of UK over the attack.

The President, who sympathized with the British Prime Minister, Theresa May, assured her that the government and people of Nigeria “stand with Britons at this sad and trying moment in their country.”

As said by President Buhari, “terror attack anywhere in the world is condemnable,” stresing that the whole world must join hands to defeat the perpetrators of terrorism.

He prayed that God Almighty will comfort the grieving families and heal the injured.

In a related development, the National Assembly (NASS) through the President of Senate, Dr. Saraki declared that any attack on any Parliament in the world is an attack to all parliaments.

He also condemned the attack while urging for improved security at parliaments across the world including the National Assembly Abuja.

Uboshe Uboshe/GEE

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Mara acquires multichannel platform, Nimbuzz

ITRealms:

An African multi-channel platform of online and mobile technology innovations that are designed to connect people across emerging markets, Mara Social Media, has acquired global platform Nimbuzz Assets, reports ITRealms.

Nimbuzz, ITRealms gathered, was initially released in May 2008 is a powerful cross-platform mobile calling and messaging app. The app can be installed on computers, mobile phones, smartphones, and tablets. Nimbuzz offers its users the ability to make voice and video calls, enable chat and file sharing worldwide. The app has over 200 million users and is available for Android, iPhone, and Symbian, MIDP, Windows Phone, BlackBerry and PC & MAC clients.

Anubhav Nagar, CEO of Mara Social Media said “We see a strong momentum for consumer messaging apps, which are set to overtake social media apps globally. 

According to reports and current trends it is clear that social media apps are likely be eclipsed by messaging apps in the next two years. This is the opportunity, which we identified with Nimbuzz.”

As part of this acquisition, Mara gains access to Nimbuzz’s & Holaa’s unified platform as well as their international assets, IP & Database. The acquisition provides a strong foundation for our future growth in emerging markets. Nimbuzz Instant messenger & Holaa has a user base of 200 million registered users spread across India and the Middle East.

Ahuti Chug, Chair of Mara Social Media said “Users are now demanding a messaging app experience that goes beyond entertainment or communications. We see this as a gap in the offering of the existing messenger players in most markets and it opens up a huge opportunity for Mara to tap in to. We are extremely excited about this move and with the fact that it makes us a global player in this space.”

Mara will roll-out a new hybrid approach for the Nimbuzz messenger which would be an amalgamation of content, Incubator platform, smart market place and consumer communities. Mara plans to integrate the Nimbuzz platform with its existing Mara platforms including Mara Mentor and Mara Jobs into Nimbuzz Messenger and vice versa.

Mara Mentor is a free online mentoring platform that connects ambitious entrepreneurs and business leaders globally and can be accessed via a web-based platform and a mobile application that’s available on iOS and Android.

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LoRa technology to prevail on ecosystem

ITRealms:

Latest white paper on Long range (LoRa), and low power wireless technology has indicated that this platform would prevail the ecosystem in the years, showing that no one technology meets all technological needs, reports ITRealms.

According to the Whitepaper, the Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) market is often viewed as a technology battleground from which one solution will emerge as the winner and de facto standard.

But LPWAN, ITRealms report, use cases so varied that no one technology will meet all requirements, as some LPWAN technologies are better suited for certain applications than others.

Given the size of LPWAN market and varied nature of applications, the WhitePaper also showed there is room and, in fact, a place for multiple complementary options.

ITRealms further reports that this whitepaper focused on LoRa wireless technology for the Internet of Things (IoT), specifically addressing LPWAN applications and covering the value proposition of LoRa, the applications for which the technology is best suited, and the ecosystem of technology adopters.

Chuks Egbune/GEE

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Telecommunications Academy accredits GSMA courses

ITRealms:

The Capacity Building initiative of the Global System for Mobile Association (GSMA) has got its courses accredited by the United Kingdom (UK)-based Telecommunications Academy, reports ITRealms.

GSMA founded in 1995, ITRealms gathered is a trade body that represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide with approximately 800 mobile operators membership and a further 300 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem are associate members. 

The body in its latest newsletter, disclosed to ITRealms that all 12 courses in conducted in 2016-17 portfolio, have now been accredited by the United Kingdom Telecommunications Academy (UKTA).

For over two decades, ITRealms reports that UKTA has been an internationally recognised centre of excellence in the provision of academic, technical and vocational education.

