In memory of Jamal Khashoggi - ITREALMS

Tribute@ITREALMS:

A Tribute and Call for Action in Memory of Jamal Khashoggi, killed October 2 by Saudi authorities inside the Saudi Arabia consulate in Turkey.

A minute silence for the faithful departed.

With deep grief and greatest sorrow in memory of journalists killed in Nigeria and around the world, the Coalition of Nigerian Media and Civil Society Groups are gathered here to make 3 statements:

First, we are gathered here to commiserate with the family and friends of journalist, Jamal Ahmad Khashoggi, and the good people of Saudi Arabia.

We are gathered here to tell the people of Saudi Arabia that you deserve better. You deserve better than a blood thirsty government that kills its citizens at will, and with total impunity.

No human being should ever have to face such a bestial death. Jamal did not deserve to die, let alone in the one place where he should have felt safest in a foreign land – the Saudi Arabia Consulate.

Let us think about it critically. Do we know how many people have died in similar circumstances at Saudi Embassies and Consulates around the world?

Jamal Khashoggi’s blood is crying for Justice!

And that is why we are gathered here, to tell the Saudi government that injury to one is injury to all. The world abhors the evil perpetrated against Jamal. We are here to say Jamal’s life and death will never be in vain. His blood will keep speaking for generations to come and his legacy will forever remain.

We are here to demand only one thing from the King and the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia:

The person(s) who gave the order for the bestial murder of journalist, Jamal Ahmad Khashoggi, and the person(s) who carried the order, All of them MUST be brought to account.

The Second reason we are gathered here is in memory of our own Nigerian journalists, too many killed in the line of duty, and in total impunity.

Just as we call on the Saudi government, so also, we call on the Nigerian government to put an end to impunity for crimes against journalists.

This month, 32 years ago, we still remember the murder of journalist, Dele Giwa, killed via a parcel bomb delivered to him on October 19, 1986. That case smacks of government conspiracy.

We are here to tell the Nigerian government to take into account that in 32 years since Dele Giwa’s assassination, countless murders of journalists have occurred, and not one has been conclusive to bring the perpetrators to justice.

We therefore call on Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari, to do what any conscionable government would do:

Order the reopening of impartial, independent, and transparent investigations into the murders of all journalists killed in the country and ensure their killers don’t go unpunished.

The Third reason we are gathered here is to remind ourselves that:

when Injustice Becomes Law, Resistance Becomes A Duty! The call was sounded, even on short notice, yet we all turned up and decided to take action to defend our civil rights.

We want to say ‘Thank You’ for your presence and your time. Together, we will keep holding our governments accountable to the people.

*Contributed by Peter Nkanga and Chido Onumah for Coalition of Nigerian Media and Civil Society Groups

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How estate surveyors, valuers can boost rural development in Nigeria - ITREALMS

Sponsored@ITREALMS:

An Estate Surveyor and Valuer is referred to in Nigeria as a professional member of NIESV (The Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers) who is also registered and empowered by law through the Estate Surveyors and Valuers Registration Board of Nigeria (ESVARBON) to carry out property valuation tasks in the interest of the owner/prospective owner and the society.

With a combination of efforts from the Government, Investors and most importantly, an Estate Surveyor and Valuer, landed properties in every area of the society (rural and urban) can be put to optimal use once they are properly managed.

His services extends beyond the regular acquisition and disposal of landed properties, but with a vast knowledge covering the major areas of property development in its entirety and its immediate impact in the society, they are better placed to make policies that will foster development in any rural or urban society.

Having good infrastructure, of course is one of the prerequisites for development in any society, having the right long-term maintenance strategy will go a long way in sustaining those infrastructure. With the wealth of experience at the disposal of Estate Surveyors and Valuers, formulating and implementing a strong maintenance policy should be a cakewalk.

By joining hands with the Government, Estate Surveyors and Valuers are also able to advise the Government on the best way to develop a particular locality by mapping out some areas which will be perfect for residence, industrial or commercial buildings. Due to their involvement in the development of that master plan, the community will most likely experience speedy and healthy growth.

Estate Surveyors in conjunction with other like-minded bodies (independent investors or a government-backed subsidized fund) also come together in some occasions to implement projects that will not only benefit the initiator, but also the host community. 

For instance, it is a well-known fact that the houses in the Abuja metropolis cannot cater for the teeming population. Worse still, the majority cannot afford a decent home due to the relatively high cost of living. 

Lansar Aghaji & Co and other professionals in the real estate industry saw this as an opportunity to invest in the suburban region of the city. The aftermath of this investment birthed affordable housing in relatively new areas like Kubwa, Zuba, Gwarimpa, Suleja among many other areas.

These new houses were not only beneficial to the owners;
It benefitted the Government by decongesting the municipal.
Increased the Government’s source of revenue.
Significantly improved commercial activities in the host communities.

From the above, we can deduce that an Estate Surveyor and Valuer is capable of significantly boosting the development of any community due to the cross-disciplinary knowledge they possess about landed properties in its entirety and its impact on the community.

In addition to the above, Estate Surveyors and Valuers like Lansar Aghaji & Co also handle other activities like feasibility and viability appraisals, facilities management, project management and general real estate consultancy services.

*Contributed by Lansar Aghaji and Co (08037082245 or info@lansaraghajiandco.com)

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Abuja set for 3rd CYSEC NG hackathon, conference - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The Cyber Security Challenge Nigeria (CYSEC NG), a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) in its bid to consolidate on efforts to forestall the high rate of incidences of cyber-attacks affecting the globe and Nigeria inclusive, is organizing its Annual National Hacking and Cyber security conference in Abuja, reports ITREALMS.

Director-General CYSEC NG, Mr Victor Idonor, told ITREALMS, the conference has been slated for Tuesday, October 30 through Wednesday 31, would centre on the theme `Forensics and Defense Against Next-Gen Frauds’ and will also serve as a platform for a `National Hacking Challenge’ to identify Nigeria’s next generation of cyber professionals.

He noted that with last year's outbreak of NotPetya, Ransomware—malicious programmes that encrypt your files and demand a ransom payment in bitcoin to restore them, it became one of the most talked about forms of malware of 2017. Yet at the same time, the actual rates of malware infection began to crash down around the middle of the year, until by December 2017 it represented only about 10 percent of infections.