With this development, ITRealms reports that certificates awarded to participants who complete accredited GSMA courses will now carry the UKTA endorsement.

Nonye Dom/GEE

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Senate committee thumbs-up Shittu on ICT university

ITRealms:

The Minister of Communications, Barrister Abdur-Raheem Adebayo Shittu has received a thumb-up from the Senate Committee on ICT & Cyber-Crime for his initiative on the proposed establishment of the ICT University of Nigeria, reports ITRealms.

The Committee, ITRealms reports gave this commendation during an oversight visit to the Ministry by members of the committee, who described the idea as ingenuity in proposing a specific training institution for manpower development in the ICT sector, which will be the first of its kind in Africa.

The Special Assistant on Media to the Minister, Mr. Victor Oluwadamilare, informed ITRealms that the Committee Vice Chairman, Senator Foster Ogola, who led the delegation on an oversight visit to the Ministry of Communications said the idea of establishing the ICT University of Nigeria is one of the greatest achievements of Barr. Shittu in office as minister, adding that it is highly commendable.

He promised adequate support of the Committee in providing the necessary legislative framework for effective take off of the institution as soon as possible.

The Minister had earlier told the senators the need to upgrade the Digital Bridge Institute (DBI), owned by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) into a multiple ICT campus university to specifically provide manpower for the ICT sector.

Barr. Shittu said the Ministry has approached the Federal Ministry of Education and the National Universities Commission (NUC) for the necessary institutional framework for the establishment of the university while identified stakeholders have been approached to participate in the Public-Private-Partnership project.

Sen. Ogola said the visit is in the exercise of legislative oversight of the Senate as enshrined in Sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution, and that it is a follow-up to the presentation of the 2017 budget of the Ministry, which he said, is a prelude to the consideration of the budget.

He pointed out that the visit was aimed also at having first-hand information on details of performance of the 2015 budget, 2016 budget so far and detailed information on specific vehicle projects of the Ministry as well as costs and locations of certain projects.

The Senator used the occasion to inform the Minister of the Committee’s planned stakeholders’ conference meant to accelerate the penetration of ICT in Nigeria, with the attendant need to control cyber risks and other ICT-related challenges.

“The conference is ultimately expected to identify gaps inherent in the system and generate appropriate synergy in the relationships of stakeholders with a view to ensuring consistency and complementary and articulating a structured approach to resolving the challenges.

Other members of the team include Senator Abdullahi Gumel, member and Senator Abiodun Olujinmi, member, Mr.Ayoh Ogon, Clerk of the Committee and staff of the Committee.

Uboshe Uboshe with Dorish Minimah/GEE

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Zenith Bank shareholders approve total payout of N63.4b dividend

ITRealms:

The shareholders of Zenith Bank Plc have approved final dividend worth N55.573 billion for the year ended December 31, 2016, which brings the total payout to N63.422 billion, reports ITRealms.

The dividend, ITRealms gathered, translates to N1.77 per share, was paid out of N129.65 billion recorded for the year under review.

Giving the approval at the Annual General Meeting held in Lagos on Wednesday, shareholders noted that in all, the bank paid a total dividend of N63.422 billion, having paid an interim dividend of N7.849 billion before now.

Also, the shareholders applauded the board, management and staff for growing its profit after tax by 23 per cent from N105.531 billion in 2015 to N129.65 billion in 2016. Just as the bank ended the year with gross total assets N4.739 trillion, up from N4 trillion in 2015.

The Chairman of the Zenith Bank Plc, Chief Jim Ovia, said despite the challenging operating environment, the bank was able to fully exploit the available opportunities to post the impressive results.

He pointed out that in line with the bank’s commitment to delivering superior returns to its much-valued shareholders, the bank made certain that a good chunk of the profit is set aside for them.

“In this regard, we have declared and paid you an interim dividend of 25 kobo per share in the course of 2016 financial year. We hereby propose a final dividend of 177 kobo per share. This brings the total dividend for the year ended December 31, 2016 to 202 kobo per share as against 180 kobo per share paid he previous year,” he said.

Ovia also said, that even in the face of a very challenging operating environment, Zenith Bank has maintained its culture of outstanding performance and industry leadership.