“One of the most common methods of email malware infection is through phishing attacks, which are becoming increasingly targeted,” he said.

According to him, out of the 1,300 IT security decision makers surveyed for CyberArk Global Advanced Threat Landscape Report 2018, 56 per cent said that targeted phishing attacks were the top security threat they faced while 77 per cent of organisations in the world were victimised by one (or more) successful cyber-attack in 2017. 17 per cent of breaches were social attacks, 76 per cent of the breaches were financially motivated while 12 per cent involved privilege misuse.

CYSEC NG has over the years been playing a vital role in assisting Nigerians scale –up skills in cyber security as well as provides direction towards building a viable Information Technology, cybersecurity professional base for Nigeria and Africa.

CYSEC NG ’18 will gather IT professionals in the industry, government agencies, public and private sector who will be thinking, working and paying greater attention to national and global cyber security trends and challenges. It will also disclose the state of security from a unique perspective, `The Hacker’s Viewpoint’, which say `In order to beat a hacker, you have to think like one and if you don’t understand the enemy, how can you protect against him”.

The hacking competition will consist of challenges that include password cracking and code breaking, web security, reverse engineering, cryptography, penetration testing, binary exploitation, forensics and many more; practical hacking demonstration, Information Security Research work presentations, stakeholders panel session and software exhibitions. . There would be a hacking challenge where participants will compete, a winner will emerge and awarded.

CYSEC NG ’18, he said, is gender sensitive, and holds a special session for women to get involved in Cyber Security issues. It will also capture secondary schools in its `Catch Them Young’ insightful time into `InfoSec towards Cyber security inclusion in Nigeria’.

The occasion affords participants the opportunity to connect, network and have high-level talks on cyber security in Nigeria and is slated to hold at the Cyprian Ekwensi Arts and Culture, Abuja.

The event is being organized by Upgraded Era Solutions in collaboration and partnership with government and non-government agencies. The event will attract a variety of top level participants from across various sectors; including Students, financial services institutions, energy, telecommunications, manufacturing, IT professionals, developers, decisions and policy makers, governmental officials, experts, consultants, industry leaders, law enforcement officials, academics, networks security and other stakeholders with an interest in the cyber security space.

Nenye Dom/GEE

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AITEO Cup Victory: Enugu Rangers and Asaba 'Miracle' - ITREALMS

SportCommentary@ITREALMS:

The 2018 Aiteo Cup (otherwise known as the Federation Cup) may have come and gone but the drama and miraculous manner with which the Rangers International Football Club clinched the Cup would remain a story that would be told and referenced while discussing issues relating to the power of possibilities in every circumstance of life and human endeavour.

Stephen Keshi International Stadium Asaba was the venue for the 2018 Aiteo Cup finals between Kano Pillars and Rangers International Football Club. The stadium was filled to the brim with fans and supporters of both teams in high spirit chanting songs of encouragements to the clubs in the football pitch.

Both Kano and Enugu State Governments had taken over the media space calling for prayers and supports from the general public, fans and supporters of their different clubs for God to see them victorious at the Aiteo tournament which would not only promote the image of their states but also place the victorious club at the apex of football rating in the country and also have them secure the berth to represent Nigeria at the CAF Confederation Cup next season.

In the thrilling final match, Pillars within the first ten minutes scored their first goal and not long after, scored the second goal still within the first half. They added the third goal in the early minutes of the second half leaving both the Governor of Enugu State, Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and the teaming supporters and fans of Enugu Rangers who were on ground to motivate the players dumb founded.

However, in spite of this challenging moment, a source who was observing the mood and countenance of Governor Ugwuanyi, said that he was full of hope and in high spirit that the awesome God of David whom he has always reverenced in all his activities, will perform a miracle that will see his team defeat Kano Pillars in spite of the fact that Rangers was three goals down as at the 70th minutes of the match.

Just like the story of David who defeated the Philistine giant Goliath with only a sling because of his intimate relationship with Jehovah God as his backup, the Flying Antelopes mustered a late comeback sparked off by the 77th-minute thunderbolt from Kevin Itoya who opened the door of victory for Enugu Rangers with the first goal.

Under ten minutes of the first the goal scored by Rangers at 77th minutes, Chidera Ezeh threw in the second goal making it 3-2 and Ajani Ibrahim completed the late comeback with a diving header in the 90th minute bringing the goals of Kano Pillars and Enugu Rangers to a 3-3 draw and leading both teams into a penalty kick.

In the ensuing penalty kick, Captain Rabiu Ali who had scored the first goal of the match for Pillars goofed by losing his kick and his teammate Jimoh Ibrahim also lost his penalty kick. Though Rangers also missed a kick, the four kicks scored was enough to give them a sweet 4-2 win over a shattered Pillars team.

It was indeed a good one for Rangers who had gotten to five finals of the Federation Cup in the past administrations of the state without clinching the cup but within the period of Governor Ugwuanyi’s administration, the case is different as the club in 2016 broke a 32-year-old jinx by winning the NPFL in 2016 and also miraculously winning the 2018 Aiteo Cup.

One is tempted to say that the victories of Rangers since Ugwuanyi came on the saddle of leadership in the state could be linked with his handing over the affairs of the state to God on assumption of office. To Ugwuanyi, he does not have the capacity to carry out the leadership of the state without God and this belief has manifested in numerous successes recorded so far in spite of the poor revenue accruing to the state from the federal allocation.

Under Governor Ugwuanyi’s leadership, the state’s internal revenue has been on a tremendous increase to the extent that the state can even pay salaries without relying on federal allocation. This development has equally led to a lot of infrastructural developments linking the rural areas and the urban areas thereby making it easy for farmers to transport their farm produce to the urban centres.

The twin victory of Enugu Rangers under the Ugwuanyi administration by breaking the 32-year-old jinx of not winning any trophy is no doubt made possible by the power of the awesome God of David whom the Governor believes is capable of helping him achieve success in the leadership of the state. Before making any statement, Gov. Ugwuanyi always reaffirms his loyalty to the God of Abraham, God of Isaac and the Awesome God of David. There is therefore no gain saying that God has not failed him in his belief and trust.

Rangers International Football Club of Enugu was founded in 1970 after the Nigerian Civil War and has maintained its position as the oldest football team in Nigeria that has never gone on relegation since its inception. Founded, financed and supervised by the Enugu state government, the club has remained firm in making the Igbos proud. Founded with the spirit of “Ndi Igbo”, the football club is bound by a common philosophy; a culture and an attitude well characterized with “never say die”.

Rangers International Football Club of Enugu also known as the “Flying Antelope” has lifted the oldest trophy in Nigeria – challenge(fa) cup 5 (five) good times, played in the finals as the second runner up about 5 times after winning in 1983.

Governor Ugwuanyi had in a statement through his SSA Media, Louis Amoke, “appealed to residents of Enugu state and the entire South East Geo-Political Zone, including traders in Onitsha, Enugu, Aba, Asaba, and others, to come out en masse at the Stephen Keshi Stadium, Asaba, to cheer the Flying Antelopes to victory adding that their prayers did the magic in 2016 NPFL Cup.

Reacting to the victory, the Convener and National Coordinator of the South East Renewal Group, (SERG), Chief Willy Ezugwu, described the emergence of Enugu Rangers International Football Club as the winner of the 2018 Aiteo Cup as “one of the many proofs that Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State is God-sent to the people of the state.”

“This is pointer that no matter how the opponents fight, there is second term victory next year for Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi as an achiever who has again added another feather to his cap as the man of the people through his result-oriented administration.

*Emmanuel Jonathan, JP is Special Assistant to the Governor of Enugu State on New Media Matters and a public affairs analyst.

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Breaking: KDSG reinstates 24-hour curfew - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The Kaduna State Government has reinstated a 24-hour curfew on Kaduna metropolis and environs, Kasuwan Magani, Kajuru, Kateri and Kachia reports ITREALMS.

The curfew, ITREALMS gathered is effective from 11am today, Friday, 26th October 2018 and will remain in force until further notice.

Confirming this to ITREALMS,  the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor (Media & Publicity) Kaduna State, Mr. Samuel Aruwan, said this is a necessary step to help maintain peace as they mourn the death of HRH Agom Adara, "who we lost in the early hours of today to the criminals who abducted him last week."

The Kaduna State Government, therefore called for calm in all communities, stressing that the criminal elements who perpetrated this crime should not be allowed to divide state.

"This is a struggle between good, decent, law-abiding people trying to uphold the peace and criminals who want to divide and destroy. It is not a struggle between religious or ethnic groups. Let no criminal find succour in faith or tribe," he said.

Urging residents of Kaduna State to unite against every criminal activity.

"Let us stand together as human beings who have a right to live in peace," Aruwan said.

Uboshe Uboshe/GEE

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NAGRA secures Sky Italia’s new retail DVB-T pay-TV service - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

Leading independent provider of content protection and multiscreen television solutions, NAGRA has secured the Sky Italia's digital satellite television platform owned by Sky plc. reports ITREALMS.

This follows the launch of a new Digital Video Broadcasting — Terrestrial (DVB-T) pay-TV service secured by NAGRA’s broadcast and direct-to TV content protection technologies.

ITREALMS gathered that the new terrestrial service is available on Sky Italia DVB-T set-top boxes and Conditional Access Modules (CAM) for digital TVs, available for sale on the Italian retail market with an exclusive offer that contains four channels of entertainment, eight cinema and series channels, and sports channels featuring premium sports content including Serie A football, UEFA Champions League and Europa League, Formula One auto racing and MotoGP Grand Prix motorcycle racing.

“We are excited to have the opportunity to work with Sky Italia and have them benefit from our retail expertise in pay-TV,” said Carlo Stramaglia, Vice President Sales, Italy, at NAGRA. 

“NAGRA technologies are best-of-breed when it comes to broadcast and direct-to-TV security for premium content addressing virtually any business requirement while providing robust content protection. We look forward to supporting them in this new venture.”

NAGRA’s broadcast content protection technology leverages the NAGRA Broadcast Headend security platform to enable advanced broadcast business models and a full portfolio of security features which are the cornerstones of premium broadcast TV. It is both flexible and scalable, and delivers best-of-breed hardware-based security for virtually any business requirement and withstand the most advanced attacks. Integrated with NAGRA content protection and relying on the DVB CI and CI Plus standards, CAM modules enable pay-TV operators to deliver premium 4K Ultra HD content directly to integrated TV sets (iDTV) through broadcast or broadband IP network without a set-top box.

Chuks Egbune/GEE

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Town Hall meeting boosts govt+citizen communication - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, has hailed his colleague in the Ministry of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, for initiating the Town Hall Meeting Series which, he said, has revolutionized the way government communicates with its citizens.

Mr. Fashola made the remarks at the Special Town Hall meeting on infrastructure in Ibadan, Oyo State, on Thursday.

“Let me commend the Honourable Minister of Information and Culture for inaugurating these series of town hall meetings that have been held across Nigeria over the past three years and the details have already been provided in his brief. This is the fourteenth (edition).

“What is instructive first is that it has changed the way the government of Nigeria communicates with its citizens,” he said.

Mr. Fashola said unlike the way the government communicated with its citizens in the past, Alhaji Mohammed takes cabinet ministers to meet and share ideals with the people, a practice that provides a feedback mechanism.

“So how did government talk to you before? On NTA, that’s all, and then when election is coming. About three months to election, they rushed to town hall meetings. But what did Alhaji Lai Mohammed do? He said let’s go out communicating because we made promises to these people and we must brief them from time to time,” he said.

While reeling out the achievements of the government, particularly in the area of roads, Mr. Fashola said the present administration has 68 road contracts in the South West alone, and that 36 power projects are currently ongoing in the geo-political zone under the Transmission Company of Nigeria.

In his address of welcome, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said the town hall meeting in Ibadan on infrastructure is the second in a series of special town hall meetings aimed at showcasing the achievements of the Buhari Administration.

Nenye Dom/GEE

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Pix: From left: Minister of Water Resources Suleiman Adamu; Minister of Information and Culture Lai Mohammed; Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi; Minister of Power, Works and Housing Babatunde Fashola and Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi at the Special Town Hall Meeting on Infrastructure in Ibadan, Oyo State, on Thursday.

Cybrary partners Cisco on free cybersecurity training, awareness - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

Cybrary is partnering Cisco for this month’s cybersecurity awareness, reports ITREALMS.