As a bank, Ovia emphasized, Zenith is monitoring developments both in the local and global economy and applying pragmatism and dynamism as appropriate.

“Our strategy and approach to the pursuit of financial inclusion and sustainability gives us a lot of competitive advantage to explore even new frontiers in the market,” he said.

Equally speaking, the Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Zenith Bank, Mr. Peter Amangbo, said as an institution of well-primed people, the bank relied on a its pool of exceptional staff to make sound and timely decision and addressed issues in a manner that anticipated developments and demonstrated excellent understanding of the dynamics of the market and economy in 2016.

“We shall continue to demonstrate extraordinary commitment to our customer s while maintaining focus on all the areas fundamental to adding value to our partnership,” he said, even as he looks ahead with optimism, though noting that 2017 will come with its challenges and opportunities.

“… But I am confident that our determination, resolve and rare commitment to customer as well as our adaptive ability will ensure resounding results” Amangbo said.

Chuks Egbune/GEE

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Etisalat parleys subscribers in Kwara State

ITRealms:

Acclaimed Nigeria’s most customer-friendly telecommunication company, Etisalat has hosted its customers in Ilorin, Kwara State to a parley, at part of its quarterly exercise, reports ITRealms.

The Etisalat Customer Forum, ITRealms gathered, is an interactive feedback session aimed at engaging customers to deepen relationships, just as the session provides a platform for valuable engagement with customers through constructive feedback on their experiences from using various services and products on the Etisalat network.

Speaking at the interactive forum, held during the week in Ilorin, the state capital, Director, Brands and Experience, Elvis Ogiamwanye, said the forum further underlined Etisalat’s recognition of its customers as being very important to the continued growth of the network in Nigeria.

While stating that the Customer Forum initiative was launched in 2010 with the objective of receiving feedbacks from customers across a wide range of issues, he revealed that feedbacks received at previous customer forums have helped the company in developing innovative products and services that solve every day problem for the customers. 

 

“At Etisalat, we are passionate about delivering value to our customers. This is why we come to them regularly so they can speak with us about our products and services. The feedbacks we get from them serve as a major input that has accelerated our growth in the Nigerian telecommunication industry,” Ogiamwanye said.

A customer who works with a fashion publication, Christina Odigie, commended Etisalat for the superior quality of its data service in Ilorin, and said this has empowered her to do more in view of the nature of her vocation. “I work for a fashion magazine, so I am always online 24/7 so I can stay ahead of fashion trends. I love to stream videos, download media, check Instagram and other social media platforms. I must say that Etisalat data quality is second to none”, she enthused.

Kwara State Commissioner for Environment, Otunba Taiwo Joseph, also commended Etisalat for its swift response to solving customers’ complaints. “I had some challenges with my line, it was fixed in no time after I complained at the Etisalat Experience Centre on Stadium Road here in Ilorin. Since then I have been enjoying both data and voice services without complaint”, he said. 

Ayo Midele/GEE 

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Pix: L-R: Specialist, Customer Experience, Etisalat Nigeria, Sowari Akosionu;Etisalat Customer, Titus Olorunnisola and Director, Brands and Experience, Elvis Ogiemwanye during Etisalat Customer Forum held in Ilorin, Kwara State, recently.

PIN to host Internet Freedom Forum 2017 in Lagos

ITRealms:

 Plans have been advanced for the successful hosting of the Internet Freedom Forum (IFF) by the Paradigm Initiative Nigeria (PIN), reports ITRealms.

The Director of Programmes at the Paradigm Initiative Nigeria, Tope Ogundipe, gave this indication in Lagos, in a chat with ITRealms, saying that all is now set for the successful hosting of the two-day event slated for the commercial nerve centre of the nation.

She also said that the forum is an annual event which focuses on indices around Internet Freedom in Nigeria and around Africa.

“The forum is planned to deepen discussions on how freedom and openness on the Internet promote socio-economic development in Africa,” she said.

Currently, she said, there have been registrations from over 35 countries, including 32 African countries.

Equally, she said, the 2-day conversation will involve policy experts, lawmakers, academicians, security agencies, and civil society organizations amongst other stakeholders. 

According to her, the Forum would hold between April 26 and 27 2017, by 9.00am daily at Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja Lagos.

“The very rich conversations at this forum with global, regional and national experts participating will serve as an important information pool, and provide content producers the context to understand and navigate issues of the defense of a free and open Internet in Nigeria and around Africa,” she submitted.