The Co-founder of Cybrary, Ralph P. Sita Jr made this disclosure, saying that they believe anyone, anywhere should have the opportunity to develop their career through the production and consumption of high quality training.

Cybrary, he said, was set up to build cyber security or Information Technology (IT) career for free, urging people to get free training, then land their next job.

“Join the free learning revolution now,” he declared, emphasizing that Cybrary Insider Pro is introducing how to become a cyber security professional online.

“Confidently, be guided down the path towards your next job and a new career. 2 out of 3 Cyber Professionals are seeking Career Development Programs on Cybrary to take the next step in their career. This program helps you take the right training, get the right hands-on experience and prove your ability through online assessment tools,” he said.

He pointed out that anyone interested need not have experience as they have to work with industry-leading mentors to help them get started and guide through the programme in order to start a new career.

Chuks Egbune/GEE

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FG: Nigeria advances on mobile economy @NIMES 2018 - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The Federal government has reiterated its commitment to spur growth within the mobile economy, and the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector at large, by creating the enabling policies for the private sector to thrive, in line with the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) of the government, reports ITREALMS.

The government made this known through the Minister of communications, Barr. Adebayor Shittu, at the Nigerian Mobile Economy Summit and Awards (NIMES) 2018, an event organised by the Centre for Cyber Awareness and Development (CECAD) for IT stakeholders synergy and collaboration towards a better mobile and digital economy.

Barr Adebayor Shittu stated that "The Federal government is working towards increasing the contribution of ICT to the GDP, increasing broadband penetration, and working proactively with other stakeholders to create growth in the ecosystem, in line with the focus of the current administration".

Contributing to the Minister's speech, was the Director-General of Nigeria's citadel of research and development, the Federal Institute of Industrial research (FIIRO), Prof. Gloria N. Elemo, represented by Dr Mrs B.O. Oyedoyin; who stated the FIIRO has continued to drive the acceleration of industrialization in Nigeria, through effective utilisation of raw materials, and upgrading of indigenous production techniques.

"FIIRO will continue to design, develop and sponsor researches and projects, train entrepreneurs, carry out technology transfer, and industrial extension services across Nigeria, though digital and innovative solutions, in line with global best practices. This we believe will accelerate the industrial development of Nigeria", she stated.

Organisers of the summit, CECAD also presented Nigeria Mobile Economy Awards to individuals and institutions who have made laudable contributions to the development of Nigeria through the application of Information and Communication Technology.

ITREALMS further gathered that Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu was awarded, ‘Champion of Nigeria’s Mobile Economy & ICT’, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission, Prof. Umar Danbatta was awarded with ‘Icon of Nigerian Mobile Economy’ and the immediate past Director of public Affairs at the NCC, Tony Ojobo received the ‘Icon of African Information Society Merit Award. Dr. Yele Okeremi, Managing Director of Precise Financial Systems and President, Institute of Software Professionals of Nigeria received award of the ‘Software Entrepreneur of the year’, FIIRO got the ‘Best Research Institute in the Public sector, also Director Banking and Payment Services at the CBN was honoured with the ‘Outstanding Contributions to the Mobile Economy’, while Director General of the National Identity Management Commission and Engr. Aliyu Aziz received ‘Champion of Digital Identity Management’.

Also, from the Private sector, Zenith Bank, Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), PPC and Digital Bridge Institute (DBI) received Innovative Digital Bank of the year, Most Impactful Telecom Association of the year, Most Innovative IT Solution Provider and Excellence in IT Capacity Building respectively.

While in Entertainment, emerging Pop star, Banny got the award for the ‘Most promising Pop artiste Online'.

Organized by the Centre for Cyber Awareness and Development, CECAD, Nigeria Mobile Economy Summit (NIMES) brings together the biggest names in the mobile and digital ecosystem every year towards a synergistic effort aimed at making the most of the knowledge economy.

Ayo Midele/GEE

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PWYP calls for commitments on beneficial ownership disclosure - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The Publish What You Pay Global (PWYP) Council has called for commitments on beneficial ownership of disclosure and protection of civic space, reports ITREALMS.

Director of Global Initiatives & Impact at PWYP, Duncan Edwards made this call, saying that income from the extractive industries (oil, gas and mining) could be an important source of revenue for a country’s development.

The director also said that in many countries which are rich in natural resources, the revenues generated from the extraction of these resources don’t benefit the country’s population.

Revenues, the council said, are sometimes lost through mismanagement; but in other cases, they are lost as a result of corruption.

“Secretly owned companies, where the identity of the beneficial owners is hidden, are a key mechanism through which money is laundered,” PWYP said.

Edwards also said the 18th International Anti-Corruption Conference (IACC) in Copenhagen, Denmark, has placed a strong emphasis on the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16 on peace, justice and open and effective institutions.

As the conference draws to a close, Publish What You Pay calls on all governments to systematically collect and make publicly accessible the information on the beneficial owners of extractive companies domiciled and operating in their territories, and to actively analyse and act upon this analysis. Governments should utilise information on beneficial ownership and politically exposed persons (PEPs) in assessments during the licensing process for new extractives projects as a safeguard against nepotism and cronyism.

Further, Publish What You Pay calls on oil, gas and mining companies to use beneficial ownership and PEP data in their due diligence of business partners and subcontractors to reduce the risk of corruption within their business operations and supply chains.

Nenye Dom/GEE

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Economies build on innovative technologies thrive better says ATCON president - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The National President, Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) Mr. Olusola Teniola, has said that economies build on innovative technologies thrive better than the old concept of mere agriculture, reports ITREALMS.

Contributing to the discussion at the 2018 WorldStage Economic Summit on the theme “New Sources of Economic Strength to Make the future Happen,” at the Event Centre of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) Mr. Teniola maintained that the development of the economy through the old concept of agriculture will not take the country far.

As said by him, for a culture of technology as demonstrated in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector, it has become obvious for the promotion of science, technology, engineering and mathematics education in the schools.

This, he stressed will aid Nigeria to compete favourably in any area, “it must be up to date in innovation and technology.”

Equally speaking at the event, Mr Soji Adeleye, Chief Executive of Alfe City Institution, underlined the absence of leadership in the country which had resulted to the lack of progress.

For meaningful progress to be achieved, he said the leadership has to be aware of their responsibility to the society, not to just occupy space.

Mrs Oluyinka Omojolaibi, Senior Research Economist, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) was also underlined the importance of government to formulate and implement policies that can move the economy forward.

She said government needed to do more in the area of the provision of infrastructure, machineries, cheap loans for the economy to be productive and competitive.

She said that would be crucial so that made in Nigeria products can be competitive in the local and international market.

Mr Segun Adeleye, President/CEO, World Stage Limited, the organisers of the summit observed that there was a convergence in the opinions of the experts at the forum in the area of application of technology to chat a new economic direction for the country.

“Going forward, the WorldStage Economic Summit 2018 theme was inspired to bring to the consciousness of stakeholders on the need to be on the driver’s seat of the economy and transit to a future of knowledge, competitiveness and prosperity,” he said.

“Our thinking is that the policy makers and the private sector should be looking at how to match the potential in the economy with new development around the world that focuses on the shape of things to come.

“At today’s summit, we want to explore how Nigeria will not be left behind in the fourth industrial revolution with focus on economic strength through the sub themes, Digital ecosystems to drive future growth; Developing the Agribusiness; The Blue Economy Option; The place of Artificial Intelligence in future growth; Blockchain Technology and the future; Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education in Nigeria.

“In a global economy where tech companies like Microsoft, Google, Facebook are richer than all African countries put together, managers of the economy cannot continue to fake ignorance of the needful, that mineral resource will no longer be a major factor in future relevance and prosperity.”

He assured that the report of the summit would be made available to the government with the hope that it will become part of the valuable ideas needed to move the Nigeria’s economy forward.

Uj. N. Dominic/GEE

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Omobola, Lexi to headline TechCrunch Battlefield Africa’18 - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The 2018 TechCrunch Battlefield Africa will be headlined with high-powered industry leaders including the senior partner at TLcom Capital and former Nigeria’s Minister of Communication Technology, Dr. (Mrs) Omobola Johnson, alongside Lexi Novitske of Singularity Investments, reports ITREALMS.

The panel discussions, ITREALMS are to explore the best tech in Africa and how the technology investment landscapes is changing.

The first two speakers by TechChruch announced to offer direct knowledge about investing Silicon Valley money in the local ecosystem comprise, Dr. Omobola Johnson who is a senior partner at TLcom Capital and the former Minister of Communication Technology for Nigeria, with vast knowledge of the startup investing landscape comes from her 25-year tenure at Accenture where she served as the managing director.

Also, Lexi Novitske is the principal investment officer for Singularity Investments where she is responsible for managing investments in the firm’s Africa portfolio.

Mike Butcher, Editor at Large, TechCrunch said that the inaugural edition of TechCrunch Startup Battlefield Africa confirmed that Sub-Saharan Africa is home to a vibrant and growing technology startup ecosystem.

“We look forward to hearing about how this year’s competitors are disrupting their markets, providing innovative solutions to social and economic problems, and positioning themselves as global contenders,” he said.

“Supporting the next generation and wave of African start-ups is something that we at Facebook are passionate about. Our sponsorship of TechCrunch Startup Battlefield Africa, for the second year running highlights our commitment to the start-up scene on the continent, and helping to provide a world stage to showcase the very best in African talent and solutions” said Emeka Afigbo, Head of Developer Programmes at Facebook.

Notable companies that launched on TechCrunch’s global stage include Vurb, Trello, Mint, Dropbox, Yammer, Tripit, Redbeacon, Qwiki, Getaround, and Soluto. The 763 startups that have participated since the first competition, TC40 in 2007 have raised $8.2 billion, while 102 have been acquired or have gone public as of December 2017.

Chuks Egbune/GEE

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Black Friday: An insult to Africans? - ITREALMS

MidWeek Commentary@ITREALMS: 

Be original. That's my best advice. You're going to find that there's something that you do well, and try to do it with as much originality as you can, and don't skimp on the words. Work on the words – Bob Seger.

Consumerism is the engine of our contemporary society. It drives the ambitions of 21st Century businesses and large corporates, resulting in a massive all-out assault on the senses of the consumer. By feeding into the frenzy associated with the acquisition of goods and services in ever-increasing amounts, businesses continually re-invent the cycle, creating a culture of consumption that keeps the global economy ticking.

Indeed, as Bernard Mandeville argued in his influential work Fable of the Bees in 1714, a country's prosperity ultimately lies in the self-interest of the consumer. This school of thought, controversial as it may have sounded back then, paints a realistic picture of the current state of affairs in the 21st Century.

Today, advertising is perhaps the biggest promoter of consumerism.

In the current age of information overload, one in which a variety of eye-catching goods and services are marketed through a multiplicity of intrusive channels and media, the average consumer’s life is perpetually in need of some product, an upgrade or a switch to a better existence. Worse still, there is an increasingly growing tendency to not only push the consumer to the point of distraction with the deluge of promotional contents, but to get him to accept alien shopping traditions, messages and cultures as a result of the global influence of consumerism.

This trend finds deeper relevance in the concept of emulation, widely regarded as a major plank of latter-day consumerism. The poor attempt to emulate the rich; the rich look up to the stupendously wealthy; modern consumers react positively to celebrity endorsement as a measure of emulating or aspiring to the perceived lifestyle or status of public figures and, more to the point, native consumers are force-fed largely alien or foreign shopping ideas that find no relevance in their cultural realities.

What does Black Friday mean to a native African or Nigerian?

To begin with, the term has no local significance but has its origins in a foreign tradition. Put differently, Black Friday represents another form of neo-colonialism; a repudiation of what makes us African and a wholesale acceptance of the sub-texts of another man’s culture without any form of questioning.

An informal name for the day following Thanksgiving Day in the United States, the fourth Thursday of November, which has been regarded as the beginning of the country's Christmas shopping season since 1952, Black Friday – as a term – only began to assume widespread recognition around the early 2000s. The earliest evidence of the application of the phrase Black Friday to the day after Thanksgiving in a shopping context suggests that the term originated in Philadelphia, where it was used to describe the heavy and disruptive pedestrian and vehicle traffic that would occur on the day after Thanksgiving. Indeed, alternative history indicates that the first recorded use of the term – Black Friday – was applied not to holiday shopping but to financial crisis and the crash of the U.S. gold market on September 24, 1869. As the phrase became more widespread, a popular explanation became that this day represented the point in the year when retailers begin to turn a profit, thus going from being "in the red" to being "in the black.