Uj. N. Dominic/GEE

#IFF2017
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DMO, strategy for economic recovery

Commentary@ITRealms:

Perhaps at no time in the history of Nigeria has the federal government come under such intense pressure to deliver on the economy as now, and this is understandable. 2016 closed with Nigeria recording its worst GDP figure in 25 years as low oil prices, tight monetary liquidity and militant attacks on oil infrastructure rocked the economy. 

The Consumer Price Index, which measures inflation, also increased by 18.72 January this year. National budgets have continued to run into deficits as oil revenue dwindles. The federal government and many state governments find it increasingly tough paying salaries of their workers.

The private sector has not fared better. Since the government is the biggest spender in the economy, a drastic cut in revenue means less money in the system. Many companies that depend hugely on government patronage are bearing the brunt of the recession and laying off staff to reduce overhead. The result is that more Nigerians are finding themselves in the unemployment market with no hope of immediate engagement.

President Buhari came to power on the promise of change, and he’ss under an unprecedented pressure to deliver economic change at a time the country faces its worse economic challenges. In economic matters, there are no miracles, but conscious, calculated and strategic intervention through policies and measures that can bring the economy out of recession.

All eyes are on the Government to stimulate the economy by doing whatever is needed to bring it quickly out of a debilitating recession. That is why institutions such as the Debt Management Office,DMO, the Security and Exchange Commission, SEC, and the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, NESG, among others, are increasingly in the headline news.

The DMO is a government agency established to coordinate the management of Nigeria’s debts in such that is healthy for the economy. Anyone who has followed developments in that office will readily admit the DMO has been a work horse for this admiration. Watching Dr Abraham Nwankwo, Director General of the DMO talk on Nigeria’s debt management is like listening to a lecture in an ivory tower.

The man seems to be at his best when defending some of the interventions of this administration, especially when talking about the government’s borrowing plan to finance the growing budget deficit. But this is to be expected from the head of the debt management office since he is also an important part of the equation. It is like a man defending his own actions before a sceptic audience.

What has fascinated me about this man is how he breaks complex economic issues down into bits and pieces that can be easily digested by the lay man. For instance, the Buhari administration’s plan to seek loan to finance development projects in the country as a result of shortfall in government revenue. Nwankwo has tried to convince Nigerians on why borrowing is good for the economy; why loan properly utilised is a sort of investment that is capable of reflating the economy of any country.

A three year Debt Management Strategy (2016-2019) initiated by the DMO better illustrates how debt management has become a key component of Nigeria’s economic recovery effort. It is a broad-based strategy that inspires confidence in the economy and in the managers of the economy. One major aspect of the strategy is that over the medium term, Nigeria will strive to remix the public debt portfolio from 84% domestic and 16% external to 60% domestic and 40% external. And the reason, which may not be obvious to many is that external loans seem to come cheaper than domestic borrowing.

The DMO DG said during one of his interviews that for Nigeria to pull the economy out of recession, government must embrace what he called a “conventional public borrowing” to fund critical infrastructures. This is not a loan to be disbursed at the whims and caprices of the presidency; it is loan tied to specific and strategic projects to give the economy a rebound. And this he said, could easily be tracked by the public and the legislature.

This thinking informed the decision by the Buhari administration to decide on a three-year borrowing plan to fund deficits in the budget from 2016-2019. In the words of President Buhari, it is a “prudent” borrowing plan to bridge the financial gap created in the budgets, stressing that the funds would largely be applied to key infrastructure projects namely power, railway and road project amongst others.

The DMO recently facilitated the approval of the issuance of $1 billion Eurobond and appointment of six transaction parties for the bond by the Federal Government. The bond is part of the country’s plans to borrow a total of N1.8 trillion ($5.8 billion) from abroad and locally to fund an estimated 2016 budget deficit of N2.2 trillion. Apart from the fact that it is a good deal for the country, it will also prevent the emasculation of local investors.

Now,the DMO is in the news again. This time it is promoting a novel product and one that benefits majority of Nigerians. This is the newly floated Federal Government Savings Bond, FGSB. This is the first time one has heard about this type of bond. Of course bonds are debt instruments in which an investor loans money to an entity (typically corporate or governmental) which borrows the funds for a defined period of time at a variable or fixed interest rate.