Today, many Nigerians who have little or no idea of the associated meanings or etymology of the term – Black Friday – glory in the consumerism-driven fever which advertising has helped entrench in the minds without paying heed to how the term came about.

When an entire people lose their way and emulate culturally-alien concepts, there should be a conscious effort to query the norm, to ask questions and to customize these imports to suit native circumstances or existential realities. Little wonder the famous Greek philosopher Socrates quipped: “The unexamined life is not worth living.”

Presently, Black Friday is widely regarded as the busiest shopping event of the year, with research indicating that, spending on Black Friday 2017 raked in $7.9 billion in online sales (up 17.9% from 2016) while a whopping $700 billion was recorded throughout the November – December period, a 5.5% rise from 2016.

Perhaps, we would be better off looking inwards for a more fitting term, an original word to situate our acceptance of the annual celebration of global consumerism.

None comes to mind better than what Konga, a Nigerian e-commerce giant, has done with the term – Yakata.

Yakata, in the local Nigerian parlance, means crashing. In other words, the term is used to signify what the annual shopping fiesta has come to represent to the brand and its numerous patrons: a time to crash prices and offer consumers best deals on a wide range of goods and services.

Rather than slavishly ape an alien concept – which Black Friday remains despite the global phenomenon it has become – Konga has given us a refreshing variation on the theme by re-christening it Konga Yakata. Interestingly, Konga has also gone beyond just jumping on the Black Friday band-wagon to actually making it a sales event worth participating in.

Konga Yakata, as an original term finds more relevance with Nigerians and Africans, is indigenous and most importantly, lends a proudly local flavour to what is a very important shopping activity in the annual calendar. Through it, Konga has managed to do what other e-commerce companies have been unable to do: take a foreign concept, adapt it our local circumstances and weave/build a solid original structure around it which every patriotic Nigerian shopper should be proud of.






*Contributed by Robert Flynn, an e-commerce researcher from New Jersey, resides in Abuja.




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AfDB shows strong performance ahead of key investment forum - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

Ahead of its maiden African Investment Forum next month, the African Development Bank continues to see another year of sustained indicators, underlined by a stellar Triple A rating by all three major agencies and sharply increased earnings.

The inaugural Forum takes place 7-9 November 2018 in Johannesburg, South Africa, offering a platform for sourcing funding for bankable African projects, brokering infrastructure deals and providing innovative financial solutions. The event will attract key global companies, financial players, and public officials who will address the continent’s critical infrastructure investment gaps.

The Bank’s performance and ratings are based on the solid support from its shareholders, including in the form of strong callable capital. Net operational earnings for 2017 showed a 63-percent jump to US$597 million from US$109 million in 2016 – capping a five-year upward trend from 2013.

In projects performance, the Bank disbursed a record US$5.1 billion to projects and programs across Africa in 2017, an increase of 14 percent over the previous all-time high of US$4.5 billion in 2016.

The Bank’s financial performance and overall achievements across other key metrics like volume of new development assistance, disbursements and governance, were excellent in spite of a well-recognized difficult operating environment.

“Of all multilateral development banks, African Development Bank operates in the most challenging ‘operating environment’ defined by rating agencies as a reflection of the risks associated with the countries of operation,” Senior Vice President, Charles Boamah, noted.

The Bank’s core agenda targets lifting out of poverty 38 African countries considered as the continent’s most vulnerable and least developed. Since its founding in 1974 the Bank has invested a total of US$45 billion in operations across Africa with significant focus on the LDC countries.

Boamah said the Bank’s challenging operating environment was offset by the institution’s intrinsic financial strength, which prompted shareholders at this year’s Annual Meetings in May to approve the formal commencement of discussions for a possible seventh General Capital Increase for the Bank Group.

Such an increase “would further strengthen the financial base of the Bank, thereby enabling it to further scale up its support to African countries, including those facing conditions of fragility,” Boamah added.

Nenye Dom/GEE with additional report from APO.

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Pix: AfDB President, Adesina

Attaining gold data centre offers MDXi competitive advantage - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The General Manager, MDXI, Mr. Gbenga Adegbiji, has described the recent attainment of Gold Partner status of Microsoft offers the data centre a competitive advantage, reports ITREALMS. 

Reacting to the achievement, Adegbiji explained to ITREALMS that its an important step for MDXI in the drive towards supporting local companies face issues on digital transformation, particularly in relation to their data centre and computing platform strategies. 

The gold competency, he also said, provides MDXI with a competitive advantage that helps it to offer customers the most relevant Microsoft solutions in the market. 

"With this competency, MDXI is accredited as a partner to transform data centres into more flexible, scalable, and cost effective solutions using Microsoft Azure Cloud and hybrid solutions," he said.

Pointing that it will enable MDXI to deliver greater value to customers with best-in-class staff that have been subjected to rigorous exams, proven implementation and satisfaction references auditable.

ITREALMS further gathered, this demonstrated 'best-in-class' capability to meet Microsoft's customers' needs, whereas the gold data centre is the highest partnership level with Microsoft in Data Centre Competencies for Cloud Productivity.

He emphasised that attaining Gold Partner status is a crucial step for MDXI in driving towards supporting local companies on issues of digital transformation, mostly in relation to their data centre and computing platform strategies.

"To obtain the certification, MDXI has demonstrated the highest commitment to the integration of the latest Microsoft products, with proven expertise to help costumers drive innovative solutions on the latest Microsoft platforms," he declared.

Adegbiji also assured that as a SAP-certified provider of hosting services, MDXI offers cost-effective yet reliable delivery models for mission-critical applications for customers of SAP.

SAP customers that rely on MainOne’s data centre for hosting services are empowered to focus on the business value of their solutions and benefit from reduced operational expenses that a commercial data centre provides.

Chuks Egbune/GEE

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WES2018: Experts recommend special focus on agric, tourism, solid minerals, ICT - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

Experts from the academics, telecommunications and manufacturing sectors have strongly recommended that Nigeria should deliberately embark on the exploration of its potentials through the enhancement of agricultural value chain, massive investment in tourism, development of the solid minerals sector and embrace innovation and technology as its new sources of economic strength, reports ITREALMS.

Presenting the lead paper on Tuesday at the WorldStage Economic Summit 2018 with the theme: New Sources of Economic Strength to Make the future Happen, Dr. Babatunde Wasiu Adeoye, Associate Professor, Department of Economics, University of Lagos said, “The agricultural sector remains a viable option for Nigeria in which it can produce her total demand internally without necessarily importing any of her final produce.”

Represented by Mr Onyebuchi Iwegbu, at the forum which took place at the Event Centre, Nigerian Stock Exchange, Lagos, he listed some challenges that are being faced in the agriculture sector to include high cost of generating power, poor and limited storage facilities, bad road networks, Illegal food importation, inadequate market information on availability of products Land grabbing otherwise called illegal acquisition of land, inadequate skilled personnel, poor irrigation system, and high cost of acquiring processing equipment and agrochemicals, but noted that by finding a strategic way of ameliorating them might become a testimony for the country to experience the replica of what Brazil experienced in the past three years.

“In 2012, Brazil was able to significantly enhance their value chain in agricultural production and this led to the generation of 16 million new jobs and a producer of global agro processed commodities which includes sugar, ethanol and oranges,” he said.

“Their value chain developed due to the improvement in the availability of seeds, soil fertility, better use and provision of technology and finally, improvement in research and innovations in the sector.”

On tourism, he said its role in the economy cannot be undermined as it can be seen as a pulsating power house with deep and layered cultures and environment.

He said, “Tourism has the potentials of stimulating output and as such act as a strong force to stimulating and sustaining growth.”

He quoted Lonely Planet which in year 2016 reported that the tourism industry contributed about $7.6 trillion to the world economy thus accounting for about 10 per cent of the global Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

“Nigeria tourism contributed about $1.5 billion, a hope to anchor on in terms of future output expansion sector dependants. For the sector to become a centre of attraction and growth driver, several actions must be taken by relevant stakeholders in achieving this,” he said.

He cited the example of how United Arab Emirates (UAE) used technology to transform their cities making it a centre for world tourists, saying Nigeria already has the landscape and other climatic conditionings in making her a centre of attraction for tourist.

“However, with massive investment in technology, hotels can better market their services and tourist centres can effectively enhance their centres,” he said.

Uj. N. Dominic/GEE

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Pix: Cross section of panel at the WES2018

Every day fight against false news according to Facebook - ITREALMS

MidWeek Commentary@ITREALMS:

In this new series, we'll look at some pieces of false news that recently circulated on Facebook — both those we've caught, and some we caught too late. 

Every day, our team fights the spread of false news through a combination of technology and assessments from independent third-party fact-checkers. With every false story that surfaces, we learn a bit more about how misinformation takes shape online and, hopefully, how we can detect it earlier. In this new series, we'll look at some pieces of false news that recently circulated on Facebook — both those we've caught and some we missed.

What we saw
This summer, a video featuring CCTV footage was re-shared by multiple accounts across several social networks. In the video, a man wearing a white robe and a shemagh, or head scarf, spits in the face of a blonde woman in what appears to be a hospital reception station. The accompanying caption reads, “Man from Saudi spits in the face of the poor receptionist at a Hospital in London then attacks other staff.”

Was it true?
While the video is real, the AFP reports, the incident occurred in a veterinary hospital in Kuwait in 2017 and was being recirculated this summer with a falsified caption.

What to know
One of the primary types of video- and photo-based misinformation involves old images or videos paired with captions or commentary that misrepresent their context . These posts are often used to fuel xenophobic sentiments and are often targeted at migrants and refugees, as the International Fact-Checking Network — the association that certifies the third-party fact-checkers we partner with — has explained. On Facebook, we've seen years-old images of violent acts, protests and war zones reposted and used to inflame current racial or ethnic tensions.

How we found it
There are two primary ways we find stories that are likely to be false: either we use machine learning to detect potentially false stories on Facebook, or else they're identified by our third-party fact-checkers themselves. In this case, the AFP found the out-of-context video.

Once a potentially false story has been found — regardless of how it was identified — fact-checkers review the claims in the story, rate their accuracy and provide an explanation as to how they arrived at their rating. The AFP investigated this video and its caption and submitted a “false” rating and explainer article, which led us to reduce its distribution in News Feed.

What we saw
Following the September 6 stabbing in Juiz de Fora, Brazil, of Representative Jair Bolsonaro, a candidate in Brazil’s presidential election, a photo circulated on Facebook of a man next to Senator Gleisi Hoffmann. The caption claimed that the man in the photo was Bolsonaro's attacker.

Was it true?
Brazilian fact-checker Aos Fatos reviewed the photo and found that not only was the man standing next to Hoffman not Bolsonaro's attacker, the photo was taken at an event in a completely different city, Curitiba.

What to know
Violent events like the attack on Bolsonaro can lead to a wave of misinformation about perpetrators, with fabricated posts making false claims about an assailant's identity and ideological motivations. Similar internet memes have circulated in the US following events like the Las Vegas shooting in 2017 and the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in 2018.

How we found it 
Our machine learning model identified this photo as being potentially false, and Brazilian fact-checker Aos Fatos reviewed the photo. They determined that the man pictured was not the attacker and that the event depicted was not in Juiz de Fora.

Based on Aos Fatos' “false” rating, we demoted the image in News Feed. We were also able to use photo detection technology to identify and demote thousands of identical photos that had been natively uploaded to Facebook. Using machine learning to find duplicates of debunked stories is an important technique for both photo-based and article-based misinformation. Because so much content is posted to Facebook every day, automation helps make the duplication detection process much more efficient, allowing us to find more instances of misinformation, faster.

What we saw
This story, published by the website World Facts FTW, claimed that NASA was looking to compensate volunteers up to $100,000 to participate in 60-day "bed rest studies.” The headline certainly seemed enticing — the post racked up millions of views on Facebook.