The owners of such a bond are creditors or debt- holders.
Although the federal government regularly churns out bonds to raise fund from the capital market, this one is different. The FGSB is a retail savings product accessible to all income groups, and it will enable all citizens participate in and benefit from the favourable returns available in the capital market which had hitherto being an exclusive preserve of big players. Every Nigerian who has N5,000 can subscribe to this bond that will be issued monthly for a tenure of two to three years.

The minimum subscription amount is N5,000.00 with additions in multiples of N1,000.00, subject to a maximum ofN50,000,000.00. And there is no fee or charges for subscription. No matter the tenure of the bond, interest will be paid quarterly to holders. The payment will go to the Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Accounts of investors and text alerts will be sent to investors on Settlement Day.

The purpose of this bond, aside being a source of diversified funding for government, is to also help deepen the national savings culture. Anyone who earns income is able to participate in this unique investment opportunity.

This is an alternative for many Nigerians who have taken to the Ponzi schemes as investment option. The FGSB, like all government bonds, is backed by the full faith and credit of the Federal Government of Nigeria. It is a scheme Nigerians must take advantage of to help themselves and their country. It is another innovation from the rich bag of the country’s economic managers.

Isaac wrote in from Ilorin.

*Contributed by Olu, Isaac

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24hours to grab $50,000 prize in ReCode Nigeria hackathon

ITRealms:

Hackers aiming to grab the $50,000 prize in the Recode Nigeria initiative by the Africa Fintech Foundry (AFF) should be warming up to achieve that in the next 24 hours, reports ITRealms.

This, ITRealms reports, would herald a three-day hackathon slated for March 24-26, the programme attracts multiple teams of talented developers, designers, problem-solvers, and out-of-the-box thinkers to build brilliant solutions to the most vexing problems in financial services. 

AFF spokesperson, Victor Okigbo, confirmed to ITRealms that the banking industry needs to enhance its existing customer experience. 

“The mission of these participants is to transform the mode of customer engagement, enhance the customer experience and create solutions that bring value to banking customers” he said.

Okigbo also said that during the hackathon, participating teams would have the privilege of creating excellent solutions that combine API’s from one of Nigeria’s leading financial institutions, IBM’s Bluemix platform, Microsoft Azure amongst others.

Executive Director, Commercial Banking, Access Bank, Roosevelt Ogbonna, said the bank is collaborating with the AFF to “ensure that shareholders value and growth in tomorrow’s complex financial technology ecosystem can be delivered. By supporting initiatives like Recode Nigeria hackathon, we have teamed up with technology titans like Microsoft, IBM and other numerous technology startups to create the future together.” 

Enumerating what the participants derive from using its latest platforms, Microsoft spokesperson, Dona Sarkar in an interview with Accelerate tv, said as a cloud-computing infrastructure for building and managing applications through a global network, “Microsoft Azure offers startups the opportunity to host their applications in the cloud. As such, they will not purchase or manage their own servers. That is why the winner gets access to the Azure platform.”

However, upon completion of the contest, Okigbo gave an assurance that a team at the hackathon would be accepted into the 17-week AFF accelerator programme with up to $50,000 seed investment. He added that the winning teams will get up to N3million-prize money, one-year's access to IBM’s Bluemix and Microsoft Azure platforms.

While explaining the IBM Bluemix cloud service, IBM’s spokesperson, Akintomide Akingbade, said the service supports several programming languages and services to build, run, and manage applications on the cloud. “We are backing the startups at Recode Nigeria hackathon with the latest cloud offering from IBM. With this partnership, we are enabling the software geniuses create and manage their mobile and web applications on the cloud”.

Individuals and teams can register at www.recodenigeria.com. The number allowed in a team, Okigbo said, is a minimum of two and a maximum of five persons. Participants care free to register as individuals or with a team.

Industry leaders and representatives are among the judges that will select the winners of the Recode Nigeria hackathon. Each submission will be scored based on certain criteria with the final score being the average of all scores. The judges include Victor Etuokwu, Ernest Ndukwe, Iyinoluwa Aboyeji and Joseph Sam.

Other supporting organizations are Emaginations, Re:write, Trium, Systemic Logics, Accelerate TV, ntel, Dev Center and Design Institute.

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