Was it true?
US-based fact-checker Politifact investigated this story and while they found that NASA has paid people to stay in bed for long periods of time, the headline of this particular story was misleading. The photos in the World Facts FTW article came from a 2015 Vice article about a NASA medical research study for which the author stayed in bed for 70 days but was only paid $18,000, not $100,000. (Politifact used a reverse image search to find the Vice article.) Politifact couldn't get verification for the $100,000 claim from either NASA and World Facts FTW, so they rated the article's central claim as false.

What to know
We're getting better at detecting and enforcing against false news, even as perpetrators' tactics continue to evolve. And while we caught and reduced the distribution of many pieces of misinformation on Facebook this summer, there are still some we miss. This can happen when:

• We fail to identify the misinformation at all
• We identify a piece of content as misinformation, but after it's already gone viral
• We identify a piece of misinformation early, but it goes viral in the time it takes for fact-checkers to research it and provide a veracity rating

In this particular case, we were able to identify this older article than had been circulating on Facebook for months, using an improved similarity detection process we've implemented. It took us too long to enforce against this piece, and we continue to develop new technology to catch these kinds of stories in the future, before they go viral.

How we found it
This article was originally posted in September 2017. In July 2018, US-based fact-checker Politifact investigated the story and, as described above, determined the central claim was false.

Our similarity detection process matched the “false” verdict from the investigation article on Politifact's website to the instance of the World Fact FTW article that was circulating on Facebook. Based on this potential match, our system enqueued the version of the story that was circulating on Facebook to our network of fact-checkers and The Weekly Standard reviewed it and also assigned it a “false” rating. Based on this rating, we demoted all Facebook posts linking to the article.

*Contributed by Antonia Woodford, Product Manager, Facebook

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PTDF joins FOI Hall of Shame - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The Media Rights Agenda (MRA) has named the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) its 65th inductee into the “Freedom of Information (FOI) Hall of Shame”, saying it was extremely concerned about the pervasive culture of non-compliance with the FOI Act across government institutions with no single one of them having ever been sanctioned for violating the Law, reports ITREALMS.

MRA’s FOI Programme Manager, Mr. Ridwan Sulaimon, said they were gravely concerned that in an administration that came to power riding on the promise of change, with a pledge to institute transparency and accountability in governance and fight corruption, there is no single instance where the government has taken measures to sanction public institutions under its direct control which are violating the FOI Act and thereby advancing the culture of secrecy in government which enables corruption to thrive.

According to him, “By its failure to rigorously implement the FOI Act and sanction public institutions and officials that wilfully violate the Law, the Federal Government is sending a signal to all government institutions and officials that it will condone their transgressions. The Government is thereby wittingly or unwittingly encouraging public institutions to break the law with an assurance of impunity.”

Mr. Sulaimon noted that “the PTDF is the fifth public institution in the oil and gas sector to be inducted into the FOI Hall of Shame in just over one year, which is clear evidence of a systematic and institutionalised culture of secrecy that envelopes the mainstay of the Nigerian economy, fuelled by a widespread conspiracy to frustrate any effort to make the sector transparent and accountable to the public.”

According to him, public institutions in the sector that have previously been inducted into the FOI Hall of Shame are the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), which was inducted in July 2017; the Petroleum Equalisation Fund (PEF), inducted in March 2018; the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, inducted in June 2018; and the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), which was inducted in August 2018.

He stressed that “This situation strongly suggests that there is a sector-wide resistance to transparency and accountability, which should be a matter of concern to all Nigerians, given that our economic fortunes are largely dependent on the same sector.”

Mr. Sulaimon said: “We continue to be confounded by this incredible reality that despite all the revelations about the violation of the FOI Act and other laws by these institutions, the routine disregard for other rules and regulations by the institutions and the level of corruption plaguing the sector, which has impoverished the country and its citizens, the government appears totally helpless to intervene as no single official has been held accountable.”

Explaining the basis of PTDF’s induction, he said the institution was assessed based on at least five of the key obligations of public institutions under the FOI Act and the Attorney-General’s Guidelines on the Implementation of the FOI Act, noting that, just like its sister institutions earlier inducted into the FOI Hall of Shame, the PTDF failed woefully in all the indices.

Mr. Sulaimon said the PTDF was assessed on the level of compliance with its obligations to provide information to members of the public on request, submit annual implementation reports to the Attorney-General of the Federation, proactively publish defined sets of information, train its staff and officials on the public’s right of access to information as well as to designate and publish the contact details of its FOI Desk Officer.

On the obligation to provide information on request, he noted that “Important statistical data and information to assess the level of compliance with this duty are unavailable as a result of the failure of the PTDF to submit its annual implementation reports to the Attorney-General of the Federation. We are, therefore, unable to determine the number of applications for information that the PTDF has received and number of such applications that it processed. We also do not know how many requests for information it has granted or denied over the years.”

But Mr. Sulaimon said: “While there is no indication that the PTDF has ever granted any request for information, we are aware that the institution has been sued by the Abuja-based non-governmental organization, the Public and Private Development Centre, for failing to provide the organization the information that it requested.”

He observed that between 2011, when the FOI Act was enacted, and February 1, 2018, the PTDF ought to have submitted seven annual reports to the Attorney-General of the Federation on its implementation of the Act, but the institution has not submitted any report during this period, in breach of Section 29 of the Act.

Mr. Sulaimon also accused the PTDF of failing to fulfil its proactive disclosure obligations under Section 2 of the Act as it has not published either on any its website, or anywhere else, the 16 categories of information that it is required by the Act to publish and disseminate widely to members of the public through various means, including print, electronic and online.

According to him, although Section 13 of the FOI Act requires every government or public institution to ensure the provision of appropriate training for its officials on the public’s right of access to information and records held by the institution for the effective implementation of the Act, the PTDF has also failed to comply with this provision.

On the PTDF’s obligation to designate an FOI Desk Officer, Mr. Sulaimon said the Database of FOI Desk Officers available at the Federal Ministry of Justice, which is the oversight institution for the implementation of the FOI Act, indicates that the PTDF has not designated any official to whom requests for information should be made and has not published the name of any such official as required by Section 2(3)(f) of the Act.

He called on the Media, civil society organizations and other stakeholders to focus attention on the PTDF and its activities, noting that such complete opacity in an institution which has been given enormous resources and the responsibility for training and educating Nigerians to become professionals and experts in the petroleum industry calls for scrutiny.

Ayo Midele/GEE

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